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Gilbert sighed as he looked up at the clock. Only twenty-six minutes remained in the geometry examination – the last of the Queens entrance exams.
Over the past week, he and his classmates had endured History, English Literature, Sciences, Algebra, and Trigonometry. In their down time, they had to draft an essay on a topic of their choosing. Gilbert had elaborated the topic of traditional medicine and its place in health and wellness. Dr. Ward had cautioned him on this topic, “the whole idea of traditional medicine is rather airy fairy. Best put your trust in cutting-edge medical research.” Gilbert respectfully disagreed with his mentor.
He looked across the room at a certain redhead who was staring off in the distance, deep in thought, twirling one braid and tapping the bottom of her lip with her pencil. She had resigned herself that Geometry was her Achilles heel and calculated that he she scored highly in all her other areas, she could afford to slide a little in Geometry.
She was good at Geometry, but not the ‘best’ as she had strived to be in every other discipline. Gilbert took advantage of this fear to spend more time tutoring her. It also gave him the opportunity to walk her home after their evening study sessions.
“Mrs. Lynde said that “the sun will go on rising and setting whether I fail in Geometry or not.” Anne stared off at the horizon as she and Gilbert walked back to Green Gables one evening.
Gilbert attempted to be reassuring, “you’ve never failed at anything, Anne Shirley, what makes you think that you’ll start now?”
“Gilbert, you are looking at my outlook through rose coloured glasses. I’ve failed more times that you’ll ever know. The Mary Cake, not consulting with the team on my news story, dying my hair green?”
“I’ll rephrase,” continued Gilbert who had always looked at Anne with rose coloured glasses, “you haven’t failed academically since coming to Avonlea. You’ve beaten me fair and square on countless occasions.”
Realizing that he was daydreaming, Gilbert shook his head and looked back at the time. Twenty-four minutes.
…
“Could you hear my heart pounding from across the examination room?” Anne enquired as they walked down the Academy steps.
“No, but I’m surprised you have a pencil left. I was sure that you were going to gnaw it down to the nib.”
“Oh dear,” Anne cried, “how unattractive!”
“I think it’s one of your most endearing qualities,” Gilbert noted. “Perhaps you were a beaver in another life.”
“Gilbert Blythe! You ought to be horsewhipped!” Anne raised her geometry book as if to whack him over the head.
“Not again, I didn’t even call you carrots this time.” Gilbert grabbed the geometry book and held it over his head.
Anne responded playfully, “give that back, Gilbert Blythe, or I’ll…”
“Gilbert dear! Please leave that poor girl alone, she’s endured enough this afternoon!” Winnifred Rose, a picture of conventional beauty, approached the couple. “Besides, you promised to take me to tea this afternoon. I’ve hardly seen you at all this week.”
Anne’s playful expression dissipated as she turned to Gilbert, “you should be going then.”
“I should be. Will I see you at the Academy social this evening?” Gilbert stared hopefully into Anne’s eyes.
“I didn’t want to go, but Cole insisted. He wants to be my escort.”
“So, I’ll see you then.” Gilberts gaze still didn’t leave Anne.
“Ahem!” Interjected Winnifred. “Gilbert, let’s go.”
“Will you be at the Social, Miss Rose?” Anne asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Winnifred nudged Gilbert and then offered her arm. “Goodbye, Anne. I look forward to meeting your Cole this evening. He sounds like a very special gentleman.”
“He is very special. A kindred spirit even.”
“Charming,” replied Winnifred. “Gilbert, let’s go.”
Winnifred and Gilbert walked arm in arm through the Queen’s Academy quad while Anne turned and made her way to Aunt Josephine’s.
Unbeknownst to Anne, Gilbert turned his head ever so slightly to take one last peek at his supposed “school mate” before she was out of sight.
…
“This is your very first Queen’s soiree,” exclaimed Cole as he sat outside Aunt Josephine’s spare room. “You simply must go.”
“Cole, I am only agreeing to attend this party for you sake, not mine. Now, please, be a dear and button my dress.”
Cole entered the room to see Anne adorned in a green organdy dress with delicate embroidery around the collar. The sleeves were perfectly puffed, just as Anne had requested from the dressmaker, and the skirts extended far beyond her ankles unlike her schoolgirl dresses. She wore a simple gold locket, a remnant of her bosom friendship.
“I’m so glad that you decided to wear your hair in a braid. It suits you so well.” Cole noted as he gazed at Anne’s reflection in the mirror.
“Aunt Josephine insists that red is about to become en vogue. Whatever that means.” Anne laced up he cream coloured boots and grabbed her jacket. “Let’s go and have this night over with.”
“Anne, won’t you at least try to have a good time?”
“For you, Cole, I will try.”
