The lady Jane and the household staff well engaged in putting on the summer ball. This year's will be the first since Lizzie had been acknowledged as the heir to her late father's titles. She dreaded the whole experience. It was so different from the life that she had at University. Nonetheless, it had to be done. The young Duchess had no choice in the matter. The morning after her arrival at High Garden for the summer, Lizzie dressed in a light sweatshirt and tight-fitting American jeans that she thought would surely scandalize her lady mother. To humor her mother, she came down the main stairs and into the flurry of activity below. Lady Jane surely had half of the county employed setting up for this year's charity ball. To her surprise, the lady Jane was nonplussed by her daughter's wardrobe. "Quite sensible, Elizabeth. We have much work to do today. I'm sure that you will be more presentable when the time comes."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Yes mother, there will be no doubt of that."

Jane was diligently going over some sort of complicated seating chart on the computer at her desk in the library which was just off of the great room. She looked up and smiled at her daughter. "Elizabeth, I could use your help with some of the arrangements."

Lizzie rolled her eyes silently. "Of course mother. I received your email. Just check your inbox. My suggestions for auction items are all there in that attachment."

Jane brought up her email on the screen and stared at the message for a moment.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, took the mouse from Jane's hand, and clicked on the little paperclip symbol. The attached spreadsheet opened. "As you can see, I have secured donations of everything on your list and more. I can be very persuasive you know. Many of the smaller items have already been delivered. Thomas signed for everything last week, it must've slipped his mind to inform you. The rest are scheduled to be here this week. Everything will be locked up in father's new garage. With most of his cars gone, it will be perfect. We'll move it all to the pavilion the night before the auction."

"Oh, this is marvelous. How did you get so many donations? Yes, thank you, Elizabeth this is exactly what we needed to make this year a smashing success."

"Thank you, mother, I just made a few calls and twisted a few arms."

Jane smiled. "Well, you did exceptionally well my dear."

Elizabeth smiled in return. "Mother, I'll be back to help with everything and all the rest of it in an hour or so. In the meantime, I would dearly like to visit Ms. Clarke. I promised that I would see her as soon as I got home. We've not spoken for more than a few minutes since I left for school and she is my oldest and dearest friend. You do understand?"

Lady Jane smiled thinly and nodded. "Yes, of course. But I really could use your help with the seating charts. I don't know all of the young people."

Lizzie smiled. "Of course. I'll be back by tea time and we can go over every detail, just the two of us."

With that, Lizzie slipped out the side door to the old garage and spied her Vespa. True to form, Brandon had it ready to go. No doubt the fuel tank was full, tires checked and battery charged. The little blue scooter started on the first try. Lizzie made sure that her helmet was cinched down securely. This was yet another unspoken promise to her late father. She made her way down the wide drive to the village and then to Annie's house. She had, of course, sent a text so that her arrival would not be a surprise. To Lizzie's great delight, her childhood friend greeted her at the main circular drive of her family home as Lizzie rolled up in her little Vespa scooter. Lizzie shut the motor off, put her helmet on the handlebar, and shook out her long blonde hair. Almost before Lizzie could set the kickstand, Annie hugged her. "Oh, Lizzie. It's so good to see you! I know that we have talked on the phone but now you're home for the whole summer."

Lizzie returned the hug of her buxom friend. "Annie, I have missed you more than I know. You will have to fill me in on all of the latest gossip."

Annie smiled and took Lizzie's hand. "Will you come in, I've made some fresh lemonade and we can talk, just like old times."

Lizzie nodded. "Yes and, I'd like that. Other than school though, I don't have that much to tell you. I've been living a very boring student life lately."

Annie led Lizzie to the little sunroom where lemonade and cookies were ready. "I know that this is not as grand as tea at High Garden but..."

Lizzie stopped her best friend with a smile. "And more welcome than you can know, Ms. Anne Clarke."

The two young women who had known each other since they were little girls sat down and Annie poured lemonade and offered some light Dutch crackers to her lifelong friend. Lizzie smiled. "Thanks, Annie. It is so good to be home."

Lizzie's friend got right to the point. "So, how was it? We had a few minutes together at Christmas but since then, I have no idea how your University experience has been."

Lizzie smiled. "I have missed you too Annie, but uni has been wonderful. It was just what my father said. A place to be away from here, find out who I am, and then to come back here and, save High Garden!"

Annie smiled at this rare exposition from her best friend. "So how was school? Did you achieve high marks as always?"

Lizzie blushed and nodded. "Yes, the usual..."

