Chapter 31

An hour after the tear-filled and chaotic greeting on the platform, a dumbstruck Diana stood watching the people crowded into her sitting room, holding a plate of cookies that tipped precariously. Diana's distraction was so complete that little Fred had asked for and received a total of eight cookies, many more than his mother would have allowed ordinarily. Sonia Blythe sat on one side of her future daughter-in-law, holding Anne's hand as if afraid that she would melt away if she released it, and Gilbert was hanging over the back of Anne's chair teasing his mother. Diana absently handed over another cookie to her son, watching Anne and Gilbert's easy manner in bewilderment.

How long had it been since she had seen Gilbert Blythe like this? Perhaps not since their first year in college- could that really be ten years ago, now? And here he was looking at Anne as he once had, and she was looking at him the same way! Di shook her head in amazement. Oh, she'd known that Anne had loved him for years- however, the thought that brought her close to tears now was watching the sparkle she had not seen in Anne's face since before Marilla's death, before the accident. Her beloved friend had found her way back home again- and Gilbert Blythe was responsible for that.

"Di, did you really say that Fred could have more to eat?" her husband asked dubiously as he came beside her. "Your mother said that she gave the children supper earlier."

Diana snapped herself back to attention. "Oh, goodness; of course not," she said. "I was just- distracted."

Fred chuckled, his eyes turning to Anne and Gilbert. "I know- I can hardly believe it," he muttered. "It's seeing them be them after all this time."

Diana drew in a deep breath. "They were never like this before though," she said quietly.

Fred looked at her oddly. "You are happy for them, aren't you, Di?"

Diana turned to him in surprise. "Of course. I'm just so- I didn't expect it to happen so soon."

Fred snorted. "I doubt anyone could call this soon."

At this Diana chuckled. "Perhaps not- but oh, it's been a long time since I have seen them this happy."

After a few minutes, the normally placid Anne Cordelia erupted into tears, and Diana decided that it was bedtime for the children. Fred waved her away and carted them off to their bedroom, leaving Di to sit down beside Anne. She smiled at the way Gilbert perched himself on the arm of Anne's chair.

"I don't suppose you've had much time to make plans yet, have you?" Diana asked, bringing a look of excitement on Sonia's face.

"Oh, soon, Gilbert darling, please," Sonia pleaded. "It's been so long since there was a family wedding, and the flowers will be so lovely here, in a month or so."

Gilbert reached down for Anne's hand, his hazel eyes watchful as he saw the faint tension on her face.

"Well, I hope this won't come as a disappointment to you both, but we would very much like to be married back home," he said gently. He felt Anne's fingers close on his, and he squeezed her hand to reassure her. "We love it here, but we want the wedding to be in Four Winds."

Diana swallowed a few times, catching the faint look of grief on Anne's face- she knew that Anne was thinking of Marilla. "Well, darling, I think it will be lovely at the Glen," she said brightly. "I have heard so much about it from you- and I can't wait to see it for myself."

Sonia smiled at Anne then. "I would travel to the end of the earth to see the two of you safely married- and the Glen is lovely in the summertime. When have you decided on?"

Anne took over now, explaining simply that her operation would be the deciding factor on the timing. Diana's eyes were enormous at the idea of travelling to Montreal, and bypassing the operation for the moment, she squeaked excitedly at the idea of Anne shopping for her trousseau in the city.

Anne smiled. "I'm sure I won't need much, Di darling. I expect that I will need some time to recover afterwards- although no doubt Penny Winston will have something to say about the shopping too."

Diana scowled. "Then allow me to write a letter to this celebrated woman, perhaps between the two of us we can get you outfitted properly. And surely you will have time for some sight-seeing as well."

When both women had a clearer idea of the timeline involved, Sonia sat back with a sigh. "Three months isn't so very long," she said thoughtfully. "Anne, dearie, what may we do to help you now?"

Anne was by now fighting her tiredness, recalling with bewilderment that she had finished teaching school only hours ago. She swallowed, her eyes falling. "There are things I need to take care of while we are here," she said softly. "I don't want to take away from our news, or time away from you all- however there are jobs I have been putting off for some time now."

Diana met Sonia's eyes, while Gilbert slipped a comforting arm around his fiancée. She spoke to her friend then. "It's alright, Anne. We know that needs your time as well. We did everything that you asked us to. The furniture you wished to keep is in the barn, and mother and I took everything personal from the house. We can send what you wish to Four Winds as soon as you like." She placed a warm hand on Anne's arm. "The Williams family would very much like to meet you, darling," Diana said quietly. "They know how much you care for Green Gables, and wanted you to know that you are welcome to visit."

