My intention for this particular fic is that it captures the essentials of Pride and Prejudice and follow canon within a certain time limit. Also, bonus points for anyone who can spot the Hamilton references I make in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is public domain.


Elizabeth Giles couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as she left the party to return home. Her father sat at the front of the carriage with his valet and the coachman while she sat inside the carriage with her mother, Faith, and Winifred.

"Lord that was a fun party!" Faith said as the carriage started for their London townhouse. "You and Mr. Wesley Pryce seemed to be having a good time, Freddie. You danced two dances and spent supper together. You haven't done that in a long time!"

Winifred blushed. "He is what a gentleman ought to be."

"He's a gentleman's son, but he works in trade," Elizabeth said.

"Being in trade doesn't have as bad a stigma as it used to," Joyce said. "It depends on what kind of trade he does, but I say as long as he is managing whatever he's doing and not getting his hands dirty, I consider him to be a good man."

"You gotta stop being such a stick in the mud," Faith whined. "I mean, you treated almost every guy there like they were all hound dogs. Did you know that William Pryce probably heard what you said about him?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock. "Are you certain?"

Faith nodded. "You weren't standing that far from him, B. And for all your preaching about propriety, you were sure acting like a total prick when you said he was just tolerable and beneath you. I mean, if I was you, the only time he'd be beneath me would be…"

"Faith, watch your tongue and don't finish that sentence!" Joyce said. She turned to Buffy and sighed. "In spite of the...colorful words your sister chose, she has a point. I saw William looking particularly distraught when everyone was starting to leave."

"He managed to laugh it off," Elizabeth said.

"Yeah, but maybe he was just trying to act like a gentleman and maintain composure," Winifred said.

Elizabeth sighed. "I was just so annoyed by Mr. Parker and then Mr. Hope and Lord Owen...all of them, seeking after my money. I just...I just want to find someone who will look at me and not see the estate of Sunnydale or my £30,000. Is it too much to ask for a gentleman who has a mind at work and not down my corset?"

"Do you think Mr. Finn is that person?" Joyce asked.

"He's my social equal. He understands what is expected of people of our station." Buffy sighed as she remembered the way that they danced. "Besides, have you seen his arms? Those are nice arms to have."

"I suppose," Faith said with some skepticism. "If you like em big and bulky."

"Angel was kind of big," Winifred said. "You didn't mind dancing with him."

Faith giggled. "What can I say? I love the tall, dark, and handsome types. He knows how to have a little fun!"

Buffy rolled her eyes. She turned to her mother and said, "If we meet with the Pryce family again, remind me to apologize to Mr. William Pryce."

"I will, but I hope you do so sincerely," Joyce said.

The carriage arrived in front of the Giles townhouse on Gracechurch Street. As soon as the ladies were led into the parlor, Elizabeth went to the sitting room and found a young brunette decorating the Christmas tree there.

"Dawn! I'm home!" Elizabeth said.

"Buffy!" Dawn cried gleefully. She ran over to her older sister and gave her a hug. "How was the ball?"

"It was great!" Faith said.

The girls all sat down on the floor by the fireplace and told the story of the ball to Dawn, making sure it sounded like a fairy tale to the fourteen year old girl. Giles and Joyce delighted in the closeness their daughters shared. And although Winifred was not of their family, she felt like a daughter to both of them.

"Mister Pryce sounds like a sweet person, Fred," Dawn said. "And he likes ballet and dancing with you, which means he has good taste."

"I hope we can call on them soon," Winifred said. "I so long to see him again."

"You're jumping into the marriage bandwagon quick, Freddie," Faith said. "I mean, I know you're almost 22, but you still have some time before you're on the shelf."

"I'm just not as...spirited as you when it comes to men," Winifred said. "I mean, I have loved before. Or thought I did. But I want to be certain this time." She turned to Buffy and giggled. "We can't all seek out barons, you know."

"I'm so glad that Buffy got to dance two sets with Mister Finn," Dawn said. "He was very nice to me when he came to call on our family in the summer after…" She looked into the fireplace with a sad expression in her eyes.

Elizabeth sighed, not wanting to tell her sister to remember the trauma she experienced months ago. "Dawn, I should tell you...She was also there."

Dawn gasped. "Was he with her?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No. I think she's moved on to lure another gentleman into her web."

Dawn frowned. "Keep that gentleman away from her. Promise me. I don't want anyone else to get hurt by her."

Elizabeth sighed again. "I promise."

