AN: So this is my newest story. It came to me shortly after seeing the second episode of season four, where Martha is making costumes for her theatre school, dressed as what looks like Lady Macbeth hands Castle's phone to him and said, "Lady Beckett, my Lord." It probably didn't help that I was reading PrideandPrejudice at the time either. So it floated around in my head for a while before I started writing it down and this is the product.

Disclaimer: As much as I would like them to be, they're not mine.

Chapter 1

London, 1838

Miss Katherine Beckett stood with her father greeting guests as they arrived at their ball. As always it was the first of the season, held at Múrdèr, their grand house in town. Lord Beckett always held the first ball of the season in honour of his late wife, who had perished with the birth of their youngest child, Miss Jenifer.

As Miss Katherine went through the motions of greeting her guests, she thought about her little sister, Jenny. Tonight was her coming out, this was to be her first season, and she was predicted to be the success of London.

She politely excused herself from her father after all of their guests had arrived and started to make her way around the room. She paused slightly when she saw her other sister Elaine talking to Javier Esposito.

The Esposito family lived principally in London and the two families were quite close. Many had thought that Javier and Elaine would have married after her first season, but they hadn't and three years later neither of them were married still. Katherine sometimes thought that if it wasn't for her, Elaine might have been married by now. Katherine often thought that if she had married, then her younger sister could be happily settled. She had also once thought that she would be married after her first season, but that was six years ago, and she hadn't seen him since.

As she made her way around the room, Katherine started thinking about the man she hadn't seen in six years. They had grown up together, out in the country. His family had lived on the property next to her father's and he was an only child. He had never known his father as he had died in a terrible horsing accident when he was only a couple of months old, though like her father, his mother had never re-married.

Despite his being three years her senior, they were the best of friends growing up, she challenged him; he challenged her. She became wise beyond her years and he would always have a new story to tell her. All he ever wanted to do was write, but he knew he had to follow in his father's footsteps, or he would forfeit the estate. So at the tender age of nineteen he was called into service of the King, to train in the military.

It had been six years ago, at her very own coming out ball, that she had seen him last.

They had bee dancing then he asked her to take a walk in the garden with him, and she was floating on air. She was certain that he was going to purpose. They had walked around for a while, and then sat on her favourite bench, the one with her mother's name on it. He took her hands and she couldn't supress her grin, she just knew what was going to happen, or so she thought.

"Katie," He had said to her, looking down at her hands, then back to her eyes. "I have something to tell you." He told her, and when she looked like she might respond he continued. "No, don't speak, let me say my piece. I don't really know where to start, but to say that I put off leaving until after tonight, because I knew how much it would mean to you."

Be she hadn't caught much past him saying that he was leaving. "Leaving?" She questioned. "Leaving to where?" She asked.

"I am to go into the military." He told her. "I am to be posted up north. I will be in Colonel Markway's regiment, under the command of Captain Montgomery."

"Why are you only telling me this now?" She asked, somewhat calmly.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said to her. He stood, placed a kiss on her knuckles and walked off. Just before he was out of her sight he turned. "Goodbye Katherine Beckett." He said before walking out of her life and leaving her in teary mess.

She was pulled out of her memory of that night, as she most often was, by her father.

"Katie," He said to her, offering his white-gloved hand. "It's time to open the dancing." She placed her blue-gloved hand in his and walked towards the centre of the room with him for the only dance she would dance that night.

For the past four years it had always been so. At her father's ball Katherine would open the dancing with him, and not dance another dance for the entire night. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. Just the thought of more dancing on that night would bring thoughts of him back to her mind.

Of course when she went to other balls and parties of the season she was known to be quite the dancer, just not at her father's ball.

Katherine finished the dance with her father, and sought out her sister.

"Lanie," She said as she approached her. "Mr Esposito." She greeted him.

"Kate." Her sister said, taking her hand. "You looked lovely out there with Father, but then you always do."

"I'll leave you ladies to it." Esposito said.

"Oh no," Katherine exclaimed. "Don't leave on my account, I was just passing by." She finished and promptly walked off.

Katherine continued to watch the dancing, accepting drinks occasionally when they were offered. In general just doing what she did every year at her fathers ball, she people watched.

Katherine was fascinated with the way society moved around her, so she would stand at the side of the room and watch that night, because it was the only night she could get away with it.

It was necessary though for her tonight to be out and about a little. Her father caught her eye and she went to get Jenny from her room, doing what would normally be the mother's job. She led Jenny down the stairs to their father, and gave him her hand. He then presented her to the crowd, and they danced.

When she had fulfilled her role, Katherine started watching again. She noticed that after dancing with their father, Jenny was asked to dance by Kevin Ryan; that she accepted was no surprise. The Ryan's were another family from town that they had known all their lives, and Jenny and Kevin Ryan looked good together.

Katherine wondered around the room, watching all the colours swirling around the dance floor. She was so lost in her own little world that she didn't notice a pair of blue eyes following her around the room.

It was a little while later, that the owner of those eyes made themselves known.

"Dance with me, Katie?" A voice behind her asked

Katherine was startled, there were only two people who called her Katie, and one was her father, who she could see dancing with his second daughter. That meant it could only be one person.

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