…
The social was well attended with all the Queen’s hopefuls in attendance. The Freshmen and Sophomores made a tradition of welcoming the next year’s class on the evening after the entrance exams were over. There was a hired band and a well catered buffet.
Gilbert was on his second waltz with Miss Rose when he noticed a flicker of red out of the corner of his eye. Then subconsciously, as if pulled by some outside force, he moved his head in Anne’s direction. She was beautiful, elegant, but still Anne. Cole was beaming, and why wouldn’t he with such a magnificent creature on his arm. Anne smiled, but seemed distant.
“Gilbert!” Winnifred interrupted, “it seems that your attention is all of a sudden somewhere else.” Her eyes followed Gilbert’s revealing exactly why his attention had be diverted.
“Oh, sorry, I must be tired from all the studying,” Gilbert looked back to Winnifred, “you were saying?”
“Perhaps you need some air then,” an agitated Winnifred suggested.
“Perhaps,” echoed Gilbert.
On their way out, Gilbert and Winnifred were greeted Anne and Cole.
“Good evening, Mr. Blythe. And you must be Miss Rose.” Greeted Cole. “I’ve heard wonderful things about you.”
“I told Cole that you have aspirations of becoming a doctor and in such, you are quite the pioneer.” Anne added.
“I’m flattered, Miss Shirley. And by the way, you look absolutely stunning tonight, Anne. Don’t you agree, Dear?”
“Yes, is that a new dress?” Gilbert enquired with his eyes full of stars.
“It is,” replied Anne, “I designed part of it myself.”
“How lovely, another talent of yours. You never cease to amaze me with your many talents.” There was a coldness in Winnifred’s tone. “Let’s get this air you so desire, dearest Gilbert.”
“Yes.” Gilbert was still staring into Anne’s steel blue eyes.
“Now if you’ll excuse me,” interjected Cole, “this beautiful lady needs to fill her dance card.”
Anne and Cole moved to the centre of the dance floor and began to dance. Years of playing dress up and dancing in Diana’s room had finally paid off.
…
Once outside, an impatient Winnifred opened up. “Gilbert, can you please explain why you keep looking at Anne the way you do. When you introduced me to her, she was a school mate and family friend, but it seems that she is much more than that.”
“That’s all she is,” defended Gilbert.
“Gilbert, I cannot continue in this… well whatever this is.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Gilbert, I deserve to have someone look at me with the same love and desire that I see when you look at…” Winfred was holding back tears. “…When you look at Anne. Do you have any idea how much it stings to see the man you love with look at another woman like that. It’s like when she’s anywhere near you, I no longer exist.”
“Wait, you’re in love with me?” Gilbert was awestruck.
“I was, until I realized that you were in love with Anne.”
“I am certainly not in love with Anne. We’re simply friends.” At this point, Gilbert was having trouble even convincing himself of this.
“You say that with your lips, but eyes, your longing glances suggest otherwise.”
Winifred stood silent, looking into Gilbert’s eyes, longing for even a fraction of the glimmer that he had when he looked at the fiery redhead.
Finally, Gilbert broke the silence, “I’m sorry Winnifred. I lied to you and I lied to myself. You are wonderful, lovely, and worthy of so much love. I’m sorry that I can’t love you the way you deserve to be loved.”
“There is no need to be sorry, I was a fool to think that you loved me. I should have known the day at the fair when you ran to comfort her after the cake incident.” Winfred straightened her shoulders with resolve, “I will survive, I am a strong pioneering woman, just like your Anne said.”
Gilbert sank onto the steps, “why am I such a fool?”
“You’re not a fool,” assured Winnifred, “you just a confused boy who’s figuring out what love is. I should have listened to you when you talked about how much you valued our friendship. I should have known at that point that’s all we were meant to be.”
“A boy? That’s how you see me now?”
Winnifred sat beside Gilbert on the step and lightly kissed his cheek. “A wonderful boy who is on the eve of becoming a even more wonderful man.”
“Thanks Winnifred, will you ever forgive me?”
“Darling, I’ve already planned a rendezvous with Mr. Bones.” Rose smiled. "You're on your way of being yesterday's news."
“I’ll take you home,” suggested Gilbert.
“Nonsense, spend this evening with your friends. My girlfriends are inside anyway. I’ll go home with them. Farewell, Mr. Blythe.”
And just like that Winnifred Rose, the woman Gilbert had tried so tirelessly to love, walked away.
…
Gilbert sat on the steps for quite some time, staring at the night sky. He reminisced about the evening on Miss Stacy’s porch with Anne under the same starry sky. He was torn from his trance by the sound of familiar laughter.
“Cole, I simply must take a breather! I can’t dance all evening,” cried an exasperated Anne.
“Don’t blame me! Your dance card has been filling all evening with freshmen and sophomores. You can take your pick, they’re all mad about you.”
