Author's Note:

In choosing the name for the lawyer for the Cuthbert family, I was researching names and came across a photograph of W.W. Judson and his family outside their home in PEI in 1898. I rather liked the look of him and thought he'd make a fine upstanding lawyer. Traditional, Honest, and serious. A man who takes the whims of his clients even if in the grave long before his birth quite seriously. As we will see him again this chapter and I'd previously not given him a name. Here we are. Obviously the real WW Judson is not our lawyer. But he appears to be the sort of man that would perfectly fit the description. If you wish to see it's the first results when searching for "Judson PEI Genealogy"

Work still has been swamped, but I've started rereading myself the chapters to get back to where I paused… and hope to have time this weekend finally. So thankful I've keep this large buffer ahead of chapters for when the writing schedule can't be maintained. I hope you enjoy! An advantage of this delay I think what happens in Chapter 19/20… it'll be something for you to look forward to - I think I have Anne's reaction even better now…

Chapter 14: Baking Powder and Inspections

"Oh, Anne, here's a letter for you. I was at the office, so I thought I'd bring it along. Do open it quick. If it is what I believe it is I shall just be wild with delight." Anne, puzzled, opened the letter and glanced over the typewritten contents.

Miss Anne Shirley,
Green Gables,
Avonlea, P.E. Island.

"DEAR MADAM: We have much pleasure in informing you that your charming story 'Averil's Atonement' has won the prize of twenty-five dollars offered in our recent competition. We enclose the check herewith. We are arranging for the publication of the story in several prominent Canadian newspapers, and we also intend to have it printed in pamphlet form for distribution among our patrons. Thanking you for the interest you have shown in our enterprise,

"We remain,
"Yours very truly,
"THE ROLLINGS RELIABLE BAKING POWDER CO."- Chapter XV, Anne of the Island

Anne avoided any moment of being alone with Gilbert after their unplanned night in the White's spare room bed. It had plagued her for a few night afterwards, memory of Gilbert beside her as she'd work on creating the next scene for her Prince Royal story. Perhaps it should be a novel? She could see it proudly displayed before all "A Novel by Anne Shirley."

It was suddenly replaced by "A Novel by Anne Blythe." She moaned into her pillow. He was invading even her stories and writing. Perhaps it was best she give it up, all save of course for her private musings about Prince Royal. That the heroine could not be called Anne was a given, yet she'd failed to find the right name, and for the time stuck to calling her the Lady of the Sea. Quite unimaginative she thought. Gilbert would have come up with several names, all with the aim to make her laugh. They'd not laughed either in a few weeks. "Just one more week and we go back to Redmond." She was happy about returning to work, classes, Redmond friends. There were all sorts of pleasing visions being woven around Patty's Place.

The twins would be attending the local school while in Kingsport with her and Gilbert. They'd managed quite well for the past two weeks with only her and Gilbert seeing to the raising of the twins. Dora always was easy. Still working on the quilt she insisted was for Gilbert and Anne, of which Anne found quite pretty. Davy on the other hand had failed to sit still. He'd enlist Gilbert on his Monday morning off to rise early and fish with him as he had all summer. He'd refused to sit still for the fitting of their new clothes, instead insisting as he was going to be farming Green Gables, wasn't his time better spent helping Mr. Harrison and Mr Blythe with their farms and orchards?

At times it seemed, Anne thought, the twins were less effected by the death of Marilla. That they each mourned and cried for her was plain, but youth is always resilient, Anne thought from her mature age of nineteen. Everything had been arranged for Green Gables to be shut up for two months until the return of Mrs. Lynde and the twins the first few days of November. Not only that, letters had flown between her and the other girls and plans were quickly put into place. Stella's Aunt Jamesina was coming to keep house and respectability of all the girls and Gilbert would be living in the barn and joining the girls for meals. That he'd keep quiet about where he was lodging was a given. None of the girls wanted talk about him living adjacent to the girls.

