A/N: Hello, dear readers! Thanks a million for all your gorgeous thoughts about the previous chapter. It's so thrilling to know you care enough to leave me a review, and I'm indebted to you all.
I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to LMM and my writing partner, katherine-with-a-k. They are both marvelous writers.
I promised you more excruciating times, dear reader, and here they are...
~ Lots of love to you all from FKAJ x
Chapter Twenty One
Despite Edie and John's best efforts, there was an overwhelming feeling of loneliness that Anne couldn't seem to shake.
Every day, Anne was faced with uncomfortable reminders that she was now Gilbert's wife. His large muddy boots at the back door next to his father's, washing his clothes and even darning his socks. She was performing all the usual duties that a wife ought to. All except one.
Sitting next to him at the kitchen table, she would cast sideways glances at her husband and found her gaze lingering more and more on his full, pink lips as she remembered that kiss on their wedding day. Gilbert always seemed anxious to get away from the table as soon as was possible.
Anne felt it keenly that Gilbert was relaxed and affectionate with his parents, yet he never directly addressed his wife, except to nod curtly and excuse himself the moment supper was done.
She spent her days with Mrs Blythe and kept herself as busy as she possibly could helping to prepare the meals, washing and sweeping the floors, cleaning out the cellar, and baking pies. Anything to keep herself occupied and not feel like a burden on the Blythes' limited resources.
Anne tried desperately to keep her mind occupied with these tasks, but she couldn't deny the ache in her heart at how cold her husband was in his attitude towards her. His resentment at their arrangement was obvious, although to be sure in stark contrast Edie and John were unfailing in their warmth towards their new daughter-in-law.
Each day, as the sun set in the evenings Gilbert and his father returned from their chores on the farm, and invariably washed up at the well before entering the house. The men would then don fresh shirts and sit at the table to eat their evening meal.
"I won't have the men eating dinner at my table and smelling like the barn," Edie declared.
After initially feeling flustered by seeing Gilbert returning to the house shirtless, Anne found it strangely pleasurable to observe her husband's brown torso gleaming before her. There were often a few droplets of water still glistening in the light dusting of hair above his breastbone which she was tempted to pat dry for him, although she knew he would never allow her to perform so intimate a task. When he entered through the back door wearing only his trousers with his suspenders hanging loosely at his hips, Anne's heart skipped a beat.
For his part, Gilbert wasn't sure if he dreaded this evening ritual or if it was his favourite time of the day.
Every day he would pray that the traitorous twitch in his trousers would not betray him. Without fail, each day, the brush of Anne's fingers against his as he took the fresh shirt from her, coupled with her delicious fragrance would set his pulse racing.
"How was your day?" Anne asked politely, luminous grey eyes searching her husband's face for some trace of his humour of old.
"Fine," Gilbert said as he shrugged into his shirt. Anne glanced away when he began tucking the ends into his trousers. Catching a sharp glance from his mother, Gilbert hastened to add, "Thank you, Anne."
"What have you women folk been cooking for us?" John said, hazel eyes twinkling as he sniffed the air in delight. "Is that pie I smell?"
"Anne made the pastry," Edie said, casting another meaningful look at her son. "Rachel Lynde's secret recipe."
"Oho, Rachel's recipe?" John chortled, nudging Gilbert. "We'd better mind our p's and q's then, hey, boy? Wouldn't want to offend ol' Rachel, would we?"
"Mrs Lynde says the secret is to not overwork the dough," Anne said as she placed Gilbert's plate in front of him. "It's important to roll the dough gently with your fingertips rather than a deep in and out motion."
"That's very interesting, isn't it, Gilbert?" Edie prompted.
"Yes," Gilbert said hoarsely. He was imagining rolling his hips gently before a deep in and out motion.
As soon as he finished eating, Gilbert leapt to his feet to sprint up the stairs and close his bedroom door firmly behind him. He tried to apply himself to his studies, but instead his brain was filled with a million tantalising images of his wife.
Anne also made sure to spend time each day studying. She missed having Gilbert to study with and she would try not to think about all the many happy hours they'd spent thrashing out 'ologies and 'isms together in the past. Having him so close all the time, she often found herself wanting to ask him a question about something. One evening as the family were finishing their meal, Anne turned to her husband and placed her hand on his forearm.
"Gilbert, I've been reading over Ovid's Fasti and I wanted to ask you about a passage I'm having trouble with."
"Of course, Anne," it was out of his mouth before he could stop it. "Which book?"
"I'm up to the beginning of Book IV. Remember it begins with Venus?"
Gilbert blinked, suddenly struck with a memory of seeing Anne in the early dawn light looking like Venus personified.
"Yes, that's right," he said, aware of his parents watching closely. "Didn't we work on that together the summer before we went to college?"
"Yes, but I wanted to check this note you made. Let me get my book, it's in my room..."
