I stood in my room on the ship and looked around, struck suddenly that this was no third-class ticket Darcy had bought me. The room was easily second or even third class. It was surprisingly large, with enough room for a real bed and a desk, as well as a small chest of drawers. I looked dejectedly at my carpet bag. I didn't want to unpack my belongings, doing that made things final, that I wouldn't see Darcy again for easily several months. But the trip was going to be around twenty days, and I couldn't live out of a carpet bag until then.

I had just begun unpacking when there was a knock at the door and someone said, "Steward." I opened the door to find a steward standing there, prim and proper and stoic. It was slightly unnerving. "Dinner shall be served in one hour ma'am," he said, and then gave a slight bow and moved on to knock on the next door.

I stood there like a dunce for a second before I realized that I should close the door. Having someone call me "ma'am" was completely new to me. And he even bowed! I turned back to my task in a daze of wonder, before shaking myself out of it. Darcy was wealthy, and he had bought me a first class ticket which was going to make everyone else think that I was wealthy, which I wasn't. I would just have to put up with it until we docked and I could get off this stupid ship.

Fifty-five minutes later, I made my way to the dining hall and was ushered in. I was wearing the ball gown that I had worn last night. I had adorned it with some of the other accessories that we had purchased the day before, and it passed reasonably for a dinner dress.

As I paused and looked around for an empty table, hopefully one in a corner, I could feel people watching me and hear their hushed whispers. I had prepared myself mentally for this. Until I could ask the steward to just deliver the dinner to my room I would have to endure this gauntlet of stares and gossip. I knew full well how much the rich loved their gossip, if only they knew that their servants probably knew even more than they did.

This thought and the ridiculousness of my situation, combined with my nerves caused a giggle to surface. I did the best I could to hold it in and frantically darted my eyes around the room. There had to be a corner table! If there wasn't I had no idea what I was going to do. I couldn't care less what people thought of me, I just couldn't take their staring, it unnerved me like nothing else. I was usually the one in the background, unless I was standing on an auction platform.

Finally my eyes fell on a fairly secluded table, and I tried to walk as gracefully as I could, yet moved quickly. I weaved through the other tables, passed a few people who quieted as I approached and then started talking again once I'd gone by. At last, I reached the table and practically flung myself into the chair.

I sat there, looking around and trying to get my bearings. Now that I was safely seated, I could calm my panic and properly control my laughter. It was then that I noticed the table settings. There were four of them for this table, and I stared helplessly at them. I could remember using this many silverware pieces when we ate at Lady DeBourgh's, but I couldn't remember where to start!

People were beginning to sit down at the various tables, and then the waiters with their carts were beginning to wheel about. Exactly what kind of ticket had Darcy gotten me? This was ridiculous! I thought, this was the topmost of upper society, and he believed that throwing me into the middle of it unawares was going to help in any way?

It was then that I realized... yes, it was. I could use these twenty days to really learn how to act properly, before I had to face my family. This way I could learn before I reached England how to not make a fool of myself.

Newly determined, I sat up straight and put the napkin in my lap. Suddenly I remembered what Darcy had told me, start on the outside and work your way in. I felt suddenly foolish, my panic upon entering the room had truly made me lose my head. I settled down down and waited for the server to make his way to me.

Suddenly, the doors to the dining hall opened and a young woman strode in. Everyone stared at her, but unlike my reaction, she merely looked calmly about the room, and then began to make her way to me. I glanced around, all the other tables were taken up by large groups. No sane person would want to join one of them unless they were invited. All I could do was stare helplessly as she walked right up to my table and sat down across from me.

She placed the napkin in her lap and then the waiter rolled a cart up to our table, set water in front of us, and then asked for our orders. We both quickly snatched up our menus. I ordered the first thing that my eyes fell on, a chicken dish. My impromptu dinner companion ordered as well, and the waiter moved away.

I then looked at the woman sitting across from me. She was dressed simply yet elegantly. And she was dripping? money and wealth, that much was obvious. I smiled politely, she returned it and then proceeded to introduce herself.

"I'm Vivian Lancaster," she said, and I felt compelled to reply.

"I'm Elizabeth... Bennet," I said. I had been set to say "Darcy" but remembered Darcy's warning to not introduce myself as his wife quite at first. I was ready to start wondering what he could have possibly meant by that, but Vivian kept talking and I snapped out of my tangent.

"I'm headed for London, going back home and I am so excited! Where are you traveling to?" she asked.

"Meryton, it's near London," I replied shortly.
"Oh, that's nice. I've been there, it's a quaint little town. I must admit though that I prefer London, there is so much to entertain there," Vivian was beginning to smile for real now, and I was beginning to suspect that I was seated with a talker. I only hoped she wasn't a gossip, as I wasn't in the mood to hear about the lives of every other person in this room.

I did perk up when I heard that she had been to Meryton though, "What is there to do in Meryton?" I asked, "I am going there for the first time to visit some relatives and would like to know more about it."

Vivian then proceeded to tell me all about Meryton. She listed the shops and told me which ones that I must visit and which to avoid. And she told me all about the wonderful countryside that was there, with rolling hills and sparkling streams. I was beginning to get quite caught up in her description of it, and found myself almost eager to get there. Rolling hills sounded lovely, especially because I had lived in or near the woods most of my life.

