As Abigail March stared out of her bedroom window, one morning, she realized something. She realized that in only three more weeks she would be presented to society as eligible to be courted and married off to some rich, and aristocratic young man, whom she had never met before. "Good-bye childhood…" she muttered as realization set in that, knowing her stepmother, she would have about a week to fall in love after her presentation.

"Abigail, dear it's time to get up!" her nanny Miss. Blakely called to her through the door. "Isabella should be coming in soon to help you dress! Your Father is coming home today and you must be dressed and ready to greet him at the front door when the carriage arrives!"

"Yes, Miss. Blakely, I know!" Abigail called back to the worry-wort of a governess. "Don't worry so much, I'll be ready in time to greet Father, and Stepmother!"

Five minutes later her maid, Isabella, knocked twice on her bedroom door, and then entered with the dress that she would be wearing to great her father that day. It was a gorgeous midnight blue, silk gown with a low cut neckline and a snug bodice; the skirts were full and dragged on the floor as she walked. Her corset was tightened until she could only breathe shallow breaths. As she was getting ready, her other maid Kathrin came in with a tray, on it was a pot of tea, a plate of homemade biscuits, and strawberry jam, and butter, her favorite breakfast of all time. There was also honey as well as lemon for her tea. As Kathrin, poured her a cup of tea, and got the rest of her breakfast ready, Abigail applied rouge to her cheeks and lips; she also laced up her boots. Then sat down in a chair in the corner of her room; carefully so as not to crease the silk of her dress.

"My dear, are you ready?" asked Miss. Blakely this time actually entering the room, as Abigail finished up her breakfast, and was sipping her tea.

"Yes, I'm ready. Are they here?"

"Yes, dear now hurry up and get to the front door your parents will be waiting for you to great them!" Miss. Blakely exclaimed ushering Abigail out of her bedroom door, in to the front hall of the mansion in the country side wear the lived along with a full staff."You know in some ways you still are quite a child, my dear, and that is despite being mature enough to be presented at court at the age of fourteen."

Abigail rolled her eyes at her nanny as she waved to her Father and stepmother from the doorway to the house. "Father! Mother! I hope your journey was pleasant?"

"It was, Abigail, now let's all go inside before we catch cold! Shall we?" Stepmother answered, while her father greeted everyone else and stated how good it was to be home again.

As the family entered the living room, James March informed his daughter that she should start packing , as even though they had just gotten back from conducting business in Paris they would be leaving for London in four days to make sure everything was proceeding as planned for the upcoming social season.

"Oh, dear your father and I bought you a wonderful new hat in the latest fashion while we were in Paris I think it will look absolutely lovely on you!"

Louis was not happy. The reason why you might ask? Because two nights ago during dinner his father announced that Louis should go with his older sister and the rest of his family to London and attend the balls of that season. He was always invited to these sorts of things but he usually managed to get out of them by feigning being ill. He was an excellent dancer and his mother's friends often times thought that he would make a wonderful match for their daughters, but despite being nearly sixteen Louis had absolutely no interest in any of the young ladies who had attempted to flirt with him at the few events he was forced to attend. He had at one point voiced this to his parents in an attempt to get them to allow him to stay in his room during a dinner party that was without a doubt going to be extremely boring, and in doing so managed to succeed in only angering his father enough to force him go to London this season, and that was the end of him trying to convince his father into letting him remain a bachelor and takeover the family business when he turned eighteen, because of course he was the youngest so his older brother would take over.

"Father, why doesn't Louis come with me when I go to London and Mother joins us as she planed? Then I can introduce him to one of my friends, she is visiting her cousin, Abigail, a dreadful girl who likes to climb trees but Annie is a very dear girl and she and Louis would get along famously!" Louis' older sister Camilla butted in to the conversation like she usually does.

"That's an excellent idea, Camilla! Don't you agree Louis?" his father asked him.