Chapter 35 - When Unrequited Love Appears

The landscapes of Avonlea were covered by a white veil, the first snows had finally appeared, and that announced the beginning of winter, but also the approach of Christmas.

The air was very cold that afternoon, but that didn't discourage Miss Stacy from walking to the village hall. It had snowed a lot since last night, and she was really thinking more seriously about buying a horse to help her move around during the winter.

However, she and the horses it was not the greatest relationship between them. Oh, it wasn't that she didn't love them. She found them majestic and of course useful to humans, but for her, horses were not supposed to be a means of locomotion. No, for her, horses were destined to gallop across the prairies and nothing else.

And then, there was something else that bothered her, why did she feel so uncomfortable on a horse? Those years of practice during her teenage years didn't do anything about it, it was like torture for her to ride a horse. But today, she should be satisfied to just walk in the snow, and anyway, what other choice did she have? The roads were impassable for her motorcycle, which broke down very easily.

She continued walking, complaining to herself, "Muriel, you'll have to get used to it, you've been out of town for a while now, you have to buy a horse!"

She had just passed by the Lake of Shining Waters, which now had its surface forming a huge skating rink.

"I love all seasons, even winter! Although I can hardly feel my extremities, isn't it a wonderful landscape! And even a cold couldn't change my opinion.", She always said to herself, while pressing on even faster, eager to get to her destination.

"Are you sure about that?", said a voice that seemed close.

The latter, surprised, didn't think anyone was spying on her conversations, she looked around for a moment and saw no one. Then suddenly she saw a hand waving, the person was standing behind a bush that had lost its foliage. But she still had trouble distinguishing. Then she saw a horse showing its head, and when it moved forward, she immediately recognized Bash standing proudly on his horse.

Miss Stacy, who was not expecting this appearance at all, widened her eyes and clumsily declared, "Se-Sebastian! What a surprise to see you here!"

The latter smiled, then guided his horse towards the teacher, "You have already forgotten my presence for the Pantomime preparations."

"Oh, no! I-I hadn't forgotten! I just thought... I wasn't sure you were going to come, well, forget it... I'm happy to see you!", she finally said with a radiant smile.

"Rachel visited you two days ago, right?"

"Indeed...", she replied embarrassed.

Bash frowned, and was distracted for a moment as he looked at the young woman's feet, "Do you plan to walk there, with all that snow?"

"Well, I didn't really have any other options right now."

"You don't know how to ride a horse? I won't judge you, you know that I myself had never been riding a horse before I came to Avonlea. So if I could do it, I think you can."

"Oh... no, it's not... I learned how to ride a horse, but you know how much I love my motorcycle. I...I also feel like horses don't really appreciate me. I wish we had a more modern way to get around."

The young farmer smiles, "Come on up."

"Wha-What?!"

"I said. Come on up."

"You mean... with you on your horse?"

"Is there another horse around here?", he asked mockingly.

"You know what people say, isn't it?", she said worriedly.

He simply nodded and then said, "It doesn't matter, I can't let you catch a cold, if you get sick, I would feel guilty for letting you walk in the snow."

The young schoolteacher walked up to him, "People talk so much for a simple ride in a buggy, imagine what they would say if I rode with you?"

"I thought you didn't care what anyone said about you?"

"But it's not my reputation that I'm worried about.", She gazed into his eyes, and at that moment the young man understood what she meant, she was only caring about him.

"Come on up.", He insisted more firmly.

She then approached the horse, and Sebastian came down to help her climb up.

"What are you doing?", she asked in surprise.

"Well, I'm helping you climb on that horse."

"I could do it on my own.", She replied offended.

"All right. I'll watch you do it then.", He said with a laughing smile.

"Just hold this for me.", she handed him her teacher's satchel.

"You were planning to teach this afternoon?"

"No... I guess... it's... a question of habit... when... I'm around children.", She replied with difficulty, trying as best she could to make the leap up to climb. She stopped for a moment, "It doesn't fit ... my outfit is not adequate, this petticoat ..."

