Hello everyone!
Thank you for the fab feedbacks on all my stories this week! It is very much appreciated. Some of you already know I have just turned 14 weeks pregnant and have had a hard (by comparison to my first pregnancy) first trimester. So your support in this has really pushed me along, I know I haven't updated every story every week (and I don't expect that to change) but now I'm out of my first trimester I feel its a bit safer to share the fact. Thank you all so much really I do appreciate it. My daughter who is five is taking being a big sister very very seriously and since we told her at week nine she's been very understanding of mammy's mixed up tummy and short fuse! Bless her! Hope you enjoy!
The afternoon came to fruition and Gilbert had gone to get fire wood for the oven and Anne was sitting in the parlour when Rachel entered.
She looked at Anne before she started talking "You know I speak my mind in such matters, its not that I disapprove of your choice of husband."
"No?" Anne said to her wide eyed. "That's how it felt for both Gilbert and I."
Rachel sat down, unseen to both of them Gilbert stood silently at the door staying back for a moment to see what would happen.
"Was it really your idea to elope?" she asked Anne.
"Yes." Anne admitted again. "I'd put our relationship through enough, we felt if we returned here still unmarried, some opinions may dampen our love and we didn't want that. I just wanted to be married to him."
Rachel sighed "well I see the sense in that of course, some people will be far too outspoken, especially those Pye's, you know Josie just before you came home said she at least wasn't the last one to marry because there would always be you. Well I knew you're lovely disposition and I prayed you would marry before she did." Rachel sighed "I just wished you had married here where we all could see it."
"We plan on a party once we've settled, to celebrate, I'm sure we could ask the minister to bless the marriage." Anne said to her.
"Yes, that might do it Anne." Rachel said satisfied. "And just to be sure, he was gentle with you?" Rachel said concerned.
Anne giggled. "He's the perfect gentleman, every time."
Rachel thought on saying something on the every time but left it. "Well the Blythe's always were a law unto their own, maybe I should have guessed Gilbert would be different. Well I'm sorry Anne." She admitted.
"Its not just me you need to apologise to Rachel. I accept of course, but you really hurt Gilbert very much," Gilbert's heart thumped in his chest and his jaw dropped slightly. Anne was only thinking of his feelings "he's never been like the other boys it hurt him that someone would think he would change just because…"
"Then maybe I should find him." Rachel admitted.
"There's no need to." Gilbert finally spoke the two women turning to see him standing there. "and there's no need for me to hold a grudge, just leave the things intimate between a man and a wife just as that and we'll be fine."
Rachel jumped up and kissed him on the cheek as she past. "Mind you continue to be a gentleman." She said tapping his cheek. Rachel continued and walked out.
Gilbert looked to Anne and smiled as he leaned against the door.
"Must she make me feel like a six year old?" Gilbert said half teasing.
"She does that to all of us." Anne laughed.
"Anne! Anne!" Davy shouted from the kitchen, followed by a storm of feet running into the parlour he almost ignored Gilbert as he passed him in the doorway. "Marilla just told me!" He exclaimed. Leaning over hugged her closely. "Anne! I wish you could have waited but I'm glad you married Gilbert and not that Roy fellow."
Anne blushed. "Davy, that was years ago! What makes you think of him!?" Anne exclaimed.
"Aw, well he never came to the island and he would have taken you away forever, Gilbert won't" he said running into Gilbert giving him a hug. "And I like Gilbert he gives the best presents!"
"Davy!" Anne exclaimed reprimanding him as Gilbert laughed. "You're seventeen and still talking like a boy! Well the last time he gave you a present must have been..."
"Eight years ago and he got me that hockey stick and we went out on Barry's pond because it was frozen over and we played ice hockey all afternoon! I remember it... I know there's more important things Anne but if he's to be my almost brother I have to like him for something other than you like him for!"
"Well let's see if we can get better acquainted over the summer, so you might like me for some personality traits other than my good gift giving." Gilbert said jovially.
"See Gilbert doesn't mind." Davy said beaming. "Did Marilla tell you Dora was courting Ralph?"
"Finally what took that child so long?" Anne said exasperated.
"Andrews?" Gilbert asked. "I suppose if you're seventeen you must all be old enough to court."
"I'm courting Millie I'm going to marry her one day." Davy said in surety.
