"Japan!"

Priscilla! Japan! My goodness." Pris smiled, her dinner cooling in front of her. She knew this bombshell would get a good reaction and her friends did not disappoint.

"Yes, he's going over to be a missionary and naturally I want to join him. There's so much work that needs to be done there. The whole country is full of poor heathens."

The girls discussed the ramifications of their friend's intended move. What was necessary to take with her and what it might be like there; pooling their ignorance as it were. When that line of investigation was finally put to rest, Stella also had news to share. "Aunt Jimsie has finally come back from India and has settled in Vancouver. I'm thinking as you are all moving on, I may as well go over to look after her, she's such a dear. We get on so well."

Anne looked forlorn. "What is it honey?" Stella asked.

"I just feel I got back in touch with you all and now you're all leaving. It won't be the same."

"I'll still be here," Phil said. "I'm not going anywhere."

Anne looked at her and smiled, "no, I know, but you're so busy. I feel, oh I don't know."

Phil looked at her kindly then said, "as it happens, I do have some news of my own."

"Oh?"

"I hadn't liked to say anything before, but since this might be our last chance, I should tell you Jonas and I are expecting."

Anne's cutlery cluttered to her plate in shock, the echo clanging in the still air. "I thought you might be interested, but I admit I wasn't expecting a reaction like that," Phil said with a laugh. "It's just a baby, Anne. People have them all the time, whereas Japan…" she looked at Pris.

"I know, I know," Pris said, "but tell us more."

Now that Mother Gardner was no longer watching her every move Anne felt she had carte blanch to arrange her life. She had tracked down all her old girl friends and they got together for lunch every few weeks. These were heart-warming sessions as they reminisced about university days, how far ago they felt now; caught up with each other's love lives and general news. It felt so good to laugh and cry with them again, but it appeared her joy would be short lived.

Phil had confided that Mrs Gardner's nose was still out of joint. Roy's mother was a regular visitor at the Blake mansion. While Mrs Blake did not approve of Phil's lifestyle, they were still in touch, especially when Mrs Blake had juicy gossip to share. Anne being a harridan was one such bon mot. "Kicked her mother-in-law out, like some stray," she'd reported, "how dare she."

"It's not as though she had nowhere to go," Anne remonstrated. "I hardly threw her out into the cold," she said, mindful of Mother Gardner's reaction to the wee kitten she'd once rescued.

"I know, honey. I just want you to know she didn't go quietly. Them Gardners are used to getting their own way. The idea that you."

"A mere orphan after all."

Phil patted her on the hand comfortingly, "could order her around."

"I have no regrets."

"Nor should you. I'm so proud of you, honey. Do her the world of good to be taken down a rung. But just don't think she'll go quietly is all."

"No, I suppose it was wishful thinking. I've always been susceptible to that. Marilla used to take me to task for it all the time."

"Mind, what did you call her? She's saying all sorts."

Anne turned a particular shade, "I doubt she's exaggerating; I did rather lose my temper."

"She's spreading it around that that's because of your poor upbringing"

Anne laughed sardonically, "if she thinks Marilla would have approved of my word choice, she's dead wrong. Even now if I used it in front of her, I'd get a whooping as Davy calls them, and honestly, I'd deserve it."

Phil looked at her in mock horror, "that bad?"

"It was pretty awful."

Eyes lit Phil leaned forward, "now I must know." Anne told her and Phil clapped her hands in glee then settled and said, "I'm sorry honey, I'm sorry she pressed you into it, but good for you and in my mind, there was no hint of a lie anyways."

Anne smiled, it felt so good to have someone on her side for once. "Thank you darling. I needed to hear that."

With all her friends busy waltzing into the unknown, Anne felt lonelier than ever. Japan, Vancouver and, for Phil perhaps the greatest mystery of all, motherhood. Whereas Anne was realising that perhaps marriage wasn't quite what she had expected. Roy was wonderful, such a dear looking after her so sweetly. She had everything she could have ever dreamed of, but. Anne sighed; she couldn't even put a finger on what was wrong but for some reason she didn't think she was quite as deliriously happy as she had always expected. When Mother Gardner had lived with them, it was easy to divine the cause of her discontent. But now that she was gone Anne was still uneasy, and she could not work out why.


"For our anniversary, I think we need a week away," Roy announced.

Anne's eyes gleamed, "Where to dearest one?"

"It's a surprise, but I think you'll be happy," he replied.

Nancy helped Anne to pack, she had so many dresses it took several trunks. Anne remembered back to those old days when she only had the two plain dresses Marilla had made her, how she had tried so hard to be grateful, while being so depressed at how very awful they had been. No more of that now, she had a different dress for every day and gowns for evening wear; not to mention all her shoes.

When the White Sands Hotel came into view Anne was delighted. "I mean you've probably stayed here before." Roy commented, forgetting how unlikely that had been.

"Never," Anne breathed, her eyes shining with excitement. "I've been here, for dances and such," she feigned to mention the time she recited poetry that one time. "But we could never afford to stay."

