God! Blythe! What a fool. What on earth were you thinking, he rubbed his shoulder ruefully. Carrots! You idiot. Well, you got the reaction you were looking for, huh. Gilbert climbed into his buggy and turned the horse for home quite forgetting what he had come to town for in the first place.

Throwing himself into a kitchen chair he put his head in his hands. "What is it?" his mother asked, interrupting her potato chopping.

"Argh, I made a fool of myself, Ma," he groaned.

"I'm sure it's not nearly as bad as you think," she said reassuringly.

"Oh, I can almost guarantee it is. I bumped, quite literally bumped into Anne Sh er that is Gardner in town. She looked so shocked to see me that I whispered carrots to her."

"And what did she do next?"

"She hit me."

"Again?" his mother smothered a grin.

"It's not funny, Ma."

"Well, it is a little bit. What were you thinking? You know how that poor girl is when it comes to her hair. I mean I think it's stunning."

"So do I."

"Yes, but that's hardly the point, Gilbert. She's very sensitive about it."

"I know," he grit his teeth, "I know. But she looked so shocked, like she was gonna have a stroke. I had to do something to snap her out of it."

"And it worked?"

"It did, it sure did."

"And now?"

"I dunno. I don't know if she'll take four more years to forgive me."

"Do you still have feelings for her?"

Gilbert looked at his mother frankly, "I do."

"Gilbert," Mrs Blythe shook her head.

"I know, I know. She went and got married and I thought that was it. That that part of my life was over. I tried to put her out of my mind, I really did Ma. But when I heard he'd died."

"Mr Gardner?"

"Mm. Well, I thought maybe, just maybe I might be in with a chance."

"Would you still be interested, even though she went with him at first?"

"That's weighing on my mind."

"I'm sure," she patted his hand. "Well, I must get on. I'm sure it will all work out for the best, son."

Mrs Barry met Dora at the door. "Dora, how nice to see you. Minnie May is just upstairs. You go on up and find her, she'll be delighted to see you."

"Hey Minnie May," Dora fell up on her bed, as always amazed at how very soft it was; Marilla favoured a firmer bed.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine." Dora twirled her finger within a lock of her curls.

"Your hair looks nice."

"Do you like it? Charlotte styled it for me."

"Sit up, let me see. It's exquisite. I wish Mother would let me do mine that way.

"Marilla wasn't sure if it was suitable for a girl my age."

"No, no, it's gorgeous. You'll have all the boys at your beck and call."

"Ugh, boys."

"Maybe even Tate Wainwright."

"Minnie May!"

"I've seen the way he looks at you."

"Hush now! Now I have something I need to discuss with you."

Minnie May leant forward, eyes shining, "do tell."

"Well, it was just the darndest thing. Anne came home just now, unexpectedly. She looked a bit dishevelled you know. She's not usually like that."

"What did she say?"

"Well, that's the thing. Marilla shooed me off, told me to come visit you."

Minnie May frowned. Does she do that often?"

"Hardly ever. I'm never totally sure if they approve of us."

"Anne and Di were bosom friends; can't see why they wouldn't."

"I know, but anyway Marilla doesn't usually kick me out of the house at teatime. I was just about to help prepare dinner and next thing I knew I was walking over here."

Minnie May frowned, "that is rum. I wonder what Anne had to say?"

"No idea. All I have to go on is how she looked."

"So, how did she?"

"Hm." Dora thought hard. "Well, she looked a bit wide eyed and pink. As though she were worked up about something."

"What could upset her? Do we know of anything that's happened in town lately?"

"I don't know."

"Did you hear that Gilbert Blythe is back in town? Came home the other day."

Dora sat up straight, "I did not!" her eyes shone bright. "Now that is interesting."

"Anne wouldn't have married Roy if she were still interested in Gilbert, you know."

"No, I guess not."

"You don't sound sure."

"She and Gilbert were always a thing you know, he just does things to her."

"Things?" said Minnie May scornfully. "What sort of things?"

"I can't put it into words. This is all very romantic, Minnie May."

"Don't see it myself."

"Let's just watch from the sidelines," Dora clasped her hands with glee. "See what unfolds."

After her talk with Anne, Marilla decided it was time to pay a visit to the Blythes. Putting on her hat and throwing her shawl over her shoulders she walked across the orchard to the old house and knocked on the front door. "Good morning, Mrs Blythe."

