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The carriage had been prepared to take them through London to the shopping district, a place that Nova had told Orla she was sure to love. Orla wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and wore thin gloves that were like veils for her hands. When she emerged outside, she saw a man standing by the carriage. He wore a long coat with high boots and as he turned, she saw brass buttons gleaming. She thought to herself that he was quite a handsome man, and was about to offer a warm smile when she realized that it was Hamish, not an Englishman. She quickly rid herself of the smile, frustrated that she had allowed herself to be fooled so easily. When he saw her, he opened the carriage door for her.

“I believe we are waiting for a maid tae accompany ye as well,” he said.

“Very well,” Orla ascended the steps and settled into the carriage, looking out of the window, still waiting for the flash of attraction to dissipate. It had been silly of her to not notice that it was Hamish. He must have borrowed some of Edward’s clothes to make himself fit in with the Englishmen’s attire. From what Nova had told her, people in London were still somewhat disrespectful of Highlanders, and if they wore common Highland clothes, then it was likely that they were going to be sneered at. That clearly would not do for someone who was supposed to be important in business.

It didn’t take long for the maid to arrive. She was a plump young girl with rosy cheeks and curly hair, the color of straw. Her eyes were green and she wore a ready smile. Her voice had a singsong lilt to it, and her accent was a common one, unlike the polished tone that Orla had been exposed to with Edward and George.

“Sorry I’m a bit late ma’am, but I had to fetch the dishes see, there’s always something else to do. Sometimes I wonder if I’m ever going to get a moment’s rest. The name’s Hannah, by the way, but I suppose you can call me whatever you like,” she said, chuckling as the words left her lips.

“I’m sure Hannah will be just fine,” Orla replied.

Hannah settled in beside her, while Hamish was opposite. His long legs folded into the carriage, his head resting near the ceiling. He then gave a cry for the driver to be on his way, and the carriage quickly trundled through the cobbled streets of London. Once again, Orla was thrust into the noisy, bustling world of London, and her senses were brought to life with all the different aromas and sounds that greeted her. Hamish had a look of disdain on his face, and she did not exchange many words with him at all, but Hannah was quite amiable.

“I have all the notes you will need. Master said that I shouldn’t worry about how much you spend. I think he wants you to have whatever you want for the ball tonight. Oh, you are a lucky one,” Hannah remarked.

“Hae ye ever been tae a ball?” she asked.

Hannah had a wry smile and shook her head. “Me? A ball? Oh no, I can only dream of such a thing. I have heard many stories about them, though, and I have always wanted to attend one. What a thrill it must be to dress up in the finest gowns and be surrounded by so many handsome men, not that any of them would want to dance with me of course, but still, it’s a nice thought,” she sighed, “but that is not the life for a humble maid like me. Still, we can have a good knees-up at the tavern. It may not be as glamorous, and the men there certainly aren’t as handsome as the Lords and Dukes that attend the balls, but it’s good enough for me. I’ve never been much of a sophisticated girl anyway. I suppose I get that from me Mum, she always said that the worst thing you can do is pretend to be something you’re not, so I’ve always been what you can see, just a maid. I’ve always been a maid, and I’ll always be a maid.”

“Dae ye enjoy ye job?” Orla asked.

“Oh yes,” Hannah replied, nodding profusely. Then her smile dropped and she frowned a little. “Well, most of the time. I suppose a lot of it depends on the master. Here it’s not so bad, especially because he spends most of his time up in Scotland. It’s quite strange sometimes to keep the house clean when nobody stays there, but occasionally he rents it out to people. I’ve had other masters, though, who were cruel and curt and, well, let’s just say they’re better left in the past,” she said, lowering her voice. It quickly rose again. “I’d love to hear more about Scotland.”

“There’s nae much tae tell. It’s nae like London,” Orla said. Hamish snorted at this. She caught him shaking his head, although he did not wish to contribute to the conversation.

“Well, few places are, for better or for worse. I couldn’t tell you what any other place is like, though. I’ve only ever lived here. Doubt I’ll leave either. People say that you could spend your life in London and still not see anything, especially, I suppose, because they keep building things. Sometimes I wonder if they’re ever going to run out of room! You should make sure to take a walk around Hyde Park while you are here as well. It’s so beautiful, especially when a mist rolls along the lake. And there’s the great Tower Bridge as well, and, well… I’m sure you’ll see everything that you can while you’re here. I doubt the master will prevent you from seeing it all.”

“I hope nae. I want tae know London intimately,” Orla said longingly. Again, Hamish grunted. There was definitely tension in the air between them, tension she was sure was borne from their dislike for one another. The carriage continued its journey, trundling and rolling along, the clatter of wheels along the cobbled stones made Orla’s bones judder. Eventually, they slowed to a halt, and the driver opened the door. Orla got out first, and then Hamish waited for Hannah to follow before descending himself. They were directly in the middle of the shopping district. The shops stretched out along the street in both directions, for as far as the eye could see. Orla’s mouth dropped open in wonder, and she clapped her hands. Throngs of people surged along the streets and drifted in and out of the shops, while the air was filled with the sound of their chatter.

