Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for the reviews and I appreciate each and every one. I appreciate all of my readers and followers.

Scarlett does want to reunite with Rhett but she doesn't trust him. She also knows he has to respect her or their marriage would not work. She doesn't want to lose what she has worked so hard to obtain.

Romano's was based on the restaurant Gaido's although Gaido's did not open until 1911 but I did take the food choices right off their menu.

My family lived at 5115 Avenue S. I transposed the numbers to 1551 because Galveston wasn't big enough then to have blocks in the 5100s.

Walking on the beach was a popular activity in those days.

Chapter Ten

When Rhett got back from paying the check he said, "Shall we leave?" He helped her up and took her out to the buggy. There was no point in commenting about her statement. He knew she was serious. He helped her into the buggy and she said, "Is this yours?"

"No. It is my friend's. I am staying with him until I get my home built."

"What is his name?"

"Tim Dalton"

"I know Mr. Dalton. He is courting my friend, Sophia James"

Rhett laughed and said, "Your friend Mrs. James was going to introduce us at the last musical soiree but you chose to stay home instead of attend. She thinks we will be perfect for each other."

Scarlett said, "Sophia is a romantic fool."

Rhett laughed.

By this time, they had arrived at Scarlett's home. Rhett set the reins, got out and then helped Scarlett out. He walked her to her front door.

Rhett said, "When can I see you again?"

"There is a musical soiree next Tuesday. I will allow you to escort me. It begins at seven so be here at six-forty-five."

Rhett smiled, "Are we always going to be so formal?"

"No. But as far as the good people of Galveston are concerned, we were just acquaintances in Atlanta. As just acquaintances it would be improper for us to be less formal at this point in our relationship."

"We are going to pretend we were just acquaintances in Atlanta?" Rhett said with shock in his voice.

"Yes. We are not going to let the people of Galveston know how well we know each other. You have a horrible reputation and if people knew how close we were in Atlanta they would question how pristine my reputation was in Atlanta. I am choosing to leave all that life behind. My life started when I came to Galveston."

"How do you explain your children?"

"I tell them Wade's father died in the war and Ella's father died in unfortunate circumstances that are so tragic I can't speak of them. The good people of Galveston don't ask questions about my past and I want to keep it that way. I'm not the child I was in Atlanta. I am an adult and I know I need a pristine reputation. That's the only way to keep people from talking about me."

"You know I have always said, 'If you are rich enough and brave enough you don't need a reputation."

"I am not rich enough nor brave enough to do without a reputation. I will not repeat the mistakes I made in Atlanta. I am accepted here. I am received into every household on the island. Wade and Ella are invited to birthday parties. If you want to continue being a renegade then we will have to stop associating. Good night."

"Wait. I will see you on Tuesday. I will do what I can to repair my reputation for your sake. But I have one question." She looked expectantly at him. "What happened after I walked out of the Hamilton House that day I proposed?"

"Rule Number Two: We will never speak about Atlanta. Good night, Rhett." And she went into the house.

That night before she had gone to bed, she had written her beloved sister-in-law a letter. If she wasn't worried about Rhett finding her there was no reason not to correspond with her loved ones. She wrote Suellen informing her where she was and she wrote Uncle Henry letting him know he could give people her address if anyone asked for it.

Rhett was confused after his evening with Scarlett. He went back to Tim's house and poured himself a drink. He sat on the porch and just thought. He guessed he was never going to know what happened that afternoon after he had proposed. He guessed he was finally going to have to redeem his reputation and become a gentleman again. He knew he was going to do whatever it took to convince Scarlett to marry him. He knew he was going to have to treat her with respect. He was not going to lose her again. He smiled because he knew she was already planning her escape from Galveston if he damaged her reputation. Not that it would matter to him for he would be dead. He had not taken her statement about killing him as an idle threat. He knew she had been very serious.

Rhett became the most respectful, ardent, and loving suitor that Galveston had ever seen. Although he did take advantage of the situation if Scarlett let him but never in the disrespectful manner like he had in Atlanta.

During the next few months, Rhett and Scarlett were seen together frequently. They started off just seeing each other two or three times a week which was proper. He took her to supper or he would escort her to the evening events being hosted by the gentry of Galveston. Scarlett would introduce him around and when people asked him questions about his past life, she would ask questions also. She brought up the fact that he had been a blockade runner for the confederacy. She asked if he had ever done business with Yankees. She asked if he had made any money off of the Republican government in Georgia. He would smile at her and answer her questions along with everyone else's.

He visited her at her store and commented that it reminded him of a store in Atlanta he just couldn't remember the name. He asked another gentleman at one of the social events if they had any saw mills in Galveston. He had heard that one could make a lot of money selling green wood. The gentleman, Oscar Winter, happened to be the owner of a sawmill and proceeded to give Rhett a thirty-minute speech on why that was wrong. All Rhett could do was listen because he could not afford to insult anyone in the community, yet. She would smile at him and laugh at his attempts to make her mad. She knew Rhett would always be annoying and would always tease. That didn't bother her. It was when he went out of his way to make her feel stupid or lower than dirt that she wasn't going to tolerate. So far, he had been very respectful.

He took her sailing on his new sailboat but she refused to help work the sails. When he said, "It would be easier if you would help." She had smiled and said, "It probably would." She continued sitting there like the diva she was.

