March rolled in like a very wet and grumbly lion. The snow mostly ceased, although what little there was of it was dingy and dirty, and rain came down nearly every day, usually accompanied by biting winds and dark clouds, which occasionally showered them with hail.
The children, or so Peter reported to Di, with a little quirk in the corner of his mouth, practically swam to school and back each day.
Meanwhile, a certain Blair Giraud had arrived in Toronto, seemingly bent on sweeping Tricia off her feet. Di knew they had been communicating through letters ever since their cousin's wedding, but this was the first time he had paid her a visit.
Tricia introduced him to Di the very first night he stopped by the Home. He stood in the front hall, twirling his hat, smiling a little to himself at the picture Tricia presented as she went off for Di, carrying a sleepy little child in her arms.
Di liked him at first sight—despite the fact that she was quite sure he was going to deprive her of her best and only helper. In appearance, he reminded her just slightly of Kenneth, being dark and velvety, but he had a personality and charm all his own.
"I am so pleased to meet you, Miss Blythe," he said in his delightful voice. "Tricia has told me so much about all the wonderful work you are doing here. I must say I am quite impressed."
"Thank you, but I can't take all the credit," laughed Di. "Tricia has been an enormous help to me these last few years."
"That I can well believe," Blair said, smiling at the blushing Tricia.
They chatted for a few more minutes, mostly about mutual acquaintances from the Island, and then Blair escorted Tricia out for dinner and the theatre, with strict injunctions from Di to bring her back at a reasonable hour.
That was just the beginning, and for the next fortnight, Blair took Tricia out nearly every night, and the few night they stayed in, he endeared himself to all the Home's inhabitants by playing gleefully with the children and telling them all the most marvelous stories before bed.
It was therefore no surprise to Di when Tricia came in beaming and blushing the day after Blair went back to Montreal, and shyly showed Di the stunning diamond on her left hand.
Di hugged her warmly. "I'm so happy for you, dearest."
"Oh Di," she whispered, her face full of awe. "I never dreamed I could be this happy. Oh, but Di, I'm so worried about the Home! We'll live in Montreal, of course, and spend part of our summers on the Island, but I do so hate to leave you and the children."
"Don't be ridiculous," Di said firmly. "We'll be just fine. No one could ever replace you, but I can hire another helper, and we'll get by. Don't worry about us! When is the wedding to be?"
"June," she answered, smiling blissfully. "Blair wanted it to be sooner, but Uncle Richard wouldn't hear of it—and I can't bear to leave you all too soon. Uncle Richard is planning a big society wedding," making a face, "but I want you to be my maid of honor. Will you?"
Di thought rapidly. She swore after Rilla's wedding never to be a bridesmaid again, lest she fall prey to the "three times a bridesmaid" curse, but that was silly superstition, and besides, it didn't seem too likely she would be getting married now anyway! So she smiled and said "Yes," quite easily.
Tricia clasped her hands together. "Oh good! Alan is to be best man, of course, and Blair's sisters Felicity, Olivia, and Alice will be bridesmaids, and his brother Jasper and cousins Steve and Alex groomsmen …" she chattered on, but a thought suddenly pierced Di.
Blair was cousins with the Craigs, which meant that Elizabeth would be at the wedding, quite possibly with Patrick. Thus far, Di had managed to avoid seeing them together, but there would be no escaping it now.
She shrugged mentally. There was no point in fussing over it, she told herself philosophically. As Mrs. Rachel Lynde was always fond of saying, what is to be will be, that's what.
Rilla was due near the end of March, and Di fully expected that and Tricia's engagement to be the only exciting events of the month. Between the two, however, came a romantic little story that pleased and surprised not only her, but also everyone else around. Anne Blythe, when she heard about, sighed a little and said even she couldn't have imagined anything so lovely.
It was a cold, windy day around the middle of the month. Di had a cold in her head, the children were quarrelsome and whiny, and the weather seemed to penetrate even Tricia's dreamy state.
Di had just settled an argument between Elisabetta and Bobby, and told Bran for the fourth time to finish his homework, when Emma approached her.
"There's a lady here to see you, ma'am," she said importantly.
By now, Di was quite familiar with Emma's manner of introducing people. She refused to take names, but classified them into three categories, based on appearance and manners: "Lady" or "gentleman;" "person;" and "someone."
This, then, was a woman of some breeding. Di cast one sharp glance over the two little girls, now working peaceably at the same table, and rose to her feet.
"Very well Emma, show her into my office; I'll join her momentarily."
"Yes ma'am. Shall I have Mrs. Goccia make some tea?"
"Yes, thank you."
Di wasn't quite sure what she was expecting—another Lady Leah, perhaps, or even a surprise visit from Persis—but when she entered the office and greeted the woman awaiting her, she was slightly taken aback.
She was tall and stately, with iron-grey hair and shrewd grey eyes set deep in a clear-cut face, with strong features and a shrewd smile. She was dressed simply but carefully in a navy wool suit, and the appraising look in her eyes as she looked at Di made that woman feel like a little schoolgirl again.
"Miss Blythe?" she asked, in a strong but pleasant voice.
"Yes," Di answered, trying to recover her scattered nerves. "And you are …?"
"Rebecca Waite," she said.
Di blinked a little. Waite was Olivia's last name … but surely that little girl had no relations left who were willing to take her? "What may I do for you, Miss Waite?" she asked, shaking away any profitless speculation. Miss Waite's business would be best found out by that lady relating it, not by her, Di, trying to guess.
