"Anne! Are you ready? It's time to go," Mrs Gardner entered Anne and Roy's room without knocking. "For heaven's sake why are you still in bed?"

"I'm so sorry, Mother. I'm not feeling particularly well. Do you mind if I leave you to go on your own today?"

Mrs Gardner was taken aback; Anne had never refused an opportunity to go visiting before. "Ah, no, ah that's quite alright. You're sure you'll be fine on your own? I'll send the maid up to check on you."

"I'll be better in an hour or so, I'm sure. I just, um, I'm just rather tired this morning."

Mrs Gardner left her to it, thinking an Anne free trip to the Ladies' Aid wouldn't be the end of the world. And maybe, it occurred to her on the drive, she's finally in the family way. Wouldn't that be wonderful, but I do recall what an exhausting time that is. I must let her go at her own speed. If she needs some time to herself, well the baby is the most important thing, I'll organise some nourishing teas and sustenance. She's so thin that one, needs all the help she can get.

Mrs Gardner found Anne's absence freeing and set about describing the issues she had bringing her wayward daughter in law into line.

"And then, you'll never guess what she brought forth." The Ladies lent forward as one. "A cat! As bedraggled a creature as you'd ever find. Nasty thing."

"Oh my!"

"Indeed. You have no idea."

"What happened to the kitty?"

Mrs Gardner shot a lot of exasperation towards her youngest, Dorothy who had a bad habit of interrupting. "I made Anne put it out, not before it had soiled itself mind you."

"Oh dear, poor Anne."

"Poor Anne. Poor Anne! Goodness, you do take the most aggravating stances, Dorothy. Try to be sensible."

Contrary to Mrs Gardner's belief, the cat had not been put out. When Anne met Mrs McIntosh's butler in the hallway, she had the kitten cradled in her palm, its purr throbbing right through her body. Looking fearfully up at the stern visage before her, she tentatively placed the tiny creature into his outstretched hands. "Madam may not approve," he said unexpectedly in a deep and gravelly voice, "but leave it with me. It'll be safe and warm in the kitchen."

The butler, Yeats always had a cat or two around. The last, Muggins, had died recently leaving him quite bereft. This tiny black scrap would do nicely. "What shall we call you?" he murmured to it as he carried it out to the kitchen. Yawning in his hands it stretched out as wide as it could and settled down for another nap. "Say hello to our newest resident," he commented to Cook as he walked in.

"Oh, look at the wee thing." The cook was almost as much of a cat lover as Yeats. It was one of the ways they bonded. "Where did you come from?" she asked it.

"One of the guests rescued it. I was supposed to put it out."

Cook glanced out the window, "out? You'd not last long out there. Have you a name yet?"

"Stretch," remarked Yeats gently scratching behind its ear.

Cook smiled, "I'm guessing you'll be wanting your tea, young Stretch." She fixed a bowl of warm milk and set it down on the hearth. Soon the gentle sound of lapping was barely discernible over the bubbling stove. When it had finished Cook wrapped it in an old dishcloth and popped it in the warming oven. "I'll just give you the natural treatment, wee Stretch." She smiled up at Yeats. "Grand so it is." Bowing his head Yeats departed, content to know they had saved a life today.

Unknowing its fate or even its name, Anne had sat back in the McIntosh's formal parlour barely listening to word spoken, upset that no one else in attendance seemed to care. She would have liked a wee cat to keep her company. With an internal gasp she realised that she was lonely. One moment she had been living with a lively bunch of friends and the next Mother Gardner had her quite isolated. A surreptitious kick to her ankle interrupted her reverie and she looked up bewildered. "Anne!" her mother-in-law hissed. "Mrs McIntosh is speaking." Anne glanced across at their host who was staring at her with enquiring eyebrows.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I merely asked how you are enjoying married life?"

"Oh, very much, it's simply splendid," replied Anne taking a deep breath before going into further detail but Mother Gardner derailed her before she could get much further. "Roy and Anne are very happy. It's such a delight to witness one's son find the right woman," she shot Anne a sharp look reminding her to behave. Meekly, Anne buttoned her mouth, but within her thoughts swirled in aggravation. After all Mrs McIntosh had asked her for her opinion, not her mother-in-law's.

Climbing into the carriage at the end of their visit, Mrs Gardner cleared her throat pointedly. "Is something the matter, Mother?" Anne enquired, though she had a good idea what her issue might be.

Pursing her lips Mrs Gardner said, "you, girl. You have altogether too many opinions for one so young."

Anne smiled, "I've been told that many a time, I assure you. Marilla always said."

"That's quite enough from you," interrupted Mrs Gardner. "I see I have my work cut out for me." Anne wisely decided not to divulge that that was just what Marilla had said all those years ago. "Now kindly hold your tongue on the ride home, I need some peace." Sitting back Mrs Gardner closed her eyes and effectively left Anne to her own devices for the remainder of their drive.

Sitting on her own in the conservatory one afternoon Anne was interrupted by the maid. "Begging pardon, Madam. I just have the tea tray," the girl said tentatively. She was new and just getting to know the lay of the land.

Anne smiled, "come in, come in and set it down here," she said clearing the papers from the coffee table. "Sorry, I've made a bit of a mess."

Smiling for what would she know, Nancy set the tray down and knelt to pour the tea. "Best to leave it for a moment to draw," remarked Anne not unkindly. "No, don't get up, sit down beside me. If I know anything you won't have stopped all day. You'll never guess, but I started out in service myself, many years ago."

"You never!" Nancy exclaimed.

"Mm hm," Anne nodded. "I was an orphan, had to earn my keep. That is until I was lucky enough to be adopted, so you see I know how hard it is." She patted the sofa, "sit beside me and I'll be mother. Would you like some of this cake?"

