As the days passed, life fell into a pleasant routine. Every morning after breakfast, Polly and Lily, who were the same age, wandered off hand-in-hand to Rainbow Valley, there to play by (or sometimes in) the brook, pick flowers, and tell each other little-girl secrets. At first, Peter insisted on going with them, just to make sure they were all right, but after a few days, the magic of Ingleside began to work on him, too, and he felt secure enough to go off on his own—exploring down by the harbor, fishing with "Uncle" Jem, or reading up in the garret.
Bran followed Dr. Blythe like a loyal puppy whenever he was home; a position that won him many favors, such as fishing trips, drives through the countryside, and special one-on-one conversations. Dr. Blythe had the knack of speaking to children as though they were adults, a distinction that thrilled Bran to the core.
When Dr. Blythe was out on cases, Bran liked to play with Elliot and Vance Douglas. Elliot was eight, the same age as Bran, and Vance six. The three of them got into all sorts of trouble whenever their mother brought them over to play. Sometimes Walt would join them, and Rilla would bring Gilly up from the House of Dreams, and then nobody quite knew what was going to happen next!
As for Di, she was as lazy as she wanted. She spent long hours rambling along the shore, reveling in being so near to the sea once more. Some days she gathered up her three children and they went on an "adventure," just the four of them. Although the orphans had become comfortable around the Blythe family, they still like it best when it was just them and Mother Di.
Soon it was time for Una's homecoming, an event that had the entire village buzzing. Faith was planning a big party for her the night after her arrival.
"Are you sure Una will want a party?" Di asked the morning before Una was due. She and Faith were in the Ingleside kitchen mixing up all kinds of delicacies for the returning wanderer. "She's always been so shy—won't a party just embarrass her?"
Faith scowled fiercely at her son, who was hovering nearby, hoping to steal some scraps. He met her scowl with a cheerful grin, and ran off to find the other boys.
"Maybe it will," she acknowledged. "But she'll just have to bear with it. I haven't seen her in six years, and if I want to throw a party to celebrate her return, then that's what I'm going to do!"
"Let's hope it doesn't make her stay away for another six," Di commented dryly.
She would have preferred a quiet get-together with the families, herself, but looking at Faith's determined chin, she knew that nothing less than an AFFAIR would satisfy her!
Surprisingly enough, most of the Glen folk had the decency to stay away from the station when Una's train pulled in. They wouldn't have done it for anyone else, but the love they had for their reverend and his family was strong enough to conquer their curiosity.
Even the Blythes stayed away—although it was easier in their case, knowing that Ingleside was the first place Una would come after going to the manse.
Sure enough, not ten minutes after the train arrived, Una flew in, face glowing.
"Oh, you dear, wonderful people!" she cried. "Come here and let me see and hug you all!"
They crowded around her, marveling at the change in their dear Una. Six years had transformed her from a somber, silent, somewhat brooding woman who had left girlhood far behind, into a lovely woman, positively shimmering with health and youth and life. She was still sweet—still their Una—but she radiated joy and self-confidence in a manner that none of them had ever dreamed possible. For once, even glorious Faith was overshadowed by her younger sister.
Una still wore her black hair long, and it gleamed with a dull sheen in the light. Her dark blue eyes, once so wistful, now sparkled as she hugged everyone, and her skin, formerly ivory white, had darkened to a warm tan from her years under the Indian sun.
She had brought presents for everybody, she explained, bringing forth her satchel.
"I was so excited about seeing everyone that I couldn't even wait to go home—I made Father and Mother Rosemary bring me right over here!"
The children hung about, wide-eyed at the array of presents she brought out. There was a beautiful copy of the Qur'an for her father, who seized it with the true enthusiasm of a scholar, one lovely little detailed image of the famous Taj Mahal for Jem and one for Ken, a chess set with intricately carved pieces for Dr. Blythe, and stunning silk saris for all the women.
"It's like Christmas!" Gilly shouted, his mouth full of sweet Barfi, a traditional Indian sweet. He looked at his Aunt Una with adoring eyes; she was clearly his new favorite aunt.
"No," laughed Faith, her arm around her sister. "It's better than Christmas."
Everyone stayed up late into the night, listening to the stories Una had to tell of her work in India. She had learned so much, she said, from the children she worked with. They were uneducated and poverty-stricken, but so full of love and joy.
"They made me realize how much I have to be thankful for," she said, cuddling a sleepy Ford twin in her lap. "I went to help them, but in the end, they've helped me far beyond what I could ever do for them."
