PLEASE NOTE: As of March 5th, 2020 the first chapter has been reworked. I appreciate your patience and hope you will continue to read along this journey with me!
Special thanks to Kim Blythe and MissVonTrapp for the truly inspiring reviews. You both give me such inspiration with your kind words, and have taken every bit of criticism with true consideration. I hope I do not dissapoint!
...
[One Week Later]
The hem of my dress brushes softly against the blades of grass hovering just above the dirt. Walking hand in hand with Royal Gardner, I sketch every moment in my head as a sentiment to our time together, just as I had for everything truly inspiring within my life.
Finally, the Gracious Heavenly Father had answered my prayer for the companion of one so fitted my my ideals. A truly romantic man, offering sonnets and roses at every occasion to assure me of his love and affection. Still, the haunting words of Gilbert Blythe whisper in the depths of my soul once more, like a scratched record.
I hope he breaks your heart, whoever he is.
"Anne, what is it that posesses you so?" Roy smiles at my dazed expression. What is it that possesses me so? 'Gilbert,' my mind screams mockingly. How impeccably foolish, to ponder so of the man that now only causes me heartache when I sit with an adoring, handsome man who loves me immensely. Foolish indeed.
"What couldn't possess my mind at a day like this? The falling leaves, the crisp air. Everything has a memory, I just got lost somewhere in between."
"In that case, I'm glad I brought you out of it. We shouldn't be late for the Harvest Festival. The tales one would hear of the courting couple who arrived late to the festival." Roy chuckles, as I smile.
Courting. As in two people planning on marriage. The thought hadn't quite settled in. Of course, Roy and I get along fine. The thought that raced through my mind was if I were truly ready for such a commitment. Could I picture myself in a relationship so long? And with... nevermind that, Gilbert Blythe would be right about me for the first time in his life. Nevertheless, I can't let his interference get in the way of something I want.
Is this what I want?
...
"Anne, let's not be late. Your frivolous affairs regarding your hair will have to simmer." Marilla's impatient voice echos through the thin walls.
"But Marilla, just because I choose not to care about the color of my hair does not mean I don't care how it's placed. It doesn't hurt to look at least halfway decent." I place a hairpin tightly near my scalp, the finishing touch to my elaborate Gibson Girl updo. A loose curl sits beside my face, bouncing along with every movement. I take one last look in the mirror before heading to the kitchen.
"Your vanity never ceases to amaze me, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. But I must say, you do look mighty grown up. I can still see you at your young age, rambling on about who knows what. Now look at you. You're all grown up... That Roy is a very good man." Marilla smiled in a way that invited me to share my thoughts in the safety of her brain, not to be uttered elsewhere.
"He is, Marilla. He's kind, and caring. He's everything I ever dreamed of in a romantic ideal. Even now when I'm near him, side by side, I still pinch myself, to see if I really could have someone to care for me so. I guess the Lord truly does answer prayers. I suppose I shan't hold a grudge now that I've met Roy." I twirl around excitedly in my tinted green dress, with the slightest puffed sleeve. Convincing Marilla to add a little flair to my outfits was a challenge, but a triumphant one at that.
"A dream may be nice, Anne. Just be sure he'll be there when the dream ends. Through good times and the bad ones, that's when you'll know you've found the one." Her words, though true, seem to bring more fear than hope.
"Oh, Marilla, I don't think I've heard anything as poetic from your mouth. But isn't it a bit soon to be thinking of marriage?"
"Is that such a bad notion? I've seen the way you two look at each other. My eyesight may be dull, but I know a spark when I see one. You are courting, aren't you?" A smirk appears on her face. Maybe Marilla does have an imagination after all.
" I suppose courting does lead to marriage, yet I wouldn't rush to any conclusions. If that day comes I'd like to think I'd be married in a field of wildflowers, a soft wind that gently runs through my vail, making it ever so magnificent. Of course it must be in the morning. A new day filled with new hope, a new chapter of our lives." I smile proudly, chills descending down my body at the thought of it all. Walking down the isle as if I were a fairy princess, even Lady Cordelia herself would envy my imagined wedding ceremony.
"Well, I guess one thing hasn't changed." Marilla adds.
"What's that, Marilla?"
"No matter what adventures you may go through, I doubt your tongue will ever age." A small but genuine moment is felt between two kindred spirits.
A knock on the door is heard, and I run (albeit unladylike) from the kitchen to the fragile wooden door. When I open it, however, an unexpected surprise awaits. Standing before me, I see both Roy and Gilbert in perfect awareness and harmony of each other.
"Gil? What ever are you doing here?" I swollowed my anger
"Anne..." Gilbert smiles breathlessly, gazing at my complexion. Roy seems to take notice, and politely clears his throat, pulling me close to his chest.
"You better hurry along, Mr. Blythe, you won't want to keep your girl waiting." Roy's comment caught me off guard. It took everything in me not to wear a face filled with envy. Of course, not the kind that made me jealous of the women in Gilbert's wagon, but the envy of knowledge. I'd made it my goal as a young girl to know anything about everything, filling my head with seemingly useless thoughts, if only to get edgewise on my worthy component, Gilbert Blythe. There was once a time where we would share our darkest secrets and foreboding thoughts with one another. Times where we would laugh until the sun went down, Times we would critique each other's work. Granted, I wasn't the best at receiving criticism. But Gilbert Blythe just had to go and try to change the way we were always meant to be. He himself admitted that we were destined to be the best of friends. I'm perfectly fine with Gilbert's choice by going on with another woman. I am not, however, okay with the fact that he told Roy before me. Granted, we've had our ups and downs, but... Roy?
