Happy Valentine's Day, dear readers. Oops – that was days ago?! That will teach me to write an author's note before I finish the actual chapter. I hope regardless this long overdue update is appropriately themed! I didn't set out to write the happenings in this chapter quite yet, but the story wants what the story wants, clearly. I hope you enjoy it!
Thank you to the many lovely new follows received for this and my other stories. It is always thrilling to know I have a new reader. I am making very good progress on updates for Land of Heart's Desire and Betwixt the Stars for anyone kind enough to be reading them as well.
There have been so many lovely pm's received lately and reviews for my other stories, and I thank those readers so very much. Please know I WILL respond and am sorry I am constantly interrupted by Real Life.
With love
MrsVonTrapp x
Chapter Sixteen
Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it
In the end, they carefully skirted the great and beautiful park, and most especially the pavilion, following the route Gilbert had first suggested when they were still happy and hopeful new undergrads nearly four years before; up the pine-fringed hill to the little white frame house with a group of pines either side of it, with its red and gold vines shining as jeweled threads in the sun, and the green shuttered windows always reminding him of Green Gables. *
Gilbert remembered the very same path he had taken, that fateful day two years later; remembered cradling his handfuls of sweet arbutus; remembered cresting the hill and feeling in his pent-up emotion he could easily vault the stone wall; how his long, urgent strides took him down the path through the little garden, and around to the orchard, coming upon Anne seated on the grey boulder as if on a throne, and contemplating the birchen bough hanging against the pale red sunset with the very perfection of grace. **
Anne remembered, too… remembered her frown as she saw Gilbert's approach; remembered how she had wished desperately that Phil would come out; remembered the attempted ruse of the violets; remembered his large brown hand clasping tightly and his handsome lean face shocked and white to the lips and the look in his eyes which she had hoped never to remember again. **
Now, she was the one to clutch too tightly, to his arm as they came through the gate, and contemplating the happy little house that had also harboured such a dreadful moment in their history, she paused, tugging at his jacket sleeve.
"Gil!"
"Yes, Anne?" he looked down to her, to see her all grave grey eyes and deepening blush.
"I need to tell you something!"
He nodded encouragingly. "Of course."
There was a time when he hadn't listened to her; had not paused to really hear what she had attempted to say, and he would never make that mistake again. The memory snaked its way around his heart, however, squeezing it in momentary fear, till he saw it was Anne who was instead afraid, looking to him and around and back to the empty house as if trying to summon either courage or confidence, or perhaps both.
"Gilbert, I read your letter! The letter survived the fire; I had it in the pocket of my skirt the entire time!"
Her blurted admission was as endearing as it was heartening, and he could have laughed in relief and delight.
"Well, that was lucky, then," he deadpanned with a coy smile.
Her pale pink lips parted in astonishment.
"But Gil, don't you understand? I allowed you to believe that it was destroyed! Whilst you were in your hospital bed! I'm so sorry, Gil. I felt so confused and ashamed! Later, I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't find the moment…"
"Darling, I know."
She didn't know what stopped her breath in her chest; the casual, almost relaxed attitude to her overdue truth; the relief of being freed of her burden; or… darling.
"Why didn't you say?" she swallowed painfully.
His look to her was unbearably tender. "Because, Anne-girl, you weren't quite ready to."
Her eyes swam as she bowed her head, about to dash at her tears with her hand when he instead offered his own.
"Shall we, Carrots?"
He never presumed, now; only offered; asked for her hand where once he had taken it, and his grip today was gentle yet firm, and warmly reassuring.
Around they walked, hand in hand, to the orchard he had not seen nor cared to see in two years; he thought it might feel like coming across an excavated tomb, with all the past pain and heartbreak unearthed. But it was, simply, a small little apple orchard, after all; a pint-sized pocket of home, and to be here again, with Anne, felt strangely fitting and right, and the ghosts he had thought to lay to rest for them seemed not to have bothered attending.
"I never liked coming here, after," Anne piped suddenly, more contemplative than mournful.
"I'm sorry it was ruined for you, Anne-girl."
"Not ruined," she shook her head slowly, sighing, "more that, I couldn't stand to come here and be reminded of my own past actions."
"Ah… we have that in common, then," he smiled fleetingly. "I don't like to think of myself that day much, either."
Her hand in his, and all that had happened since, made her brave enough for the tease.
"I do believe you've improved somewhat, Mr Blythe," she flashed.
