The Marriage of Stephen and Lavendar

A youthful quarrel and years of silence give way to renewed affection, culminating in a marriage that joins families and restores Echo Lodge to hope.

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A Childhood Promise

A Childhood Promise An Early Attachment Stephen Irving and Lavendar Lewis know each other from childhood, and Stephen announces when they are young that he expects to marry her. Their bond grows within neighboring families. A Future Assumed Lavendar remembers accepting his declaration with relief, imagining that she need not become an old maid. Their early confidence contrasts with the misunderstanding that will later separate them.

The Broken Engagement

The Broken Engagement A Trivial Quarrel Stephen and Lavendar quarrel shortly before their planned marriage. Lavendar is proud and sulks when Stephen returns to reconcile, while he eventually leaves for the United States. Silence Hardens Neither manages to repair the misunderstanding. Lavendar remains unmarried, and Stephen believes she has married someone else, leaving their shared future suspended for decades.

A Reunion Through Paul

A Reunion Through Paul An Unexpected Connection Paul Irving visits Lavendar with Anne and quickly becomes fond of her. His resemblance to Stephen and his openness awaken Lavendar's old feelings. A Living Relationship Paul offers to make Lavendar a particular friend. Their bond gives her a new connection to Stephen's family before Stephen himself returns.

The Message in the Garden

The Message in the Garden Stephen Comes Home Stephen returns to Avonlea and asks Anne to seek Lavendar's permission to visit. Anne carries the message, excited by the possibility of an old romance renewed. Lavendar's Consent Lavendar guesses his arrival before Anne reveals it and agrees to receive him. Her outward composure conceals the importance of the meeting.

A Wedding Under the Honeysuckle

A Wedding Under the Honeysuckle A Promise Fulfilled Stephen and Lavendar marry in the garden beneath the honeysuckle trellis, the place where he proposed decades earlier. The sun breaks through the clouds as they are declared husband and wife. A Shared Future The couple leaves for the Pacific coast and plans to return to Echo Lodge each summer. Their marriage turns a house of memory into a home connected to a new family.

many years before the main story

about twenty-five years before the main story

late autumn, after Paul visits Echo Lodge

the summer before the final school year ends

the last Wednesday of August