I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has left a review! They all truly made me smile! This one is for you!
"I don't know, Anne, I think you should have let him buy you the dress," Diana said with a quirk in her eyebrow. Her pretty, round eyes were focused on the auburn gold strands of Anne's hair as she stuck pins in strategic locations. "Let the man who loves you spoil you a little!"
"He does spoil me," Anne argued, watching Diana work in the vanity mirror. "Almost too much. He pays me a teaching salary that is more than what any schoolmarm on the Island earns, I'm sure. He doesn't ask me to pay for my board, meals, other necessary expenses. I couldn't ask him to buy me a gown for this ball when I have a more than sufficient amount saved away. And that's after I sent some home Marilla and Mrs. Lynde."
"The eleven-year-old Anne I knew would be kicking you in the foot right now. You've become very practical."
Anne laughed. It felt so good to have Diana here with her, finally together in the home that she loved, at the charity ball she'd helped organize. The distance between them had felt great over the past months, and letters fell dreadfully short to the real thing.
"I have become practical haven't I? I hardly recognize myself sometimes, but then I take the boys out to learn about the weather or go walking with Gil through the woods and I'm Anne the Dreamer all over again. Perhaps that is what it is to grow up?"
"I'm glad you've found someone who lets you be yourself," Diana replied, pulling back and examining her work for small mistakes. "I can't wait to meet him. Is he really as handsome as they say?"
Anne blushed, tucking her shy smile into her hands and looking away.
"Tease all you want, Diana, but when you meet your Prince Charming tonight, you can expect to be paid back sevenfold."
With a dramatic sigh, Diana crossed Anne's warm seaside room to where her bag was positioned on the window seat.
"I'd endure a lifetime of your teasing if it meant I could find a man like yours, Anne. Tell me, is kissing a man as terribly breathtaking as the storybooks said?"
"Yes," Anne said quietly. "But the ones that make you weak are the ones when you're completely alone."
"Anne Shirley! You mean to tell me you've been kissing Dr. Blythe alone to the point of weakened knees!?" Diana spun around, her bag's search quickly forgotten.
"He's often busy!" Anne quickly defended. "So when we see each other, he'll pull me into some quiet corner that shields us." Seeing that this explanation did not aid her case, she quickly began to pack away her hair supplies. Diana merely rose her brow at Anne and continued looking through her traveling bag.
When she turned around, she held a long narrow box in her palm. "I know you didn't ask for me to bring this, but I thought I might just in case."
"What is it, dearest?" Anne said, rising to meet her.
"Uh uh uh, Anne-girl, stay put. It's princess treatment tonight."
With a humble smile, the redheaded royal turned to face the front, examining the reflection as if it were a long lost friend, so long lost that she almost seemed like a stranger. Who was that beautiful, dignified woman that stared back at her with mystified eyes. Who was she, with the sunset spun curls pinned atop her head and the face of ivory?
When Diana fell in place behind her, she realized the contents of the box.
"The pearls Matthew gave me," she whispered reverently. "How did you know they would match the dress?"
Diana brought the string of rare jewels over Anne's neck, clasping it in the back and letting them fall gently across the expanse of Anne's throat.
"Pearls partner well with anything, dearest. There's one more thing." Anne peered over her shoulder at her friend, but Diana only shrugged and pulled out another box, this one the size of a matchbox. "I was told to give you this. It's from Doctor Blythe."
Anne hesitated to open it, wondering if maybe having a wealthy man wasn't as satisfying as she had dreamed it would be. After all, he'd gone to all this trouble for her? And what did she have to give to him? She forced herself to take a deep breath, exhaling so hard that the curls on the side of her face flew up. Love wasn't about things . Anne knew that, and Gilbert did too. The tiny box with its darling mysteries wasn't a present for the sake of gift-giving, and that's why Anne finally lifted the lid.
It was an oval cameo brooch of a gentle pastel pink. In the middle, carved out bright ivory shell was a bouquet of lilies-of-the-valley. Anne brought the beloved treasure up closer to her face as she found more and more details - each little protruding petal, each wilting leaf.
"It's beautiful, Anne. Would you like to wear it?" Diana prodded gently, knowing that Anne might need some guidance out of the dreamland of her mind. Anne blinked and smiled.
"I do believe I will wear it," she said.
"I was wondering why he hadn't sent you flowers," Diana mused. "I suppose in his own way, he has."
Anne felt the evidence of her own lovesickness show on her face, not caring in the slightest if Diana saw just how taken she was. With an almost shameful amount of pride and satisfaction, she pinned the brooch to the front of her mint green gown. It matched perfectly the applique flowers of the same blushy, white tones and for a moment Anne was unsure if she was looking at herself or if some fairy like queen had replaced her. Her brooch was prominent in its regality above her left breast. Let the world see that the kind hearted, beloved doctor was hers! She'd sing it to anyone who asked, a joyous song of how good it felt to love, and to be loved in return.
*#*#*
It was Anne's idea that the schoolboys help decorate the estate in preparation for its company. When they'd gone into the fields earlier in the day to pluck flowers, she'd been the recipient of about half a dozen Do we have to? s and Picking flowers is for ninnies! However, dutiful, soft hearted Paul Irving led by example, impressing teacher with his enchanting arrangement. Soon, all the boys were begrudgingly - yet secretly somewhat enjoying - combing through the tall grass for hidden gems that would make teacher smile. Now the house was lined with them, a sight to behold for even extravagant company.
Guests were already beginning to pour in from the long driveway, a dozen carriages a minute carrying Eastern Canada's most prestigious elite. At the top of the stairwell, Anne watched the women's skirts swirl across the floor like wispy cirrus clouds, suddenly overcome with the fragrance of expensive perfume.
Dr. Gilbert Blythe stood in his wide entryway, welcoming guests personally as they entered. He'd told Anne he'd be wearing his best suit, making it hard for her to picture if his other suits, with their starched perfection, weren't his best. Sure enough, every stitch of Gilbert's attire was finely sewn, fitted to each line and contour of him. He'd slicked back his rebellious brown curls so that they matched the rest of his refined appearance.