The little blue room Anne desired would work quite well for her and Dora, and the three quarter bed would be tight but large enough for them for the two weeks. It would be a merry party with the twins, though Gilbert had advised they might best keep Gog and Magog packed away when Davy was about. They were dear, and she truly feared some scrape would come of them. Patty Spofford had written notifying them of the particulars of the house and that all was in order for their boat to Europe that week. Instructions for the upkeep, where the key would be found and all were given along with the signed copy of the contract that she and Gilbert had signed that spring. She'd fiddle with her wedding ring each time she'd think of Patty's Place, spinning it around on her finger, as though if she spun it enough it would disappear.

She'd gone to take tea with the Harrisons one afternoon with the twins. Gilbert was yet again at work at the White Sands Hotel. He'd told her proudly that they expected him back the following summer to help with the summer crowds.

"Been writing any more stories lately?" Inquired Mr. Harrison.

"No." Answered Anne, rather crisply."

"Well, no offense meant. Mrs. Hiram Sloane told me the other day that a big envelope addressed to the Rollings Reliable Baking Powder Company of Montreal had been dropped into the post office box a month ago, and she suspicioned that somebody was trying for the prize they'd offered for the best story that introduced the name of their baking powder. She said it wasn't addressed in your writing but I thought maybe it was you."

"Indeed, no! I saw the prize offer, but I'd never dream of competing for it. I think it would be perfectly disgraceful to write a story to advertise a baking powder. It would be almost as bad as Judson Parker's patent medicine fence."

The matter was dropped, and instead turned to the twins. How Anne and Gilbert were coping without help from Mrs. Lynde and her years of wisdom in child raising. "We're quite grateful for the help, but I've already a few years with the twins and teaching also. Anyways I was raising children before I was the age the twins are now. Truly, it has been no hardship." Anne insisted.

A trunk was being packed for the twins combined, along with Anne and Gilberts trunks. She'd laid them out in the sitting room where everything was inspected to be in order. Not only that she was determined to do the memory of Marilla proud and ensure that she and the twins had everything in hand before Gilbert's final day to have the whole Green Gables as clean as under the care of Marilla.

She was in the midst of day dreaming about the flickering light from the shadows cast by the trees in the yard when Diana ran up, bright eyed and rosy cheeked with a letter. Diana was quite eager for her to open the letter, and reading with puzzlement the announcement that Averil's Atonement had won the twenty-five dollars offered in the Rollings Reliable Baking Powder competition. "I don't understand," said Anne blankly.

Diana clapped her hands.

"Oh, I knew it would win the prize — I was sure of it. I sent your story into the competition Anne."

As Diana explained perching herself on the parlor couch how she'd come to submit the story on behalf of Anne, Anne's thoughts went wild. What mortification. To have her story aligned with that. Even Diana must have seen the displeasure on her face, so she was quick to appease her dearest friend. She'd even choked though when asking how, for there wasn't a word in her story about baking powder.

"Oh, I put that in," said Diana reassured. "It was as easy as wink — and of course my experience in our old Story Club helped me. You know the scene where Averil makes the cake? Well I just stated that she used Rollings Reliable in it, and that was why it turned out so well; and then, in the last paragraph, where Perceval clasps Averil in his arms and says, "Sweetheart, the beautiful years coming will bring us the fulfillment of our home of dreams," I added, 'in which we will never use any baking powder except Rollings Reilable."

"Oh," gasped Anne, as if someone had dashed cold water on her.

"And you've won the twenty-five dollars," continued Diana jubilantly. "Why, I heard Priscilla say once that the Canadian Woman only pays five dollars for a story."

