Lady March - (L.L.)

Chapter 18

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Never an Absolution

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"I have something to talk to you about." Marmee sat down next to Annie on the battered bed, avoiding the younger girl's curious gaze. With the other girls busy with their own activities, some outside and the others locked in their rooms, Annie and Marmee were the only ones left with not many tasks to do for the day.

"What are your thoughts on Europe?" she continued, looking up to finally meet Annie's eyes - that had noticeably darkened.

Annie half-laughed at the ridiculous nature of the conversation. She hoped the woman was just teasing a little, but the hopeful expression on Marmee's tiring face had her hopes disappeared almost immediately.

"I've heard of it to be a beautiful place," she cleared her throat, suddenly feeling a slight strain in her emotions. "But―why do you ask?"

"It's just..." Marmee muttered, absentmindedly drawing patterns over the cushions of the sofa with jittery fingers. God, she thought worriedly. This conversation was going to be harder to explain than she originally hoped for. The last time she felt so worried was when her husband had to go for his enlistment for the first time after their marriage with each other. "How about marriage?" she asked afterward.

A small blush painted itself on Annie's cheeks. This wasn't a topic that she tended to shy away from, but it felt kind of embarrassing at the moment. Considering the fact that all women were bound to be married to a man eventually (disregarding the case of Jo, she just hadn't found the one yet), Annie still found it a bit difficult to comprehend the question because she was only seventeen! "I-I suppose, when the time is right and the stability―"

"So, you'd agree. Stability is an important factor in marriage." Marmee looked at the younger girl so straight in the eyes, taking Annie by surprise by how extremely tired and upset, yet scarily determined she looked.

"Yes, but I'd like to fulfill my own―"

"That's good, that's good..." Marmee mumbled, patting Annie's lap carefully, even though it seemed to be more of a comfort to herself than to the girl.

"Is there something that's worrying you?" Annie finally decided to ask up the question, her eyebrows were furrowed at the older woman who just looked so frightened. It was an oddity to her; Marmee tended to be the calmest one of the March women at times, but this, this didn't make much―

"You see honey, there's this man ― I'm sure you remember him from the dinner party, Maxwell ― he's interested in pursuing something with you," she explained head-on, looking much less frail now. "It turns out that he - yes, the heir to one of the most lavish businesses in Europe - is actually quite smitten with you. And with your Aunt March traveling to Europe in a few days, I was wondering if―"

"Did she put you up to this?" Annie didn't even bother with the formalities this time, she had felt a dose of emotions she couldn't quite decipher. Her voice too - far from the usually composed one; this one was darker, more malevolent.

"Err...maybe, but―"

That was all she needed to hear. Annie well knew about her aunt's antics, and she also knew that the woman could be quite...persuasive at times. And although she loved her aunt dearly, this wasn't something she had expected from her. Gosh, she had just about managed to scare the living daylights out of her own daughter-in-law.