"Marilla. How lovely to see you. Will you come in for tea, I'm just putting the kettle on."

Setting herself down on the sofa Marilla said, "I hear tell Gilbert and Anne saw each other again."

"With mixed results, so I believe."

Marilla tried to suppress a smile, "oh my, your boy."

Mrs Blythe failed utterly and chuckled, "I know, he's beating himself up something terrible."

"These two. I pray they'll sort it out."

"Don't I know it."

"Gilbert was so sorry to hear about Mr Gardner, such a terrible loss."

Privately wondered just how sorry Gilbert had been but she smiled politely and murmured her thanks on Anne's behalf. Anne's words still ringing in her ears. She had always wanted to see these two together, but it wasn't as if it was any of her business. "And how has Gilbert been?" she asked.

"He's well. Much recovered from his bout last year, back to normal really. He's done well with his studies too, we're so proud of him, if you don't mind my saying."

"Not at all. Good marks in such a difficult field are to be commended. You've every right to be proud."

Charlotte took rather too much care over her toilette before picking up the milk these days. She knew it but made excuses to herself. "A young woman needs to look nice regardless of her errand. There's nothing wrong in looking smart even if I'll be lugging the milk home afterwards. Sometimes her efforts were in vain, sometimes Earl was away from the farm, running errands for his parents; not today though.

"Well, hey there Lottie."

Charlotte smiled. "No one's ever called me that before."

"Dontcha like it?"

"I like it fine."

"Well good then. I just gotta finish up here but say did you hear about the dance on Saturday next?"

"No, can't say I did."

Standing a bit straighter Earl said more formally, "would you allow me to accompany you?"

"Why thank you Mr Wainwright, I would be much obliged."

Relaxing now that the difficult part was out of the way, Earl grinned, and Charlotte smiled back bashful all of a sudden. The thought of the dance put a spring in her step on the way home despite her heavy load.

"I say Davy," Gilbert called as he drove past Green Gables. "Could you do us a favour?"

Walking towards him, Davy asked, "what can I do?"

"I was a bit of a fool the other day," Gilbert explained. "I want to give these to Anne, but I don't know if I'll be welcome at Echo Lodge. D'you think you could take this," he gestured at a bouquet of flowers, "over for me?"

"Flowers?" Davy scoffed. "What does she want with those?"

"Women love them, Davy. You can go a long way with a woman if you give her flowers. Butters 'em up."

"Well sure, if you want. I'm going over later to chop. I do all their wood chopping these days," Davy said proudly.

"That's awful good of you."

"Marilla said I haveta on account of Anne living without a man these days."

"Er, yes. Still, it's mighty nice of you. I'm sure Anne appreciates all you do for her."

"She has a maid too."

"She does?"

"Yeah, her name's Charlotte. She's real pretty, Gilbert."

"That's good," replied Gilbert absentmindedly. "Well anyway, here you go. Thanks Davy."

Davy set the flowers down in the buggy, so he didn't forget them, but Gilbert's words made him think. Flowers huh. He knew where there were some good flowers.

Rachel peered through the kitchen window, twitching the blind out of the way. "It's a lovely day, Marilla. Shall we take our afternoon tea outside?"

"I don't see why not. It's nice to feel the sun on my face. I'll just fetch the tea things."

"Oh no," Rachel's voice carried through to the kitchen from the back yard.

Marilla raced outside, her words dying on her lips as soon as she arrived. "Oh."

Together they gazed at what was left of Marilla's prize tulips. Stray stems lying higgeldy piggeldy across the waste of her garden beds, the odd bloom still standing with just a few petals still attached. "What on earth?"

Dora appeared behind them wondering where they had gotten to. "Oh, no."

"What do you know?" Rachel muttered as Marilla sunk to her knees by the garden bed.

"I told him not to. Told him it was in vain, but you know Davy." At her words Marilla sunk even further.

"Marilla," said Rachel sadly. "I am so terribly sorry and the fair not far off."

Marilla's eyes flickered further afield, desperately needing to shift her mood. "Uh oh Rachel," she called softly, pointing.

Turning to look, Rachel saw her peonies had suffered a similar fate. "Oh," she said forlornly.

"That boy," Marilla said bluntly as Rachel came to sit beside her. "Why did he do it, do you know, Dora?"

"He told me that Gilbert said that girls like flowers."

