The night of the ball was the most beautiful night Anne had yet seen. The moon was full and shone high, the pitch black sky its throne. Everything was engulfed in rich, white snow and the lights in the streets were all lit. Dainty snowflakes were dancing in the air and the scene could not be more perfect.
The night was so romantic and Anne loved every single bit of it. She had worn a coat over her gown and was now walking to the Grand Rushdon, observing her surrounding; living and breathing every moment of it.
Anne let out a breath, fog coming out of her lips. She rolled the tiny ball of crumpled paper between her fingers by habit for she was anxious about what this beautiful night had in store.
She stopped in her tracks in front of the Rushdon, ignoring all the couples that walked past her and opened the crumpled wad of paper.
Anne Shirley Cuthbert, if you would grant me the honor of being my pair to the ball, I would be beyond grateful. Meet me behind The Grand Rushdon where the ball is being held. I'll be waiting.
Sincerely,
Your Secret Admirer
Anne took a deep breath and looked up the Rushdon.
"Here goes nothing." Anne said walking in to the palace, leaving her coat by the door.
The ballroom was packed with people, ranging from all ages but school children were the majority. Everyone looked dolled up and sharp. The girls wore grand gowns with puffed sleeves like Anne's and the boys wore black suits, their hair pushed back.
Anne felt a wash of relief.
All is well. I blend in, She thought.
She imagined Princess Cordelia would have a much grander entrance but right now, despite the fact that she finally felt royal, she was thankful nobody looked at her.
This was the first time she had ever felt so elite. To ease her anxiety, she imagined herself as Princess Cordelia, looking for her knight in shining armor. She silently walked around the ballroom, trying her best to hold her chin up high as she held up her gown with her fingertips.
O knight in shining armor, I am no damsel and I need not your rescuing but your company tonight would be nice. O knight in shining armor, where are you?
She thought in her head, playing pretend.
She wanted to declare these words out loud and badly wished she could play pretend in the middle of the dance floor but she held her tongue.
O knight in shining armor, I don't need you but being alone is no fun at all.
Suddenly, her wandering blue eyes met with a pair of green ones from across the room and yet once again, the butterflies in her stomach broke loose.
Gilbert stood there from across the room, his head of jet black curls neatly laid atop his head. He wore a black suit and tie and looked quite sharp.
His mouth gaped slightly open when he caught sight of Anne. Ruby was by his side as well. She was getting food from the table behind him.
They held their gazes for what felt like eternity then Anne looked down at the ground and walked away.
Gilbert's eyes followed her. He craned his neck and stood on his toes just to see her but she got lost in the crowd.
Anne came looking for Diana, walking in increasing speed; she felt her heart drumming in her chest.
No. You will not ruin this night, Gilbert Blythe.
"Anne!" Diana called out. Anne looked in her direction recognizing the familiar voice and sure enough, standing by the fondue was Diana and her pair Charlie Sloane.
"Diana!" Anne cried in relief. She ran to her bosom friend and hugged her tightly. "Oh my goodness, you look so beautiful!" Anne said, spinning Diana around.
"As do you, Anne!" Diana giggled.
"Ehem," Charlie cleared his throat.
Anne chuckled. "You look beautiful too, Charlie."
All of them laughed in unison.
"So, Anne. Who's the lucky boy you're with tonight?" Charlie asked smiling.
"Oh, um... I'm here alone." Anne sheepishly replied.
"Oh. That's a shame. You look really stunning tonight." He said.
"Why thank you, Charlie."
"But Anne. What about--" Diana asked but she caught herself.
She looked over at Charlie and smiled at him.
"Charlie, dear. Will you please get us some cordial?" Diana smiled sweetly.
"Why of course my lady. As long as you keep calling me dear." Charlie smoothly replied walking away.
Anne chuckled.
Diana's smile disappeared, a cautious expression replacing it as she turned to Anne.
"But, Anne. What about..." She whispered, looking around if anyone can hear.
"What about the secret admirer?" She asked.