"What did you do?" Mrs. Blythe asked, her eyes bright with pleasure. She had always loved Una like a daughter, and seeing her thus transformed was delightful.
"I taught in the mission school, just one class to begin with. I was so nervous and shy that first week—just sick with fear. I stuttered my way through the class, and ran away and hid after each one. Then, one of the little girls—Ananda—came in crying one morning.
"At the sight of her tears, my nerves melted away. I knelt down beside her and asked what was wrong. She told me that her older brother had been killed in a riot the night before."
"How horrible!" Faith cried.
Una nodded somberly. "Ananda's brother hadn't even been involved; he was just an innocent bystander. But the soldiers opened fire on the crowd, and he was shot."
For a moment, everyone was silent as Una's eyes grew stormy. Then she smiled sweetly and continued. "I comforted Ananda as best I could, and after classes let out for that day, I realized that I wasn't there just to teach; I was there to help. So I put my own fears aside and started thinking about the children, and before I knew it, I had almost forgotten what it was like to be shy! I came to love the children so much.
"After a while, I got to where I taught several classes, and I help run an after-school program, a place where children can come and have food and drink and play games, all in a safe environment. We've even opened up a shelter for children to stay overnight if they need. There are so many projects going on—I really hated to leave."
"Didn't you ever get homesick?" Rilla asked, enthralled by the pictures Una drew of life in that foreign culture.
Una laughed—how they had missed that warm sound! "Of course, at first. I cried myself to sleep so many nights. After a while, though, I came to think of India as my home. I still missed you all, of course, but the longer I stayed, the more I loved it. I probably wouldn't have come back now," she admitted, "had not the Mission Board insisted. The Indian nationalist movement is growing, and riots are breaking out all over the country. Any European is looked upon with suspicion these days, and the Mission Board wanted me out and safe for a month or so, just until things settle down."
"Well, I'm glad they did!" Faith cried, her children asleep on either side. "What do you mean, you wouldn't have come home otherwise. Don't you know how much we've missed you?"
Una's eyes sparkled. "Well, the initial idea might not have been mine, but once they told me I was going home, all the longing to see everyone came back so strong that I thought I would never get here. Oh, how I've missed the Glen! There are many beautiful sights in India, but I never saw anything there that could compare to Glen St. Mary."
"Well, of course not," said Susan, who was hovering near the doorway, quite matter-of-fact.
Di was sitting with her children clustered around her. Her problems and worries suddenly seemed so petty and insignificant compared to the hardships Una had had to endure. She was glad she'd come back—glad she was here when Una came home. This was just what she'd needed to gain some perspective. Whatever was going to happen in her life, she would meet it with joy and hope; no more skulking around trying to hide from life. From now on, she would face it head-on!
To everyone's surprise, and Faith's delight, Una was rather enthusiastic about the party.
"It's been such a long time since I've seen everyone. This will be a perfect chance to renew old acquaintances, and really get back into village life."
"But you hate crowds," said Mary Douglas, who had come up to Ingleside to see her dearest friend. Una was delighted to see her, and even more to meet her namesake, four-year-old Una Cornelia Mary Douglas.
Una smiled. "Have you ever been in an Indian bazaar? Between the people, the dogs, and the smells, you feel so stifled you can't breathe. I hated it at first—I thought I would die every time I went—but after a while I didn't even notice it anymore. Believe me, a Glen party will be nothing compared to that.
"Besides, if we only do things we like or are comfortable with, how will we ever grow?"
She did, however, insist on wearing traditional Indian garb, however, no matter how much Mrs. Meredith, Mary, and Susan protested its impropriety.
"After all," she said sweetly. "If people are curious as to what my life was like in India, this will give them the best glimpse. Besides," laughing, "I don't have any European evening frocks. It's either this or a day dress."
They were so unused to their Una showing any kind of spirit, much less disregarding social etiquette, that they gave in.
As it was, Una looked stunning in her salwar-kameez, the traditional outfit consisting of wide-legged pants that narrowed at the ankle and a long straight tunic, with a flowing scarf to drape around one's shoulders or over one's head.
Una's trousers were made of midnight blue silk; they matched her eyes perfectly. Her tunic, which came nearly to her knees, was white and diaphanous, and she wore a blue silk choli, or short-sleeve top, underneath. Her scarf was a gauzy swirl of blue and white, and when she draped it over her black head and let it flow toward the ground, she looked truly dazzling.
"Dear me," said Faith mournfully, as the four women stood in Di's room finishing their primping. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Garbed in a wild-rose pink frock, she looked lovely herself, but she sighed as she gazed. "I look like a staid old matron next to you, Una—I, who always flattered myself on looking young and fresh!"
