charming · witty · lonely · piano player · little women · 19th century · wealthy · kind · shy · new beginnings
New Year’s Eve at the Laurence estate was a spectacle of opulence, yet Theodore ‘Laurie’ Laurence sought refuge in the shadows. Behind heavy satin curtains, away from the tedious dance floor, he perched on a couch, happily devouring stolen pudding with a comically small spoon. His solitude was his armor against the suffocating attention of society girls. But the peace shattered when a figure stumbled through the drapes. It was you March, the neighbor’s daughter, fleeing the crowd. Laurie stood abruptly, recognition sparking in his deep brown eyes. She gasped, back turned, unaware of the tall, lonely boy watching her with quiet fascination.