In the Woods When First We Met

18. Truth

Anne pulled her skirt up a tiny bit, turning away from him so he wouldn't see, and looked at her ripped petticoat.

Thirteen stitches. That was all she had done so far.

Twenty stitches to an inch, she remembered learning.

She looked at the long, long jagged piece of cloth still to sew. Even if she sewed her stitches a much further apart, cheating a little on the size, it would take her forever to finish it all.

She began to cry, turned away from him. She couldn't help it.

"Hey," Gilbert said softly, reaching out and touching her shaking shoulder. "What can I do?"

"Nothing," Anne said shakily, trying to stop her tears.

"Look, I...I could try. I could sew it," Gilbert offered.

Anne wiped her eyes. "You can sew?"

Gilbert nodded. "I can't say I've had a lot of practice. You didn't see little white doilies underneath vases anywhere in my house, did you?"

Anne smiled, closing her eyes. "Doilies aren't sewn. They're crocheted."

Gilbert smiled at her. "So you can see my knowledge of needlework."

Anne laughed.

Gilbert smiled, "Well, I'm no expert, but I do my own mending."

"Your mother doesn't do the mending?"

"No," Gilbert said, his eyes downcast.

Before Anne could respond to that, he brightened up and said, "So why don't you let me give it a try. I can manage it. I can't promise you it will look very nice, though."

Anne said, "If it's sewn badly, at least it's sewn. I just don't want to go home with a big strip of cloth hanging loose. Once my wrist is better I can fix it."

"Can you?" Gilbert asked.

"Yes, it's easy. You just cut open the stitches and re-sew it."

"Would the Cuthberts really be angry with you for ripping it?" Gilbert asked.

"It's not that...I just don't want the rip to show because...well, it's just that I don't want to have to explain it...I mean, if I tell Marilla I ripped it off, she'll call me careless. And if I tell her the truth, she'll want to know how it came about that Billy ripped it off."

Gilbert stopped and looked at her. "Billy ripped it off?"

There was a strange look on his face.

Anne flushed.

"I just...assumed you'd stepped on it when you fell?" Gilbert said, looking confused.

Anne bit her lip. "Well...he ripped it himself, but...it was...it just...happened."

Gilbert looked at her a moment. "Why would he...."

Anne cut in, sounding annoyed, "Are you going to help me or not?"

"Yeah," Gilbert said, "Of course. Do you want..." Gilbert looked down at her skirt. So they had settled on him sewing up the petticoat, but actually doing it was another matter. He didn't know quite how to start. "Uh...do you want....I guess you'll have to..."

Anne blushed, too, realizing she'd have to let him see it. She pulled her petticoat out as much as she could, but there was no avoiding it- she'd have to pull her skirt up and tuck it around herself, letting her petticoat be almost completely exposed.

They both looked awkward for a moment and avoided each other's eyes.

Gilbert threaded the needle and then looked at the petticoat. His hand shook a little when he reached out to touch it.