Chapter XXXV
Hester woke up with the sun shining right onto her as pale as dove's face, her hazel eyes twinkling as she rapidly sat up with her hand placed on her chest "My goodness!" she exclaimed quietly "I'm twenty years old!" and she chuckled merrily, putting her head down on the pillow for a few more moments, thinking of the entire day ahead of her which she knew it would be full of love, friendship and love once again.
But it wasn't too long before Hester knocked on Daria's door. Daria opened it promptly with a dancing smile upon her face "Time to dress up, you grown-up sister of mine." and both of them ran like little children to Hester's bedroom, soon joined by Rilla and Poppy.
Hester truly felt like a birthday girl (or a birthday woman) as Daria did her hair and her mother helped her with the dress Ken especially bought for his daughter's birthday. A deep navy blue with silver buttons and puffy sleeves at which Anne laughed joyfully when she saw them but which she still couldn't deny being any less beautiful.
As Hester was sitting in front of a mirror and observed Daria wriggling with her hair, Rilla sewing a black veil which she found at the attic around a navy-blue hat and Poppy playing with the hem of Hester's dress, her own mind was floating around as if in a bubble and a soft smile was visible upon her lips. She promised herself, and Marshall, that she wouldn't think of him leaving the day after and she was keeping that promise so far even though there was still a silent gloomy whisper at the back of her mind nonetheless.
However, the silent whisper can't be heard quite clearly when one is putting on her birthday dress, a pretty hat, her polished high heels and a bright red lipstick borrowed from her cousin Jo "You look so beautiful!" Daria gasped in delight when she, Rilla and Poppy in her mother's arms stood behind Hester, all of them in front of the big mirror in the hall.
Hester smiled at her own reflection. The realisation that she is truly a twenty years old young woman with her teenage and childhood years behind her dawned on her like a wave of both coldness and warmth. The dress fitted her perfectly around her slim waist as gorgeous puffed sleeves and the brilliant small navy-blue hat with a black veil slightly coming over her forehead made her look like a true movie star. Hester smiled and then kissed Daria's and Rilla's cheeks as well as Poppy's small hands "Thank you, my darlings." she said to them and only then she became aware of the voices, laughter and chattering coming from the garden of the House fo Dreams "Shall we go then?" she asked.
Daria and Rilla shared a secret glance with their twinkling eyes which made Hester look at them both with curiosity in her own "I'll check if everything is ready and then you can come downstairs!" Daria chirruped excitedly as she flew out of the room like a bird, after taking Poppy from Rilla's arms who at her request had to say a few words to her daughter alone.
When the door closed behind Daria and Poppy, Rilla put her soft hands on Hester's white cheeks and looked into her eyes. The same shade of hazel as her own, Rilla's eyes filled with tears already as she smiled at her grown-up daughter "Twenty years ago I held you for the very first day in my arms." she said quietly, her voice so full of pride that Hester's own eyes started to become watery "On that very day I knew, I was certain that you, Hester darling, will become a wonderful, talented, passionate and beautiful woman you are today." she kissed Hester's nose then "I want you to know that I am so proud of you, both your father and I are, that our hearts burst with joy which only a parent truly understands." she squeezed Hester's hands and her cheeks started to have little riverfalls dripping from them "I wish you, my dearest girl, all the happiness and luck in this huge world and I want you to know that whatever happens, you will always have me to rely on."
Hester's own cheeks now matched her mother's as she pulled her into an embrace "Oh, mummy, I love you so much it hurts." she whispered into Rilla's ear "And I know that I can rely on you and daddy always. And you can always rely on me too."
Rilla patted Hester's cheek softly, grinning into her eyes tenderly "I know we can." she said and in that moment the door opened up and Ken's head appeared before them, with a huge smile on his face.
"Stop crying you two ninnies!" he chuckled and so did the two women standing next to him "Everything is ready now. Shall we go downstairs then?" he oustretched his arm to Hester who took it promptly and quickly wiped away her tears, excitement overflowing her entirely now.
"Let's go then." she said and so they all started to walk downstairs, into the garden. Before they exited their home into the green world fulfilled with flowers and people, though, Ken kissed Hester's cheek "You look beautiful, my dear girl." he whispered to her "Happy birthday." he winked at her and opened the door to the garden.
Everyone was there, waiting. When Hester stepped outside everyone looked at her in awe and then started to cheer and surround her with gifts, kisses and words of wisdom, pride and luck. Vance, Marion, Jo and Daria overflowed Hester with new pages for her compositions, several new ribbons, a new dress sewn from some old yet beautiful pink curtain and most importantly they all embraced Hester saying those sweet words she needed to hear especially from those bosom friends of hers. She felt very saddened that neither of her brothers or boy-cousins could be there. She also missed both Lily and Phillip and wished they could be there to celebrate her birthday but she knew that they were there somehow anyway, it was inevitable not to feel their presence.
