Faith and Rilla looked to each other with no small amount of concern upon hearing Hope's outburst. Tenny looked up with a moment's joy before being sensible enough to know that Hope undoubtedly must have been mistaken. Anne sighed, knowing that the little girl was only setting herself up for a great heartbreak. Walter heard her and ran up to gather her in his arms, knowing she would soon need his embrace.
Hope tried to fight her way free of Walter's hold, but couldn't. As she attempted to squirm free, she caught a closer glimpse of the lady with Walter. No one had to tell her the truth. She realized right away that she had erred. Though this lady had the same color of hair, and walked with much the same air, she wasn't nor would she ever be Katie Darcy Blythe. Her eyes were definitely a different color and had a different sparkle about them. She was beautiful, but not in the same way that her own dear mother was.
"You're not my mama. I-I'm sorry," she apologized, her little baby heart filled with embarrassment and disappointment.
"I've missed you so much, Prairie Princess," Walter declared, kissing his cherub-faced daughter's head and trying to change the subject.
"I missed you too, Daddy," Hope admitted, the disappointment extremely evident in her voice.
They stepped onto the verandah, with everyone watching to see who was with Walter and how the situation with Hope was being handled. Upon seeing Persis, Rilla jumped up, as well as she could considering her present condition, and hugged her sister-in-law.
"Persis, you're here! I knew you were coming soon, but I didn't think it would be today. It's good to see you."
"I got a little bored in Toronto and decided to leave a little earlier than planned. I hope that's okay?" she asked, receiving a nod from Rilla. "Anyway, I was just coming early to get busy setting up the new house for Mum and Dad, and imagine my surprise when I saw Walter here on the ferry."
"I guess that was a surprise," Rilla agreed. "Gilly, Anne, come here to see your Aunt Persis," she called to her children.
"Not as much as a surprise as seeing how… wonderful and radiant you look, Rilla. Motherhood agrees with you," Persis told her as Gilly and Anne made their way to them.
"I'm as big as a whale," Rilla complained. "Oh, sweetie, are you alright?" she asked as her attention was directed to her daughter who had just slipped and fallen on the verandah step.
"I think I'm okay," the little girl said, wiping dirt from her dress.
"Well, come over here, and let Mummy kiss your boo boo and make it better."
Anne ran into Rilla's arms, and Rilla promptly covered her with kisses. Then Rilla reintroduced her children and all the other children to Persis. The children were all excused from their lessons, and the adults gathered together on the verandah to catch up.
"Persis, I'm so glad to see you and to hear that Leslie and Owen are moving to the Glen for good," Anne told her
Persis nodded. "I am too. Toronto is too busy and noisy. It's not nearly as fun to visit as the Glen. Now when I see my parents I can see my brother and his wonderful family as well," she exclaimed, giving Gilly a quick hug and kiss.
Gilly was getting to that age when all young men no longer care for public displays of affection, especially those from perfect strangers, no matter whether said stranger is your father's sister or not. He wiped the kiss from his cheek in a very quick fashion and decided that it was the perfect time to ask permission for a getaway.
"Mummy, may we go and play now?" he asked with the most polite tone of voice.
Rilla, rather shocked at her son's sudden acquisition of overly correct manners looked to Faith and Walter who in turned agreed before she told him, "Yes, you may all go play now."
With such a simple statement, five children raced off toward Rainbow Valley. Anne tripped over her own feet along the way. She turned around and noticed Hope, who was also headed toward Rainbow Valley, but in a much slower, less joyful fashion. "Hope, aren't you coming?"
"I'm coming," she replied rather dully, giving a wistful look back to the verandah where her father, Persis, Grandmother, Rilla, and Faith were having a good laugh with a heavy sigh.
Hope followed the other children down to Rainbow Valley, but couldn't bring herself to join in with their play. She sat on a mossy stone for the longest time, her chin resting in her hands that in turn, were resting on her knees. She watched her brother and cousins laugh and play with such wistful, some would even say sorrowful eyes, that Tenny felt an immense need to stop playing in order to see what had caused such a change in his sister's disposition.
