Alice-Miranda in Scotland by Jacqueline Harvey

Author:Jacqueline Harvey
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780143786023
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

Alice-Miranda cast around for somewhere to sit. Millie was looking after Madagascar, who was still teary, and everyone else seemed to have paired up. She spotted an empty seat beside Miss Stuart and hurried towards it.

‘May I sit down?’ she asked.

The woman glanced up and smiled. ‘Of course you can, pet.’

Alice-Miranda settled onto the seat and sighed happily. ‘The program has been absolutely marvellous so far. I have loved every single minute.’ The girl felt a sneeze tickling her nostrils and tried to hold it in, but despite her best efforts it came anyway. She squeezed her eyes shut to stem the tears that had sprung.

‘Perhaps not every minute,’ Davina said with a wink.

Alice-Miranda giggled. ‘Yes, I suppose everything but that,’ she admitted. Her nose had started hurting a little with all of the vigorous activity, and she was quite glad that they would be sitting still for a while. She looked at the young woman beside her. ‘May I ask how you became involved in the Queen’s Colours, Miss Stuart?’

Davina thought for a moment. ‘Oh, from the second I learned about the organisation, I wanted to be part of it. It’s been a dream come true, really.’

Morag Cranna leaned around from the seat in front of them. ‘I thought it was a pure accident. I clearly remember Mr Ferguson saying something about walking smack-bang into you with his coffee one day and that’s how you got talking and ended up with the job. It was just good luck, wasn’t it? A bit like the way I got my position.’

Davina smiled tightly. ‘Yes, Morag. Lots of good luck. No planning at all.’

‘Oh, how serendipitous!’ Alice-Miranda enthused, swinging her legs. ‘I don’t think you could go wrong working for Aunty Gee and Mr Ferguson. They’re both incredibly inspiring. Are you two origin ally from Edinburgh?’

Morag nodded then slunk back around to face forward. She didn’t like talking about her childhood.

Davina shook her head. ‘I grew up further south,’ she said, and dropped her eyes to the floor. She picked up her handbag and dug about inside it.

‘How lovely. Uncle Morogh and Aunt Audrina live on the outskirts of the prettiest village south of Edinburgh. It’s idyllic, with fields and animals gambolling about and rivers perfect for skimming stones. It must have been wonderful growing up there. Mummy says that I should make the most of every day of my childhood because one day you blink and it’s all over.’

‘It’s not like that for everyone, I can assure you,’ Davina snapped. Softening, she added, ‘My childhood seemed to drag on forever.’

Alice-Miranda bit her lip. ‘Oh dear, I didn’t mean to upset you, Miss Stuart. Would you like to talk about it? I’ve always found that talking about things helps to make more sense of them. My daddy had a horrible time when he was a boy. His mother died when he was very young, and his brother too – except that he didn’t really, but that’s a whole other story. Grandpa didn’t cope well, leaving Daddy to be raised by his nanny and housemistresses.

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