Chapter 27 - Engagement is a broad topic

Dinner had ended in a heavy silence at Green Gables, after Anne's clumsiness during supper, everyone was content to look at their plates.

Marilla was visibly overwhelmed, what advice could she give? Or what lesson could she teach? The latter had only had a very short love affair when she was Anne's age, unfortunately for her, she had never been able to continue her relationship with John Blythe, fate had decided otherwise, so she didn't know what Anne was going through at the moment.

The woman in a bun was sitting by the fire and was pensive, she began to imagine what her life with him could have been like. If she had followed him, marriage would have been the logical next step. She would probably have enjoyed every moment as best she could with her beloved, and perhaps she would have acted like Anne.

In spite of everything, the regrets she had felt for years had recently turned into something else. After all, if she had continued her life with John Blythe, she probably would never have known the little redhead, and she would have been somewhere playing the slave in a large family. As for Gilbert, he simply wouldn't be here.

That's why things had to evolve that way, she thought. What would Prince Edward Island be without these two ambitious young people? As her mind wandered further and further astray, she decided to stop her daydreaming, got up from her armchair and went upstairs.

Once in the corridor, she was on her way to her room, when she stopped and hesitated for a moment as she glanced at the girl's bedroom door. She finally decided to knock on the door, she heard Anne answer shyly, "Yes", and then she opened the door.

The freckled girl was ready to go to bed, she had put on her white dressing gown, she was still uncomfortable because of the latest events, so worried, she panting, "Oh Marilla! Now I know what it looked like! But, Gilbert, I hadn't heard from him in weeks, he was obviously waiting to hear from me too, so we met halfway at the Montreal train station, and then..."

Marilla approached the girl and tapped her on the shoulder, "Come on, come on, you have nothing to worry about. "The redheaded girl looked up at the old woman and let out a shy one, "ah yes?"

The mistress of the house smiled at Anne, "To be honest, I admire your courage, I don't think I would have been as daring as you at your age, I don't think I would have travelled alone to find a boy. One thing is certain, Gilbert is lucky to have you. By the way, I didn't even ask you, were you able to fix things?", she ends up asking worriedly.

The young redhead's eyes widened, "Oh yes, of course! "and then she added, frowning and with a bitter smile, "Unlucky... "

Marilla laughed, "Well... I'm not surprised at you."

Anne then went to her dresser and took out a hairbrush, she looked at her, "Marilla... Will you brush my hair like you used to do sometimes?"

She nodded as she picked up the brush, started brushing the red hair, then nostalgically she remembered, "Do you remember right here when I cut your hair?"

The redhead exclaimed, "How could I forget this?! I was at the height of despair, No. I was devastated!"

The woman in the bun added with a smile, "It's true... But I especially remember an insecure young girl who was afraid that she would never be loved that way, you thought you'd never know your first kiss. Were your expectations too high?", she asked with a mischievous smile.

Ecstatic, Anne exclaimed, "Oh Marilla! I was certainly far to go!", Suddenly she became anxious, "But... I was far from imagining what was going to happen, well, I was... but that..." She didn't know how to finish her sentence.

Marilla was suddenly taken aback, "But what?"

The latter was quick to answer awkwardly, not knowing how to approach the subject, "Do... boys... expect... engagement, once our feelings have been declared?"

The poor woman was completely taken aback by this question, as she already did not know how to advise the young redhead on some other subject. She stopped brushing the red hair, a question immediately came to her, she asked it in an alarmed tone, "Gilbert proposed to you?!"

The redhead gasped, "I-I don't know.", she replied clumsily.

The old woman was confused, "You don't know?", and then she said in an authoritative tone, "Anyway... You have to know that there is an age for everything. Gilbert is a young man going on his nineteenth birthday, and you're.."

She was cut short by a distraught Anne, "I-I know. I-I didn't even celebrate my 17th birthday! Oh Marilla! I still can't get used to the idea of being a woman... Am I?! At what point do you feel it?! I have left home, I wear corsets occasionally and elegant dresses, but I don't feel that this makes me a woman. A woman wouldn't be afraid of engagement, and the word marriage. I'm already not sure I'm a woman, how could I even think of being a wife?! Winifred. She... She shouldn't be afraid of that, what if Gilbert regrets his choice?!"

Seeing the young girl gradually sink to the height of despair, Marilla took Anne by the waist and guided her to her bed to sit down together, she ran her hand through her red hair to calm her down, "Come on, come on... Getting married or simply wanting to, will not necessarily make you a woman, Anne. You have an example standing beside you all the same, am I not a woman for you?"

The latter stammered immediately, "Oh! Of course Marilla! This shows just how immature I am, how rude i am, and how I end up offending the people I love."

Thinking she was on the right track to appease the girl, she calmly declared, "It's a start you see. If you become aware of your past mistakes, and do everything you can to avoid repeating the same mistakes, that's called growing up. And you have grown up irremediably. Becoming a woman is just that, and nothing more, nothing less."

Anne looked at Marilla with eyes full of admiration, then the woman in the bun added, "And don't worry about Gilbert, trust his feelings for you. After all, he hasn't yet obtained our permission, you're not yet of age after all.", She concluded with a laugh.

The redhead didn't laugh on the moment, she took this remark very seriously. And this did not go unnoticed by the elderly woman, so she hastened to add worriedly, "It was obviously a joke. In any case, as I told you, it is still too early to think of such things."

But the redhead remained silent, and did not dare to add anything more, at the same moment she remembered Gilbert's declaration: "Anne, I would like to propose to you."

She thought that if Marilla knew this, she was no longer sure that her joke would remain a joke when she found out. But as she herself was not sure that it sounded like a real proposal, there was no reason to dwell on the subject and cause her concern.

After spending time with Anne, Marilla was in her room, she was also getting ready to go to bed. When she heard a knock on the door, she went to open it, and that's how she saw Matthew, he looked worried, probably because of the little incident that had taken place during dinner.

He then timidly declared, clearing his throat, "Hmm. So... er... did you get a chance to talk to Anne?"

She nodded her head and let him in, "Well, get a chair and sit down," she said a little anxiously, which he did without delay. She then added, "I know this is not our cup of tea, and I didn't think we would have to deal with it so soon. But Anne's questioning..."

She was cut off by a Matthew who was a bit wound up, "We had agreed not to talk about this tonight, you didn't keep your promise."

Marilla in her turn got carried away, "You are unfair to me, it was Anne who broached the subject on her own, what could I do?"

He interrupted her again, "You should not have asked any questions, that's all. The main thing is that Anne always takes her studies seriously. Her relationship with Gilbert... is none of our business." he concluded embarrassed.

The older sister looked satisfied with what she was going to announce, "Even if he is thinking of proposing to our Anne very soon?"

The latter remained silent for a long time and scratched his head, then finally he declared in a firm tone and got up from his chair, "It doesn't change anything. This-this... doesn't concern us."

Before he crossed the threshold, Marilla added confidently, "You know as well as I do that she is too young. And that has nothing to do with Gilbert, we both love him. But he had left to marry Winifred months ago, so why shouldn't he marry Anne?"

Matthew was annoyed, so he replied, "You know it wasn't the same circumstances at all. Nor the same...motivations. Now that we have broached the subject, good night. ยป

The old man then left his sister's room. They didn't quite share the same opinion about Anne, as they often did, but they were both sure of one thing, they both loved her and only wanted her happiness.