She heard the beautiful percussion of his sudden laughter rumble in his chest.
"Then there's hope for us yet, Miss Shirley!"
Her own laughter bubbled to the surface, and it was so good to share the joke with him – to have the joke be on them – and to feel the memory of that past day here in the orchard didn't have the power to hurt them anymore.
Still smiling, with the afternoon sun blanketing all in a warm, golden glow, he led her carefully around the boulder they had sat, and into the comparative coolness of the orchard. Here Gilbert seemed to navigate through some innate knowledge, as only the son of an orchardist might do, till they stumbled upon a little glade, both sunny and shaded, and perfect for them to stop with knowing, flustered smiles to one another.
It was a little reminiscent of the location of their wild apple tree beyond the Haunted Wood back in Avonlea; an inadvertent echo of another time when he had again paused with her, as if standing on the precipice.
He broke away from her to turn, as if to survey their surroundings, but really so that he could muster his courage as he guarded his expression, keeping his voice determinedly light.
"It's a little difficult for me to remember everything I wrote to you…" he began, "but I think there was something about you sitting and reading the letter by a tree, in Avonlea…"
He turned back to catch her full blush, and those eyes greening the more he stared at her.
"Of course…" he thrust his hands into his pockets, unexpectedly bashful, "we are not quite yet back in Avonlea."
"Not exactly," she gave a nervous, breathy laugh that felt new and strange to her ears. "Although…" she chased after the hope that fluttered just beyond her, wanting to catch it and give it back to him, "my understanding is that a letter might be read… anywhere."
Gilbert lost himself to her look for long moments.
"Indeed," he replied thickly, nodding. "Even…" he paused himself, wondering how large to leap, "by a hospital bed?"
The slight breeze felt as if a hurricane rushing past his ears; every sound seemed magnified a thousand-fold, from the serenade of the birds sleepy in the sunlight to his own galloping heart.
Anne had stilled, the tremulous smile tugging at her mouth, the tree by which she stood a dappled canopy, draping her in sunlight and shadow as she swayed in and out of its shelter, but all he saw was her luminescence, as if golden, rainbow-hued Iris had come out to play with them again.
"Yes…" she breathed, the rosy blush again finding her otherwise pale cheeks. "Even so."
He watched her extract the letter from the pocket of her skirt with slim shaking fingers, holding it up between them. He remembered several pages inside a thick, creamy envelope, but here it was folded and folded again, as if much-perused, even cherished. He didn't expect her to have it on her person, thinking they might continue to talk for a good while yet in metaphors and suppositions, and so the irrefutable evidence of his heart not just residing on his sleeve but spilling out there on the page caused his own cheeks to flare.
"Right, so it was real, then!" he laughed uneasily. "I sometimes doubted myself. I felt I wrote it whilst in a dream and thought the thing itself might remain so." His dark eyebrows arched. "You've carried it around… all this time?"
"Yes… ah, no!" she grew embarrassed. "I had it with me when you were unconscious, and then, when you believed it had been destroyed, I took it back to the hotel, and thought perhaps to burn it…"
"Burn it?" he barked a surprise laugh. "Was the writing that bad?"
"No, Gil!" she protested. "It was indescribably beautiful! It's just that I… I didn't want to hold you to the sentiments inside it if you felt... you felt… things had changed, for you."
"If things had changed for me?" he queried with a cocksure smile, leaning laconically – and too heavily - against an obliging apple tree beside hers, forgetting his shoulder was not now braced by the bandages and letting out an affronted and sudden noise of pain.
"Gil?"
"It's OK. Just a twinge…" he flushed, pausing to rub it.
"Here…" she shoved the letter back into her pocket, stepping up to him. She helped him ease his jacket off his shoulders and folded it next to them under the tree, returning to replace his ineffectual hand with her dainty clever ones, proceeding to massage his shoulder with surprising skill. She looked up and shook her head in admonishment at him.
"Ass," she rolled her eyes, though her tone was infused with affection, and he answered with a knowing snort. "And you could have died, Gil! That changes things."
"Nothing has changed for me, Anne," he whispered throatily and her hands stilled, his head bent and his lips level with her cheek. "MY affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever." ***
Her blush bloomed anew at his borrowed phrase. They had studied and argued over Lizzy and Darcy back in First Year, not then able to see the inadvertent irony of their interconnection with the characters.
"Just one word, Mr Blythe?" she stepped back, a gleam in her eye and a new coyness to her manner, which was absolutely in keeping with her literary counterpart. "I thought I had to repeat my answer three times?"