"Is that him?" Diana asked beside her in an amazed murmur. Gilbert chose that moment to catch sight of the women there at the top of the stairs, and the pretense of hospitality left his face. In that moment, Anne felt the Selene to Gilbert's Endymion - the picture of glowing illuminance gazed upon in surrendering devotion.
"Yes," Anne said with a joyous smile as they began to descend. "Come Diana, there is someone I'd like you to meet."
He met them there with a courteous bow, though his eyes never left the redheaded dryad dressed in green.
"You're breathtaking, Anne," he murmured with a honeyed voice. Anne could feel the gravitation between them, magnetic and strong, allowing Gilbert to take her lightly into his arms and press a kiss to her cheek. He lingered there, long enough that Anne could get a trace of his spicy, earthy scent. He leaned back, holding Anne's pale in his own. "You must be Miss Barry! It's an honor to meet the object of Anne's high esteem."
"Dr. Blythe, I had intended to say the same to you. Thank you for inviting me tonight. It's been some time since I've been somewhere quite so beautiful."
Before the good doctor could say his charming reply, Mr. Laurents came up and whispered something in his ear. Gilbert's grip tightened on Anne's hand as he looked up at the butler with furrowed brows.
"And Bash has already spoken with them?" he asked.
"Twice, and Mrs. LaCroix did too," Laurents answered.
Sensing her eyes on the back of his neck, Gilbert turned to Anne.
"The boys have decided they don't want to come out and face the guests tonight," he explained. Understanding ran through Anne, and for a few seconds she was back at the orphan asylum with pitying families staring down at her as if she were an injured dog up for adoption. "I just hoped they'd come out so that the guests would see them as boys and not the moral less rabble they are thought to be."
"Would you like me to go speak with them? I might be able to change their minds."
"No, I'd like to speak to them. Men to men. Besides, I'm an orphan too, you know. You and Diana enjoy the party. I hear the food is delicious, Mary has been planning the menu for days."
"I want to help, Gil. How about I stay and welcome the guests?"
The doctor let out a relieved sigh, a weight lifting off of his shoulders.
"Darling, you are astounding." He paused, his fingers rubbing against the palms of his own hands as an odd expression crossed over him. "I've something to tell you. May I steal you away for just a moment before we get swept up in ball pleasantries and dances?"
"Of course," Anne said, a hand reaching up to cup his cheek. "Are you alright?"
Without response, he gave a nod to Diana, took Anne's hand, and led her down one of the quiet hallways. Only a few of the wall lamps were lit, reminding Anne of all the moments they'd spent in the dusk together. Before Anne could question just what the meaning of their sudden escape was, she was being swept behind a marble pillar and held in the warmth of his hands. A gasp escaped her as his dark eyes ran up at down the sides of her waist. His eyes searched hers, a silent question of May I?
Anne's response was her hands falling gently behind his neck, her fingers tugging the ends of his curls in the way that made him keen. She pushed herself up onto her toes, but Gilbert met her halfway, capturing her lips in a kiss that rivaled all the came before it. The soft lines of her were pressed against his firm chest, a feeling of being enraptured that swept Anne off her feet and made her lean into him even more.
"Why the sudden ardour, doctor?" she asked the second he freed her lips to taste the skin behind her neck, chest heaving against his. His answer came in between kisses, a finger trailing up her spine. Sparks erupted with this touch, and Anne could only succumb to the pleasure of it.
"Because, my love, you are the most beautiful creature I've seen. Because you're easily one of the most intelligent, brave, strong people I know. Because this marvelous, important night we have planned was your idea, and it's going to be a thrilling success. I'm...happy and proud beyond words." He ran the back of his fingers down the sides of her torso, grazing the swell of her breast and settling on her waist. "But most of all, I pulled you away because I've been too busy today to show you how much I love you."
"I surely haven't forgotten," Anne retorted, half-heartedly.
"Surely not, but only because of my steady reminders. Do you mind?"
"Not at all," she beamed. "It gives me a chance to give some reminders of my own."
Gilbert's eyes darkened, but before he could lose himself in another passionate moment, he pulled himself back and offered his hand to her.
"I hear there are some boys that need some inspiration. You and I have important posts to return to."
Ignoring the flush on her skin under each freckle that Gilbert had kissed, Anne straightened her back to refine herself, and let him pull her back away into the boisterous hall.
*#*#*
Anne met more people greeting them as they flooded into the estate than she suspected lived in Avonlea. As she shook what felt like the hundreth hand to walk in that minute, she remembered that Gilbert had mentioned that he knew each one of the guests. Most of them I know personally, he had said. You wouldn't believe the amount of people I know, it's exhausting. Anne suddenly understood, and she'd only been welcoming for twenty minutes. The rush of people seemed to be arriving, a tide of extravagance, wide skirts, and jewels.
Before she could be swept away into the sea of wealth, Anne's eyes fell on a resplendent woman stepping into the hall as if she'd been here a thousand times before. She had kind eyes of moonshine blue and dark black hair that rivaled even Diana's. She was the Cordelia of Anne's childhood imaginations, radiant in beauty and poise.
Anne was just about offer her warmest, if not utterly star struck, welcome, when the women rushed up to her.
"Good evening, miss. I was wondering if you might know where Doctor Blythe is. I simply must speak with him," she said in a saccharine voice that suited only those of the utmost loveliness.
"I'm afraid he's disposed at the moment. Are you ill, dear?" Anne replied. The woman was quick to shake her head, but frowned as she struggled to find the right words. A memory flashed in Anne's mind of a similar situation that brought her here, though she hadn't looked nearly as enchanting in such a state. She reached for the woman's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"I'll go find him for you. Whom may I ask is calling?"
The woman took a comforted breath, a thankful smile on her face.
"My name is Christine Stuart. I'm the doctor's fiance."
Anne's heart turned to stone, the rest of her body following as she froze where she stood. Slowly, she dropped Christine's hand and took a small step back.