Gilbert laughed at Anne's face. "Come on Anne, I knew I wanted to marry you at his age. Younger in fact." He said with a grin and a slight blush. "You found the right girl?" He asked Davy who nodded. "well then I have no argument. Millie Ralph, it's a good family too. Is she good too?"
"aww, she's fizzing!" Davy exclaimed.
"Davy!" Anne reprimanded again. "You shouldn't use slang words like that."
"Aw but she is Anne. She's stunning honest."
"Ah!" Gilbert recognised "we used to say 'the jammiest bits of jam.' That was you Anne." He said with a wink to which made her blush.
Davy laughed "Oh I like that! 'The jammiest bits of jam'" Davy admitted. "Oh that's a whoop!" he said leaving the room.
"Davy Keith! Don't you dare repeat that!" Anne called after him. Gilbert chuckling Anne looked at him. "Gilbert Blythe!" she said half shocked.
"Aw come on Anne, boys will be boys." He said finally sitting next to her.
"The jammiest bits of jam?" Anne questioned him blushing.
"I never got to say it but I thought it." He admitted. Kissing her neck briefly. "Yummy." He whispered. "Definitely the jammiest bits of jam." He said with a chuckle. "Lucky me."
"I can't believe anyone would ever describe me like that!" Anne exclaimed.
"The very very best bits." He whispered and looked at her sweetly. "I love you."
"I love you too Gil. You're quite jammy yourself." She whispered.
"Anne! Oh Anne its been too long!" Diana exclaimed pulling in her friend hugging her close holding a glass dish in her hands as Anne had found her in the middle of drying the dishes. "Oh and Fred and Anne and little baby are growing so fast and miss their Aunt Anne!" She exclaimed. "Why Anne you're early?" Diana remarked.
"Yes I am, I thought you might need some extra help in preparing food."
Diana looked at her "its only one more Anne, its no bother." Diana said.
"Actually Diana, I've brought someone along with me if that's okay?" Anne asked her.
"Oh finally a beau! Oh Anne I knew you couldn't swear yourself off men for too much longer! Its been five years since Roy and I never liked him anyway but oh tell me Anne tell me!?" Diana asked of her. She pulled Diana out on the veranda where Diana saw Gilbert standing at the other side of the veranda. Diana dropped the dish which shattered on the floor. She looked to Anne then to Gilbert then back to Anne again. "Gilbert?!" Diana asked astonished.
"He's more than just a beau." Anne told her. "We eloped. Gilbert is my husband."
"How?!" Diana asked. "When? I…." Diana said flabbergasted with a wide smile on her face and tears in her eyes. "Gil." She whispered.
Gilbert walked over and stood in front of Diana. "Hello Diana. I've missed you and Fred an awful lot, you don't mind the extra company do you?"
Instead of answering Diana leaped into Gilbert's arms hugging him as old friends do. Anne smiled and went inside to get the broom and dustpan to clean the mess up. "Gil! I can't believe it! I thought you were gone from the island forever." She pulled back they held each other by the arms "Oh sorry, Doctor Blythe!"
Gilbert smiled "Gil will do just fine and don't forget it."
"Congratulations! For your medical degree… I mean… oh and your marriage… to Anne!" she said him hugging him again. Anne by this point had come back out and was cleaning up the broken glass. "Well I suppose some extra hands are needed Anne, you'll simply have to explain all of this!"
"Oh isn't it romantic Fred?" Diana sighed at the tale. "After all this time!"
Fred nodded. "Yes of course very romantic of course." He said quietly.
" I should get started on the dishes." Diana said standing.
"Here Diana let me help." Anne said. Gilbert stood to help too.
"Don't you dare Gilbert Blythe!" Diana exclaimed. Diana looked to Anne, "Honestly Anne you'll have to get him accustom to being a husband. Stay in here and have a manly chat with Fred." Diana insisted. Gilbert looked to Anne who shrugged and smiled at him. He sat down a blushed a little as Anne and Diana finished clearing the plates and went into the kitchen.
"Been living a bachelor too long." Fred commented going to the glass cabinet and pulling out a couple of glasses and a bottle of whiskey. Gilbert watched as he poured it out for him and handed him the glass. Gilbert took it holding it in his hand. Fred pulled out some cigars and offered him one, on refusal, Fred said to him "Come on Gil, one won't hurt you and anyway we're celebrating." Gilbert looked to Fred then took one.
