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A little bit of Ross and Evelyn in this chapter! Enjoy!
CHAPTER 21
By the end of April the house was ready and Rhett took her there to see it. He had done a wonderful job with the place. It was nothing like the overcrowded architectural monstrosity in Atlanta. This one was inviting and welcoming, each room more beautifully decorated than the other. The colors on the walls were bright, the curtains were airy and delicate, allowing the sun to bathe the rooms from one end to the other.
Both the parlor and the dining room were furnished in Rococo style. In the parlor there were several armchairs, a sofa, a loveseat and a chaise in gold body cloth with craved wood accent trim. Walnut coffee tables, sofa tables and end tables with curved legs, each piece of furniture carefully chosen and placed there for a reason. In the dining room a rectangular walnut dining table with six side chairs on each side and two arm chairs on each head of the table. A sideboard with a beautiful matching mirror and a china cabinet were complementing the room perfectly.
In the library, shelves covered all the walls up to the shelling, his books carefully placed on them. His desk was under one window, her desk under the other. A comfortable leather sofa with two armchairs and a coffee table were placed in front of the fireplace. It was a cozy, warm room, just like their library back in Atlanta. It was the one and only room in that house he had decorated himself and most naturally it had been his favorite.
Their bedroom was the biggest surprise of all. It was probably the most luminous room of the entire house. A heavy king size Victorian bed with four pillars was placed in the middle of room just across the French doors leading to the balcony, matching nightstands on each side of it.
"Upon request, Madame, the sea will be the first thing you'll see when you open your eyes in the morning," he said.
"Why, darling, you are the first thing I want to see when I open my eyes in the morning," she purred sweetly.
"You remain a hopeless liar, Scarlett," he laughed.
"Fine. The second thing then," she smiled mischievously.
On the other side of the room was an elegant vanity with a big wooden framed mirror and, of course, her dressing room, spacious and already filled with brand new dresses, shoes, hats and all kind of accessories.
"You won't be wearing black forever," he answered her questioning look. "In a couple of months the mourning period will be officially over."
"I won't fit in them," she laughed softly placing a hand on her expanding middle.
"Some of them were specially made," he smiled. "You will wear the rest of them after the baby comes."
She went to the French doors and pulled away the curtains. The view left her breathless once again. She opened the doors and stepped out. The salty spring air filled her nostrils and she inhaled deeply again and again to savor it. She felt her husband standing right behind her.
"How did a girl from a plantation in Georgia come to love the sea so much?" he wondered aloud.
She took his arms and wrapped them around her.
"Can you keep a secret?" she whispered in his ear and he nodded. "It reminds me of my husband."
"How so?" he chuckled.
"No matter how calm it appears to be, there is always immense power beneath the surface. You won't tell anyone, will you?" she giggled.
"I will carry your dirty secret to my grave," he kissed her hair.
Next to their bedroom was a room left empty for the time being.
"I thought you would like to decorate this room yourself," he said in a flat voice. This was meant to be the baby's room.
"You know me all too well, Captain Butler," her smile was so radiant, he felt guilty for his lie. The truth was he couldn't bring himself to do it. And yet his lack of courage had brought such a smile on her face. Had he been told months before that he would be the one to achieve that without so much as an effort, he would have probably laughed out loud. But lately most of the things he did could bring a smile on her face. Especially those done unintentionally.
"I want to decorate it together," she said softly, an expectant look on her face that made the knot on his throat reappear.
"There is one more thing I want to show you," the excitement in his voice made her forget that he left yet another question hanging. He took her by the hand and led her downstairs.
"Close your eyes," he asked. He helped her step outside. "Now open them."
She let out a surprised exclamation. A magnificent garden lay at their feet with tall trees, little alleys, benches and flowers in every iris color.
"There are still a lot to be done, but you get the general idea, don't you?"
"I do," she whispered.
"Well?" he asked impatiently.
"Rhett, it's simply…" she paused overwhelmed with emotion. "Amazing," she breathed.
"You like your garden then," he smiled.
She turned to face him, her eyes watery.
"My garden?" she puzzled.
"Consider it an early anniversary present," he explained.
She placed her hands on his chest.
"Thank you, Rhett," she said softly. "I love it."
He took them in his and brought them to his lips. "You are most welcome, Mrs. Butler.
