Yes, it's me! You can rub your eyes all you want, but it's really me! I owe you all a huge apology for the delay! It's just that after a year of constantly updating, I found myself knowing what I wanted to write about, but being unable to put it in words. Add a few weeks of blues during the end of May and there you have it. I felt the need to take a step back from writing for a while. But I would never abandon the fantom like this or my stories unfinished. You can count on that. And this is where I have to apologize for not being constant with my reviews on the beautiful stories here as well. I have been reading them and I promise I will catch up with my reviewing soon!
Enough with the apologies and on with the long awaited chapter, just like I promised.
CHAPTER 35
"Miss Scarlett!" Mammy exclaimed in shock the moment they stepped into the house. Much like Scarlett had expected her to. "What on earth you done to your skin? What your mother would say if she seen you like that?"
She rolled her eyes in despair. Truth to be told, she had been reckless with the sun during the weekend. She had tried to wear a hat while on the beach, but the infuriating man now chuckling next to her, had made it almost impossible to keep it there for a long time. As a result her once alabaster skin was reddish and full of freckles, both on her face and her shoulders.
"God's nightgown, Mammy! I'm not sixteen anymore and Mother has been dead for twelve years. Don't you think it's high time you'd stop scolding me?"
"Dunno start back talking to me. Rebecca," she shouted at the darkie, "make a cool bath for Miss Scarlett. And you, Miss, you run upstairs right now and take your clothes off. I come to see what to do with that mess."
"Now, Mammy, don't be like that," Rhett tried to interfere. "We were a bit…" he set to add, but the glower he received made him swallow his words. He fought really hard to keep a straight face.
"You can be dark as a pirate all you want," she pointed a finger at him, "but I dunno want my lamb walking around like one too. It ain't fittin'."
"Alright, Mammy. Next time we'll be more careful," he went along.
"Next time," she scoffed in a low voice, already climbing the stairs. "There ain't gonna be a next time if I has a say in it."
She heard the door cracking open.
"Was that enough? Can I take it off me now?" she asked, her voice muffled by the soaked cloth on her face, but the roaring laughter that echoed in the room told her that Mammy wasn't the one who had just entered.
"Don't laugh, you cad," she threw the cloth at him furiously. "This is all your fault."
He caught it in the air and brought it to his nose. "Buttermilk," he grinned. "How very fitting, my Queen! What does that makes me, I wonder. Julius Caesar or Marcus Antonius?"
"Queen, my foot!" she pouted. "I'm being bullied by my own Mammy. She threatened me that, if I don't stay put, she will make me go through this again tomorrow. And you know she will. Rhett, do something. This thing stinks," she took the other towel off her chest and threw it in a bowl. "And Minnie will bring Noah back from his ride soon and I'm not even dressed yet."
"Your relationship with Mammy goes way beyond my jurisdiction, darling," he sat on the bed next to her. "She almost flayed me alive for exposing you to the sun in the first place. And I'm pretty certain she will if I dare to do it again. But I don't think Noah would mind your dishabille," he stroke her cheek.
"Are you planning to talk like a normal human being again anytime soon?" she teased.
"I don't think Noah would mind that you are dressed casually. Better?"
"Much better. Would you bring me my wrapper, please?" she stood up.
"I'd rather take it off, but it will do for now," he whispered in her ear, while he helped her in it.
"Don't you think you had enough taking off for one weekend?"
"You'd better remember these cruel words tomorrow, when Mammy will be putting compresses on you all over again since you didn't keep them on long enough today," he threatened.
"You wouldn't," she exclaimed with fake shock.
"I will if you don't take it back," he put his arms around her waist.
"That's pure blackmail," she laughed.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," he pulled her even closer.
"Desperate now, are you?"
"I may become, given that we will have guests again soon," he took a letter out of his pocket. "It came with the morning mail. Alexander finished his exams and he is coming to visit this weekend."
"That's great news," she smiled warmly.
"You think?" he frowned.
"You don't?"
"I don't know if I'm ready for this," he admitted. "I was never fond of having to explain myself and my actions. I'm not anywhere near liking it now."
"Not much of explaining will be needed if we keep the details vague," she suggested.
"I don't want the whole thing to backfire, that's all."
"I'm counting on your mother not to let this happen."
"I'm too old to hide behind my mother's skirts, Scarlett," he said curtly.
"I wouldn't want you to hide," she retorted defensively. "I'm just saying we should count on her influence and esteem among the Old Guard to keep them from jumping to the wrong conclusions."
He nodded with a loud heave. Then they heard the front door opening.
"We have a few more days to talk about it and plan it ahead with Mother," she smiled encouragingly. "Let's go to Noah now, shall we?"