Annie rolled her eyes and smiled. "No doubt you are on the honors list again. But more importantly, have you met anyone special?"

Lizzie did not take the bait. "Why yes, Dr. Hawking came by and gave a lecture last month. I didn't understand most of it, but it was a wonderful experience if a bit surreal."

Annie nodded, not quite understanding, and then asked. "That's not what I mean Lady Elizabeth and you know it! Did you meet anyone, you know as in eligible young men?"

Lizzie paused. "Um, yes, and no."

Annie started to ask another question and Lizzie responded. "But none worth mentioning. My dorm mates and I tend to go out on group dates and the like. I did go out a couple of times with a young man who I quickly figured out was only fascinated by my money, not me. I also went out with a rugby player and he was only interested in bagging a Duchess if you know what I mean."

Annie raised her brows in shock. "Okay, I get it."

Lizzie took her friend's hand and squeezed gently. "I am not attending Merton to find a husband. I hope to graduate at least one semester early, so I have sworn off dating for a while to just concentrate on my studies."

The next morning while in between tasks and helping with the setup for the big event, Lizzie took a few quiet hours to go through the estate's books. As the heir, she was within her rights and should have got to the onerous chore long ago. She removed a thick ledger from the bookcase and sat at the ancient oak desk in the estate manager's office. The first book she reviewed was the volume for the last full year her father, the late Duke had been fully involved in managing the estate, farms, and tendencies. Over the course of an hour, she carefully went through the numbers. The basic accounting class she had taken was paying off. All seemed in order and the Estate showed a nice profit. All things considered, the numbers were not too bad. The upkeep on the Manor house was the biggest expense. Lizzie quickly leafed through the books since her father's passing and then got to the previous year's ledger. The farms were still profitable but two were now vacant and not all of the estate's other land was in use. One tract which had been rented for years to a Cattle concern had lain fallow for the previous three years. In short, she was appalled. High Garden was hemorrhaging money. If it wasn't for her father's wise stock market portfolio consisting of large holdings of Amazon, Google, and Apple stocks he had invested in at their respective IPOs, the estate would soon be bankrupt. There was enough money for the next couple of years, the changes had to be made and Lizzie was the one to make them.

Later that afternoon, Lizzie met with her mother for tea. Lady Jane seemed pleased with the preparations for the ball and auction. She poured a cup for her daughter. "Elizabeth dear, I know that you are more of a coffee drinker now, but this is traditional."

Lizzie smiled. "Thanks, mum, this is wonderful, just sitting here with you in this, our home is all I could ask."

Jane sipped her Earl Grey and said. "Thank you again for your clever solicitation of donations for the auction, we will surely set a new record. You do the Estate proud my love."

Lizzie nodded. "Yes, it was a bit of a change of pace from schoolwork. All of the donations have arrived. Everything is staged and yes I'm sure it will be a smashing success."

Jane then asked. "I saw you in Thomas's office today. Is there something else you wish to speak about?"

Lizzie nodded solemnly. "Yes, I would like to speak to you of a matter of some import."

"Go on."

Lizzie opened a small notebook. "Mother, as you know, I am studying business management at Merton. Many of the case studies we use are based on real business concerns, others are hypothetical, you know fictional widget companies and the like. So as I was finishing my exams, I thought to myself, what better case study than my own Estate."

"I see."

Lizzie gestured to the columns of numbers on the page. "I went back five years and carefully reviewed all of the books."

Jane seemed unconcerned. "I am sure everything was in order, Thomas has been with us since before you were born. He is very meticulous."

Lizzie nodded. "Yes, everything was in order as you say; all of the i's dotted and t's crossed, but since father passed, we have been steadily losing more money each year. We had to sell shares of stock to pay the taxes last year and will have to do so again this year if things don't change."

Jane shook her head. "Yes, he explained that to me, we have had some unforeseen expenses, the roof on the east wing had to be replaced and the road to the south gate had to be repaved."

Lizzie nodded. "Yes, our outlays have been higher, but it is the income side that is the problem. Didn't you notice that there have been no cows on the Wesson's hill tract for the last three years?"

Jane shook her head and remained silent.

"The rents and our share of the profit from that concern are over £100,000 per annum. In addition to Wesson's, there are three medium-sized tenancies with no tenant."

Jane finally spoke. "Yes, Thomas told me that there were some difficulties; the economy you know."

Lizzie closed her notes. "Mother, the economy has turned around nicely. I will speak to Thomas immediately. If he can't find tenants for those fields, I will find someone who can."

