"you didn't tell me you had started to write to Diana Barry." Gilbert said ad they settled on their train journey from Charlottetown to Avonlea.
"Didn't I?" Anne asked surprised. " it wasn't deliberate, I was sure I told you."
Gilbert smiled. "I don't say it in reprimand." He told her. " I'm not one of those 'you must tell me everything' kind of fellows." He said with a grin. "if anything I'm glad, I always thought you and Diana would get along splendidly."
"just those few times when it was just she and I we got along so well, she's like you and let's me take flight in my fancies, there's not many true kindred spirits like that. We started to write to each other after Christmas ." She looked to him. "How did you find out?" she asked intrigued.
He smiled "as you find out most things in Avonlea, on their rumour mill." He took a sigh. "Diana's mother told Mrs Sloane who told Charlie who told me in his last letter to me."
Anne smiled. "Sorry you must find out so." Anne laughed. "You won't mind will you? If I spend some time with Diana?" she asked him seriously.
He laughed. "since when could I control who your friends are?" he looked to her. "I wouldn't if I could." He whispered. "you have every right to want to be Diana Barry's friend and anyone else who might take your fancy." He smiled "you still love me?" He whispered romantically.
She smiled and held his cheek in her hand "I still love you." She whispered.
"then all is well in the world." He whispered back.
She smiled " did Fred tell you they are finally courting?" Anne smiled.
" really!?" Gilbert asked in a happy delight. " finally! He's had his eye on her long enough!" He said with a laugh.
"maybe it's Avonlea boys." Anne said with a laugh. " took you long enough." She said referring to their own romance.
" not all Avonlea boys are like us as you have proof you know enough of us." Gilbert grinned.
" wouldn't it be lovely to all go in a picnic together? You and I, Diana and Fred. Sirens some time with some real kindreds?" Anne asked him.
" if you'd like." Gilbert said still gazing at her. He was a lucky man and he knew it, not every girl could fit herself into every social situation given to her and fit right in! Anne seemed to have a knack for it.
"...and the ghost of Mr Hammond never rested but still haunts the mill." Anne said finishing her ghost story. Fred and Diana sat wide eyed and particularly scared of the story, Gilbert sat and grinned at the story. "I'm afraid that's the closest thing Bolingbroke had to a ghost story and alas it didn't even happen in Bolingbroke that happened in Marysville." She sighed heavily.
"Anne you have such a vivid imagination!" Diana exclaimed with bated breath.
"Don't you have any ghost stories in Avonlea?" she asked. I would imagine you would with all the woods and nooks you have."
Gilbert was the first to speak "there's the tale of the white lady in the woods." He said.
"Oh do tell!" Anne smiled.
" There's a white lady walks along the brook just about this time of the night and wrings her hands and utters wailing cries. She appears when there is to be a death in the family. And the ghost of a little murdered child haunts the corner up by Idlewild; it creeps up behind you and lays its cold fingers on your hand—" he said spookily bringing his hand down on Anne's slowly. Anne jumped a little as he laughed gently.
"Gilbert Blythe you'll scare me half to death!" Anne laughed.
"Thought you'd know better Gilbert, then to heed to such nonsense." Fred reprimanded him.
"hardly heeding to it knowing it, come on Fred we told ghost stories like that round the fire camping plenty."
"Not when there's ladies present." Fred said leaning into Diana slightly.
Gilbert looked to Anne nervously "Come on Gilbert I have four brothers in think I can handle little ghost stories."
" I never thought of filtering what I was saying in front of you." He admitted quietly. "at least not like that. "
"Good." Anne smiled.
Diana rolled her eyes "don't you want to be treated like a lady?" she asked Anne non judgmentally.
"I am." Anne said turning her nose up slightly. "don't you want a man with an imagination?" she asked Diana equally.
"Well there's something to be said to both. " Diana smiled.
"and one doesn't exclude the other." Anne added holding up her plastic cup in a cheers motion.
"I couldn't agree more." Diana laughed fake clinking their cups.
"Here here." Gilbert said joining in. Fred looked to them all and shook his head bringing his cup up too.
They had gone on a walk round the lake Anne with Diana and Gilbert and Fred talking behind them.
"I can't believe you're off to College Anne, I barely know you but it feels like I've known you forever."
Anne smiled "it's what happens when you meet a real kindred spirit." She said. "its what happened when I met Gilbert too." She looked to Diana. "is that what it's like with Fred for you?" she asked her.
"i don't know." Diana admitted. "but then I have known Fred my whole life."
Anne laughed "Yes I suppose you have. I didn't think of that." She sighed. "isn't it lovely to find somebody to love?" Anne said dreamily.
"you always go off into a dream world Anne." Diana observed.
"don't you?" Anne asked her.
"i think I might like to." Diana sighed. "My mother insists it's nor ladylike to be off in fancies."
"Well that's just not true at all!" Anne blurted then realised it really was very rude to disagree quite so strongly with Diana's mother. "what I mean to say is. .. I don't think life would be worth living if .i had no imagination. It helps me at the worse of times..." She trailed. "mind you it also get me into silly situations with Gilbert. I don't know why I always imagine the worse with him. First with Josie then at school with that girl."
