All You Never Say-a Ruby Gilis & Jerry Baynard AU

Chapter Seven

 "Mother, please. I can't just say goodbye to my friends. Please" Ruby pleaded, her eyes tearing up as her mother stood at the foot of the staircase, her face stern.

"I'm sorry dear, but this is for your own good. Carmody teaches girls to be proper and obedient, and subservient. It's only for a year dear, and you'll easily transition back to Avonlea" Mrs. Gillis said simply and  tried to approach her daughter, but Ruby stepped back sighing and hastily wiped her eyes.

"This isn't right" Ruby murmured and ran up the stairs to cry in her room. Would her mother even let her say goodbye to everyone?  She sobbed into her pillow and eventually she fell into a fitful sleep.

The next morning her mother instructed her to bathe and change into new clothes before the carriage came to pick her up to take her to Carmody.

Ruby blearily went through the motions of taking a bath and changing into a new dress. She didn't even bother brushing out her hair and haphazardly placed a ribbon behind her long golden hair.

After her mother inspected her appearance her expression was stern and she had one of the maids help brush out Ruby's hair before she went downstairs for breakfast.

Her father eyed her sympathetically but gave her nothing more than a small pat on her shoulder, before he continued eating his toast and some coffee.

"It'll pass soon, Ruby" he said with a small nod.

Ruby sat at the table, quieter than usual and didn't feel like eating. She took a few bites of toast before excusing herself to go to the carriage.

Her mother joined her in the carriage and the driver gently clicked his tongue a few times patting the two horses so they would start their way towards the train station.

 As the carriage started moving away from the Gillis' residence Ruby looked out the window to see Jerry walking past her house with a plow and a burlap sack over his shoulder, ready for a day's work at the Cuthbert farm.

Ruby was about to call out the window but a warning glance from her mother who sat across from her silenced her.

She sighed , moving away from the window and sat back sadly as she carriage brought her to the train station.

~

Jerry was walking towards the Cuthbert farm when Anne started running from the house, her auburn haired pigtails flying behind her as she ran.

"Jerry! Jerry! The most dreadful thing has happened we must.. or you must hurry!" Anne exclaimed, catching her breath as she ran up to him.

He glanced back at his auburn-haired friend, bewildered.

"What has happened?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrow in confusion.

"Ruby...being sent... to Carmody... Ruby's being sent to Carmody school outside of Avonlea!" Anne finally pieced all her words together, still catching her breath.

Jerry's eyes widened about to run off when he froze.

"Wait, what does that have to do with me?" he asked, still confused.

Anne sighed.

"Jerry please! She got sent away for talking with you, which if you ask me is a wretched thing to do of Mrs. Gillis." Anne explained with a long sigh, her blue eyes sad.

Jerry's eyes widened even more and immense guilt washed over him as he hung his head low.

He murmured something in french before speaking in English again.

"I should've never let Ruby go to my family's home for dinner." he said sighing.

"What? Ruby went to-- nevermind. Jerry, come on! We have to do something!" Anne pleaded with him, shaking the farmhand's shoulder to knock him out of his "woe is me" state.

Jerry threw his hands in the air, exasperated.

"What am I supposed to do, Anne? I'm just a farmhand. This isn't one of your fairytale novels" Jerry retorted and Anne looked a bit miffed before rebuffing his statement.

"Jerry Pierre Baynard, you are not just a farmhand. You are a kind, caring, friend who I believe can help Ruby get out of this predicament, if you try. I know you care about her" Anne said with a firm nod, causing the young man to blush.

"Fine fine I will try to do something." Jerry grumbled before nodding at Anne and hurrying off to the stables, telling Matthew he had to borrow one of the horses.

"Yah!" Jerry yelled and kicked lightly at the horses sides as he rode across the Cuthbert farm towards the train station.

When he got there the train was already starting to depart and he tried to ride the horse alongside it as people yelped and tried to get out of his way, dodging the horse and a few people collapsed in a domino effect as he rode past.

"Sorry!" he yelled, and he spotted Ruby seated at a window seat looking defeated. She glanced outside hearing the commotion and her eyes widened.

"Jerry! What are you doing?" she called back, surprised.

"You can't go, Ruby! Maybe we can both try to talk to your mother!" he explained growing tired and the train started to chug down the train tracks faster and he could no longer keep up.

Ruby looked back at him apologetically. "It's no use! I'll try to write her a letter to send me home once I get there!" she called back, a few tears falling.

Jerry sighed stopping the horse and then riding back to Green Gables, dejectedly.