Chapter 7
Before Anne knew it the date of the wedding was almost upon her. Just one day and She would be Mrs. Royal Gardner. How strange the prospect of marriage seemed to her. Anne quickly dismissed her fears as pre wedding jitters. Tomorrow they would be married and heading across the Atlantic for a wedding tour throughout Europe. Roy had told her that they absolutely had to go to Europe for their honeymoon. For Paris in the fall was not something to be missed. Anne agreed. She had always wanted to travel. After all what better way to do it than with your husband. At least that was what she had heard from her friends. She had decided not to have any bridesmaids. All of her friends were married, or about to be. It was the night before her wedding. It was past midnight already but Anne could not sleep. She could hear Mrs. Lynde snoring in the room across the hall from hers. She had also this tense feeling in the pit of her stomach so that every time she attempted to rest her head on the pillow her stomach would give another lurch and awaken her from almost dream land. So Anne had resigned trying to sleep and sat in a chair in her room embroidering a handkerchief in an attempt to forget about everything entirely. Anne was in the middle of rather a difficult cross stitch when she heard a small noise at her window. She was very startled by the noise. Thinking though however that it may well be her mind playing tricks on her she resumed her mundane task. Suddenly she heard the noise again. She knew that this time she was not dreaming it at all. Anne set her needle work aside and went to the window. Under her window was a person who made her heart race ever so slightly. She paused for a moment contemplating whether to open the window or not. After another tap on the window caused by what Anne had now seen was a pebble, she decided to open the window.
"Anne," said the voice.
"Gilbert," Anne spoke quietly enough so as not to wake others in the house but just loud enough for him to hear. For heavens sake what on earth are you doing underneath my bedroom window, especially at nearly one o'clock in the morning?"
" I was walking down the lane and I saw the light on in your window and thought you might still be up."
"It's the night before my wedding Gilbert. I need my rest." Anne pleaded. Gilbert appeared to ignore her.
"Will you come out for a walk with me?" He spoke undeterred by her previous statement.
"It's one o'clock in the morning! I can't possible go for a walk with you."
" Of course you can."
" I am not going walking with you."
" Very well if you won't come out to me than I shall have to stand underneath your bedroom window and serenade you." Gilbert was bluffing but he hoped it would work. Anne thought he was very intoxicated.
"Alright I'll come down. Just give me a few moments to get dressed and get a lantern." Anne moved quietly about while getting ready." Gilbert smiled for he knew that this was a victory if indeed only a small one. She was true to her word and only took a few minutes to go downstairs.
"Gilbert you have to go. It's late and you should go to bed and sleep whatever you've had to drink off."
" It's not the liqueur that makes me act this impulsive. I wanted to see you one last time."
"Gilbert don't talk as though we'll never see each other again. Our paths will keep on crossing. And I want us to remain friends of course." Anne was very nervous.
"Friends." Gilbert clasped her hand and pulled her behind a tree that shielded their image. He placed her against the tree trunk and leaned in to kiss her. Anne was surprised that Gilbert had kissed her, was kissing her. She could smell the liqueur on his breath. It was intoxicating. He broke his head from the kiss long enough to breath the words "I love you. You are the furthest thing in my mind from a friend at present." He once again pressed his lips on hers most urgently. It was the most passionate thing Anne had ever heard in her life, and indeed this was the most intimate thing that had ever happened to her. And here she was kissing Gilbert, who was not her fiancée. Anne immediately broke away at the remembrance of Roy.
" No," she cried out. "We must not." She quickly corrected herself. "We cannot. I am engaged and this is my wedding day. This must not go any further." Anne let a tear run down her check to which Gilbert tenderly wiped away, as he gazed down into her lovely green eyes.
"Marry me. " He whispered with his had still on her check I have nothing to offer but my undying love for you. But I know we would still be so happy."
"I can't." she began to cry. "I made a promise and I have to honor that promise. Please you must not make this more difficult for me."
" If I have made it difficult for you then that means that there is love for which you will not admit to even yourself."
"Please leave me."
"Not until you tell me what you feel for me."
" I cannot. Please except that and leave me now. You may think that you are in love with me now, but I'm sure that with time you will realize that what you feel for me is not love."
" It is. Love. I will never love another, and I feel very sure that you do not love Royal Gardner the way you love me."
"Leave me" she said in a pleading whisper. "Go home, I'm begging you." Her face was streaming with tears. Gilbert was in agony to watch all the pain that Anne was in.
" Are you sure you love him?"
"Yes I love him." she said it was true she loved Roy in her way.
"And there is nothing I can say that will make you change your mind?" Gilbert had a hopeful look in his eyes that almost made Anne breakdown again. She knew it must be done. She must break his heart so that he could get on with his life.
"I'm sorry Gilbert." Anne said what she had to. Anne saw a tear slip down Gilbert's face. Just one before he released her and walked back down the lane silently. Anne sank against the tree and cried. She eventually was able to bring herself upstairs. Where she lay on her bed till she saw the faint glimmer of dawn on wallpaper. She rose to stand at her window to see the dawn. The dawn of her wedding day.
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A/N: Not to worry this is not the end. Now I know what your thinking. What a stupid twit to make Anne choose Roy over Gilbert. But I promise I am going somewhere with this story line. I promise!!!! I will also try to write more frequently. Once again Please review!!! I simply adore reviews!!. Well not bad ones of course, but as long as the criticism is constructive then I am grateful for the review. But nice ones are best. Any way Happy One Year Anniversary. REVIEW!!!!!!!