Anne blinked back the tears that were beginning to fall. "Thank you." She choked back a sob, then, her emotions beginning to overwhelm her. "I'm sorry, Di, I promise that I am really very happy," she said feebly, and the three people close to her began to laugh as Gilbert pulled her into his arms.

"You're tired, sweetheart," he said gently. "We can talk about all of this in the morning."

Diana blinked back her own tears at the way he comforted her and then got to her feet. "Of course- Mrs Blythe, I'm sure it will be best to keep this pair together as much as possible, would you the three of you like to come for dinner here tomorrow evening?"

Sonia smiled. "Of course. I expect you will let me know if there is anything I can do for Anne tomorrow. You should come to us on Sunday, Diana."

As these arrangements were made, Gilbert bent down to look at Anne with a smile. She was flagging, and he gently touched his nose to hers. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

She nestled her face on his shoulder, unaware of Sonia and Diana's shared smile at the tender action. "I will be. Although I do need to go to sleep- I was arguing contractions with Jimmy Sawyer not six hours ago."

He grinned. "He didn't take your word for it, Miss Shirley?"

Anne tried to suppress a yawn, and her mouth quirked into a smile. "No."

He reached for her hand and helped her to her feet, turning to look at Diana in question.

"Anne, darling, your room is ready- and Anne Cordelia has insisted that you sleep with her dolly tonight. She doesn't wish you to be lonely." With a droll look at her guests, Diana led the way back into the kitchen. Her mind was on what needed to be done, and she missed Gilbert's muttered "Half dolly's luck," that broke her friend into a blushing laugh.

Sonia and John Blythe stood in the kitchen waiting for Gilbert to say goodnight to Anne, and he bent his brown head to kiss her on the cheek, lingering to whisper, his breath warm on her ear. "Hmm. Saying goodnight in front of the families. Isn't this fun?" he teased quietly, and Anne's cheeks heated. He straightened up with a wink that made Anne chuckle and Diana's eyes widened. Gilbert then stood to attention as a discomposed Diana began to issue instructions.

"Fred, dear, would you mind getting a pitcher of water for Anne's room? I forgot to do that earlier- and we were in such a rush that I didn't have Anne's bags put in her room. Gilbert, would you take them down the hall to the first door on the right for me? Thank you." Gilbert moved to do it quickly, until Diana gave a sudden gasp, having forgotten propriety. This was Avonlea, after all. "Oh, goodness, Gilbert, I shouldn't have you going in there, I'll take them in myself."

She took the bags from him, while Gilbert gave her a surprised look. "Di, it's really not necessary, I've already been in her bedr-" Anne's elbow met his ribs just a moment too late, he swallowed the end of the sentence, his hazel eyes brimming with laughter. "Err, professionally, of course." He turned to Anne, whose cheeks were a pink that the dim light could not hide. "Anne, it seems I'm not needed right now, so I'll come over first thing in the morning. Fred, Diana, goodnight," he said courteously before he followed his bewildered parents out the door. Sonia had done her best to keep silent up until this point, but at the buggy turned to him with a twinkling look.

"And just what were you doing in her bedroom, Gilbert?"

Gilbert choked back an embarrassed laugh. "Mother, Dad," he protested, attempting to keep sober. "I swear it was strictly as a physician. It was months ago, and she was ill. I was completely professional, as was she."

Well, except for being madly in love with my patient, he thought with a guilty grin.

Inside the house, Diana led the way to Anne's room and pounced on her friend once safely inside. "He's been in your room?" she squeaked, grabbing Anne's hands.

Anne's eyes sparkled mischievously. "I had influenza in February, Di. Susan panicked, and called Gilbert- only he happened to have it as well. He came in to check on me, and we were quite the pair, coughing and sniffling away."

"So the handsome Doctor Blythe was soothing your fevered brow, I suppose?" Diana teased, evoking long ago memories of the Story Club tales.

Anne chuckled, removing the jacket of her travelling suit. "I will say, Diana," she said archly, "That he is my very favourite doctor of all."

When Gilbert arrived at Lone Willow Farm the next morning, he was startled to find that Anne was not there. Diana told him that she had awoken full of energy, and had decided to go for a walk. She was sitting having a cup of tea while the children were playing in the back garden, and rose to get a cup for Gilbert as well.

Gilbert watched her oddly. "So you weren't worried that Anne wanted to go for a walk?"

Diana's black eyes twinkled. "She was determined- and I chose to let you handle things when you got here. I figured that would be soon enough."

