December 14th, 1899
Dearest Gil,
Believe me, you don’t need to explain the symptoms of lovesickness, for I promise I’m well acquainted with every single one of them myself. It’s a matter of days until we reunite, and I feel like crawling out of my skin whenever I think about it. The thought of seeing you, holding you, kissing you again thrills me so, and my whole body tingles with anticipation. Just the fact that you may not have time to squeeze one last letter in before we see each other again sends my heart a flutter! I can hardly wait to experience the world with you by my side, and I’m glad the feeling is mutual. I wish you luck in your exams, and most of all I wish you the ability to concentrate and actually grasp the information. I’m having trouble doing just that, and I wouldn’t want to be the culprit if you somehow end up neglecting a patient in the future!
I confess I teared up reading your memories of the Lacroix wedding. I’ve already told you how much I miss our dear Mary, and you’re absolutely right—she deserved more. I hadn’t dwelled on how much the holidays would affect Bash though; I’ll make sure to think of something I can do for him. I confess to thinking of him as a brother too, and I worry I’ll never be able to repay him for the joy he constantly brings into my life.
I’m grateful you feel like you can share your every thought and feeling with me, for I feel exactly the same and never wish for anything to be left unsaid between the two of us. It is daunting to think of a whole life ahead, with its joys and sorrows and everything in between waiting for us. I wish I could tell you I’m not terrified of it, but the truth is, I’ve always been wary of change. When I was a child, I learned to fear it, for as much as I always hoped for happiness, change usually led to quite the opposite. I have slowly taught myself to accept it, and the truth is, I’ve recently realized I welcome any change that brings you closer to me. Life seems less daunting and more appealing with you by my side, Gilbert Blythe.
Speaking of change, one I will always welcome is the change towards a kinder, more accepting society, as you well know. I’m incredibly excited for you to come here so I can share everything I’m planning for the Queen’s Society for Progressive Reform. Our meetings so far have been incredibly illuminating and inspiring, but lately we’ve all been busy during these times of exams and assignments. However, I’m resolved to kick in the new century with plans of action. With a bit of luck you may be available to assist in some of them, if you so wished! (Oh Gil, I feel like I must confess something: I have seldom felt such a strong and irresistible urge to kiss you silly as the time I witnessed you ripping that list of article topics in front of the minister.)
Even though I can almost taste the sweetness of our reunion, the truth is I also need to finish this semester. I promised myself (okay, maybe Diana too) that I would only allow myself two hours of letter writing and lovesick imagining before returning to my revision, and sadly my time is up. So, my love, I’m afraid I must sign off.
I can’t believe how soon I get to see you. I can hardly keep myself from floating up, up, up into the sky due to excitement alone. I promise to stay grounded though, patiently waiting until your arms are around my waist and my hands are tangled in those ravishing curls of yours.
In case you ever foolishly forget, I am never not thinking of you. I love you endlessly, Gilbert Blythe.
Your Anne