He smiled slowly, rolling his shoulder as he shook his head in chagrin.
"Will you make a poor man just out of hospital work so hard for his answer?"
She bit her bottom lip in attempt to stopper her delighted smirk.
"I'm afraid I've forgotten the question."
His chuckle was warm and knowing, and his hazel eyes caught the sun, flashing fire at her, as his hand ensnared hers and kissed it, as she had done to his by his hospital bed. Only there were no tears, today, as then, only the realization of rightness, and of a long, complicated dance coming to an end.
"I love you, Anne Shirley. With body, mind, heart and soul," he quoted himself, now, from his letter, and the soft summer air seemed to reverberate with his words. "It would be my honour in every way if you would agree to become my wife. And I'll spend every day forward attempting to deserve to be your husband."
He looked down at her with the earnest sincerity she so loved, and with the blaze of passion and promise flaring in his words and in his gaze.
"I love you, Gilbert!" Anne gasped the declaration, overcome with a joy-pain that she could finally speak her heart, after having taken so long to know it. "I marry you! I marry you! I marry you!"
Anne may have wanted to speak more; to fully explain how she had tried to navigate the many bends along their particular road; to try to share with him how once her heart had shied from him and now swelled in his presence; how she had realized her many wrong turns had not been in vain but had instead led to an alternative path back to him. But her joy caught the sounds in her throat and instead all she could do was to fling her arms around him and have him hold her, close and closer still, as if he didn't quite believe he was now able to and didn't quite trust himself with the sensation of her properly in his arms.
Gilbert tightened his arms around Anne's sylph-like slimness as much as his recovering body dared, laying his lean cheek against her hair and inhaling lilies and love. Even after everything – the rush to reach her before Roy; the fragile, raw honesty of their renewed friendship; the pain and passion of the shenanigans at Patty's Place; the delightful growing affection and awareness of one another through their time in Avonlea; the realization and romance abounding at Phil's wedding; the secrets and sensuality of their night at the guest house; the horror of the fire and its terrible, tormenting aftermath… all of it was a part of their story, and all of it had led them here… He would take it all in if he could, moment by moment, but there was no room and no time; he could only take in her.
Anne couldn't have known how good it felt for Gilbert to hold her; how snug and secure and complete it was to be in the circle of his embrace; how his splendid chin nestled into her shoulder and his cheek cradled the hair at her crown; how his wide hands spanned her waist, his long fingers walking themselves, sensationally, up and down her spine as if scaling the keys of a piano. His clean-apple scent… er, well, his current pungent liniment scent – tickled her nose but only served as a reminder how easily she could have lost him, and how desperately grateful she remained that he was here. That he was here, with her, like this… was a wonder she might spend the rest of her days contemplating.
Gilbert was, however, now contemplating something else…
"Darling?" he breathed.
"Yes, my beloved?" she looked up to him with a starry smile.
He did need to pause for a beat to take that in, smiling as if in receipt of some sensational secret.
"I do believe, my love, we are required to make good on our promise."
"Oh?" her quizzical expression gave way to a swift, vivid understanding, as his hands travelled ever upwards to cup her cheeks, staring into her eyes and savouring her look as one might an exultant traveller spying home at the end of a long journey.
Gilbert's hands were warm, but his kiss was fire, his lips falling into hers and crashing against her mouth. They seemed to gasp together at the sensation, seeking, savouring… He scorched a trail from mouth to cheek and then down the pale column of her neck, lingering at the thundering pulse by her ear, smiling at her sigh before migrating back to the lips that had fueled his fantasies for the better part of a decade.
"My love… my Anne…" he murmured into her mouth, tasting the wonderful words on his tongue and then on hers.
"Oh, Gilbert…" her answer was breathless when they eventually broke away, a dreamy, dazed look written across her face and in her beautiful grey eyes, fizzing green like a starburst.
"I think…" he took a great, shuddering breath, his long fingers stroking her cheek and his smile bright and brilliant, "we are well and truly promised now, Anne-girl."
Giddy with happiness, Anne and Gilbert ambled back towards the hotel, pausing frequently for shamelessly passionate public displays of their affection, as if, once the fire between them had been allowed full flame, they had barely a hope of containing it thereafter.
"A ring!" Gilbert announced as they approached town, as if in sudden receipt of great wisdom, "we need to get you a ring, Anne!"