Anne tried to give the check, that hateful pink slip to Diana with her shaking fingers only for Diana to reject it. "As if I would. What I did wasn't any trouble, and the honor of being a friend of the prizewinner is enough for me. Anyways, you've said yourself Gilbert's been overworking to support you and the twins. Perhaps with this money you'll have a little extra to ensure that he's not running himself ragged this fall with working outside of his studies. You said yourself you wanted to give him a good gift for his Birthday. I know you've been working on that shirt for him, but even from you that's highly unromantic. We are still on for the picnic birthday party for him and the twins on Monday? As I told you before as you will be shutting up Green Gables and leaving the day after, I am quite willing to host it at Orchard Slope and mother is already preparing some of the treats the twins love best. It was rather sweet of the twins to ask to share their party with Gilbert, though his birthday is not for another two weeks. You must truly plan something special and I'll write to Priscilla myself to ensure that she and the other girls watch the twins such that you and your husband might have some alone time for his birthday night. I know you mean to wait, and Fred and I are, but there are quite a lot of fun things one can do while still waiting. That you might wish some privacy for."

"Diana Barry!" Anne hissed. This truly was too much. "We'll have a dinner for him at Patty's Place of course. We might go for a walk after, but nothing will happen that would be inappropriate for the twins to witness."

"Well, don't spend it all on practicalities for college and raising the twins. I know you meant to surprise him not only with being published but the gift. Do tell me his face when you get what he most desires, for I am certain he'll beam at your support of his dreams. Mrs. Dr. Gilbert Blythe, does have a lovely ring."

I think you are the sweetest and truest friend in the world, Diana" she said, with a little tremble in her voice, "and I assure you I appreciate the motive of what you've done."

Anne did her best to remain cheery for the twins that evening as she saw to their supper, evening chores and preparing for bed. She'd tucked them both in, and refusing to take her notebook to journal more on Prince Royal, instead she'd flung the check onto the top of her trunk with the journal before moving to the kitchen to clean. She'd done her best to not sob. Thinking how Marilla would have handled it. Be practical no doubt.

—

Gilbert came in whistling at his usual late hour. He was overflowing with congratulations picking her up and swinging her around before pulling back. He'd asked after the matter, and what was wrong.

"Everything," moaned Anne. "I feel as if I were disgraced forever. What do you think a mother would feel like if she found her child tattooed over with a baking powder advertisement? I feel just the same. I loved my poor little story, and I wrote it out of the best that was in me. And it is sacrilege to have it degraded to the level of a baking powder advertisement. Don't you remember what Professor Hamilton used to tell us in the literature class at Queen's? He said we were never to write a word for a low or unworthy motive, but always to cling to the very highest ideals. What will he think when he hears I've written a story to advertise Rollings Reliable? And, oh, when it gets out at Redmond! Think how I'll be teased and laughed at!"

"That you won't," said Gilbert, his arms still around Anne. "The Reds will think just as I thought—that you, being like nine out of ten of us, not overburdened with worldly wealth, had taken this way of earning an honest penny to help yourself through the year. I don't see that there's anything low or unworthy about that, or anything ridiculous either. One would rather write masterpieces of literature no doubt—but meanwhile board and tuition fees have to be paid."

"Gilbert…"

"Anyways, every bit helps us. I've made enough this summer to pay our extra expenses, but you'll have your own wishes and gifts to get for Christmas, perhaps a new dress if you desire. I'll still be working most Saturdays, but I've made enough to focus on my studies. And you'll be out of full mourning so I do desire to take you to the harvest dance this year" His hand was absently tracing circles on her back, she'd began to have a dazed look about her. No doubt as tired as he felt.

She shook her head as though to clear her thoughts. "You're right. It'll go a long ways towards my board and I've meant to set aside some of it for gifts. I do feel better, for I did dread being laughed at Gilbert. Not by you, but to have shrunk the ideal. I dreamed of my story in the magazine to make you proud, not wining this prize."

"I'm still proud Anne Shirley Blythe." With that he kissed her nose, then stepped away to fetch his plate from the back of the oven. "Tomorrow, Friday is my last day and we've the visit from the lawyer on Saturday, Sunday Mother offered to watch the twins that we might have a little time to our selves and Monday farewells and that picnic party at Orchard Slope. Then Tuesday we shut up Green Gables early for Dad to send us off on an adventure. It's been a good summer Anne, but I'm ready to learn and grow and prepare for our future."