Gilbert laughed. "Fair enough. Where did she go?"

Diana put down her cup, and sighed. "Not far, I think. I don't think we should be too concerned, she is steadier than I have seen her in a while- and she knows Avonlea like the back of her hand."

He smiled. "She does."

Before he could rise, Diana stopped him. "Gilbert, I know that you want to find her, but would you mind sitting with me for a minute first?" Diana said slowly. "I wondered if you would tell me something. Was it Anne's decision to get that operation done?"

Gilbert looked at her in surprise. "You aren't suggesting that I'm forcing her to, are you? Have you met Anne?"

"No, of course not," she said crossly. "I'm just— concerned. Only a few weeks ago she wrote and told me that she had most definitely resolved against it. I didn't expect her to agree, knowing how painful it was for her last time," Diana said, her voice frank.

Gilbert looked at her piercingly. "If you are asking me did I convince her to reconsider, then the answer is no. She only came to me about it yesterday. But if you are asking do I agree that it's necessary, then yes."

Diana appeared to struggle with this. "Gilbert, why put her through that again, when she is well enough for now?"

Gilbert covered his own frustration, choosing to speak gently. "Because at any point she could have a fall that makes it all worse. Di, you've been through pregnancy three times- was it hard on your body?" he asked.

Diana snorted. "Of course. You feel unwell, and your muscles are never the same again-" she brought herself to a halt, with cheeks bright red with embarrassment.

Gilbert grinned. "It's alright, Di. I've delivered plenty of babies." He shifted in his seat with a sigh. "Your centre of gravity changes. To someone who has been through what Anne has- well, you can see why that changes things."

Diana let out a long breath. "I suppose so." She seemed to struggle then, and shook her head. "You didn't see her in the hospital, Gilbert," she said, subdued. "It almost destroyed her."

Gilbert folded his arms, swallowing hard. "I know. And she's forgiven me for not being there. Can you?"

Diana looked at him in shock. "Gilbert, I don't blame you for the accident. That was no one's fault."

He gave a painful laugh. "You and I both know that it didn't have to be that way. And I know that I've been an idiot- I know you hold that against me-"

Diana pushed her cup away, her look stern. "I don't, Gil. I won't deny that I was angry- I've seen her hurt over you for years. I know that you did over her as well. But it's over- and I couldn't be happier for you both."

Gilbert finally nodded. "Di, I don't want her to go through more pain- but doing nothing could be worse," he said quietly. "Jeremy thinks it has a good chance of helping- and he's the only one I would trust with her." He chuckled then. "He got cross at me for being too emotional about her condition- told me I needed to be professional when I wanted to make her change her mind."

Diana laughed then. "Even back then?"

Gilbert grinned sheepishly. "Jeremy knew what she was to me. He knew I was in love with her."

Dian turned to the back door as an argument broke out amongst the children, and she smiled. "That sounds like it needs my attention," she said dryly. "Gilbert, she headed out towards Birch path- and we're only a short walk from the graveyard. I would check there first."

Gilbert bent to kiss her on the cheek with a grin. "Thanks, Di. I'll bring her back soon."

The old Avonlea graveyard was quiet, the long strands of willows blowing gently in the breeze. Anne slipped down on the grass between Matthew and Marilla's graves. She closed her eyes for a moment in exhaustion and almost chuckled. It was the longest distance she had walked in a year and a half- hadn't her last walk been to the Summerside graveyard, only days before the accident? Anne brushed the red hair from her face, and sighed. That time seemed from another world, now. Indispensable to the town she served, a celebrated principal by then, and yet she had been so restless- she could see that now. She stretched out her injured leg and turned to look at Marilla's gravestone. Behind Matthew's resting place, the white rosebush stood ready to bloom- and Anne swallowed back her tears. There was nothing beside Marilla's yet. She shook her head, determined not to cry. There were things that needed to be said, first.