Lizzie spent the rest of the week collecting the last of the charitable donations and continued her preparations for the big event. Annie insisted on being Lizzie's stylist and fashion advisor. Annie had very good taste and knew exactly how to dress her attractive blonde friend.

Finally, the big night arrived and everything appeared to be getting along without a hitch, then Lizzie noticed that something was not quite right with the guest list, she stared at the crowd and then figured it out. She gathered Annie and hustled her over to a quiet corner near a portrait of one of the 17th century Dukes. Elizabeth gestured to the crowded room and whispered. "Annie, do you realize that practically the only single women here are you and I and Sybil?"

"Yes, and Sybil is quite gay. Look on the bright side, there are plenty of eligible young men. The whole situation gives you and me quite an unfair advantage I'm afraid."

Lizzie laughed at the comment. "Annie, how do you think she did it? I mean, I saw the guest list earlier in the spring they were plenty of single girls our age on it."

"I'm not sure, but if you notice, all of the girls our age in attendance are either engaged, married, or married and pregnant!"

"But still, it would be quite rude to not show."

Annie thought for a moment. "Well, I did read that one of your Royal cousins is hosting an event in London this same weekend and 1D is providing the entertainment."

"The boy band?"

Annie shrugged. "The same, and quite popular with some of the missing girls on your guest list."

Lizzie paused and looked skywards. "Let me guess, that event was certainly originally scheduled on another day and dear mum somehow arranged...argh!"

Annie laughed and squeezed Lizzie's hand.

Lizzie smiled and studied the guests again. "Very observant of you, Ms. Clarke. It appears that my dear mum has managed to quietly produce her own version of a bad reality TV show. The Bachelorette U.K. - Who Wants to Marry a Duchess?"

Annie whispered conspiratorially. "Well I for one don't mind, the situation certainly improves my odds."

The music paused and Lizzie stepped up to the main stage and gestured to the assembled crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for your attendance. Every bit of the money raised tonight will go towards the new wing of the High Garden hospital. There are many fine auction items so please bid early and often, thank you again and I'm proud to welcome you to our home."

The guests all clapped enthusiastically for the beautiful young Duchess.

With a flourish, Lizzie then gestured to the many displayed auction items and urged her guests to peruse them. She left the main ballroom and made her way towards her mother who was now officially the Dowager Duchess. She whispered to the lady Jane. "Mother, how could you!"

Jane smiled for the crowd. "Why, Elizabeth I don't know what you are speaking of."

Lizzie furled her brows and whispered. "Mother, you most certainly do. You and your cousin Violet always de-conflict their benefit and ours, but somehow this year she managed to schedule a benefit concert with 1D on the same night as our event. Don't deny it!"

Jane fanned her face and gave her daughter a blank look. "Three dimensions? I'm sure that..."

Lizzie interrupted. "Don't play coy with me. Every girl of money or rank is at the Royal Albert Hall as a guest of one of your Royal cousins."

Jane sipped her champagne. "Perhaps, but our event is still quite a success thanks to you. And just so you know, the girls who went to the other event, well their families made nice donations to our auction too."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and in exasperation. "Mother was all of this about reducing the pool of eligible ladies?"

Jane shrugged. "No, it's just my way of getting the how shall I say it, less brilliant out-of-the-way. They may attend their pedestrian pop concert instead of our elegant event."

Lizzie looked around the grand ballroom. "So that is why Annie and I are outnumbered at least three to one?"

Jane sipped her champagne again took a look around the room and smiled. "Yes, your grandmother would be quite proud of my machinations."

Lizzie gave her mother an evil smile. "So would Olenna Tyrell."

Jane gave her daughter a puzzled look. "Whom do you speak of, do I know her?"

Lizzie just smiled. "Never mind I'll tell you someday."

Lizzie knew that she had been beaten and took it in stride. "Thank you mother, I shall make the rounds, make sure that we raise lots of money and of course say all of the right things to all of the right people and of course all of the eligible men. As it turns out, my friend Annie is quite taken by a tall young man from a banking family from the city. So possibly your machinations, as you so eloquently put it will turn out well."

Jane smiled. "You could at least chat some of them up and get a few numbers, my love."

Lizziefelt her blood pressure rising calmed herself with thoughts of kittens andrainbows. She was tempted to say bad words to her mother but instead paused,took in a deep breath thought of a Zen garden, and paused again. "Mother,I love you and I loved father. But I will return to my university education sanshusband. When I return I'll save the Estate we'll go forward from there."