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It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a husband. That thought was on the minds of many single gentlemen who gathered in Lord Walsh's London home for the first ball of December. Winifred Burkle, a wealthy lady from the north of England, was one such single woman. The older married women all gossiped about how Miss Burkle's brother, Charles, had recently leased an estate in Hertfordshire since the death of their parents, but since they came from trade, they had no estate to call their own. The lady in question was found in the sitting room, discussing Hertfordshire with Miss Cecily Addams, whose family lived that particular county.

"So what am I to expect from the neighborhood?" Winifred asked.

"There's not much to tell," Cecily said. "It's a quiet countryside place. Not much to do compared to London."

"Well that's alright," Winifred said. "Charles needs a good quiet place so that he can learn how to manage his new estate."

Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Elizabeth Giles, Winifred's best friend from Derbyshire. "There are some party guests coming," Elizabeth said. "My mother has informed me that they come from Hertfordshire." She turned to look at Cecily and said, "I was hoping you could inform my best friend about her new neighbors."

The three girls went into the main ballroom as a group of four men and a tawny haired woman made their entrance.

"Who are they?" Winifred asked.

"That's the Pryce family," Cecily said. "The oldest is Angel, the tall, dark one who's looking at every single lady in the room. The one with in the gray coat is Wesley and the one with the curly light brown hair is William. The girl with the sandy blonde hair is their sister, Tara, who's married to that rather short man with the ears like a dog. He's Clement Maclay who has an estate in Scotland, but his estate in Hertfordshire is a decent one."

Elizabeth noticed that William immediately looked at the three of them. He smiled shyly and then continued following his family as they went to talk with Charles Burkle, who was making conversation with Lord Walsh.

"William looks like he knows you," Elizabeth said.

"Oh he's been holding a torch for me for a long time," Cecily said dismissively. "He's beneath me, though. He's a mere Oxford professor with little money outside of what he inherited. Not to mention he writes the most bloody awful poetry."

"How do you even know he writes poetry?" Winifred asked.

"You forget, Winifred, that I have lived in their little town all my life. I have to attend dinner parties with this family because my father is the mayor. During these parties William would read his poetry aloud. It's all in good fun, but he'll never really amount to anything."

Winifred was about to say something when her brother, Charles, came to them with the Pryce family. Introductions were made between the Pryce family and the three ladies.

"Is your family here with you, Miss Giles?" Charles asked.

"My younger sister, Miss Faith, is sitting by the dance floor with my parents," Elizabeth said, indicating the spirited brunette in the red gown. Mr. Rupert Giles and his wife, Joyce, were making conversation with the other older people. "My youngest sister is not yet out. She's currently learning French with her companion."

Wesley and Winifred smiled at each other, feeling an instant connection between them. Wesley admired the wispy curls that framed her delicate face as well as how pretty she looked in her blue gown. When Lord Walsh announced that the dance would begin soon, Wesley asked Winifred if she would dance the first set with him, which she gladly accepted.

Elizabeth smiled at her friend's happiness. Her smile, however, quickly faded as a dark haired man approached her. The gentleman in question was Parker Abrams, a man from trade who did business with her father.

"Miss Giles!" He eagerly shook her hand and kissed it.

"Mister Abrams," Elizabeth said. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"May I have the honor of dancing the first set with you?" He flashed a too big smile at her and Elizabeth sighed in resignation.

"You may," Elizabeth said.

William couldn't help but notice the difference between the way that Elizabeth smiled and how the sparkle in her hazel eyes faded as Parker Abrams greeted her. Her golden blonde hair shone like candlelight and her soft yellow gown reminded him of the sunrise. His brother, Angel, told him that Elizabeth was the heir to the estate of Sunnydale and a fortune of £30,000 and that Frederica's fortune was somewhere around £15,000. William's attention, however, was diverted as the host announced the entrance of the Keeble sisters.

The Keeble sisters were the daughters of a wealthy landowner from Surrey. Cordelia Keeble was the eldest of the three, a woman of five and twenty with dark brown hair and a sharp look in her eyes. She wore a dove gray gown with a borderline scandalous neckline. Most of the ton knew that she was on the hunt for a husband because she was close to ending up on the shelf.

Drusilla Keeble was the second eldest. Thin in contrast to her older sister's curvy body, William was immediately enchanted by her dark curls and child-like demeanor. She reminded William of a ballerina, especially in her white gown.

Harmony was the youngest. Her curly blonde hair was a wild mess, even when done up, and she was eyeing every handsome man in the room. William was particularly surprised when she winked at him upon introduction and curtsied so that he could look at her equally scandalous decolletage. Her girlish pink gown contrasted with her pretentious flirting.

As the music for the first dance began, William asked Drusilla to dance the first set with him, which she gladly accepted.

The party went on with all the guests having a merry time. Elizabeth Giles danced the second set with Lord Walsh's eldest son, Riley Finn, who delighted in her charms and eager smiles. Elizabeth delighted in the fact that she was dancing with an agreeable partner. She and Winifred would go on to dance with other eligible wealthy bachelors who were eager to gain their fortunes. Winfred , however, only danced a second set with Wesley Pryce. After that particular set was over, Winifred found Elizabeth sitting by the dance floor, reading a book.

"Elizabeth, you can't spend this whole night reading," Fred said.

"I've already danced with more than enough fortune hunters for one night," Elizabeth said.

"But there are so many nice gentlemen here. You just haven't made the time to get to know them."

"You're dancing with one of the few amiable gentlemen in the room. His older brother is a rake in the making. Did you see how wild his dancing was?"

"What about Wesley's younger brother, William? I'm sure he's around here somewhere. He's a sweet looking gentleman and very agreeable."

Elizabeth looked around the room, uncertain of who Fred was talking about. Looking to a nearby corner, she saw Cecily walking away from a gentleman with messy light brown hair and spectacles, she recognized him and turned her attention back to Winifred.

"He's tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me," Elizabeth said, her eyes going back to her book. "I am in no humour at present to give consequence to poor gentlemen who get slighted by other women. You had better return to your partner and enjoy his smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."

"Are you sure, Buffy?" Winifred asked.

"You heard what Cecily said about him! He's just an Oxford professor with little means. He has no estate and little inheritance. He's beneath me. And I told you not to call me that! I don't want Mr. Finn to hear me being addressed by such a ridiculous name."

Fred rolled her eyes. "Just because you have your eyes on Baron Walsh's son does not mean that dancing with anyone else is beneath you. And I think Buffy is a cute nickname. Dawn calls you that, after all."

"Dawn is a kid. She doesn't know any better."

Their conversation was interrupted when they saw Faith flirting with some officers. The two of them rolled their eyes and went to take care of Buffy's rambunctious younger sister.

Little did they know that William overheard their conversation just as Cecily turned him down for the next set. Disappointed that two women didn't want to give him the time of day, he saw his friend, Sir Xander Harris, make his entrance, and decided to make conversation with him. Later on, at supper, Elizabeth passed by William as he was talking with a scruffy dark haired young man. The two gentlemen greeted Elizabeth, but laughed as she left to take her seat. As supper began, Elizabeth had a bad feeling that they were laughing at her expense.

Well it's not Spuffy without things starting off on the wrong foot. Don't hate Buffy too much here! We'll get to know her side of the story in the next chapter. Also, I'm probably stating the obvious, but don't expect Drusilla to be nice in this story.