They spent most of the following mornings interviewing personnel for servants. The ladies from the committee helped them a great deal through this process asking their own servants about cousins and nieces that needed a job, and soon enough they had quite a little army at their service with Mammy overseeing everyone as always. When everything was set, the Butlers moved into their new home.
Regardless of how busy she had been with the moving and the settling in the Battery house, she hadn't forgotten her plan about Ross and Evelyn. She was just trying to find a way to bring Ross to Charleston and lure him into meeting with Evelyn. They had spent several Sundays eating together as a family, but nothing other than that. One noon though, the opportunity appeared itself when she least expected it. Ross showed up at their doorstep looking for Rhett as usual. And, fortunately for her, Rhett was out again.
They chatted lively for a while about Dunmore Landing and Scarlett showed him around the new house. She looked at the big clock in the parlor.
"Rhett is running late," she sounded concerned. "What shall I do?"
"Is there anything I can do for you, Scarlett?" Ross asked.
"Could you do me a favor, please?"
"Of course. Anything."
"I have a couple of things to buy downtown and Rhett promised to take me there today. But I don't think he will make it home before the shops close. And he won't let me ride a carriage unless he is with me. Would you be an angel and accompany me?" she asked all sweet and innocent.
"It will be my pleasure," he smiled.
"Thank you so much, Ross. Let me take my hat and my purse and we can go."
The route they would take was already planned in her mind for weeks. First the cobbler where she had a couple of pairs made, then the dressmaker to pick up some dresses that needed modification and finally the pharmacy just across Evelyn's bookshop.
Ross waited patiently for her outside.
"That was the last stop. I can't thank you enough for your help."
"Don't mention it."
"I need to check at the bookshop for a magazine. Will you join me?"
He waved her to proceed.
"Evelyn, good morning," she greeted her cordially and she felt Ross stopping dead in his tracks behind her.
"Scarlett, what a pleasant surprise!" Evelyn set to say, but then she noticed Ross and her expression changed from pleasure to shock she tried really hard to conceal.
"I'm going to check for the magazine, Ross. It will only take a minute," Scarlett said carelessly and she hurried to the back of the store, where she could watch them without being seen.
Ross and Evelyn stood there facing one another for several awkward moments.
"Ross," Evelyn broke the uncomfortable silence first.
"Evelyn," he said swaying on his feet nervously.
Oh, my God, Scarlett mused. This is going worst than I thought.
"How are you?" she asked.
"Fine. And you?" his voice was uncommonly flat.
"I'm well, thank you," the profound uneasiness between them was turning her cheeks red.
"Well," Ross put his hat on. "It was nice seeing you," he muttered and he stepped out of the bookshop far too quickly.
"Damn it," Scarlett cursed under her breath. How on earth could Rhett and Ross be brothers?
She walked towards the counter with a wide smile. Evelyn was still staring at the door stunned.
"The new Harper's Bazaar hasn't arrived yet, has it?" she asked.
"What? Oh, no, not yet. But it will be here any day now. Would you like me to keep one for you?" she gave her a ghost of a smile.
"Yes, please. I will come by later this week. Thank you, Evelyn. Have a nice day."
She walked out of the store and her eyes searched rapidly around her for Ross. She saw him walking quickly down Meeting Street.
"Ross," she called after him and she hurried to catch him. "Ross, wait."
Hearing her voice he stopped abruptly and turned to her.
"Good Lord, Ross," she breathed. "I am not in a condition to chase you. What got into you all of a sudden?"
"I'm sorry, Scarlett," he apologized quickly. "I was taken by surprise that's all. I didn't expect to see her."
"You mean Evelyn? You two know each other?" she acted all surprised.
"We used to," he cast his eyes down. "We grew up together."
"But you lost touch over the years?" she asked hesitantly.
"In a way. Especially ever since she got married," he tried to avert the subject.
Scarlett knew she was about to walk on thin ice, but this was the only chance she would get.
"It's a good thing she is a widow then," she said carefully.
Ross' face grew alert in a millisecond. He grabbed her by the shoulders.
"What did you say?" his voice was hoarse. "Say it again."
"She is a widow, Ross. Almost two years now," his reaction was proof enough that he still cared for her. She was doing the right thing. She watched the emotions rapidly changing in his eyes; happiness, relief, doubt, disappointment, resign. His hands dropped lifeless at his sides.