"Miss Blythe, I believe you have my little great-niece, Olivia Waite, in your care. Is that correct?"
"I do have an Olivia Waite in my care," Di answered cautiously. "But I understood her family had resigned all claim to her."
Miss Waite snorted, surprising Di. "They would," she said cryptically. "Miss Blythe, may I tell you something of Olivia's family?"
Di seated herself behind the desk. "I would be pleased to learn more about them," she said frankly. "I've always wondered about Olivia's family."
"Olivia's father was my favorite nephew. I never got along well with my sister—a hard, selfish woman if there ever was one, my sister though she may be. Her other two children were just like her, but Danny—Olivia's father—was quite different.
"I didn't much care for his choice of wife—a silly, flighty little thing, who didn't have enough sense not to burn water. Still, Danny loved her, so I was willing to accept her for his sake. She lived only a year—long enough to go through all his money and give birth to a little girl—and then died, and he was better off without her.
"He was desperately poor at this point; I offered for him to come live with me, but he was too proud. He didn't want his mother or siblings to know in what dire straits he was. He died a year later, worn out from overwork and disappointment.
"I was out of the country when this happened, visiting friends in California, and by the time I returned, my sister had already claimed guardianship of Olivia. I tried to take her, but the courts sided with her grandmother, and though my sister had no affection for the child, she refused to give up anything she thought belonged to her by rights."
"And after she died …?" prompted Di.
The proud face broke into a grim smile. "I was once again in California … it seems to be my curse to always be out of reach when Olivia needs me. I came home as soon as I could, but there were many delays, and I made it back only two months ago. Then I had to wrench the information as to where she was out of my niece, and here I am, ready to finally take her in and raise her as my own."
Di drew in a long breath. "Oh, I'm so glad," she murmured thankfully. She met the old lady's puzzled glance with a smile. "I've prayed and prayed that Olivia would find someone who loved and accepted her. Would you mind waiting here while I bring her to you?"
"Miss Blythe, I assure you that I will not leave until my great-niece is safely in my possession."
Di left the room with a springing step. Olivia was sitting in the darkest corner of the playroom, staring at nothing and scowling.
"Olivia," Di said gently, bending down and touching her shoulder. "There's someone here to see you."
"To see me?" the little girl asked, looking up in astonishment. She smiled bitterly. "I think you've made a mistake. Nobody ever wants to see me."
Di shook her head, but forbore to answer verbally. Better to let Miss Waite tell it herself. "Come, dear," she said.
Olivia rose to her feet ungraciously and followed Di to the office, still smiling scornfully. Di opened the door and ushered her inside, where Miss Waite rose calmly to her feet.
"Olivia," Di said, "This is your great-aunt, Miss Rebecca Waite. She wants you to come live with her."
The look on Olivia's face was heartbreaking—the look of someone afraid to let herself hope or believe. "Me?"
Miss Waite took one step toward her. "Yes, dear," she said quite gently. "I am your Aunt Rebecca, and I would very much like for you to come live with me. I have a little bungalow in California, and I think we would get on well together."
Olivia's eyes opened even wider. "Me?" she whispered again. "You want me?" And tears started to well up in those dark grey eyes—the same color and shape as her great-aunt's.
Di turned and left them alone together, closing the door very gently behind her.
A few weeks later, a very different Olivia sailed away with her great-aunt to sunny California—an Olivia who was all smiles and joy. Knowing that there was one person in the world, just one, who loved her and wanted her, changed everything.
She waved happily at all the other orphans as her Aunt Rebecca took her away from the Home, and even blew a kiss to Di and Tricia. The two women sighed almost in unison as she disappeared from view.
"I love a happy ending," Tricia said romantically.
"An ending for us, but a very happy beginning for them," Di replied sententiously.
Coming after this, the successful birth of Rilla's baby might have seemed an anticlimax—had it not been two babies!
The phone rang shrilly just before midnight on March 31. Di had been expecting a call for the past few days, but her heart still beat a little faster as she raced to answer it. Had everything gone all right?
"Hello—hello!" she gasped into the machine.
"Hello, Auntie Di!" said a merry voice—Kenneth's, sounding as it had not done in months.
"Ken!" she cried, her heartbeat slowing back down to normal. "How is everything--everyone?"
"Perfect," he replied joyfully. "Not a single problem this time."
"Oh, thank goodness," she sighed, before turning to more important matters. "And is it a boy or a girl?"
"Girl," Kenneth answered, but even over the static of long distance Di could make out the note of mischief.
"What are you not telling me, Ken?"
"What?" he asked innocently. "Just that Shirley can no longer boast."
Di was completely at sea. "Shirley? Boast?"
"He no longer has the only set of twins—Rilla gave birth to two beautiful little girls! We thought they were going to be April Fool's babies, but they fooled us!" laughing as at some great witticism.
"Twins! Oh Ken, that's wonderful! What are their names?"
"Leslie Alice and Anne Marilla—our own little Ally and Anna. Rilla is going to write to you with all the details, but the expense of this phone call is already ridiculous, and I have so many other people to call, so I'll have to let you go. Bye-bye!"
He hung up, leaving a very dazed Di clutching the telephone as though for dear life.
"Twins," she whispered. With a wry smile, she wondered if they would live up to their namesakes—if so, they would certainly keep their parents busy!
The Blythe family had grown yet again, and even though Di was thrilled, for the first time she wondered wistfully what it would be like to bring her own children into the world.
Author's Note: The last part of this chapter was for all those who pleaded for Rilla and Ken to find happiness again. Hope this makes up for some of what I put them through!