"Oh Madam, I mustn't."

"Don't worry about the Mistress. I can take care of her, now you just sit here and have a little rest."

At her urging Nancy sat relishing the sofa's softness, how it hugged her bottom.

Passing by later Mrs Gardner was surprised to hear giggling, but the distinctive clicking of her shoes alerted the two girls and by the time she swept into the room Nancy was standing demurely over Anne, the tea tray in her arms.

Anne tried not to complain to Roy every night, but every day his mother had done something else to annoy her. Cut off from her friends, and not wanting to upset Marilla; there were few other outlets for Anne's frustration. Again and again, Roy would listen to her for a moment or two before cutting her off to explain that his mother only had her best interests at heart. "This is a different world to the one you're used to, darling. There's another set of rules, she just wants you to appreciate what it's like to live under them. Please don't take it to heart, she schooled me when I was young too." Afterwards he would undress Anne and lie her down on their bed to make love to her in the only way he knew how. It had only been a few months but already his family were beginning to make noises. He had a job to do, to make a new heir, a responsibility he took very seriously.

"More tea Vicar?" Mrs Gardner enquired, proffering the teapot.

"Thank you no, what I have is quite sufficient for the present," he replied. Truth be told he was not completely at ease, and wished to wind up the visit as quickly as manners would allow. He just needed the safety of his own rooms for he had an itch in an unmentionable spot. If he could just manoeuvre himself, he might be able to manage it without anyone detecting, it was just so insistent.

"Are you quite well, Vicar," Mrs Gardner asked. "I do hope nothing is amiss."

"I must excuse myself. I'm just a little itchy."

Mrs Gardner looked sternly towards Anne. "I just pray it isn't fleas."

"Fleas?"

"Anne here took in a stray cat. It most definitely had fleas and gave them to us. I've been scratching all week."

"Oh, I doubt it was that." He smiled towards Anne. "I believe my housekeeper has started a new brand of laundry powder, I'm sure I'm just reacting to that."

"Mother, I only had the cat for a briefest of moments. I can hardly believe it was long enough to give anyone fleas." Despite herself, the mere notion was enough and without thinking Anne scratched her head while she answered.

"There, look you're scratching already. You lack common sense girl, what on earth possessed you to pick the wretched thing up in the first place?"

"It looked so sorrowful, and it was so very cold, Mother. It seemed the Christian thing to do. It's one of God's creatures after all." The vicar looked on nodding gently. Anne looked at him pleadingly. "Do you think I did wrong, Vicar?"

He cleared his throat mindful of whose house they were in and desperate not to upset either woman. Privately he agreed with Anne, but he knew his place. "Ah, I um. Goodness me, is that the time? I must be going," he said, taking the coward's way out and thereby pleasing neither woman.

"You must see, Roy dearest. How I longed to do right, but your mother," Anne told Roy that night.

"Mother only has our best interests at heart. You must see how it appeared, you were late and then you brought a flea ridden stray into the McIntosh's house. Mother's always striving to get on the right side of the McIntosh's, you might have set her cause back some way."

Anne was petulant. "I hoped you'd be on my side."

"Dearest one, your side is my side, always. Mother just wants the best for us."

Always one to love nature Anne found solace in the conservatory. Sitting there one day enjoying the sun, Anne's book quite failed to grab her attention and she found her mind wandering. She was miles away when she Mother Gardner's familiar black taffeta rustled past. Coming to with a start Anne bent back down to the pages aware that day dreaming would be frowned upon. "May I?" Mrs Gardner held out her hand for the book, keen that Anne should only read morally uplifting novels. Dutifully Anne held it up so that she could see. "Hm," Mrs Gardner sniffed. "What is it about?" Since Anne had not read all that much of it yet, she took a little time to come up with an answer. "Um, it's about, ah a man and a woman. It's a, ah love story and you see," she added, her imagination coming to the rescue. "He's um taken ill and it's up to her to, um nurse him back to health. It's terribly romantic," the story died on her lips when she saw Mrs Gardner frown, it wasn't like the girl to stumble, usually the issue was there were too many words spilling from Anne's mouth altogether.

"I pray it's not too trashy," she said. "If you have to read at all, I would prefer you read sensible novels."

"Of course not," replied Anne smiling up at her innocently. The book was very sensible and dull, doubtless why it failed to keep her attention in the first place.

"Goodness," remarked Mrs Gardner her attention thankfully diverted by a nearby plant. "That aspidistra looks practically dead. I'm sure the girl isn't watering it enough; how often do I have to tell her." She muttered as she stalked away, her boots clicking on the tiles. Anne shuddered and looked at the plant sympathetically. "I know just how you feel."

"I have a surprise for you," Roy announced one evening.

"Wonderful!" replied Anne. "What is it? Tell me."

Roy laughed, "you're just like a child sometimes, Anne darling. All I have to say is 'surprise!' and you're giddy like a schoolgirl. I'll tell you about it after dinner."

Anne mock frowned, "the problem with me, Roy, is that I've always been just awful about surprises. Once I know there's one in the offing, I can think of nothing else. You won't be able to get a word out of me through dinner for I'll be thinking of little else."

"Well, you'll just have to wait sweetheart, it'll be good for you to be patient for once." Anne pouted and looked at him forlornly. He reached out to hug her but was otherwise silent.

True to her word Anne was quiet at dinner. Roy and his mother chatted about their day, Mrs Gardner complaining about the poor maid as usual, that girl could do no right.

"You're very quiet," Mrs Gardner remarked to Anne. "I hope nothing's amiss?"

"She's waiting for me," Roy smiled. "I told her I had a surprise for her and she's eager to find out what it is."