Chapter One
When Felix and I stepped off the train at Carlisle that summer's day, it was like coming home after a long absence. I suppose, in a way, it was—that year and a half spent on the old King farm had been one of the most beloved times of our childhood. But it was an adult occasion that called us home now, for the first two of our comrades of the old orchard were to be married.
When Aunt Janet had written Father of Peter and Felicity's engagement, Felix had let out a whoop of amazement.
"Did you ever hear of such a thing, Bev?" he asked incredulously. "I never thought that Felicity would finally give in. She was so dead set against Peter when we were there."
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Felix King, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," I misquoted. "It always seemed to me as if Felicity cared more for Peter than she ever wanted to let on."
Felix looked dubious, but refrained from disagreement. After a minute, he perked up. "At any rate, it'll be a good chance to see all the family again. Hopefully the wedding will be once I get done with school and you get done with college for the summer, Bev." He looked at Father. "Does Aunt Janet say when the wedding will be?"
"June," Father said, glancing again at the letter. "June on the Island, boys! It's been so long since I've seen the old farm—we'll have to make a regular visit of it." He looked out of the window with eyes that I knew were not seeing the cold March sky of Toronto but rather early summer on a Prince Edward Island farm, the loveliest sight imaginable.
I was seeing the same sight, but foremost in my mind were the children I had played with—no longer children, but young men and women now, I reminded myself. Dan, Felicity, Cecily, Peter, Sara Ray—and the Story Girl, whose letters from Paris never failed to bring me delight.
"Does Aunt Janet say if Sara will be able to come?" I asked.
"I believe she says she will—yes, Sara finishes with acting school in May and will sail for the Island afterwards."
"And Uncle Blair?"
"Janet doesn't say—I suppose it will depend on where his painting jaunts lead him at that time."
"All of us together again—won't that be jolly?" Felix said. "That is," he added gloomily, "if Felicity doesn't decide at the last minute to throw Peter over."
******
Felicity having proved steadfast in her love, Felix and I were waiting at the Carlisle station that afternoon filled with anticipation over seeing the family. Father, however, had been unable to come, much to his—and our—dismay. He had had the opportunity to go back to South America for two months, and it was an offer too good to refuse.
"Listen to the frogs for me, boys," had been his parting words to us. I had realized, seeing the look of nostalgia on his face, that he missed the farm on the hill as much as we did—if not more.
But I regret to say that we were thinking very little of Father as we saw Dan approach with the wagon, waving at us as soon as he could make out who we were. As he pulled up to the station, his mouth—as large and twisted as ever—broke into a friendly grin.
"I swear, but isn't it swell to see you two again!"
"And you too," I replied, returning the grin. "It's been too long."
"You couldn't convince anyone else to come along with you for the ride?" Felix asked, looking at the wagon. "It used to be that everyone was always ready for a trip to town."
Dan rolled his eyes. "It's this wedding nonsense. The Story Girl got here yesterday, and Felicity wanted to make sure that her bridesmaid dress fit 'just right'. So they've been poking and trimming and frilling and whatnot for hours now, it seems. Cess was going to ride along, but she's been feeling a bit under the weather all spring, and Ma wanted her to take a nap before you two came."
Felix looked concerned. "She never mentioned in any of her letters that she wasn't feeling well."
"It isn't much of anything…just a cough, but Ma didn't want her to overdo."
"That's probably just as well," Felix said, nodding.
I climbed up on the front seat next to Dan, while Felix sat in back with our luggage, and we kept up a running conversation on the inhabitants of Carlisle—primarily the ones who had played together in the old King orchard—for the journey home.
"Yes, Sara Ray's grown up a bit," Dan said. He tried to suppress a snigger but failed. "She still cries, though, but not nearly as much. Her latest obsession is crazy quilts—she's made six of them in the past year."
"That seems a mite…crazy," Felix piped up from the wagon bed. "Why so many?"
"Well, it's a useful occupation, and so her mother approves," Dan grinned. "Besides, she wants to be all ready for the day when some dashing young man proposes to her—so if either of you are looking for a girl with six crazy quilts, Sara's ready to be had for the asking." He turned in his seat and looked solemnly at Felix. "You do know that Sara Ray was always a bit sweet on you, right?"
Felix looked mutinous, and I could tell that it was time for brothers to stick together. "What's this I hear about you and a certain Miss Marr?"
Dan flushed a bit, but shrugged his shoulders. "That's confidential information. Besides, one wedding around here will be enough for a few years to my way of thinking. The women-folk have gone clean daft on the cooking and cleaning!"
"Better see what Kitty has to say about that," Felix chaffed him. "Seems to me like she might think that a few years was a bit long to wait."
"We'll see," Dan said. "Anyhow, we need to think of some good tricks to play on Felicity and Peter in the next week. They leave for St. Columba's Seminary in Nova Scotia right after their honeymoon."
"Peter's settled on being a minister, then?" I asked.
"Well, he'll have his first sermon already prepared," Felix muttered. "If his congregation doesn't have a history of hysterics."
"It looks that way. He's smarter than I ever gave him credit for," Dan said, ignoring Felix's comment. "He's studied with our new minister during the summers, and I guess that's why the presbytery is letting him start seminary so young."
By this time, we had reached the foot of the old lane going up the hill to Uncle Alec's, and as I saw the old willow tree, memories of the first time I had gone up this very lane came back to me.
"The train didn't even come to Carlisle back then," I mused, half to myself. "We rode all the way from Charlottetown with Uncle Alec, hardly knowing what to expect. It will be good to see him—good to see them all again."
As we passed by the entrance to the orchard, I could see a tall girl leaning on the fence, dreamily contemplating the distance. Her skirts seemed longer than the last time I had seen her, and her brown curls were up in a pompadour, but she was still the same Story Girl.
"Sara!" I called. "We're here!"
"Bev! Felix! Oh, it's so good to see you," the Story Girl said, running to meet the wagon, and to hear her voice made me realize that I was truly home again.
Author's Note: Like it? Hate it? Review! And once again, thank you to my betas, Portia Sue and Maren of Minnesota.
