Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and the encouraging words.
Chapter Thirty-six
Careen, Will, Gerry and Gerald came to Atlanta for Christmas. Suellen tried to get her Pa to stay with her but Gerald refused saying, "There is so much more room at Scarlett's." Gerald didn't tell Suellen that Scarlett's house had every luxury a person could want. Not the least being they had an indoor privy. But what Gerald loved most was the bathtub with the hot water heater. He could have a hot bath every night without it being an arduous chore for the servants.
Gerald was a fun-loving man which meant he liked to be around fun people. The residences of Hamilton House weren't fun. Suellen had never been a fun person. She had always told on him when he did something Mrs. O'Hara didn't want him doing. She was always complaining about everything but especially Scarlett. Gerald just didn't want to listen to all that. He suspected that the only reason Suellen wanted him to stay with her was to keep him from staying with Scarlett.
Christmas morning at the Butlers was a loud, boisterous, entertaining, and amusing time for all the residence. Rhett had bought too many toys and too much clothing for a child that wasn't even one but this time Scarlett hadn't tried to stop him. She would just give them to charity after Bonnie out grew them. Rhett showered Wade, Beau and Gerry with presents also but not nearly as many as Bonnie. He gave Will and Gerald a bottle of fine whiskey. He gave Careen, Melly and his mother a wrist watch which was the latest fashion accessory but the watch actually kept time. He gave Scarlett too many presents, a wrist watch, jewelry, fabric, hair ribbons and decorative hair pins.
Scarlett didn't give the children, Elizabeth or the men any more presents but she gave Careen some durable fabric, a lovely impractical dress and hair pins. Scarlett knew it was because of the shortage during the war but she almost horded hair pins.
The group went to the Hamilton House. The meal was lovely. Aunt PittyPat noticed that nobody had helped themselves to yams and wondered out loud why but nobody answered her. After dinner they retired to the parlor that was quite crowded with so many people in it.
Rhett gave the men whiskey and the ladies candy. Rhett gave Ella a doll that had ginger hair and green eyes. Suellen and Frank knew that it had not been a cheap doll. They suspected that Scarlett had it made especially for Ella. They were sort of right. The doll was especially made but Rhett had been the one to make the purchase. The rest of their time there Rhett had sat on the floor and played with Bonnie and Ella. India and Aunt PittyPat thought it was improper for Captain Butler to sit on the floor and play with the children. Frank thought it unmanly for Captain Butler to sit there and play with dolls. Suellen smirked when she saw Rhett sitting on the floor and thought with pride, 'Frank would never do that.' Gerald and Careen thought it looked like more fun than having to make conversation with these sour pusses. Will thought he was glad that Rhett was so overt in his affection to his child for that allowed him to be also. Melly, Elizabeth and Scarlett didn't think about it at all. It was the way Rhett had behaved since Bonnie had been born. He was acting normally to them. Beau and Wade were on the other side of the room playing happily with the toy soldiers they had gotten for Christmas. Gerry wasn't thinking much of anything except he was beginning to get hungry.
The conversation was pleasant with everyone participating until Suellen announced she was with child. The baby would arrive in July. Suellen had said, "Maybe Gerry and this baby can share a birthday." There was some laughter but nobody seemed to really be amused. The Butlers and the rest of their party left soon after that. Scarlett was mad at Suellen because of the smirk she had on her face when she announced she was pregnant. Scarlett wondered if Suellen would ever stop competing against her. Careen was mad that Suellen wanted her son's first birthday to be over shadowed by her child's birth. Melanie was mad that Suellen who had caused the death of her husband was having such a good life.
Melly was extremely angry that Suellen was having another child. Suellen's life had not been affected at all by her poor decision to drive herself through Shanty town while Melanie's life had been destroyed. She and Scarlett talked for hours about the injustices of life. Actually, Melanie talked bitterly about how life wasn't fair. Scarlett would agree with Melly that life wasn't fair but Scarlett would always try to brighten her mood.
