The visit with the Chesters was even shorter than the one with the Tudors. Jo and the boys erupted in laughing fits several more times before Amy made her excuses to leave.
"Are you leaving already? The boys seem to be having so much fun with your sister," Mary remarked slyly.
"Jo has a natural way with children," replied Amy in a composed voice, but feeling ashamed. "We would love to stay, but I’m afraid our next appointment will require a little more traveling time."
"Of course, I forgot that you don’t have a carriage," Mary said innocently, but with a stab in her sentence.
Smiling sweetly, Amy thanked Mrs. Chester and Mary for their hospitality then called out to Jo.
As soon as the door of the Chester home had closed, Amy’s frozen smile melted, and she turned to Jo in anger. "Can’t you behave like a lady just for once? Why do you choose to make a fool of yourself, of me, of our family?" she practically yelled in the middle of the street.
"Lower your voice, dear, people are watching," Jo said mockingly.
"Jo! I’m serious! Why are you determined to ruin my life?" Amy cried passionately.
"Why should I pretend to be something I’m not?" retorted Jo, who was close to shouting too. "I really don’t like these people nor am I interested in their lives!"
Regaining her composure, Amy breathed deeply and said, "Because that’s how people will learn to respect us and treat us better."
Shaking her head, Jo said, "You’re wrong, Amy. No matter how nice we are to them, they won’t think of us as their equal. I thought you realized that after your party."
The two sisters walked in silence for a while, then Amy spoke up. "Maybe you’re right, but I still believe that good will come if we try to show kindness to others regardless of how they see us."
"That’s why you are a dreamer, Amy," acknowledged Jo, "and I love you for it. But me? I’m practical and realistic and I don’t believe that I have to change just to make another person happy."
"Then I won’t ask you to," Amy said. "You are you, Jo, and I love you for it too."
Stopping in front of Aunt March’s house, the two sisters gave each other a quick hug.
"Can I be me now?" Jo asked playfully.
"Of course," smiled Amy. "Besides, Aunt March knows your true colors anyway." Giggling, the sisters held hands as they walked up toward the large mansion.
Aunt March’s housemaid Esther brought the girls to the west wing sitting room. (Aunt March’s mansion was so gigantic that she had three sitting rooms, one in each direction except for east.) The old lady sat in her "throne," as Jo called her large velvet armchair with gold armrests and satin cushions. Aunt March was feeding crackers to Polly who, upon seeing them, screeched loudly, "Mind your mouth!"
"Hello, Aunt March," said Amy, walking over and kissing her on both cheeks.
Jo stood awkwardly because in all the years she had come to work at this house, she had never greeted her aunt with a kiss.
"What are you standing there for like a stone statue?" the old lady snapped at Jo. "Polly needs more crackers."
"Crackers!" screeched the parrot.
Without another word, Jo turned around and headed toward the kitchen to do as Aunt March told her. When she returned with the crackers and a dish of clean water for the bird, Jo saw a rare sight: the deep lines on her aunt’s face had softened and the corners of her mouth lifted upward in a smile.
"Now Aunt March, I insist that you let me adjust these pillows back here. You don’t look very comfortable sitting there," said Amy, carefully rearranging the cushions on Aunt March’s chair.
"I’m fine," Aunt March said in a much more tender voice than she had ever used with Jo. "Where is that sister of yours? Has she gone to make her own crackers? Polly is starving here."
"Here we go," said Jo in an overly cheery voice, as she pushed the crackers into Polly’s face.
"Let me do it, Jo," Amy said, taking the dish from her and expertly breaking off pieces to feed the bird. Jo had to admit that Amy excelled at her job. Even though Jo knew Amy was not fond of the bird, at that moment, you could not see Amy’s true feelings, because she treated Polly as gently as Aunt March did.
When Esther brought in the tea and biscuits, Jo wandered over to the bookshelves to see if Aunt March had gotten any new books since she stopped working for her.
"Josephine, I’d like to hear a story," Aunt March called to her. "Amy here is a darling, but no one can read a story like you can, dear."
Feeling touched, Jo selected a new book that she thought would be interesting and took it over to Aunt March.
"No. That one’s terribly boring. Bring Stories from the Garden," said her aunt.
"But doesn’t The Pirate’s Treasure Box sound more exciting and adventurous?" Jo asked persuasively, since the title was especially appealing to her.
"I don’t care for that one, Josephine. The other one is better," Aunt March said firmly.
"Yes, Aunt March," Jo said, bringing the garden stories book and sitting down next to her aunt.
Amy poured the tea and chose some biscuits for Aunt March while Jo opened the book to read.
"Girls, there is something I want to discuss with you," Aunt March began as she accepted the teacup from Amy with one hand, while placing the other on Jo’s arm to stop her from reading.
The sisters looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue.
"As you know, every summer I travel to Europe for a holiday," said Aunt March. "This year I have chosen to spend the entire year abroad as my health has worsened and the warmer climates seem to improve it somewhat."
"Of course, Aunt March, your health is the main priority," said Amy.
Nodding at her, Aunt March continued. "However, the doctor recommends that I travel with a companion . . ." Aunt March chose to pause here, sip her tea, and adjust a cushion before continuing. Meanwhile, both Jo and Amy, realizing what Aunt March was about to announce, held their breath. Each girl hoped her heart wouldn’t jump out of her chest because it was beating so fast.
"I must confess it was a hard decision for me to make," said Aunt March. "Whether you believe it or not, I am fond of both of you for obviously different reasons. However, as I will be covering all expenses for this trip, I expect my companion to be someone who will do exactly as I say."
Jo could hardly sit still since her dream of traveling to Europe seemed about to come true in the next few seconds.
Then looking at each girl long and hard, Aunt March held out her hand and said, "Therefore, I’ve decided to take Amy to Europe with me."