Chapter 29
Hope you enjoy, I want to finish this story before Jan 1 2019, only a few more chapters or 2.
Sorry, but jobs have changed and life always gets in the way, but here it is Merry Christmas!
Scarlett sat next to the crib, as John slept bundled and safe, his sweet breath moving his body gently with each full breath. She felt the same calm in her heart as she did when her mother would whisper in her ear, when she was in a crying tantrum, "I'm here, dear." It was as though her mother was there, touching her shoulder letting her know, she was going to be safe, warm and loved.
Melanie had that same effect on people, even with her quiet and simple face, her power to make the cruel world safe, was unmeasurable. Scarlett looking around to see if she was there, standing at the door nodding with her smile that lit up a room. But, she wasn't, Scarlett was alone with her son, Vella had taken Rosalie and Ella out for a walk while the men calmed the Wilkes in the parlor. Scarlett touched her son's soft dark head, and the warmth filled her heart, and tears filled her eyes. Carefully, she brushed them away, "Why are you crying, silly goose?"
Suddenly, she longed that the pudgy baby was awake, and she could cuddle him near her breasts, and look into his blue eyes, and see them light up when she smiled and called his name. John stirred as she rubbed his back, so she removed her hand still enjoying the quietude of the nursery, and listening to the murmur of voices in the next room.
It was Wade who opened the door, and his face was still pinched with concern that met his large, round eyes, "Mother, Beau is going to rest in my room, and Uncle Rhett took Uncle Ashley home."
"Home? Where?"
"He said they were going to pick up the children at Henry's and then go to Pitty's house."
"With Catherine?"
"I, uh, I don't really know. Ashley agreed to make peace with India."
"Why didn't Rhett come tell me!" Scarlett roared as she ran passed Wade, and then over her shoulder, "Don't leave until Vella returns with the girls, John's sleeping."
Wade called out to her as the door slammed, and John raised his head wailing.
Scarlett stood at the front door of the hotel, and the doorman informed her, "Mr. Butler just left with the gray haired man."
The cab pulled up, and just as Vella turned the corner with Ella and Rosalie ran up to her mother, pulling her dark green cape showing a prize, "Mama, we got candy at your store!"
Scarlett patted the child's cheek, and looked over at Ella, "Go up and take care of your baby brother."
"What happened with Beau?"
"Ella, go upstairs, I don't have time, I'll tell you later."
Scarlett closed the door, looking at the confused faces of her daughters, one with pout of indignation, who howled, "Take me!" and the other's monkey face pinched with concern.
A quick, "Be good for Vella." came from the cab, and it was gone.
At Henry's house, Rhett stood at the door, as Ashley gathered his daughters, one in his arms, the other at his side, and spoke to Catherine is his soft, drole voice, "I need to make peace with my sister, for Beau's sake as well as our daughters."
"Ashley, he-they are taking you away from me!"
He let go of Julia's hand and touched Catherine's cheek, stroking her tear away, "Darling, don't cry, we will return to you. "
Rhett cleared his throat at the door, and Julia turned to look at him, "Daddy, why is that bad man here?"
Rhett smirked, and Ashley admonished his daughter's manners. Julia eyed him with warily, and Catherine bent to whisper in her ear.
Ashley put his arm around Julia's shoulder guiding her out the door. Rhett stood at the carriage, and Ashley watched Julia get inside, Catherine stood on the porch, "Mr. Butler, you may fool some people, but those with the "gift" are not."
Rhett ignored her and sat across from Ashley as his daughter. Julia asked, "Are you going to hurt us?"
Rhett sighed, "No, I'm helping your father, he needs his family."
"We are a family, my mother and my sister."
"Julia, why do you think I'm bad?" Rhett asked.
Ashley made a gesture for Rhett to be quiet, but Rhett waited for the child's response. Her big eyes widened with the importance of answering a question, and for a moment, Rhett saw a glimpse of the person Ashley could have been if not raised within the soft confines as the planter's son. Julia looked Rhett up and down, "You are wearing black, and people always cry when they wear black, but you're not crying."
Rhett chuckled, "Who wears black and cries?"
"The ladies who visit at our house."
Rhett nodded, "I see, well they must be sad. I'm not sad, this is my special clothes that I wear to visit important people like you and your Aunt Pitty."
"But Daddy doesn't wear black, he wears blue."
"Well, your daddy has more gray hair then me."
Ashley pursed his lips, "Well, we are here at Aunt Pitty's. Let's go and visit."
India answered the door, "Scarlett is in with Pitty in her room, we can talk in the parlor."
Rhett asked, irritated, "Scarlett?"
"Yes, she told us you were coming. Ashley needs to talk about the children and Beau?"
