It is a truth universally acknowledged... (closed)

[Birdie]

England, 1813

The small hamlet of Middleberry was hosting, as it had every year since that dreadful Napoleon made his entrance into fame, a benefit for the British Navy. Though the town gathered together to produce a great number of charity sales, the main event was the musicale, where the eligible young ladies were able to show off their skills with voice, piano, and other instruments for the sake of the noble sailors of England.

Beatrice Sims, known by nearly everyone in Middleberry as "Birdie," secretly wondered if the musicale was so famous because it was so very, very bad. Currently, as she and three other girls performed one of Mozart's quartets, she could hear a quiet snicker every time the poor pianist clod on the wrong key, or her fellow violinist forgot her part. Nothing, however, could compare to their harpist, who was apparently playing a piece that went considerably faster than that of the others'.

In the audience, Beatrice's cousin Nicholas, whom Middleberry teasingly called Pie Eater because of last year's Navy Benefit where he had too much wine and ate an entire pie from the bake sale, was the one snickering behind his hand.

"Really," he mumbled under his breath, "we ought to pay the Royal Navy simply for slandering their name with this performance..."

[Skittery]

Michael Bennett, Nicholas' best friend and the very man who bestowed the embarrassing nickname on him, bit his lip to suppress a laugh. "Do you think the one playing the harp is deaf, blind, or doing it on purpose? Truthfully, I'd prefer it if she were doing it on purpose. It would make the whole catastrophe a lot more interesting."

Suddenly Michael let out a small 'oof' as his step-sister, Lillian Wellsley, stepped on his foot. She was trying her best to look reproachful, but anyone could see she also trying her best not to laugh. "Really, Michael. I'm sure they all worked very hard on this piece. And, lest you forget, that's Nicholas' cousin up there playing the violin. Well, the one with actual talent, anyways..."

[Birdie]

Blessedly, the performance ended with one last squealing chord that rang in the air. Beatrice pulled a face and lowered her bow with a forced smile -- next year, she would most certainly accompany only those instruments she could hide behind.

Nick laughed under the weak applause, glancing around Michael at Lillian. "Never fear, Miss Lillian. Bea practically begged my aunt and uncle to excuse her from playing. Even she knew it was going to be a disaster."

[Tag Along]

"Well..." Lillian replied, clapping politely and elbowing Michael to let him know he should be doing the same. "Then I guess it's not as bad that you two are blatantly making fun of them. But it's still not very nice. Why does she agree to play with them if she knows how awful they sound?"

[Birdie]

Nick clapped along, smirking slightly. "Otherwise she'd have to play alone," he told Lillian with a laugh. He saw that Bea was packing up her violin as the audience began to disperse. "Come, let's go rescue her and have some tea at Greenwood's."

[Skittery]

Michael rolled his eyes as Lillian grabbed his sleeve, pulling him up along her. "Come on, Nick, let's go to White's. I feel for something a bit stronger than tea..." he muttered, elbowing his friend slightly in the ribs.

Lillian approached Bea, smiling widely. "You were absolutely splendid, Bea, really! You are so talented."

[Birdie]

Nick shot Michael a look. "You know good and well we can't take the girls to White's," he muttered back. As Bea came over to them and beamed at Lillian's praise, he added, a little louder, "Although it would be much more celebratory to take my dear little cousin to a gaming hell and get her roaring pissed."

Bea laughed at Nick and then looped her arm through Lillian's, giving her a little grin. "We were miserable, weren't we? We must have set all the dogs in Middleberry to howling."

[Tag Along]

"Oh, nonsense!" she cried, her brow furrowed slightly. "I'm sure only half of them."

Michael sighed dramatically, shoving his hands in his pockets as he followed the trio outside. He would much rather go spend a rousing evening at White's with Nick than go to have tea at Greenwood's with his step-sister and Bea. Not that he didn't like Bea. She was a lovely young woman. But...it had been a while since he'd gotten properly drunk and found him a nice, obliging lady to, ahem, entertain him for the night.

[Birdie]

Nick noticed Michael's mood with an amused look. He shouldered up to him and leaned to mutter to him, "Man up, Bennett. We can go to White's tomorrow. For tonight, be a good brother, and I shall be a good cousin."

Bea giggled again and tugged Lillian after the boys. "Nick, why can't we go to White's? I've never been, it might be interesting!"

[Skittery]

Michael couldn't help but let out a short bark of laughter, turning to look at Bea with a quirked eyebrow. "White's is no place for a lady such as yourself -- I mean, ladies, of course," he said, shooting Lillian a guilty look.

"I should not like to visit White's anyway," Lillian interjected, pursing her lips. "It's incredibly improper."

[Birdie]

"Why isn't it a place for ladies such as Lillie and me?" Bea asked. She widened her eyes and looked back at Lillian. "It would be so exciting!"

Nick frowned at his cousin, then led the way to Greenwood's with a shake of his head. "Besides, Bea, there is not a consensus among the four of us, so it hardly matters."

[Tag Along]

"Bea!" Lillian hissed, quite shocked. "White's a gentleman's club. Where gentleman go to..." she cleared her throat. "Entertain themselves." A look of disgust overtook her features and she glanced over at Nick. A fleeting thought of him taking part in such amusements entered her mind, but she immediately shook it out.

Michael reached out to ruffle Lillian's curls. "And what would you about that, hm?" he teased, a sly twinkle in his eye.

[Birdie]

Nick blinked as he caught Lillian's glance, then he turned to Bea and put his arm around her shoulders. "Bea, pet, you're scandalizing poor Miss Lillian here."

"But you can play cards at White's! And drink whiskey and watch a dancing show!" Bea exclaimed. "I've never done any of those things!"

[Skittery]

"I, uh, don't think it's the kind of dancing show you'd want to see, Beatrice," Michael said, using her full name just to annoy her.

Lillian huffed, unlinking her arm from Bea's. "Well, I'll just go to Greenwood's myself, then," she muttered.

[Birdie]

Bea made a face at Michael, then hastily grabbed Lillian's arm with an apologetic smile. "No, Lillie, I'm sorry, we'll go to Greenwood's. I was just being silly."

"Just as well," Nick muttered as they came toward the little row of shops that held, among other things, the Greenwood Tea Room. "You couldn't even get through the door, Bea, no ladies allowed at White's." He stepped up to the door of the tea room and pulled it open, gesturing the girls through.