Chapter Eight:
"Gus, don't you ever get bored in this poky little town?" Felicity asked one winter evening as she sat rocking Emily and looking out at the night. Gus looked a little surprised.
"I don't know. I've got my work to do all day, so I'm usually glad to jost sit around at night. Doesn't little Emily keep you busy most of the day?"
"Well, yes she does...but it's not exactly the most interesting and entertaining life. Sometimes I wish we could just go on a trip somewhere together and not worry about anything. Just the two of us. We never really had a honeymoon...we couldn't go anywhere much with you not seeing and all after the wedding. I do hope I will be able to go to Sara's wedding this summer! Mother offered to take care of the baby if I want to go and I wouldn't stay too long." She paused and Gus sat silent for a moment.
"I don't really like the idea of you goin' across the ocean to a foreign land all alone."
"Well...Aunt Hetty would be coming with me."
"Hmm...two women alone...Wall, I can't go with you. I've got to take care of the farm."
"Gus! How can you say no? The two of us travelled all the way to South Carolina alone when we were looking for you."
"Was it easy? Besides, goin' down to the States is different from goin' to another continent." Felicity decided to dismiss the subject for the time being.
"Never mind. We don't have to decide now...but just think about this: is it a good idea to let Aunt Hetty travel all alone? And you could come with. My father just loves farming like nothing else and he would probably take care of the place for a little while." They dropped the discussion then, and went up to bed. Emily was falling asleep, but there was too much noise for her to rest. Felicity remained hopeful. Why couldn't Sara have her wedding in Canada? Well, actually there were good things and bad things about that. If Gus would let Felicity travel to Europe, it was good. If he wouldn't, it was bad...and she also felt a little guilty about leaving Emily when she was so little. But when would she have another chance to travel to France? She was still young now, even though she was married and had a baby. She looked at herself in the mirror before she went to bed. Yes, she still had quite a nice figure, if she said so herself, and there was not a streak of gray in her hair, nor a wrinkle on her face, being only twenty-two years old. Yet she feared she would soon be too busy to have any vacation time. There would be many children...she did want a big family and so did Gus...and so much housework to be done as the years swept by.
* * * *
Felicity was dancing around the house in joy. Gus had said yes! They were both going to Europe that summer. The wedding wasn't planned until mid-August, but she just couldn't wait. It would be such a lovely trip for the two of them. She hoped Aunt Hetty wouldn't be around too much once they got there, at least. Just six months...six months: an eternity! Oh, what would the time be once the warmth of spring and summer came. There was just the winter to endure and even that would be over soon. France in August! The center of fashion and fine food! Emily squealed from upstairs and Felicity picked her up and danced with her around the room. She smiled and gurgled at her mother who was behaving quite girlishly at the moment. The entertainment wouldn't be enough, though. She soon began screaming for food, so Felicity had to end her ecstatic romp through the halls and feed her infant daughter. Just as she was finishing, a knock came at the door. It was her mother, Janet King. Felicity answered the door. "Hello, Mother! Come in. I have the most wonderful news..."
"Hello, dear. I just stopped by to pick up those preserves you said you had for me. Oh, and I'm supposed to tell you Gus won't be home 'till late tonight. He and Alec went off on some secret mission...even I don't know where...and I was to inform you not to worry."
"Mother, Gus said we could go to Sara's wedding in August," Felicity said with her eyes shining. "Oh, Mother...France...Europe...can you still take care of Emily?"
"Yes that's fine with me. You know I love to see my little grandaughter."
"Thank-you so much!" She hugged her. "You don't know how much this means to me."
"I think you've given me a pretty good indication. I suppose Rachel Lynde won't mind taking care of the foundling home while Hetty's away?"
"I'm sure she won't. She has nowhere else to stay and she has really gotten to love that place. We'll only be gone for a month, at most. Probably only three weeks."
"We will miss you, but I know you'll enjoy the vacation. I sort of wish I could go, but I have my family and the farm here, and I don't really mind staying in Avonlea." Janet said the words a little bit wistfully, but she straightened up, took the preserves, and left soon after.
Gus wasn't home until late, but when he came he had a long, white box with him, tied with a red ribbon...and in the box were a dozen red, hot-house roses grown in the dead of winter.
"Didn't you remember that it's Valentine's Day?" he asked her.
