Green Eyed Beauty

Chapter 6

Sunlight streamed through the cream-colored curtains of Jade's room and illuminated the shiny metal of her bed frame as she groaned and rolled over, attempting to shield her eyes from the sun. The clacking of her mother's boots could be heard from downstairs as she seemed to be pacing back and forth. Propping herself up on one elbow, Jade rubbed the sleep from her eyes and suddenly heard a deep voice come from the kitchen. She froze; her father was home? On a busy weekend at the clinic? What could possibly be so important that he had travelled all the way from Charlottetown?

Ms. Stacey's visit. Of course. Why else would her father tear himself from his beloved job to be with his family?

Jade rolled her eyes and clambered out of bed, quickly regretting moving so fast when her head began to spin and feel lightheaded. Taking a deep breath, she moved in a slower fashion to make her bed and put away her clothes from the night before. Jade moved over to the window and took in the beautiful morning scenery. Ms. Stacey would be arriving any moment and honestly, Jade had no intentions of sticking around for the meeting with her parents. Quickly changing into a pale pink dress and pulling on her stockings and boots, Jade checked out the window to make sure her teacher hadn't arrived yet.

Taking care to not make much noise, she slowly went down the stairs and crept to the back door near the pantry when she heard her mother's voice.

"Should I wake her up? She'll stay in till noon at this rate." her mother's voice contemplated out loud. Jade didn't hear the rest of the conversation because she noiselessly slipped out the door and broke into a sprint across the land and into the woods. She had no idea where she was going but anything was better than her stuffy room and soon-to-angered parents.

The wind mussed up her hair and Jade silently cursed herself for forgetting a ribbon to tie it out of her face. She weaved in and out of trees until a beautiful clearing with a lake came into a view. She halted to a stop to catch her breathe and take in the area. There was a large house in the distance that Jade assumed must have been the Barry's home. She contemplated knocking on the door and asking for Diana then quickly decided against it. Her parents probably had her practicing some "how to be a lady" garbage that Jade had no interest in being part of.

Jade decided to continue walking along the edge of the lake, her thoughts swarming around her head. Her parents definitely noticed she was gone by now and Ms. Stacey was probably there already. She sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and kicking a twig out of her way. Would she be in trouble when she got back? Would her mother punish her? Was her father going to be gone by the time she returned?

"So much for getting away from my parents and their drama." she muttered. As Jade reached the end of the Barry's pond, she noticed another set of woods that must lead to another section of land. She shrugged. Why not?

Jade ran into the thick section of trees, manuerving the branches and roots. A squirrel zipped past her and a laugh left her lips as it collided with a tree root. She broke out of the cutting of tress and found herself in an orchard. A very big, bountiful orchard. A gasp escaped her lips as she marvelled at the gorgeous apple trees and fruit. Who's land had she stumbled upon?

Jade ran her hands along the bark of the trees and continued to gape at the landscape until she noticed someone working on a plot of land where the orchard ended. As she neared them, she caught sight of their dark complexion and fairly built figure.

"Hello?"

The person stopped what they were doing and looked up Jade with a surprised look on their face. She smiled at the older man and took some steps closer where she noticed his clothes were soaked in sweat and he had mud up to his knees.

"Hello there." He responded in an accent Jade couldn't discern. "How may I help you?"

"I accidently stumbled upon your lovely orchard and noticed you working and thought I would introduced myself before you thought someone had come to thieve." She politely explained, hoping the man wouldn't chase her off. He gave her a toothy grin and chuckled.

"Ah, thank you, miss but this would be my friend's orchard." He smiled, pointing to the house behind him. "I live here as well and work on the land with him. I'm Sebastian." He offered a reluctant hand, glancing at Jade's clean dress.

She gladly shook it and he chuckled once again. "It's wonderful to meet you, Sebastian. I'm Jade."

He waved her off. "Just call me Bash, miss." He gave her a thoughtful look up and down, almost as if he recognized her. "You wouldn't happen to be Jade Peyton, would you?"

Jade blinked. Did he know about her punching Billy? "That would be me." She answered cautiously.

The man's face broke into a large smile. "Blythe's told me all about you. The boy wouldn't shut up about heaven knows what last night." He laughed.

"Blythe?" Her brows furrowed. "As in, Gilbert Blythe? Talking about me?"

Bash nodded and dropped the tool he was using so he could wipe his head with the rag in his pocket. "You must be one special character if you've got Blythe rambling for hours. He's inside with my wife and daughter." He gestured for her to follow him up to the house. Jade's eyes widened. This had to be intruding or improper to an extent.

"You all seem busy, I don't want to intrude." Jade stated, still following the man she had met 5 minutes ago up the front porch to Gilbert's home.

"I'm sure Blythe will enjoy the company of someone his age and intelligence, come in." Bash assured as he opened the door. "Mary! Blythe! We have a visitor!"

Jade looked around Gilbert's home. It was no where near the size of her own yet it seemed more homely and comforting than any house she'd stepped in. The delicious aroma of spices wafted in from the kitchen and she heard Gilbert call out "Who is it?".

"Come down here and find out." Bash teased, crouching to the floor as a small girl waddled into the room giggling and babbling. Jade smiled softly at the beautiful toddler as Bash scooped her up into his arms and began to tickle her.

"Sebastian! I know you are not smothering Delphine in that state of yours!" A women's voice scolded. Jade watched as a women who didn't look too much older than herself entered the room and grabbed her daughter from the clutche's of her father. She turned to Jade and gave her a warm smile.

"Hello, there. I'm Mary, Bash's wife." She greeted sweetly.

"Jade Peyton, thank you for inviting me in, I didn't mean to intrude." She smiled as the woman scoffed and bounced Delphine on her hip.

"Are you kidding me? I cook too much food for 3 grown people, Jade, you're more than welcome to join us for lunch." Mary offered as she noticed Gilbert making his way down the stairs. He froze when he saw Jade standing in his entryway, giving Bash and Mary both suspicious looks.

"What, no greeting for a fellow classmate?"