A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews! It is very encouraging to have ANY type of feedback. If you read this story at all, PLEASE let me know what is good, bad or ugly:)


With a snort, Beth jerked awake as the bus took a sharp turn. Sleepily, she glanced at her watch and yawned. Looking outside, she nudged Jane until she opened her eyes.

"What?" Jane asked as she yawned and sat up. Beth pointed out the window. Jane turned to look and gasped. The coach was driving up an impressive road of trees and forest, but to the side the girls had the first glimpses of a magnificent estate. "Is that Pemberley?" Jane breathed.

"I believe it is," Beth smiled. "I don't think I have seen an estate so beautifully situated before," she proclaimed.

"Me neither – it's gorgeous!"

Beth reached over their seat to nudge Charlotte. She noticed that most of the other girls were still sleeping. Probably a good thing, she thought. If Jane was any indication, there would be many gasps and giggles once they woke and saw the estate.

"Psst! Charlotte!" Beth whispered. Charlotte stirred, then relaxed again. Beth prodded her harder. "Charlotte! Wake up!"

"Mmph?" Charlotte slowly opened her eyes. "Are we close?"

"Yes, get up! It's a great view!" Beth whispered back. Charlotte slowly lifter her head to the window and smiled. "Well, at least I know Caroline can be truthful about something," she giggled. She sat up, smoothing her hair as she did. "How close do you think we are?"

"I'm not sure-"

"Attention ladies!" Ruth Rogers' voice came over the speaker; rather loud for a sleeping coach. The girls groaned at the sound. "I am pleased to report that we are about ten minutes from the Pemberley Estate. Now, Lord and Lady Darcy will be waiting to greet you upon our arrival." She smiled as some girls showed visible displays of panic – perfect for the always hovering cameras. "A lady must always be ready to put forward the best impression. I suggest you prepare yourselves quickly." With that, she turned off the speaker and sat down with the driver. Immediately, the couch erupted in noise.

"Oh, no! Only ten minutes!" Lydia wailed, "I'll never look presentable! Kitty – where is my make-up bag!"

"It's my bad and I'm using it first!" Kitty replied back as both girls scrambled to get to their overhead bag.

Jane rolled her eyes at Beth and smiled. She took out a small hand mirror and brush. After brushing her long, blond hair, popping a mint in her mouth, and applying lip gloss, she turned to Beth. "How do I look?"

"Perfect, as always," Beth said, grunting as she tried to loosen a knot in her own wavy, brown hair. Finally, it got loose and Beth smoothed down the stray hairs to a presentable look. Seeing her own face, she quickly applied some lipstick and mascara and ate a mint. With time to space, Beth and Jane watched as Pemberley came closer.

It truly was a beautiful estate, situated upon a small lake and river that wound around the trees. Some buildings try to impose themselves upon nature, but somehow Pemberley seemed to be part of the nature around it. Beth smiled and whispered to Jane, "The owners must be very kind to have such a beautiful estate that so completely embraces nature!"


"Quickly now; everyone come off the coach and line up where the x's are marked," Ruth instructed, ushering the girls from their seats. As each girl stepped from the coach, they looked up and gasped at the grand staircase in front of them. Jane and Beth came out in the same manner and stood together with Charlotte next to Beth. Jane was unfortunate enough to be next to Caroline. Both ladies gave each other smiles and looked ahead.

"Yes… now, put the camera here," Ruth instructed the cameramen. "For the next few weeks, Pemberley Estate will be your home, your classroom, and your social hall. In addition, it is the home of one of our judges, Lady Georgiana Darcy. Your behaviour, public and among the group, with be used to decide if you are worthy of advancing to the next round of "How to be a Lady." The two ladies remaining at the end will compete for the title of 'Lady of Shallot,' a prize of £1 million, and possibly a new love!"

"What!" Beth hissed, "What on earth is she talking about!"

Ruth ignored Beth and continued, moving towards the staircase. "And now, I would like to introduce… Lord Fitzwilliam Darcy and Lady Georgiana Darcy!" Behind her, the doors to the estate opened and a couple stepped into the light. Moving forward, they stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at the girls as the girls looked up. Lady Darcy looked very pleasant; she had a kind smile on her face as she took in each girl below. Probably only 20 years old, the young lady was a beauty with long, blond hair, pale skin and dressed in a white pants suit and light blue blouse.

By comparison, her older brother looked like a fierce competitor. Beth first noticed his eyes – the very intense, dark eyes that seemed to not find anything enjoyable in the situation or women below. His slight scowl completed this rather tough look and made Georgiana look that much more like an angel. Only when Georgiana touched his arm did his face soften and a small smile was illuminated. He took her hand and escorted her down the stairs to where the women were waiting. After a small squeeze of his hand, they parted and shook hands with Ruth.

As they stepped back to their assigned place, Lord Darcy looked at the women again. His face was unreadable until he came to Caroline. Beth thought she saw a glimmer of recognition, but it was quickly gone. She saw that Jane got a small nod of approval and then she fixed eyes with Darcy. She raised an eyebrow and gave half a smile. Darcy blankly stared back and moved on to Charlotte. Beth gave a small huff and turned her attention back to Ruth.

"Welcome to Pemberley," Lady Georgiana stepped forward. "I am very happy to meet you all. You are very welcome here and I hope that you will find all your needs satisfied in your living quarters. If there is anything else you may need, do not hesitate to ask one of our staff and they will be happy to assist you."

