‘Right.’ Ralph had sent me a couple of messages after the terrible date, apologising for actions he couldn’t remember, but assumed weren’t great. I hadn’t bothered to reply.
‘No hard feelings? I wouldn’t want there to be any awkwardness between us, given that we’re neighbours. And friends. At least, I hope we’re still friends.’
‘It’s fine. Thanks for bringing the parcel.’
‘I mean, we could try it again sometime? When I haven’t got a work thing on first. And I’ve been thinking hard about cutting down on the booze, anyway. That evening was a wake-up call, to be honest. I’d hate for one night of fun with the lads to ruin things between us.’
‘Um, I don’t think so, but thanks anyway.’ I managed to tug the small box out of his hand.
‘Maybe breakfast, tomorrow? Or next weekend? Some people say you haven’t lived until you’ve tried my scrambled eggs.’ He grinned. ‘Well, my mother does, anyway.’
‘I’m a vegan.’ I stepped back, swinging the door shut as I added, ‘And I’m getting married next weekend.’
‘Ugh, thank you whoever you are for saving me from any more encounters with people like Ralph Hutchens,’ I muttered, ripping open the parcel as I wandered back into the kitchen.
Inside was a velvet box.
Inside the box was a ring. A white gold Claddagh ring, with a heart diamond in the centre. A lot of the Claddagh rings I’d seen were verging on tacky, or were chunky and dated. This was stunning. Delicate, with clean, flowing lines. It must have cost a fortune.
There was also a note:
I know this isn’t how it’s meant to be done. And it’s too late for me to ask you to do me the honour of being my wife, seeing as we’ve already signed a contract. But although you’ve had to miss out on a proposal, I hope you will accept this ring as an indication of my commitment to becoming your husband, and to doing my best to make the unconventional start worth it. I intend to make sure that you never have to miss out on anything else as a result of choosing me to be the man you spend your life with.
While I don’t even know if you’re someone who likes jewellery, let alone what type of ring you might want, I’m looking forward to discovering this, along with everything else about you. But in the meantime, the Claddagh ring seemed like an appropriate symbol for the adventure we are about to begin together:
The crown is my promise of loyalty.
The clasped hands are my offer of friendship.
The heart is my hope of love.
It goes without saying that I can’t wait to meet you on the 11th. It probably also goes without saying that I’m scared witless.
But as a wise man I know always says, ‘If you’re scared as shite, then something serious is at stake.’
I hope this allays any fears you might have about how serious I am when it comes to making this work. Truth be told, I am very much looking forward to falling in love with you.
See you soon,
X
I was still sitting at the kitchen table staring at it when Bridget came home from talking to Paolo’s parents about their guest list.
‘Oh, is that from Mr X?’ She dumped her bags on the worktop and came to have a look. ‘He asked the project team if we’d post it on to you, but I didn’t know what it was.’
‘Couldn’t you have just brought it home?’
‘Well, where’s the romance in that?’ She picked up the box and flipped it open. ‘Oh, wow. That is gorgeous!’
‘Wait till you read the note.’ I pushed it across the table towards her.
It took about three seconds for her to burst into tears. ‘Now do you see what I mean?’ She sobbed. ‘If he can come up with a proposal like this, when he isn’t even here, what else will he do to make you fall in love with him?’
‘Should I be concerned that you seem more touched by my non-proposal that you did about your actual proposal?’
Bridget wiped away her tears with both hands, grabbed a biscuit from the cupboard and sat down. ‘No. I’m fine. I’m feeling very emotional about the whole thing, that’s all. I know I was only a stroppy teenager who had to find out about Helen Richards by earwigging through the crack in the floorboards, but I wasn’t quite so self-absorbed that I didn’t notice your broken heart. And years later it’s still not completely fixed. I think this man might be able to fix it. I can’t believe that what looked like a disastrous work project has turned out to be the best thing ever.’
‘It might not turn out to be the best thing ever, Bridget. There’s a lot could go wrong. And the chances are it will.’
