Chapter 25 - Memories of a Past Christmas (Special Chapter)
A pot of water was simmering on the fire, Mary rushed to the stove to plunge the vegetables into it, she was at the end of her pregnancy but that didn't stop her from spending time in the kitchen. She was very keen to prepare dinner for Christmas Eve.
She was humming in the kitchen, probably thinking she was alone, when someone came through the front door and made herself heard.
"Well, I'll never get used to that wonderful smell!"
This startled the pregnant woman who stopped humming, "Gilbert! You scared me so much! Make more noise when you come in or announce yourself!", she exclaimed, laughing.
He smiled, "I thought I'd made enough noise, you were singing a little loudly apparently."
Mary rolled her eyes, "Yeah, mock me... By the way, did you see Bash on your way in?" She asked, suddenly anxious.
"No, I don't know where he went to cut down his tree, I hope he didn't get lost!" laughed the dark-haired boy gently.
That didn't make the young woman laugh at the moment, "Oh, you know I like to make fun of Bash as much as you do, but it's getting late! The Cuthberts should be here in two hours!"
"I would have gone to look for him, but...", the hesitant young man began to say.
The mother-to-be sighed and said, "I'm doing just fine on my own! Don't worry, the baby and I will be fine!"
Gibert, true to himself, did not give up, he could not help worrying about the expectant mother, "Bash would also resent me for going to fetch him instead of being with you."
Mary was getting to know Gilbert well, and the young man's worried eyes did not deceive her, so she firmly affirmed to reassure him, "Anne must come early, she wanted to help me at all costs, she should not be long now, does that reassure you?", she asked him with a small smile.
The young man's eyebrows raised, "I guess so... I'll wait for Anne to come then."
"Well...well... You can be stubborn sometimes, young man.", She teased him.
At Green Gables, Anne was getting ready in her room, she was at the height of despair, "My beautiful dress ! Why do we have to grow up?!"
Marilla, who had heard the latter lamenting, arrived hurriedly, "Anne?! My goodness gracious! What's going on?! We can hear you moaning all over the house!"
The young redhead was in a state of shock, her dress was half put on, "Oh Marilla! I'm at the height of despair! My dress! My sublime dress! I can't close it anymore! It's as if it just appeared overnight !", she said, taking a look at her chest.
This made the woman in the bun smile, "Come on, Anne... you must have guessed, why do you think I made you new dresses?"
"No offense, Marilla, but those dresses you made aren't suitable for Christmas Eve. I already miss this dress, I've experienced such beautiful things wearing it...", she said melancholy.
Marilla approached the girl, "Come on, come on... You'll have others, and you'll probably have even more wonderful times with these."
Anne stood in front of the mirror of her dresser, then touched the lace of the collar on her dress, "But she will forever be my very first sublime, magnificent, puffy-sleeved dress."
The elderly woman stood behind the redhead, watched her declare her words filled with sadness, and then she pulled herself together, "Well, come with me, in my old clothes I must have some blouses and skirts that will do for tonight. Of course I've never worn the kind of dress you like so much, it will be rather sober."
Then they both left for Marilla's room.
A little later, with her bonnet on her head and topped with a braid, Anne mounted her mare Belle, and set off in the direction of Gilbert Blythe and Sebastian Lacroix's estate.
Winter was well settled, the landscape was covered with immaculate snow, the young redhead marvelled at the view. Belle was galloping so fast, that her hairstyle, as so often, didn't last long, she had almost lost her bonnet.
She finally arrived in front of the house, and saw Gilbert sitting on the porch, concentrated enough not to have seen her arrive. He was well covered, wearing his red plaid coat and gloves, but that didn't stop him from having his nose in a medical book and turning the pages. The girl smiled terribly, she didn't know why she was so touched by this scene.
She then dismounted from the horse and tied him to a wooden stake near a tree that was several meters from the house, and so the young man finally saw the redhead, a cheerful look came over his face, then he closed his book and stood up to meet her.
