20

Una had wandered into the graveyard. Ken was there. He was leaning against a tombstone and looking close to death himself.

He lit a cigarette and was only half surprised that Una asked if she could try it. For the rest he was amused and quietly impressed that she didn't start hacking up half a lung after the first drag.

So that's what it was to take in smoke. Una quite liked it.

"I'm here because Rilla is mad at me again," Ken said. "How about you?"

"I'm here because I'm mad at myself. I planned to go to Redmond this year, it would have been the first time that I had ever been away from home. Rilla and Jerry were coming with me, so I felt like I could face it. But now they're not and I know I don't have it in me to do it alone."

"You can't blame them," Ken said, he sounded very magnanimous about it all, but it was an act to mask the shock. Rilla was going to Redmond. This was the first he had heard of it.

"I never said I blamed them. I said I blame myself."

"And what were you going to study?" Ken said.

Una gave him the same answer she had recently given Teddy minus all the stuff about rooming with Rilla.

"And that's a four year degree, is it, Household science?"

"No. Just the one."

She didn't bother going on to explain that she could only afford the one year diploma because there weren't many money-making options open to the Minister's second daughter. People took it for granted that you were giving your labour away for free because you were expected to lead by example. Besides, she was good at homemaking, even enjoyed it, and would doubtless make a very good Susan for Nan and Jerry's household just as soon as they had children of their own.

"I think you should go to Redmond, Una, you might meet a new crowd, there's bound to be a lot of young girls like you."

"I see. And what am I like, Ken?"

A nasty little elf, Ken was thinking. A changeling. A fairy-sprite. Under that hopelessly old-fashioned updo, in her white voile blouse and printed skirt instead of the usual cardigan and smock, Una had every appearance of the sweet while her tongue was sharp, and her heart had choked. Certainly not his type - nor any man with a pulse. Though perhaps that was the point.

Ken was all for Rilla's classic beauty: the rosebud mouth, the thick glossy tresses, the incredibly sexy freckles dotting the bridge of her nose. Not to forget those classic feminine moods that kept him on his toes. The madder Rilla got at him the more he wanted her. It was fairly predictable, but then so were fairy tales. He just thought the happily ever after bit would have made them more happy.

"Are you fishing for a compliment, Miss Meredith? Not you."

"You seem like someone who would tell me the truth."

She meant it too. Ken could feel her meaning go all the way up his spine. He nearly winced.

"Well," he said at last, "I don't know how much consolation you'll find in my answer because it concerns me rather than you."

"What a surprise."

He gave a guilty shrug and said, "I think you are the first girl I have ever met that I would very much like to be friends with."

"Even though I said I don't like you?"

"Especially because of that," Ken said.

"Let's test that, shall we," said Una. She wasn't in the least inclined to be flattered by the unsaid but obvious fact that this meant she was probably the first eligible woman Ken Ford didn't desire. "Why are you always making Rilla cross, you've only been back two days and you said you made her mad again."

He rolled another cigarette and dropped it somewhere in the grass. Una lit a match from the box in his lap and held it up so he could find it. Not willing to say anything else until he gave her a sufficiently thorough answer.

Ken took a drag, a second, a third. "Well as you don't like me anyway… I haven't told Rilla about what we – what I told you this afternoon. I realise what that looks like since she told you I proposed, but as you say it's only been two days and I guess I'm still hoping that – you know, things might start to improve."

"Well, if you know about that and she doesn't, what were you fighting about?"

Ken stared hard at his boots; they needed a good polish. What had happened to his devoted lance corporal these days? But then Teddy didn't understand this either. Ken didn't know Jerry all that well and he could hardly bring it up with Jem. The problem wasn't him, so much as Rilla. Yes, it would not be too ungallant if he spoke about a girl with another girl; probably the only thing to do.

"It's just… I had this picture in my head of who she was when I last saw her."

A naïve and sheltered country girl. Una sniffed. "Go on."

"And now she's so different. Of course, I expected that. She raised a baby, she's twenty now, I just never expected the essentials to change. The way she shows her feelings so… demonstrably."

"But you're Ken Ford, the lady killer, Rilla always knew that. You must allow that your reputation was one of the attractions."

"But I don't want to be like that anymore, I knew it the moment I fell for her, and believe me I fought very hard to ignore it. But as the war was coming to an end, I had to admit that being loved by Rilla that night when she was holding baby Jims, was the only time I felt real peace. I want that back again."

He looked up from his boots, his dark grey eyes shining with moonlight that appeared from behind the midnight clouds. Oh, he was good, he was very, very good. Una could see why her best chum would fall for it.

"I don't buy it," she said, flatly. "Not one bit. If you hadn't come back with your nerves all twisted, you'd be on your honeymoon by now. Rilla hasn't changed, you have, you've just got it into your head that she won't like it."

"I can't lose her, you don't understand."

"You can lose her," Una said. "People lose each other all the time."

"And look what it does to them, look what it does to you. Too scared to unlock the damn cage you've put yourself in and do some pointless diploma. Household science! You've sold yourself short, Una, why not go all out and join a nunnery. I mean you –"

Ken stopped talking, he had to. There he was making a decent defence of himself and nailing every point and Una was – was she laughing at him?

She was laughing, loudly too. It finally struck him that she was also laughing at herself.

"I might," she said, which made Ken laugh too.

"Really? I might join you."

He stood up slowly and held out his hand. Una got to her feet and started brushing the grass from her skirts. The moon made her face look very pale; she had big serious eyes and a prim little mouth which made it all the sweeter when she joked with him.

"Heavens no, girls like me go to places like that to get away from men like you."

Ken dug his hands into his pockets and looked adorably sheepish. "Ah, but I'm not men like me anymore."

"Don't tell me, tell Rilla."

"It's easier to tell you."

"Yes, but you're not marrying me, are you?"

"True," he nodded and offered his arm. "But if it doesn't work out with Rilla, if I stuff it all up, what would you say, Miss Meredith," he gave her a playful nudge, "would you have me?"

"You won't stuff it all up because glorious men like you always get the girl."

They had reached the back gate now, and it swung open. The backdoor light had been left on.

"Now that I think about it," he tilted his head toward the sky, "I have lived a very charmed life."

Holding the gate, he took one of Una's hands and gave it a peck. "Thanks for reminding me, Una, I feel much better now."

"I feel better too," she said and shut the gate in his face.

...

Bonus chapter following as it's very short, but thematically it felt like it fit with the other two chapters. Love, k.