Mrs. Lynde didn't know what to make of it. What was Anne thinking, allowing some man other than Gilbert Blythe to court her? Didn't Anne know that it was dangerous to trust someone that wasn't from Avonlea? And it was very clear that Providence had planned for Gilbert and her to be married. At least that was clear to Rachel Lynde.

"Marilla. I think it is high time we do something about Anne and Gilbert." Rachel announced to Marilla as they were both making pies for the upcoming church luncheon.

Marilla rolled her weakening eyes, knowing her friend's well-meaning but nosy nature. "What about Anne and Gilbert?"

"What about Anne and Gilbert?! Why, Marilla! I didn't think you so dense! I mean about getting them to marry!"

"Rachel. Don't you go meddling with them. If it is meant to happen, it will happen."

"I won't be meddling. All I'm going to do is give them a push. I know that the good Lord made them for each other ever since Anne arrived here. Didn't I say that, Marilla?"

"No, you didn't. And if the good Lord means for it to happen, He will make it happen without your help, Rachel Lynde!" Marilla responded as she walked out of the kitchen to get something from the pantry.

Rachel harrumphed. "Well, I guess I will have to do this by myself." She shook her head at Marilla's stubbornness and continued preparing her pie crust as she began to devise a plan.

The fall passed, with its autumnal hues of crimson and gold fading into the barren browns of winter. Marilla forgot about Rachel's announcement, but Mrs. Lynde's mind had already developed the perfect plan. There was no possibility of failure in her mind. This plan simply must work. "Marilla! When is Anne going to get here? I dislike her traveling so much!"

"She will get here when she gets here," was the only reply the ever serious Marilla had.

Mrs. Lynde paced the floor. The tiniest snowflakes were beginning to fall and Mrs. Lynde had the feeling that if Anne didn't get here soon, she was going to be stuck in a snowstorm. Davy entered the house. "Jehoshaphat! It's freezing outside!" he exclaimed.

The next few minutes were spent in preparing Dora and Davy for Anne's arrival. "Davy, go fix your hair! You look like a street urchin! Dora, pinch your cheeks. You need some color." The twins obeyed silently, knowing the futileness of arguing with the imperious Mrs. Lynde. Her many commands were the only thing to fill the minutes of waiting for their dear Anne.

Anne wriggled her nose as a snowflake landed on it. Her silvery laughter filled the night air. Gilbert was transfixed for a moment as he heard the sound from ahead of him. A boyish grin appeared on his face. Anne was home! Having arrived yesterday night, he hadn't been able to talk to Mrs. Lynde to find out when Anne would be home. He rushed to catch up to her. Wasn't he glad that he had decided to thank Mrs. Lynde tonight for the welcome home pie that she had sent with Davy! "Anne!" he called out.

Anne's heart leaped when she heard her friend's voice. Turning to meet him, she responded with a smile. "Gil!" She missed the times when they been close friends, the wayit was before he proposed. Why did he have to ruin their friendship? With that thought came the nagging voice, "If it's only friendship, why do you get jealous when you see him with Christine?" Shoving that thought aside, she continued, "How have you been? It's seems like ages since we've actually talked."

Gil responded, "I know. Kind of crazy to even think that we are at the same college."

"Yes. I wish that we could be with each other more. Isn't good to be home for Christmas, though? And a week before to prepare too!" Anne quickly changed the subject. Gil's heart beat a little quicker, though, at Anne's statement. "She wants to be with me! But Anne is still the same. She only means that as a friend. After all, she has Roy."

"Yes, it's great to be with my family. I've been worried about my dad. He isn't nearly as strong as he used to be."

Sighing sympathetically, Anne said, "I understand. I'm constantly worrying about Marilla and her eyesight. I guess I shouldn't since she had Mrs. Lynde."

"Mrs. Lynde will take good care of her. Mrs. Lynde loves nothing more than nursing people. Well, besides gossip perhaps."

Anne giggled, and then gasped. At this point, the couple had walked onto the bridge over the Lake of Shining Waters, and the beauty of the rippling water in the winter dusk caused Anne to exclaim, "Oh! There couldn't be any place more wonderful than Avonlea! Isn't it marvelous?"