“I’d be happy with one in his proper mind, thank you very much.” Anne stopped when she noticed Gilbert sitting on the step. “Cole, please give me a moment.”
Seeing the state of Gilbert, Cole exclaimed, “I’m famished, I’ll go and check out the buffet.”
Anne walked over and took a seat next to her lovelorn friend. “A penny for your thoughts.”
“Winnifred just ended things with us.”
Anne stretched out her hand and grabbed Gilbert’s, “I’m sorry to hear that.”
The touch of Anne’s hand sent a shiver like a soothing balm through Gilbert’s entire body.
Gilbert looked up, tears were starting to fill his eyes, he uttered the words that he had been mulling over in his mind for months. “Anne, will you marry me?”
Anne’s face turned from sympathetic friend to that of rage. She immediately stood up at commenced spilling the contents of her mind.
“Gilbert Blythe! How dare you ask me such a question at this time! Are you that desperate to find a wife that you would ask me immediately after your first choice turned you down? I may be an orphan, someone else’s hand offs, but I will be no man’s second choice.” Anne began to bolt across the yard.
Gilbert sprang to action and grabbed Anne’s arm. “That’s not how it is at all! You don’t know what happened.”
Anne shrugged Gilbert away. “I have no desire to know what happened. I told you that I was happy for you. We were starting to become friends. Now you’ve gone a ruined it.” Tears of rage and utter sadness flowed like molten lava, burning her eyes and cheeks.
Anne made a second attempt to walk away, this time Gilbert lunged in front of her. He held her by the shoulders and stared urgently into her eyes. “Anne, you have to listen. Don’t run away. Let me explain. You have to let me explain.”
The look of complete desperation convinced Anne to momentarily stand still and listen. She had grown accustomed to Gilbert’s glances over the years, but she had never witnessed it to this intensity. Was it anger? Was it fear? She couldn’t tell.
Gilbert felt a wave of courage sweep over him. “Anne, you will always be my first choice. Always. I can never cast you off, not more than I can cast off my own arm.” Gilbert took in a deep breath and intensified his gaze. “You want to know why Winnifred ended things? Because she longed for me to look at her the way I look at you. She noticed that when you were near, everyone else disappeared for me.” Gilbert’s shoulders began to relax. “I love you. I always have. Ever since you slammed that blessed slate over my head. I tried to stop loving you, especially because I knew that you hated me so.”
Anne interrupted, “I never hated you…”
Hoping to continue channeling his confidence, Gilbert smiled and said, “Anne, please let me talk.”
The harshness that had been in Anne’s expression vanished, “go on.”
“When I was away at sea, the memory of you and how you told me to come home, kept me going. I went searching for something outside of Avonlea, but something kept drawing me back. I couldn’t look at the brilliant red hues of a sunset without thinking of your fiery red tresses. I couldn’t look at the sea without remembering your deep blue-grey eyes. I couldn’t look up at the stars without thinking of those seven blessed freckles on your nose.
Anne’s eyes began to widen, no one had ever counted her freckles, to her knowledge at least.
The words continued to flow from Gilbert’s heart, “When you sent me that letter, I read it every night. When I saw you for the first time in months, even with your hair cut almost to the scalp, you were the most beautiful soul I had ever seen.”
With each utterance of the truth, Gilbert’s words flowed with more ease.
“Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, I love you.” He held her closer. “I love our friendship, but it cannot satisfy me, I need your love.”
Anne’s face softened and her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t quite believe that someone like you could love someone like me.”
“Someone like you? Someone like you? Anne, you’re… perfect, with all your quirks and imperfections, you’re perfect for me. Anne, you have such big dreams, and I don’t want to burden you with marriage yet, but will you consider me, when you’re ready?”
At this point, Anne’s eyes were filled with tears of joy.
Time seemed to stand still. All of the words were said. Gilbert’s gaze moved from Anne’s eyes to her pinkest of pink lips, then back to her eyes. “May I?”
Knowing what Gilbert meant, Anne replied, “yes”.
Under the light of the maritime moon, Gilbert traced the back of his hand down Anne’s cheek and pushed a tendril of red hair behind her ear. The same red hair that he had pulled years before in a last ditch effort to get the new girl to look at him. His hand rested on her chin. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and shortened the distance between them until they were joined together in a kiss.
Anne thought that her knees would fail her when she felt Gilbert’s hands hold her at the waist. She extended her hands up into his chestnut curls and down the back of his neck.
When they finally let go, Anne softly whispered, “Oh darling, the is the birthday of our happiness.”
Gilbert offered Anne his arm, longing that she would never let go. “Anne, my love, I still owe you a dance.”
"Just one?" Enquired Anne with a wink, "just one dance will never satisfy me, dearest".