┍━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┑

chapter thirty seven

|aunt josephine|

┕━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┙

"and now, with cole and diana allowed to go, as their parents feel a piano concert will be most educational... we were hoping you would reconsider," anne explained to marilla.

millie quickly notice that something is wrong with marilla.

"marilla? are you alright?" millie asked as she reached to marilla.

"i'll leave it to you, michael, " marilla blurted out, causing matthew to looked at her.

millie knew that the cuthbert's deceased brother was called 'michael' and she was confused why marilla suddenly mentioned his name.

"matthew," marilla corrected to herself, "and yes, i am alright."

matthew immediately stood up from the fireplace.

"i'll allow it," matthew answered but millie is still focusing on marilla to celebrate about it.

"we're going!" diana exclaimed as she hugged anne, "we're going!"

"come! help us pack!" anne exclaimed as she, diana, and cole was walking upstairs to their room, "i couldn't bear it if my puff sleeves were crushed for the party!"

millie stayed with marilla and matthew in the fireplace.

"why aren't you still packing?" marilla asked her.

"uh, are you alright? i could stay here with you two," millie said. she really prioritized matthew and marilla's help even if it the reason she can't go to the party.

marilla shook her head, "nonsense. go and help your sister pack your things. matthew and i will be fine here. besides, i want you to keep an eye to your sister."

millie smiled as she hugged both matthew and marilla, "oh! thank you so much! this is the first party i'm going to attend! thank you for reconsidering it! i'll be packing now," millie exclaimed as she walked upstairs to catch up on her friends.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

"i-i left you something so you don't forget us," anne said, "i love you!" she exclaimed as diana called her and run.

millie smiled at the two, "we'll be going now. i'll be sure to keep an eye on anne. goodbye, marilla and matthew," she said as she hugged them both.

she catches up with anne and the others as they all go inside of the barry's carriage. she turned around and gave the cuthberts the last wave saying goodbye.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

"welcome, my lovelies. this will be the scene of the crime," greeted miss josephine as she's showing them the party location.

"oh, goodness me," diana muttered.

millie stared in the room with awe, the room was full of beautiful flowers. it's like a paradise to millie, and she will definitely love the party.

"oh! oh, i've dreamed about parties before, and while i do believe i have quite a capable imagination... it's never conjured up anything like this," anne rambled.

"i'm exceptionally excited to hear cécile chaminade play, " diana said as she run where the piano was located.

"miss barry spared no expenses to get people through the beak winter," said rolling, miss josephine's butler.

"oh! how wonderful!" anne exclaimed.

"i can't take credit for gertrudes's idea. this was her night. i couldn't bring myself to have this party last year... without her," miss josephine said, "well, time marches on, doesn't it?" she said while she's walking as the teenagers followed her.

"how... did you find yourselves roped in this fiasco?" miss josephine asks to both millie and cole.

"uh, i'm millie, ma'am. mildred turner-cuthbert of green gables, and this is cole, ma'am. cole mackenzie," millie introduces.

"so much ma'am in your introduction. you can call me aunt josephine or aunt jo, millie of green gables," aunt josephine said as she smiled brightly at the blond headed girl.

"cole was our hero," anne said.

"without him, we wouldn't have been permitted to come," diana added.

"yes, ma-- aunt josephine. i bet the artistic in cole love all of this," millie said.

"millie..." cole said.

"it's still who you are," millie answered.

"not anymore," cole told to millie.

they all give a sad look on cole. he turn to miss josephine, "i'm happy to be here, even so."

aunt josephine smiled at both millie and cole as she speak, "let's get you some supper. and then, off to bed. tomorrow is a big day."

cole followed diana as anne stay a bit longer to the location. aunt josephine and millie slowly followed diana and cole.

"thank you for your warm welcome to us, aunt josephine," millie politely said.

"it is not big of a deal. i'm glad to have you children here and i'm sure is gertrude too."

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

millie and anne silently knocked on aunt josephine's room.

"yes, come in."

millie and anne comes in to miss josephine's answer.

"oh, is something the matter, girls?" aunt josephine asked to the cuthberts sisters.

"um... we've never been... to a party before, and we're wondering if you would tell us what to expect, and how we should behave and how... how should we... be?" anne explained as millie nodded.

"you two should expect a riotous good time. and you two need not to be anyone but simply yourselves," aunt josephine told to them.

"oh, but i have such a history of doing just that and getting it all wrong and not fitting in, and it seems i'm not like everyone else..." anne rambled.

"then you've come to the correct party," aunt josephine said.

the girls looked at miss josephine before a book caught their eyes.

"jane eyre!" the cuthbert sisters both exclaimed, "i remember you were reading that last year," added anne.

"oh, can we borrow it? i mean it is quite alright if we can't," millie said as anne reached for the book.

"i suppose gertrude wouldn't mind, " aunt josephine said, making the cuthbert sisters looked at her, "those were her books. they sit just where she left them."

"that's what you meant by... in your way, you were married," millie said.

"yes, " aunt josephine answered.

"oh," millie muttered as she place her hand on the top of aunt josephine's hand.

"we've never read... chapter ten. it's felt like a hole in our soul," anne said as she scan the book.

"we've never read that chapter. t-the matron in the orphanage tore the book apart, so we didn't read some chapters," millie explained.

aunt josephine looked at them with an sympathetic look as she looked back at the book in anne's hand.

"must have been one of her favorite parts. she could quote many passages from many authors."

"she was a kindred spirit," anne said.

"i didn't know gertrude but, i bet she's an amazing and lovely woman," millie said

"she'd always recite something at this party. i'd be honored if you two would on her behalf."

"it would be our pleasure, aunt josephine," millie said as she and anne let out a chuckle.

"oh, good."

"now, now, you two must go to bed," aunt josephine said.

anne nodded and said goodnight to aunt josephine.

"aren't you coming, millie?" anne asked her sister.

"you go now, night," millie answered as anne nods and leave aunt josephine's room.

millie turned to anne josephine as she hugged her.

after they pulled away millie spoke, "thank you very much, aunt josephine. thank you for making anne happy by letting her borrow the book. we'll make sure that our recite tomorrow is excellent."

aunt josephine smiled, "it is my pleasure, dear girl. i can see your sister loving to anne. she is an amazing girl, just like you are."