Author's Note: Thanks so much for clicking! For those that already read my other multi-chapter fic and are wondering why on earth I've decided to start another one, well...this is a plot bunny that woudn't go away. It was actually impeding on my ability to focus on my other fic, so I figured I might as well just write it down to get it out of my head. Also, I do my best to research the regency era, how to address people, etc etc, but it's actually extremely complicated for this 21st Century American. Haha! So, I apologize in advance to regency era aficionados if I miss a few things. Also, some details are hard to fit accurately into the regency era, so I just went ahead and took some liberties. A few things that I think people might have questions about as they read:

1) I don't intend to follow any specific of Jane Austen's plots, but hopefully can capture a similar feel.
2) Rey's last name starts as Chapman because that was one of the surnames given to tradesmen...the closest I could get to "filthy junk traders"
3) Why is Ben a Duke of Ren and not a Knight? Well...Purely because that was as high up the social ladder I could get him to mirror his being "supreme leader" without just making him the King of England. LOL (Now there's an idea...someone write that fic. :P)

Chapter 1

The first time Miss Rey Chapman saw Ben Solo, Duke of Ren she had been strolling along the road with her friends Finn and Rose Smith. Rey was still new to the area, having only moved there less than four months prior, thus she was as yet unaware of many of the local nobility. Something about the man caught her attention, causing her to ask her companions, "Who's that man?"

Finn followed her line of sight and then cleared his throat. "That's Ben Solo, Duke of Ren."

"That's the Duke of Ren?" Rose asked, not so obviously peeking around Rey to look at the man.

"Who is Duke of Ren?" Rey asked Finn. She tried not to be obvious in her appraisal of the man as he rode towards them. He was obviously wealthy. Even from her current vantage point she could see that his clothing was made of the finest materials. And he was riding an Arabian horse.

"He's the son of Mr. Han Solo and Princess Leia," Rose answered in a whisper.

"You mean your employers?" Rey looked between them. Everyone in town knew the story of Princess Leia and Mr. Han Solo. Their marriage was the only thing more scandalous than Rey's own life story. Princess Leia was the granddaughter of the late monarch and married well below her station when she married Mr. Solo, a not so moderately wealthy commoner. To this day folks wonder at the folly of the monarch for allowing such a match.

Rose nodded. "Yes, though he hasn't been back here in several years." She glanced at Finn. "Finn used to work for him before he left for London 3 years ago. Apparently he has quite the temper."

"Really?" Rey asked, finding herself intrigued.

Finn nodded. "On more than one occasion I had to clean up smashed glass."

They quieted as the man rode near enough that their gossip would be overheard. He slowed as he approached the trio. Rey raised her eyes to meet his, surprised and slightly unnerved at the intensity of his gaze. She swallowed and nodded her head at him as he passed. He gave a very slight nod back before turning his gaze forward and continuing on.

When he was out of earshot again, Rose continued on in a low voice. "It's quite mysterious how he was able to secure the Ren estate. Everyone here felt sure the man, Snoke, Duke of Ren, would leave his fortune to a General Armitage Hux. They say he died of mysterious circumstances and when the dust settled, the entirety of his estate had been passed to Mr. Solo instead. Mr. Solo and Mr. Hux had been residing at the estate with the old man. They say he had taken a liking to the pair of them. He was quite wealthy, with no heir and no family to speak of. Mr. Solo is already heir to the Skywalker estate so it was assumed that Mr. Snoke would leave his estate to Mr. Hux. Apparently Mr. Hux was furious and contested the will. It had been changed scant months before his death, but was quite legal. After the inheritance was secured he was granted the rank of Duke of the Ren estate."

Rey twisted her head back to consider the man, now in the distance. Something about his demeanor had left her quite unsettled.

After a pleasant afternoon spent with her friends, Rey returned home. As she neared she felt the carefree spirit fly away from her. Her life could be worse, she often supposed. She was not ignorant of the fact that she had a roof over her head and regular meals to eat. She had clothes that were of reasonably good quality and every Sunday she was allowed to spend the afternoon with her friend Rose.

This was a new occurrence of course, since she and Mr. Unkar Plutt had only just moved to the countryside four months ago. Rose had introduced herself to Rey after the morning church service and had been Rey's one and only friend ever since. Though they were both 19, Rose had been married to Finn for over a year while Rey was beginning to suspect she would end an old maid.

Rose had attempted on several occasions to introduce Rey to several of the other ladies of the town, all ending in frosty conversations and quick exits on the part of the ladies. In that respect, life had been somewhat easier back in London. It had been easier to hide the fact that Rey was orphaned, foisted onto the generosity of Mr. Plutt at the tender age of five by parents who did not see fit to inform their friend they would be departing without their child, never to return. But in the countryside, where there were considerably fewer scandals for the locals to discuss, Rey's orphaned state was not met with mercy. Rather, it was talked about what a burden it must have been on poor Mr. Plutt to be saddled with a child he had not wished for, and what a wonderful man he must be to have taken her in rather than send her to an orphanage.