"Oh, Gus, Gus!" she kissed him over and over. "How beautiful...remember that Valentine's Day dance when you and Arthur Pettibone were...well...well..."
"Quarlin' over you? Yep, I remember all right. I had a jealous thought that one day you would only belong to me."
"I'm glad you had that thought, Gus. And thank-you for saying yes to the trip. I almost can't believe we're really going!"
"Wall, we are. Yes, you talked me into it Felicity Pike, and I have to admit it does sound grand."
That whole month was beautiful. In March, snow lay on the ground as always, but it was growing warmer. Another Prince Edward Island springtime was coming. Yellow, the puppy who was born last year, had grown quite large and was always frisking about with Gus as he worked outside. Emily was growing more beautiful every day. Everyone in the village said so. She had such beautiful dark curls and glowing blue eyes. She had deep dimples in her baby cheeks and smiled often at people. Felicity thought she was the perfect little rosy, rolly-polly baby girl. Gus thought so, too. He was always making little toys for her that she was still too young to appreciate. Her grandparents spoiled her. Janet had been giving her tastes of sugar on her lips until Felicity complained that in all of the baby books and articles she had read, it was advised not to do so.
There was word from Felix, as well. He wouldn't be coming until June, but then he would be staying for a whole month! He also mentioned in his letter that he was planning on entering a naval academy in New Brunswick. Officers were supposed to be college-educated, and he planned to begin in August, provided nothing came up to prevent him from going. They were sorry that he wouldn't be coming until later than expected, but it was worth it to have him home for so much longer than usual.
Once the snow melted and the weather turned warm for good, Felicity often brought Emily outside into the sunshine and fresh air. She had a baby buggy that Aunt Hetty had given her and the two of them went walking in the village on sunny afternoons. All of the ladies smiled at and fussed over the little girl in her tiny pale-colored dresses and bonnets. She smiled back at them and showed off her dimples. They all thought she was darling, and certainly the prettiest baby the town had seen for awhile. Most babies were so bald and always crying, but Emily was always a model baby (at least in public). At home she could raise some awful screaming fits, but Felicity didn't mind that people thought she was well-behaved all of the time. She usually was.
Meanwhile, the King automobile was still getting attention. One or two others had appeared in town that spring and the old folks shook their heads and said again that the times were changing. Gus meant to buy one for them as soon as possible, but he would have to save for some time yet. April came and went, and May dawned over the little village of Avonlea. The days grew long, and white, puffy clouds sailed through the sky. The potatoes were doing well again this year and Gus was pleased. Even the White Sands Hotel was doing wonderful business that spring, after having a shortage of patrons for some time. Cecily and Thomas MacDonald walked along the shore together and picked wildflowers in the woods, and then one day in that sunny place where Felix had seen them a year ago, he asked her if she would like to be his wife. She had just turned eighteen a few days before and she agreed. Izzy and her betrothed were still not married and had not even set a date for the wedding yet. Thomas and Cecily decided to wait for a little while. Alec and Janet were pleased and thought very highly of Thomas. They weren't too fond of all MacDonalds, but they liked him well enough.
Chapter Nine:
"Now Felix, I have been curious about some matters concerning command of the Canadian Navy. Could you please explain just what is going on?" Alec King asked one night early in June. Felix, who had just returned to Avonlea that morning began a brief explanation of what he understood.
"Well, our navy is essentially under British command. I could be sent anywhere that British ships go, although I haven't run into too many British officers, as yet. Most of the boys I sail with are Canadian. If there were to be a war," Janet gave him look, "and the English were involved, we would be at their disposal. But that's not bad. Our navy is small and theirs is huge. We benefit from being involved with a greater power. To tell you the truth, for all our patriotism, I don't think we would be very effective by ourselves."
"Yes, well, we needn't worry about that in peacetime," Janet concluded. "We are true to Great Britain, yes, but..."
"But what, Mother?"
"Oh, nothing, Felix dear. I just don't like to think about my son off on some great British warship, is all."
"Don't worry, Janet!" came Alec's continual reassurance, but she had to worry. There had recently been an article in the Avonlea Chronicle about the buildup or the British military forces for any possible disturbance in Europe. It had been going on for some time, especially since 1900 when the naval race had picked up speed between Germany and England. Her son became a part of that effort when he read the brochure that Elbert Wertz showed him. She didn't see Elbert leaving his hotel job to go off and join the Navy.
