Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews. I truly appreciate all your feedback.

I know everyone is anxious to read about the confrontation between Ashley and Scarlett but it is not until the next chapter. Scarlett does get some jabs in at Ashley in this chapter though.

Chapter Ten

They had gotten most everything pack that first day. They were going to move the furniture the next day. That night before she went to bed, she grabbed Melanie and brought her into her room. Scarlett said to Melanie as she handed the book to her, "I found this when I was changing the sheets in your old bedroom," Melanie went crimson. "Don't be embarrassed. What we do behind our bedroom doors is our business."

Melanie said, "I can't do anything anymore. You keep it."

The women hugged each other and Melanie left the room.

Scarlett burned the book in the fire place that night. She had started a fire to keep the chill out while she and Wade slept. She and Wade had sat there and watched the book burn until it was nothing but ashes. She didn't need to show Rhett the book. He probably could have written the book. No, she needed to burn the book before Rhett saw that inscription. Rhett knew she loved him but he was still insanely jealous of Ashley Wilkes. She was not taking any chances. She didn't trust Ashley not to do something to hurt her relationship with Rhett.

While they had watched the book burn Scarlett had told Wade stories about her childhood. She had told him about the last barbeque and his father asking her to marry him. She had told him how brave, strong and wonderful his father was. She now believed that her first husband had been a man with a backbone.

She and Wade were sleeping in her old bedroom. She smiled at the fact she would hardly let Wade get out of her sight. In her other life she and Wade had become closer after Melly's death but there was still a barrier there because of all the years of neglect.

She wondered if Ella would be born to her or to Suellen. She was of no doubt that Ella would be born. She would ask Rhett about it. She missed her husband and hoped he got out of jail soon. She hoped Rhett would let her bring Wade, Mammy, and Careen on their honeymoon.

The next day when she arose, she found Ashley, Frank, Careen, and Pa at the dining table. Scarlett looked at her Pa and it broke her heart to see him as a broken man. She would make sure he lived a long and comfortable life.

Frank and Ashley were talking about Frank's new saw mill. Ashley was nodding his head and said, "I see what you mean. I think that will work."

Frank said, "So you will manage the store for me while I run the mill?"

Ashley said, "Of course. It sounds like a great opportunity." Scarlett marveled at Ashley's excitement. She guessed it didn't seem like charity to him with the offer coming from another man. She would never understand men. She smiled and thought, 'I don't need to understand men I just need to understand Rhett.'

Ashley and Frank turned to her and Frank said, "Ashley has agreed to run the store."

She said, "Congratulations! Are you going to be living at Aunt PittyPat's?"

Ashley said, "Until we can find our own place. I know Melly will want to live close to you."

"I will want to live close to her too but we won't be living at Aunt PittyPat's. Rhett would never live there."

Ashley angrily said, "What has Captain Butler got to do with it?"

As Melanie had walked in the dining room. Scarlett turned to look at her and then turned back to Ashley. She smiled and said, "He's my husband. We were married three weeks ago. The same time Frank and Suellen were married."

Melanie squealed and ran across the room and hugged her. She said, "It's not going to be easy being married to him because of his reputation."

Ashley looked so disappointed in her. He looked so hurt. It reminded her of the last time she had married Rhett. That was how he had reacted last time. Sadly, she knew last time if Ashley had asked her not to marry Rhett she wouldn't have. She turned and smiled at Melly and said, "I know. My life will not be easy with him but I love him so it was all I could do when he asked me." She turned back and looked at Ashley as she continued, "Rhett is a man of courage. Just what is needed in these changing times."

Melly asked, "When did he ask you?"

"When I went to the Fire House to ask him for money. He doesn't have access to his money right now so he couldn't help me pay the taxes on Tara. He told me he loved me and marrying him was the least I could do since he would probably be hung for his crimes. Right then in that moment I knew I loved him too so I said yes. I don't think I would have ever realized it if Rhett hadn't declared his love first. I guess I can thank you, Ashley, for suggesting I go see him to get the money. I don't think Rhett would have declared his love if he wasn't facing death. We had to get married right away before they hung him so I would have a claim on his money. Wasn't that so sweet of Rhett? He is already protecting me." She then told them all about them getting married with Frank and Suellen at the same time. When she finished telling the story Scarlett asked, "Where is Suellen?"

Suellen said from the doorway, "Right here. I just got back from paying the extra taxes on Tara. We can stop packing because we are not giving it up."

Scarlett was so happy she ran across the room and hugged her sister. Suellen said, "He will pay us back once he gets access to his money, right?"

"Yes. Definitely yes. Maybe I can buy you out."

"Give me another three hundred dollars and it will be yours."

"Done." She hoped Rhett would agree. "What made you change your mind?"

"It is my home too and Pa would never be alright in Atlanta. We will wait to build our house. We aren't in any hurry since we can live with your Aunt PittyPat.

"Wonderful!" Scarlett knew her selfish sister didn't want to have to put up with Pa and take care of him. Scarlett knew that Pa would have been an embarrassment to Suellen but she had paid the taxes. That was all that mattered.

"Careen, Can I talk to you alone?"

