Chapter Two: Dinner at Ingleside

30th July 1919

Una stood just inside her closet, looking critically at the dresses that hung before her. She had had most of them for a good three years, since she had tried to avoid making new ones during the War, and because she had to have a new wardrobe for Redmond, she had made only two new dresses for the spring. But she wanted something especially nice to wear to the dinner party that Mrs. Blythe was giving at Ingleside in honour of her sons' homecoming and Rilla's twentieth birthday. After a full ten minutes, she decided on the new dark blue one that she saved for visiting. Rosemary had told her that it brought out her eyes and hair. And Walter hasn't seen it yet, she thought, and then blushed. She mustn't expect him to notice her.

Walter had returned to the Glen four weeks after Carl had brought Una the news that he was alive. She had gone to Ingleside with the rest of her family to see him two days after his return. He had shaken her hand warmly and told her that it was wonderful to see her again, but he had seemed distant from everyone and she had seen a look in his eyes that hurt her. That look had grown even more intense as he explained as best he could what had happened to him at Courcelette and afterwards. He remembered discovering that he had been hit in the chest by a bullet and then trying to get out of the way of his advancing comrades. He believed he must have lost consciousness a while later and he really had no memory of being taken off the field or of being taken to the casualty clearing station or the field hospital. His next clear memories were of the hospital in France, and he really didn't have many more details than the ones Carl had first given to Una. He had been told that his head injury was a result of the ambulance driver losing control on a rainy night and crashing into a tree, and in addition to his head injury, he had suffered a broken arm and leg, and several cracked ribs. Once he was strong enough, his doctors sent him to a hospital in England, and from there they sent him to a convalescent hospital where he had been deemed unfit for further military service due to the effects of his head injury. His doctors had not allowed him to write home because they did not want him to upset the Blythe family.

After his comrade had helped him convince his doctors that he really was Walter Blythe, Red Cross officials had investigated and told him that they thought he had been mistaken for dead at the field hospital. Someone had obviously later discovered that he was alive, and had evidently had him sent on to Paris without correcting the records. The officials also thought that his identity discs must have been lost somewhere between the field hospital and the accident scene. They still weren't sure how he had been confused with the other Walter Blythe, but thought that maybe the service numbers had been mixed up.

Walter's doctors had told him that they didn't think his head injury had done any permanent damage, and that as far as they were concerned, he had made a full recovery.

After that afternoon at Ingleside, Una had only seen Walter briefly at church on Sundays and Wednesday nights, where he had seemed extremely uncomfortable under the stares of curious people.

Una dressed and surveyed the result in her mirror. The dark blue of the dress did indeed bring out the blue of her eyes and compliment her black hair as Rosemary had said it did. She sat down at her dressing table to experiment with different ways of doing her hair. When she was satisfied, she went downstairs to wait for the rest of her family.

At Ingleside, the Merediths found everyone in the big living room except for Susan, Mrs. Blythe, Nan, and Di, who were preparing the large meal. Una allowed Rilla to take her belongings and then she found a chair beside Jem. A quick glance around the room had revealed that Walter was tucked away in a back corner, staring straight ahead, but not appearing to see anyone or anything.

Jem turned to her and smiled. "You look nice, Una. That dress matches your eyes."

"Thank you. You're looking well, yourself, Jem. Faith will be pleased when she returns in September. She's been anxious about your health, you know."

Jem sighed. "Yes, I know she's worried about me, but I'm quite fine now. I'm not the one to be concerned about." He glanced over at the corner where Walter was sitting.

Una was trying to think of something to say when Mrs. Blythe came in and announced that dinner was ready and everyone headed for the dining room.

She found herself sitting down between Di and Jem and across from Rilla. Walter sat down on the other side of Jem and across from Jerry.

After Mr. Meredith returned thanks, the conversation drifted from one commonplace topic to another. Walter spoke only when spoken to, and Una thought that was a bad sign.

Susan had just brought out the Queen Pudding for dessert when Jerry asked Walter if he had decided whether or not he was going to return to Redmond in September with the rest of them.

Walter looked down at his pudding and took a deep breath before looking up at Jerry. "Yes, I'm going back in September," he said. "All my doctors tell me I'm healthy now, and I have to start making up for lost time."

"I'm glad to hear it," replied Jerry, smiling at his old friend.

Una happened to glance over at Dr. and Mrs. Blythe and she thought she detected looks of deep concern on their faces. Perhaps they're just being overly cautious, she thought.

Everyone gathered in the living room again after supper, and separate conversations started up quickly. Nan, Di, and Rilla were all keenly interested in Una's intention to study Household Science at Redmond, and they peppered her with questions.

"I'm so glad that you're going to Redmond, Una," said Nan. "And I know you'll keep an eye on the boys." She cast a significant look in Jerry's direction.

"Nan, we're grown men," protested Jem, "we can look after ourselves."

Nan didn't seem convinced, but she said no more about it. Di's eyes wandered over toward Walter's direction, and Una wondered if she was thinking that he needed someone to look after him most of all.

The conversations drifted from topic to topic, with everyone carefully avoiding the subject of the war. Una took little part in them; her head had begun to ache, and finally she excused herself and went out onto the verandah for some fresh air. She sat down and looked out into the night. The stars were out and she could see the moon hanging over Rainbow Valley. All was quiet except for the occasional bursts of laughter she could hear behind her in the house. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door open or the footsteps behind her.

"Una, do you mind if I join you out here?" said Walter.

Una jumped and turned to face him, feeling color rising to her cheeks. She hoped he would not notice. "Oh, Walter, you startled me. I didn't hear you come out."

"I'm sorry," he said. She could tell that his grey eyes looked sad even in the moonlight. "I assumed that you had heard me come out."

"I don't mind company at all," she said. "I had to get away from all the noise, though, because it was making my head ache."

He sat down beside her. "I know what you mean."

Neither of them said anything more for several minutes, but Una was pleasantly surprised to find that the silence wasn't awkward. Somehow she sensed that Walter didn't expect her to talk, but then he knew that she was a quiet person by nature.

"I'm glad to hear that you're starting to Redmond this fall," Walter said suddenly.

"I hope I'll like it," she replied.

"I hope you will, too," he said, "and I hope I enjoy my second year more than I did my first year. One thing I have to do is to prove to father and mother that I really am fit enough to return to college so soon."

"So they don't want you to go back this fall?"

"No. They want me to wait another year, but I can't, Una. I've lost too many years of my life already. Besides, what would I do around here? I'd probably go out of my mind. I'd have too much time to think about, well, to think about things I have to try to forget."

"I understand," she said softly, but then she wanted to kick herself for saying it, because she knew she couldn't possibly understand what all he had suffered and was still suffering even now. She could only imagine.

He fell silent again, and Una's thoughts went spinning once more. In a way it seemed strange to be sitting and talking with Walter, as if no one had ever thought he was dead. Some days Una woke up and wondered if maybe she had just dreamed that he had been reported dead, and others she wondered if she had only dreamed that he was alive. She supposed that the same thing probably happened with the Blythes. And how strange things must be for Walter, she thought.