That night, Janet went over to the big family Bible and looked at her wedding date written on the inside cover. Just below it were the names of her children and grandchildren.
Married: Alexander Abraham King to Janet Mary Ward, September 2, 1889
Born: Felicity Janet King, July 28, 1891
Born: Felix Alexander King, September 30, 1894
Born: Cecily Margaret King, May 7, 1896
Born: Daniel Abraham King, February 12, 1906
Born: Emily Colleen Pike, November 10, 1913
She looked at the blank lines that would eventually be filled with the names of other grandchildren to be born in the future. What possibilities there were! Whenever she read this page of the Bible, she couldn't help but speculate about the events to come.
Felix came downstairs while she was looking at it. He walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder to see what she was reading. Then he started to leave. "No, Felix. Wait," she told him. "I love you, Felix. I don't want to see your name written twice in here. When that happens, I want to be long gone to my own rest." Felix said nothing. He couldn't think of how to respond to that remark, so he tried to leave again. Janet suddenly shut the Bible and stood up. She embraced him tightly. "Don't go back...Don't go back. You don't have to."
"Mother!" Felix exclaimed. "I am serving my country. And I love the Navy. It's hard work, sometimes, but I am proud to be doing it." She pulled away from him.
"Good-night, Felix. I'm sorry." Janet King turned and walked slowly up the stairs. He stood and stared after her. He had never seen his cheerful, bustling mother look quite so broken up. Usually when there were problems in the household she was always flying about, helping. This was something that she could do nothing about.
On June 28, 1914, word came from Europe of the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Serbia. No one on the island seemed very concerned about it. They were too busy with their personal affairs. Janet King took note of the situation, but she had to tell herself that it was as everyone else said. It was just one of the common occurances in those "feuding European countries". It meant nothing. In the meantime, she would enjoy her visit with Felix. He would be leaving in just five days.
On the night before Felix's departure, after a month's sojourn in Avonlea, there was a little King get-together over at Lissie's Landing. The days had flown by as if on wings and the weather was growing hotter with each passing day. The sun stayed out until late, as always in the summer, and Emily was adorable as usual. She furnished entertainment as she smiled and patted her little hands together. Felicity was talking almost nonstop about the trip planned for August. Gus mostly let her do the explaining while he delighted in watching her face light up like a candle. Hetty put in her opinions about the trip whenever she could get a chance. Thomas MacDonald had been invited to supper, as well. He and Cecily sat on the loveseat and talked quietly together and laughed at little Emily. Felix took Daniel and Lucky out to play catch. Yellow joined in with the game as he leaped of the ground to catch the ball, and ran here and there with his pink tongue hanging out.
As the evening turned dark, the family drifted into the parlor. It was the last time they would all be together for some time. Janet still felt worried and uncertain as she stared at her son across the room. She didn't understand why he wanted to do what he did, but she didn't understand why she was suddenly so upset about it either. Alec had never put in any time in the military, but he seemed to be able to understand Felix. In spite of this, they had a nice visit and when Felix left the next morning, he was satisfied with the long vacation.
* * * *
The month of August dawned, hot and sultry. The ocean was a bright blue and the sky was pale and shimmering. The crops stood tall again and the orchard gleamed with apples growing and changing to ripe reds, greens, and yellows. On a warm night, early in the month, the telephone rang at King Farm. Then it rang at Lissie's Landing where the hoped for vacation had been called off when Sara sent word of what was taking place in Europe. It rang at the foundling home. It rang at the MacDonald's house and the Pettibone's. The town of Avonlea was filled with ringing bells, shouts, cheers, and weeping. On that summer night, the news had come in. Great Britain had declared war on Germany. Alec King held the receiver to his ear and was given the news by Sally Potts, the town's head operator. "Yes, I see. I...all-right. Now you'd better finish calling around, Sally. Thank-you. Good-bye." He hung up the telephone and turned to look at his wife as she sat embroidering. Cecily looked up with expectant eyes. Daniel turned around from the wooden puzzle he was solving on the floor. Even Digger's ears perked up. "England has just declared war on Germany. I guess we're in it now." Janet dropped her work and her eyes flew to a photograph of the family taken at Felicity's wedding. There was Felix in his uniform with Daniel grinning as he stood in front of him.
