Chapter 6
I know Scarlett wanted to go to Tara, but I needed to develop her friendship with Pilar a bit more, and I thought this would be a typical stunt that Suellen would pull. Who knows who else may show up for the Holiday season?
The next morning Scarlett was up and dressed before ten o'clock, it was a busy day. She needed to go to the store and the mills to settle everything before her extended holiday at Tara. SHe pulled on her leather gloves and stood in the doorway, waiting for Jonah to bring the carriage around to the front of the house, when the creaking of carriage wheels startled her.
It wasn't the fine sleek carriage she rode in, but a creaky trap with Hugh Elsing sitting on the seat, with a large shawled woman sitting in the back on top of some lumber.
"Miss Scarlett," Hugh waved as he took off his hat, "I saw her at the train station, so I told her that I'd drop her off here."
"Mammy?" Scarlett called out as the woman hustled off the wagon and walked up the steps carrying her familiar red and black carpet bag Ms. Ellen had given her years ago.
"Miss Scarlett, let's get inside, I got news from Miss Suellen," Mammy's eyes were big and stern.
Scarlett obeyed, and waved Hugh a "thank you" and shut the door.
"What in God's name are you doing here? I'm going to Tara tomorrow!"
"No you isn't, I'm here because Miss Suellen don't want you there for the holidays."
"She-She cannot ban me from Tara, it's my home, too."
"Well, she say, she don't want you there ruining her Christmas with the children. I came in town to be with you, and we can go to Tara after the New Year's."
"What? SO, you are here to keep me away from Suellen's piddly Christmas parties!"
"Miz Scarlett, I'm here to care for my lamb. You need caring for now, you in here all alone."
"How do you know that Mammy?"
Mammy looked at Scarlett and put her large black hands on Scarlett's, "We all know about Mista Rhett."
Scarlett threw her hands up, "Who is "we all"? Suellen? You?"
"Everybody knows that man left on a train with his suitcase an hour after Miss Melanie died."
"Oh!" Scarlett was dumbfounded, "Is that so?"
"Yes, he went down to that train station, and bought a ticket to CHarleston. They saw him, and they family in CLayton County heard about it, and they all know. Miss Suellen don't want any upset and trouble. Her three girls are so young, and the baby is just starting to walk, she wants them to just have a quiet Christmas, no major troubles."
"Is that what they think, I'm major troubles?"
Mammy's eyes was starting to get wet, "Miz Scarlett, you seen some troubles, but I'm here now, so you going to be fine. Mammy takes care of her lamb."
Jonah interrupted them by knocking on the door. Scarlett directed Mammy to get settled, and left on her errands. As the carriage rocking down the street, the clouds were building in the col sky preparing for a storm, but she got to the Mills. The door was locked, and the men were leaving on deliveries, and Scarlett called to one of them, "Has Mr. WIlkes been in to work?"
A wiry red head boy nodded, "Yes, ma'am he was here this morning, but he left to go home for dinner with his boy, he'll be back in an hour or so."
"Can I get inside, I want to check the books."
The boy shrugged, "Ma'am, Mr. WIlkes, he got the key."
Scarlett would have waited the hour, if she was leaving tomorrow, but she wasn't, so she went to the store. The store was busy for a weekday afternoon, people seemed to be getting supplies, for the storm that was brewing overhead, and the coldness that it had brought with it. Scarlett was pleased with the line of people waiting to pay their bills, none of them were the Old Guard, and she was relieved the gossippers who spread dirty tales about her was not in her store.
She headed for the back of the store, and went into the office followed by the manager.
"I want to see the inventory and the orders for the Holiday items. We need to make sure there is candles, ribbons, velvet by the yard and the children's items. I want them shipped within the next week, I would like them out as early as possible."
The manager asked, "When December 15th?"
Scarlett's eyes flashed, "No, the 1st!"
The manager nodded and left her alone with the ledger.
The storm had started whipping the autumn leaves, and the rain against the store's windows, when she emerged from the office. Uncle Peter had walked in the front door with Beau, and a list.
"Aunt Scarlett, I missed you!" Beau ran up to her, and put his arms around her waist, Scarlett bent down resting her cheek on the boy's head.
"Beau, how wonderful to see you. Are you back at school?"
"Father says I have to go back on Monday, but I miss my friends."
Uncle Peter stood there puffed up handing the list over to the clerk.
Scarlett looked up at him and smiled, "Uncle Peter, you are looking well."
