Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha or the plot of Pride and Prejudice
The next day Grandpa went to call on Mr Miroku and introduce himself and Rin travelled with him as far as the nearby town of Meryton, where she left to find out all the gossip about Mr Miroku from her young friends.
Later that day, while Kagome and Sango were sitting in the parlour reading, they heard the excited calls of Rin as she ran down the driveway and into the house.
"I've got so much news, I think I might explode before I can tell it all!" she exclaimed, bursting into the room.
Kagome and Sango put down their books, smiled at their sister's enthusiasm and looked up at her expectantly.
"What is it Rin? Is it news of Mr Miroku?" asked Mrs Higurashi as she walked in behind Rin and sat down in a chair near the fire.
"Yes, yes!" exclaimed Rin. "Kohaku has just told me that his mother was saying that Mr Miroku has thirty, no forty servants! He's very handsome and Sir Wolfe has called on him and he says he's very well mannered and charming and…"
"Slow down Rin!" interrupted Kagome, laughing. "I can hardly understand you!"
"But I must get it all out, Kagome, before I forget anything! As I was saying, Sir Wolfe has said he's very charming…and…and… Oh no, I've forgotten!" wailed Rin in despair. "And it was something so very important, too!"
"Nevermind, Rin," consoled Sango. "You might remember later."
"So he's charming, is he?" said Mrs Higurashi, her wistful smile returning. "Maybe he'll come to the party at the assembly halls in Meryton on Saturday!"
"Yes, that was it!" said Rin, animated once more. "That was what I forgot! He will be there on Saturday, and he's bringing two gentlemen and five ladies. Or was it three gentlemen and seven ladies?"
"Too many ladies," remarked Sango.
Kagome smiled and then saw Grandpa enter the room.
"How did you find Mr Miroku, Grandpa?" she asked.
"To be honest I wasn't sure about him," replied Grandpa as he took the seat next to the fire opposite Mrs Higurashi. "He seemed rather too interested in my granddaughters."
"How can he be too interested, Papa? I think it's wonderful that he has shown an interest in becoming acquainted with them," said Mrs Higurashi.
"Hmm," was all Grandpa replied with.
The days before the party in Meryton passed in curious anticipation for Kagome, who was interested as to the character of their new neighbour but also concerned about what Grandpa had hinted at. She didn't want any of her dear family to be hurt if the character of Mr Miroku turned out to be less than respectable.
On Saturday afternoon, she leant her head on her hand on her dresser, sighing at her reflection in the mirror as a servant girl arranged her hair in an elegant formation on top of her head. She had decided to wear her second best dress, which was a light, pastel blue, so that she wouldn't be seen to be making too much of an effort to impress the newcomers.
When she stepped out of her room to go and wait for the carriage in the hall, she saw Sango approaching her down the corridor and was amazed.
"Sango, you look stunning!" she exclaimed.
Sango was wearing her best, gold dress and her hair was decorated with a pinned gold ribbon. While Kagome's hair was all drawn up onto her head, Sango had a few free curled locks which hung from the back of her head, and which danced in a pretty motion when she moved her head. She smiled at Kagome's compliment but cast her eyes down sadly when she remembered why she had decided to dress up so much. Kagome noticed and quickly took hold of both her hands and looked concernedly into her face.
"Sango, you don't have to do this. Please, promise me you'll just be yourself and you won't do anything rash?" pleaded Kagome.
"Oh all right, if it'll stop you worrying!" conceded Sango.
"Fantastic!" cheered Kagome. "Now let's go have a good time, no matter what this Miroku guy is like!"
And with that Kagome dragged the now heartened and smiling Sango down to the entrance hall, where everyone else was waiting for them. The smiles of her family on seeing her and the fresh, uplifting night air that met her upon stepping outside banished all thoughts of duty from Sango's mind, and the journey to Meryton was passed in cheerful anticipation by everyone.
As the carriage pulled up in front of the assembly halls, Kagome felt a tingle of curiosity and excitement. It wasn't often something as intriguing as this happened in the sleepy countryside of Hertfordshire, and she couldn't wait to inspect the new arrivals.
Grandpa handed each of them out of the carriage and they joined the bustle of people all making their way into the hall. The modest-sized hall was packed with tables and chairs round the outside, with a decent space in the middle for the dances, which was at that moment empty although Kagome could see the musicians setting themselves up in a corner. The room was lit by two chandeliers and a roaring log fire, and the room was already merry with chattering voices and tinkling of glasses.
Kagome smiled joyfully at the scene and looked round to see her expression mirrored by all the members of her dear family. They moved away from the door to find a place for Grandpa to sit, and found Sir Wolfe and his family seated in a corner.
"Sir Wolfe!" called Grandpa. "May we join you?"
"Of course! Of course! Sit by me, I must hear all your news!" exclaimed Sir Wolfe, who was and old friend of Grandpa's.
They all sat and the two men started chatting animatedly, Mrs Higurashi struck up a conversation with Lady Wolfe and Sango was reminding Rin of the way she should behave at a gathering like this, as this was the first time she had accompanied them, having been previously too young. Kagome used the first gap she spotted in her Grandpa's conversation to enquire of Sir Wolfe whether his daughter was there.
"Ah, yes! Your grandfather here caused me to forget! She is no doubt still waiting at the window for your arrival, she must have failed to see you outside!" he replied heartily.
Kagome thanked him and made her way to the other end of the room where she indeed saw her standing looking impatiently out of the window.
"Aoyame!" she called, as she approached her.
The elegant bun of red hair turned to reveal the bright green eyes of her closest friend, which lit up with her smile at seeing that Kagome was already arrived.
"You look lovely, Kagome!" beamed Aoyame.
"So do you!" replied Kagome, before noticing the delicate pea-green dress Aoyame was wearing.
"Do you honestly, think so?" asked Aoyame, a hint of worry in her voice. "I, for one, dislike it, but mother insisted I wear it because she says it brings out the colour of my eyes."
"It's really not that bad," reassured Kagome, before they both succumbed to cheerful laughter.
"I won't feel half so bad in an awful dress since you are with me, Kagome," laughed Aoyame.
"Come on then, let's go join the others."
They made it half way over the space cleared ready for dancing, when the party that was responsible for two thirds of the gossip in the hall entered and silenced almost all of it. Kagome's eyes met with a gentleman of the party, whose fierce yellow-eyed gaze caused her to blush and pull Aoyame quickly over to her father, who had hurriedly got up to welcome the newcomers.
"There you are Aoyame!" hailed Sir Wolfe. "Come with me so I can introduce you!"
Aoyame reluctantly followed him and left Kagome to take his empty seat between Grandpa and her mother.
"So do you know who each of them are, Mama?" whispered Kagome, looking particularly at the young gentleman she had just embarrassingly locked eyes with.
"The gentleman with the short black hair is Mr Miroku, and the two ladies are his sisters; Miss Kikyo and Mrs Naraku," started Mrs Higurashi.
"Which one is Mr Naraku?" she asked, hoping that it wasn't the gentleman that intrigued her so.
"He stands by her, with the long black hair," pointed out Mrs Higurashi. "And the other two gentleman, both with long whitish hair, they are brothers. The taller one is Lord Sesshoumaru and the other is his younger brother Mr Inuyasha."
The younger brother of a lord?! Then he's way beyond my reach, thought Kagome, with a little disappointment. She caught Sango looking interestedly at Mr Miroku, and smirked at her. Mr Miroku was indeed very handsome, but the brothers were far more mysterious.