Lady March - (L.L.)

Chapter 31

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Elizabeth March

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The funeral was a sombre affair. The youngest March sister, Elizabeth, had never woken up the next morning, dying in her sleep. Although she was suffering from scarlet fever for the longest time with the illness-causing great pain and weakness to her, the others felt relief knowing she died in a peaceful state.

Annie covered her face in her arms to hide the tears that were threatening to spill. The girl was so young and had so much talent to share, but was taken too early. Jo was sitting alone near Beth's grave, her head tilted down. When Annie tried approaching the crying girl earlier, she was shocked but not surprised when Jo yelled at her to leave. Even her other sisters were shooed away.

An arm wrapped around Annie's shoulder as Laurie stepped closer to her, covering them with an umbrella.

"She was so young, Theo," she said quietly as she sniffled back her tears. "I didn't
think ---"

"She was very young," he said gently. "But she was also quite lively for the time she was still . . . The optimism, the light in the family. She's gone now, Anne, but it doesn't mean she's gone forever. We still have memories of her with us, and those, trust me, are never truly gone."

Annie sucked in a shuddering breath, shaking her head in denial as tears fell down her cheeks in uneven paths. The sheer anxiety that she felt at that moment was unexplainable. "It's my fault, isn't it?" she asked quietly enough, but Laurie had heard her.

He looked at her with concern. "What? No, Anne, what makes you think that?"

"Last night, I didn't sleep in Beth's bedroom with her like usual. I reckon she wanted something, but I couldn't reach her -"

Laurie pulled the nervous girl into his side and Annie turned, glancing up at him. Wrapping an arm around her, he patted her back gently to calm her ragged breathing. Sighing, she pulled away from him.

"Whatever you may think, Anne, know that it's not your fault," he said, his voice tinted with seriousness and concern. "Her passing was just meant to be. Plus, Jo was with her, and I'm sure she would've said something if something did go wrong last night."

She didn't give him a response, only crossed her arms and looked ahead to where Jo was still sitting. The March sister wasn't alone anymore, her father was beside her as she nestled her face into the crook of his neck. Annie felt a bit of reassurance knowing the girl wasn't going through this alone. Not anymore, at least.

***

"I'm glad you could make it today, dear," Aunt March said as she let her niece through the door.

"I don't break promises, auntie," Annie responded as she took off her spring coat and wrapped it around her arm. It had been a few days since Beth's funeral, and while the other women were quietly recovering from the experience, she told herself that she'd visit her aunt to get her mind off things. "It's been a while since I last saw you anyway. You were only at the funeral for a few hours."

"Yes, well -" The woman coughed vigorously into her arm, muttering out a small 'excuse me' as she led her niece over to the sitting room. It was only when they'd both taken a seat that she continued, "I've not been feeling very much like myself these days."

"What do you mean? I mean, are you doing alright?" Annie's naturally concerned personality rushed back, especially whenever it had to do with her loved ones. When there was no response from her aunt, the girl prompted, "Auntie?"