𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓐𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓨𝓸𝓾 Theodore Laurence X Female OC

6

A few years later after Meg's wedding, Amy had left for Europe with her aunt. Beth, Jo, Laurie and Charity had spent most of their days together. One day, when the four of them had been waking around outside, Charity had received a letter.

"Are you Ms. Loveheart?" the delivery man asked. Charity hummed a response, he handed her a letter.

"Paris, France" She smiled, "My aunt has never checked in on me before"

They watched as Charity scanned the words of the page and noticed the upturned corners of her lips dropped down towards the ground.

"What is it?" Laurie asked leaning forward to read the letter.

She put the letter in her pocket, "My uncle passed, he was my last family member, I am now in full custody of my Aunt." She was never that close with her Uncle but she always disliked his wife.

"I'm so sorry" Beth said as Laurie rubbed Cherry's back. Jo gripped Charity's hand. It was nice to have friends to comfort her, she thought

------

A few days later a carriage pulled up to the front of the Laurence home and a well dressed woman stepped out. "Who is that?" Laurie said peering out the window. Charity walked up and put her arms around him from behind putting her chin on his shoulder in an affectionate way to glance outside. Her heart dropped to her stomach, "My aunt" she said quietly.

The two rushed downstairs to open the door for her. "Hello, aunt" Charity said, "Greetings, Mrs. Loveheart" greeted Laurie.

"Ms. Cruelsham," She corrected him sternly, "You must be that Laurence boy the girl always talks about."

Through her letters to her aunt, Cherry had explained her love for Laurie and how she wished to marry him. She spoke of his wealth, good manners, caring attitude and all the great things about him and now she hoped that her aunt would approve of her choice.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied smiling reaching for the girls hand.

"I will have none of that." her Aunt said causing Laurie's hand to drop to his side. Charity's heart sunk lower than before.

"My dear aunt, what are you here for. I am so sorry for your loss." Charity said anxiously.

"Well, as you have apparently heard, you're uncle died, I now have custody of you. It was his choice to let you return here, it is now mine to bring you back to France." she said coldly.

"What?" Laurie said in shock, "No, she can't. This is her home now."

"Learn to hold your tongue, boy" she scolded him, "We are in need of money, I have found a wealthy husband for you who will keep you in comfort for all your days. More importantly, he is wealthy enough to provide for the both of us."

At the sound of this, Charity began to become angered, "No! I am happy here. I will not marry a man I have never met, I will not marry a man I do not love!"

"You will be married! And that is final! I will drag your dead body to Paris if I must so help me God!" her Aunt yelled.

Charity grabbed Laurie's hand and ran out the door. When they arrived at the hill their pace slowed down. The sun had began to set and Charity's breath slowed down, calmed by the warm air and the company of Teddy.

"Meg married, Amy off to Europe, Jo a successful author and now, I am a graduate and will be off on a long holiday. Beth is still young and has no need to worry, and you-my darling, you are to be married off to someone we know nothing about." Laurie explained their situation.

"We don't have to stay here you know?" Charity said.

"What, you reckon I come to France with you?" He asked. Charity shook her head.

"No, no. It's no use Charity. She'll find you and kill you if you run." Laurie said frantically.

"Please, Teddy. Don't you love me the way I love you?" She asked.

"I have loved you ever since I've known you, Cherry, I couldn't help it. And I want to marry you but you're aunt won't let me." He started, "I gave up billiards and I gave up everything she wouldn't like, it was fine because I figured-I figured she would let me love you, Charity. But, maybe I'm not good enough and maybe I'm not this great man-"

"Oh yes you are!" Charity cried putting her hands on his shoulders, "You are too good to me, this is why I love you, this is why I would do anything for you. And I can't see why she won't like you the way I want her to. Let's run away"

"We can change her mind, Cherry, I could change her mind" He pleaded, "If we run it will put you in so much danger. I cannot live with that."

"Yes, but I would be with you. I love you." she pleaded

"And I will only ever love you, but it would be too dangerous for you. What we did right now, running up here, that was too dangerous for you. I don't want you to get hurt." He explained, "I can change her mind, Cherry, I'll be a perfect saint."

"You can't, I can't, I've tried and I've failed, Teddy" She cried.

"Why doesn't she expect our marriage, my family expects it, the March's expect it, Cherry. I'm telling you there are more options than just running." he persisted

"Stop, Teddy, stop it's no use. There are no options, just say yes and we can run away and be happy together." She sobbed.

"I can't say yes and put you in harm's way. If you were hurt I could never live with myself" Teddy said.

"And I would rather hang myself than live a life without you in it." Cherry said through her tears, walking away.

"Cherry, Cherry!" He called after her.

"I would rather be dead" she said hurt. 

"Cherry, don't say that. You run away and you would be, you would be dead." he said watching as she continued to walk away, "Cherry, Cherry listen. I won't let you get married off but if you do-"

"No" she cut him off.

"If you do," he continued, "That man will give you a great life, you will be cared for, he will provide for you. Any man would be lucky to have you-"

Charity said, "But he wouldn't be you. I don't understand why you don't love me-"

"I love you, Charity"

"-enough to run away. We would be happy. I don't understand why you don't love me-"

"I love you, Charity" he said louder.

"-enough to listen to my solution. We could be together if we left, Laurie."

"If we ran away, I could never give you a good life, we would live poor, struggling for money. Then one day your aunt would find you and she would hurt you and we would regret we had ever done it" he explained.

She shook her head in denial, "I wouldn't care if we were poor or if I was harmed. As long as I was with you."

"I would care, you deserve so much more." he said. Charity frowned in acceptance of her fate.

"And you would marry a beautiful girl, and you would love her, and you will be content, I hope, because that's your way." she said plainly, "And I'll watch. Goodbye, Teddy"

Teddy watched as she walked up the hill before screaming and swearing into the valley. He sat up there for hours crying to himself.