The next day did arrive and oh how bright a morning it was as birds sung sweetly outside and a cool breeze blew through the air. The sky was dotted with puffy clouds and the sun shone brightly, causing Laurie to blink hard as she awoke up from her sleep. She yawned and lay in bed for a while as she heard sounds coming from all around the estate. The hustle and bustle of footmen, cooks and cleaners as they prepared for the arrival of her suitors. She suddenly had a thought and jumped out of bed. dressed very quickly and ran to the stables.

She quickened her step when she heard someone whistling in one of the stables. A blonde head peeked out, it was Rudolph, one of the new stable hands. He grinned, "morning Miss, he said with a nod. "Good morning, Rudolph," replied Laurie, how is Sasha this morning?" Same as ever, replied to Rudolph. I gave her a brush this morning and took her out for a gallop. Laurie smiled, she seemed in good spirits looking at her horse and as Rudolph brushed her down, Laurie fed her apples and spoke to her.

As soon as he was done, Rudolph handed the beautiful Caspian horse over to her miss and moved on to the other horses. Laurie took her by the reigns and led her out. She rode out over the sprawling lawn and into the orchard, where Sasha bent down to munch on some ripe apples. Laurie sighed and began to speak to her horse. "Father thinks it's time for me to marry." She looked down sadly and petted Sasha's mane. "I really don't know what to do Sasha." Sasha neighed, as if she understood every word her mistress said and continued to munch contentedly on the apples. They stayed there for a while, soaking in the sun and listening to the birds as they chirped one to another in the trees.

Laurie suddenly heard footsteps and turned to see who it was. She blushed as she saw Stefan coming her way, with his hands across his chest and shaking his head disapprovingly. She chuckled, for she knew what he was going to say. "20 minutes," he said, looking down at his watch, "that's how long it took for me to find you, 10 more than last time, you really should stop running off like that." He smiled his beautiful smile and Laurie laughed, "Really? I think my hiding skills have just got better." she said. Stefan chuckled a little, and said, "your father is looking for you". Laurie sighed, "Oh well, I guess this is it then," Laurie groaned before she mounted off the horse. Stefan moved forward to help her and when she was safely back on the ground, he said, "I will take Sasha back to the stables." "Thanks Stefan," Laurie said. She handed him the reigns, and their hands briefly touched as she did so. She startled and looked up at his piercing gaze. He didn't flinch. He just smiled and whispered," Have fun. She blushed and turned quickly away. "I will," she said as she walked off.

Back at the big house, the stir only seemed to get bigger as more and more people arrived to prepare the mansion. Laurie found her father waiting for her in the drawing room. "Lauire, my dear," he exclaimed as he gave her a big hug. "How are you feeling this morning?". "Not very excited," Laurie sighed. "Oh, what nonsense," her father replied. "I'm sure you will be excited to meet the first suiter, Hans ver Ottoman. Lovely lad, lovely lad indeed. His family owns several clothing factories here and in North America, India, Uzbekistan, Italy..." Laurie rolled her eyes as her father went on and on. "Father, I am sure he is one of the most eligible men in the land, I'm just not ready," she sighed, "I still want to explore and travel and see different countries." Laurie's father patted her hand. "You can do all the travelling in the world when you get married, look at your sister Denise, she travels several times a year." "Yes, to their holiday homes in Venice and Burbrush, but I want to see new places and eat new foods and feel free, Laurie said. Her father hmphed, "well Laurie, don't be so difficult," go ahead and get dressed, your first suitor will be here soon." Her father kissed her on the cheek and rushed off to oversee the decoration of the hall.

Lauire sighed again and went up to her room where Moriah was doing her bed. Juanita, her personal stylist stood next to a row of dresses, and looked up as Laurie came in, "Oh there you are," she cried, "I was just waiting for you. I need you to try on a couple of dresses, so that we can know which one you're wearing today. Aren't you the luckiest girl in the world!" she exclaimed as she handed Laurie a blue and green sequined dress. Laurie did smile when she saw the color. It reminded her of Stefan's eyes.

A Man For Laurie

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