"Our Future." Anne said slowly, no doubt already dreaming of their future. He left her to her dreams as he hungry ate the supper she'd prepared him.

—

Saturday morning, Anne had sent Gilbert & Davy off with a picnic breakfast for their fishing and then to pick up Mr. Judson for his visit on the early morning train. She went about preparing their luncheon, and quite determined it would be a wonderful reflection that she and Gilbert were well carrying on in the memory of Matthew and Marilla. She sent a kiss to the picture of the siblings in the parlor, before ensuring all was in order. Four trunks stood waiting for them to fill with their final items. A trunk for herself, one for Gilbert, two valences for the twins, and a box full of things for their housekeeping and to ensure that the boys humble room would have some cheeriness. Six of Mrs. Lyndes tobacco quilts were packed at the good lady's instance, along with preserves and other items that would remind them of home.

Gilbert's parents had agreed to join them, and Anne planning a menu off of her most beloved of Marilla's recipes, was quite determined to have a meal without her traditional scrapes. She'd decided to cull a chicken that morning, there was one that was done laying eggs. She'd set Dora to setting the table for later, and armed in her oldest apron went out to fetch the chicken and butcher it. Her hand caught on the latch for the coop, and shaking her hand she continued inside determined.

The chicken was not interested in becoming their luncheon. She chased after it, and managed to catch it, while falling into the floor of the chicken coop that truly needed cleaning before they left she realized.

The chicken fought the whole way and she did her best to calm it before slitting its throat. She was quite focused on it and imagining its reception in heaven. Perhaps there was a place for all the Green Gables chickens in heaven? She imagined just what their home might be like as she set to de-feathering and then preparing the chicken for their luncheon. By nine am the chicken was in the oven, and she was ready to prepare the other dishes. By ten most everything was complete, and going upstairs to change into her Sunday best, she was quite pleased with it all. Dora had changed and was reading quietly in the garden. Everything was perfect. She would present the perfect betrothal wife for Mr. Judson's visit. She imagined the praise he'd give her and Gilbert for their guardianship of the twins and how proud no doubt Matthew and Marilla would be.

She picked up the photo they kept of the wedding with Marilla. She'd looked so small and worn in it. A tear dripped down her cheek. Marilla would be proud and that she saw Anne…

It was at that moment that Anne realized her wedding band was missing.

Oh how could she have forgotten it. She'd often taken it off to cook so that it would not spoil the pearls. She rushed down to the kitchen. Not there.

Had it fallen into one of the dishes?

That would be as bad as the time the mouse got into the pudding!

She'd put it on to see Gilbert and Davy off, hadn't she? Yes she had. And it had caught nearly on the gate to the chicken coop. She'd looked through her apron pockets. Then ran praying that she'd find it landed forlorn by gate waiting for her finger and to reprimand her for forgetting.

It wasn't there. Oh this was a Jonah day. No doubt they'd find it in the stuffing inside the chicken. The pearls would be ruined and….

There it was! Thank Providence, she thought. It was right under the foot of the head rooster, truly the meanest rooster to ever reside at Green Gables. She'd rushed forward, hoping to startle the bird and grab the ring.

—

Gilbert had a good time fishing with Davy, a hearty breakfast as they fished off barley bread and butter, with the early apples from his parents orchard. They'd arrived to pick up Mr. Judson on time, were pleased that for once the train was on schedule. Greeting the man who spoke pleasantly to Davy and sat in back quizzing the boy as Gilbert drove. He was a man with a large family, and spoke of a son only a year older than Davy. That he understood how boys thought was clear, though he was quite clear on what he considered appropriate.

Things were quite well until they arrived in the yard to hear a loud cry and a flapping of wings in the chicken coup. Hearing Anne's cry, Gilbert dropped the reigns as soon as the horse stopped, jumped down and rushed to the coup where Anne was fighting against the head rooster, her dress stained and torn as she sobbed. He absently thought that it couldn't be a work dress, for he'd seen her wear it normally on Sundays.

