Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Note: As always, all reviews and inputs are appreciated.

If I had to titled, this chapter it would be Reader's Choice. From the reviews, readers wanted the Wilkes to adopt a child and R&S to have a romantic evening.

The sonnet that Rhett takes credit for writing for Scarlett was actually written by William Shakespeare.

Chapter Ten

The day before her confinement ended Scarlett found a note on her vanity table.

It read:

Sonnet to Scarlett

If I should think of love
I'd think of you, your arms uplifted,
Tying your hair in plaits above,
The lyre shape of your arms and shoulders,
The soft curve of your winding head.
No melody is sweeter, nor could Orpheus
So have bewitched. I think of this,
And all my universe becomes perfection.
But were you in my arms, dear love,
The happiness would take my breath away,
No thought could match that ecstasy,
No song encompass it, no other worlds.
If I should think of love,
I'd think of you.

By Rhett

Scarlett didn't understand the poem completely but it made her very happy. It made her so happy to think that Rhett wrote a sonnet for her.

That evening when Scarlett went to her room to change for dinner, she found a present on her side of the bed. When she opened it, she blushed but she also smiled really big. It was a box of sheaths.

The next morning Scarlett found a beautiful rose lying on Rhett's pillow when she woke up and a note that said, 'Be ready to go to dinner tonight at six.' On the bed was a dress box that said, 'Wear today.'

Scarlett opened the box and found a beautiful dress that was made to skillfully disguise her torso. It had a little jacket with it. Rhett came in while Prissy was tightening Scarlett's corset and by the unhappy expression on her face Scarlett was not as small as she would like to be. Rhett said, "Prissy I will finish helping Mrs. Butler get dressed."

After Prissy left Rhett said, "Thank you for giving me a son."

"The chloroform made it bearable. Thank you for all the lovely gifts. I can't believe you wrote a sonnet for me."

Rhett of the loose morals just said, "Your welcome. I meant every line I wrote." Rhett wasn't worried she would ever find out the truth that he hadn't written the sonnet, "I am sorry if you carrying our son resulted in you being larger though it certainly doesn't look like it. This dress is made a tiny bit larger so you can wear it while you are losing that extra inch."

Scarlett looked at Rhett sadly and said, "Do I just need to accept that each time I have a child it will result in me being an inch bigger?"

"Maybe or you may level out and never gain any more inches."

"What are you going to buy me for giving you another child?"

Rhett laughed and said, "What do you want?"

"A modiste shop."

Rhett could not help himself. He burst out laughing. He said, "You can't even sew a straight line."

Scarlett smiled and said, "I am not going to do the sewing. I am just going to own part of the business. There is a seamstress at Abby Paige's shop who wants to open her own store. Eugenia Krause asked me to loan her some money to get started. I don't want to do that but I did offer to be a half owner with her. I would invest five hundred dollars and own forty-nine percent of the business. She needs to buy material, a sewing machine, and rent a shop."

"Shall we go take her to dinner today and discuss it with her?

"Inviting her over for supper would be better."

"We are going out to supper and dancing tonight."

"Then tomorrow night?

"Alright. I will discuss it with her but you might have to settle for what most husbands give their wives upon the birth of a child. Jewelry." Rhett smiled and said, "Now come on and put your new dress on."

Scarlett did and she did look beautiful in it. Even she thought so. She had a lovely day being out and about. At six she was ready to go out with her husband. He had bought her another new dress to wear out that night. This dress was on the empire style with little puffed sleeves in a dark blue. Rhett had bought her a sapphire necklace to wear with it. He took her to dinner and then they went dancing.

Anyone who saw the Butlers that night knew that they were a couple in love. They only had eyes for each other so they never saw all the people staring at them. Scarlett over ate and Rhett loved it when she ate like a field hand. It always reminded him of the Wilkes barbeque. Rhett hardly let her sit down all night but soon Rhett needed to get his lovely wife home before he embarrassed himself. Rhett thought, 'I had more control over my body's reaction when I was sixteen than I do tonight.' When she got in the carriage, she was cold and she wrapped herself up in his coat with him. Rhett liked that very much. That night Gerry's parents were happily resuming their marital relations much to his father's relief and delight.

As Rhett laid in their bed with his wife snoring softly beside him, he wondered again what had happened that night. Rhett never really did understand what had changed in their marriage from the night of Ashley's party. He knew the woman he had come home to the day after Ashley's party was different than the woman who had gone with him to the birthday party. Rhett was not going to lose any sleep thinking about it for he was far too happy with the results to spend very much time analyzing it.

Mrs. Krause did come to supper the next night. They talked about the dress making business. At the end of the evening Rhett agreed to give Scarlett the five hundred dollars so she could go into a partnership with Mrs. Krause. His attorney would draw up the papers and they would contact her. Rhett thought it was a safe investment. Between Scarlett and his two daughters purchases they would be able to keep the dress shop afloat. Rhett would happily buy his wife something every time she gave him another child.