"We should get going," he said. "Rhett should be home by now."
Scarlett took hold of his arm.
"Ross, can I say one more thing before we go?" she asked and he nodded her to go on. "Whatever happened between you two, it is never too late to set it right."
"Things are far more complicated than you think."
"Do you want to talk about it?" she wavered.
"I wouldn't know where to begin."
"Let's grab a cup of coffee then, shall we?"
He stood there indecisively for a moment before he spoke. "I know a quiet cafe just around the corner."
He told her about Evelyn in as many details as his pride allowed him. Scarlett wasn't surprised that he left the part about his father forbidding him to marry her out. It wasn't something to be proud of. She credited him for taking all the blame though. She knew very well the courage it required to admit an injustice.
"It's the first time I talk about it with anyone," he said. "I'm not very outgoing as you must have noticed," he laughed with his own joke. "But somehow I find it very easy to talk to you."
"I'm glad you feel this way," she smiled at him. "What do you plan to do now that you know she is widow?"
"Nothing," he said.
"Nothing?" she asked incredulously.
"There isn't anything to be done here, Scarlett. It's too late."
"You don't know that. Not unless you give it a try."
"What's the point?"
"There is a point if she still is as special to you as I suspect she was."
"I hurt her, Scarlett. And she moved on. Why should I go around and open old wounds?"
"Because there are no obstacles in your way anymore, that's why. Don't you want to find out if there is still a chance for the two of you?"
"I don't know," he murmured. "I can't change the past."
"No, you can't," she rested her hand on his arm. "Trust me, I know that first handed. But you can change the future."
"Hello," Rhett's voice startled them. "I'm not interrupting anything I hope."
"Rhett," she smiled widely at him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," his voice was dangerously low, his face unreadable.
"Ross passed by the house to see you and I asked him to accompany me downtown, because you were running late," she explained bewildered by his tone.
"Are you done with your shopping?"
"Yes."
"Good. Let's go then," he said sternly.
Ross made a move to stand up, but Rhett stopped him with a wave of his hand.
"Thank you, Ross. I will accompany my wife home."
There was an underground warning in the way he spoke those words that drew all color from Ross' face. He remained seated.
Rhett raised a hand to stop a carriage and he helped Scarlett in.
"Have you lost your mind?" she protested once the door closed. "Why did you talk to him like that?"
"Why were you holding his arm?" he asked quietly.
Her jaw dropped ajar, her eyes grew enormous with shock. "You think that Ross… You think that I…" she couldn't even form a proper sentence. "I don't believe this," she shook her head in disbelief. "I simply cannot believe this."
"Drop the magnolia, Scarlett. I've seen the way he looks at you and surely you have seen it too."
"He is your brother," she exclaimed.
"And you are my wife," he said through clenched teeth.
"And pregnant with your child, for God's sake. What is wrong with you?"
"Why were you holding his arm then?" he asked angrily.
"I was trying to persuade him to give it another try with Evelyn."
"What?"
"He came by the house to see you and since you were running late I thought it was a good opportunity to have him meet with her again. We went to the bookstore, but it didn't go very well. He needed to talk and we sat at the café and talked. About Evelyn."
Rhett remained silent, anger and jealousy in his eyes giving their place to guilt and shame. The carriage stopped outside their gate.
"How can a clever man like you act like such a complete idiot is beyond me," she said icily.
She stormed out of the carriage and into the house without waiting for him. He found her at the balcony staring at the sea.
"Scarlett," he said.
No answer. He raised a hand to touch her, but she pulled away.
"How could you even think of something like that," she said bitterly.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"You are sorry?" she grinned. "I don't care one bit if you are sorry, Rhett. You will go to Dunmore Landing and you will apologize to Ross for your behavior."
"I will go tomorrow."
"No. Not tomorrow. Today. And don't you even dare come back home until you make amends with him."
"Alright."
She turned to look at him. "Why are you still here then?"
He made a step towards her.
"No," she said firmly. "Fix this mess first."
He sighed and walked away. She stayed at the balcony and a few minutes later she saw him leaving the house.
That was it... How do you feel about it? Please review and share your thoughts with me!
Coming next...A talk between brothers! Until then, take care! :-)