"Oh really?" Roy said with the sort of carelessness that ignored the differences in their upbringing. That he knew people who could not afford to stay in such places rarely occurred to him. When Anne made comments such as this, it served to remind him the sort of background she had come from, something overall he preferred to forget. "It's not that grand really," he added. "If it weren't for its location I'd have sprung more, but I thought you'd like to be close to home."

"Roy, you are such a dear. I am overjoyed with delight," Anne's anneishness coming to the fore in her delight. Roy noticed absentmindedly that it had been a while since Anne had reacted with such unadulterated happiness, but he was too dim to put one and one together or to reflect on it overmuch.

Practically fizzing with joy Anne stood beside him as they checked in. Roy had booked a suite of rooms, and servant's quarters for Nancy. Anne twirled around and collapsed onto the bed. "Like it?" Roy asked, amused and a trifle embarrassed by her reaction in front of the bellhops.

"Like it? Oh Roy. Seldom do words fail me, but this," she waved her arm around the sumptuous apartment, "this." She heaved a big sigh.

"Shall we go for a walk?" he asked once the last trunk had been delivered. "Give Nancy a chance to unpack?"

Wandering down to the shore Anne described previous trips to White Sands. "Usually it's full of Americans," she explained. "Not too many locals can afford it."

"I'm sure we'll meet some at dinner, but it's not that expensive," Roy said. "I mean, we came here when Mother and Father couldn't be bothered going further afield. Mother wanted to join us this week." Anne looked affronted. "Yes, I told her we'd rather be alone. I thought I would give her and the girls a week up here shortly, she does love it so. She finds the sea air so refreshing."

"I suppose can't blame her for that," Anne replied, reluctant to admit she and Mother might have anything in common and utterly relieved Roy had not brought her along.

"I admit I'm surprised you never came here," Roy said.

"What you have to understand, dearest one," replied Anne trying to be diplomatic. "Is that while we never went without, we weren't exactly rich. Marilla was far from stingy, but she didn't throw her money about on what she would call frivolity."

"Do you regard this trip as merely frivolous?"

"It's different," replied Anne. "You have more money than we ever did," she said tactlessly, gazing out to sea which meant she didn't notice Roy raising his eyebrows.

Taking him by the hand she pulled him down the beach. "My shoes'll get sandy," he protested.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" she laughed at him.

"Can you see anyone else on the beach?" he asked solemnly. Their fellow patrons were promenading along a nearby path.

Anne let him take her back and they wandered along, far from her foamy waves. "That's much better, see." Roy declared, taking her other hand in his own. "No need to worry now. And think, it'll mean less work for Nancy. You want to spare her, don't you?" As this was perhaps the first time Roy had shown any consideration for a servant, Anne remained unconvinced, but she let him lead her along.

Dinner proved Roy right; they had several American couples at their table. They had come up for the season and were enjoying the Prince Edward Island scenery which was one lady declared, 'real cute'. Anne wasn't altogether happy to hear her home described in such a fashion, but it wasn't polite to comment. "My wife hails from these parts," Roy explained.

"Really? How lucky you must have been," the American lady said. "Were you far?"

"Not very," Anne replied. "I did love it, and I had a very happy childhood." She kicked Roy when he went to open his mouth in case he planned to correct her.

"What was all that about?" he asked when they retired to bed. "You hurt me."

"I'm sorry dearest one," Anne said. "I was just worried you were going to tell the truth about my childhood."

"Well, I did wonder why you thought you needed to lie."

"I just don't need every stranger knowing or judging me. If Mrs Jacoby knew I'd been in service when I was young, she might treat me quite differently."

"You're always going on about that," Roy said crossly. "You need to move on, Anne."

"I try," Anne replied. "You're the one who's always harping back to it. Please, dearest, don't let's quarrel. I just want to enjoy my time here. It's so beautiful. I'm so happy to be back."

She missed the clock that night but the cornicing on the ceiling kept her relatively amused as Roy did his business above her.

Something said the other week kept pressing into her mind. They had been teasing Pris about married life and Phil had nudged Anne when she commented how much fun it was as though Anne would understand. Anne had grinned at the time, but she didn't really know what Phil was on about. Intimate relations were a chore one did for one's husband's pleasure, for Roy certainly appeared to enjoy it and wasted no time most nights to engage in it. Anne felt even more isolated, as if there was something more on offer that she didn't comprehend. Sadly, of course there was no one with whom to compare notes. It was too late to discuss it with Phil, and she had no one else close enough.

Wrapping her robe about her after Roy had finished, Anne sat by the window regarding the moonlight garden. The sea beckoned; its lapping waves could just be heard through the windowpanes. Slipping on a pair of slippers she ventured down to the seashore. Though cold, the dark refreshing water clarified her thoughts. How small her friendship group had grown. There was Dorothy who had always stayed true despite her mother. Phil, and Di naturally. But their other friends were Roy's first and hers later; no true kindred spirits among them. Wandering down the shore Anne wondered how her perfect marriage had come to this. "If only we could have a baby," she said out loud with only the waves to hear her. "Then I would have someone for myself."