Little Women: If Beth Had Lived 4

Having never been aboard a ship of any kind, Beth was fascinated, gazing about herself in wonder. Laurie watched her with a combination of amusement and tenderness, thinking about the convoluted path he and Beth had taken on the way to discovering their love for one another, amazed and delighted at the wonder of it all.

It had been no secret that Laurie loved Jo. It was evident in the way he looked at her, the way he acted around her, how she was obviously much on his mind when they were apart.

Beth noticed, of course, and wasn't a bit jealous of her sister. In fact, she thought that it would be simply wonderful to have Laurie as a brother-in-law. She liked he sister Meg's husband, John Brooke, very much. She got along very well with him and could easily imagine having the same type of relationship with Laurie.

The evening after Laurie had returned home from college after graduating with honors, Beth was walking with Jo in the garden when they heard a most beautiful rendition of the 'Sonata Pathetique' coming from the open windows of the Laurence home.

"He plays so beautifullly, doesn't he, Jo?"

Jo didn't say anything for a long time, causing her sister to look at her, puzzled.

"He plays well this evening with good reason," Jo finally said, very quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"I had to break the dear boy's heart earlier today."

"Oh no, Jo, you didn't!"

Jo nodded solemnly. "He asked me to marry him, and I had to turn him down."

"But why?"

"I simply don't love him, Beth, and I know that I never will. He will always be a very dear friend, of course, but that's all that he will ever be."

In an effort to get his grandson's mind off his broken heart, Mr. Laurence planned a trip abroad for Laurie. However, the voyage was delayed, so the young man was left to drift about gloomy and morose for several more weeks.

One day, Beth was making her routine trip to the mailbox when she heard her name being called and turned to see her neighbor. Feeling awkward and unsure about what to say to him, Beth had surreptitiously avoided him lately. Now she felt guilty and hoped that she hadn't hurt his feelings.

"Hi, Laurie." She stood still, unsure what to do, as she had been walking back toward the house while Laurie was walking toward the road. He smiled and motioned for her to join him, so she fell into step beside him.

"I haven't talked to you in ages! How have you been?"

"I...I wanted to say how sorry I am that things didn't work out with Jo."

"Ah, well." He sighed deeply. "I suppose it just wasn't meant to be."

"Amy is abroad with Aunt Carroll now. Perhaps you'll meet up with her while you're there."

"Perhaps. That would be nice." He smiled weakly.

Laurie returned from Europe in only slightly better spirits than when he had left.

"I got to London the day after Amy married Fred Vaughn," he told Beth.

"Oh, no! Were you disappointed to have missed it?"

Laurie chuckled. "In the ship on the way over, I had this crazy fantasy that Amy and I would have a whirlwind courtship in Europe and end up getting married over there." His voice grew sad, and there was a trace of bitterness in it. "But of course that was all it turned out to be, just a fantasy."

For dinner the first night on the ship, Laurie ordered for them both, as Beth had no idea what to choose from amongst the unfamiliar entrees. He tried to choose foods that were similar to what she liked to eat at home, hoping that she would enjoy them. He laughed when he saw how wide her eyes grew when the plate was set before her.

"Which should I eat first?" she asked in a small voice.

"Hmm...this looks good." Laurie speared a piece of meat with a fork and held it to her lips, savoring the look of delight on her face as she tasted it.

"What's it called?"

Laurie told her the French name for the dish, and she repeated it, the unfamiliar words rolling off her tongue with effort.

"It's all so delicious! It's a shame I can't finish it, but I'm truly stuffed," Beth confessed toward the end of the meal.

"Well, don't make yourself sick," Laurie chuckled.

Music was playing, and couples were beginning to move out onto the dance floor.

"Come on," Laurie urged gently, taking Beth's hand.

"I don't know how." Beth looked terrified.

"That's all right. I'll teach you. Come on, it'll be fun," Laurie promised. He patiently explained the steps, and within a few minutes, they were virtually indistinguishable from any other couple on the floor.

Laurie still came around the house just as frequently as he had before, if not more so, which puzzled Beth, as she thought that seeing so much of Jo would be painful for him. The thought that he might be coming primarily to see Beth never even occurred to the modest, unassuming girl.

Beth would play piano for hours at a time while Laurie sat on the sofa, just listening and smiling gently. At other times, he would read aloud to her as she sewed or knitted. Sometimes they would play duets on the piano.

"How well we play together, don't we?" Beth remarked on one of these occasions.

"So well that I wish we might always do so. Will you, Beth?", very tenderly.

"Yes, Laurie," very low.