At Lissie's Landing, Felicity was walking back and forth wringing her hands. "Well you can't go, Gus. They wouldn't take you. You can't see much without your specs. Oh, I hope Sara will have the sense to come back to Canada. She just has to! And Felix...where is he tonight?" Gus took her in his arms and hugged her tightly.
"Don't worry now, Lissie. Felix'll be fine." She pulled away and looked him in the eyes.
"How do you know? Gus...I said so many terrible things to him when we were little. You don't know half of it."
The news came to Thomas MacDonald. He and his brother immediately decided to enlist. When Cecily heard the news the next day, she ran upstairs and cried in her bedroom for an hour. Over at the Pettibone house, Arthur created a sensation by announcing his own intentions. Later, he and Izzy were talking together in the barn. "I certainly am surprised, Arthur," Izzy was saying, "I wouldn't think you would be the military type, especially since you have always criticized Father for his style."
"Well, I may not approve of a household that is run like a military regiment, but I will do my part to serve our country. There is no reason...no excuse...I could give for not joining up, if you know what I mean. And maybe it's just in my blood."
"Yes..." Izzy nodded her head. "I suppose Morgan will be going, too. Andrew is. I will miss him so much! I'm glad Father is too old to serve."
"Watch out, Iz. He might try to enlist anyway." Izzy sighed mournfully.
"Soon all of the young men will be away. We women will be left to wait for who knows how long."
"It'll be over quickly, you'll see. The British will prevail."
"Oh, I hope so, Arthur."
Chapter Ten:
One afternoon, a week after the declaration of war, Cecily and Izzy were tallking together in town. They were both lamenting about their young men leaving. Thomas MacDonald had left that morning and Andrew Carlyle was leaving in a week for training. As they sat there, Cecily became quiet and studied Izzy's face. "You know," she began, "I think you ought to give some thought to getting married to Mr. Carlyle before he goes." Izzy looked thoughtful.
"I had given some thought to the idea. I trust him...but what if he were to...to meet some French girl while he's over there? I haven't said anything to him yet, of course."
"Well, I think you should. I would have asked Thomas if he hadn't left so quickly. I was just thinking about it this morning. I don't think Mother and Father would have liked it, though. What about your parents?"
"My own mother was a war bride, but I still don't know what Father would say. Muriel probably would say to go ahead. She adores Andrew and we've been engaged for almost two years." She stood up excitedly. "I'm going to find him and ask him right now!" she called as she ran down the street. Cecily smiled after her and dearly hoped that everything would turn out well. She wasn't sure if she should have encouraged such a thing, but she secretly wished that the two of them would just get on with the wedding. She had the feeling that as long as they were not married, Felix would still hold onto some crazy idea about the two of them calling it off and of Izzy coming back to him. When she thought about it, it seemed a little ridiculous. Felix had known about the engagement for some time. He knew how Izzy felt about her Mr. Carlyle.
Cecily was just leaving the general store a half-hour later when Izzy came rushing down the road again. "Oh, Cecily, he said yes! We're going to have the ceremony done the day before he leaves for Charlottetown, no matter what Father says."
"Izzy, I didn't mean to encourage your acting so hastily. I mean, are you really sure about this?"
"Yes, yes, yes! I can't wait. I have to go tell Father now. Good-bye!" Izzy took off down the street again, heading for home. Arthur was just coming out, dressed in khaki, when she came tearing through the gate.
"Hey, slow down, Iz. What's the big hurry?"
"Oh, hello, Arthur. Andrew and I are getting married-"
"I know," he interrupted.
"In six days," she finished.
"Well. Father's going to like this. Have you told him yet?"
"That's what I'm doing right now! Is he still at home?"
"Yes..."
"And Muriel?"
"Yes."
"Arthur...come with me. Please? It'll just take a few minutes. If Father gets angry, I'll just run out the door and let Muriel deal with him." Arthur consented, though he was of the opinion that running away would be cowardly. The two of them walked up the porch steps and into the house. Clive Pettibone was in his parlor rearranging his horse racing trophies and military paraphernalia. His wife was sitting on the piano bench and looking at a book of music. They both looked up suddenly when Izzy and Arthur came in.
"Izzy!" Clive greeted her. "Where have you been all morning?"
"Oh...nowhere. Actually, I have some news to give to you and Muriel."
"Well, what is it?" He leaned forward expectantly.