Anne sighed. "Well...I'm going to meet up with this so called admirer later, but I'm going to wait until the ball's almost over. I don't want to think about it right now. I just want to enjoy the night before involving myself into this whole ordeal. Your aunt Josephine was right; Romance is pesky business. Falling in love just...it used to be one of my highest ideals, Diana. But now that I'm so close to it, I don't know what to do. Ugh, it was much more romantic in the books."
Diana smiled pitifully at Anne. "Oh, Anne. Whatever happens, I'm always here for you all right? Just don't stress yourself out too much about this. I'm sure everything will be alright."
Anne smiled back. "Thank you." She felt a surge of ease after Diana had calmed her. Anne had a way with words but Diana had been blessed with a different gift; she always knew the right thing to say.
"Here you go, dear." Charlie said, emphasizing the new nickname Diana had created.
Anne giggled and Diana rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Charlie." Diana said.
"Ah ah ah," Charlie teasingly replied, taking the drink back.
Diana rolled her eyes again. "Thank you, dear." Diana said and Charlie smiled triumphantly, handing her the cordial.
"Thank you dear friend." Diana added to which Charlie frowned.
Anne laughed at their antics. "You two are absolutely adorable." Anne gushed. But before either Diana and Charlie could react, the tingle of a small, hand held bell drew the room's attention.
"All right everyone!" Rachel Lynde's ecstatic voice boomed across the room. She had been chosen to be the hostess for the evening. "It's time for the traditional introductory dance. So all the ladies, please form one single line at the left side of the room, and all the lads, please make a line opposite them."
Everybody did as told, the shuffling and clicking of shoes echoed in the room. Diana took Anne's wrist and pulled her into the line, with Anne standing behind her.
The soft, mellow-paced music filled the room, the rhythm of the bass bringing the notes to life.
"Now, you will get a chance to dance with multiple partners. At every ding of this bell right here," Rachel said giving the bell a small shake. "You shall switch partners with the boy or girl nearest you."
The music then increased in volume. "And....begin!" Rachel sang, ringing the bell.
Anne, unsure of what to do, imitated the rest and waltzed to the middle of the room. Her eyes looked left to right, watching as everybody got a partner when all of a sudden, somebody caught her.
"Hello there!" A man about in his early fourties looked down at Anne.
"Um, hello." Anne politely greeted.
"You're the Cuthberts' charge, aren't you? Anne is it?" He asked with a wide grin, his bushy, black beard slightly budging.
"Yes." Anne bluntly replied, not knowing what else to say.
"I'm Sebastian. I board with Gilbert, and sort of look after the boy. Worked with him at the docks and he seemed awful lonesome. But he's much better now."
Anne's mouth slightly gaped. She had heard of Sebastian before but had never met him. He was one of the few black people that lived in Avonlea and she had seen him around town but never knew that he was the Sebastian.
When Gilbert first returned to Avonlea, people were surprised to see him return with Sebastian. He was a complete stranger to the town and was yet to set foot there. At first people were skeptical; they were not very well-set on the idea of letting a stranger into their peaceful town. When Anne had first heard about him, she empathized with him remembering the time when she first moved in to Avonlea and everyone resented her for being an orphan. Of course, they had gone way easier on her since she was a child but still, she was unjustly discriminated. So she could just imagine what Sebastian must have had to go through. But as the months came and went, they eventually realized Sebastian was not a threat.
"Huh, you seem awfully quiet. Different from what I've been hearin' about ya." He chuckled to himself.
Anne suddenly looked up, her thoughts vanishing. "You-you've heard about me?" Anne asked wide-eyed. She knew she was the weird kid but she never really thought that school gossip resonated through the adults as well.
"Yes, indeed. A lot. Nothing but good things, for that matter. Gilbert seems terribly fond of you, child." He chuckled yet again to himself, shaking his head. "That boy's gone on ya." He whispered, not intending for her to hear but she did, nonetheless.
Before Anne could even react, the bell rang and another boy took Sebastian's place.
