Lady March - (L.L.)

Chapter 30

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Wise Words from an Even Wiser Woman

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Annie felt ill.

The first thing she did when she got home from the beach that evening was rush to her bedroom and lay down in the comfort of her own bed. Gosh, she didn't feel any different, did she? It wasn't like she had any usual symptoms of a cold, but for some odd reason she felt . . . feverish.

The other girls must've noticed her sudden disappearance, but they mustn't have made much of it and assumed that she was just very tired. Annie, for sure, felt completely restless, and it was a new feeling to her.

A small knock on the door had caught her attention. Marmee was at the door, peeking in slightly so as silently asking if she could come in.

Annie straightened up her posture and let the woman in. Marmee shut the door behind her and made her way over to the other as she gently asked, "I noticed you didn't come down for dinner. Is everything okay?"

The girl didn't even pay attention to the time. She'd been bundled up in her bed for a couple of hours now. "I'm just . . . not very hungry right now," she lied discreetly.

Marmee furrowed her brows, and almost as if her motherly instincts kicked in, she placed her palm against the younger girl's forehead. "You don't seem ill, but you're not acting like yourself."

"I am, though," Annie interjected quickly. Shaking her head, she gave the woman an apologetic look. "My whole day has just been . . . different, I suppose."

"Oh?" The older woman hummed inquisitively, before smiling kindly. She reached out and gave Annie's hand a gentle squeeze. "Is there anything you'd like to share with me? You seem to be in a bit of stress, so maybe sharing with me will help get your mind off of things?"

The young blonde looked down at her intertwined hands and contemplated telling Marmee what may have been the cause for her dilemma. Annie knew Marmee for very long, and she knew the woman could be trusted just like her daughters, but why was she suddenly so hesitant to share this particular thing? Was she worried that her words would upset the woman, or maybe was she worried that she wouldn't understand?

"Do you have any advice for, say, if a girl is engaged to be married to someone, but she's unable to forget about her past love?"

The older woman's honey eyes twinkled with interest. "Do I know this friend?"

"N-no, you don't. She's a friend of mine that I met in England," Annie corrected hesitantly. She fiddled with her fingers as she continued, "So . . . do you?"

Marmee hummed inquisitively for a moment with a finger tapping her chin. She glanced around herself as if searching for answers in the gloomy atmosphere that the room had become, only to be disappointed when she found none and her gaze returned to the anxious young girl across from her.

"A wise woman once told me that it's quite possible to love more than one person . . . but you can only be in love with one person."

And for some reason, that was all the advice that Annie needed. As if magically stimulated by the woman's words,  Annie realized that maybe this matter that had her feeling completely and utterly feverish wasn't as odd as she assumed it to be. Before she could respond, however, Jo hurried into the room terribly out of breath as she breathed, "It's Beth. She doesn't look very well."

"Oh, dear. I knew I shouldn't have let her go to the beach today," Marmee said, her previous carefree tone having shifted drastically to one of concern. She quickly stood up from the bed and followed after her daughter with the McLaren girl closely behind them.

***

"Has anyone ever told you how horribly you play the piano?" Beth croaked, tiredly gazing at the girl who had become like a fifth sister to her in the last few months. In fact, even years ago when Annie had first arrived at Concord, she'd always been such a sisterly figure in her life that it almost frightened her. If anyone had taken care of her more than Jo, it had to be Annie McLaren. Early morning trips if she needed anything and the daily routines of changing clothes and eating on time.

"Many times, actually." Annie laughed with pure mirth, her previous feelings of practical suffocation long subsided by then. She was sitting comfortably on the stool in front of Beth's piano which was lent to her years ago by the ever kind Mr Laurence. "My father often made fun of my music. He once even went as far as hiding away all the pots in the house just so I wouldn't randomly begin a tune."

"Oh, so you're not as perfect as you seem?" Jo pitched in, her head peeking in through the door. She glanced at her youngest sister who was lying quietly on her bed with a strained smile. A cup of juice was in her hand that she had initially bought for Beth, only to get thirsty along the way, and now the once full cup was half empty. She'd never let the girl know though.

The McLaren girl rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm many things, Jo, but musically talented is definitely not one of them."

"Well, that's a relief." Jo took a breath of relief before handing her sister the cup and slumping down on the floor across from the others.

"Relief? How come?"

She grinned. "I can finally markdown something in my notebook that I can excel in before you."

At that, the three girls in the room couldn't help but laugh.

"If that's the case then, Jo," Annie said between giggles. "Then let me know when you write that fact down. There's a lot more things I don't know."

Beth shook her head at the two girls' sarcasm as she reached for her cup of juice that she'd momentarily put on the side table. Just as she put it up to her mouth to drink, she paused and stared questioningly at the nearly empty cup of juice. Her gaze lifted to Jo who struggled to meet her eyes.

"Jo . . ." she trailed off, continuing without a response, "Why is there basically nothing in here?"

"Well, you know how long the trip up the stairs is," Jo explained hesitantly. She glanced at the McLaren girl with an almost pleading look for backup. "Right, Anne? You've been here long enough to know how tiring it can get walking those narrow halls."

Annie cleared her throat. "Not getting involved in this."

"Well, whatever anyway, Beth! You're young and small and should have small quantities anyway."

Nighttime was fast approaching now and that meant it was time for them to head to bed. It only took Annie to stand up from the stool for the others to get the hint. She went over to the bed and carefully tucked Beth in as the girl responded by smiling gratefully at her. Jo did nothing but watch the small interaction with a look akin to wonder before also approaching her sister.

"Anne," she said, catching the said girl's attention. "You go on ahead and rest. I think I'll stay with Beth tonight."

Annie nodded and bid the two goodnight before leaving the room. She didn't admit it out loud, but she was very tired as the day's events took a toll on her. When she reached her own bedroom, as soon as she laid down, sleep had taken over.