"I'm sorry...I must have misunderstood," Anne said in a voice that was not her own. Christine gave a kind smile.
"Not many people know, it's been quite some time since it began. Who might you be, dear?"
Anne opened her mouth but no sound came out. She felt her cheeks lit up in flames, her throat closing out any sound. Christine's smile began to falter, when a voice broke in.
"Anne?"
Both women turned to see Dr. Gilbert Blythe approaching with a triumphant spring in his step, but when he realized just what he was looking at, he halted.
"Gilbert, dear, it's been so long since I've seen you!" Christine cried out, placing her hand on his arm. "You're just the man I was looking for. I've just met the charming Anne."
"I...I wasn't expecting you, Christine," he sputtered.
"Oh I know, but I thought you might be able to make some accommodations if I stay a few days. You don't mind terribly much if I impose, do you?"
Gilbert looked at Anne, whose face had hardened into solid ice. He tried to send her silent messages of Please allow me to explain and I'm so sorry, but she refused to look him in the eye.
"There's no where in the house for you and all the hotels are full. I don't have anywhere for you," he began to explain, but was cut off when Anne finally spoke.
"There is somewhere," she said flatly. "She can stay in my room. I'm leaving."
Anne felt like taking one of the glasses of wine passing by on a tray and dumping it all over his pristine, expensive suit. She felt like slapping him across his face, tearing off her brooch and stomping it to dust under her feet. She wanted to stand in the middle of the ballroom and shout to the world that Gilbert Blythe was the worst, most untrustworthy, horrible, cold-hearted men she'd ever met - ever . She wanted to pull him into one of their dark alcoves, get breaths away from his face, and whisper to him that she should have let him drown that day.
But most of all, she wanted to return to that sweet moment less than an hour ago, when she was pressed tight up against his chest. He'd whisper of his love over and over and over and over until the party was over and all traces of Christine Stuart were gone. But there was no taking it all back now, no magic that could erase the agony that throbbed through her like an acidic poison.
So instead of doing all the things she wanted to, she decided to do the thing she wanted to least. She turned on her heels and left them standing there in her dust, cursing the moment she ever laid eyes on the sailor who called her siren.
He might've been calling after her as she set out in search for Diana - or maybe she just imagined it - but refused to stop. She wouldn't let him explain. She refused to even let him think about justifying why he-
There was Diana, she thought with relief, sitting on a bench against the wall. Her longest, most wonderful, faithful friend looked up to see Anne's pale trembling form before her.
"Anne?" Diana asked nervously, leaving behind her bench crossing over to her. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
"Diana," Anne murmured, feeling the rock in her throat opening enough to let some words out. "Can we go home?"
"Home? To Avonlea ? Anne what-"
Anne reached out and grabbed Diana's hand, pulling her through the crowd of partygoers toward the side staircase. They managed to nearly get the entire way when a voice broke through the noise.
"Anne! Anne !"
She sent Diana an agonized expression, then darted up the stairs. Before she could follow, she was faced with a frantic, equally pained Gilbert.
"Diana, please , I have to talk to her. It isn't what she thinks!"
As Diana hurried to collect her thoughts, Gilbert attempted to break past her up the stairs. Diana was faster though, sticking her arm up and fixing Gilbert with a glare of blades and fire.
"I don't know what you've done, but stay away from her. You've clearly done enough." She tore away after Anne before he could say any more.
When she entered Anne's seaside room, she found her friend standing in the window with her arms crossed over herself, trembling at her own reflection. She was a silhouette of the person she was just hours ago, soft edges that seemed to be dissipating away. Something was ending, but only Anne knew what it was.
"Anne? Honey?"
Then, Anne lowered her head, let out a devastated moan, and began to weep. Every choked sob echoed across the room as she covered her face, blocking her own reflection in the window. How could she look at herself - the woman who was played the fool, the woman who'd allowed herself to be a rich man's plaything? She was ashamed. Marilla had been right.
Diana held her as she cried, cradling Anne's head in her bosom until the broken woman had released enough of her anguish to form a single sentence.
"Take me home."
Diana still didn't know much about what had transpired with Gilbert, but she'd not seen Anne this heartbroken since Matthew's unexpected death. All she knew was that Anne's pain was hers, and to deny Anne this would be like running her through. Pressing a kiss to Anne's bowed head, Diana nodded.
"Alright, kindred spirit. I'll pack your things for you, and then we'll go home."
Gilbert was waiting from them at the bottom of the staircase when they finally came down. Diana, her bags in one hand and Anne's in another, pushed past the doctor when he surged forward. She was nearly out of the threshold of the house when she turned and found Anne had frozen the second she looked at Gilbert.
Anne wished that time would stop and take Gilbert with it so that she might sneak past him and pretend she'd never come in the first place. It was hard enough to wade through the haze her heartbreak had drawn up around her, but to face him was too much.
"Anne, please my love, let me tell you the truth," he pleaded, taking a step toward her when he saw that she had locked her words tightly inside of her. But Anne had heard more than she wanted to. She heard enough to unlock her aptitud for words just long enough to leave him with one parting gift.
"The truth?" she sneered. " The truth, Dr. Blythe, is that you've been lying to me since the day we met. You lied about who you were, about what you were! It's been up to me to find out for myself, and here's what I think! I think you're just like every other rich man, using things easily obtained for entertainment and discarding them when you grow bored. What's more, I'm willing to bet you lied about ever loving me, and for that…." her voice trailed off. She couldn't say anything that came to her mind to follow. "For that, I will be the one to pay the price. I will be the one to bear the pain."
She yanked the brooch off of her dress and shove it into his hand, barely noticing the way the green fabric had torn and the sharp pin of the brooch scratched across his hand.
Then, she grabbed Diana's hand, and left all the things she loved glistening under bright electric lights of the Blythe Estate behind her.