"In a moment," he rested his forehead on hers with his eyes closed.
Their son's happy incoherent talking sounded just outside their bedroom. Sensing her impatience he chuckled softly. "Go," he urged her.
She almost run out of the room, but she stopped at the door frame and looked at him over her shoulder.
"In case you are still wondering you are definitely Marcus Antonius."
"My Queen?" he raised a brow in wonder.
"My mother loved that book," she winced at him and left to meet her son.
"I wouldn't worry about Alexander if I were you," Eleanor declared with a mischievous smile the very same afternoon. "What you have to do is make sure he will enjoy his visit."
"We have everything else under control," Rosemary added proudly.
Both Rhett and Scarlett looked back and forth at Eleanor and Rosemary at a loss trying to understand what was going on.
"You didn't think I would leave things to the last minute, did you?" Eleanor tenderly scolded her son. "Alexander couldn't come to the christening, but he would sooner or later. I didn't want to take any chances."
Mother and daughter began to explain that they had already set the ground for Alexander ever since they had learned about his existence a few months ago. Eleanor had presented a story as close to reality as possible with Alexander being the orphan son of a poor widow at whose house Rhett was renting a room while living in New Orleans. She had made sure to stress how much Rhett had helped the boy after his mother was deceased and how devoted he was to his studies to become a doctor. And they had both made it certain to repeat the story as often as it was needed until all reactions had been quieted down.
"Mother, I don't know what to say," Rhett breathed once the explaining was done.
"If I've learned a thing or two after a lifetime living in this city is that there is always a way to avoid a scandal," she said matter-of-factly. "As long as you know to whom you should talk and which details of the story to throw light on. There is nothing scandalous about a man taking care of an orphan boy left alone in the world."
"Even if that man is one of the biggest scandals the city had ever seen?" Rhett was still skeptical.
"Used to be," she corrected him. "He now is a respectable family man, who has made peace with his people."
"She is right," Scarlett rested her hand on his arm.
"People don't forget," he insisted.
"No, but they forgive," Eleanor smiled. "You are back almost two years now. Trust me, you have passed the test."
He stepped into the nursery just when Scarlett had Noah ready for bed. Instead of a sleepy child though, he saw his son standing up in his cradle with the I-don't-want-to-sleep expression written all over his small face.
"Every single child I know relaxes after their bath and their milk, but this little monkey here wants to play," Scarlett laughed half seriously.
"You go get ready for the night and I will take over from here," he suggested.
"Are you sure?"
"I want to," he smiled.
He chose a book from the shelf and he sat on the rocking chair with Noah in his embrace. The boy squirmed all excited on his father's lap, but Rhett whispered something probably soothing in his ear resting the small head on his chest at the same time and his son consented obediently.
"How do you do that?" he heard her murmuring in despair as she was getting out of the room.
When she went to check on them a while later, she found Noah sleeping peacefully in the arms of his father. Rhett had his lips resting on the baby's dark hair still humming a nursery rhyme to him. She stood quietly by the door trying to stay unnoticed, their sight alone warming up every little bit of her body. But it didn't last as long as she had wished, for he sensed her presence like he always did and he turned his eyes on her.
"He is long asleep," she stated the obvious with a low voice.
"I felt like holding him for a while. God knows, he doesn't stay put for more than absolutely necessary when he is awake."
He carefully placed the boy back in his bed and arranged the mosquito net over the cradle. He went out in the balcony to smoke a cigar. She followed him outside and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"If his visiting is making you so uncomfortable, wire him not to come," she said quietly. "Please, darling. I hate to see you like this."
"That's not it," he smiled at her in the darkness. "I'm glad he is coming, I've missed him. And apparently I have severely underestimated the highly functional mind of all the women in my family," he joked. "There isn't anything left to worry about that."
"Then what is it? For something is bothering you all day long."
"Alexander was just another prompt to reflect upon the past," he sighed. "Before Bonnie was born, I used to boast to no end about the life I've led. About the choices I've made and the freedom I've enjoyed. Acting and living without thinking about the consequences, without regrets. I didn't give a damn about anything. Only about my own precious hide. Children were never part of the equation back then," he paused. "When Bonnie came though, everything changed dramatically. I realized that my actions, both past and present, had an immediate effect on her. And it wasn't fair for she was only a blameless baby. So I tried to become the man she would look up to. Same for Noah."
"But?" she urged him gently.
"There are so many things I'm not proud of and I wouldn't want my children to know about," he confessed bitterly. "Plenty of things I would have done the same, but so many more I would have done differently. For the sake of them," he blew out a cloud of smoke.