"I remember what you used to say, Marilla- that talking to graves served no purpose," Anne said with a shaky laugh. "And yet I always spoke to Matthew- and if you were listening now, you wouldn't be surprised that I'm still talking now. It's- it's been a year now- I don't know how it passed so quickly. And I miss you." As the tears began to fall, Anne's voice trembled. "I'm so sorry that I didn't come home when you asked me to. I was so stubborn- I have been, all along. You never once reproached me for how I behaved, you said I'd best be getting on with my work, rather than getting lost in the woods. I- I don't think I realised how lost I was back then," she said softly. "You did. It took the accident to show me how broken I really was inside." She sighed, studying the early June lilies that grew between the graves. She brushed aside the long grass to reveal the words she had chosen: Mother of my Heart. Anne closed her eyes then, her chest aching. "So much has happened, Marilla- I'm- I'm getting married- to Gilbert. In just a few months time. We finally found each other again. And I was so wrong- we both were," she whispered. "I know that you are glad- I know that you loved him. And I know that it hurt you so much to see us apart." Anne drew in a deep breath of the scented forest air, listening to the distant sound of the shore from beyond the fir grove. "It's all very overwhelming, to be completely honest," she said candidly, and suddenly laughed. "Oh, not with Gilbert himself- I would happily marry him as we stand right now. We were always creatures of the wild, Gilbert and I; far more at home in the woods than anywhere else. The wedding itself seems more for the sake of our loved ones. I really must write to Rachel, soon."

Gilbert arrived at the graveyard when Anne had been there for an hour. He turned his head to where he knew Matthew lay, and there she was, sitting on the ground and his heart broke as he walked toward her. He'd wondered if he'd done the right thing in encouraging Anne to come home- her tears the previous night had shaken him, despite his brave words. She didn't turn as he approached her, and he slipped down beside her, pressing a kiss into her red curls.

She was silent for a time, and when Gilbert looked down, she turned into his chest with a shudder. He tucked her into his side with care and held her as she cried. In the quiet of the graveyard, he could hear a lone bird chirping on a branch in the wood and the rustling of grass in the breeze. As he sat with her, he couldn't help but think of the last time he had done this. He closed his eyes with thankfulness as he cradled her to him. He'd not seen his own feelings then- he'd not seen hers. It had been enough to hold her for the sake of the past back then- now he held her knowing that they had a future together. When her breathing had steadied, he rested his cheek against the top of her head and spoke.

"You didn't wait for me," he said lightly.

Anne sighed. "I think I needed to come by myself, at first."

"Do you want me to leave?" He chuckled as her arms shot around him tightly. "I'll take that as a no, sweetheart."

"I was just talking to Marilla."

Gilbert smiled then. "Did you tell her that we're engaged?"

"I did. She would be so happy for us." Anne turned to him then, with a wry smile. "I also told her that this is an awful lot to deal with right now."

Gilbert looked down at her, seeing the same exhaustion on her face that had been there last night. "Oh?"

Anne's shoulders drooped. "Coming home, Green Gables, the wedding, my job, the people involved, the operation-"

Gilbert nodded, and the two of them sat in silence for a time. "Is this all happening too fast, Anne-girl?" he asked, at last.

Anne shook her head, much to his relief. "Not you and I, dearest. It's all of the peripheral things crowding in," she said slowly.

In the peace of the old graveyard, Gilbert nodded. "So, everything outside you and I." He chuckled then. "I feel it at home, too. I'm answering the telephone and filling my appointment book, being told off by my housekeeper for leaving clothes on the floor when I need to leave in a rush- and I'm just waiting to be able to come home to you." He smiled and scooped her up in his arms to place her on his lap, loving the way she nestled under his chin. "This is what matters, Anne. You and me. We've waited too long for each other to lose the next few months to plans and preparations. We have to do it- but for heaven's sake, let's make it as simple as we want."

Anne laughed and kissed his nose, teasing him. "Gilbert Blythe! You mean that you don't want me to have an expensive trousseau, with perhaps a cream silk nightgown trimmed with lace on a highly improper neckl-"

Gilbert's eyes had glazed over at the mention of the nightgown, and he snatched her close to kiss her before she could even finish the sentence. "I take it back, you'd better buy that one at least," he mumbled against her mouth, making her laugh.

After a few minutes, Gilbert pulled back to look at her. "Anne, should we have come back this weekend?" She reached for his face with gentle hands and nodded. Gilbert sighed. "Sweetheart, you're tired- and I don't want to think about how hard this has been on you."

Anne nuzzled into his shoulder. "It was always going to be," she said, her voice soft. "We both knew that. And sooner or later, I needed to face it."

Gilbert pressed his forehead to hers. "But with me."

Anne smiled at him. "With you, dearest."

That afternoon, Anne and Gilbert sat in the parlour of the Wright home, surrounded by boxes of family belongings. The linen and household goods stood ready to be sent at a later date, and Gilbert placed another box on his lap. They had sorted through photographs and mementoes, and several boxes of Anne's own belongings.

She began to laugh, finding boxes of letters and her own writing, including things Anne had not realised that Marilla had saved.

"Marilla was more sentimental than she allowed, Gil. These were our notes from when we used to study together before Redmond."