Suddenly Bash grabbed the young woman by the waist and helped her to put her leg over the horse.

"Bash! I-I mean Sebastian! I was managing very well on my own!"

"Well, that's a good thing done!", he said, looking at the young woman finally settled on the horse, "You can take the reins I guess?"

"I haven't done it for years. And you?"

"I'm walking a little bit."

"No way! Come on up."

"It will be fine."

"Sebastian, please, come on up."

The young farmer sighed, "All right. But I take the reins, you don't seem so sure.", With these words, he climbed on the horse.

Once they were both settled in, Muriel couldn't help but feel considerable embarrassment. So instead of holding on to the young man's waist, she tried to grab the saddle when the horse galloped away.

But Sebastian noticed it immediately, and seeing her standing like that was not the safest way to do it, she risked losing her balance at some point and falling off the horse.

So suddenly he said with some embarrassment, he cleared his throat, "Hm. You should ... put your hands around my waist or at least hold my coat."

"I... No, it's fine this way.", Her cheeks were starting to turn red, the cold she had felt until now was like evaporating the moment she heard his sentence.

"You are so stubborn, I was saying this for your safety, I don't want to see you fall into a ditch. Some people wouldn't hesitate to blame me if it happened."

Then, on hearing this last strong argument, she executed herself and passed her hands around the rider's waist. The young teacher didn't even dare to breathe, it was the first time since Jonah's death that she found herself so close to another man. She didn't think she would ever feel like that again, she felt like... comfortable. It just seemed so silly, how could this simple gesture make her feel this way. But in that moment, sensing the fresh air on her face and her loose hairdo, making a few blonde strands fly in the wind, she let herself relax, she closed her eyes for a brief moment, she felt so... good. And this, no one else could see, not even the person concerned.

At least, that's what she thought, but Sebastian, for his part, was feeling something, but he was not happy with what he was feeling. It was a real ordeal to sense the young woman so close to him. But what could he do? He had been forced to take her away on his horse, he couldn't resign himself to leaving her in the cold. Despite everything, a certain guilt consumed him.

When they finally arrived at the village hall, Bash stopped his horse when there were still a hundred steps to go. Muriel gazed at him, not understanding in the moment.

The young farmer said when he saw her confusion, "You should come down right away, so we don't attract more gossip about us. ยป

She then pulled herself together, she seemed to be still elsewhere, the journey they had just made together, so close, was still cluttering her mind. Then she stammered back slightly, "You-you're absolutely right, so I-I should...".

She got off the horse immediately, almost tripping over the snow, but Bash held her by grasping her arm, "It would be unfortunate to fall down now.", he said with a smirk on his face.

"Indeed... Thank you again, Sebastian. I'll seriously consider getting a horse soon.", she retorted once she stood in the snow.

The young man simply nodded his head, then his horse galloped off to the village hall again. The teacher was still confused from the moment she had just shared with him, she hadn't felt so well in so long.

When Muriel finally arrived in the village hall, she discovered the children doing a little bit as they pleased with Mrs. Lynde who was on the stage, while she tried to make them sing, but they were going off in all directions and were not following the rhythm at all. She couldn't help but have a slight mocking smile when she saw the old woman's exasperated look on her face.

Then finally, she saw Bash standing at the bottom of the stage, preparing the materials to paint some sets. When she saw him, as they had just separated fifteen minutes ago, it was not a smile on her face, but her eyes were filled with certain tenderness. She thought that Sebastian had to try harder than anyone else to be accepted in this village, and this strength of character made her proud, she didn't know a braver man than Sebastian in Avonlea or even on the all Prince Edward Island.

Suddenly she saw Rachel come off the stage, she was apparently exhausted, "Oh Muriel! You're finally here!"

"You're the one who's early, yet I told you not to start without me."

"A lot of children were waiting in front of the village hall, so anyway, we have just started. I'm about to make our main actors rehearse their texts, let's hoping that the young Barry will be disciplined..."

This made Muriel laugh, who already knew the answer very well. She was about to walk to the stage to greet Sebastian, and act as if they hadn't met before. But Rachel stopped her in her impulse.