Joyce called for sweets and tea to be brought into the room. "Dawn, do you want some sugar cookies and drinking chocolate?"

The thought of desserts immediately brought joy to Dawn's eyes. "Of course!"

An hour or so later, a servant arrived with a tray of sugar cookies and drinking chocolate for everyone. Elizabeth and Faith entertained their little sister, dancing with her while Winifred played merry tunes on the pianoforte. Dawn went to the nursery with dreams of one day dancing with her sisters in a beautiful Christmas ball.

###

The next morning, William took a walk around Hyde Park. Back in Hertfordshire, William would take long walks around the countryside and watch the sunrise from a beautiful hillside where a cherry tree grew. His thoughts still lingered on the humiliation he endured during the party in Lord Walsh's townhouse. But he wasn't one to linger on melancholy thoughts, so as he continued walking, he instead chose to think about his friend Alexander's news on his travels the Continent and the dance that he shared with Miss Drusilla Keeble.

As if taking a cue from a stage play, the woman of his thoughts came across him on the path, accompanied by her sisters and their mother, Mrs. Darla Keeble.

"Good morning, ladies," William said, tipping his hat at them.

"Good morning, Mister Pryce," the ladies said.

"Would you care to accompany me down to the evergreens?" Drusilla asked. "I had such a good time at the party last night."

William offered his arm with a pleasant smile. Drusilla tucked her arm under his and leaned her head on his shoulder affectionately. "I watched the drama that unfolded on the dance floor, you know," she said as they walked a few paces ahead of everyone else. "I couldn't hear the words, but as I was leaving the party, my head was heavy with sad thoughts."

"Miss Drusilla, you needn't worry."

"Oh, but I couldn't help it! As I was laying my head to rest, I couldn't stop wondering what possible catastrophe came crashing down from heaven and brought such a handsome, dashing gentleman to tears?"

William couldn't help but feel flattered at her words. "It was nothing worth losing sleep over."

"I'm glad to find you in good spirits," Drusilla said. "I understand how you feel. You're a man surrounded by fools who cannot see your true wealth."

"It does always seem like the Lord seems to grant prosperity to those who deserve it the least."

"Besides, I'm very much acquainted with Miss Giles."

William looked at Drusilla with confusion. "She didn't act like she knew you."

"I was once her companion. I came from a poor family, you see. My father was of the clergy and my sisters and I worked as governesses and ladies companions. I became the companion of Miss Elizabeth Giles when my father was a vicar for her family's estate of Sunnydale. We used to be the best of friends. But as we got older, she grew to be quite jealous of me."

"Why?"

"She hated that I got along better with her sisters than she herself did. Her parents spoiled her when she was young. She faults me for influencing Miss Faith into becoming a flirt. Not to mention she accused me of stealing her favorite necklace and other such baubles. But the bridge between us was finally burned during a summer holiday when she hated that I caught the attentions of a Mr. Fordham."

"Who was Mr. Fordham?"

"He was a distant relation of hers. Miss Giles was so in love with him, but his heart sought mine instead. Tragically, we were torn apart because Mr. Fordham's family wouldn't have him marrying a mere ladies' companion. I blame Miss Giles for influencing them."

"I am so sorry."

"Oh don't be. I don't want to disrespect the rest of the Giles family. I have no hard feelings for her parents or her sisters. I remember all of them fondly. It's really just the thought of Miss Giles that still wounds me."

"I understand why," William said.

As they came across a more public area, they gasped in astonishment as they saw Elizabeth riding in a chaise with Winifred. As they passed each other at the promenade, Drusilla paled while Elizabeth's face turned red. An exchange of glares later, the two pairs went in opposite directions, which to William confirmed the veracity of Drusilla's story.

###

Wesley was quick to call on Winifred later that afternoon and continued to call on her for a week. Eventually, he extended an invitation to Winifred and her family for dinner at the Maclay townhouse on December 10th. Winifred accepted and brought Elizabeth and Faith with them. Charles Burkle declined because his wife Gwen, was heavy with child and he wanted to stay by her side until the child was delivered safely.

As the dinner party started, William and his friend, Sir Alexander Harris, made an observation while Wesley and Winifred immediately paired up and made conversation.

"Why isn't Wesley being more open about his affections to Miss Burkle?" Alexander asked.

"Because they just met the previous sennight*," William said. "Your imagination is quite rapid, Xander. Wesley admires Miss Burkle, but you can't go from admiration to love to matrimony in a moment. They have the whole Season to get to know each other, after all."

