Father and Douglas were right--things did begin to intensify after the United States joined the war. Not only overseas--but on the home front as well. Everything seemed to revolve around the war. In English class they wrote encouraging letters to the Canadian boys in Europe and the South Pacific. Bea wrote a different letter to each one, full of charming sentiments, and dabbed perfume on the envelope and kissed it. Sometimes she included pictures of herself. "Might as well give them some sort of motivation," she giggled. "They'll try all the harder to protect Mother Canada when they know there's a cute girl like me living here!"

Juliet always wrote the same thing: Thank you for so bravely protecting our country, and may God bless you. She tried to include a few lines about what was happening in the news when she wrote, what films were playing, what records were out. But mostly they were all the same. What was she supposed to write? I hope you don't die? Should she add flirtatious comments like Bea?

After school the boys collected scrap metal and sold war-bonds door-to-door, while the girls sewed bandages and socks in the Church hall, which had become the official meeting place of the Junior Red Cross. Juliet hated it--she would much rather be sewing her new dress for the Valentine's Day dance. It was a lovely, smoky blue--the exact color of her eyes. With a matching crinoline and the most sophisticated little silver shoes from Uncle Dean. She would be escorted to the dance by Allan. Of course.

But after a while Juliet began to like the sewing circle. Girls from all over their side of the Island came. It was easier to get things done with a larger group of girls. Juliet started looking forward to seeing Trudy Ford, who was the beautiful Rilla Ford's daughter. She was a sweet girl. Her cousin, Joyce Meredith, was a bit haughty but a hard-worker. Little Lorraine Guest from over in Harmony was too young to really be of help but she fetched drinks and refreshments for the rest of them, and her little brother, Lesley, entertained the group with hilarious song and dance routines, which he made up as he went along.

At home they put blackout curtains up at the windows to keep the lights from showing. Not that they had the lights on after dark anyway. Electricity was supposed to be rationed. So was kerosene, for the lanterns. So Mother rooted around in the shed and found the old candle-molds that had been used at New Moon in the olden days. The inhabitants of that house went back to the old candle-light tradition.

"Aunt Elizabeth always held fast to the one candle per night rule," said Mother. "She always hated electric lights. I imagine she's up in heaven, smiling at us now."

"If she can see through the blackout curtains," Douglas joked.

Uncle Dean and Aunt Elizabeth put the kibosh on their plans to travel in Europe this spring. They always went to Italy for Bella's birthday--it was where she had been born. Last year there had been some places of the continent that were untouched by war. They had spent a lovely summer in Greece. But this year the threat had spread too wide. No place was safe--it was better to stay home.

Other friends were returning from abroad as well. Mother had a letter in the post one day.

"It's from Sara Stanley!" she cried. "You all remember her--well, she was here when you were children, after filming the movie version of Lost Charlotte. She and her family have been living in England these past twenty years or so, and now they are finally back on the Island, to wait out the war. Living in the old King homestead, in Carlisle. How wonderful that she is back--we've been writing letters for years and now we'll finally be able to meet again!"

Mother went on and on--Miss Stanley's husband was a newspaper editor--they had three children--two older girls and a boy, who was Juliet and Douglas's age. Juliet wasn't really interested--she was far more excited about the dance. Should she wear her hair up or down? If she wore it up no one might notice how lovely it was--and it wasn't being vain, because it really was her only good feature! And someone might see that terrible mole on her next. Down--she would wear it down.

* * *

The dance was held on St. Valentine's day, in the same chuch hall where the Junior Reds met during the week. Only it wasn't to be a Valentine's Day dance anymore--they were calling it a Victory Dance, and charging admission--the profits would go toward the war effort. Juliet was buoyant with excitement on the drive over. She loved the feeling of the night air rushing over her face and whipping her hair. She loved the feel of the velvet on her skin. When they parked, she smiled around at everyone, even people she didn't know. She was so happy!

Until Allan spoiled it all by taking her arm in a very proprietary way. Juliet wanted to shake him! He was so sure of himself--so sure that she would always be there, waiting for him. That she would always be happy to hang on his arm. Again she got that stifled feeling in her chest that she had once mistaken for love.

The hall was lit up with paper lanterns and lace doilies cut into the shapes of hearts. The swing band from over-harbor was playing. Half the couples were leaping all over the place and the other half were mooning all over each other in dark corners. It was sickening, all of this pretended romance. Juliet knew which kind of those couples Allan wanted to be and steered him toward the dance floor instead. They began to jive--Allan was really an exceptional dancer. But so was she. They moved together as if they'd been dancing together all their lives--which they had. Juliet had a distant memory of Aunt Ilse teaching them to waltz together when they were only children! Oh--why had Juliet never noticed before how the grown-ups were always pushing them together. It was like--an arranged marriage or something. As if she, Juliet, had no say in the matter at all.

She was momentarily angry--until she saw Allan's happy face over her shoulder as he twirled her. She did love him. But not in that way. Not the way everyone expected. She loved him in a completely different way entirely.

Juliet was just going to think about what exactly that way was, but the music stopped, and everyone began to clap. Allan put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. And Juliet turned her head every so slightly to the left, toward the sound--and her life changed forever.

It was the first time she saw him. She would never forget it.

A/N: Thanks to Terreis for alerting me to some historical mistakes!