"West House
"Glen St. Mary, PEI
"May 17, 1938
"Dear Gwen,
"How are you? Are you in the throes in final examinations? Goodness, I can't believe that you are seventeen, and that next September will mark the start of your final year of high school. Have you decided on a college yet, or even if you are going to go on for further schooling?
"You think your aunt is being awfully chatty, but really, I'm just trying to soften you up for the request I'm about to make.
"You heard, I've no doubt, that I had a little cold this spring. It wasn't anything serious, so I thought, but apparently there have been some complications as a result and the long and the short of it is that your uncles have confined me to my bed or, at the most, the sofa, for the duration of my pregnancy.
"I have reluctantly agreed, because although I think they are being paranoid, I don't want to do anything to endanger this lovely surprise baby! The only question now is, of course, how to manage for the next four months? Winnie is still a harum-scarum, and though Ruthie is a gem, she is only seven, and it is entirely out of the question for her to take care of the house, me, and your Uncle Bruce. Mother Meredith, Aunt Anne, Lynde, and even Mary Douglas have all offered to come help out, but they of course all have their own homes to attend, as well. Besides—
"Well, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I don't really want any of them. All of them have their own way of doing things in a home, and I have my own way, and I can't help but think that it'll be far worse for my health for me to be upstairs in bed, fretting over having things done differently from how I want them. Bruce doesn't agree, of course, but what do men know of these things?
"So I have resorted to shamelessly begging my favourite niece to come take pity on me. I know (because I taught you!) that you can cook, and any child raised by your mother can at least keep a house tidy, and the girls adore you. I could tell you exactly how I wanted something done, and I could trust you to do it. Lynde, I know, would do it her way regardless of what I said, because she is convinced her way is best (and it likely is, but it's not my way); Mary wouldn't even listen to me, and Mother Meredith and Aunt Anne would both try, but it would distress them terribly to try to change their ways now.
"Would you be willing to sacrifice your summer to help me out, Gwen? I know it's a terrible thing to ask a young girl, but it wouldn't be so bad; you'd still have plenty of time to go running down to the harbour as you loved to do two summers ago. Jack won't be around, but Lynde is, and Oliver and the rest of your Owls, I know, have missed you dreadfully.
"If you've already made plans for the summer, or you'd rather not come out, please don't hesitate to say so, and I will just make the best of what I have. If you do decide to come, though, the girls are already airing out the guest room for you.
"Write and let me know, and whichever way you decide, know that I'm always your loving,
"Aunt Ruth."
"Kingsport, Nova Scotia
"May 21, 1938
"Dearest Aunt Ruth,
"My bags are packed! Tell the girls not to fuss too much about my room; that will be my job when I get there. My train comes in on June 2. If Uncle Bruce is busy, I'll just make my own way to West House. I am so looking forward to 'bossing' you all about for an entire summer! Tell Uncle Bruce I expect him to toe the line.
"Give Winnie and Ruthie hugs for me, and a special pat to Baby. I will see you soon!
"Love always,
"Gwen."
"West House
"Glen St. Mary, PEI
"May 26, 1938
"Dear Gwen,
"You are an angel. I'll be at the station to meet you, even if half the inhabitants of the Glen come down with whooping cough! Your aunt is feeling better already, and the girls are beside themselves with excitement. I'll even make sure to wash my hands before every meal, you tyrant, just to show you my gratitude.
"Uncle Bruce."
"Kingsport, Nova Scotia
"May 30, 1938
"Dear Uncle Bruce,
"Hands and face, if you please, sir. My train comes in at nine Thursday morning.
"Love,
"Gwen."
"I don't see why you have to go away again this summer," Jeremy grumbled as Gwen joined him in the manse's front yard. She laughed.
"You make it sound like I've been gone every summer for years."
"You were gone two summers ago, and I was busy with that ridiculous camp most of last summer, and now you're going away again."
Gwen still couldn't take his disgruntled tone seriously. "Well, if it bothers you that much, you'll just have to come visit us for a few weeks this summer."
He brightened at once. "I can do that, can't I? Last time you were on the Island, I had to rely on Father. This year, I'm old enough to travel out by myself if I want."
"Besides, Phil and the rest will still be here."
"Phil is swell, and you know I adore Lee and Jo, but there's just no one like my Gwen for me."