"I never got the hang of these." He admitted looking at the cigar.
Fred chuckled at Gilbert. "Do you remember round the back of school when Charlie had brought some and Moody sucked in so much…" Gilbert laughed at the memory "… but then you didn't actually have any of yours, have you ever?" Fred asked him.
"I had a couple of puffs of papa's pipe when I was 13 and another time someone brought him some cherry tobacco and I was intrigued so had a go, then at graduation… both times." He said shrugging. "Lit them all had a few puffs never finished one of them."
Fred chuckled. "You've had a lot to celebrate, consider this your stag night one." Fred said to him.
"Well that was something to celebrate." Gilbert said with a grin.
"Gil?" He started then seemed to stop.
"What's wrong?" Gilbert asked him.
"Nothing, I know in one way its been a long time for this to happen, but in another way.. I mean proposing after 6 weeks of knowing her again and marrying two week after. I'm probably being far too sensible for my own good and I didn't want to say it in front of Diana in case she accuses me of being unromantic and I didn't want to hurt Anne by saying it, but she's never mentioned you, not even asked about you, if she knew before those six weeks then she never said anything to Diana and I'm sure she would have if she had known. I just want to be sure, this is…"
"Its alright Fred." Gilbert said trying to release his friend from the question which was playing on his mind. "It did happen very quickly." Gilbert admitted. "You know in those six weeks of seeing her again it was so much like old times, I loved being near her again and I felt so much more myself then I had ever felt since she had rejected me all those years ago. Then the same night I proposed, just before I did actually, she admitted the reason my proposal had been such an awful one all those years ago. She said deep down inside she knew she was turning down the right man." He paused and smiled "and I couldn't let her go again. I needed to keep her."
Fred looked at his friend "Why did she never ask about you?" Fred wondered.
"That's something you'll have to ask Anne." Gilbert replied to him.
Fred nodded. "She hasn't been depriving you of affection has she?" Fred wondered.
"You mean am I sure she loves me?" Gilbert asked.
Fred looked at his friend. "Gil, I don't ask because I think Anne would do it deliberately, I know she wouldn't she isn't that kind of girl, but she could have been swept away in the romance. I look right now at her when she looks at you and I do see love but what about when reality sets in, three four years down the line, its not all flowers and romance."
"I was never sure she loved me before, but Fred had you have been there, if you had seen… if you had been there… you couldn't have questioned it! Just as I can't. Fred, she was broken hearted and I saw it in her eyes every time we met until I proposed to her again. Fred I need you to believe it, I need you to be on our side when the questions start to be asked. Please believe us when we say, Anne is in love with me as I am with her. No we don't know what will happen in the future but we want to face it together, hand in hand."
Fred smiled lightly. "I would never voice my concern of this but anyone but you, you must remember that much of me? I would always say to others you were in love even if I wasn't sure, I would hope you both had enough sense to prove it right." Fred took a sigh. "Call me an old romantic but I do believe it. I do believe how happy she could make you, being married to Diana has given me an unique perspective on Anne Shir… pardon me, Anne Blythe." His smile turning to a wide one. "You're a lucky man. Congratulations."
"Thank you Fred. This will make everything so much easier having you and Di on side." He paused and took a small drink. "And I do believe I am a very lucky man." Gilbert said with a grin.
"Oh?" Fred said picking up on the innuendo. "Very lucky?" he questioned.
Gilbert chuckled "very very very very lucky."
"Just how lucky?" Fred looked in disbelief. "two? Three times?"
"Sure." Gilbert said shrugging. "A day." He said quietly going a tinge pink.
Fred dropped to the chair looking a little pale. He looked to his friend then said "well I suppose being a doctor has its advantages." He said holding his glass out.
Gilbert chinked his glass against Fred's the two fully grown men looked to each other and burst out laughing.
Meanwhile Anne and Diana had gone to the kitchen and were cleaning up but as with the men the girl talk began.
"Diana, can I ask you something about…" Anne trailed.
"we're both married women I'm sure we can discuss such delicate matters, what do you need to know?"
"Its something right after we first made love Gil said and Mrs Lynde asked me about later." Anne asked.
"Oh?" Diana enquired not sure how the two could be related.
"Well, Gilbert asked if he hurt me and Mrs Lynde asked if it hurt at all. Is it… normal to hurt?"
