Those of you with keen eyes might have noticed I deleted some of my older work on here. Some of it I've saved ready for a re write some I've just rid of. Its not that I'm ashamed but simply I've changed so much since starting on here.

But really it was in those early stories I really started to find my voice so thank you all for your support!

Gilbert was surprised when Roy turned up at his door the next morning.

"I'm sorry to intrude." Roy said with an almost silk voice. "I was wondering if I might know you better."

"Of course." Gilbert said trying his best to keep the mood light. "A walk perhaps, I promise to keep you away from fish ponds." He said lightly. Roy looked at him rather seriously for a moment. "A joke." Gilbert assured him. "I'm kidding."

"Ah Yes." Roy acknowledged "Anne said you liked to joke." He said not understanding Gilbert was trying to make things lighter. "A walk would be good. I would like to see some of this little Avonlea of yours."

Gilbert nodded and they started to walk through the woods, staying mainly on the paths.

"Did you come from Anne's this morning?" Gilbert asked.

"No." Roy admitted. "You know Anne's home is too small for many visitors, I took Ailne to a well-established well run Inn near Stanley Bridge."

"Oh the Inn at the Pier." Gilbert acknowledged

"Yes that's the one, you know it?" Roy asked.

"well not it, but the owners, I've been the teacher over in Stanley Bridge the last two years, their children attended my school."

"There were children there? I didn't even hear them." Roy said.

"They are good children, I would expect their parents would have them well trained for the family business." Gilbert said.

"Yes." Roy said. "I can appreciate that." Roy sighed. "You'll have to excuse Ailne, she's a little intense, I understand she called you Anne's 'playmate'. " Roy said looking at Gilbert.

"Well, in some degree…" Gilbert started.

"No, not in any." Roy said quietly. "Look, I know my station in life Gilbert. I know how I'm viewed. And in some respects, I have a lot of responsibilities, but my father always taught me, never to talk down to anyone. The world needs farmers and teachers and doctors, we need the chimney sweepers the road sweepers, we all have our parts in life in order for this world to function. "

Gilbert smiled. "I think I'll like your father."

"Well he passed away three years ago."

"Oh I'm sorry."

"No there's no need to be. The estate was left in my mummy's care until I became of age, in my case, finishing university." He sighed. "She was raised in a rich family and expected to marry into one, she has impossibly high standards which I must meet." He stopped and thought for a moment. "My father worshipped my her and although she has all the spoilt tendencies of a rich girl, she is still my mother."

"I can understand that." Gilbert said.

"She has passed some of these tendencies onto my sister Ailne, but Dorothy was always a daddy's girl, so I think she has a lot of the same personality traits as I do."

Gilbert looked to Roy before he said carefully. "Well it must be nice to have siblings."

"I love my mummy very much." Roy said to him.

"That's good." Gilbert said, "My papa said you could always tell what kind of husband a man would be by the way he treated his mother, if he is disrespectable to her he would be to a wife. You'll be a good husband."

"I hope you think so." Roy said genuinely. "See if you don't like me…" he said gently. "I have no chance with Anne." He told Gilbert.

Gilbert wasn't sure what to say. "well…" he started slowly. "So far, you have made a genuine and good impression." He told him frankly. "Though I'm glad Anne isn't marrying your sister." He said with a smile.

Roy looked at him seriously for a moment. "Ah!" he exclaimed with a smile. "Another joke."

Gilbert's lips unturned to a side grin "hey, you're getting better at this."

Anne and Roy were sitting in the parlor talking when Gilbert arrived at Anne's house.

There were some marked differences between the two siblings, Gilbert had noticed. Roy it seemed didn't perch on the edge of the furniture as if it were beneath him to sit there, he sat comfortably. Roy tried to help with the little things like chopping wood (although it was done badly and Gilbert had to sharpen the blade afterwards), and pouring the tea, he even helped with putting the washing out.

"Gilbert." Bertha smiled as she was chopping the vegetables.

"Oh here let me help." Gilbert said fondly reaching for a knife.

"Thank you Gil." She said to him. "Potatoes?" she said offering him the vegetable to cut. He nodded. "You know Anne and Roy are in the parlour. You could go in there and…"

"No thank you." He said quietly. "Its too…." He trailed. He looked down blushing.

"You know, Roy tried to peel the potatoes the other day." Bertha smiled.

"Oh?" Gilbert said.

Bertha giggled. "I don't think he's had much training in the kitchen." She said shaking her head. "There was more potato peeled then actual potatoes!"

"Oh dear." Gilbert said. "What did you do?"

"I took the peel and put it in the oven, we had a sort of baked potato skin." She smiled.

"Good thinking." Gilbert told her. He sighed, "but there's nothing not to like." He said, then hopefully looked at her "is there?"

Bertha looked at him sadly. "No Gil." She acknowledged. "he tries where he's not able and is a sweet boy." She sighed. "I want to hate him." She whispered.

Gilbert looked at her. "wanna know a secret?" he asked. "Me too." He smiled at Bertha then looked away sadly.

"He's exactly the right sort of wrong man for her." She whispered.

Gilbert looked at Bertha again. "Thank you." He said with a grin "I don't feel as bad wanting to hate him if you want to too."

They grinned before they started to laugh together. She looked at the peeled potato. "See, it is possible for the potato to be peeled right by a man." She joked.