Anne had a strange emotion that had been growing lately, she didn't know the reason for it, but more and more frequently, this feeling crept into the pit of her stomach when she saw the young man with the brown curls, and that day, there was no lack of it.
As for Gilbert, he was always happy, and even particularly impatient to see the young girl. Although Bash had teased him about his relationship with Anne, he still hadn't confessed to having feelings for the young redhead, but he was less and less contradicting his friend's remarks.
The understanding between the two rivals had been quite good over the past year. Only, they seemed to be at a turning point in their friendship, getting lost in each other's eyes was becoming something that happened all too often.
While walking towards her, the young man greeted her first, "Hey! I was just waiting for you!", he said with a cheeky little smile.
The redhead's eyebrows raised, she teased him and looked at the book he was still holding in his hands, "Were you waiting for me? Did you need help with your science class? You should know that I am more of a literary girl than a science girl."
This remark made Gilbert laugh, "I wouldn't be surprised if you also found a passion in science.", which made the girl smile.
The young man looked more serious and added, "Actually, I have to go and look for Bash, he's been looking for a tree for hours, and since the sun is about to set, Mary was worried. And I didn't want to leave her alone."
Anne nodded, but her gaze was quickly drawn to her red locks which were now free, she realized she had lost the ribbon that held her hair in place again, and she hated to go out with her hair free, let alone let Gilbert see it.
Then realizing this, she decided to cut the exchange short and join Mary in the kitchen, "I...I'll join Mary then, good luck finding Sebastian.", she said nervously.
The dark-haired boy did not understand this sudden change in behavior, he frowned, and then he asked, "Oh Anne! Wait! Could you please take this book with you, I'm not going to take it with me.", He handed her the book, she nodded and took the book of his hand. They looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment, but Anne turned away first, this brief exchange had embarrassed her, it had only lasted a few seconds, but she wanted the feeling to stop.
Mary was still in the kitchen preparing the meal, when she saw Anne walk through the door, "Oh I see the fresh air has invigorated you young lady! I imagine you have met the most worried young man on the whole island." she said, laughing.
That made the redhead smile, then she said, as if to change the subject, "How are you and the baby?"
The mother-to-be stroked her round belly and replied, "Oh... well, he or she shouldn't be too long now, I can't wait."
The freckled girl came up to her and asked, showing her hand, "May I?", Mary nodded and smiled, "Come over here.", she took Anne's hand and placed it on her belly. She could feel the baby move, her eyes lit up, "Oh isn't that wonderful! I can already feel that this baby will have character just like its parents!"
"Well, now you'd better speed it up, young lady, time is running out! It's time to start this famous recipe!", the lady of the house signalled firmly.
At the same time, Gilbert was riding through the snowfields on horseback looking for Sebastian, he was about to enter the forest when he heard someone call out to him, "Hey! Blythe! Where do you think you're going?"
The dark-haired boy turned around and sighed in relief, "Bash! You know Mary was worried about you!"
The father-to-be was dragging his carefully chosen tree by hand, "Oh?! For once it's not you that's worrying, by the way, Mary is..."
Gilbert cut him off, "With Anne.", he dismounted from his horse, and then mockingly remarked, "And who cares now?"
"I guess when your future wife is expecting a child, you won't be worried at all, Mr. Worry.", Sebastian replied just as sarcastically as his friend.
Which made the young man roll his eyes, "We'd better hurry, it would be nice if the tree was ready before the Cuthberts arrive.", He said firmly, hooking the tree to the horse so that the horse could shoot it.
With a mischievous smile Bash said, "You're right, let's not keep your future in-laws waiting."
Gilbert didn't get up, he just smiled in disapproval.
At Green Gables, Matthew was in the barn, polishing up his present for tonight, while Marilla was getting impatient, she headed to the barn.
