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Winter of 1773

London, England

"All this talk of independence and revolution is just ridiculous. These Americans are just mad! I say that the King should use more force on them. What do you say Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth snapped out of stupor. All this talk of war and revolution was just so tiresome that she couldn't help but phase out. She loved her new friends yes, but some things were just too gruesome to discuss being the high-class young women they were.

"Frankly, Anna I do not care for such things and I wish to not discuss them." Her tone was haughty and her body sat rigid in her chair. All traces of the girl she once was gone and in place a high society woman who knew her place.

"I have to agree with our dear Elizabeth, why must we worry about such a silly thing. The King will fix it right away and we won't need to be concerned about these American rebels." Elizabeth couldn't express how much she loved Gwen. The only one she could ever agree with on any subject that presented itself. They were both cut from the same cloth. Both girls born in America whose parents thought they were both too wild for their age and then shipped to London and had been groomed into highly respected young women.

"Well, I would worry if I were the both of you. Considering the fact that both of you are being shipped back to that awful place later this week!" Anna snapped, picking up her skirts and marching away.

"I cannot believe you both are leaving us!" Diana sniffled. She had come to the school two years ago and had appeared so clueless that Elizabeth took her under her wing and molded and crafted Diana until she became one of them. One of societies most precious treasures. Of course Diana had her moments when all manners slipped away and what was left was nothing but a little girl from the English countryside who was overly sensitive.

"Do not worry sweet Diana!" Gwen patted the other girl's hand. "Elizabeth and I will always love you."

If Gwen had to be honest, she hated Diana. She loathed her. There was nothing more exciting about leaving this place then getting rid of some of their more flunky friends. Diana was one of them. She was a poor little girl from the country who was lucky enough to get into this school. And of course Elizabeth had to be generous and brought her into their circle of friends who were not as accepting as dear Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was the hardest to reform. It took her quite a couple of months to realize she was there to stay. She of course tried to get herself get sent back home. She would cause so much trouble but nothing was enough for her to get sent back to America. Of course she had been punished. All of her going out privileges were taken away until further notice and she disallowed her writing privileges for quite some time until she straightened herself out. At some point during that first year and half, something had happened to Elizabeth that caused her to change. Gone was the girl who always spoke her mind and was the opposite of what Gwen would call a 'lady,' and in her place was someone who she was proud to call a friend. She quickly became the most popular girl in the school and every girl tried to worm their way into Elizabeth's circle but none had succeeded. Elizabeth wouldn't just let anyone be her friend anymore.

Gwen was jealous.

And of course, Elizabeth had the most handsome fiancée. Gwen had met Riley Finn once at one of her father's balls and just looking at him made Gwen's heart quicken. So when she heard of Riley and Elizabeth's engagement she was both envious of her friend and happy for her. She was one lucky girl.

"Come now Gwen," Elizabeth tugged at her hand, "we have some packing to finish."

"Of course." Gwen smiled brightly at Diana before following Elizabeth down the hall. "Thank goodness Elizabeth. If I had to hear that girl whine and cry once more I would have strangled her. I cannot see why you became friends with her at all. She is quite annoying."

"I know, Gwen." She sighed, looking over shoulder at poor Diana who had tears pouring down her cheeks with her handkerchief clutched tightly in her hands. "It is the thing I regret most of all. If I had known she would cry so much I would not have befriended or even talked to her. Waste of my time really."

"I agree." Gwen threw open her dresser and her extra trunk. "I really do wish they had servants to do this for me. If I were home then I wouldn't have to be packing my own things. This place is nothing but huge pig sty. I will never set foot in here ever again!"

"I do not mind it so much." Elizabeth chirped, sitting on her friend's bed watching as she threw her things into her trunk. Not quite sure of how to make all her things fit in one compartment. "This place is much better than back home."

"Ah, yes. You are moving back to the countryside. I have forgotten. You poor thing!" Gwen reached over and patted her hand. "I do not see why your father, being the rich man that he is, decided to make you live out of the city. It was not a smart move, if I may say so."

"I agree." Elizabeth nodded, crossing her hands in her lap. "I feel that it was my parent's fault getting sent here. I mean they only made me continue my rude behavior by making me live out there!"

"Yes! And all the people you had to converse and socialize with!" She groaned. "Harmony Kendall! What a vapid girl. I could not stand her! Although her cousin Parker is quite a gentleman and what a charmer! I would marry him if he asked me to. It is sad that you both are not to be betrothed though. You both would have had a happy life together."

"I am happy that I do not have to marry that scoundrel! He is nothing like a gentleman. The things he would say to me were just horrid and he would always try and touch me! It was sickening!"

