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Orla’s luggage had already been collected and was waiting downstairs, ready for the carriage to arrive. Even so, she was afraid that something would go wrong with the trip. What if Nova and Edward had been attacked by bandits? What if her father had changed his mind? Her thoughts were wild with threats to her happiness. She had been waiting for this moment for so long that it seemed precarious, as though it was hanging by a thread.

She paced around her chamber. This room used to be shared by her, Halle, and Nova. Over the years they had began their own lives, leaving Orla by herself. There was a time when she used to think it cramped and had yearned for some personal space, but now she would have given anything to have her sisters back with her. Outside, she could hear some movement, and hoped that it was Tilly coming to tell her that the carriage had arrived. There was a knock on her door, and she opened it only to see her father standing there. Her heart sank.

“Are ye excited Orla?” he asked, forcing a smile upon his face. Whenever she looked at him she was reminded of how different he looked to the portrait that hung near the great hall, the row of Lairds with stern expressions. His face was now lined with maturity, his eyes a little less piercing than they had been in their youth. Although he was still an impressive man, time had diminished him. His shoulders were becoming rounded, and his voice was softer. She supposed it was simply the natural order of things. Orla hated to think of him left in this keep all alone, with nothing but shadows and whispers to keep him company. However, as much as she worried about this fate for him, she dreaded it even more so for herself. Sympathy for her father could not make her surrender the chance she had to live her own life.

“Of course I am. Ye hae nae changed ye mind, hae ye?” she replied.

“Nova was quite convincing when she told me that ye needed this.” He wore a puzzled expression on his face and walked to the bed, perching himself on the edge of it as though he was a bird waiting to take flight. “I know that ye hae been annoyed with me because ye dinnae think I understand what ye want from life, but I promise that I dae. I just feel as though it’s important tae keep some traditions alive. I never imagined that two of my daughters would marry Englishmen. I’m worried that the Laird after me will nae understand how important these lands are.”

“The world is growing bigger, Da. It’s changing. We are becoming closer with England every day. Ye cannae change the path of the future,” she said with gentle remonstrance.

“I know, but I just wanted tae come here and hae this conversation with ye before ye leave. I know that England is gaeing tae be different and that London hae its own allure, but cannae ye just try and think about staying here? There are plenty of good men up in the Highlands, proud men, who know all about the traditions of our people. Ye dinnae hae tae turn ye back on that just because ye want tae be like ye sisters.”

“Dinnae ye want me tae be happy, Da? Why dae Halle and Nova get tae marry the men they want tae marry while I hae tae marry the man ye want? It’s nae fair! I should nae be forced tae marry a Highlander just because ye are worried that we’re gaeing tae lose some tradition. I’m gaeing tae London, and I’m gaeing tae try my best tae find a husband. It may be that I dinnae fall in love with anyone, and then I will come back here and we can talk about my prospects for marriage, but ye hae tae give me this chance the same way ye gave it tae Halle and Nova,” she said in an impassioned plea.

Laird Stewart’s head dropped, and he nodded. Orla wondered if he regretted sending Halle and Nova to London. Life could always be filled with regrets though, and Orla was going to make sure that hers was not going to suffer that same fate. Tilly appeared shortly after this and informed them that the carriage had indeed arrived. Orla breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing was going to get in her way of enjoying this trip.

She moved more quickly than she ever had before. She raced through the keep, barreling down the stairs, sometimes taking two at a time. Laird Stewart followed after, walking far more slowly.

Orla burst out of the keep and noticed that her luggage was being loaded into a wagon that would be driven behind the passenger carriage. To her surprise there wasn’t as much luggage as she would have assumed. In fact, it seemed rather sparse. Nova had not appeared from the carriage either. Orla slowed her pace, which allowed her father to catch up. He caught her arm before she left, and she could see the sorrow in his eyes.

“Orla, I’m sorry that I hae made this difficult for ye. I never wanted tae push ye away. I suppose it’s just that when Halle and Nova left, it dinnae sting as much, because I still hae ye with me. But now that ye are leaving, there is naebody left,” he said, his voice cracking on emotion. It managed to find its way through to her heart, eliciting pity. She turned fully towards her father. It finally began to hit her that she was going to leave him for a month, and after that, she might leave forever.