"Thank you, Lady Darcy," Ruth replied. She turned toward the girls, "There are three rooms and eight of you. Please move with who you will like to room with." Jane, Beth and Charlotte moved together; Lydia, Catherine and Mary in another group. This left Caroline and Anne Bourgh together. Anne looked a bit terrified of the icy Caroline, but no one offered to exchange spots. "Very well; please follow me."

Lady and Lord Darcy stepped aside as the group of girls followed Ruth up the stairs and into the estate. Beth glanced again at Darcy as they walked by, but his face was unreadable. She found it very vexing.


"Our first lesson today is How To Walk Like a Lady," Ruth shot a sharp look at Lydia, who snorted. "I would like to introduce world famous etiquette teacher, Ester Amato, who will be your tutor." To the right of Ruth was an older woman, dressed in a skirt suit. Her grey hair was cut short and moved freely as she stepped forward to talk to the girls.

"I am very pleased to meet all of you. As you know, part of being a lady is LOOKING like a lady. Today, we start with the basics. You know how to walk, but can you walk with grace and poise?" Ester walked over to Lydia. "What is your name?"

"Lydia Jameston."

"Lydia, please walk to the window and back." Lydia stared a moment before complying. After four steps, Ester interrupted her. "Please stop and turn around. Can anyone tell me what she is doing wrong?"

"She has no posture," Caroline replied in a bored voice. After seeing she had everyone's attention, she continued. "Her shoulders are slouched, her steps are heavy, and she looks around instead of keeping her head straight."

"Caroline, can you please walk for us?" Ester asked. Caroline stepped forward, turned towards the window and began to walk. Beth had to admit that no one could doubt that she had good posture and a light step. Caroline turned back and walked to her place in line.

"Very good!" Ester praised.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the girls walking back and forth. At the end, Beth felt that she could walk the length of the room with her eyes closed and not run into any walls. She sighed with relief when Ester released them for dinner. Jane, Charlotte and her headed straight for their room to change into trousers and polo shirts. After a dinner together with the other girls, the group headed to their common living area. Pemberley seemed to have a whole wing for guests that included a dinning area, living area, game room, tea room, bedrooms and library. In the living room, Ruth was waiting for them. The girls sat in the couches and chairs for her announcement.

"Tomorrow night, a ball will be held in your honour." Lydia and Catherine gasped and grabbed each other's hand. "This will be a small affair; however your escorts will be introduced at this time. The escorts will be three gentlemen who are familiar with high society and how a proper lady should act. While they are not judges, they can contribute information to judges on what they observe in our activities. I think you will agree that they are very handsome gentlemen." She moved aside to display a picture of three men. She pointed to the first one. "This is Charles Bingley, a businessman currently residing in North London. This is Matthew Fitzwilliam, a Colonel in Her Majesty's Royal Army. And finally, Lord Fitzwilliam Darcy himself has agreed to be our final escort." The room exploded with excited chatter. Ruth waited for it to die down before continuing.

"You will also be pleased to learn that during this competition, there will be two 'dates.' Each time, the dates will be determined by the escorts' choice. The dates will be a chance for you to get to know the escorts, but also to have a fun night in the area or beyond." She gave a sly smile. "Well – enjoy the rest of your evening!"


"Bloody halls!" Beth mumbled to herself as she stumbled again on a loose rug. Not being able to sleep, Beth has decided to find a door outside to walk around in the cool, summer air. Doing so, she promptly got lost. Trying to be as quiet as possible, Beth slowly walked along the halls. The first time she tripped, she had cried out in surprise. After pausing for a moment to see if anyone was awaken, she continued on. This trip was the second one, and she was getting rather tired of not knowing where she was. "Where is my room!"

Opening the next door, Beth saw that she was in a sitting room; not very helpful considering she had already seen two on her nightly walk. She was about to leave when she noticed the moonlight on the lake. Walking forward, Beth went to the window for a better look. The house was so peaceful with midnight silence and the water twinkled from the moon's reflection. Barely breathing, she could just hear crickets and a soft breeze through the trees.

"Ahem!" Beth spun around with her hand to her chest and her eyes wide. There, in the doorway was Lord Darcy. "Oh!" she cried. Darcy walked forward.

"Do you have a sleeping disorder, or do you make it a habit of walking around strangers homes in the middle of the night?"

Beth narrowed her eyes as she tried to calm her heart from the fright. "You startled me!" She nervously shifted her weight. "I couldn't sleep and was trying to find a door so I could go outside. I can't find it and now I can't find my bedroom." She tried to look as proper as possible. "Could you please show me back?"

Darcy started at her a moment. Beth stared back, trying not to break the look. Finally, Darcy nodded and left the room. Beth rushed after him to see him turn the corner. Following him, she had to run to catch up to his side. They walked in silence.

"I am sorry if I woke you," Beth began. "I tried to be quiet and find my way back on my own."

"And if you didn't wake me? Would you wander the halls all night?"

"I- well, I would have found my way eventually," Beth stammered.

Darcy stopped. "Miss, I am very wary of this competition and having strangers in my home. Please take care that there is not a repeat of tonight." He nodded to the left. "Here are the participant rooms. Goodnight." He turned and walked away. Beth stared back at him.

"Thank you, Lord Darcy," she called. Darcy stopped and looked back.

"My name is William," he replied and continued walking. Beth starred at him, confused. Are all Lords so polite and yet rude?


A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Please, please, please review!