*#*#*
They didn't make it far. Shivering in the evening breeze, Anne brought her arms back up around herself and blinked back the next onrush of tears. As they walked down toward the road, a group of gentleman sauntered up toward the house. In the dark, it was hard to make out of the details of their attire, and to an unfocused eye, it appeared as though the they truly were party guests late to the festivities.
But then Anne recognized the way they walked - the way of an islander, the way of someone born and reared in Avonlea.
"That can't be Diana Barry and the Cuthbert's orphan," a familiar voice called out. The blood in Anne's veins turned to ice, and for just a moment, she forgot all about her heartache.
"Billy Andrews wearing a suit? I do say wonders never cease," Diana mused, not stopping as Billy's group halted in the driveway. "Good evening, gentlemen, we'll be on our way."
"Can we carry your bags for you ladies? They look heavy."
" No," Anne forced out, unable to mask the terror to Diana.
"We're quite capable," Diana amended, picking up the pace to match Anne's quickening one.
"Suit yourself. Bumpkins like Anne don't belong at events like these anyway. Bet they turned you away at the door."
Anne clenched her fists, but refused to turn around or answer.
"Keep walking, Diana," she murmured in a voice so quiet it was nearly carried away on a breeze. When the babbling of Avonlea boys had disappeared into nothingness behind them, Anne reached out to grab Diana's wrist.
"We have to go back," she rushed out.
"What? I thought something happened with-"
"Something did happen," Anne bit out, tears welling up in her eyes faster than she could blink them back or brush them aside. "But this is more important. You have to trust me. We need to go back!"
She spun on her heels to head back up the hill, but Diana grabbed her wrist before she could make it very far.
"Look, Anne, I'm with you anywhere, through anything. But you need to tell me what's going on."
Anne felt a gust of wind sweep through her skirts, loose strands of hair ticking the skin at the back of her neck. The whole world seemed to be vibrating around her, like a ticking bomb counting down second by second until the inevitable destruction.
"Billy Andrews wants to kill Gilbert. I heard him say so in Avonlea."
" What? Anne, that's ridiculous." Diana's jaw had dropped.
"I heard the words leave his mouth as clearly as I can hear you now! Look Di, it's complicated-"
"Then explain it!"
So Anne explained the whole story quickly, and Diana listened as closely as she could shivering in the mid autumn cold. Anne confessed knowing about Billy's plans since before she came to the Glen, about telling Gilbert, about staying even after she told Gilbert because - as much as she wanted to work and teach - part of her would always ache to make sure he was okay.
"And what happened tonight?"
Anne let a single tear escape her eyes as she swallowed.
"Gilbert is already engaged. He has been. I met her tonight."
Diana stumbled back as she comprehended Anne's words. If she could feel the hammer in her own ribs pounding a crack into her heart, she could only imagine how Anne felt.
"That's...Wow. And you want to protect him even though he broke your heart?"
Anne nodded, a resolute determination falling over her, like a mythical heroine of old. Even with auburn brows furrowed together in heartache and her figure trembling in the chill, she was steadfast and solid in her resolve.
"I ache so terribly, worse than I ever knew I could, but I don't want him hurt. I know it's why Billy is here tonight, I just do, Di."
Diana's eyes drifted the expanse of dark forests beside them, their wide expanse of unknown territory under the thick concealing blanket of orange leaves. Her mind was reeling, and she spent a moment trying to collect each one of her chaotic thoughts.
"Alright," she said finally. "What do you plan to do?"
Anne's green eyes flashed in the dark.
"Whatever it takes to stop him."
*#*#*
As Anne crept into the ballroom, she couldn't help but spare a thought to how lovely the evening had turned out. It was everything her imagination had conjured and more, with its brilliantly lit chandeliers, waves of music echoing off of the high walls, and laughter rising above every sound as dancers waltzed and whirled around like spinning tops.
"Do you see him anywhere?" Diana asked, just behind her.
Anne almost answered that no, she didn't see Gilbert anywhere. He wasn't dancing with any of the guests, nor was he with Bash in the corner - where had he gone? But then she remembered they had come back in for a different man, and began to scan the crowd for Billy Andrews. It would've been easy to spot him if he were here, since he could hardly hope to blend in with the sophisticated crowd. His hair would be too messy, his gait too unrestricted, his dancing too unrefined.
A sick feeling settled over Anne. If both Gilbert and Billy Andrews were nowhere to be seen, did they mean they had already found each other? Gilbert surely had no defense against Billy if he made good on his promise to bring a rifle.
"I don't see him," Anne nearly whimpered. She scanned the crowd one last time, then let her eyes linger to the second floor of the ballroom. It was accessible through the grand stairwell in the front of the room, and led up to balcony type passageways running along the sides of the walls and overlooking the main floor. A handful of party goers could go up and watch down over dancing couples if they needed a minutes rest. Maybe Billy had…
There he was! Anne thought with a start. He was up on the balcony, whispering something - instructions? - to one of them men he had come in with. From so far away, it was hopeless to try to make out what they were saying, but Anne was able to see Billy nod toward the thick rope that ran all the way up the wall to the chandelier and then hand his friend a knife.
"He's going to cut the line to the chandelier!" Anne murmured to Diana in a rush. Diana's gaze followed Anne's and she let out a gasp.
"Is he crazy?" Diana cried out. "We should find someone to stop him! Isn't that Gilbert's brother up against the wall?"
"No, there isn't enough time!"
Before Diana could stop her, Anne took off into the crowd, eyes locked to the boys up on the balcony. Somewhere between her struggle to navigate the masses, she misses Billy Andrews depart. Then, she caught a flash of his blonde hair descending the stairwell slowly and thoughtfully. She was quick to counter out of sight, waiting until he was out of sight to hurry up the stairs. The man had already begun sawing at the lines, and Anne could see the chandelier shaking as if there was a small earthquake in the room. If she confronted him from the front, sure enough he would turn the blade on her. Maybe she could sneak around behind him, and stop him from behind.
