Eddies of snow flurried to the ground as Ally Dawson trudged towards Wentworth castle. The grand grey bricked castle stood tall and proud amidst the masses of snow that had settled upon the ground. Hurriedly she rubbed her hands together in order to keep warm before knocking loudly upon the large oak door. With a large groan the door shifted as waves of heat encapsulated the brunette.

" Dez Worthy the butler. And who might you be?" A red headed boy spoke as he eyed the disheveled girl before him.

" Ally Dawson." she smiled brightly before holding out a gloved hand. The butler shook it firmly before inviting her inside. " I'm here visiting as Cassidy Moon's hired interior designer, guest and friend." she spoke as the red head took her coat and helped to drag her bags into the large castle.

" Ally Dawson!" A high pitched voice sounded from the grand staircase at the end of the majestic hallway. An excited blonde bounded down the stairs and straight into Ally's open arms. " I can't believe you really came." she smiled before dusting snowflakes out of her friends hair.

" I can't believe I'm here either." Ally replied under her breath as Cassidy squealed excitedly. Spending her Christmas holidays at her rich friends castle amongst snobbish upperclassmen was the last thing she wanted to do. In fact she found the whole idea unbelievably tiresome but Cassidy was a good friend and had asked her to organise the Christmas decorations for her family's annual ball. In the position that Ally was in she could not afford to turn down a single job.

" So we have about two weeks until the ball so I suggest you start getting a feel for the place and start designing tomorrow." Cassidy smiled as she hurried Ally up the large staircase. " I had to beg my father to hire you so please make it count Alls. He wanted to hire a professional from Italy! Can you believe it?" she practically shrieked. " I wouldn't let him, I couldn't! My friend needed work and I was hell bent on helping her." Cassidy smiled.

" Thanks Cass." Ally said as she eyed the large place. The architecture was amazing with high ceilings and carvings on practically every wall. Ideas flooded to her as she examined every nook and cranny on their way towards her room.

" So I guess this is your room." Cassidy smiled before tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Trish should already be in there."

" Um, Trish?" The brunette questioned.

" Oh yeah, she is your personal maid."

" I have a personal maid!" Ally gawked as Cassidy grinned.

" You may hate snobby rich people but I think you will enjoy your stay here." Cassidy said as Ally's brow furrowed.

" I never said I hated snobby -" she began but was stopped mid sentence by the blonde's skeptical, pert eyebrow. Slowly she swallowed the dry lump that had formed in her throat. "You know that I at least don't think of you that way." she said as Cassidy smiled.

" I know, now go on in and meet Trish. I have a feeling you two will get along." she said before moving towards the stairs. " Don't forget that dinner is in the grand hall at seven! Father hates it when guests are late so please, please, please be prompt!" Cassidy yelled over her shoulder before disappearing out of sight. Ally sighed dramatically before pushing open the door to her room. The room was gigantic with beautiful canvas paintings hanging on the walls and a large king sized poster bed with velvet sheets and trimming. Hurriedly she brought her bags into the room and explored the exquisite bedroom. The windows were large with heavy drapery and the rugs were soft to touch. Not a single speck of dust lay anywhere and everything was perfectly in place.

" Hey girl!" A loud voice startled her out of her thoughts.

" Oh, you must be Trish!" Ally smiled as she eyed the Latina girl sprawled out on one of the sofas with several magazines at hand.

" And you must be the new girl, Ally." she said as she shook the brunettes hand. " Is Wentworth castle all you thought it would be?"

" It's completely blown me away."

" Yeah It's pretty big. Too much space to clean and certainly too large a house for the pompously rich family that live here." Trish said as Ally's jaw dropped. She could not believe that Trish was so quick to put down her employers but she couldn't help smiling at the fact that she was not afraid to speak her mind.

" Cassidy was right! We are so going to get along!" Ally squealed as Trish grinned.

Ally stood by her large bedroom window that lead to the balcony. The acres of land that stretched out before the castle were blanketed in layers of fluffy white snow. A large black car pulled up to the entrance of the castle leaving tracks in it's wake. She could just about see Dez's red hair bobbing as he raced towards the car and began helping a tall blond out. His hair fell into his soft brown eyes and was speckled with small snowflakes that had decided to take residence amidst his shiny locks.

" Hey Trish, whose that?" Ally called to the Latina as she stared down at the young man. Instantly Trish dropped her duster and raced towards the window.