He sat next to her, and with an instinctive need to comfort her, put his arm around her shoulders, in an attempt to console her. "Awe Hope, why don't you try to cheer up? I know you got a little confused when you saw Daddy walking with that lady. I almost thought it was Mama too, with the sun in our eyes so. No one's mad or anything. Why don't you just join in? We're playing that we're in Oz. You can be Glinda, if you want," he offered, knowing that Glinda was hope's favorite character in the series of books that Grandfather read to them.
"I don't want to be Glinda, Tenny. I just want to be me. Go on and play with the others. I just want to be by myself," she sulked, shooing Tenny away.
Tenny though about arguing with Hope, and wither making her play or trying to stay and lift up her spirits.
"Alright," he started to say, as he got off the stone, "but if you want me, I'll be right here."
Hope nodded in understanding and watched her brother walk back to where his cousins were playing. She thought about calling Tenny back. It had felt a little better to talk to him, but she didn't feel exactly right putting her feelings on him. She went back to watching the others as they played for a while as thoughts danced around in her head. Then she suddenly remembered someone who would truly understand her heart.
She quietly slipped away, without Tenny or the others noticing. She hadn't seen this person since the day before her Daddy had left, so she was feeling somewhat shy and scared that HE also would be around, lurking. She had overheard a conversation where Aunt Faith had said that he was gone, but she didn't wish to relive their last meeting.
Hope took a deep breath and knocked on the front door of the manse. Mrs. Meredith answered the door. She looked down upon the wee girl with a warm, sunshiny smile, and asked, "Hope, what can I do for you today?"
"Is Una here?" the little girl shyly asked.
""I'm sorry, but Una is here."
Disappointment again washed over Hope's face. "Oh. Thank you. I guess I should go home then."
"Would you like some milk and cookies?" Mrs. Meredith asked.
Under normal circumstances, Hope would have readily agreed because she thought that Mrs. Meredith made the most splendid cookies, but this time she couldn't bring herself to pretend she was happy.
Hope shook her head. "No, it would probably only spoil my dinner. Thank you anyway though."
Rosemary was plainly concerned for the child. She hadn't seen a little girl so upset since that time way back when Adam the Rooster lost his life to old Aunt Martha. "Hope, I'll be sure to tell Una that you stopped by."
"Thank you. Goodbye," she told Rosemary as she slowly, sulkily walked away from the manse.
"Goodbye Hope. Come by again soon," Rosemary called out to the disenchanted youngster.
Hope walked away so disillusioned that Rosemary thought that it would be a good idea to make a phone call to Ingleside.
Kenneth had arrived soon after the children left, in order to share the evening meal with his in-laws and collect his wife and children. However, he was also given the additional joy of being welcomed by his own dear younger sister. Gilbert and Jem had also made their way home from a long day of making calls on bedridden patients. The Ingleside adults were having a joyous time recounting the golden days of yore when the telephone rang from inside.
Walter was the first to jump up and answer it. Rosemary's call only confirmed Walter's own fears; that Hope didn't take the scene at his arrival well at all. He walked onto the verandah again, his face far less jovial than before.
"Who was on the phone?" Jem asked, worried that it was Mrs. Milgrave possibly going into premature labor.
"It was Mrs. Meredith," Walter answered, distracted.
Faith started to get up thinking the call had been for her when Walter continued. "It seems that Hope went to the manse, looking for Una and appeared quite dispirited. Mrs. Meredith was afraid that something was upsetting her and called to let us know. I shall have to talk with her when she comes home," he determined.
None of the adults liked hearing that the laughing, happy Hope was upset. Jem offered to take her for a sail soon. Faith and Rilla offered to talk to her if Walter wished it. He declined, knowing that she would be so reserved that she wouldn't be completely open with them. "What if I have a talk with her, Walter?" his mother asked, "Maybe she just needs a mother or Grandmother's touch right now. We all know what has upset her."
"Maybe you're right, Mother. You always were good to talk to when we children," Walter agreed.
"She's still good to talk to," Rilla added.
It seemed that everyone was agreed on the course of action that was to be taken. Now they only had to wait for Hope to come to them, for it wasn't the time to search her out. She had left to talk to someone else.
The afternoon soon gave way to evening, and the children were called in from Rainbow Valley to eat their dinner. Tenny, Walt, and Gilly were of course the first of the brood to fly into Ingleside. John soon followed, and Anne tripped in right after. After a few minutes, it was obvious that once again, Hope was going to delay dinner.
