Chapter 31

"Well son, I'm not asking you to accept or not. It's already a done deal. The funds are right here in this envelope. That bit of property was always meant for you to get a start on life. It's just doing it in a different way than originally expected," John Blythe said firmly to Gilbert.

"But pa," Gilbert objected.

"The Andrews are signing some of their farm over to Billy as well, you think he's gonna object? My parents sighed a portion of their farm over to me when I was young and starting out. It's the way of things as a lad grows up. You won't ever be a farmer though, Gilbert. That isn't the path you have choosen to tread. If you had I'd be signing you over that bit of land so you could get started and settle down with your sweetheart. Anne's not staying here though. Your sweetheart is going off to Redmond. Your ma was hoping you would come back with Anne finally promised to you or atleast courting. It's noble of you to want to teach and earn your way, but don't let your pride cost you what you want. It's a parents privilege to help their child out. Me and your ma are decided. All this really means is that you won't have the life as a farmer to fall back on, but your dreams aren't of being a farmer, you don't need that safety net, you need to go on to Redmond with your girl and follow your own dreams."

….

Seeing the cool reception Jane Andrews gave Anne as they passed each other, Gilbert quirked a questioning eyebrow at Henry. Henry shook his head and with a smirk whispered, "She proposed for her brother Billy to Anne. Anne was absolutely astonished. Jane is quite put out with her for saying no."

"Billy Andrews proposed by proxy to my Anne?" Gilbert asked in astonishment.

"In his defense she hasn't realized she's yours, so he must not have either," Henry said laughing openly at his friend's statement.

"You know what I mean," Gilbert said rolling his eyes.

"I do, but I'd watch my tongue if I were you. Don't let Anne her you calling her yours, you never know what she might do. She still has that stack of slates you gave her when we got to Queens. Her armoury against any to eager fellas."

...

"I don't know that I'll be going to Redmond with you," Henry said queitly to Gilbert and Anne. "Matthew has been having trouble with his heart. Tommy tries his best, but he's so young. I'd be more of a help."

"But you have to go," Anne cried out distressed. "We all have to go together, just like we promised. We can't be split up now. Not after everything we've achieved."

"I can't do it, Anne."

"Have you talked it over with Matthew?" Gilbert asked rationally, knowong Henry, usually practical ocassionally had a tendency to react like Anne, out of emotion then calm practicality.

"Not in so many words. I don't know how to tell him. He is so proud of me and Anne. I feel like telling him will let him down and I don't know how to do that, but I also don't know how to leave him when he needs extra help, " Henry said frustrated.

"And what am I?" Tommy asked appearing suddenly in the doorway. "I've been here helping him all year. He has me. You can't not go Henry. It's my turn to help you. My turn to be the one Matthew relies on. With you gone, I've finally gotten to really make a difference. You can't change your mind about going and take that away from me."

"Talk to Matthew. He'll be honest with you if you talk to him man to man. He cares about you to much to fob you off with excuses," Gilbert said. "And Tommy is right, he's here. He knows how to help Matthew and he's of an age to be useful. I was yonger than him when I went out west to take care of my pa back when he was real sick."

"So your fixing to give up your education because your fretting over me like an old woman? I got Marilla for that, Henry," Matthew said sternly. "I appreciate the sacrifice you are willing to make, but let me tell you right off the bat, you don't have too. I reckon I got a few more years in me yet. You and Tommy, well you've both made a big difference in seeing things done and I do less now then I did before you all arrived. I'd be mighty displeased if you let Anne go off all alone to Redmond with only Gilbert Blythe for protection," he added having learned the art of teasing from Henry as the two worked beside each other.

"And you don't think ole Gil is up for protecting her?" Henry asked his eyes twinkling. Him and Matthew had a long running stretch of amusement pertaining to Gilbert and Anne.

"Even without Anne's imagination, I can imagine he'd do a right credible job of it. But it is a bit like putting the fox amoung the hen house," Matthew said.

"You can't possibily think Gil-" Henry asked falling off the fence shocked, causing Matthew to chuckle.

