Caroline Blythe had been dead for a little over a year, the victim of a heart attack. Her friends and family mourned her. John and Gilbert were devastated that such an indomitable woman should have been carried off so quickly. They were bereft and had struggled to come to terms with her passing.
In January sometime after Caroline's death John Blythe bumped into Marilla Cuthbert at the store in Charlottetown. "Why John, how nice to see you" exclaimed Marilla. "Have you heard from Gilbert and Anne lately?"
Marilla and John had been an item many years prior. That had not worked out, but any animosity between them had long since dissipated. There was only so long you could maintain your anger. Besides they were joint grandparents to Anne and Gilbert's children, so they saw quite a bit of each other these days.
"Yes, I had a letter from Gilbert last week he sounds busy; the community there are keeping him on his toes. The children are all well. Have you heard from Anne?"
"No, I'm expecting a letter any day now, she must be busy too."
"How are you getting home, do you need a lift?" enquired John.
"I'm fine thank you. But perhaps you would like to come to dinner tonight? I cooked beef stew yesterday, it's had time for the flavours to develop, I always think it tastes better a day or so after it's made."
"That would be lovely." John was a passable cook, he'd had to be now that he was a widower, but it was no fun cooking for one. He eagerly accepted any dinner invitations that came his way. Marilla was an excellent cook, so dinner at Green Gables was sure to be delicious.
Accordingly that night John could be found knocking on Marilla's door. He had stamped his boots free from the snow and dusted off his coat. She opened the door and quickly invited him in out of the cold. The house was warm and toasty.
"Come in come in. Do you mind sitting in the kitchen? It's warmer."
"Sounds delightful, it really is quite cold out", said a relieved John. If a good dinner and company hadn't been on offer John would have been loath to leave his own house that snowy night.
He sat down in a chair by the fire and accepted a glass of red currant wine. "Is this the same stuff that got Diana Barry drunk all those years ago?" He asked mischievously.
"Different batch of course, but yes; so you heard about that did you?"
"I think all of Avonlea heard that little story" he grinned back at her.
"Oh Eliza Barry was so upset over that incident. Poor Anne was so distraught that she and Diana had to be estranged for a time. Eliza only allowed them to be reunited because Anne saved Minnie May when she had croup. If it hadn't been for that, I suspect the girls would still be separated to this day." They both had a chuckle over that. Eliza, head of the temperance league had rather over-reacted. "I always thought that if a daughter of mine had consumed 3 glasses of wine, they deserved what they got for their gluttony. But I could hardly say that to Eliza when her blood was up."
"Well I can't blame her," said John "it is delicious. Are you joining me?"
"Oh yes of course" said Marilla. "I must say, I do agree with you. It is quite a nice drop, even if I do say so myself."
Marilla got up to serve the stew "hungry?"
John could smell the delicious aroma of Marilla's stew. It certainly smelt better than anything he cooked. "Yes I am, it smells divine."
She had baked some bread rolls to accompany the meat. They sat down at the table to enjoy it.
John had a couple of hearty spoonfuls of stew; Marilla was pleased. It was always satisfying to watch your dinner eaten with enthusiasm. John broke open a bread roll and spread some butter. The bread was still warm from the oven and the butter melted over the hot dough. He bit into the crusty roll and groaned with pleasure. "Oh, I've missed good home made bread. I've never developed the knack for it. Caroline was such a wonderful baker." Marilla reached over and held his hand. She was sorry that Caroline had passed away. They had been friends for many years.
Once the stew was consumed, Marilla bought out a plum pie. She had had the plums stewing in the pantry since summer. If Marilla was well known for her main courses, she was even more famous for her desserts. John was happy to see one of her marvelous pies on offer. She cut off a piece of pie for him and added whipped cream. "Coffee?"
"Yes please."
Sated, they sat by the fire and chatted about this and that. After an hour or so, John took his leave thanking Marilla for a lovely evening. "We must do it again sometime." They promised each other.
It became rather a common event. Once or twice a week John would go to Marilla's for dinner. Marilla bumped into Rachel Lynde at the Avonlea store one day. "What's this I hear about you and John, Marilla? I think he's sweet on you, that's what."
"Oh shush, we're too old for that sort of thing, Rachel. John and I are just good friends is all."