"That is true. I just remember how Wesley once lost the affections of Miss Lilah Morgan to Lindsey Macdonald from not asserting his feelings when he should have. I'm not saying that they should be married on the morrow. I'm just saying that I hope Wesley can prove the sincerity of his affections."

"Before he's certain of her regard?" William asked. "Before he can completely understand her character?"

"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance, William."

William laughed. "You are always good for a joke, Xander."

Alexander shrugged his shoulders. "Well, let's hope this holiday will work some kind of magic over them so that they can enjoy marital bliss in the new year."

"That we can agree on."

While Winifred and Wesley chatted with each other in the parlor, Elizabeth sat reading, contemplating what she should say to William. She hated seeing him walking with Drusilla at Hyde Park, knowing that her former companion probably worked her charms on him already. Still, she made a promise to her mother and sister, so she steeled herself and put her book down. She saw William standing by the pianoforte talking to a gentleman with a boyish face and scruffy dark hair.

"Good evening, Mister Pryce," Elizabeth said as she curtsied.

"Good evening, Miss Giles," William said, eyes wide with astonishment. "May I introduce my friend, Sir Alexander Harris."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Giles," Alexander said, bowing over Elizabeth's hand.

"Likewise," Elizabeth said. "Mister Pryce, I was quite surprised to see you at Hyde Park so early a few days ago."

"I like taking walks when the park isn't so crowded," William said.

"And yet, you were walking with Miss Keeble."

Noticing the hardness in Elizabeth's eyes, Alexander made his excuses and turned his attention to his friend Clement, quickly making conversation with him.

"Miss Keeble and I happened upon each other on a pathway, the same way that you happened upon us in your chaise," William said. Wanting to change the subject, he turned his attention to the book in Elizabeth's hand. "Is that novel so riveting that you neglect to make conversation with others?"

Elizabeth looked at the book in her hands. "Oh this?" She held up the book, displaying the title A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollestonecraft. "It's not a novel."

"Ah yes, the controversial Miss. Wollestonecraft," William said.

"I personally liked what Mary Wollestonecraft wrote," Elizabeth said. "I mean, if the President if America can declare it a self-evident truth that all men are created equal, shouldn't women be part of that, since woman was created with man?"

"You forget that the American man you are referring to is also a slave owner who did nothing to help the French during the Terror."

"All men have their flaws, just as all women do. I personally believe that you can admire the accomplishments of a person and learn from their wisdom while setting aside their lesser qualities."

"But accomplishments seem to be just a facade when compared to a person's character," William said. "There are so many gentlemen in our society who act all proper but spend their leisurely time gambling and boxing and indulging in other vices."

Elizabeth sniffed. "You are correct when you observe the wasteful things some gentlemen in society choose to do. As for me, my ideal gentleman is accomplished at fencing, have a good head for managing estate affairs, treat his horses and dogs well, and be a good landlord to his tenants. I'm very certain that at least one of these things have something to do with a person's character."

Their conversation was interrupted at the sound of the dinner bell. William felt a strange heat as he went to the dinner table and took her seat. Drusilla's words echoed in his mind. He took a breath and calmed himself, trying to look past the way Elizabeth's hazel eyes sparkled as she spoke and his admiration for her intelligence.

As Elizabeth ate dinner, she kept looking at William, observing him and his conversation, perplexed by the strange feeling that overcame her. She never put her mind to this much work with a gentleman before, even with Mister Finn. She felt as if she was struck by lightning like the way that American scientist was when he was flying a kite in a thunderstorm.

"You look quite troubled," Faith said after dinner came to an end.

"I was just meditating on the excitement a pair of brilliant eyes on the face of a handsome man can bestow," Elizabeth said softly.

"Ooh! My high and mighty sister has an actual heart? I'm all astonishment!"

"Faith!"

"Tell me! Who is it? Mister Finn isn't here so…" Faith noticed Elizabeth looking away, hiding behind her book as William walked by. Faith's dark eyes glimmered and she grinned. "Ooh, B! I knew it!"

Faith's teasing was interrupted when Clement asked for ladies to play the pianoforte. Elizabeth raised her hand, volunteering to play as some people started pairing up to dance. She felt a knot in her stomach as Faith walked towards William, but Angel ended up asking her sister to dance instead. Elizabeth turned her focus on her playing, pushing all thoughts of William aside for the moment.


The next chapter will be particularly angsty. You'll get to meet Charles and Gwen and their new baby, though, so things won't be completely bad. Just brace yourself for the explosion.

*A sennight means a week.