❝There is a fine line between love and lust. So tell me, Theodore, on which side is it you stand?❞
- in which Judith Almeida falls helplessly for the one she proclaims to hate most
(Fem oc x Theodore Laurence)
(Little Women)
𝐀unt March always had a habit of being quite stern. Jude couldn't blame her, not entirely. Yes, she had her moments of wickedness but it was all meant to be done under good fortune. Despite knowing how poorly Jo speaks of her, the elderly woman took it to employ her when nobody else would. To gift her services with money so she may build her fortune and work her way to creating a better life for herself. But it wasn't just Jo's future she was keen on shaping; it was Jude's as well.
There was no other day that she hated more than those that Jo came over. Aunt March took it upon herself to introduce Jude to as many young suitors as possible in hopes that one day the girl could look back on her many options instead of worrying about finding someone on her own. She was aware that as a woman the only way to make a name for herself in the world was to marry rich. Yes, she was set to inherit Aunt March's fortune but she'd be damned if she allowed all of it to fall to her. She had told her aunt many times to gift it to her real family instead for Jude was merely a fake daughter, one of little importance compared to the strength of blood. But Aunt March insisted otherwise.
Jude was in the sitting room practicing her vocals when Jo walked through the door early that morning. Aunt March had already shaped her appearance into perfection with her blue dress fitted tightly around her waist, white patterned lace draping over the neckline of her dress and the cut off of the short sleeves to it. Her dark hair had been brushed out with the front strands of her hair pulled back and clipped behind her head. Her mother's gold locket had been placed around her neck and a set of pearl earrings clung placed on her ears.
Jo hated these mornings nearly as much as Jude. Not only because of the tireless work she'd have to endure for her wicked old Aunt but because of where her present sent her dear cousin. She had spent hours listening to Jude's talk of these kinds of introductions. She despised them, saw it as an invasion of her privacy as well as her dignity, and that made Jo hate them just as much.
There was never anywhere else for Jude to go. For the past year, she had been subject to these introductions because of it. Next year she would be of age when women started to set their eyes on marriage. It was only fitting for her to explore her options, or at least that's what Aunt March kept drilling into her head. Jude had tried once to escape to the March household and begged Marmee not to tell, but Aunt March found out and grounded her for two weeks. She never dared to run away during her introductions again. But this time was different. This time she had another option, one Aunt March wouldn't think of. She could simply say her suitor left her alone in the park for hours and never showed. This time, she could get away with it.
