It was a golden cloudy, loveable afternoon, which was why Rilla had gone to Rainbow Valley. She went to her sylvan dell, and looked around her. She loved this spot; every thing in it was part of her. She could almost see Walter lying down with his head buried in a poetry book; Jem with his head buried in a medical journal; she could almost hear Nan and Jerry bickering about something that was important to both of them. She could almost see Di next to Walter, sewing something, whilst talking and laughing with Faith, and Una. So lost was she in her thoughts that a voice startled her. 'Good afternoon, Miss Blythe,' Rilla jumped, startled. She regained her composure quickly and returned the greeting. 'Good afternoon, Mr. Ford,' she said, with a smile. Ken stood in front of her, looking at her with twinkling eyes. 'Your mother said you were here, somewhere, so I came along. I'm not disturbing you, am I?'

'No, you're not,' Rilla replied. 'I was just thinking, and remembering,'

'What were you thinking of?'

'The last time I was here with Walter,' Rilla replied, as Ken sat down next to her. 'It's three years ago since it happened, yet, I cant help but think it happened yesterday,' Ken put his arm around her. 'I miss him so much, sometimes, that it's all I can do to 'keep faith'.'

'You are 'keeping faith' as well as anyone could expect you to,' Ken replied. 'You've done so much to help out your mother and Susan, that I'm sure Walter would be proud of you,' Rilla smiled, and leant back against him. 'If it helps at all, I miss him, too, you know,'

'I know you do, and it does help, sometimes, but not at three o'clock at night,' Rilla responded. The two of them were silent for awhile before Ken said. 'I came to ask you a question,'

'A personal one?' Rilla asked, with a smile. Ken let go of her and took her hand. Rilla looked at him, with surprise in her eyes. 'You might say it is,' he replied, matching her smile. 'Rilla, what do you say about getting married next spring?'

'I say yes!' Rilla said, sounding like the girl Ken had danced with at her first party. 'Yes, yes, yeth!'

'I thought you might,' Ken slipped a ring onto Rilla's finger. 'You've been mine for a long time, but it's time you start showing the world who you belong to,'

'I belong to nobody but myself, Kenneth Ford!' Rilla laughed, as she looked at her ring. 'It's beautiful,'

'So are you,' Ken said, with something in his voice that made Rilla blush. 'You're beautiful, and mine, nobody else's,' Rilla's blush deepened. Looking at her, Ken saw that she was trying not to cry. 'What's the matter, Rilla?' he asked, concern in his eyes and voice. 'I'm not crying because I'm sad; I'm crying because I'm happy,' Rilla said, with a sob. Ken took her in his arms and held her for a long while. The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon in the valley.

Rilla stood up regretfully. 'Coming in to dinner?' she asked, looking at Ken. He was stretched out at full length on the ground, his hands under his head, as he looked at the stars. 'Yes,' he said, sitting up and looking at her with a look that made Rilla blush. 'Let's go and tell the family that the date has been set,' he said.

'Not yet,' Rilla replied. 'They'll just be happy that I'm finally engaged,' she finished, cheekily. Ken laughed.

'You sound like the Rilla I remember from childhood,' he said. 'when you used to chase Walter around the garden at the House of Dreams,'

'As I remember it, you and Walter were the ones who did most of the chasing, and it was of me,' Rilla said, with a laugh. 'it seems so long ago,'

'It is long ago,' Ken stood up. 'Everything that happened before the war was a long time ago. It was in a different world,'

'I guess that's what Shirley feels,' Rilla said, as she saw her brother sitting alone in the garden. 'He used to be quiet before the war, and now, he's even more so. Mother's worried about him; so am I. It's not like him to be this quiet,'

'maybe he's trying to get used to the world as it is now,' Ken suggested, softly. 'I had trouble finding my feet in the world, and only because you're here, was I able to figure out what I had to do in order to become someone you could be proud of.' Rilla smiled, and the two of them went inside.

The dining room was a chaotic place. Rilla and Ken sat down and as soon as grace was said, Gilbert looked at his youngest daughter's twinkling eyes. 'You seem happy, Rilla, daughter of anne,'

'I am happy, Dad,' Rilla replied, as she poured a glass of water. 'And before you ask, Jem, no, I haven't been into the dandelion wine. You're the only one silly enough to do that,' Her eyes laughed at him. Jem joined in the laughter that greeted her statement. 'I was twelve,' he defended himself.

'You were old enough to know better,' Anne said, laughing. 'Rilla, is Shirley outside?'

'He's in the garden,' Rilla replied. 'He didn't talk to us, did he Ken?'

'No, he didn't,' Ken answered. 'He seemed like he wanted to be left alone,'

'That sounds like Shirley,' Nan remarked. 'He's always so quiet,'

'That's because he's like Grandfather Blythe,' Jem said. 'He was a quiet person, too, wasn't he dad?'

'Yes, he was,' Gilbert replied. Before he could say anything else, the telephone rang and he excused himself to answer it.

After the meal, Rilla and Ken went outside and sat on the veranda. They sat in the dark, not talking, but glad of each other's nearness. Finally Ken stood up. 'I must go, or Mother will think I've gone back to Toronto,' Rilla smiled, and walked with Ken to the garden gate where they had said farewell his last night of leave before going to fight. Ken kissed her, and walked off, whistling softly. Rilla watched until he had gone, and then turned to go back inside, and got a surprise. Standing in front of her was Shirley. 'Can we talk?' he asked. Rilla nodded, and followed him to the bench he'd been sitting on.

'Rilla, how do you do it?' Shirley asked when they were seated.

'Do what?'

'Keep faith!' Shirley said. 'I cant, and I've tried to, believe me,'

'It is hard,' Rilla began

'Hard! I should say it is!' Shirley burst out. 'you know, Walter and I were close,'

'you were?' Rilla asked. 'I didn't know,'

'Not many did,' Shirley replied. 'Yes, we were close. I used to go to him if I had something bothering me, and he'd always give me some advice. I had no idea how much I depended on his advice until word came of Courcelette,' he was silent for a minute. 'And now, I don't have anyone to turn to. I've been trying to keep faith, but it's hard to do it alone,'

'I'll help you, if you like,' Rilla offered. Shirley stared at her, and then nodded.

'I'd like that,' he said, with a small smile. Rilla did something she hadn't done since they were little. She put her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Shirley was surprised, but returned the hug. 'Come in, and have something to eat,' Rilla said after they'd finished. Shirley allowed himself to be pulled up and noticed the ring on Rilla's finger. 'He finally asked, did he?'

'He finally gave me some proof,' Rilla replied, with a smile. Shirley smiled at her and followed her inside.

Rilla stood for a while at her open window before she went to bed. From her window, she got a good view of the House of Dreams, and the light at the top of the house was Ken's, as she knew very well. She stood there until it went out, and then went to her bed. 'I wonder if he knows he can see my room from his?' she mused sleepily.