"Gil!" she giggled as a schoolgirl. "It's not necessary, really! There's no time, and we can't afford it, and – "
"Ye of little faith…" he tutted, leading them with purpose down one of the fashionable shopping streets in the quaint old town, tugging her along after kissing the hand he hoped to soon adorn with more than his lips.
"But Gil! How?" she protested.
"Let me tell you a story, Anne," he began to weave them through the late afternoon crowds. "When Ronald Stuart asked me to look after his sister Christine, I did so not just out of the goodness of my heart. I couldn't have afforded to take her to everything she wished, and so Ron also provided a small stipend each month, for expenses."
Anne's eyes widened, digesting this news.
"Ronald was as generous with his money as I tried to be with my time, and even taking Christine all over Redmond and half of Kingsport for two years I still ended up with more than a little left over." He gifted her a sly, pleased smile. "I was determined I wouldn't have it disappear in pursuit of my studies. I didn't want to bank it, in the traditional sense. I felt it had to go, in some way, to the person whose very refusal made me want to better myself, so that, if the opportunity ever presented itself again…" he gave his beloved, roguish grin, "then I'd be ready."
He stopped them outside a small, bespoke little jeweller's shop.
"You have… an account here, Gilbert?" Anne was all eyes, not quite trusting her wavering voice.
"Not quite, Anne, I have a ring here. Or, more accurately, you do."
The crowd jostled them on the street as they passed, Anne clearly agog, and she clutched his hand tighter, Gilbert tugging her to stand with him near the door, under the awning.
"Gil? What do you mean?"
He shrugged his uninjured shoulder, his dimple flexing in his lean face.
"I went shopping last Christmas and decided on a pink heart pendant," he considered thoughtfully, his hazel eyes deepening as he looked down at her, "but I also found something else, too. I couldn't get it out of my head. I came back to look at it three times, and finally put a down payment on it, to hold it, and have been paying it off, piecemeal, ever since, courtesy of Ronald, some tutoring, a little left over from my stint at the Daily News… anything. And the last payment due was one I made, before we left Kingsport, when a girl at a picnic with her friends agreed to go to a wedding with me, and I thought, for the first time in a long time, there was finally a chance."
Anne's cheeks warmed at the memory.
"You looked at me that day, Gil… and it was like something changed. I remember it distinctly. You looked at me like you hadn't looked at me in a long, long time…"
He smiled softly.
"And you looked back at me like you were seeing me for the first time," he answered astutely.
"I think… maybe I was."
He nodded. "That look was what I banked on then, Anne. All the way here."
"Oh, Gil!" she clutched both his hands now. "What a risk you took, to gamble so much on me!"
"And you haven't just taken the biggest gamble of all, by saying yes to me, Miss Shirley? A first year medical student of uncertain finances with no immediate prospects?"
Her smile was tremulous, as she fought her tears.
"Not a gamble, Mr Blythe," she reached up to kiss his cheek. "Instead, you are the surest bet I will ever make."
His arm was around her, drawing her close.
"Will we always bet on red, then?" he arched a black brow.
"Excuse me, Gil? I don't understand."
"Come inside, my love, and you will."
Chapter Notes
My chapter title concerns more wisdom from the Duchess in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 9 'The Mock Turtle's Story.'
*Anne of the Island, Chapter 6 'In the Park'
**Anne of the Island, Chapter 20 'Gilbert Speaks'
***Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 58
And some overdue correspondence (sorry! It's rather long this week…)
Chapter 14
Guest of Dec 20th: Thank you for your lovely words! I am glad you are finding this a sweet story – I feel there is always an underlying sweetness regarding Anne and Gilbert, despite the trials we all out them through! I'm glad you didn't have to wait long, narrative-wise, for the engagement reveal to come out!
DrinkThemIn: Darlingest, crimson housecoated Gilbert-loving readers of the world, unite! It is one of THE Gilbert images, without a doubt, for me, and I think we had better get up a petition to present to incomparable mavors soon. Meanwhile, thank you for noting the Phil-ness of our young Nurse Chalmers and her similar narrative role. I needed something or someone to help nudge Gil over the line!
Astrakelly: It is so spooky you refer to Anne and Gilbert's back-and-forth here as a 'strange dance' – that is absolutely how I like to describe it too, and have also done that elsewhere and in this new chapter, having forgotten how you also made the observation! Thank you very much for your holiday greetings, and hoping your Christmas and New Year were likewise as lovely as is possible at this strange time for the world.