Gwen rolled her eyes, but inside she sparkled a little, as always, at Jeremy's declaration. It was nice to know she was as important to him as he was to her.
"Do you suppose they'll have changed much out there?"
"Does anything ever change in that little village?" Jeremy countered.
Gwen shook her head and leaned on the fence. "I wonder if they'll think I've changed."
"They ought to be impressed at how much better you can keep your balance now that you've finally gotten eyeglasses." Now it was Jeremy's turn to shake his head. "Honestly Gwen, all these years of straining your eyes, tripping over everything because you couldn't see, struggling in school because you had a hard time reading the board …"
"Yes, yes," Gwen said impatiently. "We've been through all this many times before. 'Vanity, thy name is woman' and all that. It was foolish—but at least I finally saw sense."
"And now you see everything much clearer," Jeremy said, eyes twinkling over his own pun.
Gwen groaned. "I won't miss your terrible sense of humour this summer!"
He clutched his chest. "A hit! A veritable hit, fair maiden! Alas, so beautiful and yet so cruel."
Gwen laughed again. Only Jeremy could make her so light of heart. She was going to miss him this summer—but she was looking forward to seeing all of her Island family, and especially being able to help Aunt Ruth and Uncle Bruce. Last summer had been spent with Grandmother Blake at Mount Holly, the old family homestead to which she had retreated after Grandfather's passing. Gwen certainly didn't regret the time spent with her darling grandmother, who still seemed a girl herself despite her wrinkles and grey hair, but she did miss her Blythe family.
"What are your plans for the summer, since I won't be around to amuse you?" she asked Jeremy as they left the manse and walked down the street.
He shrugged. "I'll probably spend most of it at Mount Holly. You know Father doesn't like Grandmother being left alone for very long, and she refuses to keep any of the companions he hires to stay with her."
Gwen did indeed know.
"Companions!" Grandmother laughed, her voice still merry after all these years. "My dear Jeremiah, am I a fine lady of the 1800s?" And no matter how Uncle Jeremiah scolded and reasoned, she still sent all of the women away after just a week.
"She says they're all boring," Jeremy continued. "The women Father thinks are proper to stay with Grandmother she says are all scandalized by her irreverent sense of humour and her lack of proper decorum for a woman of her age."
"Poor Uncle Jeremiah," Gwen said without any real sympathy in her voice. She respected her father's brother, but he had never really seemed to belong much to the rest of the family—he took himself far too seriously, an affliction no one else suffered. Even Aunt Jenny, his sweet wife, seemed to belong more naturally to the Blakes than he did! Grandmother always called him "A true Byrne," in a tone that did not indicate approval.
Jeremy shrugged. "So I'll be staying there, to keep Father happy and to protect her from any more of his choices. If you were going to be around, you could come too, and we'd have a grand time, you, me, and Grandmother, getting into all sorts of mischief. But no, you have to go be responsible."
"I am sorry," Gwen said with mock contrition. "It would be lovely to be irresponsible with you and Grandmother, but how could I refuse to go help Aunt Ruth?"
Jeremy's face, for once, was serious. "You can't, I know. Don't mind me, Gwen, I'm just being self-indulgent and whiny."
Gwen linked her arm through his. "Nonsense. I won't hear any bad things about you, not even from yourself."
Jeremy groaned. "You aren't good for me, Gwen. You let me think that I am perfectly wonderful, and you know I don't need any encouragement in that direction!"
"But you are wonderful," Gwen said, teasing and yet also half-serious.
Their mingled laughter, point and counterpoint, rang through the streets.
"There you are!" Phil called to them from the vacant lot where he and several other of their chums were waiting. "What took you so long?"
"Jeremy was whining," Gwen joked.
"Yes, that does tend to slow one down," said one of their friends, a tall thin girl who disdained her given name of Edwina (her mother had a sentimental streak) and always went by Poppy. Gwen had long suspected that Jeremy and Poppy were fond of each other as more than just friends, but she never dared hint her suspicions to either of them. They would probably have never spoken to each other again.
"Well, you're here now, so let's play," said Poppy's brother Bert (short for Hubert), tossing a ball into the air impatiently.
The group quickly separated into their usual two teams. Gwen was very poor at both catching and throwing, but her ability to round the bases faster than anyone else made her a valued member of the team. Jeremy, of course, was captain.
At sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen, most of the young people gathered there for baseball were torn between starting to feel too old for these sorts of games, and not being quite ready to enter the adult world of responsibilities quite yet. It was mostly boys gathered there to play; only Poppy, Gwen, and Wen Xue, the petite daughter of the owner of the local Chinese restaurant, who could hit and throw the ball more accurately than any of the boys, were still willing to get all dusty and sweaty playing with the boys. Most of the other girls in their classes gathered on the sidelines to watch and flirt.
The game, as most of them ended, resulted in a resounding win for Jeremy's side. Bert scowled at him afterward.
"At least with half of you being gone this summer, I'll actually have a chance to win once in a while," he said.
"Don't count on it," Jeremy said. "Gwen, Phil, and I may all be leaving, but Xue will still be here."
Xue smiled demurely, exhibiting none of the ferocity she showed on the field.
Bert shook his head. "Poppy, we need to practice more."
"You need to practice more," Poppy told him. "You and the rest of the sluggards on our team. I batted in two of our three runs today, remember."
"Yes, and missed half the catches you should have made."
Gwen left them bickering and caught up with Phil.
"Ready to go home?"
"Yes, please," Phil said. "Katie and Sally keep trying to get me to walk them home, and no matter how many times I tell them that I need to pack before leaving, they keep hinting. Maybe if you are with me, they'll leave me alone."
"Poor Phil!" Gwen felt bad for her brother. Reserved and thoughtful by nature, his good looks and grave courtesy made him an easy target for all the silly girls in their neighbourhood. The two sisters he had mentioned were some of the worst.
They approached the Blake siblings as they were leaving the lot.
"Oh Phil!" Katie called, batting her eyelashes so hard Gwen thought they might fall out. "Don't forget that you promised to walk Sally and me home! We have some of the latest dance records, don't you want to practice them with us?"
"Sorry, girls," Gwen cut in smoothly, before her brother could answer. "But you know Phil and I are both leaving in two days, and Mother and Dad want us home this afternoon so we can finish packing and all those other last-minute things. You'll have to wait to show Phil your dance skills until he comes back."
Phil's face lost some of its hunted appearance as she whisked him away. "Thank you," he breathed.
"Good thing you're going to be joining Uncle Carl on that scientific expedition this summer," Gwen said. "How else would you escape all those girls without me to help you?"
Thinking about an entire summer spent studying bugs and nature in Alberta brought an almost dreamy expression to Phil's face. Gwen laughed. "Only you would get more excited about bugs than girls!"
Phil punched her lightly in the arm. "How about you? When the other girls are planning their summer wardrobes and talking about parties and the new dance steps, you're playing baseball with your brother and cousin, and looking forward to spending your summer taking care of your bedridden aunt." He slanted a look sideways at her. "Unless, of course, the main attraction for the Island isn't Aunt Ruth, but a certain young gentleman Owl."
"Jack is going to be in India this summer with Aunt Faith and Uncle Jem," Gwen said with a straight face.
Phil shook his head. "Poor Oliver."
"I don't want to talk about Oliver; we're just friends, and we both know it. I haven't even spoken to him since we came home last time. Cards at Christmas, that's all." Gwen narrowed her eyes at Phil's skeptical expression. "And if you keep teasing me about it, I'll bring up all the letters you've gotten from the Glen girls since we came home. Lucy Douglas alone must have sent you two dozen!"
Phil raised his hands in surrender. "I yield! No more teasing." They walked on in comfortable silence. Just before they reached their own front gate, he added in a serious tone, "As happy as I am to be spending this summer with Uncle Carl, I am going to miss you, Gwen."
"I'll miss you, too."
"And keep an eye on Chloe!"
At the mention of their cousin, Chloe Ford, Gwen shivered. "Don't worry. Isaiah told me he'll make sure she doesn't try any of her old tricks."
Phil didn't have the trust in Chloe's brother Isaiah that Gwen did, but he nodded. "Just be careful."
"I will." Phil wasn't given much to demonstrations of affection, so Gwen refrained from hugging him. He saw the look in her eyes, though, and leaned over to give her a one-armed hug on his own. She hugged him back, thinking that no matter how much fun she had this summer, it just wasn't going to be quite the same without her dearest friend and brother.