Rhett walked passed India and up to Pitty's room. The old lady's weak, shrill voice was pouring out her heart to Scarlett who answered with intermittent, "yesses" and "He will be fines."
The low knock on the door lightened Scarlett's voice, "One minute, Auntie."
The door opened, and her eyes lit up, as she stepped outside.
"I take it, you are relieved it's me or just anybody?"
"Rhett, please, why didn't you tell me you were coming here? Did you bring Catherine?"
"No, and I didn't tell you because it's about time Ashley does something for himself."
"Oh, How was Catherine, when you told her to stay behind?"
"Scare that Ashley was leaving her."
"Well, is he?"
"No, he needs to make things right for his children with his family, and Catherine needs to see that her "occupation" is not helping him or anybody else. Do you know she thinks Julia has her "gift"?"
Scarlett's face paled, "Oh, Rhett, what are we to do?"
"We and you are going to do nothing. It's high time Ashley stood up for himself."
Scarlett started for the stairs, "Where are you going, Scarlett?"
"To Catherine, I need to give her a piece of my mind!"
"No, she isn't going to listen to your bullying. Ashley needs to do it, and I think if she fears he leaves her, she might just make things right."
Scarlett stopped, she knew Rhett was telling the truth. She sunk against Pitty's door and sighed, "Oh, Lord."
"Did you make it down to the Store?"
Scarlett shook her head.
"You want to go?"
Scarlett looked up and sighed, "I want to sell."
Rhett's eyes brightened, and for a moment he looked like Rosalie with a new doll, "You do?"
Scarlett nodded, "Yes, I realized, I'm clinging to the past, just like Ashley. I have a new home, and a new life with you. And my family is with you and at Tara, Atlanta has never really been home."
Rhett smoothed her hair as it started to come undone from the wind, "We married in Atlanta."
Scarlett chuckled, "Yes, that is true. But we were never happy here."
Rhett nodded, "Touche. We were happy with Bonnie."
"She was the bright spot and Melly, but they are gone. There is nothing here for us."
"I can't say that this visit has had anything positive about it."
Scarlett sighed, "I sent word to Henry to find a buyer, and we can correspond from Tara and Charleston. We are having dinner with him tonight at the hotel."
Rhett took her in his arms, and kissed her.
"Rhett, someone will see-"
"Shh, I love you."
India stood at the bottom of the stairs, and cleared her voice, "Ashley and I need to see Pitty."
Scarlett stood aside, and followed Rhett down to the parlor. The girls sat on the sofa each with a cookie in their hand.
Helen seeing the strangers moved closer to her sister, and Julia asked, "Where is Rosalie, Aunt Scarlett?"
"Scarlett sat on the chair next to them, "She is at our hotel, I think she is taking her nap about now."
Julia looked at Helen, "I think Helen needs a nap, too."
Scarlett eyed the toddler's round pink cheeks and her blue eyes that were heavy still concentrating on her cookie, "Yes, she may need one soon."
Julia looked over at Rhett, "You aren't bad."
"Well, I'm glad you have changed your opinion."
"Aren't you Rosalie's daddy?"
"I am."
"Rosalie is pretty, but she needs to say "please" and "thank you"."
"I'll remember that when we get home."
"Where do you live?"
Scarlett cut in, "We live by the big River in a beautiful house with lots of trees, and flowers. Maybe you could visit one day."
Julia shook her head, "No, my mommy don't like you and Uncle Rhett."
Scarlett sat back, "Why are you saying that?"
"You are troublemakers."
Rhett chuckled and touched Scarlett's shoulder, "Well, she is allowed to her opinion."
Ashley and India came down, and Ashley had a haggardness to his face from lack of sleep as he slumped on the sofa next to his daughters.
Scarlett waited eager to hear, India called DIlcey, "Get the girls some milk and another cookie in the kitchen." As the girls were ushered away, Julia looked back at Scarlett with the wariness of child who heard and understood too much, not from a gift, but from being around frank adults vert often.
Ashley rubbed his stubble, "Well, there will be no seance."
India sat next to Ashley placing a tray with coffee and toast, "Eat, brother."
Ashley sipped the hot coffee, and looked at Scarlett, "Did you know Beau felt that way about me?"
She shook her head, "No, Beau is so much like you, he is always polite and hides his feelings, but then he is so much like Melanie in that he will fight for those he loves."
India sat silent, and astonished at Scarlett's insight.
Scarlett looked at India, "Hearing Beau pour his heart out, has helped me to understand, so times it's not about "us" or "me" but "them", our children."
Ashley nodded, "When Catherine and I first got married, it was all so new and fresh, there were weeks that I never thought of the past, and when I realized that, it scared me."