Guest of Dec 24th (Ch 10): I am delighted we share the While You Were Sleeping love! Honestly, it rates up there with the great rom-coms for me, and is so heartfelt and sweet. I think I tried to borrow some of that essence here myself! Thank you for your note regarding Roy. I had made him a little grotesque in the opening chapter of this story and really delighted in humanizing him in this chapter, and giving he and Anne a little moment.
Chapter 15
DrinkThemIn: Thank you, lovely, for your note about Jem and Dorothy and their own little arcs. I have loved writing them and expanding upon the Gardners and I've found Dorothy in particular a delight to write. Setting so much of this in Kingsport meant taking Gilbert and Anne away from their Avonlea supports and pesky Phil and Jo are still galivanting around on their honeymoon at this point, so it was the Gardners-are-go! But yes, I HEAR you regarding all this to-and-fro Anne and Gil frustration. This needs to turn into a KISSING book and soon! I hope this latest chapter has eased the pain somewhat x
Astrakelly: A belated Happy New Year to you, and I hope the wait for this chapter was worth it! Thank you for your continued readership and faith in this story!
Little kit: It was delightful to hear from you and thank you so much for commenting on this chapter and touching base with this and my other stories. It is really appreciated! I was so grateful for your comment regarding Jem and Dorothy. As I've noted above, the Gardners weren't characters I planned to feature so prominently but I have loved writing them and hopefully their inclusion gives this story a slightly different flavour. I am overly fond of Dorothy in particular and am tempted to give her a spin off! As for Anne and Gil… yes their connection! AND the misunderstandings! Hopefully things are resolving themselves for the better now! As to my other stories – a huge THANK YOU there and I have updates for Heart's Desire and Betwixt both about ¾ finished!
Guest of Jan 9th: Thank you very much! So sorry for the long time between updates!
Guest of Jan 24th: I really hope you enjoy this chapter and that longed for heart-to-heart between our favourite almost couple! And an enormous thank you for your kind comment regarding The Land of Heart's Desire. It is a story I've probably poured my heart into more than any other I've written. It took a long time for me to get the narrative to the point it is now, and I have big plans for the story, so thank you so much for sticking with it and I promise it will be my focus this year!
Guest of Jan 25th: Thank you for sharing the Jonathan love! Likewise there will never be anyone for me but him x I'm so pleased you agree! Meanwhile, I am absolutely thrilled that Gilbert here speaks to you and feels authentic. That is really important to me – that even within an AU narrative, Anne and Gil remain constant and recognizable. I really appreciate that feedback! I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!
Phil'sHatPin: Oh my goodness how excited I was to have a new reader of such enthusiasm (and delicious pen name!) casting their eyes upon this story! I really love when readers have migrated from my other stories and I am so pleased to have you along for this particular ride! It was really enjoyable to have you read through everything and I hope it all hangs together.
Ch 1: I had the initial scene of Gilbert running to desperately offset Roy's proposal and it turned into this crazy, loopy story! I'm afraid Roy acts accordingly here but he gets his moment later! I was especially pleased with the structure of this and so glad you enjoyed it.
Ch 2: What I love about Gilbert is his hyper-awareness of Anne and his read on her. I really wanted to get some sense here as they cleared the air that he understood her and how the wheels were turning for her, and had the patience and insight to wait this out. I was so chuffed that you highlighted this in your comment!
Ch 3: I'm delighted the comedy read well for you here! That 'screwball' vibe was exactly the feel I was going for. I worried that Aunt Jimsie was a bit much in this chapter, but was very pleased to make her the heroine of the hour all the same! And I just had to undercut the anarchy with that little moment at the end!
Ch 4: Aww thank you! Your sentence on swoonworthy Gilbert should go on a t shirt! I love when Diana and Fred can act as the calmer contrast to Anne and Gilbert's shenanigans. I really loved upping the ante here with a few emotion-laden asides and so glad you enjoyed them!
Ch 5: The structure was a bit of a tease here, wasn't it?! I knew after the first chapter I wanted to revisit it along the way. Thank you for your kind words about how things resolved. I really wanted readers to have the opening/closing scene at the back of their minds when going through the chapter so that they could fully understand how I was attempting to plot Anne's gradual awareness of how she was falling on love with Gilbert, leading to that moment on the dance floor when it all crystalizes for her. I was pleased with how it all worked out and delighted it read well for you!