Rey often reminded herself what became of orphans in the world when she was feeling sad about her current situation. You see, by all outward appearances Mr. Plutt was the doting father figure providing for a poor orphaned girl. However, when there was no one for whom to put on a show, Rey was forced to work. She did the laundry, cleaning, and even helped Cook with preparing meals. She was, for all intents and purposes, an indentured servant.

When it came to marriage, Rey supposed that her chances of finding a good match for herself had dropped significantly with the move to the countryside. With all the work she was expected to do, she had very little time for social calls, teas, or balls.

Despite it all, Rey wasn't entirely unhappy in the countryside. The air was cleaner than in London, she could walk without fear of being trampled, and best of all, she finally had made a friend.

"You're late," was the greeting she received upon her return home.

"You said sunset and it is just now sunset," Rey responded, putting on an apron before setting to work helping cook with the evening meal.

Mr. Plutt, a rather rotund man with no neck to speak of, set down his newspaper. "I said before sunset." As usual, there was a sheen of sweat beaded on his forehead. He used his handkerchief to dab it off. "You had best watch your tongue girl if you would like to continue these afternoons of folly I grant you."

Rey knew it was best to hold her tongue, though she wished to rail against the man for only allowing her a single afternoon during the week with which to socialize. Though she supposed Rose was also only available on Sunday afternoons, as she and Finn worked in the great house of the Skywalker estate. But they were being paid for their work, on top of the lodging and meals they were provided. Rey was not granted the same courtesy.

As she worked, her mind drifted back to the Duke of Ren. She couldn't say he was a handsome man. His ears stuck out and his nose was rather crooked. But he was very striking. Her heart beat faster as the thought of the intense look in his eyes. She shook herself out of her reverie. It did no good to dwell on the man when she would likely never have the pleasure of a proper introduction. He was a duke after all, and she was a nobody.

The next few weeks passed without incident. Rey was busy from sunup to sundown, spending her free Sunday afternoons with Finn and Rose at their tiny cottage at the edge of the Skywalker estate. Rey did not see the Duke of Ren during this time and he all but left her mind entirely.

On a particularly warm, clear day Rey snuck away from her work to walk down to the creek which ran through the back of their property. On the opposite side of the creek was a lovely view of a meadow, currently in full bloom. Rey looked around, and seeing no one, stooped to remove her shoes. She waded into the creek, pulling her dress up to her knees as she wandered back and forth through the cool current. She wiggled her toes as small fish swam by her feet, smiling down at them.

"I should think you're quite old to be playing around in the water like a child."

Rey whipped her head up, dropping her hem into the water in her surprise. On the opposite bank the Duke of Ren observed her from atop his beautiful Arabian horse.

"Sir – My Lord – Duke," she sputtered as a blush of embarrassment crept up her neck, flooding her face with heat. "You frightened me. I did not see you there."

The Duke's face remained impassive as he responded, "Yes I think that is quite obvious. Unless of course you make a habit of impropriety when gentlemen are present."

Rey frowned, anger creeping in amongst the embarrassment at the insult. "And I wonder in return if you make it a habit to sneak upon unsuspecting ladies only to insult them for having a bit of fun within the privacy of their own home."

"Ah, but you see," the Duke returned, his eyes flashing with an emotion Rey could not guess, "You are not in your own home are you? Instead you bare your legs in broad daylight where any unsuspecting gentleman might happen upon you. You are quite lucky it was myself who happened upon you and not a less savory man."

Something about this man made Rey forget that he was her better. His arrogance was quite insufferable.

"Lucky?" She returned, seething. "And why should I consider your invasion of my privacy lucky?"

The Duke cocked his head slightly. "Because, as previously stated, there may be others who would take advantage of your impropriety, whereas I have no desire to lower myself with a commoner such as yourself."

Rey scoffed. "Then it is lucky indeed, because I would never allow an arrogant man such as yourself anywhere near my person."

She picked her now soaking hem back up, raising it up to her knees again in her anger. She knew it was a scandalous move, but something about the arrogant Duke of Ren made her forget herself. When she was safely back on dry land, she turned, keeping hold of her hem.

The Duke narrowed his eyes and she watched his throat bob as he swallowed. Suddenly Rey's anger dissipated as she realized that she was showing her legs to the Duke of Ren, a man well above her station, and dropped her hem.

Before she could speak again, to apologize for her behavior, Mr. Plutt yelled out the back door.

"Girl! Where are you? I did not give you permission to go out of doors! Return at once or you'll be spending this Sunday locked in your room!"