" Oh that's Austin Moon, Cassidy's brother and heir to this place." Trish said as Ally smiled. " He's cute huh?" Trish teased before giving Ally a light nudge. "He'll be joining you at dinner." The Latina sung as on cue Austin looked up at the window. His gaze captured Ally's briefly before she ducked away from the window in embarrassment and spun around.

" Oh snap! Dinner! What time is it?" Ally shouted as Trish fumbled with her watch.

" 6:50."

" Dinner is at 7:00 and I'm not even changed!" The brunette paled as Trish started searching through the clothes in her suitcase.

" This is what you've packed!? Your staying with one of the richest families in the country and you packed Christmas themed jumpers and floral print day dresses? Where are your evening gowns and jewellery!?" Trish shrieked as Ally mentally face palmed. Suddenly the Latina pulled out a silk white dress. " Here, this is perfect!" she said as Ally shook her head in dismay.

" I was planning on wearing that to the ball." She said as Trish frowned.

" You were going to wear this to the ball? This!? This!?" she yelled before sighing " Floral print day dress it is." she said before chucking a white dress adorned with red flowers at Ally. After she slipped the dress on she began running a brush through the tangled mess she called hair. " The grand hall is down the stairs and to the left. Once you get to the end of that hall turn right and then go left after you pass two rooms. That will take you down another hallway and once you reach the end you turn right. Got it?" Trish questioned as she practically pushed Ally out the bedroom door.

" Sure." she choked nervously before racing down the large stairs. "Why are there so many steps?" she muttered to herself as she reached the bottom, her legs were burning and she was panting furiously. Quickly she took a left, sliding across the perfectly waxed floor before taking a dive head first towards the ground. Her arms and legs flailed as her head ached. Slowly she closed her eyes before groaning in frustration at her inability to stay on two feet for very long.

" Is there any particular reason as to why you are sprawled out upon the hall floor?" A voice sounded from above her. Instantly her eyes sprung open to reveal Austin Moon. His eyes were sparkling with laughter.

" Oh crap." she hissed under her breath as she stared at the blond. An amused smirk played at his lips as he stared at the brunette. " So are you going to stand there laughing at me or are you going to help me up?" she quipped as the smirk was ripped right off of his face. He was shocked that she was speaking to him in such a tone. I mean come on, he was Austin Moon for goodness sake. Quickly he recovered himself and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

" Well I was hoping to laugh a little bit longer but seeing as you insist on needing my help." he said before offering his hand. " I wouldn't want to disappoint." he smirked in a condescending tone. Ally narrowed her eyes before batting his hand away and standing up on her own merit. Who does he think he is anyways? His jaw dropped as he examined the feisty brunette who was already pushing passed him.

" You should probably close that big mouth of yours. Your going to end up catching flies." she smirked as she walked away.

" I didn't even catch your name!"

" It's Ally, Ally Dawson." she smiled before disappearing from sight. Well game on Ally Dawson he thought before heading towards the grand hall for dinner. The grand hall which was in the opposite direction to the direction which Ally was heading. He smiled to himself at the thought and continued walking.

It was 7:10 and Ally had been wandering around the castle for ages trying to find the grand hall. Her encounter with Austin had left her in a bad mood and wandering around aimlessly for 10 minutes had done nothing to help. After what seemed like forever she decided on trying one last door. With more force than necessary she pushed against the solid oak doors that were in front of her. The doors flew open, knocking into a waiter and making him throw a whole bowl of salad upon the freshly cleaned floor. All eyes were upon Ally who stood in the doorway in utter shock. As part of etiquette they all rose from their seats and waited for her to be announced.

" I guess I've got the right room then." she said in a poor attempt to break the silence.

" Everyone please welcome in Miss Allyson Dawson, interior designer for the Christmas ball and Miss Moon's friend." Dez announced nervously as he gestured towards the brunette. The brunette who at this point was on her hands and knees hurriedly trying to scrape salads leaves back into a bowl along with a very angry waiter. Quickly she stood up and began to make her way towards the large table filled with guests and prestigious members of society. Ally had already made a fool of herself in front of them all. Great. Scanning the table she realised that the only seat left was in between a lady with a bright red feather boa and Austin. Oh joy she thought as everyone began sitting down and after several moments began eating again. The room was buzzing with noise as guests chattered away to one and other.

" You are an unbelievable ass!" She snapped at Austin before pulling a napkin over her lap.

" What did I do this time?" he smirked as he stared at the flustered girl.

" You knew that I was going in the wrong direction earlier and you didn't even correct me! I was wandering around aimlessly for 10 minutes trying to find this room."

