Typhoid & Gossip Ch 39: Gilbert - A Summer Storm, an anne of green gables series fanfic

Author's Note:

Anneomine - Yes the big reveal has happened… and here's the other part :D

Astrakelly - yes poor Anne & Gil and sadly more poor Anne & Gil below.

DrinkThemIn - So many things for them to figure out. And no, this is a summer for them with no break.

— Gilbert —

Sunday, July 10th, 1:00am

Apple Bough, Avonlea, PEI

My head ached, a memory surged forward of Aunt Mary Maria screeching something at the bonfire just as I was about to announce our engagement. One never should take Aunt Mary Maria's screeches seriously. Anne fainting, and the two of us falling as I tried to catch her followed by darkness. Now pain, only the darkness is still there, and as I blink my eyes open, I see faint outlines of my bedroom, I'm in my boyhood room now, in my undergarments, an old union suit, one of the thread bare undergarments I'd left behind, but with the weight I'd lost I'd found myself thankful Mother could never bear to part with any of my old clothes and I'd found only the two old union suits left fit, as my combinations had become too loose and too much in danger of falling off with all the weight I'd lost.

I am though wrapped in Anne's arms, two full grown adults should never fit in a single bed, yet somehow we are. Why is she there? She's cocooned into my side, and my movement causes her to shift far too dangerously. I'm still puzzled by the lack of chaperoning my parents have chosen to take. Of course the memory of Davy when I was first recovering a week ago telling me of the scratches and bite marks and how Dad had seen them. Why had we not gotten a lecture? Why had Mother not taken me by the ear and lectured me about keeping my pants closed until we were married? About that we should be married before sharing a bed, even if nothing but sleep happens. Even if they know I wouldn't dare risk Anne's health.

This certainly won't look good. Of all the times we've managed to be on the same bed, she's always been on top of the bed, asleep in exhaustion, or the first night after my fever began to break, curled up in a quilt at my feet. I hear noises below, and a storm outside. Is the party still continuing this late? Though I've no clue how late it is.

"Anne?"

She stirs, and it's agony. This is a memory that will haunt my lonely bed in the boarding house. A memory that will replace those loose dreams I'd made to balm my lonely heart at the impossible dream. That I have three more years of them. Makes me even want to chance the scary future of risking marrying Anne before I truly can provide for her. I push it aside, the fear of not being able to provide for her, her ever starving. I'd heard she'd been skin and bones when Marilla and Matthew adopted her. I wouldn't risk our futures. We could wait three years. We had to.

"Gil?" She shifts, her head rising closer to my neck then my shoulder she'd used as a pillow. She'd only removed her dress, but it's probably best the fear of her catching typhoid will prevent me from risking what we really shouldn't. She leans over me, and it's intoxicating as she strikes a match, lighting the lamp that flickers to life, and she sits up and she's beautiful.

She stretches and I stare at the top edges of her corset and what is above them, and what spills out of them. There's light green embroidered arrows pointing straight to where my eyes are glued, and lace edging the top edge.

"Gil? How's your head?"

I force my eyes back up to her face, her eyes storming gray clouds like the storm outside. I gulp, smiling slightly. "Hurts, but not the worse. Got banged up worse in a few games. Guess our announcement? got delayed again." I don't dare ask what she's doing in bed with me.

She bit her lip. Torture. "Not exactly... there's been gossip going around and while Dr. Spenser was stitching you up and the storm broke out, and I had to tell them."

I laughed quietly. "Guess they already knew. We didn't exactly hide it."

She was wringing her hands and her head lowered to her hands. "Gil... they hadn't assumed we were engaged..."

"What?" I cried.

She leaned forward, covering my gapping mouth with her hand. "Quiet. I... Gilbert everyone in Avonlea knew about our stay at the hotel."

I felt the blood drain as her tired eyes looked at me. "Anne?" My mind was in a whirl. I'd checked us in as Mr. & Mrs. How did they know?

"I was scared Gil, the Cooper Prize, your dream of being Dr. Blythe. Our futures. We'd made our own vows only hours before. Gil, I vowed to be your helpmate, you wife. I know we still need to be properly married, but I was so scared. I couldn't confess we'd lied at the hotel. Especially, Oh Gil! The hotel we stayed at I hadn't known, but it's owned by Mr. Philips! And his wife Prissy was the one who checked you in. They all thought we'd eloped because I was expecting, and not only that. Gil, someone had walked in on us the morning we'd, well, you know. Well, I'd thought it just a clerk at the hotel, but it wasn't. It was Mr. Philips! And they're here now for Jane's wedding, and all of Avonlea has heard about him walking in on us in bed, in the middle of marital relations. Oh I've been in the depths of despair!."

"Anne Shirley, what did you tell them?" I hissed, leaning towards her our faces inches apart as we whispered sitting in the bed. I couldn't grasp all of what she said. Marital relations? Hadn't we just kissed? Was there more I couldn't remember after that promise with me sitting on the chamber pot. I wouldn't not with Typhoid.

She gulped. "I was vague, but made it quite clear that we hadn't had a secret affair and been meeting for months in the woods like Charlie claims. But that we ran into each other, made up our feud, you proposed and we were impulsive, getting married quickly and rushing home. All quite true. And we made our vows, oh we still have to get a marriage license I know, and we'll have to do that when we return to Kingsport and keep it vague about our vows were just today."

"Anne, we vowed our lives, but its not the same as the vows we'll make in front of everyone. We'll just have to tell them the truth in the morning."

She sighed. "No, we can't risk it. It is the truth in a way, Gil, we can't risk your dream and the Cooper Prize. You've worked so hard. We are married, we didn't lie, and in the end when we return to Kingsport we'll be in all ways legally married. And if we're expecting..."