"Yes, but you would rather have the company of little Willy Rayne instead!" Gwen teased with a smile. It was always a pleasure for her to tease Elizabeth about little Willy. "Letting him send you little love letters and giving you little kisses!"

"Stop it!" Elizabeth huffed, throwing a pillow at her friend. "I told you never to speak of him again! Why must you continue to torture me about the past?"

Gwen giggled, winking at her friend. "But it is so much fun!" She had a dangerous glint in her eyes. "I bet that once little Willy finds out that you are back in the country, he will run after you. I wish I could be there to see the event!"

"STOP IT GWENETH!"



"Oh Lord." She grumbled stepping off the boat seeing the masses of poverty around her. What a horrid site to greet her. Couldn't her parents have made sure she was dropped off at a better port than this hole?

"ELIZABETH!" Over the masses of people, a small wrinkled hand was waving high the air.

Pushing herself through the crowd with servants trailing behind her with her things, Elizabeth came face to face with her family.

Both of her parents had nothing but the warmest expressions on their faces. Elizabeth felt her face grow hot and tears clouding her vision. It just had been too long.

"Mommy...Daddy..." She gasped before throwing herself into the arms of her parents. If Gwen were able to see this, Elizabeth would just die from embarrassment.

"Don't worry dear, you are home." Her mother cooed in her ear. "Now say hello to your little sister."

Elizabeth pulled away from her parents and looked behind her to see little Dawn, who now wasn't so little anymore. The last time Elizabeth had seen her she had just turned eight but now she was eleven. She was just about almost the same height as Elizabeth and her baby fat was disappearing. She was going to be a beauty when she got older...but not with that look on her face.

Dawn stood in front of the coach waiting impatiently. Her arms crossed in front of her chest while tapping her foot incessantly. A scowl set firmly on her face that was obviously directed at her sister.

What is wrong with her?

"Dawnie." She smiled, approaching the girl but her sister just backed away. "Daw—"

"She's here." She grumbled; looking up at her parents she rolled her eyes. "Can we leave now?"

"Dawn!" Rupert snapped, gesturing towards Elizabeth with a pleading look on his face. "Please."

"Fine!" She huffed, stomping over to her sister. "Good to have you home." She forced a smile on her face before turning around and jumping into the coach.

The ride home had been a tense one. Elizabeth and her parents discussed her teachings and the happenings in London, but Dawn paid them no attention. She just stared out the window and watched the scenery with that scowl on her face. Elizabeth knew her sister's unhappiness was due to her arrival but she didn't know what could've caused this feeling. What had she done to her recently?

It was after dinner that Elizabeth finally approached her younger sister who at that moment was sitting quietly in her room, scribbling away in her personal journals.

"You have grown." Elizabeth whispered, waiting patiently at the threshold of the room. Dawn barely glanced behind her shoulder at her before going back to her work.

"That tends to happen in three years."

"Can I come in?"

"I would prefer that you did not, sister." Dawn finally got up from her desk and hid her journal at the bottom of her trunk before finally looking at Elizabeth taking the stance she had been in earlier today at Elizabeth's arrival. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"There is nothing to discuss."

"Obviously there is. You have this hatred towards me and I don't understand the reason why!"

"Oh, please Elizabeth!" She scoffed, coming close to her older sister. "How about being engaged to Riley for one! How about—!"

"Being betrothed to Riley was not my choice and you know that. And he seems perfectly nice in his letters."

"He's just a poor little rich boy like Parker!"

"He is not!"

"Fine! But, what about William? Why did you never answer his letters? He has been dying to hear from you for the past three years. He wrote you everyday for two years and you never responded. I tried to tell him what a snob you had become and it wasn't his fault but he wouldn't listen to me!"

"William Rayne is nothing to me Dawn. He's beneath us. The Rayne family is no longer a family of respect." Elizabeth snipped, mimicking her sister's stance. "What happened between us was a mistake and I will regret it for the rest of my life!"

"How can you say that! How can you—!"

"Honestly Dawn, I think it is about time you got over your infatuation with William you have obviously held on to for so long. It's quite sad really, pining after a boy that will never give you a second glance! You will always be little Dawn to him, nothing more. It's about time you grew up! I did..."

Tears were brimming in the young girl's eyes. Dawn knew that William would never be hers but it still hurt to hear it. "I don't want to be like you...not anymore." She whispered, the tears finally falling down her face.

"Your loss then." Elizabeth smiled before flouncing out of her sister's room.

"No..." Dawn breathed with a frown on her face, " more like yours."

To be continued...





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