" Yeah, before bursting in here and knocking a waiter to the floor." he laughed nearly in hysterics as she scowled. " You should have seen the look on my father's face. He hates tardiness."

" So I've been told." she huffed as a dish containing goodness knows what was placed in front of her.

" So, how long are you staying for?" Austin asked.

" Why? Already trying to get rid of me?" she joked as he gave her a small quirky smile making her heart briefly stop.

"What's this?" she asked as she took a mouthful of the food that was in front of her.

" Caviar, otherwise known as salt cured fish eggs." Austin said as to his surprise she spat the contents back onto her plate in shock. One lone egg bounced off of her plate and rolled across the table into one of the duchesses laps who instantly began screeching and flapping. The room lapsed into silence once again.

" Is there a problem Allyson? Is the food not to your liking?" A voice boomed from the head of the table as she shrunk back into her seat.

" That's my father." Austin whispered gravely.

" That's Mr Moon, the owner of the estate?" she choked as she took a peak at the angry looking man. Wrinkles lined his face and he was certainly balding.

" The food is delightful sir, it's just that I have never tasted caviar before and I was surprised to find that it was, well um, fish eggs." she stuttered as everyone began to mutter.

" What person has never eaten caviar before?" A lady questioned from across the room, spurring questions to come from every direction and making Ally feel completely overwhelmed.

" Honestly, they do just let anyone in these days don't they."

" What is she? A charity case?"

" Didn't you hear, she is the interior designer."

" Can't be very good if I have never heard her name before." Another women commented as Austin laughed yet again.

" Would you shut up?" Ally hissed at him as he laughed even harder.

" I can't help it." he spluttered as Ally scowled.

" I hate people like you." she said venomously as he abruptly stopped laughing. The light, vibrant attitude that surrounded him dissipated as he gave her a cold, hard look.

" You don't even know me."

" I don't need to. People like you are all the same." she said. " You think that just because you have money you can look down on the rest of us." she was just about sick and tired of every dirty look and snide comment all of these rich people kept giving her.

" I don't look down on you Ally." he whispered as an unreadable expression flickered across his face.

" Oh really?" she questioned harshly.

" I don't." he snapped before throwing his napkin on the table and storming out of the room. Silence filled the air as everyone stared at Ally, wandering what the incompetent brunette had done to ruin the evening this time.

Morning snuck upon Ally Dawson almost too soon. Trumpets sounded as the castle came to life and Ally forced herself to roll out of bed. Trish had already opened the curtains and begun setting out her clothes as Ally pushed her way towards the large window. Sun streamed into the room and reflected off the soft white snow down below. It sparkled and shined brightly under the morning light. Several men in red riding costumes came out with horses at their sides.

" Hey Trish, what is going on outside?" Ally asked as she gazed out the window. A certain blond with a jet black horse catching her by surprise.

" Oh, Master Moon organised a hunt for today seeing as he is back in the castle."

" A hunt?"

" Yeah, it's a tradition." she smiled before choosing a pale blue dress for Ally. " Come on, I have your dress ready." she grinned as Ally teared her gaze away from the blond boy who was tending carefully to his horse down below. Several moments later and she was hurriedly running down the large staircase, cursing at each step as her legs burned and she had run out of breath again. Turning the corner she slipped on the waxed floor yet again and slid down the hallway on her rear end. With a loud groan she lay on the floor stubbornly and seriously considered not moving. Why does this keep happening to her and why was the floor so damned slippery?

" Do you need some help there?" A boy with chestnut brown hair and bright green eyes stood above her with his hand stretched out. Quickly she grabbed hold as he pulled her to her feet.

" I really need to stop meeting people this way." she blushed as he smiled.

" I would have stepped in sooner but I wasn't expecting you to slide down the whole hallway on your um -" he trailed off as she blushed even further.

" Rear end?"

" Yes, that." he laughed. " Elliot Van Dort of the Winthrop estate." he smiled and held out his hand.

" Ally Dawson of no estate." she said as Austin appeared at the doorway and cleared his throat. His fists were clenched tightly by his sides as he glared at Elliot who was spending time with Ally.

" Austin." Elliot growled.

" Elliot." he snapped before his eyes settled upon Ally. He was still unbelievably mad at her but something about her made his throat run dry. She looked beautiful in her pale blue dress with her long brown hair flowing in curls down her back. She was perfect. "Cassidy wants to know if you will join us for the hunt?" he asked softly.