Una finished fastening sandals on her dainty feet and stood to kiss her sister on the cheek. "You look absolutely beautiful, Faith, and you always did."
Rilla, in dark gold silk, and Di in her Nile green gown, completed the party as they made their way downstairs.
Dr. Blythe let out a low whistle as they presented themselves, but then, as his gaze shifted past them to see his wife coming along, wearing a silver dress, his eyes kindled.
"None of you," he said, shaking his head at the girls, "are half as beautiful as my wife. Come along, Anne-girl, before you break these girls hearts with your splendor."
Laughing and joyful, they went out into the warm summer air.
The party was a roaring success. Una's garb caused many raised eyebrows at first, but her sweet demeanor and happy smile soon quieted the gossip. Even as a child, Una had been thoroughly lovable, and as a woman, she was even more so. She made a point to speak to almost every person there, asking them how they had been, and showing true interest in their lives. As a missionary, it was improper for her to dance, but she was quite happy to sit along the walls and talk. She never spoke about herself unless someone asked, but then she gladly told about India and all that she'd learned there.
All in all, the general consensus was that Una Meredith had blossomed into a beautiful woman, and was a credit to the community. All the old gossips who used to be scandalized at the doings of the manse children now plumed themselves on how they had helped bring them up until Reverend Meredith married Rosemary West.
With Jerry a renowned politician, Faith the wife of Dr. Jem Blythe, Carl a science professor at McGill, and Una a missionary, Glen St. Mary felt complacently that they had surely done their duty by those children, and were now reaping their reward.
Di was enjoying herself whole-heartedly for the first time in a long time, laughing with Faith, dancing with Jem and Ken and the other men that she'd grown up with, and forgetting for the time being that she was suffering a broken heart.
She had just finished a dance and was making her way to the refreshment table for some punch, when she felt a hand beneath her elbow and heard a heart-stopping familiar voice.
"May I have this dance?"
She turned slowly, suddenly stiff with dread, and looked directly into Patrick Samuels' warm blue eyes.
Di felt the color creep up to her cheeks, and hoped it would be put down to the heat in the room. "As a matter of fact," she said formally. "I was planning on sitting this one out."
Patrick seemed in no way put out. "Good. Then may I persuade you to take a little fresh air with me?"
Before Di could protest, he had taken her arm and steered her outside. There were one or two canoodling couples lurking around the bushes, but Patrick avoided them and led Di to a bench to sit.
"What are you doing here?" Di asked finally, her stunned brain starting to function again.
Even in the darkness, Di could hear the smile in Patrick's voice. "Seeing you."
"Where's Elizabeth?" Di knew the question was blunt, and probably rude, but she couldn't help herself. She couldn't be sitting out here with another woman's fiancé. He might think they could be just friends, but she just couldn't do it.
Patrick shifted his weight on the bench. "Elizabeth is probably halfway to Winnipeg right now."
"Winnipeg?" Di repeated, completely confused.
"It's a complicated story. Elizabeth has been pushing me for a year now to set a wedding date, but I just couldn't do it. Something kept holding me back. We've been fighting quite a bit over it these last few months, over the wedding and other things—turns out we didn't have as much in common as I'd thought. She didn't want to live the rest of her life on Avonlea, tucked away from the world. She wanted us to move to Toronto, and just come back to Avonlea for vacations. Oh, we wanted completely different lives. So finally, last night, I received a letter from her, saying that she thought it best we dissolve our engagement, as our lives had taken us on different paths. She had met a rich man—practically a millionaire—from Winnipeg this winter, and he asked her to marry him. At the time she told him no, since we were engaged, but as it had become obvious that we weren't suited to each other, she was going out there to tell him she would marry him after all."
"She jilted you?" Di knew she should be rejoicing, but all she felt was a strange numbness—along with a slight incredulity that anyone would choose some stuffy Winnipeg millionaire over Patrick—even Elizabeth Craig!
"She did," Patrick agreed ruefully. "Truth be told, though, I was—and am—relieved. You see, I had been thinking for a while that we weren't really congenial, but I knew it would be dishonorable to break off the engagement. So when she did it for me, well, it was as though a burden lifted off my back."
He leaned forward and took her hand in both of his. "You see, Di, there's really only one person in this world that I can see spending the rest of my life with. She's the woman I always wanted, but never thought I could have, and so decided to settle for second-best. But second-best just doesn't work with a life-companion, and I can't live without her. And when her brother, this morning, told me she might be of the same mind, I came rushing out to see if she would be willing to throw her lot in with mine.
