Another installment I prepped from the first draft, ENJOY!

Thanks all who reviewed, I enjoy hearing your ideas!

The late morning light filtered through the lace curtain, and the room was filled with sunlight and chilled air on the first morning of 1874. Prissy curled Scarlett's hair into a tight chignon with dozens of pins and caught it up in a gray net. Scarlett placed her simple green lace bonnet on her head, she had ordered her newest outfit from a catalog, and it had arrived a few days before, a late Christmas gift. As she stood up, Prissy smoothed out her green, silk dress and adjusted Scarlett's bustle to arrange the taupe and gray roses as best she could. Scarlett was checking her ridicule for the second time, when Mammy called from the bottom of the steps.

"Miz Scarlett, your carriage is ready."

Pork had brought the mare around the front, and hooked it on the small trap with a shiny black painted cart and red and yellow wheels. Scarlett had bought it the year before as a gift for Will and Suellen to ride around the county to church or county days, but Will never drove it. The trap was so shiny, and narrow, he feared the five of them would topple it over.

Scarlett came down the stairs and started checking behind the vase, and under the side table, and she absentmindedly asked, "Mammy? Have you seen my gloves?"

"Which ones?"

"The new ones, they are tan, with black threading."

Mammy shook her head, negative.

Exasperated Scarlett called to Prissy who was still upstairs, "Get my black gloves in my vanity, Prissy!"

Mammy eyed Scarlett's dress, "I suppose you out of mourning?"

Scarlett smoothed the clover green velvet dress, trimmed in gray lace, and a paler green silk. "No, it's still mourning with the gray lace and roses. Ella can wear dresses with gray lace-"

"Miss Ella is seven years old! And look at that, a garden on your backside."

"Now, Mammy, It's the first day of the new year! Besides, nobody will see me, I'm going to telegram Aunt Pitty and come right home."

Before Mammy could utter another word, Scarlett slipped out the door, and into the trap, and was headed to Jonesboro. As Scarlett got to the end of the driveway, dark, large man on a tan horse approached her on the road, followed by the two hulking dogs. Scarlett froze in the trap, and pulled inside the fence to allow him to pass, instead he trotted up to the side of her trap.

The imposing man nodded his head, allowing the morning sun to catch the flecks of gold light in his dark eyes, his mouth was a full straight line, as he cleared his throat. Scarlett fooled with her skirt quietly avoiding his eyes in fear of the black evil eyes from her dream.

His voice was heavy, and muddled with the odd Welsh brogue.

"Mrs. Butler, I apologize for disturbing you, but Mrs. Tarleton pointed me in the direction of your estate."

Scarlett wanted to giggle, at the use of the word "estate" to describe Tara, but looked him in his dark eyes, and dimpled, "Yes? What can I do for you?"

"I believe that you left your gloves behind at my house."

The man held the tan, slim gloves in his huge hands, and pushed them in Scarlett's direction.

Scarlett smiled, "I've been looking for these all morning, thank you."

Mr. Heathcliff dropped them in her hands. Scarlett immediately placed them in her ridicule.

As Scarlett, looked up and uttered another word of appreciation, Mr. Heathcliff turned his horse, and was gone in a blur of dust with the brutes following him through the field toward the orchard. Seeing him ride through the trees in the yellowing, austere field gave Scarlett a chill. Mr. Heathcliff was such a rude and angry man, but she quickly clicked her horse, hurrying on her way to town. "I can't spend all day, worrying about that man." Scarlett thought.

As she tied her horse to the post outside the post office, Mrs. Tarleton and her youngest daughter, Matilda waved from the general store. Scarlett hurried over hugging the girl just a few years younger than herself.

Mrs. Tarleton grinned at Scarlett, "My neighbor wanted to know where you lived?"

"Yes, Mr. Heathcliff dropped off my gloves; I dropped them when his dogs attacked me."

Mrs. Tarleton frowned, and humphed

Scarlett blew off her insinuation, and stated "I suppose he had to get back to his guest."

"Guest? He lives alone."

Scarlett blushed, "Oh, He said he was having guests over for the New Year."

"Only his dogs," Mrs. Tarleton snorted, "He is quite the unfriendly neighbor. I sent Matilda over with some biscuits, and he refused them, and practically ran her off."

Scarlett shrugged, "He is a foreigner, who knows his customs?"

Mrs. Tarleton shrugged in agreement, bidding Scarlett a good day, Scarlett headed over to the post office to place her telegram.

As she posted her letter to Pitty, and wrote up telegrams to Hugh Elsing about the store and Ashley concerning the school tuition and Mills. As Scarlett finished the last lines of her telegrams, the postman brought her a box with her name on it written in a scrawled, slanted writing making a severe S and B. Scarlett touched her name and whispered, "Rhett."

Her heart clenched and gave out a frantic beat, the box was too heavy to be divorce papers, but it could be delayed gifts for the holiday. Scarlett headed back to her trap, and placed the box next to her on the seat, heading back to Tara through the dried dead trees, and the cooled air portended long weeks of winter in the Georgia countryside. The ground was dry and dead grass lay close to the ground, and Scarlett hoped she wouldn'

As she turned on the driveway to Tara, she saw one of the large dogs nosing around the orchard with a rotten apple, and turned her head not wanting to have the huge beast follow her back to Tara.

As she pulled up to the porch, the three girls greeted her seeing the box in her hands. Wade lingered on the porch, and Suellen stood in the doorway, "Is that a package for me?"