Rey felt her already hot cheeks grow hotter as the flame of humiliation burned its way up her face. Without a goodbye to the Duke she turned and ran back into the house. When she reached it Mr. Plutt grabbed her arm and yanked her through the door.

"You listen here, girl," Mr. Plutt said, shaking her. "You are never to go outside this house without my express permission. Are we clear?"

Rey, distracted from her encounter with the Duke, merely nodded her assent. "Yes, Mr. Plutt."

Mr. Plutt let go of her arm then, pushing her back towards the interior of the house. "Then get back to work."

In a daze, playing the encounter over in her head, Rey walked back to continue her housework.

"Oh my heavens, Rey!" Rose exclaimed, laughing and shaking her head. "Please tell me you're joking."

Rey sighed, taking a sip of her tea. "I wish I were."

Rose's eyes widened. "You really pulled your hem all the way back up to your knees? What did he do?"

Rey shrugged. "He didn't have a chance to say anything. Mr. Plutt called me back inside right at that moment."

The rest of the week Rey had spent thinking about the embarrassment she had foisted on herself with her actions. Obviously they did not run in the same social circles and the likelihood of running into the Duke often were very slim, likely no more than passing in the street. But now she would have to live with the humiliation of having made such a scene.

As if Rose had been thinking the same thing she said, "At least you won't have to spend time with him. It's not likely you'll do more than pass him on the street."

Rey sighed again. "Yes, but both he and I will know what transpired at our first meeting. I'll never live down the humiliation. It will lurk behind me at every chance passing."

Rose chuckled again. "Thankfully he's quite the private man, so the chances of the particulars of your encounter reaching the gossip circles are very slim."

"Thank heaven for small miracles," replied Rey, setting her cup down as she noticed the time. "I had better get going. I don't want to keep Mr. Plutt waiting."

Rose set her cup down and escorted Rey to the door. "I look forward to next week, though hopefully it will be much less eventful for you."

Rey nodded her agreement. "Yes, I should hope so."

Waving as she walked down the short lane to the main road, Rey again replayed the scene in her head. What she could not figure out was how she allowed herself to be so easily offended by his remarks. He had spoken the truth, harsh though it was. Sighing again, she shook her head. What's done was done.

When she returned to the house, she was greeted by a grunt from Mr. Plutt. She immediately grabbed her apron and began helping cook with the evening meal. Shortly after doing so there was a ring of the bell.

"Girl!" Plutt yelled.

Rey brushed her hands on her apron and walked towards the door. When she opened it she found a messenger.

"I'm looking for a Miss Rey Chapman," the messenger said.

Surprised, Rey responded, "I am she."

The messenger handed her an envelope and turned to leave without another word.

Rey frowned as she shut the door. Who on earth would be sending her a message. She had only just come from Finn and Rose's home.

"Well?" shouted Mr. Plutt from the other room. "Who was it?"

"It was a messenger," Rey responded.

"Well give it here then." Mr. Plutt held out his hand as Rey walked into the room.

"The message isn't addressed to you," Rey said.

"Don't be absurd." Mr. Plutt grabbed the envelope from her hand. "Who would be sending you a message?"

Rey shook her head. "I don't know."

Mr. Plutt ripped the message open, his eyes roving over it before frowning. "It's an invitation to a ball at the Skywalker estate." He looked up at her, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Rey recoiled in shock. "The Skywalker estate? But I don't know any of the family. Why would they invite me?"

Mr. Plutt rolled his eyes at her. "Do I look like their personal messenger? How should I know why they're inviting you?"

He looked again at the invitation and Rey wished she could grab it from him and read it herself.

"Can I go?" she asked tentatively, trying not to get her hopes up.

Mr. Plutt didn't answer her at first, merely grunting in reply as he began pacing, reading the invitation yet again.

Rey waited impatiently for him to reply. Though she had no proper gown to wear, and no idea where she would get one, and there would be every likelihood that she would be shunned by the women present, Rey desperately wanted to go. She had never been to a ball before, as ladies in her circumstances weren't often invited them. Despite her frosty reception by the ladies of the town, she wanted to attend, to see the inside of the great house of the estate she visited every Sunday.

"Please?" she whispered, praying that Mr. Plutt might show her some bit of kindness in this.

Mr. Plutt scoffed at her. "I don't see why you would want to go. They will all laugh at you, because I will not waste my valuable income, which I already spend quite a bit on your upkeep, buying you a new dress."

Rey's breath caught. "Does that mean you'll allow me to go?"

Mr. Plutt tossed the invitation on a side table and Rey rushed over to grab it. "Yes, fine. I'll allow it." He turned to her again. "But I will spend no money on the affair. Maybe having the ladies of the town laugh at you will put you in your proper place."

Rey didn't respond, merely whispering "thank you," and hurrying up the stairs before he changed his mind.

Once in her room, Rey lit her one and only candle and read the invite herself, a smile on her face.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. :)