“This is incredible!” she gasped.

“There’s no finer shopping district in all the land, I daresay all the world. I don’t know exactly what you’re looking for today, but I’m sure you’ll find it here. There’s nothing this place does not have,” Hannah said, beaming proudly.

Behind her, she heard Hamish sigh. He was a looming figure casting a shadow over her. She tilted her head back and furrowed her brow. “What are ye huffing about, Hamish? Surely ye cannae find something tae complain about here,” she asked, growing tired of his huffing and grunting. She thought that if he had a problem, he should speak about it directly.

“I just cannae believe that ye actually like a place like this,” he shrugged. His voice had a sharp edge to it, but he paused for a moment and took a breath. He tilted his head and the lines of his forehead creased, as though he was deep in thought. When he spoke again, his voice was calm and inquisitive rather than patronizing, genuinely not understanding why she enjoyed the scene of London so much. “Why dae ye like this ugly, crowded city sae much? I understand we dinnae know each other very well, and I hope I am nae out of line by asking ye this question, but the one thing I dae know about ye is that ye hae been excited tae be here. But why? All I see are endless grey buildings and loud people, and it’s sae suffocating. Where is the open space of the forest? Where are the sounds of nature? It’s nae like home at all.”

There was something plaintive about his tone, and she could not bring herself to be angry at him for asking a question. “That’s exactly why I like it. When I look at London, I look at what it represents. I see hope and opportunity, I see the chance to explore something that I never could at home. I will always love the Highlands, but I hae seen everything they can offer me. This is a new world, one that is ripe and fresh, and I can just feel the energy in the air. Besides, I hae seen both my sisters fall in love and marry Englishmen. They hae found their happiness here. I want the same thing for myself. When I look around at all these shops and all these people, I feel as though anything is possible, absolutely anything. Life in the Highlands is slow, but here there’s always something happening, and finally something can happen for me,” she explained.

Hamish nodded as he listened to her words. She expected him to dismiss them, or try and argue with her, but instead he spoke softly. “It’s true, life here is fast. Perhaps tae fast for me,” he admitted. It was the first time she had ever thought of him as sincere, and the first time they had ever had a true conversation without bickering. When she looked at him amid the London scenery, she noticed that he looked a little lost. It occurred to her that not everyone would share her fondness for London, and for Hamish, this could well have been a terrifying city. She thought that perhaps she had misjudged him, and decided to not be so abrasive with him in the future, as long as he kept showing this more appealing side of him, of course.

She turned to face the shops. “Hannah, the first thing I want is tae find some shoes that are gaeing tae win me a husband. Where is the best shop for that?” she asked. Hannah gestured to her right and they began walking.

“Are ye married, Hannah?” Orla asked.

“Oh no, as I said, I don’t have time for that. One day I hope to be married, though, even though Mum warns me against it. She said that men are only good for one thing, and most of the time they’re not even good for that. I never knew quite what she meant by that… but still, I think it would be nice to have a man of my own. There is a lad that I’ve had my eye on,” she said, the glow on her cheeks turning a deeper shade of crimson as she blushed.

“And who might that be?” Orla enquired, eager to hear the gossip.

“His name is Petey. He works the fruit stall with his Da. He’s got a good set of lungs on him and a way with the crowd. When he smiles at me, I just melt, and he always makes sure to give me something free, even though his Da always clips him on the ear for doing so.”

“Well, I hope that things work out with ye,” Orla said with an encouraging smile.

“Thank you ma’am,” Hannah replied, bowing her head. Orla noticed as they walked along that a few people had glanced their way when they heard her Highland accent. The glances were sharp and withering, and she noticed a few people muttering to each other and laughing.

“I hae half a mind tae confront them,” Orla muttered.

“Oh, I would not do that ma’am. That would be the worst thing you could do,” Hannah said, worried just at the prospect of something drastic happening.

“Why?”

“Well… people still hear stories of the Highlands. They think the Scots are wild, and whenever someone comes down here from your noble lands, it’s a novelty. Some people still have backwards attitudes, if you ask me, it’s because they like to think of themselves as better than others, but if you try to argue with them, it’s only going to make them think that you’re a savage, and soon they’ll start spreading stories of the wild Highland girl who is running through the streets of London. We would not want that.”

“Nae, I suppose we would nae,” Orla agreed. They soon reached the shop. The paintwork was pale blue and in the window display were shoes of all different shapes and styles. Hamish chuckled.

“I cannae believe there are sae many different things. I hae worn the same boots for as long as I can remember and they hae served me well,” he shrugged.

“Well women need different shoes for different occasions. Perhaps ye should dae as Edward asks, and open ye mind tae such things. I’m sure that as a businessman, ye must try tae understand why people like some things that ye dinnae. And ye never know, ye might find something that ye like,” she said. Hamish did not seem convinced about that, but he smiled anyway, as they entered the shop. Hannah clutched the purse close to her body, while Orla looked around excitedly at everything that was on display. This one shop put the market stalls of the Highlands to shame, and part of her just wanted to buy everything, for she knew she would never find the same exquisite things in the Highlands.