Forever Red - an Anne and Gilbert Story

11. A near Miss

Chapter song
Another story by The Head and the Heart
----------------------------

Two days of Mrs Knightley's teachings had passed, if you could call them that, before it was announced that the new teacher would arrive the very next day. Relief echoed around the schoolhouse, followed by curiosity.
The new teacher was to be a 'Miss Stacy' and they were given very little information other than her name. Naturally this simply made her an even bigger topic of conversation, between both the children and the adults of Avonlea.

"I hope she's respectable, and stern enough to rule those children well " Mrs Lynde mused on the porch, chatting with Marilla over tea, although at this point it was more of a monologue. "Lord knows some of the boys are a handful, no point in being a pushover." Helping herself go a generous slice of Marilla's ginger cake she continued,"Of course she can't be anything less respectable than that Mr Phillips, fancy carrying on with a student like that! Poor Priscilla Andrews was fully blinded by that horrid man, fancying herself in love. Barely sixteen years old, what would she know of such things? "
" You were engaged when you were less than a year older" Marilla added mildly, earning her a splutter and a glare, but Mrs Lynde did not respond to her comment, instead preferring to continue as if she hadn't spoken at all.
"No, let us hope this Miss Stacy is a model of virtue, propriety, Godliness and good old fashioned teaching methods."

Mrs Lynde seemed to find that the more fervently she proclaimed something, the more likely it was to happen, (as most of Avonlea was desperate to avoid her admonishment or criticism); however on this subject she was to be unsatisfied-she just didn't know it yet.

Anne had been pleased that the new teacher was to be a woman but hoped that she would not be modelled on the stern Mrs Knightley. Anne liked to assign a colour to people sometimes when she first met them, to help make some sense of who they were. Diana for example had been a pale yellow. Warm and sunny, comforting, kind, delicate, refined, and beautiful all at once. Mrs Knightley was certainly grey, and a flat grey not a soft dove grey or a multi-toned stormy grey. Just a flat grey of bleak feelings and no depth. She was beside herself with impatience to know her new teachers' colour.
She had managed to gather rather meagre scraps of information from what she'd heard. Her new teacher was called Miss Stacy, was quite young, and would be arriving that very day in Avonlea.
Anne hoped she'd be kind and smart and at least have a little imagination, but even should would not have pictured how her new teacher would turn out.

Miss Stacy was infact not a Miss at all. Having lost her husband at a very young age she reverted to Miss rather than keep her married name, which many folk found peculiar. Miss Stacy didn't pay much heed to what many folk thought.
She infact regularly took no heed at all, and as a result was quite accomplished in many things that would not usually be experienced by Woman very often, if at all. Miss Stacy saw no value in such narrow thinking and decided that almost anything could be done by a woman if she so pleased. So, she learnt to fish, fire a pistol, chop wood, she rode a motorcycle, learnt to ride a horse front ways not just side saddle, she fixed windows and shelves, read widely, she questioned and explored and pushed into places where only men were usually allowed and refused to be bullied out of there. She had, on several occasions, wore men's clothing, and found trousers to be far more comfortable and practical than ever a skirt was. She wasn't afraid of being bold, and so it was with some trepidation she found herself on the way to a small school in a quiet corner of Prince Edward Island, called Avonlea. There was a cottage and the pay wasn't completely abysmal, and they'd needed her right away which was a blessing. Apparently there had been a scandal with the previous schoolmaster and an older student but she hadn't been privy to the details. His sharp exit had been her salvation from having to pack up her beloved book collection to sell just to eat. It seemed that fate had intervened and now she was on her way to meet a roomful of curious and eager students, who were wondering exactly who was this new schoolmistress of theirs.

As Anne arrived to class it was a strange sight that stood before her.
She was the last but one to arrive, and every single child was already sat at their desks, slate out, poised for the new arrival. Only Moody wasn't yet there. All heads swivelled briefly as she came in, but they soon turned back around once they realised it was her and not the mysterious Miss Stacy. Only one faced a little longer in her direction, but she didn't see the hazel eyes fix on her, so swept up was she with getting her desk in order like everyone else.
Moody ran in ten minutes later, all red and out of breath but thankfully before the new teacher had made it.
She actually arrived fifteen minutes after the bell should have rung for the start of lessons, but with no teacher to preside over such things no one had dared to ring it.
Miss Stacy arrived in a flurry of activity, sighs and floral displays, and to some audible gasps from her students. She waltzed into the schoolroom announcing herself, trailing mud across the floor which also had seeped a good foot up her skirts. She had a smart blue hat on her head which helped keep her golden hair in place, but the real focal point was an array of buttercups, daisies and blossoms hung haphazardly around her hat.
More than half her students openly gaped, Anne included, although her shock was more delight.
Turning abruptly as she got to the front of the class she faced them all with a brief smile.
"Good morning children, I'm Miss Stacy and I'm your new teacher. I apologise for my tardiness but my horse went lame and I had to walk the last mile. Thankfully there were a few treasures on the way" she indicated her hat, slowly removing it. "So, given that it's a sunny day, how about we all head outdoors and then I have half a hope of drying off this mud!"
Thirty shocked faces looked up at her.
"Who would be so kind as to lead the way to a suitable space for us to all sit?"
Silence.
"Will we need our slates Miss Stacy?" Jane whispered bravely.
"No, I'd like us to talk and get to know one another a little before any lessons."
Mouths hung open around the room.
"Well, I'm sure you're not always this silent!" she proclaimed, and then suddenly turning to Anne she asked "Would you lead us to a sitting space?"
Anne nodded and smiled but didn't say a word. Somehow they all filed out into the green meadow behind the school, and within the hour found themselves seated in a circle, no work to be seen, most with flowers in their hair, even the boys, and more laughter than had ever been heard before in Avonlea school.