Anne crept along the edge of the balcony, taking the long way to the other side and turning herself into an unnoticeable sight in order to blend in with the shadows. As she neared closer and closer to the man cutting the line, she focused on steadying her breathing and quieting her steps. Just before she reached him, she grabbed a heavy floral vase from a nearby pedestal, clutching it so hard in her hands that her knuckles turned a terrified white. She was so close to him then that she could smell the beer coming from his pores.
Then, with shaking hands, Anne lifted the vase and brought it down upon his head as hard as she could manage. The man let out a grunt, collapsing to the ground in a heap of drunken unconsciousness. Frantic eyes turned to the chandelier line, which had been nearly sawed all the way through, but if let untouched, might be able to withstand the damage. Grabbing the short knife from the man and hiding it in one of her boots.
She rushed to the edge of the balcony, scanning the crowd for Billy Andrews. He was up against the wall, staring curiously at the chandelier, wondering why it hadn't descended upon the guests yet. He shifted as if he was seconds away from coming up to investigate himself, when suddenly the music stopped and a voice rose above the crowd, partnered by a tap of a glass.
"Good evening everyone!" Gilbert said with delight that Anne sensed was forced. Billy stopped in his tracks, knowing that if he tried to sneak up the balcony stairs, he'd certainly be seen by everyone gazing upon their host. But this had been Anne's home for nearly six months now. She knew of the small little passageway that led back down into the foyer, making it possible to reenter the crowd from behind. With everyone's attention pulled away to Gilbert, she hurried down the line of the balcony, through the foyer, and back into the crowds amassing to hear Gilbert give his speech.
"I am delighted to see so many of my cherished friends here tonight! I am doubly delighted that the evening has already been filled with such pleasant revelry. I would like to interrupt, if I may, for a short time to tell you all the purpose of this event tonight."
Through the aching pounding in Anne's heart, she glanced over at Billy, who had begun a nonchalant saunter to the center of the crowd, directly in line of Gilbert.
"Someone very important to me recently advised me to let go of the hurt of the past in favor of enjoying the blessings of the present. I'd like to share with you some of that joy, if I may. Come on then, lads." At his cue, forty-three boys filtered in behind Gilbert, wide, fearful eyes staring out at the audience who knew not yet to love them. Anne felt her chest swell with a strong pride - how brave these boys were, how brave and kind and true they all had grown to be. "These are the wonderful young men that I adopted from the St. Anthony's Orphan Asylum. They are my greatest pride, strong in their goodness and courage. When my father passed away, I wondered how my life would have been different if I had grown up an orphan, so I sought to see myself."
He wrapped an arm around the two boys closest to him, smiling warmly when Paul Irving hid his face into Gilbert's coat.
"I came home with forty-three of the finest young gentleman I've ever met. My brother thought I was insane." Chuckles bubbled around the room. "But it was one of my biggest delights to give these boys a family, to provide for them the same thing we all have now. A comfortable home, food on the table, an education, and most important, someone to love them. That is why I invited you here tonight. I'm standing before you now, humbly asking you to share the blessings of your present with the boys of Saint Anthony's, so that they might be the blessings of their future."
The crowd was acutely aware of the boys staring back at them with their guarded faces and wide, hopeful eyes. Anne herself, felt the shared kindred connection with every child in the room who'd ever lost their parents.
"Tonight isn't just a call for donations, though any small amount helps. I hoped that tonight, I could encourage all my wonderful friends to find some way to share the love in their lives. Write letters to the boys, make visits, send them sweeties on holidays, and certainly take one home if you feel compelled to open your home like I did mine."
Gilbert's eyes scanned the crowd as he tried to meet as many people as he could in the eye. When his gaze fell on Anne, he faltered, the brave smile on his face nearly disappearing altogether. Anne knew him enough to see the sudden torment that raged in him, suddenly frozen to the ground herself. But then she jerked her head to where Billy Andrews was standing, sending the strongest warning she could muster out of her entire being. Gilbert glanced over, startled, but missed the warning's message.
The pause seemed to be the perfect opportunity for Billy. Anne watched in horror as Billy reached a hand slowly into a hidden pocket in his jacket and retrieved a small revolver. Where had he gotten one of those ? Anne's mind grasped around desperately for something to do, something to stop him, but came up empty handed.
"There has been some question as to whether or not I intend to keep my estate," Gilbert continued carefully, venturing onto a path with his speech that he had not rehearsed with Anne. Adrenaline began to course through her, as if lightning had been flashed and now all that was left was to wait for the impending thunder. Gilbert tightened his grasp on the boys, squaring his shoulders to face a force he knew not. "These rumors and hopes have been ill founded. I intend to keep my estate well into the future, for the sake of my patients, for the sake of this community and its harbor, and for the sake of these boys, for whom I vowed to provide for. Of that, you may be sure."
A growl sounded from the middle of the crowd. Anne's head whirled around to see Billy Andrews taking a few steps forward. He rose his arm, revealing the gun with its target set directly on Gilbert, half-dimmed metal reflecting the brilliant yellow light like a warning. There was no way to reach Billy in time, Anne lamented, feeling her senses roar to life, instinct taking over her limbs. She'd failed this time, she'd been too late.
Fate was prepared to prove to her otherwise.
Just as Billy emitted a roar of fury, Anne surged forward with all the strength and speed she could muster. She cried out a heart wrenching "No!" as she collided with Billy, pushing his arms so that the barrel of the gun was aimed at the ceiling the second he pulled the trigger.
A thunderous BANG echoed across the hall, sending all the party guests to their knees, covering their heads with their hands. The resonance of the shot echoing into eternity around them was the only sound as every heart waited with baited breath for what might happen next.
Gilbert stood before them, the only one standing, shielding the boys with the wingspan of his arms and a stunned expression on his face when he looked upon Anne. The collision with Anne had knocked Billy off of his feet enough to send him tumbling to the ground, sending the revolver across the floor into Bash's waiting hands. Yanking the weapon from the ground, Bash rushed forward, ready to collect Billy for imprisonment himself, but a sound creaked over them, like a rocking ship of aged wood.
