The Materializing of Duncan McTavish by Heather Conkie

Author:Heather Conkie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: road to avonlea, heather conkie, conkie
Publisher: Davenport Press

Chapter Twelve

Sara raced down the road towards the Town Hall, holding her hat with one hand lest it fly off her head completely. She was not giving one thought to the consequences of arriving at the rummage sale without the fateful handkerchief. She had far more exciting things on her mind than that. Visions of Marilla Cuthbert’s face wreathed in smiles of joy and relief filled her imagination. Reunited with her beau after so many years of uncertainty and longing. What tidings to be able to deliver!

As she approached the white clapboard building, Sara could see there was still a crowd of people lined up outside the Town Hall, all waiting for their chance to go in. Sara had no intention of waiting. She wove in and out of the crowd, mumbling “Excuse me” and “Pardon me” and all the things she knew she ought to say. She said an extra sincere “I’m sorry” to a woman whose foot unfortunately found its way under her shoe. Sara burst through the front door of the hall, scanning the crowd for the one person she sought, the one and only person who should be the recipient of her news. She spotted Marilla coaxing Rachel towards the tea table.

“Miss Cuthbert!” called Sara.

Rachel immediately spun around and fixed her eyes on the flushed, excited Sara. All heads in the room swiveled to where Sara stood in the doorway. Marilla turned slowly, embarrassed to have so much attention called to herself in the middle of such a crowd.

“For pity’s sake, child! What is it?”

Sara approached Marilla through the crowd. She whispered excitedly, “Miss Cuthbert! He’s here!”

For the life of her, Marilla could not make out what Sara was saying. “Pardon me?” she said, peering at Sara over the top of her glasses.

Perhaps Marilla was hard of hearing, considered Sara. She’d had enough sense to realize what the reaction of the women in the crowd would be to her news, and she didn’t want to say it much louder than she already had, so she repeated herself with clearer pronunciation.

“He’s here! In Avonlea!”

“Who?” asked an exasperated Marilla, not seeing at all what the child was getting at.

“He is!” enunciated Sara as clearly as she could, equally exasperated.

By this time, Rachel was more anxious than Marilla to understand what Sara was trying to say.

“Who is ‘he’?” she and Marilla asked Sara in the same breath. Marilla turned and gave Rachel a look that would wither buds on a vine.

Sara could contain herself no longer. “Duncan McTavish! He’s here in Avonlea!” she burst out, in a much louder voice than she had intended.

The effect of her announcement was instantaneous.

Marilla Cuthbert went quite pale and sat down upon the nearest chair.

Every single person in the hall—man, woman and child—turned to stare at Sara and Marilla.

“He’s here?” exclaimed an astonished Mrs. Biggins.

“Did she say Duncan McTavish?” Olivia whispered to Hetty at the tea table.

“He’s in Avonlea?” said a delighted Felicity, heading towards Sara, with such excitement that she even neglected to accept the money that was being handed to her for one of her serving napkins.

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