Anne flew up to the spare room, and Gilbert's eyes were drawn to watch her slender hips swaying as she rushed upstairs. When he finally returned his attention to the dining table, his parents were both beaming at him.
"It's nice to see you two working together," his mother told him, reaching across to squeeze Gilbert's hand.
"Your mother and I will make ourselves scarce so you can debate your Greek in peace," John said, standing up and helping Edie to clear the table.
"It's Latin, actually, Dad," Gilbert replied.
"You're too smart for me," John replied with a shrug. "Either way, we'll leave you to it."
When Anne returned with her book, she sat down close to Gilbert and flipped through it until she found the correct page.
"Here," she said, sliding the book towards Gilbert and pointing at the text on the page. As she leaned forward, Gilbert was enveloped by her delicious scent. "When Venus says, 'Have you some old wound lingering in your heart?' I can't quite read your note about Ovid's reply to her."
Gilbert peered at the text and frowned a little at his tiny scrawl in the margin. His eyes widened as he realised what his note said. At the time, he'd been thinking about Anne and he'd clearly mis-translated the line.
"Hmmm," he hesitated. "It looks like I've written something about the goddess."
"Yes," Anne nodded, drawing her chair closer and her hand brushed against his as she pointed at the book again. "Ovid replies, 'Goddess, you know of my wound' but you seem to have written 'Goddess, do you know my heart?' It's not like you to get something that simple wrong. Do you remember if we were speaking about something else at the time?"
"I'm sure it doesn't mean anything," Gilbert said hurriedly, although he knew full well what he had been thinking that day. "I was likely racing ahead and thinking about when she touches his brow with myrtle of Cythera. It's one of my favourite images from that poem."
"Oh, yes, I love that, too," Anne replied eagerly. "I can just see heavenly Venus reaching out to anoint Ovid's brow with the myrtle branch. I wonder what wounded his heart? And I always get a thrill when I read esse tuos."
Anne sighed and clasped her hands before her as she smiled dreamily into the distance.
"I am yours," Gilbert translated without thinking.
"Well, I think the entire line is something like 'both poet and month are yours'," Anne corrected. "But it's still lovely, isn't it?"
Anne turned her sparkling eyes to his and they stared at each other for a long moment. Gilbert's mouth went dry as he watched her eyes turn a little greener.
"Hmm, well, is that everything?" he asked abruptly. "I really must be getting on with my chemistry."
With that, Gilbert rose and left the room.
Every other day, Diana would drop in to see Anne. Edie would always find an excuse to discreetly leave the room when Di visited and invariably Mrs Wright would say something that caused Anne to blush hotly.
"Isn't it simply divine being married?" Di gushed at one such visit.
"Oh - yes, of course," Anne replied. "What do you think of this tablecloth pattern? I'm trying to get as much sewing done as I can before we go back to Kingsport."
"I bet you can't wait to be in your own place finally," Diana said before she lowered her voice to a whisper. "It must be so awkward being on your honeymoon with your in-laws just downstairs."
"Edie and John have been very welcoming," Anne said. She felt quite protective about them.
"Yes, of course," Diana said. "But, what I mean is, it can't be easy being - intimate - knowing they're so close, and anyone can see how desperately you and Gilbert want each other."
"Mmm," Anne hummed, uncertain what to say to this.
"Ooohh, when I think about the way you two were looking at each other at your wedding," Diana closed her eyes rapturously, clasping her hands in front of her in delight. "And that kiss Gilbert gave you in front of all of Avonlea! I thought Mrs Pye was going to have a conniption when she saw it."
Diana laughed at the memory before she turned to her friend.
"I thought you might combust on the spot!" Diana giggled as she cast a sly glance Anne's way.
"Can we talk about something else, please?" Anne managed to gasp out in desperation.
When she saw her friend's cheeks glowing pink, Diana assumed it was in girlish embarrassment. She caught Anne's hand in hers and squeezed her fingers.
"Don't worry, darling, you don't need to tell me a thing," Diana said reassuringly. "I'm not your bosom friend for nothing. I can see it written all over your face. All I'm saying is, I know it must be so difficult to keep quiet about it. I don't know how poor Gilbert is faring —"
"Really, Di, it's fine," Anne's cheeks were growing hotter by the second.
"Of course, I'm sure it hasn't stopped you," Di continued. "Why, when I think of Fred and I that first week. I was so sore I could hardly sit, and then when Fred hurt his back —"
"I think Mrs Blythe's coming back," Anne interrupted, looking hopefully towards the back porch. The last thing she wanted to was to get involved in a more thorough conversation about her friend's escapades in the bedroom.
"I think it's very thoughtful the way Mrs Blythe is giving you so much privacy," Diana said.
Just then Edie came in from the garden, carrying a basket filled with berries.
"Don't let me disturb you," she announced as she made her way to the kitchen. "I thought I'd make a raspberry tart for tonight."
