What if instead of hiring Jerry Bute after Anne arrived, Anne in a desperate attempt to help one of the two orphans she knew escape the orphanage put forward the name of two boys that Cuthberts could adopt one of upon returning her. Her request ends up with the Cuthberts having not just one orphan but three. How would things have been different if Anne had a brother figure? One who was friends with Gilbert Blythe? Alternative Universe. New Characters, Original characters acting out of character. Facts utterly disregard at times.
Chapter 1
"A boy?" 13 year old Anne Shirely asked fighting tears. "You don't want me because I'm not a boy."
"Well, we planned to adopt a boy to help Matthew on the farm and in exchange we would provide a good home, food on the table and some education. A girl's no use to us," Marilla Cuthbert said briskly.
"Thomas Conner if you are willing to for younger," Anne gasped over her own impending grief seeing a chance to help one of her only friends, even if she was to be denied this magical place. Continuing in a rush she said, "He's about 9. Or Henry Mack if your willing for a 14 year old. Both are good and smart. They, they, either would be a good choice," Anne said her voice trembling, but determined to do this good deed for her friends, then some good would come out of this. If the Cuthberts took Henry, Anne and Tommy would be at the mercy of the other orphans, but after the way he had defended her and Tommy, he deserved the chance to escape the orphange. She would miss him dreadfully, but to know he was here would be a balm to her soul, she thought. Anne feared Tommy, just turned 9 and small for his size, wouldn't be a consideration for the Cuthberts, but she saw an opportunity to get him away from the orphanage so she had to try. If they could be persuade to take either boy, Anne thought desperately, she had to try.
"How could you not tell me at the station you didn't want me? You could have left me there and I never would have seen the White Way of Delight or the Lake of Shinning Waters. Then it wouldn't be so hard," Anne said reproachfully to Matthew before bursting into tears finally. She had been so determined to thrill in this opportunity and had thrown herself in it whole heartedly just like Henry had insisted she do, for she had been adopted, not as a servant, if Mrs. Spencer was anything to go by, but a family.
"What on earth?" Marilla demanded staring at Matthew.
"Some conversation we had," Matthew said nervously. "I'll just put the mare up and have tea when I come back," he said making a beeline for the exit.
"Did Mrs. Spencer bring anyone else back?" Marilla asked eyeing Anne.
"Lily Jones," Anne said sniffling. "She is beautiful with nut brown hair. If I was beautiful with nut brown hair would you want me then?"
"No. I told you, it's a boy we wanted," Marilla said gruffly.
"Would you please consider Tommy or Henry then?" Anne plead quietly.
"Hmm," Marilla said considering. "Well, sit and eat."
"I couldn't," Anne said sniffling. "I'm in the depths of despair. Anything I tried would feel like a lump choking me. I wish I could eat, I truly do, because it looks so good and I will likely never see as tasty of food again. At the orphanage the food is awful and lumpy and gray and as awful as it taste there is never enough. So truly I do wish I could eat, but I know I could not swallow a bite."
"I'll hitch up the buggy and take you to Mrs. Spencer tomorrow to get this mess straightened out," Marilla said with practicallity, unsure what to say to such a statement from Anne.
Seeing Anne still had no desire to eat after Matthew came back, Marilla brought her upstairs to change for bed. Marilla left and Anne changed for bed, burrowing into the blankets her heart breaking. When Marilla came back in and in a gruff, but not unkind voice, wished Anne a good night, Anne with a white face declared it not to be a good night at all, but rather the very worst before diving back down under the covers. She quickly raised her head again and renewed her plea for the adoption of either Tommy or Henry when she was sent back.
Marilla made her way downstairs thinking of the girl's pleas to adopt one of the boys she named in her place if she was to be sent back. Marilla said to Matthew, this in mind, "This is what comes of sending word rather than going ourselves. I'll drive over and see Mrs. Spencer tomorrow. I suppose we can consider the two boys names the girl put forward. She's real determined about them. Though 9 sounds a mite young. She'll have to be sent back though, that's for certain."
"I suppose," Matthew said with great reluctance.
"Suppose?" Marilla asked in disbelief.
"Well, she's a real nice little thing. It seems a pity to send her back when she was so thrilled to be staying here."
"You can't possibly mean you wish to keep her!"Marilla said looking at Matthew as if he had a third head.
"Well, well I suppose. I suppose. Well I guess we couldn't exactly be expected to but-"
"I would think not! What good would she be to us?" Marilla interrupted him.
"We might be some good to her," Matthew said with sudden conviction.
"You're bewitched Matthew Cuthbert," Marilla declared. "I can see as plain as can be you want to keep her!"
"She's an interesting little thing. You should have heard her talk," Matthew said his conviction growing.