"Of course. I'll only be a minute with Marilla." He looks back at Roy, then toward me once more. "Have a good night." Nodding once, Gilbert vanishes into the kitchen. I can only hope that his nod meant more than the unfeeling one I used to grant him every chance I got in our days of relentless childhood quarrels.
"It is impolite to pass a person without at least nodding, and so I nod out of elementary good breeding, nothing more."
"Are you ready?" Torn from the land of my thoughts, the vacant expression lingering on my face slowly starts to fade. Roy's charming smile makes my heart race. If this is how I'm abruptly awaken from my thoughts each day until my last breath, I don't think I'd mind.
"Of course... it'll be a bit crowded in the town hall soon, we may as well get an early start." Even without the hustle of competition, Roy Gardner seems to have won my heart.
...
The wagon bounces to the cordon sting beat of the dirt road, creating a magnificent trail of dust dancing in the wind. It's easy to picture the surly captivating journey to Avonlea Roy must've had. She wonders if he felt the same thrill watching the red roads go by, the beautiful scenery could captivate the hearts of many.
"Roy, it's truly wonderful of you to come all the way over to Avonlea. You have no idea how happy this makes me."
"Anne, I would travel by foot to Avonlea if it meant I got to see your beautiful face once more before returning to Nova Scotia. It's hard to believe that after Spring Break, you only have three weeks left of being a student. Are you ready for it? There's a big world out there." His words seem gentile and kind, dreamlike.
"I am. But I don't know how I'll be able to leave Marilla. She's a kindred spirit. You wouldn't think it from looking at her, but after all these years of putting up with me, she must be. I'll be back in a few short weeks, but it's hard to separate from those you love."
"I know how you feel." He smiles, looking deep into my eyes as if he can see straight through my soul. My heart beats uncontrollably fast, as he'd never confessed his feelings for me so strongly. It's hard to concentrate, with his longing eyes wanting me to reciprocate his feelings.
"I lo—" I stop my train of thoughts, hearing a sudden scurry from behind the wagon, a sound I've grown accustomed to. Fearing the worst, I immediately turn to God for strength, murmuring a small prayer. "Dear gracious, Heavenly Father, please keep the nosy minds of others out of sight from—"
"You-who! Anne!" A nasally voice cries out.
"Oh, dear..." I murmur, pulling away from Roy's close proximity to see a plump old woman running for dear life to catch up with the moving wagon. Roy pulls on the reigns on the horses ahead, pulling the break on the wagon with his other hand. I, preferably would have sped up rather than slow down, but Roy is too nice for his own good. He'll surly learn one day how to politely escape from the likes of Mrs. Lynde.
"Anne Shirley. Oh, Anne, it's nice to see you here, and with a man, too! Look at you, Anne, you've certainly grown up. I admit it, I was worried — a motherly concern of course — but you've grown out of your rather less fashionable state and came back as a woman! And that hair! I thought the color would never change. It just proves that the Lord answers prayers, that's what." I heave out a slightly annoyed chuckle, only to receive an attitude check by Roy, elbowing me softly at the waist.
"Roy, this is Rachel Lynde, a dear friend and houseguest. Rachel, Royal Gardner." Roy takes Rachel's hand politely.
"I've heard many things about you, Mrs. Lynde." Roy smiles, giving me a discreet wink.
"All good, I hope." Rachel smiles in return.
"Indeed, Mrs. Lynde. It's come to my understanding that without a certain apology, Anne would've never ended up where she is now." Roy charms the old woman as she nods, taking in every bit of praise.
"Well, I'm glad I could be of help. You two go along now, the party won't wait." Rachel heads off in the direction of Green Gables, assumingely to do what she does best: gossip. Just as she disappears from sight, I turn to Roy apologetically.
"Rachel Lynde - she takes some getting used to, but she has the best intentions, as she's stayed at Green Gables in my time away. She means well, and is a wonderful friend to Marilla. Especially now that Matthew's gone." With this said, Roy doesn't utter a sound. Instead, he takes my hand in his, an action worth more than words. After a moment of silence, Roy breaks the tension.
"So... you never did tell me about what this party is for." Roy looks ahead keeping an eye on the road, still managing to hold my hand in the other.
"Well, once a year, the town gathers together to celebrate the warmth of Summer we've been given. A ball that represents a new beginning to a beautiful season that breaths life into Avonlea. But it's much more than a ball. There are games, plays, recitations, and to end it all, a fair bidding game, where all the proceeds go to a good cause." I smile, looking at the soft sunset that hovers just above the mountain tops of Avonlea. The colors within the sunset seer into my brain, a beautifully pained canvas to start a wonderful evening.
"It sounds like an evening worthwhile. Will you be reciting anything, Anne?" He smiles, giving me a wink.
"I might, do long as everyone plays fair, no nicknames of course..."
"Why's that?" Roy's eyebrows furrow, confusion clearly spread throughout his facial expression.
"Oh, it's nothing, at least, it doesn't matter anymore I suppose, just some meaningless memories of the past." I swallow the lump that weighed heavily on my throat. I'd never lied to Roy before, but the thought of the past warms my cheeks, and for a moment I couldn't tell if my heart was beating faster in anticipation of the time with Roy, or the tension of past memories that toyed with my heart so.
"What will be the good cause I'll be bidding for?"
"This year, it'll finally be put towards the schoolhouse. It needs some fresh paint, to brighten it up. We are asked to each bring an item that meant a great deal to us as children in school, where we then bid off the items to go to the schoolhouse." I smile, reminded of Gilbert's kindness in letting me stay in Avonlea to help Marilla.
"What did you bring with you?" Roy asks softly.
"A broken slate."
...