"Lin!" Amy called back, throwing her hand up in the air as her sisters—and mother—walked through the doorway.
Meg and Adeline rushed to their youngest sister, Meg sitting on the couch to examine her injuries. Adeline leaned against the armrest, tenderly placing her hand on Amy's shoulder, who was whimpering about how bad it hurt.
"What did you do?" Jo sounded suspicious, but when it came to Amy, when was she not?
"Just a drawing! And then Mr. Davis hit me!" she sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes again.
Up and down, Adeline's hand moved along her sister's back, calming her once more until Amy lay her head in her lap.
Adeline looked up, her eyes finally bouncing about the room. The brown colors pleased her eyes, but the books even more so. She noticed Laurie and Jo looking up at a portrait, speaking to one another, as if they were friends. Maybe they were.
"I'm not scared of anyone. He looks stern, but my grandfather was much more handsome." Jo stated, nonchalant.
"Jo! We do not compare grandfathers." Marmee scolded, her arm hooked with old Mr. Laurence's as she scolded Jo gently.
"You think he's more handsome, eh?" he asked, a grin on his face.
Jo began stuttering, and that's when the Laurence boy's eyes moved to hers. His hair was disheveled, and he had a smile gracing his lips. He was nothing short of pretty—worthy of being sculpted by the finest artists of Ancient Greece.
Marmee walks over to where Adeline and her sisters sat,
"You are not to attend that school any more." she held Amy's hand, inspecting it.
"Good. That man has always been an idiot." Jo declared, as she gracefully plopped into an arm chair and popped open a book.
Adeline snorted at her comment, dipping her head in attempt to hide the face that she just let out a slightly embarrassing noise in front of strangers.
"Jo will teach you." Marmee suggested
"Me? I already teach Beth! Have Lin do it!"
Amy lifted her head, looking up at Lin—Adeline—with pleading eyes.
"What? I can't teach anything besides mythology stuff and how to read! Amy hates both of those. And she knows how to read."
Jo huffed, her input on the topic ending there.
Mr. Brooke decided to speak up, clearly hoping to catch Meg's eye, "Yes, women being taught at home is much more proper, I believe."
Meg's brow raised at his statement, her eyes flicking to Lin's before she turned to the man, "Only because the schools for women are so poor."
Amy grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and sinking back into the couch.
"I wish all the girls would leave his horrible school and that he would die."
"You did wrong, Amy. And there will be consequences." Marmee lectured, moving to face the Laurence boy, "Thank you so much for taking care of our Amy. My girls do have a way of getting into mischief."
His eyes flicked to Lin, who was discreetly staring at him just now until she was caught. She blushed, looking back to Amy.
"So do I." he said, smiling shyly.
"Well, then you should run over and we'll take care of you." she grinned, and the Laurence boy looked down to his shoes.
"And please, come here whenever you like. And tell Beth to come too!" he invited, Jo immediately adding on, "Yes! She would adore the piano!"
"Is she the quiet one?"
"That's our Beth." Lin spoke, smiling softly at him.
"Tell the little girl to use our piano."
"And Jo, borrow any book you'd like."
"Oh! Could Lin and I come look at the art?"
Both Laurences nodded, smiling at the family.
"There's also a lovely greenhouse!" Mr. Brooke added, and all the sisters exchanged looks, Jo and Laurie exchanging one too.
Suddenly, it got very loud as the March family gathered their things, got up, and Marmee started ushering her daughters out.
Lin took one last look at the Laurence boy, smiling and waving to him, the gesture being returned, but accompanied by his face tinting pink.
Adeline would definitely be returning.
To look at the art, of course.
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