"Good evening Anne." A wide-grinned Billy Andrews greeted the redhead.
Anne didn't answer, still dazed at what Sebastian had just said. "Anne?"
"Hm?" Anne finally replied.
"You look dazzling tonight." He smiled. Anne just stared, still not used to this whole being nice thing.
"You don't look too bad yourself." She smiled, barely managing to stutter it out.
"So, did you go with anyone here tonight?" Billy asked.
"No. But I must inform you that this fact is presented with no shame." She lied. "I am not in need of the opposite gender's assistance to help me feel sufficient and wanted. I'm fine all by myself and frankly, I think I'd have more fun like this, seeing as I'm free to walk and talk with whomever I wish."
Billy chuckled at her proclamation. "Yes, you're certainly not the damsel type."
"Correct, indeed. You know Billy Andrews, this whole being nice thing is still kind of weird to me." Anne commented making Billy Andrews look down in shame.
"But I must say, I'm beginning to like you more and more!" Anne laughed and Billy looked up and smiled in relief.
"Ow!" Billy cried bending down to touch the back of his ankle.
"What is it?" Anne asked concerned.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." Gilbert said with a concerned expression but his tone insincere as he looked at Billy and Anne.
Gilbert had been dancing with Jane Andrews right behind Anne and Billy. The two pairs stopped dancing as the two boys faced each other, Anne and Jane standing behind their partners.
Anne saw Billy's jaw clench. Her eyes drifted to Gilbert and he caught her. She quickly looked elsewhere but could still feel Gilbert's stare.
"It's alright, bud." Billy said taking Anne's hand and leading her to dance again.
Once they've waltzed a bit further from Gilbert, Anne asked. "What happened?"
"He accidentally stepped on the back of my ankle. It's all right though. I'm sure it was an honest mistake." He smiled.
The bell dinged and once more, they had to switch.
"Till we meet again, fair Anne." He said with a slight bow and Anne blushed.
She suddenly saw Gilbert watching them. For a moment, Anne thought she saw a slight hint of hurt in his eyes but she averted her gaze and immediately looked for another partner.
Gilbert was standing about thirty feet away from Anne which meant he had to really walk across the ballroom just to be near her. Anne saw him approaching and quickly grabbed Moody which was the closest boy. Gilbert saw and took Ruby's hand instead, just to wait it out before the next ding. He was determined he would have a dance with Anne tonight. His eyes never left Anne to keep track of her until he heard Ruby's shaky breaths. He looked down at a wide eyed, pink cheeked Ruby who was shakily breathing as she looked up to his tall stature. "H-hi Gilbert." She squeaked.
At this moment, he realized that he'd made it look like the embarrassing, hasty twelve paces he walked across the middle of the dance floor was meant for Ruby and he inwardly cursed himself.
"Hey, Ruby." He greeted flashing her a boyish grin. He found it odd that she still acted so nervous around him even though she'd been with him almost the entire night.
Gilbert and Ruby awkwardly waltzed together until the next ding of the bell.
"Switch!" Rachel Lynde called out.
Gilbert spun as everyone else did and tried to move to Anne, but she had seen him and panicked resulting for her to grab Josie Pye who was the nearest person.
"Oh great." Josie deadpanned, her voice monotonous and Anne guiltily smiled at her.
Gilbert chuckled which Anne heard and shot him a deathly glare.
"That's the first acknowledgement you've granted me all night." Gilbert, who was now dancing with Diana, said with a sly smile.
Anne huffed and stuck her chin up, refusing to look at Gilbert. Josie rolled her eyes while Diana held in a smile.
"You look absolutely pulchritudinous tonight, Anne." Gilbert remarked sending her the smile that made her heartbeat go wild.
"Trust Gilbert Blythe to use the entire thesaurus in one sentence." Anne shot back. At times like these, Josie Pye's insults truly came in handy.