"Tenny, have you seen your sister lately?" Walter asked.
"Gosh no, Dad. She seemed really down in the dumps, but I tried to get her to play with us. She just sat watched for a long time," Tenny answered, feeling guilty for leaving her in such a state.
"I saw her walk toward the manse," Walt interrupted, hoping that his cousin wouldn't delay dinner too long.
"We heard that she went by there," Walter told his son and nephew.
This time, Gilly stepped forward with information. "I was up in the Tree Lovers, when I saw her go in the back door of Ingleside."
"Gilbert Kenneth Ford! How many times have your father and I told you not to climb the Tree Lovers? The limbs are sturdy and I don't want you to fall and break your neck!" Rilla admonished the boy.
"I know Mum, I'm sorry. It's just that the bells had gotten all tangled up," he tried to explain.
"No excuses young man," Kenneth scolded. "However, you told on yourself in order to tell us about Hope, which was good, so just don't do it again," he said as he tussled Gilly's brown hair.
Anne decided to take charge of her family. "Walter and Persis have made a long trip to be here this evening. The two doctors have taken care of the bodies of this side of PEI. The children have worked and played hard all day. Rilla and Faith helped me to prepare for the quilting tomorrow, so I am telling everyone to go ahead and start dinner. I'm going upstairs to talk with our disheartened one. Hopefully we will be down soon."
Anne Blythe walked up the old Ingleside stairs, recalling numerous times she had had the same mission to soothe the cares of the first six Blythe children who had matured within its walls. She walked into the room that it seemed only yesterday had been occupied by her own baby, Rilla. It still was hard to think that those days were long past. Her own memories of other consolations were soon tucked away though by the sound of Hope gently sobbing on her bed.
Anne sat down beside the little girl, running her fingers through her red mane. It seemed that what was once a curse to her had become a sort of family trademark and thing of pride. She sighed. Oh how she adored this little girl! It broke her heart to see her so hurt.
Anne loved all her grandchildren just the same, but rarely looked at Tenny and Hope without remembering when she had thought that there would never be a possibility of their existence. "Hope dearest," she asked, "could you please tell me what has upset you so?"
"It's nothing, Grandmother," Hope tried to say.
"Nothing doesn't cause you to miss dinner in order to cry all alone in your bedroom, Hope," she told the girl as she pulled her up into her lap and to her heart, softly rocking her. "You must never tell your Grandmother a falsehood, Hope. Please tell me what has you so upset so that I can help you."
"I wasn't trying to fib Grandmother, it's just so," she stopped a moment, "it's so embarrassing."
"You're embarrassed because you mistook Persis for your mother?" Anne asked, knowing the answer.
Hope sighed heavily. "Yes. I am embarrassed. It was foolish of me to think it was Mama. I know better. She's dead. I just remember how you thought Daddy was dead, but he wasn't really, and I hoped that something like that would happen with Mama."
"It is never foolish for your heart to wish for things, Hope. Hope, have I ever told you about my Joyce?"
Hope shook her head. "I've heard people talk about her a little, but never you."
Now it was Anne's turn to sigh. "Joyce was my very first baby. Your Grandfather and I loved her very much, but she died the day she was born. It broke my heart. In time, I didn't hurt quite the same. I had Uncle Jem, then your Daddy, the twins, Uncle Shirley, and Aunt Rilla. They filled my heart so, but it still had this empty place waiting for Joyce. I always wanted to see her so badly, that I would sometimes think of her visiting me. I could see her grow up that way. One time during the war, I was imagining that Joyce was alive and living with us when Rilla walked into the room, and I accidentally called her Joyce. It hurt me far more than anyone else and embarrassed me. You know what though, Rilla didn't mind. She knew I love Joyce so much that she is always with me. Your mother is always with you too, Hope. I think that Persis understands what happened. Everyone else does too. No one thinks any less of you."
"You really think so?" Hope asked, looking into Anne's eyes well, hopefully.
"I know so, dearest," Anne answered, giving Hope a soft kiss on the forehead.
Hope hugged Grandmother tightly. "You know Grandmother, I miss having Mama, but it is awfully nice to have you," she admitted, the sparkle back in her greenish-gray eyes.