"Let me help you," Anne leapt to her feet, relieved to have something to do. "I can make a start on the pastry."
"I suppose I must be getting back, too," Diana said regretfully. "I'll need to get started on Fred's dinner myself."
"Thanks for your visit, darling," Anne threw her arms around her friend's neck, feeling remorseful as she kissed Di's rosy cheek. "I'm going to visit Marilla tomorrow at Green Gables. Would you like to come?"
"I'd love to," Diana's dimples made Anne's heart glad. "It will be just like old times, won't it?"
Anne nodded and felt unexpected tears pricking at her eyes as she waved to her friend from the back door. It did feel like such a long time.
Eventually it was Gilbert's last night at home, and Anne had asked Edie if she might make the evening meal for them.
"It's the least I can do," Anne said. "You've been so kind to me, Mrs Blythe. I don't know how I can repay you."
"Edie, please, Anne," the older woman replied, squeezing Anne's hand warmly. "And it's you that we can't possibly repay. What you've done has helped us to keep our home, and it's been a God-send having you here to help me these past weeks. Summer is always such a busy time at the farm. We simply can't thank you enough, dear."
That evening, when the men returned to the house from working on the farm, the delicious aroma of fish frying permeated the air as Gilbert called out from the back porch.
"Evening, Mother," he said, as he removed his boots at the back door. "Something smells mouth-watering tonight. What's for supper? I'm starving!"
"Anne's made supper for us tonight," Edie said eagerly. "She wouldn't hear of me helping her, so I've been catching up with my sewing."
"I see," Gilbert replied as he entered the kitchen with a quick glance in Anne's direction. Her slender back was turned to him and her head was bent over the stove. A few tendrils of her hair were curling at her creamy nape, beckoning him to caress them.
"Yes, Anne has been such a help to me today," Edie continued enthusiastically. "Why, she darned all your socks, ready for you to take with you tomorrow. Then she darned your father's socks and swept out the pantry for me. I simply don't know how I ever managed without her."
"That's excellent," John nodded in approval before turning to gaze expectantly at his son. "Isn't it, Gilbert?"
"Erm, yes," Gilbert said, seeming absorbed in washing his hands thoroughly. "Thank you, Anne."
He was trying not to picture Anne with her slender fingers caressing his socks. What in blazes was wrong with him? How did he even find thoughts of Anne carrying out the most mundane of tasks erotic?
"Tomorrow we're going to do the pickling and on Thursday we're going to air out all the feather ticks," Edie babbled on. "That's a chore I always dread, but it will be so much easier with Anne here to help me."
"I for one enjoy having another woman about the house," John declared appreciatively, rubbing his stomach. "It's plain to see Marilla's taught you everything she knows about baking. What's for pudding tonight, Anne?"
"I've tried Marilla's famous cherry pie recipe tonight," Anne smiled at John. "I'm not sure it will live up to her standards…"
"Nonsense," John replied, then turned to his son. "Gilbert loves cherry pie. Don't you, son?"
Anne ventured a sideways glance at Gilbert, who was just sitting down at the kitchen table. He nodded without looking at Anne. She busied herself at the stove and then began to serve out the meals. Gilbert's jaw seemed to clench when she placed his plate in front of him and her arm accidentally brushed against his shoulder. Anne quickly stepped away to take her seat next to him.
Then the evening torment began for Gilbert. Sitting next to Anne, her delicious scent filling his nostrils and hearing her laughter at some joke his father told made it difficult for Gilbert to concentrate. He would fix his eyes on the plate in front of him and studiously avoid any contact with his wife. Even the most innocent of touches would set his pulse racing and the frisson he felt tingling down his spine was impossible to ignore.
The pie was delicious, and John was lavish with his praise and asking for seconds.
"Pretty, smart and a good cook. Is there anything you can't do, Anne?"
"Geometry," Anne said decidedly, her tinkling laugh sent another shiver through Gilbert's body and he found himself smiling, too.
But he had to agree with his father, the pie really was delicious.
"I'd like another piece, please," he blurted. "Is there enough, Anne?"
"Of course!" Anne looked so delighted as she gave him his second helping that he found himself getting lost in those mesmerising pools of grey for a long moment. "There's plenty of cream, too."
It was almost too much for him to take. As soon as the meal was over, Gilbert stood up.
"I'd better finish packing," he said. "Thank you for supper, Anne."
"You're welcome," Anne smiled at him. "Your parents thought I might drive you to the station in the morning. Seven o'clock?"
"Oh," Gilbert's eyes flew to his father. "I thought you would be driving me, Dad."
"I'll be busy catching up on your chores," John clapped a large brown hand on Gilbert's shoulder as he squeezed it meaningfully. "Your mother suggested it."
"As you wish," Gilbert nodded and turned for the stairs. "Good night."
Thanks for reading. I would love it if you would leave me a review for this chapter in that little box below. :)
Have a great week!
Jx