"… misses you. I know your actions came from a misplaced sense of loyalty, but I wish you had talked to me first." Without announcing herself, Anne crept up and sat next to Marilla who was seated on a rug by Matthew's grave, and enveloped her in her arms. Marilla stopped momentarily, looked at Anne and smiled, leaning into the hug. "I'm just telling Matthew how much we miss him."

The little graveyard was full of Avonlea's dead. Some gravestones were at a lean now or lichen had rendered the names illegible. They had not yet had a chance to get a gravestone carved, in fact they could not afford it, but there was no doubt where he lay, Matthew's grave was still fresh. On this day a fresh scattering of snow hid the humped red soil.

"Do you come here often, Marilla?"

"Sometimes, around this time. It's cold, but I do like to chat to him. I talk, he doesn't; just like old times. You must think I'm very foolish, Anne."

"Oh no Marilla, I come here too. I think we must be just missing each other. Sometimes I come on the way home from school. If I'm late, it's because I've come to tell him about my day."

"Tell us both then," Marilla opened the basket, "here, have a piece of cake."

Nibbling on the cake, Anne explained how Mr Philips hadn't turned up to teach them and how the other teacher, Mr Martin, had had to teach the entire school as they sat crammed into the one classroom. "He had too many of us to teach, Marilla," Anne explained "and we none of us learned very much. During the morning Mrs Bell turned up to explain that Mr Philips has left town."

"My goodness!" Marilla exclaimed. Matthew was silent on the matter.

"Yes, Prissy Andrews went a bit pale and asked to be excused."

"Prissy Andrews? Why her particularly?"

"Mr Philips was sweet on Prissy, Marilla."

"Oh," there was more going on in that classroom than Marilla had been aware of, "and did Prissy like him too?"

"Yes, they were always mooning over each other. He spent more time with her than he ever did teaching us."

Marilla frowned, "I know I told you never to speak ill of your teacher, Anne. But this seems quite inappropriate."

"It really was."

"So, are they going to replace Mr Philips?" Marilla asked.

"Yes, Mrs Bell said the trustees will place an advertisement in the newspaper," Anne replied.

"Mr Martin will be busy teaching both classes. Come, I'm cold. Let's go home for a warm drink and prepare dinner," Marilla suggested.

"Goodbye Matthew, we'll see you soon," Anne blew the grave a kiss as they left.

Arm in arm the Cuthberts walked home through the snow until the inviting sight of Green Gables appeared around a corner. Anne paused momentarily "it's beautiful isn't it."

Marilla looked at the house too, "yes, we are just so very lucky we didn't lose it."

They walked inside and stood by the fire for a few moments warming up, turning around when their fronts were warm; before Marilla bustled out to the pantry to fetch the dinner things.

At the dinner table Marilla looked at Anne "We are lucky we got to keep the old place, but Anne we need some income until the next harvest. And I don't even know how we're going to manage until then or how to manage the harvest. It's just the two of us. It's not going to be easy."

"What can we do to make some money? I suppose I could clean houses."

"Well that's hardly sustainable, Anne. You have your studies. Let me think."

"I took Marilla some food today." Rachel told Thomas over dinner a couple of days later. "I'm worried about them."

"Yes?"

"Of course, they're missing Matthew dreadfully, but more than that they don't have an income."

"They're out of debt aren't they, thanks to Miss Barry."

"Yes Thomas, but they still don't have any money put by. The crop was lost as you know. Without that and without Matthew to farm, how are they going to cope?"

Thomas looked at his wife thoughtfully. "Hmm, I don't know, we shall have to ponder. Any news on the new teacher?"

"We advertised, it's not going to be easy to find someone at this time of the year."

"How is Mademoiselle Cuthbert, Jerry?" Madam Baynard asked when he came home after a hard days work.

"She is fine, I'm worried about them though, Maman."

"How so, they are out of debt now, are they not? They are lucky, I wish we had a benefactor like that."

"Oui Maman, but they need help sewing the crops when spring comes. I don't think I can do it all by myself. It's a big job and I've never done it before."

"The Baynard family will help. They have been good to you, we will help."

"Thomas, we had an application for the teacher's job," announced Rachel a couple of weeks later.

"Aha."

"A woman, Muriel Stacey. We've never had a lady teacher here in Avonlea. It's a bit unusual, but at this time of year, beggars can't be choosers I suppose."

"A woman? Hmm. It might not be so bad you know. It's not as though your last man was great shakes." Thomas waved his fork at her, "You know, it might kill two birds with one stone, as it were."

"Whatever do you mean, Thomas?"

"Perhaps this Muriel Stacey could board with Marilla and Anne? She'd get a nice place to stay and her board would provide them with some income."

Rachel stared at her husband in shock, "you know Thomas Lynde, you're not just a pretty face," she walked around the table and leant over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Marilla! Marilla!" Rachel called as she rushed into the familiar Green Gables a week later. "We've chosen a new teacher. It's a lady, Muriel Stacey."

"A lady, well goodness gracious me. That is unusual."

