Mary Thomas was absolutely beside herself when her eldest daughter, Dianne, announced her engagement to the very wealthy and extremely powerful Luke Edwards

Mary Thomas was absolutely beside herself when her eldest daughter, Dianne, announced her engagement to the very wealthy and extremely powerful Christopher Edwards. The two families had known each other for years, and the union between their eldest children had been planned since their birth.

The match was very appropriate indeed- both families were highly respected in their societies- or, at least, in their Catholic congregation. They were devout Catholics who took their religious duties very seriously indeed- I would go as far as to call them extremists, and very narrow minded.

There were five children in the Thomas family – Dianne, the eldest at twenty – two, the twins, John and David at twenty- one, Elizabeth at twenty, and Ruth, the youngest at seventeen. It was the Christmas holidays, and the boys were home from University. David was studying to be a lawyer, and John, a doctor. Neither of the sisters had gone to University- in fact, none of them had received a proper education at all.

Mary and Luke Thomas believed very passionately that women should be seen and not heard; very eighteenth Centaury- ish. Men, no matter how far society had evolved, were still the heads of the family; the providers. Women, on the other hand, were not meant to be smart; they were to know how to cook, keep house and to bear children - and, as the matter of contraception was completely out of the question, large families were the produce of a happy and content marriage.

Dianne and Ruth did not fight this. They accepted (where Dianne relished in) their duties to look pretty, feminie and act dumb. In their eyes, this was the way of proper society, and should not be questioned.

Elizabeth, however, knew that this was indeed not the way of the world, and had been fighting her mother’s calling for most of her life. Her best friend and next door neighbour, Jenny Russell, had shown Elizabeth the extent of life beyond her front door, and for years had been providing her with many forms of the printed word, and Elizabeth was forever staying up well into the night, after everyone had gone to bed, delighting in her treasures. It was only because of this that Elizabeth found the strength to grin and bear her cooking, sewing and Bible lessons- knowing that the real world was no longer out of her reach.

It was six in the morning on Christmas day, and the Thomass were huddled around the Christmas tree.

‘Wow, it’s beautiful. Thanks heaps, Mum and Dad.’ Dianne gushed, planting a kiss on her mother’s cheek and flinging her arms around her father’s neck.

Elizabeth unwrapped her own present, and she felt her heart sink as she pulled out a short black cocktail dress.

‘Thanks, guys.’ She managed to croak out. Another dress to hang in her overcrowded wardrobe- no doubt to wear to tonight’s Christmas party at the Edwards’ mansion. Now that Dianne was to be married, Mary would undoubtedly switch her attention to planning Elizabeth and Ruth’s wedding to the next available, rich, and very Catholic, guy.

‘When does the service start?’ Ruth asked, unwrapping a Prada handbag that she’d had her eyes on for most of the year.

‘Church starts at eight.’ Luke spoke up from beside his wife, a smile on his face as he proudly surveyed his family. He wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders and cleared his throat. ‘But before we have breakfast, your mother and I have an announcement to make.’

The four children turned their attention to their parents. Dianne was positively glowing, her eyes shining.

Elizabeth’s heart sank further.

‘I’m pregnant,’ Mrs Thomas announced.

‘Congratulations!’ Ruth and Dianne cried in unison, hugging their mother tightly. The boys got up and shook Luke’s hand and clapped him on the back.

‘That’s great,’ Elizabeth gave a tight smile. She instantly felt a bit guilty, well aware that she’d been a pain in the ass all morning. Immediately, she plastered a smile on her face and jumped to her feet. ‘Who wants pancakes?’

‘Come on, Lizzie, hurry up – we’ll be late!’ Ruth’s excited voice rang out from the garage.

‘I’m coming, just hold on a sec!’ Elizabeth yelled out from the upstairs bathroom, fixing her gold hoop earrings. She sighed as she straightened the collar of her white button – down shirt. Her fingers trailed her gold chain. So this was her life. Church on Sunday, dresses and parties on a weekly basis, cooking and cleaning lessons from her mother…So eighteenth centaury! Was it so wrong for Elizabeth to want more out of life?

David walked up to the bathroom and leant against the door frame. ‘You look beautiful,’ he told his sister, ever so eager to hand out compliments, especially to h is younger and most favourite sister.

Elizabeth smirked at her reflection. ‘I feel like a Christmas tree.’

David let out a small chuckle and stepped into the bathroom, stretching out his hand, clutching a box –shaped present wrapped in Christmas paper. ‘I didn’t want to give you this in front of everyone else.’