The chandelier - Anne remembered with a jolt. Sure enough, Billy's shot had cracked a section of the high ceiling where the chandelier was hung. With the rope that held the fixture already strained with too much tension, the shot had been all that was needed to snap the rope.
Gilbert yelled, " Move! " the second Anne herself had cried, " Get out of the way! "
The crowd hurried back, but they were never in danger of the crash. Only Gilbert and the boys, who'd all seemed to get out of the way just in the nick of time.
All except Paul Irving.
Anne's heart leaped into her chest at the sight of her favorite pupil staring up at the falling chandelier, petrified with terror. Now alight with determination, she raced forward and shielded Paul's small body with her own. Gilbert was there too, his arms around both of them, pushing them to the side, just out of the way.
The chandelier hit the ground with the crash of a thousand tiny glass crystals shattering against the hard floor. Anne felt just as many tiny cuts line her arms as the shards flew around them, but it wasn't until she lifted her head that she saw Gilbert had shoved them just out of line of the chandelier.
Everyone was afraid to breathe, afraid that something else might jump out of the woodwork to harm them. Gilbert was the first to raise himself, with shaking hands, he carefully helped Paul stand, giving him a quick glance for cuts and broken bones. He peered around the room at every pair of wide eyes that stared back at him in stunned amazement. No one had been hurt. They'd all gotten back far enough in time.
Then, he spun around to Anne, who'd a line of blood trickling from her forehead and cheek. The lines of his lashes turned moist as he shook his head in awe.
"You came back," he murmured. "You saved me again. "
"And you saved me ," she replied just as quietly.
The crowd around them had blurred into nothingness - there was only light, the hazel of his eyes, and that same magnetic pull between them that had been there from the first day of the storm. As reality befell upon her - Billy Andrews had failed, everything was alright, Gilbert was alright - he swept her into his arms and pressed his face into the crook of her neck. She felt his lips pressing kisses to the side of her head and heard whispers of, "My love, oh my love."
She'd almost forgotten about Christine - almost allowed herself to believe that the whole day had been just a horrible nightmare. Reality broke in before she could drift away too far.
"I'll get you Blythe, if it's the last goddamn thing I ever do!" Billy shouted. Anne's head spun to look, heart clenching with fear for a recurrence of what had just transpired, but she was relieved to find the man being yanked away by Glen police officers. "You'll rot in hell! Your orphan bastard trash will rot! Your whore will rot! Your colored-" The officer had heard enough, giving the man a strong hit over the head and promptly knocking him out so he could be dragged out to the carriage by his elbows. Diana was close behind them, racing through the stunned crowd into Anne's arms.
"Anne, you do beat all! You're alright, aren't you?" she wept, squeezing her bosom friend with all the weak strength she could muster. "I went to find help the second you took off up those stairs! What happened here?"
Anne's eyes fell on the ground where the last remnants of the chandelier laid askewed on the tile. Each step would result in a crack, and Anne was sure there were shards in her hair and skirts. She wondered just what had happened. She turned her attention to the crowd, who was still too entranced by the chaos that had finally begun to settle.
"I don't think we can begin to apologize for the strain you all have been through tonight. But that..." she pointed a finger at the door where Billy Andrews had been pulled away. "That is what happens when you let avarice strip you of your humanity. That is the fate of so many who are never given the chance to be good."
Gilbert came up behind Anne, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll see anyone who has sustained physical injuries in my office. We understand if you'd like to get home to your beds and decompress after the tumult of the day. You are likely just as shocked as we are at tonight's events, but I am deeply sorry just the same. Please have safe, comfortable travels home."
The crowds began to filter out through the doors, many of them with odd expressions on their faces that Anne could not decipher. She expected they'd be appalled after the display shown tonight, expected to hear murmurs of "country ruffians," but instead, every single departing guest was lost in thought. Anne herself felt as though she was glued to the floor, like moving would force her to return to the reality that she was leaving. After all, with Billy likely locked up for good, Gilbert's life was no longer in any danger, so there was no reason to stay.
"Miss Shirley!" a chorus of voices called, breaking her from her thoughts. Anne's head snapped up to see all forty-three wonderful boys barrelling toward her. They each grabbed her where they could, some holding tight to her waist and her arms, others clutching at the pretty fabrics of her skirts.
"Are you boys alright?" she asked, checking them over each one by one. When she found Paul Irving, who had his teary cheeks buried in her side, she caressed the side of his head. "Dear, are you alright? We had quite the fall, didn't we?"
Paul's sweet face looked back at her, little streaks of moisture trailing down the corners of his nose. "My wrist hurts," he moaned quietly. Anne nodded understandably, holding up said wrist to see if it sustained any major injuries.
"I'll take you to Dr. Blythe and he'll take a look at it. How does that sound?" Paul nodded, anxious to be in the comfort of Gilbert's company again. The doctor himself had snuck away as soon as he could, ready in his office to see to anyone needing treatment. "Are any more of you hurt?" Anne was met by forty-two shaking heads.
"Come on, Queen Anne," Bash said, appearing from the side. "I was told to bring you up to see the doctor, something about a gash across your forehead."
Anne reached a finger up to the area in question, and sure enough, they came back down with a hot smear of blood. She looked down at the expectant faces of the boys, and Paul Irving, and of Sebastian LaCroix, whose eyes told her that he understood her hesitation.
"Alright, let's go see the doctor."
*#*#*
"Well, this certainly has been an eventful evening," Sebastian said, filling the silence of their short walk up to Gilbert's office. He peered down at the Anne, whose eyes had fallen sad again, but she put on a brave face for the young boy clutching her hand.
"I'm only sorry that it turned out as poorly as it did," she murmured.
"I can't speak for everything that has happened tonight, but you'll be pleased to hear that we exceeded our anticipated amount of donations. Most of them came after...well, after. "
Anne's stunned face turned up to him.
"What- How?" she stammered. "I thought for sure Billy ruined all chances of us reaching the goal."
