Elizabeth Summers sighed as she sat at the dinner table, her father gave a stern look and she politely smiled. She placed the napkin across her knees and ate the foods that was on her plate that was placed in front of her.

She meticulously chewed her food, as conversation flowed sparsely at the head of the table.

"Buffy dear, didn’t you say Alexander and Willow would be here at the end of the week," Rupert Giles continued to cut into his breakfast not taking any time to look up at Buffy.

"Yes father, is it alright if they stay?" She looked up and pierced her father with her wide green eyes. He looked up and took a sip of his coffee; he could never refuse her anything.

"Yes Elizabeth, but you have to meet Liam," Buffy pushed out her chair and ran to her father and hugged him, making him grin.

She sat back down and smiled throughout breakfast as she made conversation about what her friends would do, she knew why her father had invited Liam.

She was at the age where prospective husband’s came into view, she wasn’t ready to get married she wanted to travel, live life. She pushed out her chair and dropped her napkin on her plate as she excused herself and walked out of the room and into the garden.

Buffy walked down into the garden and sat beneath the gazebo and inhaled the roses, her eyes closed for a moment. She had met Liam before he had seemed nice enough, but Buffy wanted more she wanted fire, passion all the things she read in her romance novels.

Voices whispered through the bushes, she opened her eyes and peeked through the brush, she screamed when she saw her two friends standing they’re waiting.

"I thought you were arriving tomorrow?" she laughed as she hugged her red headed friend.

"Well, we thought we would surprise you,"

"Xander, you’re looking different," she looked puzzled as she embraced her best friend.

"Well that’s because Xander here has met someone," Buffy’s eyes grew wide as she stood back and really looked at him.

"Okay, well let’s get you settled in and then I want to hear all about it," She liked their arms and walked up the stairs to the house.

Rupert Giles sat in his study while trying to balance the family’s finances; he took his glasses and rubbed the bridge of nose.

To say things we’re bad were an understatement, there was hardly any finances left to pay the servants wages for next month. He just hoped Buffy would agree to marry him, Liam was a rich man and had many other friends who were in high society.

He always believed she should marry for love, but in these times it just wasn’t possible. Arranging the mail he quickly placed them in the top drawer of his desk and locked it.

A soft knock interrupted his thoughts; he looked up as he bellowed his answer. His youngest daughter Dawn quietly closed the door behind her and stood next to his desk.

"Father, I know you said I could go to parties when I was slightly older. But I was wondering if I can go to this one?" Rupert Giles looked at his youngest daughter and refrained from smiling, she was so much like her mother both girls were.

"Fine, I do suppose you old enough yes you have my permission," her eyes crinkled in delight and her grin grew wide. She jumped on her father and kissed him on his cheek.

"What am I going to wear? I wonder if Buffy has anything?" she ran out of the door shouting her sister.

Buffy heard the shouting from the corridor, her father must have agreed to let her go to the party. She had told her sister to pester him every day and eventually agree.

She reached into her closet and pulled out the dress Dawn had picked out earlier in the week just in case he agreed. She ran through the door to see Buffy holding the dress, she stood there and laughed.

"Can you believe he’s letting me go?" she twirled around with the dress, her brown tendrils framing her face.

"Well Cinderella you need to get ready, the party is in a couple of hours," Dawn bounced on the balls of her feet and ran out of the door.

Buffy smiled to herself, she remembered when she was that excited about the parties. But now with the loom of suitors her father was having this party for she didn’t feel up to it.

William sat in the carriage holding the invitation, he had no interest in parties but they were a way of social standing. He was respected by many he had worked for the lifestyle he had grown accostomed to, unfortunately these parties bored him to tears.

He stepped out of the carriage and looked towards the doorway, a flurry of activity now beckoned him inside. He sighed and straightened his gloves and walked inside, resigned to the fact that tonight would be just another boring party.