Then, at the very end, Marshall came forwards and kissed Hester on the cheek. He was fully dressed in a suit with a linen shirt although his brown curls were still very much in disorder and his eyes shone so much that Hester feared for a second that someone could have seen it. But then she actually didn't care if anyone has. "Happy birthday, kid." he said to her with a grin and handed her the package.
"Thank you, Marshall." she replied with blushed cheeks and a smile of her own. She started to unpack the gift quickly and there it was: the painting of Hester in the Rainbow Valley, twirling around in her white dress with the very certain old scraf flying around in her hand. Hester looked at it with her mouth ajar and then she smiled widely as her eyes were misty again.
"Turn it around." he encouraged her with a grin and so she did what he said. Behind the canvas, in Marshall's calligraphic style a note was written: "Always stay this way, dearest kid. Happy 20th and many more to come too.".
Hester looked up at him and just about stopped herself from stepping on her toes and kissing him and so she simply squeezed his hand and smiled with eyes full of tears "I will, Marshall." she whispered and he winked at her tenderly "Thank you."
'Never say 'thank you' to me." he whispered back and then kissed her cheek quickly enough when nobody was watching 'You're welcome though, honey." and he winked at her before Ken approached Hester from the back.
"Don't you think, my girl, that your old parents haven't thought about a gift for you." he said as he put his hands on her shoulders, guiding her to the corner of their garden "Come on everyone! It's for everyone to see!" he called out and everyone followed Ken who was manouvering Hester to the right wing of the garden where there was always an open space left for the children, when they were still small and now for Poppy, to come and play.
As soon as Ken stopped in his tracks so did Hester and she frowned a little and then laughed aloud "Daddy! What is going on?" she asked him and her mother. Her family was starting to surround a large group of strangers all dressed in suits and carrying violins, cellos and bases with a conductor in the middle, smiling at flushed Hester who although quite confused was very much entertained already.
Ken and Rilla shared a knowing glance with Daria who squeezed Hester's hand suddenly from the left "Surprise, surprise, you don't have to look for your composition anymore because it was never really lost." Ken said to Hester whose eyes suddenly widened as a realisation of what was happening was slowly dawning on her.
"Daria searched through your compositions and found the one you loved the most, "Hope and Our Rainbow Valley"." Rilla said with a nod at Daria who smiled even wider and all the people surrounding the orchestra and Hester in the middle exclaimed in delight as they too started to realise what was about to happen "And we sent it to Charlottetown's orchestra and asked if they could practise it and then play it for the composer... you, dearest girl." she said with again tears in her eyes and Hester's jaw opened slightly as she put her hands on her mouth.
"Are you serious?" she breathed out and everyone around her chuckled tenderly "Really?" she smiled brightly at the orchestra and a tall blonde-haired conductor smiled back at her.
"I've never experienced more joy in practising a composition, Miss Ford." he said to her and she smiled. Hester kissed both of her parents and Daria heartily "Shall we begin?" he asked and Hester then nodded along, her fingers twitching nervoursly.
And so it began.
The strings twitched into a birdsong, bases and cellos rang in the slow peaceful rhythm and Hester could not believe her own ears nor eyes nor anything that was happening around her for the first few seconds. She was just as mesmarised as everyone else around her. It was like she imagined it to sound like, it was like she wrote it down, like she played with her violin those several different variations in the heart of Rainbow Valley, whilst changing notes, improving and then leaving them with certainty they were the right ones. It was all too good to be true, to have this as a reality happening in front of her eyes.
It was spring in its sound yet a waltz in its rhythm, yet art overall. Everyone around Hester had tears in their eyes as she had in her own, it was truly the title in its true meaning and definition. Anne and Gilbert held hands and Anne's face was a picture of what she once imagined love to be like and what it truly was indeed. Ken and Rilla joined each other's hands, both holding Poppy, with their wet cheeks and eyes full of pride and wonder. Vance and Marion also weeped and smiled so widely that Hester almost doubted if they truly still were her timid Marion and Vance. Jo and Fleur in her arms were floating in the air along with the music, with smiles upon both of their faces. Daria squeezed Hester's hands tightly in hers and didn't even feel soft tears falling onto her flushed cheeks as she thought of her husband at the front. Marshall's own cheeks were wet and for the first time in his life he wasn't ashamed of showing them in public, on the contrary, he was proud of their display. However, what he watched wasn't the orchestra but the crying, laughing and smiling Hester standing on the opposite side of the orchestra, who held on tight to her sister-in-law's hands.
Hester's life in that moment was complete and full of everything. Of course, it would be fuller if all the boys she loved and who weren't there could hear it and get a glimpse of that hope too but nonetheless she knew that she would never forget that moment and what she didn't realise was that not a single person around her would ever forget that moment either. It was truly a miracle in a song and even when it ended, everyone's hearts were overfilled with hope and happiness, even if just for a little while only; and that was enough.