"Would like to steal a few kisses from our Anne?" Matthew said a bit wryly. "It's a bit of a wonder he hasn't tried too. You can't expect the poor boy to always resist the temptation. He's a good lad, but your best friend or not, he is only human and has his eyes on my little girl. No, I think it best you go with Anne and Gilbert to Redmond. It'll come time enough for you to loose some of that closeness between you three once they up and marry. You won't always have the same relationship with them. Right now you are the one that understands Anne, and knows Gilberts heart. Someday they will have something that is just theirs, but for now it is the three of you, as it should be. Your going with them even if I have to kick you off this farm myself," Matthew said with finality to the boy he had grown close to and loved like a son. He had never considered what he had missed out on not having children, but passing his knowledge down to Henry and Tommy had ended up feeling just right.

"Poor Anne," Henry said climbing up on the fence post by Gilbert.

"What did she get into this time?" Gilbert asked curiously.

"Well this one wasn't exactly her fault," Henry said smirking. "She might have been wishing for one of those slates by the end of it though. Charlie Sloan came by the house, all dandied up."

"Do tell?" Gilbert encouraged him, prepared to be amused by Charlie's most reccent slavo at Anne's affections.

"I have this from Tommy, not having been on hand to witness it myself, but Mr. Charles Sloan, that's how he told Tommy to announce him to Anne."

"Announce him?" Gilbert asked incredulous.

"You heard right, announce him," Henry confirmed. "So Tommy goes ahead and does so and Charlie tells Tommy he may leave so that he could have a private word with Anne. Now Tommy being Tommy only pretended to leave while Anne was imploring him with those big gray eyes of hers not to go anywhere. So Tommy gets himself comfortable out of sight, but near enough by to hear. And that's when the fun really began. Charlie, excuse me Mr. Charles Sloan, starts talking at Anne. Not to mind you, at. Telling her that her lot in life as an orphan is an unfortunate one but he has decided he could overlook her orgins and while they couldn't marry right away with him going to school, he figured he had better offer now so she could give up her quiant notions of going to Redmond and begin her proper training, necessary for her to become a satisfactory housewife instead. He even informed her his mother would see to it that she received proper instruction so she would know how to keep house in the manner he was accustomed too. Went so far as to suggest he wouldn't consider it amiss if she slowly began to take over his mother's duties of seeing to his things when he was home towards the end of his college experience, to begin the transition before they married."

Gilbert gapped at him and finally said, "Of all the asinine, idiot- Anne must have been furious. "

"So Anne has had the dubious joy of three proposals and two refusals," Henry concluded.

"Two refusals? You can't mean to say she accepted him?" Gilbert declared hotly jumping from the fence.

"Accepted him?" Henry asked in disbelief. "Didn't you listen to a word I said? She refused him most emphatically in no uncertain terms and Tommy was tempted to let her break the dish in her hands over his head. But it was one of Marilla's favorites so he raced into the room and snatched it out of her hands, before bundling Mr. Charles Sloan out of the house, who had the audacity to act as if he was the offended party and made some ungenerous statements about ungrateful orphans."

"You said she had three proposals and refused two," Gilbert said confused. "Who'd she accept? And why?" he asked heartbrokenly.

Realizing what his friend thought Henry said looking at him in disbelief, "She hasn't accepted anyone, Gil. The third proposal was you. Well, actually, I guess, more accurately you were the first. Remember Queens, I punched you, you proposed, sort of, Anne ran off and she never answered?"

Gilbert whole body stance changed, the utter dejection and heatbreak disappearing. "I remember, " Gilbert said quietly. He remembered that night clearly. Anne hadn't said yes, but she hadn't said no. The question had been left open and he hadn't been foolish enough to bring it up again. The answer had felt like a yes, a someday, a when she was ready. All of Gilbert's hopes were pinned on that kiss. He knew Anne and knew she couldn't kiss a fella like that unless her heart was engaged. He knew he had acted to soon, but he couldn't bring himself to regret that kiss, he hoped that kiss might cause Anne to start to see him as more than a chum if nothing else.