"She can talk alright. If I wanted an orphan girl, which mind you I don't, she wouldn't be the style I'd pick out. She's got to go back and that's that. She mentioned two possible boys for us to consider. We might make due with one of them."
"We could adopt one of them and keep her on as company for you," Matthew said stubbornly.
"Company for me? I don't need no company. She's going back."
Matthew said nothing to this other than to put his pipe away and say, "Im going to bed." His silence though spoke volumes.
…
Matthew made his opinion on the matter known the night before and he stubbornly clung to it in silence the next morning. Marilla was forced all morning long to consider this with every reproachful look in her direction and longing ones cast in Anne's direction. He wanted to keep the child! It was with a distemper that Marilla harnessed the mare to the buggy, put out with her brother's steadfast conviction that he was right and Marilla was terribly wrong. Matthew was terrified of women in genral and school girls in particular were their own breed of nightmare, but here he was looking at this one like the sun and moon rose and set for her, like he was some sort of proud papa.
A glance at the girl next to her on the seat had Marilla sighing. Her brother had always done right by her and been the best big brother a girl could ask for. She had always secretly thought he would make some little girl a fine father someday and often wished their own father would be more like her brother. It was not a thought Marilla had had in a long time. She had long since suppressed any ideas of wishing, declaring them to be impractical. A charged snap of the reigns and "ha," directed to the mare had her attempting to throw off her sudden unexpected sentimentality. But when an idea takes root in one's heart it has the potential to grow. A recounting on Anne's early history was a small bit of nourishment for it, but it would be the hand of Mrs. Peter Blewett that would cause it to grow wings and sprout.
...
Her eyes flashing with anger Marilla bundled Anne back into the wagon. She wouldn't give a dog she liked to that woman, and the way she had treated Anne, a human, a little girl as if she were livestock at market, Marilla fummed inwardly. Marilla was fired up and mad. And she stayed fired up and mad. Upon spotting Matthew waiting in the lane she hauled on the reigns and said, "Tomorrow I'll be headed on over to Bright River to take the ferry over and adopt a boy. Anne will be coming with me, I can't leave her here alone that's for sure, I wouldn't put it past that Blewett woman to show up here. No it will be best if Anne goes with me to make a seletion."
Not many people were aware that Marilla Cuthbert when angered was a sight to be hold, if they had been, they perhaps would not have been surprised when she came home from the orphanage with not just one red headed orphan, but three. What Anne had failed to mention to Marilla about why her, Thomas Conner and Henry Mack had all banded together so well at the orphanage was that all three had bright red hair.
Marilla hadn't known she possed any such protective instincts, but when the Matron had sneered that she wasn't surprised the Cuthbert's weren't happy with the girl Mrs. Spencer had insisted was just perfect, being one of that red haired lot, Marilla had bristled.
Marilla her voice tight with anger, had explained that they were keeping Anne, but had anticipated adopting a boy so they intended to adopt one as well and that she'd like to meet Henry Mack. The matron had sneered, but before the expected Henry could arrive after being sent for, a scawny small figure with bright red hair hurled himself at Anne, hiccuping apologies and hugging her fierecly. The matron had raised a ruler to the child and brought it down viciously on him as Anne had cried fearfully,"Oh Tommy!"
"Stop!" Marilla had demanded as the matron lashed out at the small child who in pain and surprise released Anne. Marilla quickly gathered the two children behind her and faced the matron, her body quaking with rightous anger.
Into this Henry stepped, and catching sight of Anne, gave a cry of, "Anne! I told Tommy it wasn't possible to wish you back, but as soon as he heard you had been sighted he flew right down here, thinking it was his fault." Turning to the matron squaring his shoulders he said, "It's my fault mam. Tommy isn't to blame. He has had a poor night the last two nights. I swear I'll keep a better eye on him."
"He's got the devil in him. Just like you and that girl with your red hair," The matron declared with venomn as she raised her ruler to strike Henry. It never came down though because Marilla had grabbed it in midair.
"I'll be adopting all of them," Marilla heard her own voice declare. In no time Marilla was on the front steps of the harsh gray building, three red headed children holding hands tightly and following in her wake.
Now, Marilla grimly thought to herself, she had never been so impulsive in her life, and she sure picked a fine way to do it. She couldn't quite find it in herself to regret her actions, but she knew all of Avonlea would be agog at her, and declaring she had bitten off far more than she could chew. It was all Matthew's fault, Marilla thought with a huff. He had been the one to suggest she think of what they could do for one stray waif and somehow she ended up with three. Well, Marilla thought with resignation, they were hers now and she would make the best of it. Deciding she needed to say something she said, "This will be a trial. I expect you to listen sharp, do your chores and try your best."
All three solemnly nodded their red heads.
