Typhoid & Gossip Ch 59: Anne - Romance, an anne of green gables series fanfic

Author's Note

A Talking Cat - I love this Dora too... and yes I need to double check some characters spellings. I think Dora is an underdeveloped character with so much potential.

Denie1943 - Thanks for the encouragement. You'll like this chapter :)

— Anne —

Wednesday, August 4th, 10:00am

Bright River Station, PEI

Davy drove me with a heavy heart, begging me not to go. Yet though my heart broke, I knew I needed to. We'd stirred up too much gossip. Soon as I'd left, Gilbert would see reason, head back to Kingsport to fight for his scholarship. I soaked in every memory unlike any other trip to catch the boat train to head to college. I knew the truth. I likely wasn't coming back. Not with the gossip and rumors.

We arrived though, as all trips must come to an end, and I felt my heart sinking lower but I refused to let Davy even see a hint of my fears and wanting to break down in tears as he already had. Instead I marched over to the counter to purchase a ticket to Kingsport, for I'd stay a night or two with Phil and Jo, before continuing on west.

"Anne... You can't go. Dora's right you'll be too far to come home for Christmas. Miss Andrews said her journey west took a week..."

"Oh Davy, we will write, heaps of letters. I expect them from you and Dora before I even arrive! And I'll write each day, but I truly must do this." I sighed. "They'll start gossiping about someone else once they forget Gilbert and me... You'll see, life won't be so bad..."

"Anne..." He barreled into me sobbing into my waist as he did much his first year at Green Gables as a chubby six year old. Oh I wanted to break down with him, and I clung to him.

"Hey you can't!" I suddenly heard the station master yelling just as the train was crying out its arrival with blasts. I glanced up startled to see a horse galloping straight onto the platform, with a wild eyed Gilbert heading straight towards us. He was riding one of his father's farm horses, who clearly had been put to his paces more then ever before in his life. "Don't you have any common sense?" The Station master was still yelling.

Gilbert jumped or tumbled off the horse, I was too startled, even Davy had stopped sobbing to stare at him. He was rumpled, his hair a mess...

"I called you carrots because they're the only thing close to the sunrise over the island shore which was the last thing I saw before I went west with Dad scared he'd die on the train. Your hair is the only thing I've ever seen close to that sunrise. Prayed so hard he'd live and he did, beat that consumption. Doctors said he wouldn't live. And here he is today. Well, so am I... Anne I had two years with out you. Not going back to that." His words just jumbled out as I stared at him.

"Gil..." I could not even finish his name. I stood in shock as I stared into Gilbert's eyes.

"Anne's hair doesn't look like a sunrise." Davy finally broke the silence. "It's red."

Gilbert reached to cup my cheek. "Anne," He spoke through sobs. "If you're going west then so am I... I'll give up medical school. But I'm not giving up on you. I lost it anyways, but I'm never loosing you..."

"No," I tried to speak between sobs, joy or heart ache I could not know. "You need to fight for it, it always was your dream..."

"You always were my dream Anne-girl. Medical school is just a way to use the gifts God's given me. Marry me Anne, properly."

"You're not giving up on medical school." I declared.

"Then we best marry on Monday for I'm not fighting for it without you at my side. I need that sunrise hair to give me strength to fight for this. What does the Bible say? One can put a thousand to flight, and two ten thousand. I want my wife with the beautiful firey hair at my side."

I laughed. "My hair?"

He reached up to cup the back of my head. "The most beautiful hair in Canada, for it's like the sunrise on the Island shore. And I'm going to be the luckiest man in Canada if the woman I love meets me in the orchard before the minister on Monday morning."

"At sunrise." I sighed.

"Sunrise."

With that he pulled me close and kissed me soundly. I could taste in the kiss both of our tears on our lips as our mouths danced. The world slipped away.

"You're not going west then?" Davy interrupted us.

"We'll have to leave for Kingsport on Tuesday." Gilbert spoke as I caught my breath. "Help me get her trunks back in the wagon."

Davy whooped as he rushed to pull the trunks off the train as the station master and conductor laughed at us. I glanced about flushing at all who had watched our show, even a few from Avonlea who were now clucking their tongues.

"Davy," Gilbert spoke as he hefted my larger trunk into the back of the wagon. "Probably best that I tie up Dad's horse behind your wagon. Don't know if she's ever ran that hard before. She had it in her though, thank Providence."

Gilbert then opened his wallet again, cursing. "Sewed it up again. Got a pocket knife Davy?"

Davy handed it to him and I felt tears slipping down my cheeks again as Gilbert ripped open his wallet dropping the ring back into his hand. Then there on the platform in front of the wagon with all at Bright River staring at us got down on his knee. "Anne-girl. I can't imagine life without you. I don't have your imagination. Please, the only thing I feared with the typhoid was a life without you. Not loosing anything else in my life. The good Lord gave me a second chance. Please, marry me?"

I could only nod. In my girlhood I had come up with a speech if ever the right man asked. And now he'd asked how many times and never once had I used that speech I'd memorized that only Diana knew about. For I'd recited it to her once. Yet it felt empty for all the emotions of my heart. Instead I threw myself back into his arms to kiss him once more. And somehow when I came up for air he'd managed to do more than one thing at once and slip that ring back where it always belonged.

"Monday morning I'll be there as the sun rises to marry you in the Green Gables Orchard..."

"Gee!" Davy interrupted. "You mean you're going to not only have a fancy wedding like Diana and Fred did, but before the rooster even crows? I counted it once, he likes to wait ten minutes after sunrise. Why's that? I want to know..."

I laughed.

"Well," Davy sighed. "Think then the minster will stop speaking if the rooster is crowing or will Marilla roast him for the wedding? She said he's getting to full of himself. How'd he get full of himself?"

Gilbert just laughed. "Guess we'll find out. Any idea where I can find Marilla?"

"Sewing Circle." Davy sighed. "Mrs. Lynde said they best all go... Gossip or not hold our heads high. They'll insist on wedding planning and it'll be a nightmare, but I guess if it's just a few days it won't be so bad. Wouldn't it just be easier to elope?"

"Davy boy, we tried that and never could." I sighed. "But we'll need help. Perhaps we should ride over to the sewing circle..."

"Nah." He shook his head head. "You two just ride home. I'll tell them and talk some sense into the old biddies. I'm the man of the house so I'm the one who's supposed to give permission and I already did. Gilbert can marry Anne. And I'll be the one walking you down to meet him Anne. So as the man of Green Gables it's my job to inform the ladies of our home that we'll be having a wedding Monday. Golly sunrise? But then I guess we'll have time to go fishing afterwards. So it won't be so bad."

With that, he unhitched the horse from Green Gables, switched out to the other horse with Gilbert's help. And we began at a slow pace to slowly ride home, soaking in the sights as we clutched hands dreaming again once more of our future.

—*—*—*—*—

Author's Note: And now we're on the fast track towards the end! Next up is Davy with his wedding planning.