"Oh, by the way...", she approached the young blonde and whispered in her ear, "I noticed that Sebastian wasn't alone on his horse, I couldn't distinguish who it was because he was much too far away, and my eyesight sometimes plays tricks on me at my age...", she ended her sentence with a wink to her.

"Oh... no it's not-", she didn't even have time to reply, that the old woman had already left for the other end of the room, the young woman was totally baffled.

A few hours later, at the end of the afternoon, Sebastian waved to Rachel behind the stage curtains to have a conversation with her. He cleared his throat before beginning.

"You should know that I read your note, and I... well, you're absolutely right, these people are gossiping without knowing anything about it. I'll never behave improperly towards Miss Stacy, I'll never allow myself, I-"

"Please don't say another word. I believe you. But you know I saw you arrive with a woman on your horse, fortunately it was just me, just imagine what a gossip would do with this information."

This instantly made Sebastian giggle, but Rachel seemed so serious, she didn't appreciate the mockery, "I was very serious, Sebastian."

The young man's smile faded, and now a serious look appeared on his face, "You know very well that Mary was the love of my life, and that will be the case for the rest of my life. I could never think of another woman. So whatever you saw, it doesn't mean anything."

Muriel, who was on stage with the children, was close enough to the curtains to hear whispers coming from the other side, she instantly recognized Bash's voice. Then all of a sudden, she heard him say a sentence that froze her for a brief moment.

"Muriel is just a friend, and it will always be that way."

The children, who were standing in front of their teacher, were waiting for her to start reading her line.

"Miss Stacy! Your line!", exclaimed Minnie May in an impatient tone.

That simple sentence now resonated in the young woman's mind, why did she feel broken when she heard that, why did it upset her so much? To be considered Sebastian's friend was already a real honor, it wasn't fair to think that it wasn't... enough.

Meanwhile in Queens, Anne had just passed her first day of exams, it was Mr. Hamilton, the English literature teacher, who had supervised the class during the exam, moreover, it was the redhead's favorite subject, so she thought she had done her best.

As she was about to leave the classroom with her friends, the teacher called out to her, "Miss Shirley-Cuthbert, could you come here for a few minutes?"

The young girl then approached the teacher's office and signaled to Diana and the others to go ahead without her.

"You should know that we have already deliberated about the short story contest. And there is no doubt that you have won the short story contest."

"I... I don't know what to say!", she replied with a sparkling look.

"The second and third place will be announced at the ball, as well as your victory. But if I tell you now, it's because you have to be prepared to read an excerpt from your short story in front of the audience."

"It's... it's scary, but I'll take the challenge!"

"However, I was taken aback when I read your short story, didn't your first version mention a young girl named Ka'kwet?"

"Oh... yes indeed."

"You did the right thing to change this detail, even though I loved your first version, I even preferred it. But you wouldn't have won this contest, if you... well, you see how people are. They don't particularly like it when we talk about these savages, as they like to name them."

Anne nodded shyly, she was not yet sure of the choice she had made. But her plan had worked, and she knew what she had to do now that she had won the first place.

Later in the evening, at the Blackmore boarding house, the young redhead was getting ready to go to sleep, she was coming back from the manor's library, after hard studying for tomorrow's exams, she was wandering the corridors, a candle in one hand, and a history manual in the other hand.

As she was about to open her bedroom door, she heard sobs, so she turned around, looking for where it might have come from.

She looked at Miss Blackmore's bedroom door, and was puzzled, what if the crying was coming from this room? She then approached, and indeed the sobs were getting louder and louder. It was indeed the strict woman who was now in tears. What could make her cry? Then the young girl remembered the short visit that the old woman had made to Quebec City, was it in connection with her friend? It is also true that today two telegrams had been delivered, one to Miss Blackmore and the other to Diana. She had probably received bad news, she thought. So not daring to interrupt the host, she went back to her room.

As she opened the door to her room, Diana was startled, and hastened to hide what she was writing as she sat at her desk.

"Diana, am I interrupting you?"

"Ab-Absolutely not!"