" I'm sorry, I don't believe in hunting innocent foxes." she said more harshly than intended. She internally face palmed as he shook his head in disappointment, saddened that she was always so quick to judge him.

" Neither do I, we are hunting a man carrying a fake scent. It's known as a drag hunt." he corrected her with that same unreadable expression from last night.

" I didn't mean to-"

" You know what, just forget it. Cassidy is waiting outside, you can come if you want." he snapped before spinning on his heels and disappearing out the door.

" I really think you ought to come." Elliot smiled excitedly as he escorted her out the main door and into the snow. For once there was a girl that Austin Moon had not managed to wrap around his little finger, Elliot smiled broadly at the thought.

" I haven't been riding in years." Ally said nervously.

" It really is easy." he replied encouragingly as Cassidy came racing up in her red hunting costume.

" Here!" she smiled as she dumped a costume in Ally's hands. " I knew you would come!" she squealed before dragging her away from Elliot.

" It really was nice to meet you Ally Dawson." he shouted after her but his words fell upon deaf ears because a certain blond had captured her eye yet again. A certain blond with a brunette much like herself wrapped around his waist. For some odd reason she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene that was unfolding before her.

" Cassidy, who is that?" she asked quietly as Austin whispered something in the girls ear, making her laugh.

" Oh, that's Arabella Van Dort. A real gold digging brat if you ask me." she replied as Ally watched Austin laugh happily as he hugged the beautiful girl. His eyes flickered up briefly to meet her gaze but just as soon as he had encapsulated her with his eyes, he was swiftly looking away.

" Is it really necessary for me to do this?" Ally questioned dramatically as Cassidy strapped a helmet to her head. " After all, I am just the interior designer for the ball."

" No you are not! You are also here as my friend remember?" The perky blonde said.

" Don't you think dinner last night was disastrous enough? Now your going to make me ride a horse, doesn't that just spell disaster! I can't even keep upright for very long in your overly waxed hallways."

" Ally come on? Can you at least try and have some fun whilst your here? Granted, last night wasn't great but that doesn't mean you need to give up." she said as Ally sighed and rolled her eyes.

" Last night wasn't great? That's an understatement! Last night was absolutely tragic, I interrupted dinner three times!"

" I thought that I was the only drama queen out of the pair of us?" she said as she pulled up a dappled grey horse. " This is Baxter and he is a real sweetheart. He's mine but I'm letting you borrow him just for today."

" How generous of you." she replied dryly.

" Ally!" Cassidy smacked the brunette on the arm. " You are going to have fun." she said before helping the unsteady brunette mount the horse before leaping onto her own one.

" What do you even do for a drag hunt?" Ally asked.

" As soon as the gun goes off we take off." she said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

" Easy for you to say." Ally muttered under her breath. Everyone lined their horses up at the top of the snowy hill. The gunshot sounded as millions of horses began racing down the slope, leaving prints in the snow. " Come on Baxter let's move." Ally said as she tugged at the reins of her horse but Baxter wouldn't budge. " Come on Baxter, please? Don't you think I've already embarrassed myself enough!" she said as she looked out upon the field. Everyone had already made it down the slope and they were now heading into the woods.

" Baxter!" she shouted. Suddenly the horse began careening at full speed own the hill, the wind lashed Ally's face leaving a sharp chill tingling down her spine. All the surroundings had melted into a blur as they raced forward.

" Holy cow!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. " Slow down!" The horse gained speed before bucking violently. Ally flew off the horse and began rolling down the hill at full speed before crashing into the base of a tree. A few lone leaves that still clung to the bare tree rained down upon her as her helmet snapped off and began rolling elsewhere. Her head hurt like hell and she felt dizzyingly sick. Encased in snow and freezing her ass off her teeth chattered as black spots began to swim in front of her. A small groan escaped her lips as Austin's face appeared before her.

" Ally." he said softly.

" Yeah." she choked.

" You really are prone to blunders."

" Tell me something I don't know." She mumbled as he laughed. Slowly he slipped his fingers around her waist and lifted her up bridal style. She was grateful for the warmth that his body provided. Slowly her head managed to find a spot upon his taut shoulder as he began to climb back up the slippery hill. The black spots began to grow until they engulfed her vision. The brunette was out cold.

Thank you for reading! I am still continuing with my other stories but I was suddenly inspired by this story and had to write it down. If you like the idea then please review and tell me what you think and then I will continue with the story as this was just a tester to see if you guys like it.

I would also like to know what you think of Austin and Ally's relationship so far, Arabella and Elliot Van Dort and also the idea of the story.

Thank you.