"No, Sue, it's from Rhett."

Suellen turned and waddled back in the house, as Wade joined his mother at her trap, and carried the package into the house.

"Wade, bring that box to my room, I need to talk to you."

Ella trailed behind, and she followed Scarlett upstairs.

Scarlett closed the door and sat on her bed, Ella bounced next to her, and Wade sat at the vanity, "What's wrong, Mother?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Scarlett gave her head a slight shake, "I have some great news. You are going back to Atlanta to start school."

"I know you said that," Wade started," We are going next week, then?"

"Well, I am going to send you ahead. I'm not ready to go back to the city, yet. But, that doesn't mean you can't go back and start school."

Since Rhett's hasty departure, Wade had taken it upon himself to be the unofficial "man" of the family, and his new role had him not as fearful of his mother. Aunt Melly had told him at Bonnie's funeral, "Wade, are a smart and capable young man, and your Uncle Rhett is so despondent, you will need to step up and help your mother." Wade had looked at Melly with large, brown eyes, she understood how sharp and domineering Scarlett could be, and she quelled his fear, "Now, I know your mother has her temper, but that has help her survive all these years, and I know you have some if her strength in you, so you be a gentleman, and talk to your mother, and help her, she needs you."

Wade had thought of this conversation maybe a day after, but since Aunt Melly died, and Uncle Rhett left town, he had pondered it, and took it to heart, even after his mother, had spoke with him on the train to Tara, and told him, "I love you, Wade. I know I don't show it, but I do." Scarlett had turned and told Ella the same thing, and Ella blurted out, "Why are you telling us that, is something bad going to happen?"

Scarlett turned purple, and took a deep breathe, "Because, after all the people I have lost, I still have you and your brother. I promised myself, I would tell the people I love how much I love them, Ella, sit up straight.

Scarlett had never repeated it again, but there had been a shift in their relationship, since then. Ella had been able to approach her mother more often, and Scarlett didn't rush her off as much, and Wade had concerned himself with all there welfares, freely asking and suggesting ideas, and Scarlett was proud of his interests in his family, so she discussed issues, when she could. So, Wade cleared his throat and asked, warily,"What are you going to do with Ella?"

"Ella and I are going to stay on at Tara for a few more weeks, and you can stay with Aunt Pitty and start the next term with Beau. You know Beau and Uncle Ashley are living with Aunt Pitty, now."

Wade nodded, understanding, and relieved his mother hadn't had plans to send Ella away, too. He feared that she would run off and look for Uncle Rhett, as he had heard Mammy warning her, just last week. And she had sighed and agreed with Mammy, he knew against her will.

Ella bounced on the bed oblivious to the conversation, "What did Uncle Rhett send?"

Scarlett shook the box, "It is quite heavy, go ahead and open it, Wade."

Wade ripped the brown paper away, and took out three smaller boxes, each with their names written on it. Scarlett smiled, and took the square deep box with the fancy S on it.

"Wade, open yours first, Scarlett offered, surprised Wade was taking leaving alone, so well.

The thick, brown leather bound book with fancy gold lettering read, Maps of the World. Wade awed at the fine Atlas and colorful maps of various countries, cities and oceans of the world.

Ella begged for help to untie her cord that tumbled out a delicate gold chain, with a tiny red stone dangling from it. "Ella, that is a beautiful garnet!" smiled Scarlett as she affixed the chain around Ella's neck. Ella skipped over to the large oval mirror admiring it against her gray pinafore.

Wade watched his mother toy with the cord around her box, and Ella turned in a whirl, "Your turn, mother!"

Scarlett sighed as her heart felt heavy. She untied the cord and gently lifted the top of the cardboard box. The palest, green silk billowed out and cascaded through her hands and into her lap. It was a fine scarf, with tiny lavender flowers embroidered along the edges, trimmed with a navy blue silk cord made in tassels. Scarlett breathed out, "How lovely."

She read the letter aloud to the children, it was mainly about the scarf.

The letter inside explained it was a fine sort of silk that nuns make at a convent in France. Scarlett wrapped the scarf around her neck, and watched her eyes glow in the mirror; Rhett had a wonderful eye for color, especially those greens that suited her. The note was short and direct, wishing everyone health and happy holidays with no indication of malice or love.

Scarlett smiled at her children, "Wade, are you worried about going back without us?"

Wade shuffled his feet as he headed to the door, he turned halfway there, and asked, "You and Ella are coming back in the spring?"

Scarlett nodded, "I think before that."

"Well, I won't mind staying with Aunt Pitty a little while, after all I have to get back to school."

Scarlett patted his shoulder, and could feel the tension, as she dismissed them to get washed for dinner.

Left alone, Scarlett sat on her bed, held the scarf to her nose to breathe in his scent, but the weeks of traveling overseas had diminished Rhett's scent of leather, cigars and whisky. Scarlett folded it back into a neat square, and placed it on her vanity with her gloves. She was starting to feel the fatigue of staying up most of the night, and closed her eyes, enjoying the rest and her eyes enjoying the breezy draft on the back of her neck, as Scarlett turned to see the lace curtain fluttering in the open window, she strained her ears to listen, wanting to hear the voice she heard days ago in the orchard, but it was silence. The silence reminded Scarlett that she was alone, and she shuddered, glancing at the door which was closed tight. She smiled to herself and shook her head, walking across the room to the door and pulled it open. The hallway was quiet, except for the chatter of the children downstairs in the dining room.