Gil watched Anne for a moment as he murmured his agreement. She stared at the lake, mesmerized by the simple beauty that Avonlea held. The snowflakes gently descended and melted once they hit the pond water. Turning, she commented that they must hurry or they would be stuck in the snow. They talked the whole while until they reached Green Gables. Reaching the gate, Anne said to Gilbert, "Thank you for walking with me. It made the walk much more fun!"

Gilbert responded, "Glad you let me. I actually need to go in to Green Gables to thank Mrs. Lynde. She sent a pie over with Davy yesterday." Anne blushed, making her already pink cheeks a little pinker.

"Oh, I didn't realize that." They entered the house together and were immediately attacked by Davy's overwhelming hugs. "ANNE! YOU'RE HERE! AND GIL CAME WITH YOU!" Mrs. Lynde approached from the kitchen. "Davy! Don't strangle the poor girl! She's just had to trek all over Creation to get here!" Anne and Gilbert chuckled together.

Marilla walked in. "Anne!" was all she could say before she enveloped her in a hug. Whispering into her ear, Marilla said, "I've missed you so much." When the two finally pulled apart, both of their eyes were misty. Dora quietly slipped over and hugged Anne. "It's really good to have you home, Anne."

"Sure is!" agreed Davy. The group laughed at Davy's animation. Gilbert finally spoke, "I just wanted to thank you for the pie, Mrs. Lynde. It was delicious."

"No problem, Gilbert. I'm glad you came over. I wanted to invite you to the little Christmas party we're going to have here next Tuesday. The Barrys will be coming and so will the Gillis family. Oh, and that Wright boy, too. What's his name? Oh, yes, Fred. We would love to have your company."

"Well, I-"

"Now I will simply not take no for an answer. You're coming, and that's that," Mrs. Lynde cut in. Gilbert nodded his head and said, "All right. I guess I will see you then. Good night."

"Good night, Gil." Anne said as Gil walked back outside. Marilla promptly led Anne in to the parlor. "You must be freezing!" The rest of the evening was spent retelling the events that had happened at college and at Patty's Place. Anne was at peace, back home in her beautiful Green Gables, but Mrs. Lynde had a smug look on her face that made Marilla loathe the thought of finding out the meaning of it.

The days passed quickly, with numerous friends to visit and preparations for Christmas to be made. Green Gable's parlor was richly embellished with garland and ribbon, and the entire house was filled with the fragrant scent of the Christmas tree that took up the larger portion of that same parlor. "Honestly, Anne, I don't know why you wanted such a large tree. A small one would have been quite good enough." Marilla said in exasperation.

"I don't want just good enough! I want magnificent!" Anne chirped. The house was buzzing with excitement. Tonight was the Christmas party! Davy flew around the house, doing chore after chore for Mrs. Lynde without complaining even once. After all, he couldn't risk misbehaving so near Christmas! What if Saint Nicholas saw and gave him coal for Christmas? Even if Marilla was right about him not really being the one to give the gifts, he didn't want to ruin his chances with Mrs. Lynde. She was fluttering about, fixing this chair and fiddling with that cushion. Everything had to be right. "Do you need me to do something else, Mrs. Lynde?" Davy asked.

"No, I don't think- wait," she gasped. "Come here." She whispered into his ear for a minute; then he eagerly nodded his head and grinned in return, rushing out the door. This little conference grabbed Marilla's attention.

"Rachel, what was that about?" she questioned.

"What was what about, Marilla?"

"Why were you whispering in Davy's ear?"

"Oh, I was just asking him to fetch me something from outside." Rachel replied as she exited into the kitchen to check her pies and avoid Marilla's further questioning. Marilla watched Rachel for a moment. She didn't like Rachel's secrecy one bit. Rachel had something up her sleeve and that fact unnerved Marilla. What could it possibly be? That question plagued Marilla for the rest of the afternoon until the guests started to arrive.

Her question might have been answered had she looked at what Davy brought in his handkerchief and handed to Mrs. Lynde. Mrs. Lynde placed the little package into her apron pocket and smiled to herself. Yes, so far the plan was going perfectly.

"Diana!" Anne squealed as she ran to meet Diana. Diana's dark eyes sparkled brightly as she hugged Anne. "Oh, Anne. You don't know how much I've missed you!"

"And I you! I have so much to tell you!"

