Lady March - (L.L.)

Chapter 36

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Peace With What Has Arrived

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Laurie rubbed the back of his sweaty palms on his trousers, an anxious look on his face as he stared at Amy with a pang of guilt as he watched her wipe at her teary eyes.

"It takes a lot to astonish me. Well done, Laurie, you've managed it." Her words were sharp and bitter, but she didn't hate him. She only wished that she was on the receiving end of his love. "Since you've been so irrepressibly cavalier with my heart, I must ask; just how long have you known to never intend on marrying me?"

Her eyes met his for the first time that afternoon, and she noticed that it did indeed hurt him knowing that he hurt her unknowingly. She needed answers anyway; answers that would maybe make her feel a bit better, answers that could make her blame him and not feel like she wasn't good enough.

"I'm really sorry I didn't realize this before, but I swear I didn't mean to hurt you in any way. I do care about you, Amy, I just --"

"But not as much as for a certain someone?" she interrupted and needed no answer because she knew that she was correct.

"I'm so sorry, Amy."

Amy shook her head as if she mentally insulted herself for not realizing it sooner. "The way you look at Annie, it can't be surprising. I just constantly told myself that if you really liked her, and I mean really, you would've been with her already."

"You can only know something when you know it. Not a minute before or a minute after. The minute I knew my heart for sure, I came to reveal it to you, Amy, because I think you deserve as much. Wouldn't it have been worse if I had never told you and then we'd move on to marry and have children with each other because it's expected of us only for one of us to never truly feel a connection with the other? It would all be horrid, Amy, everything would turn out horrid."

She remained silent for a moment, grasping his response as she realized that the heartbreak would've been larger down the road. It didn't hurt any less though. Mustering up a soft smile, she asked, "So, when's the big day?"

Laurie blushed, relief clouding his eyes. "I . . . haven't exactly told her yet."

Amy let out a dry chuckle, disbelief on her face. She stood up straighter, trying to discreetly get away from him as she gazed out the window, the rays of sunshine outside betraying her actual feelings. "At least promise me that you'll keep her happy, Laurie. Annie's a . . . wonderful woman, and you two are perfect for each other."

"I promise." And with that, she left the room.

***

Annie rested her head against the cushion, the ticking of the clock and the howl of the wind was keeping her awake. It wasn't like her to rest at random times of the day, especially not during mid-day like right now, but she couldn't concentrate on her daily tasks. She was in the middle of folding her clothes when a sudden urge of frustration passed her mind which caused her to mess up all the folded clothes and just lay down on the sofa outside.

She sighed. The quiet in the house wasn't making things any easier. The other girls were busy with their own activities including Jo, who was so bent on completing her first draft of a story she was writing, that the only person who was bored out of their mind was Annie.

Glancing out the window at the beautiful fields a little while ahead of where she was, she nodded to herself and grabbed her spring coat. Slipping on her flats, she made her way outside.