AShley looked up at Rhett, Scarlett and then India, as he took her hand, "India, don't blame Catherine, it was I who asked her to do the seance, and she saw how it affected me when I started to forget my loved ones."
Scarlett asked, "Is she still doing seances, in New York?"
Ashley shook his head, "It was only for former clients, nobody new, and she had to do them."
Rhett scoffed, "Had to?"
Just then a knock came on the door, it was Catherine. India let her inside and she rushed to Ashley, "Dear, please come back to me."
Ashley held her hand, "I never left you. Come sit. I was just telling them how you had to start doing the seances again."
Catherine looked down, "When you were ill?"
India and Scarlett both piped up, "Ill?"
Ashley sighed, "Yes, I wasn't sick physically. I had sunk back into the same stupor that I had after Melly had died. I was afraid of forgetting them, so I longed to join them. I could barely get out of bed much less work."
"So, I had to go back to work,"Catherine stated looking at Scarlett, "You understand how you have to do things you otherwise wouldn't do for your family. Helen was on the way, and I couldn't leave the house, so I did what I could possibly do."
"How did you get better, Ashley?" India asked.
"Catherine helped me, when Helen was born. It was Catherine who took me, and woke me up telling me these children deserved a father, and that I needed to come back to her and them."
"Did Beau know?" Scarlett asked.
Ashley shook his head, "No, I was able to put a good face on for a few hours he came on Sunday with Wade."
Scarlett looked at Catherine, "Ashley has decided not to have the seance."
Catherine nodded, "I decided that last night for him, but he was furious and left me."
"Ashley!" fussed Scarlett, but Rhett reeled her in, "Don't let him talk."
" It was Beau who made me see reason today. He explained how he misses his mother, too, but he remembers her in his prayers at night, and the time he had with her even though it was a few years was so much more precious because she died, how could he ever forget her. Everything he does and sees in life from the sunset to a flower in spring is a reminder that she is always with him."
Scarlett grasped an understanding that Beau is happy he had a mother at some point, and he prays for her, but Rhett clarified it for her as he stated, "Yes, Miss Melly is in everything of beauty that touches us."
Scarlett looked up and wiped away a tear, "Yes, she is."
Ashley continued, "I'm going to make an effort to think of my parents and Melly everyday in something beautiful I see. And Beau has promised to help me."
"Melly would love that, and Mother and Father, too,"India added, "I think of Father everytime I sit to read at night, it is as though he is sitting with me as I read like at Twelve Oaks."
Scarlett noticed the sun going down in the window as the winter wind of the shortest day of the year rustled the leaves on the porch, "It's getting late!"
Catherine smirked, "No, it's just the shortest day of the year, the first day of winter."
Rhett nodded, "Well, we do need to go. Scarlett is meeting with Henry Hamilton tonight for dinner."
India pursed her lips, "We didn't get an invite."
"It's not a family dinner, I'm selling the store."
Ashley put his coffee cup with a clang, "Really?"
"Yes, it's really Ella's dowry, and I can't possibly make it successful as long as I don't live here. And I rather sell while I can get a good amount of money for it."
Rhett chimed in, "Yes, it's Ella dowry, or money she can use in whatever she decides to do with it."
Catherine smirked, "Well, I'm sure Beau will be involved."
Scarlett sighed, "Perhaps, it's Ella's decision."
"And Beau's."
"Are you sure Catherine?"
"Yes, he only talks about Ella, and she is a lovely person."
"Well, she's only thirteen, so she has a long time."
Rhett cut in taking Scarlett's arm, "We best leave to get ready for dinner tonight."
In the carriage, Rhett glared at Scarlett, "Why were you so defensive?"
"Defensive, how?"
"About Beau and Ella."
"Oh, Ella is not lovely, Catherine was lying, and she is too young. Beau and Wade are the only boys she knows, and she can't marry Wade. If I married one of the boys I knew at thirteen-"
Rhett flared a match for his cigarette and studied her with cat in the mouse hold look, waiting.
"No, I wouldn't have married Ashley! My Pa would have had it."
"Then, who?"
"I don't know, Stuart Tarleton probably."
"And you would have been a widow and married me."
"You are so damn sure?"
"I am, your destiny and mine have been linked since that day at Twelve Oaks when the wat started. Change was in the air when we met, and our destinies were linked. Everything about the war put us together. That day I got out of jail, I came to propose, but you married old Frank."
"It would have been too late to help Tara, how do you know I would have said 'yes'."
"You would have."
"Really?"
"Yes, my kissing experience proceeds itself, besides you were in love with me, I can see that now, but you wouldn't admit it, and I was confident enough, but you did love me."
Scarlett laughed, "You really are conceited."
"And so are you, my pet. We are made for each other."