The sisters walked into the parlor. Scarlett said, "Dilcey was telling me about Mother's last words. She had some advice for me and you. Mother wants you to see something of the world before you go into the convent." Careen nodded. "If Rhett says it is alright, I would like to take you, Wade and Mammy with us when we go to Paris later this spring. Would you like to go?"

"Not really but since it was Mother's last wishes I will. I want to stay here until we leave though. It is going to be hard on Pa when everyone goes away. Is Pork staying?"

"Pork, Dilcey and Prissy are staying for a little while. I am leaving Will in charge of the fields."

"Like an overseer?"

"Like a trusted friend. Although he needs to sleep in the overseer's cabin. We need to be sure you aren't gossiped about."

"Good idea."

"Why don't you teach him how to read?" Careen nodded her head. "He needs to know how to read to do the books. Now I will go talk to him" and with that Scarlett left the room in search of Will.

When she looked in the barn, she found Will. They discussed the situation and their plans. They were going to have to hire some field hands. Scarlett said, "Pay them in food for right now." Will nodded. When she told Will that Careen was going to teach him how to read Will smiled one of his rare smiles. Scarlett left the barn and headed back to the house.

Rhett

He had been so wrong, so very wrong. Being received in Charleston had not made up for losing Scarlett. No, for throwing Scarlett away.

When they got back from their honeymoon Rhett had acted like it was understood they would have separate bedrooms. In the first year he had visited Emma's room a couple of times a month but he always used protection. He did not want to have a child with Emma. He had used a form of pregnancy prevention he had never bothered to tell Scarlett about. That often had made him pause and wonder what if he had told her about sheaths would it have made a difference. It probably would have.

Visiting Emma had gotten to be tiresome quickly and by their first anniversary their relationship was strictly platonic. If he wanted to pretend, he was with Scarlett, he could do that by himself. In the second year he had even gone so far as to put a picture of Scarlett, Bonnie, Wade and Ella on his nightside table. Emma never mentioned it. He also put a picture of Scarlett in his watch so every time he checked the time, he saw the woman he would always love

He had worked very hard to get himself received by the Old Guard in Charleston. He knew he had been the biggest hypocrite on the face of the earth but he hadn't cared. He had never had a very strong conscience. He had been somewhat successful on being received. The fact that his wife was received and had such a pristine reputation had made it easier for him. Although people did talk about them courting before he had actually been divorced. The fact that he had been almost fifty years old helped. The fact that he had no longer felt the need to aggravate people helped. All his business dealings had been honest and above board since he married Emma. The fact that he wanted to be received had helped most of all. The fact that he was willing to grovel a little bit. Alright a lot. Finally, he had become what he had despised in his youth, a respectable, hypocritical gentleman.

He had realized that being received in Charleston was not as wonderful and emotionally fulfilling as he had thought. He had not felt triumph that he had finally been received in Charleston again. No, he had felt sad, lonely and ashamed that he had sold his soul for nothing.

Rhett and Emma had been comfortable and lived a peaceful, boring life. He and Emma had a small townhouse on The Battery several doors down from his mother. Rhett had given Emma an allowance to run the household but he told her she could use her allowance from her first husband for all her other wants. He also would not allow them to have any more servants than the minimum. Rhett had never given her any gifts except for her birthday and for Christmas and they were not very expensive gifts. She had basically married him for his money and he was only going to let her have the least amount. After his death she would have gotten a large allowance from a trust fund as would his mother if she was still living if not then the allowance would go to Rosemary. They would have both gotten the town houses they were living in. but the majority of his money he had willed to Scarlett in trust then it would have been passed on to Wade and Ella. In his heart she had still been his wife and they had still been his children.

After their second anniversary Rhett and Emma had taken an around the world tour and were gone for over a year. That was something that he had enjoyed about Emma, she had liked to travel as much as he had. When they were married the first time, he had never been able to get Scarlett to travel with him. Although he had stopped trying after Bonnie was born.

When he and Emma had seen the Taj Mahal, it had made him think of the mansion he had built for Scarlett and he had wondered what if instead of giving her the mansion they had built a home together would it have mattered. It probably would have. He knew that he had given her gifts but he had never given her himself. If he had given her himself that would have unquestionably made a difference.

He had thought of Scarlett almost as much as he had thought of Bonnie over the last six years and had always wondered how she was doing, if she was alright, if she was happy. He had wondered what Wade and Ella were doing. He had missed them all so much and the worst part was he had done it to himself.

By his third anniversary he had decided to swallow his pride and beg Scarlett to take him back. He had gone to see an attorney about a divorce. He had then found out that he could not get a divorce in South Carolina for any reason. He had drunk too much and smoked too many cigars for the next few weeks.

There had been no contact between him and Scarlett since that day in June of seventy-four until they saw each other at the New York depot. He had sent letters to his stepchildren the first year after the divorce but they always came back labeled 'Return to sender' in Wade's handwriting. The presents he sent met a similar fate so he stopped reaching out to them.

As he laid on his cot, he wondered how Scarlett's encounter with Ashley was going. Rhett knew she loved him but he would always be uncomfortable when she had an interaction with Wilkes.