Emma could never afford to set foot in Harrods.
She walked past the windows more than a few times, just to peer through the glass, but she knew better than to go inside. Browsing without any intention to buy something would have made her uncomfortable. Harrods wasn’t for people like her. This was where millionaires went to shop. She wasn’t a millionaire, but today, she was in the company of one.
So when she arrived a full two hours early, it wasn’t (solely) to save Henry’s precious time (though that made for a convenient excuse, and she knew he would appreciate it). It was so she could indulge herself.
She was overwhelmed the moment she stepped through the gilded revolving doors. The store seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction—rooms opening into more rooms. Marble floors. Soft gold lighting above. The faint scent of perfume in the air...
It was so opulent. So pretentious. So... shamelessly decadent. How could she not like it?
Of course, the clothes were for people with more money than sense. She almost had a heart attack when she checked some of these price tags. It didn’t actually take a million dollars to
look like a million dollars. She’d proven that herself more than once. Her current outfit; a stylish ivory blouse (a couple of buttons of which she left loose) and dark, high-waisted trousers, weren’t branded clothing. She got them on a clearance sale two seasons ago, and she still looked fantastic in it. Chic, a bit provocative, and more importantly, easy to slip in and out of—something she intended to do lots of today.
She would never have spent any of her own money here. But she WAS enjoying herself, and knowing Henry could easily afford it, she didn’t feel guilty over getting a couple of luxury garments for herself, to impress the people back at the Lanesborough, if nothing else.
The staff welcomed her from the moment she stepped inside, and once she confidently started asking for items to be retrieved and set aside "for someone else," the assistants paid her even more attention. They could tell she wasn’t just window shopping. Everyone was smiling at her. She didn’t need to touch a hanger; everything was handed to her, then placed back in perfect order if she didn’t approve.
It was just perfect.
By 2 p.m., she made her way toward the grand entrance. She had a little mental list prepared of what to show Henry first, before she’d ask for his opinion on a couple of outfits for herself. She barely noticed when he failed to arrive on time. It would have irritated her any other day, but today, she was having so much fun, she just couldn’t care less.
Totally giddy when he finally arrived, her eyes lit up when she saw him step onto the floor.
"Hi!" she leaned in to kiss his cheek.
"How have you been? I can’t wait to show you a few things." She didn’t give him time to answer, and reaching for his hand, she laced her fingers through his and gave him a gentle tug, pulling him with her
"Come on! Men’s is this way! I’ve already got a few racks waiting for you!"
