Greeting Kindreds!

Thank you so much for taking this journey with me, and yes impressed I'm staying within Canon, I'm so glad it flowed right its so hard to remember enough foreshadowing that you can look at it and smile but not jump too far ahead of ones self and ruin the fact your in canon.

My reviewers, its a response to all of you at once really. Yes absolutely Anne doesn't have a great example of love growing up and the romance novel is her experience of romance love and where it leads, which is a happily ever after but what comes then, she never thought of really, and I think this is really the discovery of ones first romantic notions really.

I love reading your comments so as always feel free to.

love

Carrots x

Oh Bold and Italics are quotes from Jane Eyre, the Italics only are from the girls' 'stories'. I decided in this chapter not to have it as a big monologue but rather slice it into the story. It might not be the device I go with in the end but its non the less the one I'm using here.


"You speak of friends, Jane?" he asked.

"Yes, of friends," I answered rather hesitatingly: for I knew I meant more than friends, but could not tell what other word to employ. He helped me.

"Ah! Jane. But I want a wife."

"Do you, sir?"

"Yes: is it news to you?"

"Of course: you said nothing about it before."

"Is it unwelcome news?"

"That depends on circumstances, sir—on your choice."

"Which you shall make for me, Jane. I will abide by your decision."

"Choose then, sir—her who loves you best."

"I will at least choose—her I love best. Jane, will you marry me?"

"Yes, sir."

Anne sighed as she looked up from reading the passage out to Diana.

"Isn't Mr Rochester romantic?" Anne asked her.

"Oh yes! Very!" Diana breathed, "Its breath-taking!"

"Tall, dark, handsome and rich..." Anne admitted dreamily.

"Wild, dashing, wicked" Diana smiled. "Can you imagine marrying a man like that one day?" Diana asked her in a hushed tone but still giggling at the prospect of marriage.

"No lesser a man would be worthy of us!" Anne exclaimed, then the two girls looked at each other and began to giggle. Anne looked around to her classmates "No one in Avonlea." She said deflated.

Diana looked across to the boys who in the first warm spring day sat on the opposite side of the path to them. Right now all had finished their lunches and a football was being kicked around them all. Charlie and Gilbert by far were the best co-ordinated, both boys showing off bouncing the ball from their heads to the feet before passing it to the next boy, when Moody tried similar moves the ball shot over to Diana and Anne's tree. It was Fred who was sent to retrieve the ball from the bottom of Diana's feet.

"Excuse me Ladies." He said politely. "Sorry for the interruption." With a smile to Diana which made her blush a little.

"What you reading there?" Charlie asked them.

Anne held up the book.

"Jane Eyre." Gilbert nodded. "Ambitious."

"Finished." Anne boasted.

Gilbert grinned to the ground and nodded before he asked. "Did you like it?" he asked her.

"Have you read it?" Anne asked doubtfully.

"Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you." He quoted much to Anne's surprise. "I know something of it?"

"You enjoyed it?" Anne asked not bothering to hide her surprise.

"I don't think enjoyed is the right word." Gilbert replied thoughtfully.

Anne's eyes rolled "See, Diana, that is what boys know of romance."

Gilbert chuckled "I rather liked the social class divide aspect to the story more, it was more appealing and realistic. The romance was generic, the divide was real. Hardly surprising considering Bronte's own life."

Anne swallowed wordlessly and looked annoyed at Gilbert before he shrugged. "Thank you for letting us retrieve our ball." He called over as Fred re-joined them. Before Diana could look back towards Anne her head was back in the book.


Once in a big city lived a man. His name Horacio. Tall, dashing and wicked, for he had a secret. A one, which was shameful to everyone else, though he knew it should be shameful, it most certainly wasn't to him. On the outward appearance he was a happily married man, with two children and a devoted wife. But his secret, dark and hidden, was that he had a mistress he loved more then all of them...

"Diana!" Her mother tried to get her out of her gaze, "Diana!" she tried now snapping her fingers in front of her daughters face.

"Ummm." Diana sounded before her eyes focused and she looked at her mother. "Yes, Mother?" she asked.

Mrs Barry smiled "Penny for your thought?" she asked.

