It took me ages. One very sweet guest review made me continue.
"Are you expecting anyone?" Scarlett asked Pittipat Hamilton as she noticed her constant peeks at the French doors.
"Is Captain Butler not coming?"
"No, he is with one of our engineers at The Bank Tobacco Club. He will drop by at six to escort me home".
The woman kept fidgeting with evident discomfort.
"Auntie, won't you please come down?"
The elder woman did not respond
"Then it will be just us and perhaps India too."
Scarlett gave up trying to calm down the lady and asked "Aren't any of your friends coming?"
"No. Dolly feels too grateful and awkward to call in when you are here. And the others, well, they just feel so ashamed, I suppose."
Scarlett was wordless. She had never heard Pitty say a word of criticism against the old matrons who had been in her circle her entire life.
"And they should be." She added "For years I'd cry when they'd say that you weren't worthy of poor Charlie. It was as if they took pleasure in tormenting me and speaking badly of you."
Scarlett looked at her with some regret "I never thought it caused any hardships on anyone beside myself. I suppose I ..."
"You provided for all of us. And now that Dolly is at your debt she finally realizes how fortunate was, for all of us, the day you set your eyes on Charlie. Enough of that, though. You look tired, Scarlett. You should be careful not to overexert yourself. Why Dolly just told me that Maybelle had a cold for over two weeks and a strong one it was…"
Scarlett felt annoyed as she always did in view of the old lady's fuss, and she found herself wool-gathering in no time. It was with a hazy gaze that India found her a few minutes later.
"You seem tired, Scarlett. Are you ill?" India ignored the pleasantries "Have you been exhausting yourself at the site?"
Scarlett sighed and smiled "No, quite the contrary, since Rhett's return I've been avoiding the site most of the time after handing the whole project to him on the first day."
"You have to do something about your sleep. You used to have horrible nightmares. I always wondered how you handled the mills and the store after nights of such torment. I myself hadn't had good night sleep since Charlie's demise" mentioned Pitty.
"Great balls of fire, Auntie! You suddenly speak of everything?"
"Yes." The pained look silenced all three.
Amazed at her awareness she thought the old woman incapable of, she let the truth slip " It must be the weather change because I've been sleeping better than I have in years now that... er-" after a short blush and an awkward pause India surprised them by talking –
"I'd never imagine you'd have nightmares. I never believed Melly when she claimed that the two of you walked through hell together. Well, until she passed away I thought nothing touched you. But you were actually with her through Beau's birth, with no help and with Wade. How old was he?"
"Two" Scarlett moved with unease and the memories flooded her. She shook the memory of Melanie's labor with Beau when she heard Pitty's clear voice –
"I am sorry I left. I never asked your forgiveness, Scarlett."
She was astounded "Forgiveness?"
"Yes. The two of you were so young, and here I was running away with Uncle Peter."
"There was nothing you could have done to help. It's not as if you could nurse or deliver the baby any better than I did. But to be frank, and despite the fact that my nightmares started after that, I don't think that it had anything to do with that. It was more mother's death, father's mental decline, the hunger and with everyone on my head. No, it was never Melly. She was so sweet even during that day, apologizing constantly for keeping me away from my mother, with the pain she must have been in."
The three women sat joined in grief for their loss.
Pitty smiled – "We never did this. Just talk about her. I mean the whole town speaks of her even after a year. When they come here they talk about her in this hushed voice, so that I won't hear. What do they know? Uncle Peter and I, we raised her since my brother's death. Why didn't we?"
India's pale face suddenly smiled "Could you imagine me speak with Scarlett, let alone mourn with her? Yes, I promised Melly to be kind to Scarlett no matter what. But actually mourn?"
"Stranger things have happened" protested Pitty.
Scarlett joined India's laughter and in between giggles uttered "A miracle, no less. Probably Melly's doing from above"
After a while a silence once again lingered.