"I did too, but I decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. St. Anthony's will be well taken care of for the next few years." Bash slowed to a stop as they neared Gilbert's door. "I haven't told the doctor yet. Could you?"
A sick, nervous feeling settled in her stomach, but Anne nodded. Sebastian gave one last parting smile, with its own traces of sadness, then turned on his heel to leave. Before he walked two steps, he paused.
"Anne," he said kindly. "Let him explain. It isn't all you think."
Throat closed in, Anne looked down at the ground. She wasn't sure if she was strong enough to let Gilbert explain. Could see endure sitting beside him while he told that she was only a passing infatuation, that his enduring love was for Christine Stuart? Oh, she wished there was another doctor in the Glen, she lamented. She had to brave this one last storm and seal the ending of everything her and Gilbert had been. As she had told him once, it was just another thing she'd have to mourn.
Knocking on the door, Anne took a deep breath and waited for it to open before her.
Her eyes were glued to the ground when it finally did swing open, and when she chanced a glance up at him, she fought the urge to let out of shuddering sob. How was it that after everything, she still loved him so? Her heart craved him as if he were water, or air, or peaceful summer days. How could she ever learn to break herself of him?
His amazement at seeing her did not go unnoticed, either, with his wide atlantic blue eyes and parted lips.
" Anne , you ca-" He glanced down at the young boy peeking out from behind her skirts. "Paul! Come in."
Paul reached for the doctor's hand and followed him in like a duckling, leaving Anne to trail in at her own agonized pace. Being in the office was its own torment, the ghosts of their last real conversation in the nearby alcove lingering like smoke from a blown out candle. Anne could still feel his lips on her neck, his words in her ear.
"Have a seat, lad," she heard Gilbert say behind her. "Where does it ache?"
Anne intended to stand with her back to them, memorizing the titles on the spines of Gilbert's books on the shelves, but was interrupted by a small voice.
"Miss Shirley, could you sit with me?"
A pang of love hit her when she met his pleading eyes. The poor boy had just had enough excitement for an entire lifetime, of course he was scared. Kneeling down before him, Anne nodded.
"Yes, Mr. Irving. You've been very brave, of course I'll sit with you." Then she spared Gilbert a neutral look. "I believe he sprained his wrist in the fall."
"I'm sorry son, that's my fault for pushing you so hard. I'm awful glad I did, though."
"Me too," Paul murmured, hissing when Gilbert tugged a little at Paul's fingers. According to his assessment, the bone seemed alright, but the muscle had been strained when Paul reached his hand out to catch his fall. The three sat in silence as Gilbert's skilled hands bound the injury, only pausing every now and again to gauge Paul's pain and to give Anne a loaded look.
"Go find Mrs. LaCroix and she'll give you some ice to put on it. If it still hurts tonight, come wake me up and I'll give you something for the pain. How does that sound?" Gilbert asked.
Paul's tears had subsided, the binding helping ease the inflammation, and he nodded. Kicking himself out of the chair he gave both doctor and teacher a thankful hug, then scurried out of the room, leaving Anne and Gilbert waiting in the tense silence. Anne could not bring herself to look at him, worried if she did, she'd take back everything she said - and she meant it! Every word! Biting the inside of her cheek, she pushed back the part of her that ached for her to throw her arms around him and say Christine who?
"Will you let me clean and bandage your cuts?" he asked cautiously. Anne nodded her head, keeping her eyes locked on the sea outside the window. She could hear him rummaging through his doctor's things again, pulling out the disinfectant and the gauze.
"And then will you let me explain myself?" he said. Anne opened her mouth to refuse him, but he rushed to capture the pause. "Please, just let me tell you the truth about Christine and then if you want to leave this place and forget you ever met me, I'll understand. I won't stop you, no matter how much it'll kill me to see you go."
"Isn't this unprofessional, doctor?" she stated stiffly.
"Yes, very," he agreed, pressing a cotton ball to her cut. Anne hissed, recoiling a little, but tightening her hands. "But it's a special case. Will you hear me out?"
Anne should've wanted to say Absolutely not, you cretin, but really, she wanted answers. No amount of scorn or heartbreak was enough to mask her desire to know the truth.
"Alright," Anne murmured. Gilbert, whose eyes had been fixed on bandaging her forehead, froze completely still. His breath shook as he took a deep inhale, and continued to work.
"There are some things I'm sure that you've noticed do not exactly add up about me. Why does my brother look completely different from me, when did I ever work as a teacher if I grew up in this house? They all have to do with Christine."
Hearing her name made Anne's throat close in, but if Gilbert noticed the tears filling her eyes, he said nothing. He simply allowed her to feel and listen as she might.
"When I was first approaching adulthood, my father had begun to take ill. It was the beginning of his very slow descent, but it also made him hyper aware of the responsibility that would befall me once he was gone. But to me, a very young man with dreams of his own, it just seemed like he was trying to control my life the same way he controlled the harbor's finances. And because he was good with the harbor, I let him, thinking maybe he knew best, after all. I don't think he meant to do it, but it was so much for him to take on."
He gently took Anne's arm, examining the small cuts for any tiny pieces of glass still remaining. His touch was gentle enough that Anne wondered if she could memorize how sweet it felt.
"I still believe that if we'd grown up in Avonlea like my mother wanted, we would've been happier," he added with a taste of scorn. "While I was studying to go to medical school in the quiet corners of the house, my father was planning out every single detail of my future that would take place after he was gone. One of those days, he pulled me into his office - this office - and told me each plan one by one. I was to take over the harbor as business executive, and I was marry the daughter of Joseph Stuart, creating an alliance between the Kingsport Harbor that would safeguard the PEI farms who sent out exports. Without maintaining that business relationship, the tariffs to Nova Scotia would certainly make it impossible for the PEI businesses to keep up financially."
Anne remembered the days when she was first living at Green Gables, when Matthew had paced across the kitchen anxiously about the struggling Carmody port. If it had gone under like Matthew thought it would, where would that have left them?