"Father...Andrew and I are going to be married in six days. We wanted to get it over with before...before he leaves." Clive stared at her with his eyes flaming. Muriel was the first to speak.
"Izzy..." she sighed in a horrified tone, "surely you wouldn't think to do something so unwise. What a way to speak of your marriage...something to be 'got over with'."
"Isolde Pettibone, I am speechless," began Clive. "I don't know what to say to you. Who knows what could happen in the time this war takes to end?"
"Exactly...and Mother married you right before you left for a war!" Izzy spat out. A little bit of sadness came into his eyes. She wished he would just be angry like he usually was.
"Yes. I don't think those first years were very pleasant for her, but that's not the only point, Izzy. Your mother was twenty-one when we were married and you have just turned eighteen." He suddenly resumed his characteristic fury. "And I put my foot down!"
"Father, we have been engaged for nearly two years! I thought you would understand, Muriel." She cast her an angry glance. "You said yourself how well you thought of Andrew." Arthur broke in.
"Andrew Carlyle is a gentleman. If they were to get married before he left, he would do his duty and leave foreign girls alone."
"You stay out of this! How dare you insinuate such a thing!" Clive bellowed. "I did my duty by your mother...and yes, a hundred times more than that, I can assure you."
"That's not what I meant. I didn't mean to make any reference to you," Arthur apologized.
"Yes, well, I'm not so sure if I can believe that, coming from a son who has hounded me since he was fourteen years old. Ever since the day you were too big to whip, you took advantage of it."
"Stop it!" Muriel cried above the din of raised voices. "We are talking about Izzy's marriage, not the never-ending feud between you two." Everyone was quiet. "And where did she go?" For Izzy had made good on her promise to leave if Clive made a scene and had slipped quickly and quietly out the door. She had headed for King Farm to talk to Cecily where she found Janet holding a letter in her hand from Felix and crying in the kitchen. He had recieved a position on a ship in the British Grand Fleet, the main naval defense of the British Empire. He seemed pleased with the transfer to the great navy that he had been singing the praises of, but how could his mother be happy with her son placed in the most militarily active fleet possible? He was now a part of the British Navy and detached from his home country. Cecily answered Izzy's knock and they went out to the barn to discuss the matters at hand. A plan was formulated that night, once Cecily had made a covert telephone call asking Andrew to come down to King Farm. No one noticed what was going on with all of the commotion over Felix's letter and another letter from Sara, saying that she and Mr. Courtier had been married and would be returning to her house in Montreal in view of the activity in Europe.
Izzy would go home and pretend resignation to her father's will. Andrew was staying at the boarding house in Avonlea that week before he left for Charlottetown. His veterinary practice in Carmody had been closed, but he still had a house there. The two of them would meet as planned on the morning before his departure and be married. They would then drive to the Carmody house, inform Clive by telephone, and have a short honeymoon. If Clive disowned her or wouldn't allow her to stay at home for the duration of the war, she would have a house to live in.
The plan went as devised. On August 17, 1914, Izzy Pettibone became Mrs. Andrew Carlyle. As they drove down the ruddy road to Carmody, Izzy could not enjoy the complete elation she should have had on her wedding day. Her husband was going away to war tomorrow and she had deceived her father. No doubt he would refuse to assosciate with her now. If she had be open and honest about the whole thing, maybe she could have convinced him to accept her actions. She felt foolish for taking such a cowardly and unwise course. Her hand trembled as she asked the operator to give her the number. In her head, the words seemed to be tumbling over one another and spinning around and around. Finally he answered.
"Hello, Father." She hesitated, but he said nothing. "Father, I was married today." To her surprise his answer came quietly and calmly. There was no shaking furor in his tone.
"Yes, Izzy, I knew."
"You do? I mean, you did?"
"Yes." She heard him sigh. "I knew from the moment you told me that I couldn't stop you. You had that look in your eyes and I knew you meant what you said." Izzy was shocked. He had thought she seemed sure of herself when she had really felt more unsure than she ever had in her life! "You can't stay in that house all alone," he continued, "and you'll have to come back home for awhile. I was talking to Muriel about it." From then on, the conversation was irrelevant. The young Isolde Carlyle was amazed at how her father had changed since his remarriage. She didn't understand why he wasn't angry. She could not have known then how he would have disliked an estranged relationship with his only daughter, but in the future she would come to understand that her father was more like any ordinary person than she realized.