"That goes for every human being on the planet," she caressed his cheek. "Rhett, the life you've led made you who you are today. And with all your mistakes and your faults, you are a man for your children to look up to."
He pulled her close and buried his face in her hair.
"And Alexander is definitely among the things you should boast about to your children," her arms enfolded his neck.
"You have become impressively good at easing my worries," he laughed softly.
"Always at your service, Sir," she teased.
"Then the time has come to take that wrapper off you again," his teeth nipped her skin.
"It has," she moaned softly. "But satisfy my curiosity about something first."
He murmured something that resembled an agreement, too preoccupied with her jaw line to grant her a proper answer.
"When did children get into the equation?"
"When I fell in love with you," was his immediate response before he drew her into a kiss.
The whole Butler family was gathered at the Battery house waiting for Rhett to bring Alexander home from the train station. The carriage stopped outside the house and a few minutes later Rhett appeared in the parlor, Alexander standing awkwardly next to him. Not much had changed about him, Scarlett mused. He was still as sweet and timid as she remembered him. Only now, with that deep red coloring his round face, he looked even sweeter and much more innocent. His hazelnut eyes scanned the room and all the unfamiliar face, before resting on her, a shy smile appearing on his lips.
"Welcome," she reached his side smiling back at him. "It's so good to see you again."
"I'm sorry I couldn't make it for the christening," he apologized quickly. "I so wanted to come, but the last few months at school were crazy."
"It's alright," she reassured him. "I'm glad you are here now."
"Thank you for having me," he said quietly.
"Well, Alexander," Rhett stepped in. "Here is almost the entire Butler family. My mother Eleanor, my sister Rosemary, my brother Ross and his fiancé Evelyn," he made the introductions.
Alexander exchanged handshakes and greetings with everyone, the warm smiles he was receiving slowly easing the tension from his shoulders.
"The latest addition to the family is upstairs in the nursery," Scarlett said. "So is your room. I imagine you would like to freshen up a bit before dinner. Shall we?" she showed him the way and he followed her obediently.
By the time they sat around the dining table, Alexander looked like his usual self again, relaxing all the more with every passing minute. He was well mannered and polite and answered each and every question patiently. And he was even more patient with little Noah, who was squirming on his lap throughout dinner. He had asked if it was alright to have him with them at dinner and Scarlett had found no reason why not to. Half through the first course she had found plenty however. For her son was growing too enthusiastic with Alexander's round glasses and looked very determined to take them into his disastrous little hands.
"Give him to me, Alexander," she offered. "He won't let you eat a bite unless his curiosity is satisfied."
"I don't mind him. There," he offered the boy his glasses. "That will keep him occupied for a while, won't it?"
"It will," she sighed. "And I truly hope you can see without them for they will be good for nothing by the time he's done with them."
"My exams are over and done for now," he laughed. "I won't need them back for a few good weeks."
"How are you doing with your studies?" Eleanor asked. "I understand you are to become a doctor."
"Very well, Mrs. Butler, thank you for asking. The exams went well and I'm through with the theoretical part of it."
"And what's next?"
"I have to work with a practitioner as an assistant for a full year and at the same time write my Medical Thesis. And then more exams and hopefully I will have my degree," he smiled.
"Have you found a doctor to work with?"
"I have a couple in mind that I would really like to work with, but I haven't contacted any of them yet. I would give the matter my full attention once I'm back in New Orleans."
Eleanor's eyes momentarily went from Alexander to Rhett and her heart warmed. He was looking at his protégé with profound pride. He really cared for him. Her son felt her eyes on him and met them, a shadow of uneasiness darkening his features. She smiled approvingly and he smiled back. How could she not approve of this young man?
"Are you tired?" Rhett asked Alexander long after the dinner was over and they had already enjoyed their coffee in the parlor.
"No, not really, Uncle Rhett," he shook his head.
"You won't say 'no' to a drink with an old man then? Take a first taste of Charleston's nightlife?" he turned to Evelyn. "Will you be kind enough to spare your fiancé for the rest of the evening, My Lady?"
"As long as he gives me a ride home, you can do whatever you want with him," she joked.
"Women are such exploitative creatures," Ross faked hurt. "And what about your wife, Sir? Doesn't she have a say in this?"
"Oh, he can have his boys' night out," Scarlett said carelessly. "As long as he promises to behave."
"Don't I always?" Rhett wondered. A scoff was all he got back.
"Alexander, I count on you to keep an eye on these two," she turned to the man. "I don't trust them together one bit. The last time they had a drink, my darling husband returned home at daybreak intoxicated to the point of amnesia."
