Excerpts

   Flora ordered a pot of tea and a plate of sandwiches.    'You've come to Edinburgh to do some shopping?' asked Helena.    Flora looked up at the ornate ceiling. She did not enjoy small talk; she never had. And now, quite suddenly, she felt the need to talk about something that mattered. She turned to Helena. 'Actually,' she said, 'I've come over to Edinburgh in the hope that I might meet a man.'    It was so easy to say, and yet so utterly shocking. She felt as if she had impulsively stripped herself and was now naked. It was an extraordinary feeling - to say something so utterly shameless, in these surroundings, and in the company of two women whom she had only just met. That feeling of liberation that she had experienced on a number of occasions since leaving the convent, that lightheaded sensation of release, now came back to her. It was an outrageous thing to say, but it was completely honest. That was what had been in the back of her mind all along. She might call it a shopping trip, but it was far more than that, and she might as well confess it.    For a moment neither of the other women said anything. Then Helena burst out laughing.      'Did I hear correctly?' she said. 'Did you say you'd come to Edinburgh to find a man?'    Flora nodded. 'That's exactly what I said.'    Now Marjorie giggled. 'Well, at least you're honest.'    'Yes,' said Helena. 'Most of us are . . .'    '. . . dishonest about that sort of thing,' finished Marjorie.    'Exactly,' said Helena.    Flora saw that there was real warmth in their smiles. 'I know,' she said. 'You see, I was a nun for ten years.'       Helena gasped. 'An actual nun? The real thing?'    'Yes. It was a teaching order. I was Sister Flora. But I decided that I'd had enough.'    They were staring at her open-mouthed. 'Please forgive us,' said Marjorie, 'but it's not every day one goes to Jenners tea room and meets somebody who was a nun and who's now looking for a man.'    'Exactly,' said Helena. Excerpted from Chance Developments: Stories by Alexander McCall Smith All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.