"Diana Blythe, you are my dearest friend, the only person I want to share my life. Could you be happy with a simple man like me?"
Di couldn't speak for a moment. The numbness from before was replaced with overwhelming joy washing over her like rain. This—this was all she wanted! This was a passion, a love that would never fade away. Oh, life could not possibly get any sweeter than this.
She cleared her throat and finally spoke. "I could not be happy with anyone else," she said softly.
Patrick leaned forward, and their hands and lips met in one accord.
Di never remembered much about the rest of that night. She and Patrick never went back inside, but stayed out on the old bench, talking, nearly until dawn. When she got back to Ingleside, everyone else was at home and asleep already. She kissed Patrick goodnight—what joy to be able to do so!—and slipped in through the kitchen door, tiptoeing up the stairs to her room.
She hung up her dress with great care. How glad she was, now, that Rilla had convinced her to buy it! Although Di normally didn't care much about clothes, she was pleased that she looked so nice on the night she and Patrick finally told each other of their love. She would cherish this dress always, as a memento of this night.
She laughed a little at herself as she crawled beneath her covers. Who would have guessed she could be so romantic?
It only seemed a few moments from the time she closed her eyes to when little Polly bounced on the bed, waking her up.
"Mother Di! It's morning!" she squealed.
Di opened her eyes blearily. Polly's energy had grown enormously since coming to Ingleside, something that had pleased Di, until this morning. She groaned and shielded her eyes from the sun streaming in through the white ruffled curtains.
"How was the party last night?" Polly asked. "Were you beautiful? Was Aunt Una beautiful? When can I wear my sari?"
Di finally relinquished all hope of more sleep and sat up, capturing the little girl in her arms and tickling her.
"You monkey! How can you expect me to answer all those question at once? I haven't even had my tea yet!"
Polly giggled and squirmed, her delighted squeals apparently signaling to the boys, lurking outside the door, that they could come in.
The door flew open and the two lads promptly leaped on the bed. Di grabbed her pillow and started buffeting them; they snatched up Polly's pillows and a free-for-all took place. They joyfully whacked away at each other until all were exhausted and glowing, and flopped down to rest.
"Whew!" Di said, trying to catch her breath. "I'm getting too old for this."
Suddenly, Bran sat upright. "Mother Di! Look!" He pointed out the window, and Di followed his finger to see Patrick's square figure walking down the road to the house.
"Uncle Patrick!" Polly squealed. Leaping off the bed, she would have darted out the door in an instant if Di hadn't called to her.
"Polly, wait!" She looked at the three faces before her—Peter's, so quiet and calm, his blue eyes watching her solemnly from beneath his shock of golden hair; Bran's, dusky and roguish, his dark eyes twinkling merrily; and Polly's, heart-shaped and sweet, with her green eyes and dark auburn hair only adding luster to her lovely spirit. These children were as dear to her as though they were her own. Although most of last night was a blur, she remembered very clearly the conversation she and Patrick had had regarding them, and she hoped they would approve the idea. She was certain Polly would, but she had her doubts about the boys.
She took her courage in both hands and spoke abruptly. "Children, Uncle Patrick and I—we want to get married."
Polly jumped up and down, her hands over her mouth. Bran's eyes widened in shock, and even Peter looked taken aback.
Di hurried on. "Now, we will only get married if you three approve." She was about to say more, but Bran interrupted.
"What will happen to us?"
Di smiled at his anxious face. "Well, we would very much like to adopt you—to make you three our children officially. What do you say?"
"You mean, we would be a family?" Bran whispered, his eyes glowing.
"You would be our real mother?" Polly added in awe.
"And we would live in a home of our own?" Peter finished.
"Yes to all of those," Di said. "Children, I love you so very much, and nothing would make me happier than for you to be my very own children—mine and Patrick's."
"Oh!" Polly squealed, and she leapt onto the bed and flung her arms around Di's neck. "It's just what I've always wanted!"
Bran, his face twisted with emotion, didn't say anything, but he too leaned in and hugged Di fiercely. She looked over their heads at Peter, still sitting silently.
"Well?" she asked him.
The other two sat back to hear his answer.
"If it means we are a family, in our own home … then yes," he said slowly.
The happy cries of glee could be heard even from outside the house. Polly dashed out to tell Uncle Patrick that they were going to be a real family, and the boys went to tell their new cousins the good news. Di, left alone, leaned back against her headboard with happy tears standing in her eyes.
"I couldn't have asked for anything better than this," she whispered softly, her heart rejoicing with thankfulness.
Hurray! Only one chapter left, to wrap things up. Let me know what you think!