A/N: All characters here are fictional. Any similarity to people or places is coincidence. Please don't steal my story. Olympe de Gouges is a historical figure, as is the text quoted here. Original text found here: int/Menschenrechte/Grundkurs_MR3/frauenrechte/woher/dokumente/dokument_ . Accessed July 6, 2010.

Chapter 1: Prelude to a Gamble:

On a large estate, just outside of Boston, lies pleasantly situated a lavish house. It is the home to Mr. and Mrs. Wright. The Wrights were a well established family in town. Mister Wright was the descendent of gentleman of England, and Mrs. Wright from the nobility of Ireland. They lacked nothing. They owned a good name, good property. They had four equally good sons, which only increased popular alacrity for the Wright name.

Mrs. Wright, however, was slightly unhappy. All of her children had grown up and left home, and now she had trouble adjusting to the quiet, confined living of a lady of the house. Her husband new of her loneliness, and felt for her most strongly during the nine months of the year the couple would stay at his place of appointment: the headmaster's house of the high school division of Brighton Academy.

Today it was not one of those times in the fall, winter, and spring. It was a crisp June morning. The breakfast table held enjoyable conversation for Mrs. Wright and her husband, as they perused the morning newspaper and letters of the day.

"My dear cousin Jeanne writes from France, quoting some most audacious and progressive ideas there," Mrs. Wright spoke energetically. Mr. Wright looked up from his newspaper.

Mrs. Wright held up the letter and continued, delivering the passage with eloquence and affirmation. "She writes of the late Olympe de Gouges, and here quotes one of de Gouges' pieces. 'All citizens including women are equally admissible to all public dignities, offices and employments, according to their capacity, and with no other distinction than that of their virtues and talents.' " Mrs. Wright looked at her husband, allowing a moment of contemplation on both their parts.

"It would be nice if more people were in that opinion: more men, and more women, too. Imagine. Women as public dignitaries," Mrs. Wright sighed whimsically.

"They would need much more education to be qualified for such positions," Mr. Wright said glancing up from his newspaper.

"Aren't you and Mr. Evans ever complaining about how ill qualified most popularly elected officials are? Then what's the harm in having an ill qualified female in lieu of an ill qualified male?" the wife countered.

The headmaster laughed and put down his paper. "Excellent point, my dear." He took a sip of coffee.