"Oh I was just thinking of the novel Anne and I were reading today in recess, it was awfully romantic." She sighed.

"Romantic?" Mrs Barry asked worried about what Anne had put into Diana's head already.

"Jane Eyre, mamma." She sighed "don't you think its romantic?" she asked.

"I read it," Her mother nodded "I suppose it is."

Diana smiled and asked her "How did you meet papa?"

Mrs Barry looked curiously at Diana before she admitted "We met at a hayride Avonlea hosted, I was wearing a light blue dress and he had red currant wine which he spilled all down my new blue dress."

Diana looked vexed "Well that's not very romantic."

"No," She shrugged "I don't suppose it is." She paused for a moment before she said "but you know what is?" she asked her daughter who shook her head confused "Have you ever known your father to shout in anger? Or unfairly judge another? Has he ever hit us or not provided for us?"

Diana looked wide eyed in shock.

"You know men like that exist don't you?" she asked Diana. "And do those things in the name of love?" Diana sat silently taking the words of her mother in. "Although there is a little room in everyone's life for romance, I'd never deny you that." She said softer still. "When he holds the door open for you, or he invites you to dance, when he smiles at you across the room or considers you first." Her mother sighed "its why Diana, I don't like you reading so much, they have love, all mixed up."

With this her father came in the room. "How are my beautiful girls today?" he asked them before he kissed his wife on the cheek and came and kissed into Diana's hair.

"How are the fields?" Mrs Barry asked him.

"The ditch at the bottom of the field is finally not flooded in water." He said practically. "Winter I believe is over, we are well and truly in spring."

"We sat outside for lunch today." Diana nodded.

"A picnic." He said with a smile "How quaint."

"Diana was reading with Anne again." The annoyance in Mrs Barry's voice evident enough for her husband to say

"Nothing wrong with a young lady having a hobby is there sweetheart?" he asked her. "I remember you were avid birdwatcher before your domestic duties took a hold." He said, Diana smiled and straighten her back.

"Bird watching didn't interfere with my domestic training." She tried.

"And neither does my reading mama, have I ever not came to your lesson?" she asked her mother carefully.

Her mother sighed "I don't suppose you have." She said finally sitting herself from serving the meal.

"And anyway it give her more to talk about with potential beaux." Her father said with a smile "You wouldn't want to be uninteresting to talk to." Her father grinned at her.

"But once she's married, her husbands opinions should be her own." Her mother said firmly scooping the carrots onto her plate.

"Yes of course dear." Mr Barry grinned at her daughter with a wink to her.


The love of his life was in a women Emilia. She was unearthly beautiful, like an angel sent from above. She had beautiful blue eyes and long brown hair. But they could never really be together.

"Please be with me." She 'd asked of him.

"I can not." He breathed. "I am expected home."

"Then leave her, leave it all behind, come to me, we'd be happy." She told him.

"We are happy." He told her. "But we can not be together."

"Anne, I don't mind you having your head in a book but you need to come up for the dinner table." Marilla tutted as she placed some food in front of Anne who had been reading at the table.

"Sorry Marilla." She said sincerely. "I just can't out it down, there's something about The Green Knight which is just so thrilling!"

Marilla rolled her eyes, "as long as it doesn't interfere with your chores." He said "Speaking of which..." she said indicating to follow her.

Anne smiled and nodded her head standing up from the place at the table following her back into the kitchen "The chicken eggs are collected and in the pantry, the hay is bailed..." Anne picked up the peas and potatoes before they turned back round to go back to the kitchen "...I brought in the clothes and folded them, I've completed my school work, even if it is geometry." She said with a heavy sigh which made Marilla chuckle as they went back into the dining room.

"Was school hard today?" she asked.

"No, not exactly hard, we had science this morning where we wrote about the electric light, although Mr Phillips didn't have the imagination to show one, although I have seen one, well in passing, but it lit the whole room Marilla, isn't that amazing?" she asked.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Marilla asked her shocked.

"Its quite simple once you know what's in there." Anne said practically as they went back through to the kitchen, Anne picking up the plates. "There's a patent for the electric lightbulb you know, held by some Canadians in Toronto, Woodward and Evans. Mr Phillips didn't see that we snuck a look at the Queen's book he reserves for Prissy, although when we were doing science they were at the back doing Maths, I don't know how she's working towards Queen's Marilla her geometry is worse then mine!" Anne exclaimed.