Gilbert raised his brows, impressed when Josie scoffed, rolling her blue eyes. "Right. Says the actual embodiment of the thesaurus." Josie snapped. Anne flushed in embarrassment, wishing for nothing more than the bell to ring.
Gilbert chuckled. "Bet you can't spell it." He said to Anne.
Anne raised a brow, still flustered but did not back down to the challenge.
"Pulchritudinous, P-U-L-C-H-R-I-T-U-D-I-N-O-U-S, adjective, descendant of the Latin word pulcher meaning attractive or breathtakingly beautiful."
Diana smiled proudly, Josie looked confused and Gilbert just smiled in awe.
Ding!
At the very moment the bell rang, Gilbert hastily pulled Anne toward him. He smiled triumphantly down at a nervous looking Anne.
"And that's the end of the introductory dance!" Rachel Lynde happily exclaimed to the crowd. They started clapping and going back to their seats.
"Saved by the bell." Anne muttered, giving him a delightful, mischievous grin.
Gilbert's eyes followed her as she happily skipped off somewhere else, a smile creeping up his tired face.
You're something else Anne Shirley.
He thought to himself.
******
People started to grow tired after a few hours and the once loud, excited atmosphere was now mellow and satisfied. The indistinct chatters were now softer and the tone of the party had shifted to a more relaxed vibe. Soft music played in the background tirelessly by the band against the voices of the crowd.
But as the ball turned calmer, the more relentless Anne Shirley became.
Her inevitable meeting with this secret admirer is imminently approaching and she could not be more anxious.
I could just go straight home and pretend I've never read the note. She thought as she fiddled with the piece of paper. She'd thought about bailing countless times this evening but she thought it would be awfully cruel not to show up.
And my curiosity would undoubtedly send me to my grave.
She thought.
Her eyes scanned the room; Diana was softly laughing with Charlie at a different table, Josie looked bored out of her mind as Michael Jones talked beside her and her classmates danced in the middle of the room with their partners. But even with this innocent scan, she couldn't help but feel guilty for deep down, she knew that her eyes were looking for someone.
Maybe he's taken Ruby home. She thought, a churning pit of envy brewing in her stomach. She thought of how beautiful the moonlight outside was and how romantic their walk must have been. She sighed in frustration. She rested her chin on her hand, a frown across her face when she suddenly caught a glimpse of the painting across the room.
Her heart skipped a beat, though it was unknown to her why. It was the painting Mrs. Lynde had talked about earlier. As she stared at the painted lovers, she remembered how Rachel said that it reminded her of Marilla and John Blythe. She imagined how hard it must have been, having to leave the love of your life behind for the sake of others. Her eyes then drifted to Ruby sitting all alone and Marilla's voice started ringing in her ears.
If I had been a little selfish.
Maybe I'd have a different life.
And at that very moment, her heart raced at the sudden memory of Gilbert and how terribly similar her situation was with Marilla's.
Her eyes widened at the sudden realization that Ruby was alone. She looked over to Ruby just to be certain her eyes were not tricking her and sure enough she was. Ruby was sitting all alone in a deserted table, drinking a small glass of cherry cordial.
But if Ruby's alone, then where's Gilbert? She thought.
She read the note in her hand and connected the pieces together.
If Gilbert's not here then...maybe...
She thought but shook her head.
No, he can't be.
Was it possible that Gilbert Blythe was the one waiting for her outside?
Suddenly feeling a spontaneous surge of courage, she stood up and decided to finally meet the secret admirer.
As she raced to the back of the Rushdon, her head was clouded with thoughts of Gilbert standing outside in the cold, waiting for her, looking charming as ever. Hands in his pockets, all red nosed and shivering but smiling nonetheless. This thought erased any feeling of doubt or care about the consequences that are ahead.
I'm going to be selfish. Just this once. For me.
She thought smiling.
As she came near, she reached out for the door knob and opened the door widely and hastily to avoid last minute hesitations.
The icy air greeted her pale face and gaped at the boy standing in front of her. Hands in his pockets, red nosed, shivering and smiling just like she imagined.
"Billy?"