Diana sighed thoughtfully "I think when we love someone it can bring out our insecurities." She reflected. "but I would hope they would know me well enough to pull me back." She said practicality.
" which is exactly what Gilbert did with me." Anne smiled.
"I don't know what you were thinking, he's had a smile plastered on his face since the day he met you, and when your letters came... it was like he was on cloud nine, even long before you got together." Diana said with a crooked smile.
" really?!" Anne asked longingly.
"I could tell he loved you though he didn't say it directly. You changed him somehow." Diana whispered " you had him tongue tied!" Diana confessed. " I'd never seen him like that before."
Anne turned and looked at Gilbert giving him a smile then turned back to Diana. " do you think he still feels like that?" Anne asked blushing picking a flower and turning to Diana
"I think..." Diana said in a concluding voice also picking a flower and sliding it into Anne's hair as Anne slid one into hers. " Gilbert Blythe is more in love with you then ever."
" I'll race you!" Anne exclaimed to Gilbert when Diana and Fred had parted ways. Anne always felt a certain formality with Fred around although they had met several times and she liked him well enough, but that was all. She understood how Diana liked him, in fact she reflected, Fred matched Diana's practical side VERY well, she couldn't imagine a better match in that sense, but she couldn't find a kindred in him yet. ' there must be' she had concluded. He was afterall the man her kindred spirits Gilbert (who she was in love with) and Diana (who she finally started to believe she could have a best friend who was a girl was possible in her) both spoke highly of and it wasn't as though Fred was an awful chap, he in fact was pleasant. Yes that's all it was, she just needed to know him better, perhaps there would be a kinship in there. Now that formal presence was no longer there she longed to be free and run!
" oh you've had it Anne Shirley!" He challenged, but before the sentence was out of his mouth she was already running away through the woods. He smiled and started to run after her.
He didn't have time to stop her before she jumped a gate " Anne wait no hold on..." He tried gasping for breath but it was too late Anne was on the edge of Green Gables property and ran straight into Marilla Cuthbert.
" Miss Cuthbert." Gilbert gasped for air. " I'm so sorry." He apologized. " Anne is from out of town and didn't know this wasn't part of Blythe property. It's my fault I didn't tell her."
Although Marilla looked shocked she was composed enough. " maybe if the pair of you weren't out running so wildly you might have had the chance to warn her."
" yes Miss Cuthbert." Gilbert said humbly.
" oh please don't blame Gilbert, it's not entirely his fault." Anne defended him quickly. " it was my idea to race."
" Gilbert..," Marilla trailed looking at him again. " Blythe." She stated. Gilbert knew it wasn't a question but a statement " John Blythe's son." She looked seriously at him with what Anne right was a hint of regret on her face.
" yes ma'am." He said quietly.
" you..," Marilla trailed. ".., you look like your father." She told him.
"I get that a lot." He admitted.
Marilla sighed. " as long as this is green gables property you're welcome to use the short cut through the field to Blythe property, heaven knows it's not being used for anything else."
" oh? That's a shame you have good soul and I used to see Matthew up here tending to the stock, they were always healthy, have you not hired anyone to take care of the fields for you?" Gilbert asked.
" well, Rachel Lynde is moving in and suggested I do just that." She sighed " she's been terrible lonesome since Mr Lynde passed away." She stared down the field "I suppose it's a little too late in the season to start anything now." She remarked.
" oh no you could still get a small yield of summer season but if you start planting now you'll likely get a good fall yield too."
Marilla smiled " you sound like your father."
Gilbert shrugged " just the farmers boy coming out in me."
" but I hear you're at college?" Marilla asked him.
" yes, Anne is going to join me there in September," he said nervously.
" well, I maybe old fashioned in some ways but it's important for a women to have an education, especially now a days the world being what it is, I might have not..," she trailed and looked to Anne and they caught each other's eyes both women having the feeling they had met before but couldn't put their finger on it. " well Gilbert Blythe..," Marilla said looking away from the red haired girl " don't run wildly as you were and you can use the short cut all you like... you and your beau."
" thank you miss Cuthbert." He said humbly " can we walk you back to green gables?" He asked her.
" no thank you, I maybe half blind but I can still make it home by myself." Marilla replied.
" of course," Gilbert said quietly. " thank you miss Cuthbert," he acknowledged as she walked away. He looked to Anne as they walked out of earshot to miss Cuthbert and saw a perplexed look on Anne's face, " are you alright Anne? Miss Cuthbert doesn't mean to be severe..." He trailed.
" no it's not that." Anne said quietly. " there's something familiar about her." Anne said looking at the older women at the other side of the field. " have I met her before?" Anne asked him. " in town?" she asked.
" no I don't think so." He shrugged.
" really strange feeling." She said dreamily. She shuddered before looking up to Gilbert " different life I suppose." She concluded reflectively.
So I've wanted to write a scene at least with Marilla in since I started this... but I didn't want it to sad and I wanted to skim over some of the effects of not having Anne there with her and I thought this would be the best way. I have an idea of what Marilla went through without Anne and it's really quite sad, but Marilla is also a survivor and I believe she would have came close to losing her eye sight but not lose it completely. I've stated before right at the beginning I don't want to focus too much on it. But I hope you've liked seeing her..
