Page 12

8

The sun had set on London. Lanterns had been lit on the side of the road, making it appear as though stars had fallen to the ground and were now throbbing with silent light, illuminating the dark streets of the great city. As the carriage rumbled along the ground, they passed raucous pubs. Orla stretched to look at them, curious to catch a glimpse of what was occurring there, but Nova said she should not want to see what happened in that kind of place.

While they traveled, Edward told Hamish about some of the men he was going to meet that night, a subject that bored Orla. However, she did find herself glancing towards the man who was sitting opposite her. He did look fine in his suit, more handsome than she thought was possible. And she couldn’t escape the compliment he had given her. The single word was like a symphony in her mind, and whenever she thought of the flattery, there was a warm sense of contentment within her. Still, she hoped to receive more compliments from men other than Hamish. It wasn’t that he was such a bad man, only that he was the kind of man she had known all her life. She wanted someone new, someone who had experienced a whole other type of life, someone who could excite her with grand tales and take her to visit new places.

She wanted an adventure.

The carriage eventually pulled up at a grand house. It was much like the estate that Edward and Nova inhabited back in Scotland, though this house was surrounded by other buildings. The front garden was decorated with ornaments, and a fountain sprayed water into the air. Every window of the building shone brightly with light from within, and there were shadows moving about. When Orla stepped out of the carriage, her eyes widened at the line of people that snaked through the gardens. She immediately compared her outfit to those of other women, and also admired the men who were wearing fine suits. The murmur of conversation filled the air and she found herself walking forward with Nova beside her, while Edward and Hamish were a couple of paces ahead.

They walked up some flat steps towards the door and were greeted by a butler with a grave face. Edward flashed the invitations, and they stepped in without any trouble at all. The rooms were filled with people and at first Orla had no idea where to turn. Servants walked around with trays of food and drink, and she got the sense that everyone already knew everybody else. Edward turned to her and Nova.

“I hope you do not take offence, but Hamish and I are going to attend to business now. I hope that you two enjoy yourselves. We shall reconvene later,” he said, and took Nova’s hand and kissed the outside of her palm. Orla watched them walk away to the other side of the room, where Edward raised his hand and greeted another man loudly. Hamish seemed nervous, unsure what to do with his hands. He shifted his weight from side to side and continually looked towards Edward for direction. Orla suspected it was going to be a long night for him.

But now she was finally free from him, and she could focus on her own adventure.

“Where is the dancing?” she asked gleefully. Nova smiled, and chuckled a little.

“Ye cannae just get up and dance Orla. Ye hae tae wait for a gentleman tae ask ye.”

“Why?”

“Because that is the way things are done here.”

“But why?”

“I dinnae know!” Nova exclaimed, making an effort to suppress the volume of her voice, so as not to draw attention to herself. “I dinnae make the rules here. But it’s just the way things are done, and ye hae tae live with it.”

Orla frowned. It seemed completely unfair that her fate should be in the hands of some man. Back at home, she could dance whenever she wanted to dance, and nobody raised an eyebrow because of it. Perhaps everything in London was not better than the Highlands. “But what if none of them ask me tae dance?” she looked down at her outfit and wondered if all the effort to look pretty would be for nothing.

“I’m sure that’s nae gaeing tae be the case. We’ll gae intae the hall in a moment, and I’m sure men will ask ye. But first, look at who is here,” Nova said, glancing up. Orla followed the direction of her gaze, and her smile widened as she saw her sister, Halle. It had been such a long time since Orla had seen her. Halle was accompanied by her husband, Charles. Halle exchanged hugs with her sisters, while Charles kissed their hands.

“Orla, how ye hae grown!” Halle exclaimed.

“I’m glad tae see that ye still sound the same. I was worried that ye would be speaking like an English lass,” Orla chuckled.

“Ah, ye can take the lass out of the Highlands, but ye cannae take the Highlands out of the lass,” Halle said with a knowing smirk.

“Don’t I know it,” Charles said with a warm smile. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Orla. I hope that you have found London to be quite welcoming.”

“Oh aye, it’s been wonderful sae far, and I hae certainly waited long enough tae see it,” Orla said. “I just hope that I can dance.”

“I’m sure there is time for all that soon enough,” Halle reassured her. “Where’s Edward?”

“He’s speaking with some men about business. We hae a guest with us, Hamish, who hae been sent here tae learn more about the ways of the business world,” Nova said. Orla pouted at the mention of Hamish.

“I believe I shall go and say hello,” Charles said, and bowed his head, leaving the three sisters alone. Orla was glad of this reunion, and her smile was so wide her cheeks began to ache.

“How is everything in the Highlands? How is Da?” Halle asked.

Nova and Orla exchanged a glance. “He is nae tae good. I think it would be a good idea if ye visit him again. I think he’s lonely in the keep,” Orla lamented.

Halle nodded with a somber look on her face. “I hae been meaning tae arrange a trip up tae the Highlands again. It hae been tae long since I visited home, but there always seems tae be something else that gets in the way,” she sighed, offering a sad smile.

“And how are the wee ones?” Nova asked, knowing that Halle was referring to her children.

“Growing up a wee bit more every day,” she said, smiling widely. “Sometimes I cannae believe how big they are! It seems only yesterday that I came here, a wide eyed lass with nae idea of what tae expect.”

“That’s just like Orla now, although she certainly hae her hopes,” Nova said. “She wants tae be like us, and find love with an Englishman.”