A/N This is going to be a short E story (about 4 chapters in total). I'm writing this story under the assumption that Elizabeth was in her early 20s when she arrived in Coal Valley in 1910, making her around 15 in this first chapter.

"There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights." –Bram Stoker, Dracula

Hamilton, 1903

Julie Thatcher dramatically sank down onto her sister's bed, sighing loudly. When her sister didn't react, she sighed again, even louder this time.

"It's not fair," Julie grumbled.

Finally, Elizabeth looked up from her book. "What isn't fair?"

"You and Viola get to go to the party, and I have to stay up here."

"Julie, in a few years, you'll be old enough to attend mother and father's parties, too. But you really have no reason to be jealous. These parties are so dull. I'd much rather stay up here and read."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Reading is what's dull. You get to be in a room with dignitaries and royalty." She clasped her hands in front of her, sighing wistfully. "I bet it's so interesting."

"It really isn't as exciting as you think." Elizabeth closed her book and set it aside. "I think you overestimate how frequently mother and father have royalty at these dinner parties. Besides, mostly they talk about business deals and politics and the stock market. It's all very boring."

"Are there any boys there? That would make things very interesting." Julie leaned in, wiggling her eyebrows. "Surely these guests have sons."

"Sometimes, but these parties aren't set up for the purpose of matchmaking. And anyway, I'm not getting married for a very long time. I'm going to become a teacher and go on great adventures." She gazed ahead of her, a smile playing on her lips. "A relationship would only hold me back."

"Boooring." Julie got up. "I'm going to find Viola. Maybe she'll indulge me and tell me all about the parties and the boys."

Elizabeth laughed. "Good luck with that."

She picked the book up again after her sister left, turning to the page she had marked. Lost in the world of Wuthering Heights, she didn't realize the time until her older sister knocked on her door.

"Elizabeth?" Viola peered around the door. "Mother and father expect us downstairs in a few minutes." She gasped, noticing that her sister wasn't even close to being ready. "Elizabeth Thatcher! You aren't even dressed!"

Elizabeth glanced down, having forgotten she was still in her dressing gown. "Oops. I meant to dress a while ago, but I must've lost track of time."

"Well, if you would get your nose out of a book for five minutes." She shook her head disapprovingly. "Quickly." Viola carefully slipped Elizabeth's gown off the hanger and helped her into it. "I suppose there's not much we can do with your hair."

Elizabeth ran a brush through it and pulled it up on both sides. "There."

"That will have to do. Let's go, before mother comes looking for us."

For the next twenty minutes, Elizabeth dutifully stood in the parlor beside her parents and sister, greeting each of their guests as they arrived. She recognized quite a few of the guests from prior parties and functions, but some were new to her.

A distinguished looking couple came through the doors, and a young man—probably their son—stood just behind them.

William Thatcher shook their hands before introducing the family to his daughters. "Elizabeth, Viola, this is Mr. and Mrs. Bouchard and their son, Lucas. I do business with Mr. Bouchard on occasion."

Elizabeth gave a small curtsy, her cheeks warming when she noticed Lucas's gaze fixed on her. He looked to be her age, or just a bit older, and she couldn't deny she found him handsome.

His dark hair was perfectly styled, and his sweet grin touched his warm brown eyes. "Lovely to meet you," he said to her quietly as he followed his parents deeper into the house.

When they moved to the dining room, Elizabeth found that Lucas had been seated across the table from her, a few seats down. More than once during dinner, she met his eyes over her water glass, always dropping her gaze immediately. He smiled each time it happened, clearly as charmed by Miss Elizabeth Thatcher as she was with him.

Following dinner, the group split up, with the women returning to the parlor and the men retreating to the living room for drinks.

The youngest guests were left to their own devices, with most of them following one of their parents. Elizabeth was about to follow her sister into the parlor to join their mother, but Lucas stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Elizabeth."

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of her name on his lips. "Yes?"

"Is there anywhere…more exciting where we can go?"

"Um…" She cleared her throat. "We really shouldn't go off on our own. What if our parents came looking for us and found us alone? What would people think?"

"You can't tell me you wouldn't rather be somewhere else right now. I can tell your sister enjoys these parties, but you." He gave her a crooked smile. "You would prefer to be anywhere else."

"Well…" She glanced around, realizing that no one was paying attention to them. "I suppose we could go to the library. Do you like to read?"

"I love reading. Lead the way." He motioned for her to go ahead of him.

Quietly, they made their way down the hall until they reached a heavy door. Elizabeth carefully pushed it open, stepping into the room ahead of Lucas.

He grinned as he walked inside, taking a deep breath. "I love libraries." He turned in a circle, taking in the shelves lining the walls, filled with hundreds of books.

"What's your favorite book?" she asked, watching as he looked over the titles in front of him. "Let me guess…Moby Dick. Or maybe Frankenstein."

"While I do enjoy both of those, my favorite is Dracula."

Her eyes widened. "Isn't that a horror novel?"

