IV
An awkward silence ensued, and continued until Anne's inquiry of the weather in Boston returned the atmosphere to normalcy. Miss Lavender's calculating mind, however, was running like clockwork. She attempted to get a look in Gilbert's eyes, but his face was a study. He looked almost as if he'd just had an epiphany. She waited for a break in the conversation, and then turned to face him.
"So I've heard your name bandied about with a Christine-Stuart, is it? Anne tells me she is very lovely."
There. She had dropped the bomb. Anne made a motion as if to raise her hands in despair, but stopped herself and settled for glaring at Miss Lavender murderously.
Gilbert gave a slight start, and involuntarily glanced at Anne, who attempted to shape her face into an expression of indifference.
"Christine Stuart?" he said unbelievingly. "Why, there was never anything between me and Christine Stuart!"
Anne's jaw was not the only thing that dropped as her fork fell with a clank to her plate. As everyone's head turned towards her, she colored and made a show of picking it up and occupying herself with her potatoes. Her ears, however, were pricked.
Miss Lavender raised her eyebrows.
"Christine and I were never anything more than friends. I knew her older brother, and after he graduated, he asked me to look after her a bit. I didn't mind. She's one of the nicest girls I've ever known. But she was engaged to someone back home. I knew people put our names together, but…" his voice trailed off. Had Anne-had Anne been unaware of his true relationship with Christine? He had realized people had identified them as a couple, but after Anne refused him, he didn't much care about anything for a while, the least of all dispelling rumors. He again tried to catch Anne's eye, but she just stared unblinkingly at her potatoes, her features unmoving.
Anne's head was spinning. All the gossip she had painstakingly tried to ignore, all those rumors that had caused bitter jealousy to stab her in the sides, had been untrue? Gilbert was not in love with Christine Stuart? How-how could he not be? She was gorgeous, and refined, and pleasant… But then, so was Roy. And Anne couldn't love Roy because-because she was smitten with Gilbert. So did Gilbert not love Christine because…?
Author's Note:
Sorry it took me so long to post this-also sorry it's so short. I've just been completely immersed in other things, what with school starting and all. A word of advice to all prospective high school juniors: Never, I repeat, never, take AP U.S. history, English Lit, and advanced Pre-Calc in the same year, especially when you combine it with being on the yearbook staff, sports editor of the newspaper, and playing soccer.
If you like this story, (or have suggestions or constructive criticism for me) please review-maybe that will get me more motivated to continue. I'll try to make the next part longer.
An awkward silence ensued, and continued until Anne's inquiry of the weather in Boston returned the atmosphere to normalcy. Miss Lavender's calculating mind, however, was running like clockwork. She attempted to get a look in Gilbert's eyes, but his face was a study. He looked almost as if he'd just had an epiphany. She waited for a break in the conversation, and then turned to face him.
"So I've heard your name bandied about with a Christine-Stuart, is it? Anne tells me she is very lovely."
There. She had dropped the bomb. Anne made a motion as if to raise her hands in despair, but stopped herself and settled for glaring at Miss Lavender murderously.
Gilbert gave a slight start, and involuntarily glanced at Anne, who attempted to shape her face into an expression of indifference.
"Christine Stuart?" he said unbelievingly. "Why, there was never anything between me and Christine Stuart!"
Anne's jaw was not the only thing that dropped as her fork fell with a clank to her plate. As everyone's head turned towards her, she colored and made a show of picking it up and occupying herself with her potatoes. Her ears, however, were pricked.
Miss Lavender raised her eyebrows.
"Christine and I were never anything more than friends. I knew her older brother, and after he graduated, he asked me to look after her a bit. I didn't mind. She's one of the nicest girls I've ever known. But she was engaged to someone back home. I knew people put our names together, but…" his voice trailed off. Had Anne-had Anne been unaware of his true relationship with Christine? He had realized people had identified them as a couple, but after Anne refused him, he didn't much care about anything for a while, the least of all dispelling rumors. He again tried to catch Anne's eye, but she just stared unblinkingly at her potatoes, her features unmoving.
Anne's head was spinning. All the gossip she had painstakingly tried to ignore, all those rumors that had caused bitter jealousy to stab her in the sides, had been untrue? Gilbert was not in love with Christine Stuart? How-how could he not be? She was gorgeous, and refined, and pleasant… But then, so was Roy. And Anne couldn't love Roy because-because she was smitten with Gilbert. So did Gilbert not love Christine because…?
Author's Note:
Sorry it took me so long to post this-also sorry it's so short. I've just been completely immersed in other things, what with school starting and all. A word of advice to all prospective high school juniors: Never, I repeat, never, take AP U.S. history, English Lit, and advanced Pre-Calc in the same year, especially when you combine it with being on the yearbook staff, sports editor of the newspaper, and playing soccer.
If you like this story, (or have suggestions or constructive criticism for me) please review-maybe that will get me more motivated to continue. I'll try to make the next part longer.