"Good God, Matthew! I think you've sanded this wood enough, it's time for you to go get ready, we have to leave in less than an hour!", With those words the elder sister returned home.
As for the old man, he was very happy to have finished his work.
On the side of the Lacroix and Blythe's house, the two cooks had just finished their work, Anne was laying out the biscuits on a tray. Mary, meanwhile, was setting the table in the dining room.
The young redhead had taken the time to pull her hair back a little, with pins that the mistress of the house had lent her. She then took advantage of a moment to put Gilbert's manual back in his room, seeing a mirror that was close to the boy's bed, she moved towards it and tried to arrange her hair again.
Mary, passing by, noticed that Gilbert's bedroom door was open, she had gone to close it, but instead she saw the young girl protesting against her reflection, she sneered and said, "Well!well! It's no use trying so hard about the way your hair looks, I have a feeling he'll settle for any cut."
"I...I had only come to drop off Gilbert's book.", Anne barely had time to react when the mother-to-be was no longer at the door, but she heard her and answered from across the hall, "Who's talking about Gilbert now?"
Meanwhile, Gilbert and Bash entered the house with the tree under their arms, "My wife will treat us again tonight.", said the father-to-be, breathless from his journey.
His young friend dropped the tree on the floor, "I'll let you set up the tree! It's your fault we're not early, I'd like to take the time to wash up if possible!"
"Yes, go get yourself pretty while others are working!", Sebastian replied in a playful tone.
Gilbert sneered and left the room.
Moments later Mary arrived in the living room and saw her husband fighting with the tree.
"Ouch! Damn! You're not happy to be in this house so you're sticking your thorns in my skin!"
This made his wife laugh out loud, "Do you think a tree can really take revenge?"
The latter turned around and walked towards it, he stooped down to speak to her belly, "I hope you will be less insolent than your mother.", The pregnant woman looked up to heaven and put a hand on her belly, "And I hope you will be less insolent than your father."
At the same moment the young man with the brown curls was walking down the upstairs corridor and was about to go to his room, the door was open wide enough to see that a young redhead was in despair, still trying to fix her hair.
Gilbert then stopped at the threshold of the door and did not dare to interrupt the impetuous girl, he observed her for a moment, no longer controlling his eyes which overflowed with a certain tenderness whose scope he did not grasp.
Anne continued to place her pins and to rant and rave against her hair, she sighed one last time, which made the young man smile timidly.
She then walked towards the exit, and that's how she saw him, he was still standing in front of the entrance to his room, she didn't know that Gilbert had actually been standing there for several seconds just looking at her.
The redheaded girl felt terribly embarrassed, "Gil-Gilbert I... I was just returning your manual. I-I'm sorry I shouldn't have snuck in like that! I didn't take the liberty of going through your things, I can assure you!"
"But I wasn't going to accuse you of anything! It was me who asked you to do it after all! Thank you.", he thanked her with his most beautiful smile.
She didn't know what to say so she simply nodded in response and left the room.
The young man tried to approach her before she left the floor, "Your hair, it grew well, I think it's the first time that...", he didn't even have time to finish his sentence, Anne cut it off instantly, "I'll see you later.", she said simply in a most neutral tone.
The redhead then walked down the steps, leaving the young boy confused behind her. Lost in her thoughts, one detail had caught her attention, or rather several, for some time she had felt that there was some kind of change in her relationship with Gilbert, it had nothing to do with the sensations she felt in the pit of her stomach, no, it was rather a question of the behaviour of the dark haired-boy. She couldn't put her finger on it, it was something that she felt and that often made her feel uncomfortable, a bit like what had just happened.
What if he talked about her hair because he actually watched her fix it? No, it didn't make sense, it was simply impossible, Gilbert is just a friend, why would he do that? She suddenly thought back to what Cole had revealed to her several months ago, that his class rival had a crush on her. It was completely insane and came out of nowhere, she thought.
