A/N: rEGENCY AU! Wheee! I don't plan on following Pride and Prejudice EXACTLY. there will be changes to fit in a giant shadowy organization of DEATH. And murder. And heists. And Kaitou Kid. So don't worry about it. I only wanted to get first impressions out of the way~

Ah yes, the weirdly scheduled posting begins. You'll notice that I'm posting at THREE IN THE MORNING. I can assure you it is not three in the morning where I am haha. It's morel ike, 5 in the afternoon :D

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Miss Aoko Nakamori, neither a gentleman nor of good fortune, had no grounds on which to refute this assumption, and indeed, had no need to oppose such ideology so ardently as she did had she not the singular belief that it was her sisters who were to become, metaphorically, the sacrificial lambs. For, as luck would have it, Kogoro Mouri of Beika, their caretaker and therefore guardian, had already learned that the Kudou mansion was once again occupied with the recent return of the only son of the Baron and Baroness who owned the estate. Having now realized that the gentleman, by the name of Kudou Shinichi, was a young man of at least five thousand pounds a year and a certain amount of renown due to his seemingly never-ending stream of victories in the apprehension of criminals in conjunction with London police, Mouri-san therefore decided that he must be a perfect match for one of his many charges. So the schemes of marriage began, to the protest of both the girls and their mother, Eri Kisaki.

Eri Kisaki, being a measurably more sensible woman than her husband, argued with him fiercely that the girls ought not to marry solely for fortune, but no one could dispel the notion from Mouri-san's head. He insisted, calling on Kudou-kun within a week and letting it slip that he had three lovely daughters, loveliest of all his eldest (and coincidentally only blood relation, or perhaps not so coincidentally, since Mouri-san did have a habit of referring to Aoko and Kazuha as "freeloaders"), Ran.

A few days later, the invitation arrived, much to the dread growing in Aoko's stomach, addressed to the Misses of the house.

There was going to be a ball next week.

"It wouldn't be nearly as bad as you're thinking," Ran insisted on the evening of the ball as Eri twisted her hair into intricate knots. "After all, there's no telling whether this Kudou Shinichi-kun would even notice me. I'd be just another ordinary girl at another ordinary place, to him."

Aoko and Kazuha exchanged a glance over her head and merely smiled instead of letting her in on the secret.

"What?" Ran demanded, crossing her arms.

"Nothing," next to Aoko, Kazuha's eyes sparkled. "Ran-chan really is the most ordinary girl in this town."

Both girls ducked when Ran threw the throw pillow.

Mouri-san really had gone all out this time. Perhaps it was the degree of propriety with which he was handling most affairs concerning his scheme that Eri was letting him have his way. They were packed off into a respectable carriage set to arrive fashionably late, and all Aoko had to do was wring her handkerchief into knots inside until they arrived.

When the footmen helped them out of the carriage, the sun in the west was already dimming. The light was dancing on the front steps of the fine mansion, and music could be heard pouring from within. Aoko took a deep breath. No matter what her guardian's intentions had been bringing them there that night, she was determined to enjoy herself. Eri strolled in on Mouri-san's arm, presumably to restrain him from doing anything too stupid, and that left the girls together. Aoko grinned and linked arms with Kazuha and Ran, and they went to find Akako Koizumi.

The young woman in question had been drinking wine at a refreshment table, staring with an unreadable gaze into the crowd.

"See anyone you like?" Aoko asked, not truly expecting an answer from the cryptic girl as they made to stop. Miss Koizumi was shrouded in mystery. A few years back, it was rumoured that she did witchcraft, and as a result, not many young ladies tended to associate with her.

Aoko didn't give much weight to the rumors. Akako was frank and lacked the falseness of others in the neighborhood, and Aoko considered the strange girl a friend.

"Perhaps," the so-called "witch" smirked into her glass. Aoko wondered vaguely if she ought to be drinking that. "But that's not what I'm looking for."

"What are you looking for then?" Ran asked, curious.

"Red threads," Akako sipped her wine.

Ran and Aoko exchanged a look of sheer confusion.

"For example," The corner of Akako's lip curled wickedly upward, "Yours is tied to-"

"Say," Kazuha exclaimed from behind them, pointing, "Is that Kudou-kun?"

The front doors had opened with great fanfare, and out came two pairs of men and women, two lithe, light-haired ladies on the arms of handsome, dark-haired men. The one in dark navy appeared to be their host, mingling good-naturedly with the guests immediately as he entered.

"Indeed," Akako grinned, slowly.

"And those ladies beside him?"

"His sisters. Mrs. Sonoko Kyogoku and Miss Ai Haibara."

The two ladies had congregated with each other off to one side. Ai seemed to be unmoved while Sonoko exuberantly pointed out eligible bachelors.