"Thank you, Miz Scarlett, just getting some things for Miz Pitty."
Scarlett looked over at the clerk, "Put some extra extra lavender soaps, and some peppermint sticks for Beau, what color do you like, darling?"
"Do you have blue?"
Scarlett's throat clenched, "Of course we have blue, and red, and pink."
Beau beamed, "I like blue the best!"
Scarlett nodded, and bid them farewell, her throat was starting to clench again, and her eyes blurred, her Bonnie Blue, that's why she had ordered them.
As she waited on the porch for the carriage, and figure in black approached her, and she heard his voice, "Scarlett, how good to see you out."
She met the gray eyes and smiled, "Ashley, how are you?"
He smirked, and looked down, "Better. I went to work today."
"Today? You mean you haven't-"
"No, my dear, I've been to work for almost a week now, but I'm looking at my life, one day at a time. My biggest achievement today was getting out of bed, and going to work. I'm headed back to the mill now."
"I was just there, I wanted to check the books."
"Do you want to ride over with Beau and me?"
"No, I'll come back tomorrow. Mammy just came in town, and I want to get out of this rain."
"I see," Ashley said dryly.
The carriage pulled up, and he opened the door for her, Scarlett looked through the window, "I'll be out at the mill early tomorrow morning, what time you get there?"
"Seven," he answered staring at her bright eyes.
"See you, at seven thirty, then, good day, Ashley."
As the carriage pulled off into the muddy road, Scarlett felt hollow and empty. Where was the feeling of fluttering hearts and clammy palms, now. SHe felt as though she was talking to her brother, not the love of her life.
Her spell returned as they neared the house, her head started to tingle, and her chest tightened, she worried she would pass out, but as she opened the heavy door and saw the warm glow of the fire in the library her nerves settled.
Mammu was at her side gathering her damp shawl and umbrella, and directing her to the palor to remove her boots.
"Mammy, I'm perfectly fine."
"I can see you got all wet out there, you don't needing to get sick."
"I'm not."
Scarlett let Mammy pamper her, removing her boots and settling her in the leather chair near the fire as she went through her mail, and Prissy brought in a dinner tray of sliced cheeses, toast, a tall glass of lemonade and an apple cooked in thick caramel sauce.
"Mammy, what is Cookie making for supper?"
"It smells like chicken soup, but I don't rightly know."
"Well, If I'm not leaving, we will have to go to market tomorrow. You can take the ride into town, we are leaving early, at seven."
"Where you going so early? You going to get up?"
"Yes, I want to get to the mills early."
Mammy stared at her and clicked her tongue.
"What is THAT supposed to mean?"
"You know and I know why you going there?"
"Please, how you do run on, Mammy. Seven in the morning?"
"WHatever you can do at midnight, you can do at seven-"
"I need to check the books, and Ashley has Beau with him until he goes back to school on Monday. I missed him today, because they went home for dinner."
"Well, Is taking the ride out to the Mill, too."
"Mammy-"
"No, I is goin' and you can't tell me NO. You trying to make more troubles?"
" Fine, but you'll just have to sit in the carriage."
"What if I want to see Mister Beau?"
"Oh, you are impossible!"
Mammy smiled and walked out the library leaving Scarlett alone with her tray.
The storm continued through the afternoon, and it was close to dinner when Scarlett woke up with a start, finding herself in the library, she had fallen asleep in the chair, but in her dream the mist had returned, and this time there was a swamp, she felt the cold wet swamp closing around her ankles, and the mist built around her. The trees were thick, and she was running, running faster looking for something in the mist, but she never found it. The tingling in her body jolted her out of sleep, she had tried to scream, but her throat had clenched and she couldn't.
The shadows in the library played tricks, and her mind tried to make out figures, but they were long lopsided things, similar to the trees in her dreams. Scarlett was frightened and rose from the chair, feeling her way to the door opened it to the hallways and the mountainous stairs leading to her bedroom.
The house was quiet, so quiet, it made her shiver. Scarlett stood in the hallway and thought how nice it would be to see Bonnie and a toddling two year old coming down the stairs hand in hand, grabbing her at the waist and tugging at her skirts for a hug. Scarlett hadn't realized she missed the child's hugs until Beau had ran into her arms, and his boyish smell, soft hair, and small arms around her made her remember.
Scarlett shook her head, as if emptying her head of the wish. Such nonsense only brought on sadness, and she didn't have time for tears. She called for Prissy to unpack her trunks.