"I hope some of it has to do with Roy..." Diana responded as Anne began to drag her into the parlor. Then calling out over her shoulder, Anne said, "Oh hello, Mr. and Mrs. Barry!"

They chuckled. "They are both so grown up, yet they still act like little girls, don't they, Marilla?"

"Yes, they still act very much like little girls sometimes." Marilla smiled as she reminisced for a moment. She led the Barrys into the parlor and let the Gillis family in also. Gilbert and Fred came in shortly after the Gillis family. The parlor was full to the brim, whatever space the tree did not claim occupied by some person. Laughter filled the air as they talked of times gone by.

Ruby said after several stories, "I remember the time when we all thought Anne died when we pretended she was the Lady of Shallot and the boat sank. I almost passed out because I thought we killed her."

Mrs. Lynde shook her head. "I never did understand why you all had to do that ridiculous acting! Why wouldn't you be happy with what the Lord made you?"

"What was even more hilarious was the face Anne made when I came to rescue her off the piling. Then, she actually told me that she was very capable of getting back to shore by herself, as she threw her nose into the air," Gilbert said with a chuckle. The whole group laughed again as Gil mimicked Anne's face. "The whole time she was clinging to the pilling for dear life, soaked already."

Anne's cheeks were flushed as she defended herself, "I did not look that ridiculous."

Gil smirked. "Yes, you did. And when I delivered you at the shore safely, I barely received a proper thank you."

"I thanked you!"

"If you can count that." He responded with a smirk.

"Well, supper is ready everyone! Let's go eat it before it gets cold and stop this idle fiddle faddle." Mrs. Lynde intervened, but she didn't miss the look that passed between Anne and Gilbert as everyone rose from their seats. Yes, everything was going to turn out just right.

The sun was just beginning to set as supper concluded. "Why don't we take a walk?" Anne proposed. Quickly Diana agreed. Fred and Gil rose up with them and they grabbed their coats. Soon after the four of them began to walk, Fred and Diana separated from Anne and Gilbert. For several moments, the two walked in comfortable silence. "Isn't the sound of the snow crunching under your feet delightful!" Anne murmured. Gilbert glanced at Anne, admiration evident in his eyes. "You'll always be the same, Anne. No matter what."

They chatted amiably until another interval of silence occurred. "How are you and Roy?" Gil forced himself to ask.

"Oh, we're fine."

This time the silence hung awkwardly in the air. "How are you and Christine?" Anne asked.

"Me and Christine? I don't understand."

"Aren't you courting Christine?" Anne turned to look at Gilbert.

"No. I'm not. Where did you get that idea?" Gil was shocked. Anne thought he was courting Christine?

"I just thought- You two were always together." Anne's cheeks flushed hotly.

"She's my friend's sister. He asked to make sure she felt comfortable at school."

"Oh." Guilt pricked her heart as she walked next to Gil. Why hadn't she told him that she had refused Roy? She didn't want him to gloat that he was happy with Christine and now she didn't have Roy. She finally turned. "Roy asked me to marry him."

Gil's heart sank. Even though it had been over a year since Anne refused him, he hadn't stopped loving her, not for a single moment. He swallowed. "Congratulations."

"I said no." Gil turned on his heels to look at Anne. She couldn't be serious. But once he looked into her gray-green eyes, he knew she was. "Why?"

"Because I didn't love him." Much as he knew it was wrong, Gilbert couldn't help but feel joy at her words. It gave him a reason to hope that he still might win her. By this time, the two were standing on the porch just past the steps. The moon shone a brilliant white, cloaking everything in its soft light. They looked at each other. Gil glanced up. "Anne, do you know what that is?"

She followed his gaze. "That's mistletoe."

He grinned. "Well, I guess that means I have to do this." He leaned in and gently kissed her. She yielded, completely unaware that they were being watched.

From inside the kitchen, Mrs. Lynde smiled. Davy walked in. "Did it work?"

She responded, "Perfectly, it worked perfectly."

The next day, Marilla turned to Rachel. "Rachel, you never did tell me what you sent Davy out for."

"Oh, it was nothing. I don't even remember myself." As much as Marilla disliked it, she was not going to find out. This triumph belonged to Rachel Lynde, and Rachel Lynde alone.

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