"There's hope for you yet then." Marilla said practically as they say. "You said you snuck a look at the book?"

"Well not me exactly, Gil- I mean one of the boys swiped it from the back of the classroom, the work set was easy enough and we were finished what was assigned, so the boys passed the book over under the table when they saw I was finished copying the passage too. Its in there we learned about the newest patent."

"And what did your black market education teach you?" Marilla asked amused.

" They built their lamps with different sizes and shapes of carbon rods held between electrodes in glass cylinders filled with nitrogen." Anne explained.

"Nitrogen?" Marilla asked.

"Its a sensible choice, its not as reactive as a lot of other gases, meaning the light can last longer in the blub as its not exposed to oxygen." Anne said.

"I see." Marilla smiled. "And one of the boys passed you this book?"

"Yes." Anne confirmed "Gil- I mean they could see I was finished." Anne concluded "it's only fair that once they were finished with the book they passed it to me."

It was then Matthew entered the room.

"I moved those bags of flour for you Marilla." Matthew said quietly sitting down.

Marilla nodded "Thank you Matthew." She said shortly but gently. "That's very considerate." Which made him shrug shyly.

Marilla looked at the small portion of food Anne had plated and asked her "Are you planning on running on empty?" she asked.

Anne rolled her eyes took the serving spoon and put another scoop of vegetables on her plate.


"I can't believe you'd cheat on me!" He wife screamed. "How could you be with her and me at the same time!" she exclaimed.

Horatio only partly repented. He knew being in love with another women was wrong but he still loved Emilia. "what can I do to make it up to you?" He asked her.

"You must kill her." His heartless wife crowed.

"...Mamma said that love and romance are two different things, or if she didn't say it she at last implied it." Diana said tentively as they walked through the gate to the school together.

"I don't mean any disrespect but I highly doubt romance could be found in little old Avonlea, as dear as it is it just doesn't work like that..." Anne spouted as they approached the doors unseen to Anne as she was taking so much Fred Wright jumped up and held the door open for them. Diana paused in thought watching as Anne went through the door without thinking of how it was open. Fred looked at Diana, smiling shyly at her their eyes making contact with each other for the first time. Diana felt her cheeks burn as her eyes diverted to the ground, walking past him she thanked him quietly before she looked up again and a small smile peaked from her lips. "...don't you think?" Anne asked as she approached the pegs, hanging her coat on her peg.

"Only time will tell I suppose."


"...Horacio in the throws of passion rage plunged a danger into Emilia's heart. The action in an instant turned her body cold as she dropped to the floor

"Oh my love..." he said in dark tones "If only you were mine to love." He told her.

"Not in life, but in death." She croaked as she took her final breath."

Diana looked up at her fellow writers and smiled. "Well, what do you think?"

"Oh its thrilling!" Ruby exclaimed.

"It's a little far fetched." Jane said practically.

"Oh no I don't think so." Ruby told her. "My sister says once you have a beau you would rather die then be without him." She squeaked merrily. "Wouldn't it be romantic to die for love?"

"Like Romeo and Juliet." Anne added.

"I don't see what's romantic about them either." Jane said plainly.

"Well I suppose its not Shakespeare we're critiquing tonight." Anne smiled. "But Diana."

Jane sighed "As ridiculous as the plot was it was well structured." Jane said practically. "But sometimes your dialogue obscures the story."

Diana huffed. "I don't understand."

"Well I think what Jane means to say is, you could maybe describe the surroundings a bit more, are they inside outside, is it cold or hot, dark or light, it adds to the atmosphere of the story." Anne said practically. "I do agree with Ruby it would be romantic to die for love." She said with a smile to Diana who smiled at the compliment. "Ruby I do believe it is your turn." Anne introduced.

"Mine is called 'Loving you'." She said with a blush. "Wilburn, the most handsome boy in school had brown hair and hazel eyes..."

Anne looked to Diana and Jane who both looked back knowingly as Anne rolled her eyes.