Two months after Gerry's birth the most amazing thing happened to Ashley Wilkes. He had ridden out to the mill on Decatur Road to check on the new manager, Joe Jackson. Mr. Jackson had been his assistant for many years and had taken over managing Ashley's mill when Ashley had been promoted. Ashley and Mr. Jackson had gone over the ledgers and everything was looking good. The men walked around the sawmill to inspect everything before the convict started cutting wood. Ashley went to were the men slept to be sure it was being maintained properly. As the men were walking around the room, they heard a noise that sounded like a small child. They followed the noise and they found a small child under one of the cots covered up in blankets.

It was a beautiful child with black hair and green eyes. The child looked to be two years old. She was very cute. Ashley didn't know why he thought it was a girl but he did. He wasn't going to check and see. Ashley picked up the child and wrapped a blanket around her. He walked to where the convicts where standing before they went to work. When Ashley walked up with the child, nobody spoke. In fact, most of the men wouldn't make eye contact. Ashley knew which one was the most vocal. He said, "Sam"

Sam turned and looked at Ashley. He said, "Yes, Mr. Wilkes."

"Do you want to tell me about this child."

"I don't know nothing about that child."

Ashley smiled and said, "I guess I will just throw her in the creek and get rid of her."

Ashley smiled when all the men cried out, "No!" at the same time.

Ashley said, "Who wants to tell me how this child got here?"

Sam stepped forward and said, "About three nights ago we heard a carriage coming up the road. Then we heard it stop. We were lucky there was a full moon so we could see what happened clearly."

Another man said, "They just threw her out like she was trash."

A third man said, "They were in a buggy and they put her on the ground and then drove away fast."

Sam said, "We started calling to her and she walked over to us. Thank God. We have been taking care of her and we aren't going to give her back."

Ashley said, "So you didn't see anything about these people. Y'all can't even tell me if they were men or women. Y'all don't even know what the buggy or the horse looked like."

The men all looked at each other and one man said, "We were all busy looking at the child then we were busy trying to get her to come to the tent. By the time we thought about getting a description those people were long gone."

Ashley nodded his head and said, "I will check with the authorities to be sure she wasn't kidnapped but if she wasn't, she will go to a good home. I know of a couple that would love to have a little girl. My wife and I."

Ashley and Mr. Jackson walked to Ashley's horse. Mr. Jackson held the child while Ashley got on his horse then Mr. Jackson held her up to Ashley. Ashley put the child in front of him and rode back to town. As he was going back to his house Ashley thought, 'I know why Butler does this now. This is a pretty good feeling.'

Ashley got to his home and walked into the house. He walked into the parlor and handed the child to his wife. He said, "Someone dumped this precious bundle at the sawmill. I will check with the authorities to make sure she wasn't kidnapped. If she wasn't, she is now our daughter. She needs us and we need her. What shall we call her?"

Melly was beaming and crying all at the same time. She said, "Katie Scarlett, of course."

"That's what I thought too. I will go see the authorities and make inquiries. I will go see Uncle Henry to see what we have to do to adopt her. She needs a bath and some clean clothes."

"I'm sure Scarlett has some she will give us."

"Good. I'll be back for dinner."

Melly, Beau and Katie were right behind him out the door on their way to Scarlett's house. Scarlett did have a lot of clothes that Melly could have. Most of them had not even been worn. Katie seemed to be a year younger than Bonnie so that was going to work out perfectly. Scarlett was honored that they were going to name their child after her. Rhett was glad Miss Melly would have her own child to hold and he would not have to give Gerry up to be nice. Both Rhett and Scarlett were excited that Melly was going to have a little girl. Bonnie didn't know what to make of the new little girl but Ella was so excited she now had a girl doll and a boy doll to play with.

Melly took the child to Dr. Meade to have her examine. Dr. Meade told Melly that the child was at least two years old because she had gotten her first set of molars. Although she may be older because malnutrition some times stunted a child's growth. Dr. Meade suggested that Mr. and Mrs. Wilkes declare today her second birthday. They would never know for sure but they had to set something as her birthday and they had to set something as her age. So, on March 26th Katie Scarlett Wilkes turned two.

By that afternoon the Wilkes had temporary custody of a daughter. There was some legal maneuvering that Uncle Henry would need to do but everyone was optimistic that the child would soon be the Wilkes's. Nobody had reported a child missing or kidnapped in the last week which would have been the biggest hurdle. They would know for sure in the next month but the fact that the little girl was still in their home said a lot.

Melanie Wilkes was walking on air. She would not willingly let anyone else hold the child, not even Ashley. Rhett and Scarlett would laugh at how Melanie Wilkes, who was everything gracious and genteel, was pretty rude to people who wanted to hold her daughter. She begrudgingly let Ashley and Rhett hold the child but not for very long.

Rhett asked Scarlett, "Was I that bad with Bonnie?"

Scarlett smiled at him and said, "You were worse."

Within three months Ashley and Melanie had legally adopted Katy Scarlett Wilkes.

As Rhett and Scarlett laid in their bed after they heard the news that the adoption was finalized, Scarlett started laughing. Rhett asked, "What is so funny?'

Scarlett laid on top of Rhett and said, "We are both happy that there is a Katie Scarlett Wilkes and we are both happy it isn't me."

Rhett laughed with his beautiful wife.