"Girls?" Marilla was shocked.

"Davy has noticed a girl?"

"Well woman really," Dora admitted. The women looked at her sceptically. "It's Charlotte if you must know," she added.

"Charlotte? Do you mean?" Marilla clarified, "Anne's Charlotte? Oh, no. Davy, oh no, no, no.

"Oh, dear. That's gonna end in tears, Marilla."

"It will, oh poor Davy. My poor tulips," Marilla paused then snorted with laughter, "sacrificed on the altar of unrequited love."

"Yes," replied Dora dispassionately over their laughter. "Anne tells me Earl Wainwright invited Charlotte to the church dance."

Rachel looked up, her sides heaving with suppressed giggles. "A Wainwright, eh. They're a nice family. I've known young Earl since he was knee high to a grasshopper."

Marilla fighting to gain her breath merely nodded before collapsing into another peal of laughter, "you were so worried for me, Rachel dear, then it turned out, out that you were, were in the same boat. Oh my," and she was off again. Why, Dora couldn't fathom, she had expected them to be vexed and here they were laughing about it.

"Someone's getting a particularly lovely bunch of flowers," Marilla remarked dryly after she had recovered sufficiently.

"Not that she'll even appreciate them," replied Rachel, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Charlotte," Davy called. "I gots something for Anne, and," he said more shyly when Charlotte came closer. "I got these for you too."

"Charlotte took the two bouquets from him, one rather formal and the other more ragged. "Er, thank you Davy. I'll be sure to pass them onto Anne when she returns home."

"Oh no," replied Davy. "This one's for you, from me," he grinned widely. "Cos you're so pretty. That other one's for Anne, from Gilbert."

Charlotte frowned. Why would little Davy be giving her flowers and raggedy ones at that, and who was this Gilbert and why was he giving flowers to her mistress? She ruminated over it as Davy chopped a pile of wood. "Well, I gotta get going, Charlotte," he said when he'd finished. "Tell Anne I said, hi."

"Thanks for the flowers, Davy," Charlotte called after his disappearing back.

When Anne returned home Charlotte showed her the vases. "Those are from someone called Gilbert, according to Davy. And these ones were for me."

Anne set her things down and stared. Both pieces of information were confusing. "I'm sorry Davy?"

"Yes, he bought me these, they look, um a little homegrown wouldn't you say?"

Removing her gloves, Anne took a closer look. "Oh dear," she said recognising them. "I rather think Marilla's garden may be somewhat diminished. What was he thinking?" Charlotte shrugged her shoulders. Anne bent down to smell the roses Gilbert had sent her. "Hmm," she said enigmatically.

"I say, Ma'am," Charlotte said over her mending one night. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Mm? No, not at all."

"It's a bit personal like."

Anne looked up from her marking, "Is there something the matter Charlotte?"

"I don't think so. I mean, I don't know." Sensing Anne had the wrong end of the stick Charlotte ploughed on. "No, it's just that I was doing the laundry this morning and it occurred to me while I was washing my, er, unmentionables, that I, um, I haven't had to launder any of your rags. Now either you've been taking care of that yourself, Ma'am, and you're well within your rights to do so, though it isn't remotely necessary, or…" she left the sentence hanging.

Anne blinked a few times, "oh, no you're right. I can't imagine why I haven't said anything before but well the reason you haven't had to launder them is because I'm with child, Mr Gardner's child, of course. You'll know that one's courses stop when you're pregnant." Charlotte nodded; she had heard about that in whispered asides when the servants gossiped amongst themselves.

"An you're well apart from that?"

"I was terrifically exhausted as you may recall."

"I do! That was because of this?"

"I believe so. I had heard one can be physically unwell, particularly in the morning, but I was never afflicted in that manner, but I could have slept through the Last Post."

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, that is I'm still sleeping well, but that crushing exhaustion is waning, thankfully."

"You tell me if you need anything done, Ma'am. I'll look after you. Do you know how far along you are?"

"Well, Mr Gardner passed about five months ago, so a bit longer than that."

Thinking on it later, Charlotte thought how unaffected by her widowhood Anne appeared. She rarely spoke of Roy at all and with little affection when she did. I wonder if she even loved him at all, wondered Charlotte as she turned over in her bed. Seems you can have all the money in the world, but it won't make you happy; still it's a problem I wouldn't mind having one day, she smiled into the darkness.