"My ring… The bird took it… it fell off and oh Gilbert."

She had a scratch down her cheek, not deep thankfully but a sight. He saw the ring then, guarded by the rooster. He dove for it, feeling the bird attack him. You would have thought the bird was a dragon not a chicken for its love of gold. Then with the ring in hand, he pushed her out of the coup, locking the gate behind them.

The ring was slightly scratched. Polishing it on his chest now dirty and no doubt they'd have to wash it but not as bad as her Sunday best. There was a bad rip down the skirt and the waist had become detached. Repairable he hoped.

Mr. Judson followed, and Anne did her best to explain how the ring had fallen off earlier when cooking, and with the pearls she'd come in the habit of removing it when cooking in fear that it might damage. Only to realize where it had fallen off too late. At least it wasn't inside the bird they would be eating.

He'd lead her upstairs for them both to see to their toilets. She'd been optimistic that at least it was her Sunday black dress and not the new dress for fall she'd made the previous weeks and was already packed away. He'd brushed off his suit in front of the mirror of the dresser in Davy's room, then waited in the hall for her to be ready to return downstairs.

He looked forward to seeing her in color again. She'd planned to leave the black at Green Gables, and so again wore one more dress that would remain behind, a black dress she'd worn often to classes in the spring. Leaving Gilbert to entertain Mr. Judson, she'd insisted she needed to check on their luncheon, before returning with lemonade that Dora had made that morning.

They'd learned more of Mr. Judson and his family. A third generation lawyer, his grandfather had been close friends with Marilla and Matthew's grandfather, having attended Cambridge in England together. "He was the grandson of an earl and his father had been a soldier. So he'd been afforded a gentleman's education by his grandfather. One of the first settlers in the Island, he'd built his first home a stone house no longer standing I'm told before finding the land that is here. He'd brought his bride and with him his two sons to the area. A strict settlement may be quite rare in these parts. For I have not heard of another case, no I am wrong. I did hear of one in Summerside. He had helped set up my grandfather's practice, providing the capital for the start with the promise that the Judson Law Firm would always take care of the Cuthbert's and Green Gables Property."

"What's a strict settlement, I want to know." Davy spoke.

"Young man, a strict settlement is an agreement that upon inheriting a property you agree to the terms and conditions laid out including how you may bequest it to the next generation. It was put in place I understand by Mr. William Cuthbert, and renewed forty one years ago by Matthew Cuthbert the heir at the time, and his sister, Marilla whom per William Cuthbert's wishes would always have a home at Green Gables as long as she was a spinster or widow, and upright citizen. The strict settlement though only goes to your generation. Your own heir will not be subjected to it."

Davy stared wide eyed at Mr. Judson who continued.

"I remember when I took over for my father and met on my own for the first time with Matthew Cuthbert about the matter, he'd spoken of journals of his mothers that he'd kept, that explained much more. By chance have you found them, for I truly would like to know for my curiosity. That and threats and letters have come often from Douglas Cuthbert feeing that it was his due to be heir or at least guardian to the heir."

"Has he been seen on the island?" Anne asked. "We've letters from him, but Gilbert has refused to even allow me to read them."

"Anne, his language is horribly vulgar even in his writing and full of threats."

"Oh dear."

"Yes," Mr. Judson nodded. "He means to fight the guardianship, but as long as Gilbert and I maintain good records of his excellent guardianship I see no reason why it would ever be removed by the courts and given to him. He's not an island man after all, but lives on the main land in Hopetown, though I've heard he'd spent years in the states."

Everything, Gilbert determined, would be in order. He'd be the perfect guardian, husband, and provider. While being the best student and he envisioned it three years down the road, not only graduating beside Anne but being the recipient of the Cooper Prize. He'd heard it'd been a few years since anyone won it. Then three years of medical school and he'd be then Dr. Gilbert Blythe, ready to settle back down on the Island with his family. He'd be a country doctor hopefully in Avonlea but at least the island.