Ms. Stacy woke up on a Saturday morning needing to clear her head. Though her talk with Marilla had been enlightening, she still felt frazzled from the new stirring of affection inside her. She truly thought there would be no one to replace her lost love, but Sebastian surprised her. And thoughts of him had been distracting her constantly.

She closed her front door behind her and started off, not fully aware of where she was going but knowing a walk in the chilled air was exactly the remedy to her distraction. She exhaled and watched her breath circle in the cold air like smoke from a fire. The trees framing the path were decorated with snow, and the trail Ms. Stacy took was slightly slippery from snow and ice. She was glad to have brought a walking stick on this adventure.

Without fully knowing it, Ms. Stacy had led herself to her usual fishing spot. Even when clearing her head she was thinking of Sebastian. She paused looking at the icy creek and the slick slats of the tiny bridge. It looked like something out of a novel, and one of her first thoughts was that Anne would love it.

"Fishing, Muriel?"

Ms. Stacy looked in shock to see Sebastian sitting on his usual log, bundled up visibly in multiple layers. She jumped and started to stammer, "Sebastian. I'm sorry. I don't mean to intrude."

"You're not," he joked, standing up.

She rubbed her hands together for warmth. "I'm not here for fishing. I was just taking a walk. The cold air is cleansing."

"Do you have much on your mind?" Bash asked. He put his hands into his pockets.

Ms. Stacy stared at him from across the bridge, unsure how to answer. She remembered her discussion with Marilla but now did not seem like the time to bring up her feelings. It was too sudden, and she wanted to tell him organically so that it wouldn't scare him away with her forwardness. Instead, she responded, "I suppose."

"So do I," Sebastian said. His expression looked intentional, his words seemed tailored especially for her to glean some sort of meaning from them, but she wasn't entirely sure what. But the way he looked at her made her feel special.

"Need to talk about it?" She took a step forward and, holding her arms out for balance, made her way across the icy bridge to him.

"Do you need to talk about yours?"

She landed beside him and slipped a bit on a patch of snow. He steadied her, but as soon as his hands were on her arms, they were off. The two separated from one another but smiled. Ms. Stacy shook her head, feeling like one of her female students tripping on accident to be touched just once by someone special to them. She pushed hair out of her eyes and glanced away from Bash.

He asked, "May I join you on your walk?"

"Of course," she replied.

Bash offered his arm to her as they stumbled up a slick and bumpy trail to a new path. Ms. Stacy released his arm once she was settled but wished she could've kept holding on. Sebastian's arm stayed up for a moment after she let him go, leading her to think perhaps he had wanted her to cling to him still.

"You know, you should come over for dinner sometime," Sebastian said.

"Really?"

"Yes, Delphine told me she wants to see you," he said with a playful smile.

"She's speaking full sentences now?" Ms. Stacy joked in return.

"Yes, just yesterday, she was reading Shakespeare aloud to me and quoting the Bible."

Ms. Stacy laughed, "I would love to come over. If it wouldn't be an intrusion."

Bash looked at her, "You know it wouldn't be."

She gazed back at him and nodded, and the two continued their walk.

"Diana," the maid called. "There's someone here to see you."

Diana's heart jumped as she hurried from her room, down the steps, to the front door. She started, "Jerr—," but stopped when she was met with someone she didn't expect. "Gilbert."

Gilbert took off his hat and held it in his hands. He seemed awkward in their entranceway, shuffling from foot to foot and avoiding her eyes. "Hello, Diana."

"It's good to see you again."

"You, too."

"Anne's… not here?" Diana said. She was confused as to why he was at her front door and not knocking down the Cuthbert's door to see Anne immediately.

"I came to see you," he said quietly.

"Oh?" Diana responded, examining him carefully.

He spun his hat in his hands nervously. "About your letter."

Diana's eyes widened with recognition. "Right."

"Can we… talk?" Gilbert asked.

Diana nodded and brought him into the parlor. Minnie May was playing with a doll on the ground, aggressively.

"And then, the man died!" she said, slamming the doll into the ground with loud shouts. The child laughed to herself as she threw the doll across the room with one last yelp.

"Minnie May," Diana said through gritted teeth. "Can we have the room?"

"Ooh. Diana's with a boy!"

"Minnie May," Diana said.

Her sister spit out her tongue and skipped out of the room, picking up her recently deceased doll on the way. Diana sat on the couch while Gilbert remained standing a few feet in front of her. He paced a bit nervously.

When he didn't speak, Diana stated, "She's not engaged. I told you that."

"I know," Gilbert answered. He ran a hand through his hair. "Do you know this boy?"

"Not personally, but I've heard him with Anne before. He's very transparent," Diana offered. "He speaks to Anne in exactly the way she wants to be spoken to."

"Which is what?" Gilbert asked, a bit upset.

"He simply spoke with clarity. He didn't hold anything back or speak figuratively," Diana said sternly. "He told her plain and clear that he liked her, wanted to marry her, and would do anything, go anywhere for her."

"So she wants that. She wants him," Gilbert sighed.

"She wants you," Diana emphasized.

"I," Gilbert took another deep breath and nodded, "She does."

"She does. That's why she told him no. There's nothing to be jealous or concerned about."

"I know that. Deep down. I do. And multiple people have told me it, too," Gilbert said.

Diana stated, "If you've been told so many times, know it to be true, and seem to want to be with Anne forever, why did you come to speak with me? Why not just go to Anne?"

Gilbert sighed and finally sat beside Diana. He thought for a while. "When I told Winifred I wasn't going to propose, I told it's because you only know something when you really know it. I knew in that moment I didn't see myself with her forever." Gilbert glanced up at Diana. "I love Anne. And I know I want to be with her. But making a commitment rather than ending one… why is taking this last step so hard and… daunting?"

Diana stared at him, unable to answer, but she did say, "We're riding up to Queen's tomorrow."

Gilbert glanced at her.

"You should come."

Anne came downstairs, refreshed. She had her hair back in her two signature braids, feeling comfortable in the house to not appear as a proper lady at all times. Cole stood up as she entered the dining room.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better with the sleep," Anne said, sitting down beside him and taking the scone he offered her. She took a bite and sighed. "Delicious."

"Have you thought more about what we were discussing last night?" Cole started cautiously.

Anne set down her scone with purpose and leaned over the table toward Cole. "I know what I have to do."

"You do?" Cole smiled, too.

"Yes. I need to write to Gilbert."

Cole slumped in his seat.

"I need to write him again, and this time, state my own intentions even more clearly. I no longer hold the fear that he's slipping away. I need to let him know where I stand," Anne stated.

"I think you should go see him," Cole stated.

"What?"

"Go to Toronto and tell him to his face. No more letters, no more questions. It only leaves you, and probably Gilbert, more confused and anxious," Cole replied.

"But… school?" Anne stammered.

"You can miss a day or two and stay at the top. We both know you can, Anne," Cole said, pushing her shoulder. "I'll go with you."

"Really?" Anne overfilled with happiness.

"We can leave this week!"

Anne gave a breathless smile and stared at her plate.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I'm happy in my decision," she said, "but somehow, still nervous."

"That's natural, Anne. No one should look to their future forever with someone and not feel slightly nervous."

"I guess you're right."

"Besides, it's not as if we both haven't known since the moment he came back from the steamer that you two would be together forever," Cole teased.

"We did not know that," Anne blushed.

"I knew it," Cole said slyly.

Anne threw some of her scone crumbs at him, and the two laughed.