The girl was so much in her thoughts that she forgot for a moment that she was not alone in the house, she came back to earth when she saw the young couple in the living room decorating the tree.
Suddenly Mary looked at the redhead and exclaimed, "Anne, you're just in time!"
Anne approached the tree, "It's beautiful! You chose it perfectly well Sebastian!", she declared with her eyes lit up.
The father-to-be smiled, "I admit I'm proud of that."
"Tell me, Anne, do you mind finishing decorating the tree? Gilbert might even come and help you afterwards.", Mary asked almost innocently.
Which soon amused Bash, "Yes, Gilbert will be more than happy to help you."
The young redhead nodded with a broad smile, "I would do it with pleasure! Oh but I'll have to go and get some things!"
The newlyweds then watched as Anne rushed outside to look for things that could still embellish the tree, they both stared at each other and started laughing.
A few moments later, Anne returned to the living room with her arms full of everything, pine cones, holly branches, and ribbons she had asked Mary for.
She settled down at the foot of the fir tree and began her work, she began to make a wreath with the branches of holly, she also added some small pine cones on it.
Once she was finished, she looked at the wreath she had just made with a huge smile, "Isn't that the most exquisite thing?" she wondered.
An irrepressible desire took hold of her, the young redhead wanted to try on her wreath, and see what it would look like with it on.
She walked to the hall of the house, where she knew there was a small mirror, and placed the wreath on her head, and that's when she forgot that holly leaves sting, but they could also get caught in the hair.
Her eyes glazed over when she became aware of her foolishness, and as a misfortune that never happens alone, she saw Gilbert coming down the stairs to the hall, he couldn't help smiling when he saw the young girl in an embarrassing but equally amusing situation.
He finally got up to the redhead and asked before he acted, "May I?"
Anne just nodded her head, and the young man passed his hands delicately around the wreath, which was slightly tangled in her hair.
He took care to remove the locks that had become entangled in the leaves carefully, not wanting to hurt the young redhead or damage her hair.
Gilbert was standing in front of Anne, he had never been so close to her before, and she couldn't help but look him in the eye when he was concentrating on his task, he realized this and smiled a rather intimidating smile at her. This made the girl look away and she didn't know where to stand.
Suddenly the front door of the hall opened, Marilla and Matthew entered, they came face to face with the two young people, at first puzzled by the situation, seeing Gilbert's hands on the young redhead's hair, Marilla began to smile and when to Matthew he was simply mute and embarrassed as usual.
This did not escape the eyes of the girl, so she panicked, "Thank you! I-I think I'll be okay!", she walked to the stairs and went upstairs without really knowing where she was going.
As for Gilbert, he stood at the bottom of the stairs for a few seconds, definitely disturbed by what had just happened, then he realized that the girl's family was still present and they were still staring at him not understanding the situation. The embarrassed dark-haired boy, not knowing where to stand, went to the living room to finish decorating the tree.
The Cuthberts then went to greet their hosts, Marilla helped Mary finish the few preparations for the meal and helped her prepare some dishes.
Matthew walked him and Sebastian into the dining room to start serving drinks. He also placed the present he had made at the foot of the fir tree, it was a beautiful wooden rocking horse.
Everything was finally ready for Christmas's Eve to begin, just missing the guests around the table.
Anne finally returned to the salon a little later, her hair finally free of the wreath, she walked over to the tree and placed her holly wreath among the branches of the tree.
She thus saw the decoration that Gilbert had finished alone, her eyes overflowing with admiration, one could conclude that she liked it very much.
Everyone finally gathered around the table and shared their delicious meal, Sebastian and Mary were ecstatic to spend their first Christmas's Eve together, the Cuthberts were thrilled to see their family grow. Anne and Gilbert also made no secret of their joy at being reunited in this way. Throughout the meal, many glances were exchanged between the two young people, glances that they were still unable to understand either of them, and yet they were the only ones.