Lady March - (L.L.)

Chapter 24

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Unlikely Meetings

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Amy no longer looked to be the witty, slightly childish girl that Annie remembered her to be all of those years ago. Little Amy wasn't very little anymore. No - this girl was now a woman, and she took a hold of the responsibility with pure grace.

"Sorry I was late everyone!" she called as she hurried into the living room, her dress swishing behind her. "That foolish carriage driver refused to move until I practically forced him to."

"We really need to hire a new one," Jo said, rolling her eyes.

"I can't argue with that," Amy grumbled, dropping an unsubtle motion to Laurie, who was standing quietly in the corner. "But this boy is also partly at fault; he was taking too long to get inside."

"Oh?" Jo mused, smirking at her best friend. "And why's that?"

Laurie blushed, averting his attention to the floor. Truth be told, it was the first time he was visiting the March household ever since he first started. . . seeing Amy. Of course, though, no one else was aware of the fact. He was originally going as a potential suitor, but his mind flicked when he saw Annie inside.

Jo patted the spot on the sofa beside her, shooting him a grin. "Sit here, Teddy. We have loads to talk about!"

He cleared his throat abruptly, about to make his way to the kitchen. "I was going to get some tea first--"

"You're in luck, Laurie. I made sure to prepare enough cups for everyone beforehand." Marmee offered him a cup of tea, and he took it gratefully.

He fiddled with his fingers as he took a careful seat beside Jo, struggling to make eye contact with everyone in the room; with one person, in particular.

But he was slightly less nervous  now that he knew that she looked just as uncomfortable.

***

The small reunion was still going on late into the afternoon. By the time Annie had gotten downstairs, changed into a new set of clothes, the whole family was communing inside of the dining room.

Mr. Laurence and Marmee were chatting away as they set the table, while Beth was looking surprisingly better as she laid on a couch, knitting a scarf. As for Jo, she was running around the kitchen, finalizing any last minute dinner preparations.

Laurie stood next to Amy near the door that would lead to the gardens. He said something that made her laugh, and she grinned as he handed her a rose every few moments that she could place in a glass vase. 

Jo called Annie over, startling her from the absentminded thoughts that seemed to cloud her mind.

"On my way!" she returned, intending to walk over to the girl, but was frightened to have accidentally stumbled into Maxwell instead, momentarily losing her balance.

Hold on - Maxwell?

He steadied her shoulders, smiling down at her with a mysterious glint in his eyes. "Well, well. Small world, huh?"