Gilbert looked over her shoulder, grinning at the crossed out parts, and his own spiky handwriting in the margins. He turned back to his own pile and opening a small folder, he suddenly stilled. "Sweetheart," he whispered.

Anne turned to see him holding a photograph of herself, and looked up at him in surprise. "What is it, Gil?"

Gilbert looked down at a collection of photographs in tissue paper, amazed. "Anne, this photo- I- I've never seen you like this."

Anne's cheeks heated. "The high school had it's thirtieth-year celebrations two years ago," she explained. "There was quite a lot of publicity, and it was attended by dignitaries from everywhere. The photographers were on the grounds for a week, and they insisted on following us around. And since it also coincided with my being there for five years, they took time to honour that as well. The same portrait of me hangs in the hall outside the Principal's office- next to those of my predecessors, very dignified, stern-looking gentlemen, one and all."

"Well, you certainly belong up there with them." Gilbert looked down at the photograph in his hand. The portrait had captured her beautifully- poised, elegant, with confidence and wisdom in her expression. This was the Anne he had missed knowing. As he looked at the picture, his throat grew suspiciously tight, seeing the authority and strength she had attained in that time. One photo showed her speaking from a large platform, in another she was standing in her office, looking out of the window thoughtfully. Gilbert smiled at the picture the photographer had taken of her in her classroom, seated at her desk with students crowded around her, a little smile on her face. In the last, she stood with her staff proudly on the steps of the auditorium.

Gilbert swallowed, taking her hand tightly in his own. "You look happy here. I'm- I'm glad."

Anne smiled. "As a whole, I was."

He let out a shaking breath, not understanding his own reaction immediately. He spoke honestly, trying to make sense of the jumble in his mind. "It's not that I thought you were pining for me- quite the opposite, actually. But when I saw you again, when I heard that you were hurt, that Marilla had gone and that Summerside had been so hard in the beginning, I imagined that you had known nothing but pain. But that's foolish," he muttered. "Six years was so long to be apart- and I realise that there is so much you did without me. Just look at you here, Anne-girl- you're magnificent. And as much as I am glad that you were happy, for some reason that hurts a bit, too."

Anne drew his curly head down to her, her eyes brimming with tears as she kissed him. "That goes both ways, you goose," she whispered. "Look at everything you accomplished- look at the lives you saved, the beloved friends you made. We both lost that time together. You would have known Summerside, I would have experienced medical school and Montreal through you-"

He pulled away with a snort. "Anne, if we were engaged, I wouldn't have gone to a hospital. I would not have waited to marry you any longer than it took me to graduate." He suddenly smiled. "When we go to Montreal I can show you my time there- just like this glimpse that you've given to me."

Anne studied him, the clear, tender glance that seemed to read his heart. "You were happy there, weren't you, dearest?"

He looked at her for a moment and nodded. "I was. Mostly."

"Mostly," she repeated. "But always with a sense that something was missing."

"That's it, exactly. Did you ever think of me?" he asked softly, his warm hands sliding up her slender arms.

Anne smiled. "How could I not? You were a part of me. In the beginning I may have fought it, because it hurt too much, but as time went on, I began to let myself remember you- and I allowed myself to keep loving you."

Gilbert's hand slipped into Anne's red curls, and he pulled her to him with an urgency that made her breath catch, caressing her sweet lips with his own hungrily. Her hands tangled in his shirt to pull him even closer then, and he spoke breathlessly. "Anne, I am going to make it up to you- for every single moment we spent away from each other."

"Although perhaps not in my parlour, Gilbert."

The betrothed couple jumped at the sound of Diana's amused voice, and Anne began to laugh at Gilbert's confusion.

"Diana Barry!" Anne scolded, her face mirthful. "You shouldn't embarrass Gilbert like that. Especially since I never teased you about finding you and Fred in the field that day-" At this, Gilbert suddenly burst into a thunderous cough, making Anne only laugh harder.

Diana blushed, and tossed her black head at her friend. "And neither should you, future Mrs Doctor Blythe. That was entirely different. Now, if you are quite done distracting me, I should be getting back to my dinner preparations."

As she flounced from the room, Gilbert's eyebrow rose.

"Do I want you to tell me what you saw in that field, love?" he murmured, loving the feel of her slim fingers as she adjusted his collar and tie with a conscious smile.

Anne shook her head, her eyes twinkling. "No, dearest." She bent in close to kiss his cheek, her lips brushing against his ear. "However I feel certain that you will be happy for me to show you sometime."