"I know, we've never had a lady teacher at the Avonlea School, but we had no choice at this time of the year. She comes highly regarded."

"Why is she free then?"

"I don't know, a change in circumstances perhaps? Anyway, Thomas and I were discussing your situation the other night."

"Our situation?" Marilla asked, tightly.

"Oh, yes you know. The money situation."

"I'm not sure I like the thought of you two are discussing our personal circumstances, Rachel."

"It's just Thomas. I haven't been chatting to the whole town. Anyway, do you want to hear our suggestion?"

Marilla poured the tea and sat down looking at Rachel, "I suppose so."

"It was Thomas' idea. How would it be if this new teacher came to board with you and Anne? She could pay rent and keep the wolf from the door, so to speak."

Marilla could think of a multitude of reasons why that plan wouldn't work, but right now she couldn't actually voice any. Money was tight, verging on non-existent and she had been worried how they would get through. Even with the income from the sale of their goods, they would run out of money well before the harvest, which had yet to be sown. It was all rather a mess, she couldn't sleep at night for fretting about it. "I, er, um, I."

"Yes, I think this is the best plan, Marilla. Muriel Stacey can stay here. You can cook and clean for her, leaving her time to prepare lessons and mark assignments. I'm sure she would be delighted to live with you. You've got space. She could stay in Matthew's old room," Rachel glanced up at Marilla who was looking at her in shock, "or maybe another room," faltered Rachel, realising her mistake. Marilla's eyes filled with tears and Rachel patted her hand. "I'm sorry, that was thoughtless of me. It's too soon for that isn't it? I'll help you make up the other spare room, upstairs. "Do you want me to talk to her? Maybe she could come by and see the house. We'll say the usual teacher's house is rundown and inappropriate for a lady."

"I don't want to lie to her, Rachel."

"No, no, not lie. Just a wee embellishment, Marilla. For the sake of your coffers."

"I suppose so," Marilla said with a frown.

"Now, you have to be positive, dear."

"Before you go off half cocked, I need to talk it over with Anne. It affects her too. What if she doesn't like the idea of living with her teacher?"

"Pfft, I imagine she will be delighted," Rachel scoffed.

"Knowing Anne, she probably will be. Despite that I have to ask her first. Miss Stacey will be her teacher after all."

When Anne ran in from school that afternoon, Marilla was waiting with folded arms. Anne stumbled, she had learned that stance meant Mariilla had something to say, often unpleasant.

"Wh-what is it Marilla? Is something the matter?" Anne's guilty conscience got the better of her, though she couldn't recall having done anything wrong lately.

"No, nothing's the matter," Marilla replied with a smile, "why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason, sorry," Anne was reluctant to let Marilla know about her tell. It came in useful now and then.

"Come and sit down, I baked plum puffs for you."

"Oh Marilla, I don't think you've baked them since Matthew..." Anne couldn't say the word, not yet. Subconsciously, she felt if she didn't say it, it wasn't true. "Since then," she finished lamely.

"No, I don't think I have, have I darling? Come have one with me and we'll remember him," Marilla offered.

"I feel everyone else has moved on, you know. But I'm not ready to, I don't think I'll ever be ready," Anne stated sadly.

"Of course they have, life moves on for them," Marilla counselled her. "When you lose someone you love, I don't think you ever really move on, you know. The pain dulls, but it never really goes away. It just becomes a part of you. You loved Matthew so dearly, and the price you pay for that love is this pain now he's gone. It hurts, but it tells me how much you loved him in the first place, so it's a good thing. Do you understand? It won't always hurt this much, but the memory of the pain and the memory of him will remain." Marilla hugged Anne with all her might. It felt good somehow to have someone to share this time with. If Anne had never arrived, she would be on her own now. It was selfish, she supposed, to think this way. But then Anne and Matthew had enjoyed a wonderful relationship and that was a good thing to witness, surely?

"What did you want to say, earlier?" Anne asked, as she dried her eyes and blew her nose.

"Oh, yes I nearly forgot. Well Rachel was up here earlier. They have appointed a new teacher, a lady."

"How wonderful," Anne looked delighted.

"Rachel was wondering if she might board here with us, give us a little income, you know"

"Wouldn't she stay at the teacher's house? Isn't that the normal thing to do?"

"Well yes, but it's a bit dilapidated. Instead of fixing it up, it might be nicer if she lived here. We could certainly do with the money. What do you think?" Marilla looked at Anne for her approval.

Living with the teacher? Anne wasn't sure. She couldn't imagine living with Mr Philips, but there was a good chance this lady teacher would be nicer than he had ever been, she could hardly be worse.

"I sup-pose so?" Anne said tentatively.

"How about we meet her first, so you can be sure. It's a lot to take in, I suppose, particularly given your track record with teachers," Marilla suggested.

"Could we? That would be delightful. Can we invite her to tea Marilla?" Anne jumped up when she said it and gave Marilla a big hug.

"Settle down child. Of course we can. I'll send word via Rachel that we would like to meet her first."