Scarlett was right Elizabeth Butler did have a wild side that she had kept hidden for over sixty years. When she was in Atlanta, she didn't have to keep her wild side as well hidden as she did in Charleston. Her two months in Atlanta was a breath of fresh air after a lifetime of stale air.
The Butlers had a first birthday party for Bonnie and it was well attended. It certainly did help Rhett's standing with the matrons that his mother had come from Charleston to spend several months with him. The matrons had watched Captain Butler closely since his marriage to Scarlett but never caught him doing anything wrong. They didn't know he had done business with Scallawags, Republicans, and Yankees. He had been very sly and furtive while he was doing business with those groups. He had made a lot of money in the last four years.
It was well-known that Captain Butler still occasionally went out at night to play cards at one or another of the local saloons. It was noted by the dowagers that he never went to a saloon that had a brothel. It was also remarked upon quite frequently that since her marriage to Captain Butler Scarlett had become almost as genteel, proper, and respectful as Melanie Wilkes. In fact, sometimes she was politer than Mrs. Wilkes. The matrons were now some of Scarlett's strongest supporters. Her behavior since marrying Captain Butler had been above reproach and her support and love for Melanie Wilkes had impressed the dowagers of society. Scarlett Butler and Melanie Wilkes were known to have a significant amount of influence among the younger ladies of polite society.
Eventually Elizabeth had to go back to Charleston but she waited until after the St. Valentine's Party given by the Confederate Memorial Society. She had met a nice older man at the dance. She had a wonderful time. In her euphoria after the dance Scarlett had made her promise to come back in July. The next morning Elizabeth knew Scarlett was going to hold her to her promise. Elizabeth smiled when she thought about her daughter in law. She was as opportunistic as Rhett.
As Elizabeth sat in the private car, that Rhett had insisted she use for her trip to Charleston, she thought about the last two months. Rhett and Scarlett had been very attentive of her needs while she was staying at their home. They had taken her to all the Christmas parties with them. They had taken her to poetry readings, traveling lecturers and a couple of plays. Rhett had even gotten them tickets to the circus. Elizabeth had said to Mrs. Wilkes, "Rhett and Scarlett don't need to do all this entertaining for me."
Mrs. Wilkes had said, "This is our normal schedule except Rhett and Scarlett usually go dancing at least once a week."
Elizabeth knew that she could easily live with Scarlett and Rhett but she would not. That would mean abandoning Rosemary. Although Rosemary could be a prig Elizabeth knew she still needed companionship. Even more so as she got older and got to be more of a social snob. Elizabeth knew that Rosemary would never marry because there was no one she would deem good enough for her to marry. She would never lower her standards in order to get married. She thought about Scarlett and her sisters. All three of them had married beneath their station in life. Scarlett had married a man not received, Suellen had married a shopkeeper and Careen had married a cracker. Elizabeth also knew that they were almost the only belles that had managed to find a husband after the war. Elizabeth knew that Rosemary didn't appreciate that Rhett was willing to support her. If Rhett was as unacceptable as Rosemary thought he was he wouldn't be willing to support either one of them. Elizabeth knew that after her death Rhett would continue to support Rosemary for Elizabeth's sake. He really was a good boy.
That spring was peaceful for the Butlers and the Wilkes. Melanie corresponded with Emma and let everyone know how happy Emma and Nick were. Scarlett corresponded with her mother-in-law and was happy for the maternal connection. She still missed her mother. Careen and Scarlett exchanged letters. Careen kept Scarlett updated on their Pa and with events happening at Tara and Clayton County. Rhett kept spending time with his children and making money. He was making most of it legally now.
One night Rhett woke up from a nightmare. He had not had a nightmare in years. He was dreaming of the day that Bonnie died. Scarlett woke him up because he was shouting, "No! Bonnie don't!" She held him and said soothing words to him. He was finally able to relax and go back to sleep.
