Anne with an E The Next Chapter

Old Ghosts in Charlottetown

Anne looked at him urging him to move, but could see he was having none of it. Anne stepped forward, realizing one of them had to collect Delli. With a tentative and nervous move, she walked up the narrow hall.

"Hi Winnifred". A shocked Winnie looked at her and inhaled audibly "hello....Anne, how do you do ?"

Anne fumbled for her words "Winnifred hi, it's nice to see you. Delphine, come here darling. I am...we...Dr. Ward, uhhh".

Gilbert then emerge from the hallway looking more confident, handsome and together that he had just moments ago.
"Hello Winnie" he said quietly.

"Oh, Gilbert" she said slowly "hello"

She looked back and forth between the two of them and then to Delphine, confused by what she was seeing.

"Have have you already?"

"Oh! Ha ha, God NO" said Anne, a bit too loudly for Gilbert's taste. "We've been apart for a year, studies and... you know, life, just the same old way as it was before".

Gilbert looked at Anne, puzzled and bit embarrassed. "Delphine is our friend's daughter...you remember Bash. We went to see her family for the day and gave Sebastian a day off to help him out". 

"Of course, Delphine... hello there" said Winnifred bending down to talk to Delli who held her finger tightly.

As she stood back up, Gilbert met her eyes and asked "What are you doing back from Paris?"

Anne couldn't help but sense the strange energy between she and Gilbert. She only ever saw them together once before, at the fair and the barn dance. She hadn't really spent much time watching the two of them that time so she had nothing to compare it too. They seemed to be on the same level intellectually, not so much differently then he and Anne, but there was something else. He seemed to look at her differently and it was unsettling to Anne.

She felt uncomfortable standing their in front of them while they talked and caught up, like she was in their way. She wondered why she felt so intimidated. She remembered the way Winnie had shared the news with her last fall and given those circumstances she should be grateful and feel confident being around her.

Her mind drifted off to that day while Gilbert and Winnie talked about medical school;

"He really told you nothing? Winnie had said.

Anne was puzzled..."Told me what?".

Winnifred had hesitated, then walked over reluctantly to Anne, searching her eyes for some clue about how this ridiculous girl could not be head over heels for him.

"Are you not aware...have you not even a clue what he's done for you. He's giving it all up because he has feelings for you, which you, sadly, are not the slightest bit preoccupied with. How could you not love a person like Gilbert?" Winnifred had said.

"I'm sorry, what? I thought you were leaving for Paris together ...What are you saying...give it all up? "

"He came to tell me two weeks ago that he couldn't come to Paris.  That his heart belongs to someone else and he couldn't come with me. I could guess in an instant it was you. Your connection was evident, but clearly it's not enough for a girl like you...quite a practical person" Winnie had said looking disgusted.

"I'm sorry?" Anne was confused. What did she mean by connection

"Are you dense? Anne, Gilbert loves you!" Winnie had said.

"I...I didn't know" Anne said "I thought he was going to Paris, he said nothing to me". Anne looked around, dazed and feeling her heart beat in her ears. "It can't be true... I told him how I feel. "Winnifred" Anne looked up at her feeling guilty now "I'm so sorry, I wrote him a letter telling him I love him...I fear I ruined everything. But... he wrote me back telling me he didn't love me". She stared out, looking at nothing, trying to put it all together "but then I ripped it up. I ripped it before I read it and...oh God....I didn't read it!"