Ch 6: I knew in this story I really, really didn't want Gilbert to contract typhoid, and had a smile on my face as I engineered his near escape! I also wanted to try to puzzle out a way he could have contracted it that still left everyone else at Redmond unscathed – this is my take here as we never find out in canon! Of course, I have other perils in store for poor Gil… Meanwhile, your mentioning of my story and Before Sunrise is just the highest praise! I love the trilogy, and Before Sunset is probably my favourite (Julie/Celine's beautiful song at the end!) although definitely the original film speaks to my own European backpacking memories!
Ch 7: I am delighted the smolder factor worked for you here! I loved writing this entire chapter. And of course I also use fire/flame metaphors throughout lol – love a bit of foreshadowing! Again, I'm just thrilled the characters are staying true for you.
Ch 8: One of the delights of this AU has been the tweaks I can make to canon! The character of Jem wasn't planned initially but I knew that Dorothy was going to stumble across Anne, and I needed a reason for her to be at the guest house whilst it was still on fire, and Jem was therefore born. I have no love of that endless House of Dreams trout dinner, let me tell you, and I am not a fan of exactly how they named canon Jem either, though I love James as a name and have a son called James myself.
Ch 9: I used to write mega mega chapters in days of yore – you've probably waded through some of them in other stories! – but yes this was a longer chapter, for sure. I am thrilled you liked Gilbert's letter – I wanted it to be, well, as lovely as he is, and am so glad it read well for you. Thank you for that! I also wanted to link in the letter with Anne's very recent realization of her love for Gil whilst not prompting it, but rather for it to add that bittersweet tang to proceedings. And I knew what I wanted the last line of the chapter to be, so it was a matter of working towards that too!
Ch 10: Oh goodness thank you for your lovely words here! The secondary characters are always important to me and not just foils to the primary story of Anne and Gilbert, but to have this recognized is more thrilling and validating than I can say. I have mentioned before that I really wanted to give Roy a 'joke' and worked backwards from Anne having to wear Aline's clothes so that it could finally pay off! I was really pleased to humanize him here – but you yourself have said it beautifully – "Not a villain, just not Anne's.' x
Ch 11: I admit I fell down a great rabbit-hole (pardon the pun!) of medical research for this chapter, looking at the effects of anesthesia, and once I was reminded that morphine was named for Morpheus I had my chapter and was delighted to be off and running! Stumbling upon Iris was a gift, particularly her well documented link to Morpheus, and I was chuffed at how well her persona suited Anne and grinning that you and other readers thought the same!
Ch 12: As a fellow Sullivan lover, I can tell a kindred spirit who likewise is drawn to passionate bedside exchanges! Poor Gil – I've tortured he and Anne both in this, but it has made for some very pleasing declarations it may have normally taken them longer to offer. Thank you especially for your note on the Blythes here – my love of these parents and particularly John is strong and I always include as much of them in my stories as I can. Their dynamic is a little different to other incarnations I've tried – Clementine is fussier and a little more mother hen-ish than Adela (in Heart's Desire) or Ella (from Let Love clasp Grief) but John is stalwart and wry as always x
Ch 13: Lol!
Ch 14: I'm thrilled you've mentioned both Nurse Chalmers and Dorothy here! It takes a village to get Anne and Gilbert together and these two have certainly led the charge! I loved your comment that the nurse connects to Gilbert's past in order to positively affect his future. She is my substitute Phil but I also wanted someone unconnected to Anne in this role. As for Dorothy… she will be running the entire hospital in time I'm sure! A decade or so down the track and she would surely be a suffragette.
Ch 15: You save your absolutely loveliest comments for last! I am thrilled you binged this, personally – it means I am doing something right! The playfulness and banter is something that beloved Jonathan and Megan (and Kevin Sullivan) did beautifully in The Sequel in particular – and as you note, the opening scenes with them on their bikes are glorious. I certainly wanted to capture some of that spirit throughout this – I think it is a mainstay of their relationship, and one of the reasons Roy wasn't right for her. Thank you also for your terrific note regarding how these two woo – through literature and mythology indeed! It seems so right for them, and the literature elements in particular are what I always love to incorporate. I don't know the Czech version you mention but what a fabulous recommendation – and one I will try to hunt up! And finally, if I have 'lightened your heart' even a little that just makes me heart-glad. I wrote for decades just for myself, and my writing was a tonic just for me. To have helped you at all through something that has helped me so much is a full-circle moment I absolutely treasure x