India served the three with tea. Scarlett stood and walked slowly towards the window.
"I am tired."
"Go to Dr. Mead, Scarlett" offered India quietly.
"I stopped going to him. I go to the young Jewish doctor across town. Dr. Rosenfeld"
"Dear God!" exclaimed Pitty "What would people say?!".
"It's too late to care about that, don't you think?" she smiled with no humor "Caroline Mead doesn't get to flaunt information regarding my health all over town" Scarlett added "And he is a good physician. The doctor that cared for me in Chicago recommended him."
"What did he say?" asked India, indifferent to the fact that Scarlett had chosen to leave Dr. Mead's practice.
"Oh, I hadn't gone to him lately, and it's only been this way a few days now. He saw me after Chicago and then after New York, and I was fine. Auntie, you too should let him check on you, perhaps he can ease your fainting spells."
"I don't need any easement with my spells, thank you very much!" exclaim the elder woman.
For a second time both Scarlett and India burst laughing.
"Don't you dare tell anyone, but now that I really am sad I ask myself if it bothered her that I was always requiring care, when in fact she was the fragile one."
Both woman were about to respond "Oh, don't respond to me, I know she loved me, she and Charlie used to laugh so much about my fainting spells, hiding my smelling salts when they thought I wasn't looking. When Melly was 12 years old I heard Charlie telling her not to worry, that as soon as something interesting will happen I'd come to my senses. I was unconscious at the time" she blushed slightly. "After that she was mostly kind to my face about the matter, but they'd laugh, and I'd hear and laugh. In fact, when things would get boring or nervous I'd faint just for the fun of it. For their sake…" a fat tear rolled down her wrinkled cheeks. "Lord, how I miss her! It should have been me, not her. I'm so much older."
"Hush Auntie" Scarlett was trying to walk disguising her growing fatigue "It's the evening speaking. It's not really you. What good would it do to us you dying? It wouldn't bring her back."
The three sat again sipping their tea in silence.
"Miss Scarlett, Captain Butler is here" the old butler announced.
"Tell him to come in and greet me" ordered the old lady.
Hearing her from the front Rhett entered with surprise written on his face.
"Captain Butler, you look mighty fine. I'm glad you came in. I wanted to see for myself. Scarlett did say you were well."
"You look fine too, Ms. Hamilton." The voice coming from him reminded Scarlett the way he would speak with Melanie.
"I shall put my cape on." Scarlett turned to leave.
"I am glad you returned, we were worried for you and for Scarlett. She missed you so. Though she took care of everyone and everything, she was so sad most of the time."
Embarrassed Rhett nodded.
On their way home she smiled at him "She's become a real matron. She says what she thinks to anyone. Even to you. Could you believe it? Today was the first time she actually…." She was panting, after a while she added "Right after Melly died, I returned her the allowance we used to give her and apologized for ever stopping."
"Are you well?"
"Tired."
The fact that she answered him frankly seemed odd for a minute.
"Should I call Dr. Mead?"
"I have a new doctor. Dr. Rosenfeld. I'll call on him tomorrow if it doesn't get better. I feel a little faint, that's all. Must be the change of season."
Minutes after they arrived he found her dozing in the parlor.
She looked the same.
As soon as Prissy arrived he sent her out to fetch the doctor.
…..
"What should I do Doctor?"
"If you were my wife I'd put an end to this pregnancy. The fetus is probably not developing as it is. You have a severe infection. The pain you had is nothing to be ignored."
"Doctor" she gave his a long look "You will not inform my husband of the risks you detailed before me. You will keep my confidence as you had promised."
The young doctor looked at her with sad eyes "You are a mother of two. The risk is high."
"You promised."
"Most chances are that this pregnancy has already ended. You are not well. You might have others, healthy ones."
Her eyes were closed and tears were pouring - "Tell him something. Anything that is not this. I shall come tomorrow to your clinic and you will end this."