"And the gentleman?" Aoko questioned, wondering. The other man, though undeniably a fine figure dressed in crisp white, was most unsociable of them all. He stood to one side of the room, and did not meet anyone's gaze, did not make an effort to be introduced to anyone, and when forced by his much more good-natured friend, smiled so heartlessly and mockingly that before long the rumors that he had a large estate in Tokyo and ten thousand pounds a year could no longer sustain his good name and the general opinion of the town was that he was a proud and intolerant personage.

"That is Kuroba Kaito-kun," Akako smiled almost knowingly. "His company is not easily sought."

Kazuha turned, a mixture of awe and curiosity glittering in her eyes, to the girl. "How do you know everything, Akako-chan?"

"Lucifer tells me things now and then," the redhead waved them off. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get another glass of wine. You'll be occupied soon enough."

"Lucifer-?"

"Wait, Akako-chan-"

"Ah, Ran!"

"Tou-san?" The eldest of three spun around and turned bright red when she ran straight into one Kudou Shinichi.

"Uh-" He said, very intelligently, as befitting a meitantei of his status.

Aoko giggled.

Mouri-san looked somehow extremely satisfied with himself. "My daughter, Ran."

Ran curtseyed, blush spreading until it was as red as her dress.

"Aoko and Kazuha, my wards."

Aoko and Kazuha curtseyed as well.

"A pleasure," Kudou-kun said, smiling, and bowed to answer each curtsey. His gaze did, however, return to and linger at Ran.

The silence was almost suffocating. Aoko linked arms with Kazuha and pulled her aside. Mouri Kogoro had already vanished into the crowd. The girls watched the scene unfold from a distance.

"I'm sorry about-"

"Miss Mouri-"

Abrupt, red-faced, both the young man and the young woman stopped.

"...I'm sorry about bumping into you."

"The fault is mine entirely. Miss Mouri, would you allow me to make amends and reserve the honor of being your dance partner for the next two sets?"

After it became apparent that Ran would be happily occupied for quite some time, Aoko sat down on the chair and watched. Kazuha was called away to dance by two young men that had requested her sets the day before.

Due to a distinct lack of gentlemen at the party, Aoko was forced to sit out the dances. No matter, because her sister was happily engaged with the newer gentleman and she herself had no interest in the boys she'd known since childhood anyway. Aoko spent half an hour talking pleasantly to other women of the neighborhood and lost track of her sister on the dance floor. She was straining to find her when Kudou-kun brushed past, bright-eyed and red-faced, smiling.

"Kuroba." He declared to a young man somewhere behind her. "You should dance, instead of stand around with that sour look on your face."

"Your troubles are over, tantei-kun. Mine are not," A smooth, cold voice replied. "No, I shall not dance. You know I despise dancing now."

"To use your own words," Kudou-kun made an exasperated face, clapping Kuroba Kaito's shoulder, "Loosen up. There are plenty of pretty girls here."

"I've seen enough of pretty girls. Besides, you're dancing with the only handsome girl in the room."

Kudou-kun flushed and his gaze drifted involuntarily away to settle on Ran, all the way across the room, laughing with Akako. "She's probably the most handsome one I've ever seen. Quite illogically so. But look," Here Kudou turned. "There is her sister, who is also very pretty and likely just as agreeable. Won't you ask her to dance? I'll introduce you."

She turned quickly, and immediately felt his piercing, blue-eyed gaze on her profile. Sweat lined the insides of her palms.

"What, her?"

"Miss Aoko Nakamori. What do you say, Kuroba?"

A long silence.

"She's tolerable, but hardly handsome enough to tempt me," Kuroba Kaito declared with his signature crooked smirk, "Don't worry about me, Kudou. I'm hardly in the mood to entertain girls slighted by other men right now, but I'll be better in the morning. You'd best return to your partner."

Kudou-kun rolled his eyes, called his friend a baka, and took his advice.

Aoko would have gone to the nearest supply closet and found a mop to hit the insolent man immediately had she not been thoroughly well bred under Eri's iron hand. Instead, she walked away with reasonable self restraint and talked about the incident with Akako and Kazuha, who'd rejoined them at the refreshment table. The girls giggled over the absurdity and enjoyed dinner very much.

The rest of the evening had passed in laughter, and when Ran had come back, smiling, breathless, Aoko and Kazuha exchanged a secret smile. She found that she wasn't too worried after all. From what she'd seen, it appeared as though Kudou-kun was very good to her sister, and, if his dance card was any indication of his affection (he did dance as many dances with her as he could without being impolite), there would be every opportunity to get to know each other. And if Ran develops a liking for the famous detective, well, there may be no harm in some sort of engagement after all.

As for Kuroba Kaito-the man was insufferable, to say the least.

Aoko had decided, perhaps without knowing, perhaps in the deeper corners of her mind, to hate him-his pride, his odious pretend light-heartedness, and his heartless (but admittedly breathtaking) smile.