I slammed my fist against the bed the two of us tumbling with the movement into each other. "Expecting how would we be expecting Anne Shirley."

She stared at me. "I thought you remembered. You said you remembered our kiss and there was only one time, well it was more than one kiss, but there was no other kisses. If you remembered the kiss then you would have remembered the rest of what we were doing I assumed."

"Yes," I glared at her. "Sitting on the chamber pot with just a towel for modesty and we'd just discovered the Typhoid. You don't mean we'd after..." My eyes went wide at the thought.

"No." Her eyes were heavy, glistening. "It was before then. You'd had a nightmare. Little Anne's death and I'd comforted you. I'd forgotten my nightgown and had fallen into the tub, this whole summer has been one long scrape, to put all my girlhood scrapes to shame. Even my corset had gotten soaked and I'd been left to wear either your spare suit or just my under most things."

"Like you are now?" I asked, as she pulled back and I found my arm circling her waist.

She went as red as I've ever seen her. "Far less. Much as you're dressed now."

"Continue…"

"I fell asleep rocking you in the bed. I dreamed you were King Solomon coming from the desert, only you were as sand with the wind threatening to blow you away from me. You kissed me and it was... Well I rather think its' best we don't talk about that in bed now, it wasn't just a dream though, and I'd asked one of the staff to bring fresh coal and broth for you in the morning. I expected to be exhausted and asked they bring it straight to the stove they'd helped me set running all night even if it was June due to your fever. Well, they dropped it right outside the door and rushed out. Well they certainly got an eye full."

"Eyeful?"

She bit her lip. "It was rather clear that you were knowing me as Adam knew Eve, and even I who didn't pay attention to the lecture from Rachel when I left for Redmond the first year knew what we were in the midst of. You called me Anne Blythe, then would not respond, quickening your pace as I tried to get you to stop. You were a dead weight when you did. I rolled you off, and hoped to never think of it again. But I'm afraid that's not an option."

"Because someone walked in on us and gossiped?" I whispered.

"That and we might be expecting." Her voice was so low yet, yet a punch to my gut.

Someone knocked on the door before I could respond. "Anne? Gilbert?" I heard Mother speak from the door. "Everything alright?"

"Fine Abby," Anne called out. "Gilbert just woke up and we're checking his injury. He'll be just fine."

"I've had worse injuries in games." I spoke, hoping Mother would leave. I tried to rise but Anne pushed me back down.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll sleep on the floor, you can have the bed Anne Shirley." I sighed. "We'll talk about all this in the morning."

"Why? You're injured and recovering from typhoid." She tried to push me back into the bed. "Rachel already poked her head in and told me the storms been so bad that the house is overflowing, even getting back to Green Gables they'll have to go the long way. Rachel and Marilla are staying and will be sharing with your mother tonight. They've sent Stella and Pris home with the twins and several others managed to brave the storm. Even Aunt Mary Maria has been forced to share, though I pity the one who must share her bed. For better or worse we're married now, and you best remember my name, it's Anne Blythe now." Her eyes looked distant.

She stood up, and began to remove layers. "I'd wanted to be ready if Dr. Spenser had to examine tonight and I needed to be decent quickly." She rambled as I watched her remove layers, petticoats, stockings, corset, until dressed in her inner most layer she returned to the bed, blushing heavily. "All of Avonlea knows we've shared a bed, checked into a hotel as Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert Blythe, and per your claim are expecting a little girl named Diana." She rolled her eyes. "I love the idea of naming one of our daughters Diana, for Diana has always been a bosom friend, but I rather hope it's later. I could put on one of your night shirts I guess. I was dressed like this that night."

I didn't know how to respond.

"It's too warm though. At least I won't be cold this winter. I'll have to write to Summerside this week I assume. From how far spread the gossip seams, I'd not be shocked if it'd reached Summerside, or soon will. That at least I hope I've convinced we couldn't have been, expecting that is when we married. That you've been just too long daydreaming about our future family and with your fever bursted out our hopes for the future. And we made our vows before God. So hold your wife Gil, I want to cry." Suddenly the strength in her words, the confidence seemed to shatter as she threw herself into my arms, and I found myself lowering us into the bed, my union suit damp with her tears as she curled up beside me again.

My own silent tears leaked out also as I stared at the ceiling until using the last of my strength I reached over to turn out the lamp. I couldn't sleep though still in shock. Married to Anne was a dream come true, but not like this. I couldn't think of any of it, instead I cried myself to sleep with her. Fear and worry, how I'd provide for our family, the horror at the lies and gossip. And worse of all, that my nightmare had truly happened. For I heard it between the lines. I'd raped her. I didn't know who I hated more, myself for abusing her, her for her lies, or everyone in Avonlea who gossiped about our mistakes.

—*—*—*—*—

Author's Note: So I realize that I've got some inaccuracies in the undergarments here. For one I've realized here and one other time I describe Anne's undergarments I'm missing her corset cover, which is a frilly white garment that goes between the blouse and the corset, though in the summer heat may not be always worn, and the corset may be a summer corset which allows for more breathability. The point of the arrows that are embroidered in her corset is actually a construction of the corset detail, where often embroidery would be at the top edges, specifically at the top of the boning to reinforce the edges. Not with certain dresses you might not wear one, depends on the outfit. It's like when you wear a camisole today over a bra to smooth the lines under your shirt. And actually that's where the name for that garment comes from. But I love the detail of Gilbert staring at the embroidery of Anne's corset being very distracted vs the corset cover.

Also in two chapters Davy's going to be back at matchmaking... if you have any requests for whom he should try to matchup Marilla with post in the reviews. :D