A whistle.
A long, loud whistle and the atmosphere of the train station of Glen St Mary stood almost still, but not the people being its guests. The train arrived and there were only five minutes left until its departure. There weren't as many people as the last time Hester was there, she couldn't even remember who was the last person she said her farewells to on that station… It was hard to believe that a day overfilled with such joy and music of celebration of her twentieth spring on Earth happened only a day before. The sun could still be shining down from the indigo sky like it did on her birthday but this time she hardly noticed it.
Hester stood next to the brave Vance of misty blue eyes who was now in turn to kiss her brother goodbye as he was ready in his uniform and spirits to go back to the front, to finish his duty for the country and people he loved so dearly. Marshall's and Vance's parents were there, so were Hester's with Daria, Poppy as well as Anne and Gilbert and John and Rosemary to wish the best of luck the Air Commodore Marshall Douglas in all his handsomeness and never going away impishness.
Hester didn't even realise when Marshall took her pale hands in his own, squeezing them gently. She could feel his eyes on her own although she didn't look up immediately, she closed her own eyes instead. Nobody still knew of their love for one another and that was a reason why they shared their last kiss last night when Hester announced she'd be going to collect her original notes from the outside and Marshall that he'd help her. 'It is better that way', she was saying to herself, '-now at least you have the courage not to swell up with sadness and panic like you'd do otherwise'.
Marshall wouldn't have it, though, and he put her chin higher so she opened her eyes to look into his bright emeralds "Be brave, kid." he said to her with a wistful enough voice and a smile "I know you will be but it seems I have to say it to you to prove to myself that I should be too."
"Be careful, Marshall." Hester said with a slightly cracked voice, trying her hardest to achieve a hopeful smile yet only achieveing a grade C in it.
He smiled one more time at her, heartbreak painted on his face and in his eyes and he kissed the corner of her lips swiftly before quickly turning around, taking his suitcases and coming inside the train without looking back. Hester knew Marshall well enough to know that he couldn't bare any of the farewells anymore and that that was the reason for his action which frankly didn't surprise anyone at all.
Mary embraced Vance at the side and both of their faces were pentrated by tears of hope yet fear while Miller held them both at his chest. Rilla and Ken, along with Daria, Anne, Gilbert, Rosemary and John stood on the side, looking at one another wistfully yet with understanding and pride written over their faces. Hester stood on her own then and she suddenly felt so alone like she never did before in her life.
She came closer to the train, just like Vance and her parents did and suddenly, when the last whistle started blowing, signalling only a minute before the train's expectant departure, Marshall jumped out of the train and looked at Hester with life encapsulated by the brightness in his eyes "Damn it all!" he said passionately, coming over to Hester "I love you, Hester Leslie Ford." he put a strand of Hester's black curl behind her ear as she struggled for her breath "And I'll marry you when I come back, do you hear me?" he asked her decidedly and she smiled at him through the tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I do." she whispered and Marshall smiled back at her with tears in his eyes as well as put his arms around her waist, leaning her behind and kissing her affectionately and with all his power and lack of time as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Everyone looked at the scene as if they were enchanted. The tears on Vance's cheeks and Mary's stopped almost abruptly and their mouths opened slightly. Rilla and Ken looked at each other with a glance of knowingness, Daria clapped her hands together in a sudden wave of joy which everyone felt too and Anne smiled widely, feeling satisfaction achieved.
Marshall then put Hester back on the ground and smiled impishly at her, winking "Keep on playing, my darling-girl." he whispered to her "I will hear your music wherever I go."
Hester kissed him on the lips again as he was slowly getting back on the train "And you keep on sketching, wherever you are." she whispered back to him "I will see your art everywhere I am."
Marshall smiled down at her, tapping the scarf resting inside the pocket of his jacket "I'll see you soon, kid." he said and kissed her again before turning to his family with a wave of his hand "I'll see you soon, all!" he called out to them as they started cheering. Marshall looked into Hester's hazel eyes again. They spoke and witheld promises to one another and then, just like that, the train was gone.
Hello, my lovely readers, it's Bathsheba here. Thank you all so very much for reading and reviewing this story of mine, as well as favouriting and following it, it all means a lot to me as both the writer and a person. Hopefully you enjoy the story so far. I have actually dropped in my personal comment here because I wanted to share with you the composition that inspired me to actually create the character of Hester and which I also had in mind whilst thinking about the composition she wrote: "Hope and Our Rainbow Valley". This beauty of a music is called "Spring 1" by Max Richter who recomposed the original "Spring" by Vivaldi. If you love classical music (as I do) the recomposition of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Max Richter is simply beautiful so give yourself a treat and check it out if you want to know what inspired me to write about Hester and this particular chapter too :)
Thank you all again. See you next Sunday! - Bathsheba Blythe