As she looked at him and the keep beyond him, she saw echoes of the past. She saw a young girl running through the keep, wearing a dress that was far too big for her, pretending to be just like her older sisters. She remembered a time when the keep was bathed in grief after her mother died, and all the happiness that seemed to be swallowed away in that moment. It wasn’t something she thought about often at all. It was as though a door had been unlocked in her mind, and now she was there again, in the past, walking into a room late at night because she couldn’t sleep. She found her father still awake, sitting by the window, bathed in candlelight. He had always been a source of strength for her up until that point. This was the first time that she had ever seen him cry. His cheeks had been painted with tears, his eyes utterly hopeless. She had lost a mother, he a wife.

Orla slowly walked up to him and climbed into his lap. She held him tightly, almost as though she was telling him that everything was going to be well. It was something that had bonded them over the years, and she began to see things through his eyes. Another daughter was riding away, perhaps never to be seen again. It was all well and good for her to want her own life, but there was always a cost.

The frustration of the last couple of years bled away as she remembered how that child felt, how all she wanted to do in that moment was make her father feel better. She did the same thing now. She hugged him in the pale morning light, under the shadow of the keep, and she whispered in his ear that no matter how far away from home she went, she would carry it in her heart. He held onto her for a long while. Silent seconds slipped by, and she wondered if he would ever let her go.

Then he did. He composed himself with a deep breath.

“I love ye, Orla. Say hello tae ye sisters for me. Tell them I miss them,” he said softly.

“I will, Da, and one day soon we’ll all be back here taegether again,” she assured him. Even if she couldn’t promise him forever, she could at least promise him that. He nodded and clasped his hands together. She felt relief that they had ended with this tender moment rather than an argument. Orla turned to the cabin and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her violet dress. A bracelet dangled from her wrist, a piece of jewelry that had once been her mothers. She might well have wanted to leave, but she still wanted to take a piece of home with her.

Orla was still a little disappointed that Nova had not emerged from the carriage to greet her, or to spend time with their father. Were they on such a tight schedule that she had no opportunity to do so? As she stepped closer to the carriage, the door swung open. She gripped the handle and daintily ascended the narrow steps, bowing her head an inch to avoid from hitting it against the door. She glanced up with a smile, expecting to see Nova and Edward sitting there, but instead, it was a stranger.

Well, not a stranger exactly, for she had seen him once before. It was the man she had almost bumped into when she had visited Nova. What was his name again? Ah yes, Hamish. But what was he doing here, and where was Nova?

“I’m sorry, hae I got the wrong carriage?” Orla asked, frowning.

“I dinnae think sae, and ye hae certainly taken ye time in deciding whether tae come inside or nae. We hae a schedule tae keep tae,” he said brusquely, and reached past her to grab the door and bring it shut. As he did this, he yelled something towards the driver, and Orla felt the carriage sway. She almost lost her footing, and collapsed into the seat, glaring at Hamish. She gathered her clothes and adjusted herself into a more comfortable position before she addressed him.

“What are ye daeing here? Where are Nova and Edward?” she asked.

“We are about tae fetch them. They invited me along. I am tae assist Edward. Apparently he and my Da think that it will be beneficial for me tae see how things are done in London,” Hamish stated. By the expression on his face and the tone of his voice, he did not seem pleased with the situation, and neither was Orla. What she thought was going to be a fun journey with her family was now marred by the presence of this coarse Highlander with the piercing gaze, the tense expression and the rigid clothes that encased his body like a suit of armor. He seemed utterly humorless to Orla, and she couldn’t believe that Nova had actually agreed to this.

The carriage trundled along the uneven ground, and Orla stared out of the window, her face flushed with annoyance, her eyes still ringed red.

“Are ye well?” Hamish asked, although the tone of his voice made it sound as though he was only asking because he thought he ought to ask, not because he actually cared about her. Orla crossed her arms tightly and forced her gaze to remain out to the rolling lands of Scotland.

“I’m fine,” she said curtly, and they traveled on in silence. Hopefully he would make himself busy in London, and she would only have to put up with him on the journey there and back. This was a trip for pleasure, not for business, or so she had assumed. The last thing she needed was him lingering around. And what kind of presence would he be amongst the distinguished gentlemen of England? Orla had a terrible feeling that this trip was ruined before it had even truly begun.