He ran into her on the beach every morning much like when he would wait for her to ride back from the sawmills with her. She occasionally would take his arm but not very often. When he asked her about it, she had said, "Too often would not be proper."

He did call on her at her home. She did welcome him but he was never invited inside the house. They had no chaperon after all. They always sat on the porch in full view of all of her neighbors.

Scarlett did not let Rhett interact with her children. She told him, "If I decide to slaughter our relationship it would be too painful for them." The word slaughter did not really fit in the sentence but Rhett knew she had used it to remind him of her promise.

Rhett had quipped, "I'm sure I would find it painful also."

Scarlett had smiled her mischievous smile and said, "As painful as possible." She had laughed after she said it but Rhett knew she wasn't kidding.

During the time he was courting Scarlett, he ingratiated himself into Galveston polite society. He was his most charming. He didn't make any comments to infuriate the crowd. He didn't say anything negative about the Confederacy and he had quickly learned to never, ever, ever say anything negative about the Great State of Texas.

His reputation had followed him but he had been charming, generous, and repentant. He had donated money to everyone's favorite causes. He told anyone who would listen that he just wanted a fresh start. He had finally seen the error of his ways. The people of Galveston were more willing than others to give him a fresh start since most of them had come to Galveston for the same reason. There were old dowagers in Galveston but they didn't have the power the dowagers of Atlanta had and they couldn't force people to maintain the rules of the south. In Texas they were a lot more practical. Rhett Butler claimed he wanted to change his ways. It was the foolishness of his youth. He was over forty now and wanted to settled down. He wanted to start a family. It was obvious that he was in love with Mrs. Kennedy.

Scarlett had made him join the Shakespearian Acting Group. He had resisted and made a donation instead. Scarlett thanked him for his donation but never let up on him joining the group. He had finally relented. Once he got off his high horse in regard to his admiration for The Bard, he really had a good time. It was the first time Scarlett had ever seen him not distinguished. She liked that side of him. She laughed to herself about the fact that Rhett was becoming less and less high and mighty. He was losing all his Charleston airs. Scarlett like the more relaxed Rhett much better. He would always think himself better than anyone else but she decided that was just Rhett's conceit. Even dressed as a serf he still strutted onto the stage. Soon he was performing the male lead. It was not a problem for him to learn the lines he knew most of the plays by heart.

One afternoon Rhett and Scarlett were talking about Shakespeare's plays and what they meant. At one point they got into an argument about the interpretation of one of the plays. During the argument Rhett had mockingly said, "Was it a university you graduated from? I thought it was a finishing school."

Scarlett looked Rhett in the eye and coldly said, "Remember Rule #1. I will never allow you to speak to me like I am an idiot again. You may think I am wrong but you will still treat my opinion with respect."

He had said, "If you have an idiotic opinion, I will not treat it with respect."

Scarlett stood up and said very quietly, "Leave."

Rhett had grabbed his hat and walked off the porch. He had gotten on his horse and rode two blocks before he realized this was how he had lost her the last time. He turned around and went back to her house. She was still sitting on her porch. She looked so unhappy that he felt even more like an ass. Rhett Butler said words that he had a real problem getting out of his mouth, "I'm sorry. You are right. I should never speak to you in a disrespectful manner."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Which was harder to get out? I'm sorry or you are right."

Rhett sat down next to her and said, "Neither one was easy but I mean it. I am sorry."

"And?"

Rhett smiled and said, "You are right."

The gentry of Galveston had decided to give him a chance. He was very charming. He was courting Mrs. Kennedy and she seemed happy with him. He was a very wealthy man. He could do a lot of good for Galveston.

Tim Dalton had helped Rhett in the process of being received. Tim had done the same nefarious business dealings as Rhett he just hadn't been as infamous as Rhett had been. Tim also didn't have the Charleston scandal in his background either. Tim also didn't enjoy aggravating people as much as Rhett did. Tim had told Rhett that he had not expected him to stay. Tim said, "I've never known you to stay anywhere more than a month. Six weeks at the most. Now you are going to build a house and settle down."

Rhett laughed and said, "Isn't that what you suggested when we were in New Orleans?"

"Yes. I did suggest it but it was one of those suggestions that people make because they know the person is not going to do it. Not that I'm unhappy that you are staying. It will be nice to have a fellow blackguard in the crowd."

They had been sitting on Tim's porch and drinking whiskey. They were quiet for a few minutes. Then Tim said, "Is Mrs. Kennedy your Scarlett O'Hara?"

Rhett knew he could trust Tim besides he knew enough about Tim's past to make him pay if he said anything about Scarlett's history to the gentry. Rhett said, "Yes. She changed her name so her past would not come with her from Atlanta. She did a lot of things to survive that she isn't proud of and the dragons of Atlanta were very mean to her. She was their favorite topic of conversation. Her being beautiful, proud and arrogant didn't help the situation. My encouraging her to spit in their eye didn't help either."

"I agree she is beautiful although I would say striking instead but she doesn't come across as me as proud or arrogant."

"She has matured since she was in Atlanta."

"At least it didn't take her twenty years to grow up like it did us."

They both laughed.

Tim was received and was vouching for him. Tim had also told Rhett that if he did anything to mess up his reputation in Galveston that he would kill him. Rhett had laughed. He knew Tim was serious also. Rhett would really have to behave himself or Tim and Scarlett would be fighting over who got to peal his skin from his hide. Knowing those two they would probably just take turns.