Diana sighed. "Did you ask your husband? He is a doctor."
Anne thought "yes I did immediately when he asked me in the first place. He said opinions varied on it, then went on to explain his feelings on it." Anne told her.
"which are?" Diana asked.
"That if a man is gentle enough it need not hurt and might even cause her a great deal amount of pleasure."
Diana nodded and turned a little pink. "Did he say if the pleasure was normal?"
Anne sighed. "We've talked about it once or twice since and he explained it with his medical books, at the time it made perfect sense what he was saying about it being normal. But then Mrs Lynde was so adamant in what she was saying, I can't help but wonder, if in fact Gilbert could be wrong about it."
Diana sighed. "I'd much rather believe Gilbert on such matters, it is a medical opinion."
"Well did it hurt for you?" Anne asked her friend.
Diana sighed. "Fred and I were very inexperienced about what happened in the bedroom I was given similar advice to what Mrs Lynde sounds to have said to you, but…" Diana paused again not sure how to continue. "After I had Jack, something changed in Fred." Diana explained. "You see when Fred jr. and Anne was born he wasn't in the room, by the time we ha Fred we had another younger doctor come who encouraged the husband to be in the room to witness the birth. Fred hadn't really known with Fred and Anne what went on but afterwards with Jack I was very sore which stopped us from being intimate." Diana explained. "It was only then I explained to Fred just how much it had been painful at times when we had been making love and he sort of went into shock." Diana explained. "It wasn't long after he started being a lot more careful of my needs and well not every time but sometimes…" Diana blushed going quiet. "… it can be pleasurable." She blushed more "oh but please don't tell Fred, I try so hard to hide it! I always thought it wasn't normal and I've been so afraid I was going mad as my mother had warned I might if I started feeling pleasure, but you're saying Gil thinks its normal for us to feel pleasure?"
Anne sighed at least in a little relief. "Yes Diana, yes." Anne replied quietly.
Diana sighed. "at least I know I'm not going mad." Diana said pausing before venturing to the next question. "besides I thought you said you'd only been married just over a week, surely it couldn't have happened that often that you've noticed a pattern?" Diana asked delicately.
Anne blushed slightly "I did say it was pleasurable." She whispered quietly to make sure the men didn't hear. "we haven't exactly been shy of..." Anne blushed.
"and he hasn't hurt you once?" Diana asked.
"no." Anne said bow beetroot in colour "he's been the perfect gentlemen every time." She whispered again.
"every time!?" Diana exclaimed loudly so much so Anne shushed her they stopped and listened for any hint the boys had heard them looked at each other and giggled like schoolgirls. "I can't pretend I'm not a little bit envious Anne. Marrying Gilbert I mean its Gilbert! Who turns out to be a real gentlemen and you get a doctor thrown into the mix! All these things in one man... he must have wanted to be absolutely perfect for you." Diana said.
"Gil didn't become a doctor just to get me!" Anne said to Diana, "he became a doctor while we weren't talking remember?" Anne took a sigh. "Diana?" Anne asked her.
"erm?" she said.
"did you stay in touch with Gil at all since he went to medical school?"
"well we did in the first year but then he stopped writing back, we assumed he just got really busy."
" you never said." Anne said quietly. "did you never tell him I wasn't going to marry Roy?" Anne asked her.
"well I suggested writing it in a letter but Fred said Gil had requested that no one mention you. Fred thought he was too broken hearted to say anything to, I mean he was devastated you know."
"I know he was, but it would have been welcome news." Anne said quietly.
"would you have said yes to him Anne? You never asked once if anyone knew how he was or what he was doing... how were we to know... as for writing to tell Gil, what he have done? Come running back for you, given up his medical courses to be with you? Would you have wanted that?" Diana asked her.
Anne fell silent. " no." She said quietly.
" you never mentioned you missed him, not even to me." Diana said to Anne.
"I didn't want to seem a fool." She admitted. " he was my best friend, of course I missed him. I thought he was happy, I thought he would find someone. When I saw him again and found he was still single, he told me ' there was never anyone else.' I felt as though I was about to explode. I was so excited like I'd never been before I... I think I knew it before but being with him again made me feel it... does that make sense?"
Diana smiled. " yes dearest Anne it does. And I couldn't be happier."