Before Anne knew it the date of the wedding was almost upon her. Just one day and She would be Mrs. Royal Gardner. How strange the prospect of marriage seemed to her. Anne quickly dismissed her fears as pre wedding jitters. Tomorrow they would be married and heading across the Atlantic for a wedding tour throughout Europe. Roy had told her that they absolutely had to go to Europe for their honeymoon. For Paris in the fall was not something to be missed. Anne agreed. She had always wanted to travel. After all what better way to do it than with your husband. At least that was what she had heard from her friends. She had decided not to have any bridesmaids. All of her friends were married, or about to be. It was the night before her wedding. It was past midnight already but Anne could not sleep. She could hear Mrs. Lynde snoring in the room across the hall from hers. She had also this tense feeling in the pit of her stomach so that every time she attempted to rest her head on the pillow her stomach would give another lurch and awaken her from almost dream land. So Anne had resigned trying to sleep and sat in a chair in her room embroidering a handkerchief in an attempt to forget about everything entirely. Anne was in the middle of rather a difficult cross stitch when she heard a small noise at her window. She was very startled by the noise. Thinking though however that it may well be her mind playing tricks on her she resumed her mundane task. Suddenly she heard the noise again. She knew that this time she was not dreaming it at all. Anne set her needle work aside and went to the window. Under her window was a person who made her heart race ever so slightly. She paused for a moment contemplating whether to open the window or not. After another tap on the window caused by what Anne had now seen was a pebble, she decided to open the window.
"Anne," said the voice.
"Gilbert," Anne spoke quietly enough so as not to wake others in the house but just loud enough for him to hear. For heavens sake what on earth are you doing underneath my bedroom window, especially at nearly one o'clock in the morning?"
" I was walking down the lane and I saw the light on in your window and thought you might still be up."
"It's the night before my wedding Gilbert. I need my rest." Anne pleaded. Gilbert appeared to ignore her.
"Will you come out for a walk with me?" He spoke undeterred by her previous statement.
"It's one o'clock in the morning! I can't possible go for a walk with you."
" Of course you can."
" I am not going walking with you."
" Very well if you won't come out to me than I shall have to stand underneath your bedroom window and serenade you." Gilbert was bluffing but he hoped it would work. Anne thought he was very intoxicated.
"Alright I'll come down. Just give me a few moments to get dressed and get a lantern." Anne moved quietly about while getting ready." Gilbert smiled for he knew that this was a victory if indeed only a small one. She was true to her word and only took a few minutes to go downstairs.
"Gilbert you have to go. It's late and you should go to bed and sleep whatever you've had to drink off."
" It's not the liqueur that makes me act this impulsive. I wanted to see you one last time."
"Gilbert don't talk as though we'll never see each other again. Our paths will keep on crossing. And I want us to remain friends of course." Anne was very nervous.
"Friends." Gilbert clasped her hand and pulled her behind a tree that shielded their image. He placed her against the tree trunk and leaned in to kiss her. Anne was surprised that Gilbert had kissed her, was kissing her. She could smell the liqueur on his breath. It was intoxicating. He broke his head from the kiss long enough to breath the words "I love you. You are the furthest thing in my mind from a friend at present." He once again pressed his lips on hers most urgently. It was the most passionate thing Anne had ever heard in her life, and indeed this was the most intimate thing that had ever happened to her. And here she was kissing Gilbert, who was not her fiancée. Anne immediately broke away at the remembrance of Roy.
" No," she cried out. "We must not." She quickly corrected herself. "We cannot. I am engaged and this is my wedding day. This must not go any further." Anne let a tear run down her check to which Gilbert tenderly wiped away, as he gazed down into her lovely green eyes.
"Marry me. " He whispered with his had still on her check I have nothing to offer but my undying love for you. But I know we would still be so happy."
"I can't." she began to cry. "I made a promise and I have to honor that promise. Please you must not make this more difficult for me."
" If I have made it difficult for you then that means that there is love for which you will not admit to even yourself."
"Please leave me."
"Not until you tell me what you feel for me."
" I cannot. Please except that and leave me now. You may think that you are in love with me now, but I'm sure that with time you will realize that what you feel for me is not love."
" It is. Love. I will never love another, and I feel very sure that you do not love Royal Gardner the way you love me."
"Leave me" she said in a pleading whisper. "Go home, I'm begging you." Her face was streaming with tears. Gilbert was in agony to watch all the pain that Anne was in.
" Are you sure you love him?"
"Yes I love him." she said it was true she loved Roy in her way.
"And there is nothing I can say that will make you change your mind?" Gilbert had a hopeful look in his eyes that almost made Anne breakdown again. She knew it must be done. She must break his heart so that he could get on with his life.
"I'm sorry Gilbert." Anne said what she had to. Anne saw a tear slip down Gilbert's face. Just one before he released her and walked back down the lane silently. Anne sank against the tree and cried. She eventually was able to bring herself upstairs. Where she lay on her bed till she saw the faint glimmer of dawn on wallpaper. She rose to stand at her window to see the dawn. The dawn of her wedding day.
**********************************************************************
A/N: Not to worry this is not the end. Now I know what your thinking. What a stupid twit to make Anne choose Roy over Gilbert. But I promise I am going somewhere with this story line. I promise!!!! I will also try to write more frequently. Once again Please review!!! I simply adore reviews!!. Well not bad ones of course, but as long as the criticism is constructive then I am grateful for the review. But nice ones are best. Any way Happy One Year Anniversary. REVIEW!!!!!!!