The next day as Rhett was helping Scarlett get dressed, he said, "You don't have nightmares anymore?"
"Not since that awful night that Melly died. I was no longer afraid. I knew what I had been looking for in the mist. It had been you."
"Aw baby."
"I grew up that night. All my illusions were gone. As I have told you I thought having lots of money could protect me from anything bad happening to me. It didn't. I thought Ashley was a golden knight. He wasn't. He was just a sad pitiable man. I knew that night I had thrown away real love. Your love, Melly's love, my children's love."
Rhett finished buttoning her dress and wrapped his arms around her. "Thankfully we got this redo. I hit rock bottom when I came to Atlanta and you were gone. You were married to Nick. I knew then that I had thrown happiness away also by being too much of a coward to tell you how I felt."
"Rhett darling"
Rhett was so grateful for their redo. He just prayed they could save Bonnie's life.
In July of eighteen seventy Elizabeth Butler had come in the summer and spent two months with her son and his wife. They had all gone to Tara to attend Gerry's first birthday party. Scarlett had left Mammy in Atlanta to help Suellen deliver her second child. Scarlett had been allowed to take Ella to Tara because of the impending birth of the child.
Elizabeth so much enjoyed playing with Bonnie and the other children in the household. Wade enjoyed his Grandma coming to visit. She had interesting stories to tell and she enjoyed talking to him about the books he was reading. While they were at Tara, Grandma and Grandpa had taken him and Beau to a stream nearby to go fishing. They didn't catch any fish but they had fun. Grandma had even made Bonnie and Gerry stay home because they would make too much noise and scare the fish away. Ella had been given a choice of going fishing or staying with the toddlers. Ella had chosen to stay with the toddlers.
Suellen gave birth to another child. A boy. They called him George Frank after Frank's father and Frank. He looked just like Suellen which made his mother very happy.
When three-year-old Ella returned from Tara and saw her brother she was unimpressed. She didn't understand why Mother and Father were making such a big deal out of the baby. She would much rather play with Bonnie. Bonnie was a lot of fun to play with.
The first six-months of the baby's life Scarlett came and got Ella quite a bit. The alleged reason was so Suellen could rest with the new baby. Suellen was nursing the child which took a lot out of her. Ella would spend several days with her Aunt Scarlett, her Uncle Rhett and her cousins. Rhett still spent a lot of time in the nursery with his children and their cousins.
At the end of August Melly gave a small birthday party for Beau who was turning six. After the party which was attended by all the invitees Melly said, "This is when I miss Ashley the most."
Scarlett sat down next to her and said, "I know. When Wade turned one, I thought how sad that Charlie will never see any of these special days."
"At least you have Rhett now."
"We have Rhett. You are like a little sister to him. He loves you a great deal."
"It is nice that y'all have included me in your family."
"You are my family. In fact, you were my family before any of these other people."
"Yes, I was, wasn't I."
"Yes."
"Now come on and let's help the servants clean up before Prissy accidently breaks something on purpose."
The women laughed and started helping the servants clean up the mess.
After Beau's birthday party Elizabeth returned to Charleston to dream of going back to Atlanta at Christmas. If Elizabeth hadn't been such a proper Charlestonian woman, she would have abandoned Rosemary and moved to Atlanta but Elizabeth had been born and bred in Charleston and she could no more shirk responsibility than she could fly.
Gerald, Careen, Gerry, Scarlett, Bonnie and Rhett went to Ella's fourth birthday party. Wade and Beau had chosen to stay home with Melly. Rhett carried Bonnie around most of the time but it was different this time. It was the three of them together not the two of them and her on the outside. Scarlett noticed that the party was well attended but it seemed that few people were talking to Suellen. She and Frank were definitely not lovey-dovey. Frank seemed like an old man and Suellen looked like she was in her thirties and she was only twenty-four. She looked like she was still pregnant with George. After thirty minutes Suellen went home to rest. She took George with her so she probably had to feed him. They didn't come back.