Our food arrived and Vivian was quiet while we ate. After we were finished, I was preparing to leave but before I could stand, she quickly asked, "I was wondering if we could perhaps take a walk around the boat deck tomorrow. For you see, I am here alone and know no one on this ship and I cannot stand to be alone for twenty whole days!"

I looked at her and was struck suddenly with how much she was like me, alone on a ship filled with people. "Of course," I replied, "What time would you like to meet?"

She named the time, and I agreed to it. She stood and I gave her a sincere good night, and we parted ways.

I hastened down the halls as quickly as I could and went into my room. I shut and locked the door behind me, and then got ready for bed. As I stood there in my night clothes I realized how tired I was, and how sad I was feeling as well. And so I curled myself up under the covers for a good cry.

I stood on the deck of the ship, looking out at the endless ocean. It was truly amazing how fast the land disappeared. Truly amazing and frightening at the same time. I turned around and looked up and down the boat deck, waiting for Vivian. I finally spotted her, she was quite a ways down the deck and was making her way to me. As I watched her approach me I wondered how I could have possibly missed her in the first place. She was wearing a massive hat and a very bright pink dress, and she stood out among all of the dull colors that everyone else was wearing.

She reached me and greeted me with a, "Good morning!" and a huge smile. I couldn't help but smile back and return the greeting. I turned and we set off down the boat deck, going slowly.
There was something about the fresh ocean breeze and the warm sun that seemed to put people in a good mood. Everyone we passed still traveled within their little social and gossip circles, yet everyone smiled and greeted one another. It was a very different scene from the one I had witnessed the night before.

"You said last night you were going home to London," I started, attempting to make conversation, "Where is home exactly and where are you coming from?"

"I grew up in upper class London. My father was a businessman, and his work took him all over the world. My mother died when I was young, and I hate to be parted from my father for long periods of time. So when he told me that he was going to be gone for over a year in America, I begged him to bring me with him. I stayed with a cousin of my mother's in Manhattan, and merely finished my studies there. My father took sick in some backwoods place, and so he had to travel back to London from a different port. And now I am going to meet him."

I was quiet while Vivian spoke, and smiled when she told me she was going to meet her father with an excited little jump to her step. I couldn't quite make her out, she was obviously high society and educated, yet she seemed like a little girl sometimes.

"What about you?" she asked, "you said you were going to Meryton to see your family? Where are you traveling from?"

My thoughts raced as I debated how much of the truth I should tell this virtual stranger, and how much I should lie. I decided a half truth was good enough for now.

"I was born in Meryton, but was sent to live with relatives in America when I was young. I met someone in America and recently married him, but my family in Meryton will not approve, of that I'm sure. So I am going back to Meryton to meet with them and get to know them better before I break the news."

I could hear how terrible this explanation was, it was so vague and there were so many holes, but Vivan seemed to believe me.

"It's a forbidden marriage! How romantic! I truly hope things work out for you," she all but gushed.

"Thank you," I replied, not quite sure what else to say.

We walked and talked for about an hour. Our topics of discussion ranging from the weather to our own personal stories to the terrible conditions of the London streets. It was all very random, yet as I began to relax I found that I enjoyed just talking about everything and anything like this. And the one thing that I noticed about Vivian, was that even though she was very talkative, she didn't gossip. We were stopped several times by people who seemed to know her or her father, they would stop and we would make idle small talk until one of us got bored and started walking again.

Yet despite having all of these acquaintances, Vivian never talked about them in a cruel way. Merely introduced us, and as we were walking away told me simply where they were from and how she knew them. She never tried to slander their names or give me the latest gossip or scandal about them, even though there were probably many.

The ship was sailing smoothly, and the ocean was calm with barely a wave. But then the wind began to pick up, and the waves became taller and the ship soon had a rhythmic rocking motion. And try as I could, I couldn't stop the sick feeling that was slowly curling in my stomach.

I fought it as best I could, but had to admit defeat when Vivian said, "Lizzy? Are you feeling alright? You look...green."

"I think I'm getting sea sick," I gasped out, and then clamped a hand over my mouth. Merely talking triggered the bile that was creeping up my throat.

"Oh dear, we'd better get you to your room. What number is it?" Vivian asked, taking my arm to steady me as another wave rocked the ship.

I managed to tell her the room number, and she quickly helped me get to it. We tried to walk past the growing crowd of people as ladylike as we could, before I decided that I'd rather be seen walking fast than throwing up, and told Vivian to walk faster.

We made it to my room, and I sat on the bed and dropped my head down to between my knees. Vivian poured some water into the wash basin and wet a cloth, which she then put on my forehead.

"Just lie down and you should start to feel better," she advised, "I got seasick on my trip to America. You just need to drink some water and not eat for a while, and stay laying down until it passes."

I lay down on the bed and let the cool cloth drape over my face. I lay there for quite some time, and yet the sea sickness didn't go away at all. I remember sitting up every now and then to take a sip of the water that Vivian offered me, but then as soon as the water was down, my stomach started churning again. After an afternoon of fitful napping, I finally fell into a deep sleep.

Hey everyone! Sorry that I'm a little late in getting this chapter posted. School has been pretty busy. Thanks for all of the reviews and feedback!