"Who are you writing to at this hour?", asked the young redhead, giggling.

"Uh... Aunt Jo! I wanted to ask her if she minded if we met at her house before going to the ball on Saturday."

"Oh that's a very good idea! But why not tell her directly? Anyway... Aunt Jo always knows how to find the right words when I find myself in a stressful situation.", Anne lingered on her friend's expression for a while, "By the way, you look so pale, my dear Diana, you seem tense too?"

"N-no, everything is fine, I was just about to read a few pages of my book before going to sleep.", she said as she walked to her bed.

"Fine.", replied the redhead who was not convinced, and then she added, "Do you mind if I write a little to Gilbert? Lately I need to do it more than usual, it's like it helps me relax before I go to sleep. You may think I'm ridiculous, but now I can't fall asleep properly if I don't write a few lines. "She laughed before adding, "I don't know if all my stories are interesting for Gilbert, but he doesn't seem to complain about them yet?"

Her friend smiled courteously as she listened to her, and then began to read her book. But she raised her head when the young redhead added, "Oh Diana! I wish Gilbert could have been there at the ball, but I don't want to tell him that, even though I couldn't help but mention it to him at least once. I don't want him to think that he is so indispensable, he won't hesitate to underline it the next time I see him. Finally, I'll come as an independent woman, I don't need to be escorted!", she ended up saying proudly.

"Oh, Anne, you don't have to lie to me, I know you don't think half the things you say."

"I am not lying! You know, I even thought about asking Cole to accompany me..."

Her friend immediately interrupted her, "You-you can't go with Cole!"

"And why shouldn't I go with Cole? Gilbert wouldn't care, right?"

"Never mind.", The young brunette simply replied, she was finding it harder and harder to keep secret a surprise that she and Gilbert were planning for the young redhead.

What left Anne totally confused, she had noticed that Diana was hiding something from her, she had been behaving strangely all day, but especially since she had received this telegram, perhaps it had something to do with her parents? Maybe they had announced unbearable news to her, they were still demanding something from her? She found it really strange that she didn't want to discuss it with her, though they used to talk about everything before.

In another room at the manor, Josie and Jane were still awake, each studying on their own while sitting in their beds. It had been weeks since the two friends hadn't gotten along. In fact, since the relationship between the young blonde and Billy, nothing had been the same.

Josie was disappointed that Jane didn't support her during the incident at the Barn dance. And Billy's sister hadn't mentioned it again, except for the occasions when she reminded the blonde girl that she had had such bad taste in choosing her brother as a suitor.

Nevertheless, sometimes Jane regretted her behavior towards her friend. Could she still call herself a friend today? But that night, she decided to take the first step towards the young blonde, seeing her mood deteriorating over the last few days, and the cause of this, she knew it, it was Roy.

"I'm sorry.", Jane suddenly said.

Josie looked up, she seemed confused, "Why?"

"Well, it's my fault... The other day, I pushed you to-"

"You didn't push me to do anything. Stop thinking you're so important. I don't care what you think about me now."

"Billy is the worst jerk on earth. Josie, even you deserved someone much better. But if only you'd stop putting others down when you feel unsafe or inferior. All of this to say that I, too, have done wrong, and I regret it."

"Hm. If you say so."

"I think so. And to tell you the truth, I wish Roy had asked you to the dance, if it meant that it would bring a little joy into your life."

"But my life is very fine.", replied the young blonde, who on these words, put down her manual and turned off the bedside lamp, she slept on her side, thus turning her back on Jane.

On this night, some would dream of their future achievement, or of secrets that they would have to keep at all costs, while others would think of a boy, which at the same time would cause sorrow, because there was nothing more dramatic than an unrequited love after all? But almost all of them were looking forward to the ball, to finally unwind a bit at the end of the year, and now it remained to be seen whether this event would really satisfy all their expectations.

First of all, Happy New Year to all!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm curious to know what you think! Thank you very much for the nice messages I received lately, it was a great source of motivation! For those who are in need of Shirbert, it happens very, very soon! It won't be just a little bit, believe me ^^