"I refused." Anne's eyes shot up to his. "My father got to have his dreams - to fall in love and marry the woman he adored, to be a successful businessman to provide for his family, to have a son that would follow directly in his footsteps. But I had dreams of my own. I wanted to be a doctor, take care of the Glen and serve it faithfully. I wanted to find my own love, Anne, I wanted to find you . So I left home. I went to Queen's Academy to get my teaching certificate, raised enough funds to go to college, and studied to be a doctor, just as I wanted."
"Which school did you teach?" Anne asked quietly.
"A school in Bolingbroke, Nova Scotia - a rural town."
A tear trickled down Anne's cheek and she sniffled weakly.
"That's where I was born," she admitted. Gilbert smiled, wiping away the tear with a tender touch.
"I loved Bolingbroke, and I loved learning to be a doctor even more. I was able to win the Cooper Prize, with provided me the rest of the funds to make it through medical school. I knew that even if it disappointed my father, I had to follow my own ambitions. I told you that I graduated five years ago, and I did, but shortly after, my father's illness took a turn for the worse and I had to adjust my plans."
He took her hands and stared into her eyes straight on.
"My father wanted to know that I was going to be alright when he died, and when I looked at him on his deathbed, I knew that I couldn't go against his wishes. He begged me to go through with the engagement with Christine, to run the harbor. So I agreed, and I've regretted it ever since, because I never wanted to be with Christine. I wanted to spend my life with someone who belonged in it. You, sweetheart, I only ever wanted you."
Anne clutched Gilbert's hands, the ice around her heart starting to melt, replaced with his adorative warmth.
"I spent a year on a steamer, getting to know the lives of the people who were using the harbor and how the tariffs worked on a personal and business level. That's where I met Bash. I invited him to come back and be my business partner and to be my brother. He married Mary a few months later, and we've been living here as a family ever since. We've all only ever seen Christine a few times."
"I suppose that leaves the story up to date," Anne murmured. "I just wish you had told me all of that sooner, before I had to look her in the eyes and hear that she's your betrothed."
"There's a little more," he admitted, biting back a hopeful smile.
"I didn't tell you because as soon as I knew you felt the same way about me, I begged Bash to find some loophole in the engagement, something that could keep the harbor safe - and thus the boys financially sound - but also let me finally propose to you the way it was intended. He couldn't find anything-" Anne gave a barely audible whimper, lips tight together, "-but Christine did." Anne blinked.
"What?"
"Sweetheart, Christine is pregnant. She's in love herself, with a fellow name Andrew Dawson. I know the man, he works on one of the steamers that goes back and forth between the Glen and Kingsport. Her and I discussed it this evening during the party. Instead of her and I marrying now to cover up a potential defamation of her family's name, I'm going to promote Andrew so that she might marry him. That is how her and I get to keep our right to love while protecting our family businesses. We ended the engagement a few hours ago."
Anne's mind was reeling. She clasped the arm of the chair to keep from toppling over, afraid that if she moved too quickly, everything from the last few minutes would vanish completely.
"And...you and I? What of us?" she asked in a strained voice.
"That's your decision, Anne," Gilbert assured gently. "But if you'll let me, I will happily, eagerly, completely love you and make you my partner through life. You can write and teach if that's what you want, and I'll be a doctor, and we'll have the boys, Bash and Mary, and only love and happiness to speak of. I'm tired of living on someone else's agenda."
Completely bandaged, Anne reached out, placed her hands on Gilbert's shoulder's, and leaned her head into his chest. His arms came up around her, tracing star constellations into her back as she tried straighten out her mind. Aquarius. Orion. Cassiopeia.
"I'm still furious that you lied to me," she choked out, unable to swallow back any more tears.
"I know." His own voice was just as choked. "I'm sorry Anne, you don't know how much."
She snuck her arms up, tugging him closer until she was completely wrapped up in his warmth, face tucked perfectly into the space of his neck. His apology had come from a genuine place inside of him, the place that she'd met the day she saved him and had fallen more and more in love with as each day passed. Here and now, with that piece of his soul breathing the same air as hers, she knew that this was good, this was what Fate had intended for them.
Suddenly, she remembered that day on the Avonlea cliffside, staring out at the sea. The ocean, the wind, the stars and clouds had all called out to her "He's there!" over and over like a prayer whispered on the lips of a mother. Who was she, then, to let this man go? Who was she to go against the wishes of her own heart?
"I still can't believe you charged into an armed man for me. You put your life in danger again for me. You came back for me," he whispered into her hair.
Anne pulled back, peered into his eyes, and answered him the only way she knew how.
"Yes, my love, I did it for you."
Gilbert's face crumpled then, the words affecting him the same way they affected her when he first spoke them. He released a sob on a laugh and nodded, because he knew what she was really saying - Yes, my love, I forgive you.
"Will you stay then, Anne? Will you stay with me?" He'd never been so hopeful, so tender.
"Is that a formal proposal, Dr. Blythe?" she asked weakly, running the back of her fingers over the soft skin of his cheeks. He smiled, taking her beloved fingers and turning them so he could press a kiss to her knuckles.
"It is if you'd like it to be."
Anne launched herself into his arms, sprinkling kisses on his face and hair and neck like dew descending on a field. Laughter exploded out of him in breathless bursts as he desperately tried to reciprocate each loving kiss. Finally, he caught her face and lifted it up to his, kissing her with a matchless adoration.
"How about this, Gil," Anne suggested, tearing away so that only their noses and foreheads touched. "Let me go home to Avonlea, to part with it the way I should have. And then, when you're ready, propose to me there, under the lacy blossoms of the White Way of Delight. We'll walk along our beach, remember the day that brought us together. And when we've had our fill of memories, we'll come home, here, to the Glen."
Bliss filled Gilbert, radiating off of him in waves, and he took her back into is arms, sneaking in one last murmur before capturing her lips once more.
"As you wish it, Queen Anne."
This was how it was supposed to be, they both thought at the same time - lips curved into smiles as they kissed, fears of the past gone and resolved forever, and the future as bright and full as the moon that bathed them in with its radiance.