"I'll do my best," he promised clearly amused.
"Ross was in an even worse state," Rhett protested laughing.
"Thank you very much, Brother, for bringing down any good impression Evelyn had of me," Ross complained.
"Come now. I could always hold my liquor better than you," he teased.
"No, you couldn't."
"Oh, dear God," Scarlett exclaimed. "Just go to wherever you want to go. You are louder than half a dozen children together."
The men stood to take their leave.
"Well played, Brother," Ross whispered to Rhett loud enough for the women to hear.
"You too, Brother," he shook his hand and they heard them giggling behind them.
Scarlett escorted them and Evelyn out.
"Be good," she told her husband as he leant over for a kiss on her cheek. It was, after all, the first time he would go out after many, many months.
But his eyes bore into hers in that way that always made her knees turn weak and she nodded stupidly. She knew she didn't have to worry anymore.
The man behind the bar served another round of whiskeys and three glasses were raised for another toast.
"Cheers," they said in unison.
"I promised your wife I will keep an eye on you, but I think it is about to work the other way around," Alexander drawled.
"Or it can work both ways," Rhett suggested and lit up a cigar. "Don't worry, I can handle Scarlett's tantrums pretty effectively. She barks louder than she bites."
"She doesn't strike me as a woman with a bad temper. She is so sweet and polite," his comment made Rhett roar with laughter.
"My boy, don't let yourself be deceived by appearances. She has the worst temper I have seen in anyone, male or female. A hint of a spark is enough to make her explode."
"Really? I can hardly picture that."
"It's a sight for sore eyes, I will admit that," he said. "As long as you aren't the receiver of her outburst or if you don't know how to smooth her feathers. Still a temptation nonetheless."
He stared into his glass grinning wistfully.
"I've never seen you like this before, Uncle Rhett," Alexander said.
"Like what?"
"Like when you are with – what should I call her really? Aunt?" he wondered, his mind too foggy to finish his thought.
"You can call her Scarlett," Rhett chuckled. "She is not that much older than you."
"Like when you are with Scarlett," he caught his line of thought again. "Or when you talk about her or think about her as you are clearly doing now."
"One more drink and you will be telling us our fortune, the way I see it."
"You are happy, Uncle Rhett," Alexander declared ignoring the barb. "I don't remember you being that happy before. Or ever, now that I come to think about it."
"You have a very sharp eye for someone as intoxicated as you proclaim to be," he scolded tenderly.
"The boy says what he sees," Ross teased. "You don't have to be a fortune teller to understand it. It is all over your face. You may as well admit it."
"Et tu, Brutus?" he turned to his brother, but judging by the way they were both looking at him, he knew they wouldn't let go anytime soon. "Fine, fine. I admit it," he raised his hands in resign.
"It wasn't so hard now, was it?" Ross laughed.
"I'm not used to feeling this way, Brother. That's why I don't want to talk about it."
"Growing superstitious at your old age, Uncle?" Alexander joked.
"No more drinks for you," he threatened him and playfully messed with his hair.
"To Scarlett," Alexander raised his glass again, "who has made my uncle happy."
"And who will be very pleased to know that we were talking about her on our boys' night out," Rhett laughed with the absurdity of the situation.
They emptied their glasses with a big swallow and ordered yet another round.
"Is that Rhett Butler or are my eyes playing tricks on me?" Rhett heard a voice right behind him. A familiar voice. In a very unwelcome way. He sighed heavily and turned around.
"Calvin Broder," a cold smile on his lips that never reached his eyes.
She jumped out of sleep panting and soaking in sweat. Instinctively her hand reached for the warm body of her husband, but his side was empty. He hadn't come back yet. She took a few deep breaths to ease her crazy heartbeat. She couldn't recall watching a nightmare. So where had this growing fear come from? She lay back down and tried to go back to sleep to no success. No matter how much she turned and tossed she couldn't make this bad feeling weighing down on her chest go away.
Suddenly in the stillness of the night the loud bangs on the door echoed like thunders into the house. Something was terribly wrong. She was up and running down the stairs in no time, the bangs getting louder and more persistent. When she opened the front door, she stopped dead at her tracks. There stood Ross and Alexander, their clothes untidy and soiled, carrying a half unconscious Rhett. The jacket tied tightly around his waist wasn't enough to hide the large dark red stain at his right flank.
I guess a cliffhanger was not what you hoped for after the long absence! Sorry, it is mean of me, I know! But I was in the mood for a little drama! I have the next chapter mostly written and I feel I am back on track, so you should expect another update by next week!
Until then and if you can find it in you to forgive me *pleading grin* please share your thoughts with me on this one! Take care! xxx