"Yes." He ran his fingers along the spines of the books in front of him, stopping as he reached the one he was looking for. "But it's more than that. It's very good, I promise. Just try it." He held it out to her.

"How about we make a deal?" She took the book from him and set it on one of the big leather chair in the corner of the room before turning toward the shelves. "I will read Dracula if you will read Jane Eyre."

"A romance novel?"

"'It's more than that.'" She smirked as she turned his own words on him. "It also has mystery and intrigue." She pulled the book from the shelf and handed it to him.

He looked apprehensive as he took the book from her. "I don't know if I should trust you."

"I'm very trustworthy." She grinned, sinking down into the chair where she had deposited her book earlier. "And I happen to think I have exquisite taste in books."

He narrowed his eyes, taking the chair on the opposite wall. "We'll see about that."

For the next half hour, the two teenagers were silent. The only noise in the room was the ticking of the clock on the mantle and the occasional rustling of the pages of their books.

Lucas finally broke the silence. "You didn't warn me that this book has such a slow start."

"But it's so good!" she insisted. "I promise it gets more exciting, though. And for someone who likes Moby Dick, you shouldn't have any problems with slow starts."

"Not a fan of that one, eh?"

She laughed. "You could say that."

"How are you liking Dracula?"

She shrugged. "It's not really what I expected."

"Is that a good thing?"

"I think so."

He smiled, and they lapsed back into their companionable silence as they reentered their respective worlds of fiction.

Eventually, Lucas looked up at the clock and realized that the guests would probably be leaving soon. Not wanting to get Elizabeth into trouble, he decided to duck out before their parents came looking for them.

Elizabeth had fallen asleep with her book still open in her lap. He found a piece of paper and wrote her a short note, marking her page with it.

He smiled as he took one last look at her before he slipped out the door.

Grace Thatcher nudged her daughter gently. "Elizabeth."

She startled awake, squinting as her eyes adjusted. "Hm?"

"I thought maybe you had gone up to your room, and I was worried when I didn't find you there. I should've known you probably made your way in here."

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have left the party."

"It's okay, darling. We'll talk about it in the morning. Just go up to bed now."

"Thank you, mother." Elizabeth hugged her mom before retreating to her bedroom, the copy of Dracula clutched in her hands.

She hurried through her nightly routine, brushing her teeth, braiding her hair, and changing into her nightdress as quickly as possible, eager to continue reading. Once she finally sank into her bed, she noticed the small piece of paper sticking out of the book. Flipping the pages open, she found Lucas's careful handwriting on the paper.

Elizabeth,

I hope you enjoy the rest of the book. Write to me when you finish reading it. Or before then, if you want. Thank you for saving me from what I'm sure would have been a very boring night.

Lucas Bouchard.

At the bottom of the note, he had written his address. She smiled, looking forward to building a friendship with him.

Elizabeth,

I'm so glad that you gave Dracula a chance, and I'm even happier to hear that you enjoyed it. I told you it was more than a horror novel. I must admit, I also enjoyed Jane Eyre. The mystery and tragedy was very compelling, and I certainly didn't see that twist coming. Thank you for encouraging me to give it a chance.

Now, I hope you trust my taste in literature, and I would like to recommend another book to you. The Picture of Dorian Gray. I know that Oscar Wilde doesn't have the greatest reputation, but it's a beautiful novel. Truly a work of art. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Perhaps someday in the future, we will meet again.

Until then, "you are one of the lights," Miss Elizabeth Thatcher. Please don't ever lose your spark.

Your friend,

Lucas Bouchard.

Elizabeth blushed as she folded the page and returned it to the envelope. She had never connected with anybody like she had with Lucas, even though they only had a few hours together.

She wasn't sure if they would ever be in the same place long enough for their relationship to go anywhere—he had mentioned that his family traveled often, and she had plans to get her teaching degree and build her independence outside of Hamilton society—but she was content to be his friend. To write to him every once in a while, discussing their adventures and the most recent novels they discovered.

She retrieved a pen and paper to write a response to him, a smile playing on her lips all the while.

Lucas,

I promised you that Jane Eyre was about more than romance. You'll have to trust me more in the future, just as I will trust that your recommendations will be worthwhile as well. Although, I may have to read anything by Oscar Wilde in secret. My Aunt Agatha saw The Importance of Being Earnest while she was visiting London last year, and my parents were horrified when they found out. I'm sure my younger sister, Julie, will be thrilled that I'll be doing something my parents wouldn't approve of, though, even if it is reading a book (she claims that reading is "dull").

All that aside, I have another recommendation for you. Anna Karenina. I realize it's very long and daunting, and the names can be a bit confusing, but if you can make it through Moby Dick, you can make it through some Tolstoy. Although not my favorite novel, it is one of the most beautiful and tragic works of literature I've ever read.

I hope to see you again someday. Perhaps we will bump into each other in a library somewhere. Wouldn't that be fitting?

Your friend,

Elizabeth Thatcher