Elizabeth took the present and hurried to unwrap it. It was a book of complete works of William Shakespeare.

David and Ruth were the only two members of Elizabeth’s family who supported her rebellious nature. They knew that not only was Elizabeth beautiful, but she was smart and intelligent. They both believed that their sister deserved to try to make it in the world that existed beyond the Thomas’s front door, but they also knew that their parents were too set in their beliefs to even consider it.

Elizabeth let out a squeak of excitement and threw her arms around David. ‘Oh, thank you, big brother! I love it!’

David gave Elizabeth a tight squeeze. ‘That’s the first real smile I’ve seen from you all day.’

Elizabeth felt a little guilty and sighed. ‘I know, I’m sorry. I haven’t exactly been in the best frame of mind this morning, have I?’

David shrugged. ‘Well, the baby news is a bit of a shock.’

Elizabeth snorted. ‘No, it’s not. Mum and Dad are way too affectionate- it’s embarrassing. And they’re old – Dad’s easily pushing sixty.’

David smirked. ‘More like fifty, little sis.’

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. ‘Whatever. The point is…’

A shrill shout interrupted Elizabeth. ‘Elizabeth, David, we’re going to be late! Would you please hurry up!’

Church mass was a mandatory outing for the Thomas household. They always walked, as a group, the block and a half journey to their 100 year old Church every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. The only person that made church going the least bit tolerable, in Elizabeth’s opinion, was Jenny. The Russell’s had always been close friends of the Thomass. Mass was usually followed by lunch and a card game at the Thomas’s on Sunday afternoons and dinner followed by bible study at the Russell’s on Wednesday night.

As soon as Elizabeth approached the Church steps, she left her family in search of Jenny, and Dianne made her excuses in order to go looking for Chris.

‘Hey!’ Jenny called from near the gate, waving her hand. When Elizabeth rushed to embrace her friend, Jenny pushed a gift bag into her hand. ‘Merry Christmas, sweetie.’

Elizabeth snuck a hand into her shoulder bag and handed her friend a small gift box. ‘And to you, darlin’,’

At exactly the same time, the girls opened their prezzies. Elizabeth gasped in delight at her prestine collector’s edition of Pride and Prejudice while Jenny swooned over the friendship chain that Elizabeth had bought her.

‘Now you can batter and bruise your own copy.’ Jenny joked, Elizabeth having burrowed her copy at least a dozen times over the past two years.

Elizabeth smiled and hugged her friend. ‘And just when I was becoming such a Scrooge.’ She squeezed Jenny tightly. ‘Thank you so much.’

At that moment, the Church bells rang and the girls sat up straight, crossed their ankles, pressing their knees together and folding their hands in their laps, gazing at the Father Peter like good little Catholic girls.

‘Mrs Peters is filing for divorce, did you hear?’ Anita Russell asked Dianne, passing the potato salad to Jenny.

‘Oh my gosh, really?’ Dianne was amazed, and horrified. As a devout Catholic and a woman brought up with traditional beliefs, she frowned upon divorce.

‘The family business is about to go bust, and it is putting quite a strain on their marriage.’ Anita served herself a small helping of green salad. ‘I always said that couples should never work together.

‘Women should know their place is at home with the kids. The man is – and always has been – the bread winner in the family. The wife should never interfere,’ Dianne declared, waving her fork in the air.

‘I disagree with that,’ Frank Russell said. ‘A woman has as much right to be a part of the business world as any man.’

Luck shook his head. ‘The world of business is no place for a woman, Frank. It’s way too dangerous.’

‘Not if she knows what she’s doing,’ Frank argued.

‘I agree with Mr and Mrs Russell, Dad.’ Elizabeth spoke up, much to Dianne and Dianne’s dismay and utter horror. ‘I mean, a woman can be just as smart as any many. Why shouldn’t she be given a chance to prove herself?’

‘Yes, but a smart woman has no place in today’s society. She is much better at home, keeping the horse in order, raising the kids…’ Dianne trailed off.

Elizabeth snorted. ‘That’s ridiculous, ad you know it. A woman can do more then play the part of the good little housewife. There are plenty of women my age,’ Elizabeth emphasised for her parents’ benefit. ‘out in the workforce- even more getting an education.’

Debating was one of Elizabeth’s many talents, and when she was debating a topic that she was passionate about, she usually won. This topic, however, was one that she knew she could never win around her parents. Still, she loved to throw whatever she could at them.

Dianne cleared her throat when she put down her fork, quite at a loss for words. ‘Well, now.’ She began, desperate to change the subject. ‘Who would like some dessert?’