Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback. I love all your comments. Y'all help me keep my story straight.

Chapter Fifty-Seven

With the arrival of October Rhett and Scarlett started seriously house hunting. The most prominent place to live in the city of Hartford was in the district of Wethersfield. They found a beautiful new home through Rhett's new attorney, Herbert Mason. Mr. Mason's friend Greg Armstrong had a house for sale that he built for his wife. It had all the modern conveniences of the eighteen seventies. Mrs. Armstrong had died tragically because of a miscarriage and Mr. Armstrong just wanted to get rid of the house. The couple had not even started decorating the inside of the home. When Rhett found out this news, he knew there was the miscarriage. When he and Scarlett talked about it, they wondered where was the woman who realized her dream was false then her husband leaving her.

They bought the house. Although they were sad for Mr. Armstrong's loss, they did not feel personally responsible for Mrs. Armstrong's death. They felt it was just the capriciousness of fate.

When it came time to decorate the couple went through the same arguments, they had the time before.

Rhett said, "Let's paint the house brown."

Scarlett replied, "Brown? No. Let's paint it mauve."

"Mauve? What color is mauve?"

"It is a shade of purple."

"Then just say purple next time. No. I will not live in a purple house."

"Yellow?"

"No."

"Teal?"

"Yes. I am used to living in a teal house."

"Let's build a tennis court."

"Whatever for neither one of us plays tennis?"

"We could learn."

"Maybe."

"Swimming pool"

"What is a swimming pool?"

"It is a hole in the ground where people swim."

"Like a lake?"

"Yes."

"Then just say lake next time. Maybe."

"One water closet upstairs in the hallway and one down stairs near the family parlor, oversize tub attached to our room with a water closet. A small heater to warm the water for a bath.

An oversize tub in the hallway for the children and Melly with a heater also.

Rhett nodded and said, "Oversize bed?"

"Of course. For our room gold, green and blue."

"Yes."

As they stood in their master bedroom Scarlett opened a door and said, "This changing room is too small? There is no room for me to change in there."

"I believe it is a closet not a changing room."

"What is a closet?"

"It is where you keep your clothes instead of in drawers. Those items are called hangers."

"Where do I change?"

"Right in the middle of the room."

"In the middle of the room where anyone can see me changing? No!"

Rhett laughed and said, "I'm the only person who is going to see you. Me and your maid. Although if you wish you can forgo a maid and I will get you dressed every morning and undress you every night."

Scarlett had smiled at his statement and finally warily said, "Alright." She let Rhett lead her out of the room.

When they got in the hallway Rhett pointed and said, "Nursery?"

"No. We will not have a nursery. Everyone will have their own room and we will have a play room."

"Alright."

"Let's put Melly over there."

"Why?"

"It is on the other side of the house from us. You do get carried away in your enthusiasm some times."

Scarlett blushed and said, "Yes. That would be a perfect room for Melly."

"Let's put Beau next to Melly. It is time he slept alone."

"Wade's room here?"

"Yes. We will put all of them on the other side of the house."

"Bonnie here and Alex two doors down so we can put Evie in between them if they need her in the middle of the night."

"Have you noticed that Evie is spending time with Nate? That man you hired to help with the sails. Esau needed some help so I'm having Nate help him."

"Really, I hadn't noticed but that would be nice if Evie found someone. I know she is missing living in the South."

"If she married Nate, we wouldn't have to worry about her moving back to Atlanta."

They looked at each other and acknowledged the selfishness of the last statement and just smiled. They were selfish and self-centered. They no longer denied it to each other.

"This room next to ours we can make into the playroom. That way nobody will be in it in the middle of the night."

Rhett smiled at Scarlett's statement.

"Did you talk to Mrs. Miller about Bonnie not talking? Except for her saying Papa, of course."

Rhett smiled his overly pleased smile and said, "Yes, she said it was normal a lot of children stop speaking when they lose their hearing. We just have to keep trying to get her to speak. We don't want her to lose the words she knows."

Scarlett nodded and said peevishly, "Alright."

"You know I wouldn't be annoyed if the only word she spoke was 'Mama.'

"Yes, you would. You would be trying to coax her into saying Papa with promises of candy."

He just smiled and said, "Let's put my mother in this room next to Melly."

With a bright smile Scarlett said, "Yes, that leaves the last room for Ella."

"Of course, let's go downstairs and fight over where the music room is going to be."

As they were walking downstairs Scarlett said, "I miss Mammy."

"Me too." They both knew they weren't talking about Mammy even though they both did miss Mammy.

"Family parlor?"

"Yes."

"Music room?"

"Library."

"Library? Where is your office going to be? I want the library next to your office."

"This room next door will be my office."

"Nice choice. Then yes to that other room being the library. I like the view from your office window."

"You can come look at the view any time you want."

Scarlett giggled because the way Rhett said that implied so much more.

"How about this for the music room?"

"Yes.

"Same as before I decorate the front parlor, the foyer, and the dining room. You decorate your office, the library and the family parlor."

"I want to decorate the music room this time also."

"We will do it together."

"Alright."

On and on it went. There were some mocking comments. There were some hateful words shouted in anger. Some decisions were made quickly while some took several days of negotiating. Finally, it was a beautiful house that they made into a wonderful home.

They allowed Melanie, Beau, and Wade to decorate their own rooms. They allowed Bonnie and Alex to think they were decorating their rooms. Rhett decorated his mother's room and Scarlett decorated Ella's room.

Everyone had a room of their own except Rhett and Scarlett which was alright with Rhett and Scarlett. They never wanted to sleep alone again.

They hired servants for their new home. Esau was the butler/valet and Prissy was the housekeeper. They hired a cook, several maids, a head groomsman, and a coachman. They hired two more footmen besides Nate. Everyone they hired had to be willing to learn sign language even the people who worked in the stables.

They decorated the bedrooms first so they could move in to the house sooner. There were just too many people in the suite for it to be comfortable even though it was the largest one the hotel had.

Around the middle of October when Rhett pulled up in the carriage at Watkinson, he saw Wade talking to a young man that Rhett thought was Jonathon Hurt. They seemed very chummy. When Wade and Beau got in the carriage, he said, "Wasn't that the boy you punched out that I saw you talking to?"

Wade had replied, "Yeah. He is really a neat guy. He has invited me over to see all his Civil War stuff. Hopefully Mother will say yes."

"You could always ask me for permission."

"No, Papa I can't and you know it."

Rhett did know it. As much as Scarlett tried to let Wade be his son, she was still very possessive of him. It was alright. Rhett would talk her into it if she didn't agree immediately to let Wade go. Rhett smiled. This was another trait he and Scarlett had in common – they were both possessive of their stuff.

On October 19th Rhett took Scarlett out for supper and dancing. He told amusing stories some of which he had made up. He made mocking comments about the other diners. He made Scarlett share her dessert with him so she wouldn't be too full for dancing. He kept her out on the dance floor and he urged her to drink too much champagne. He made love to her when they got home. In all it was a very lovely evening. He did all that to keep her from thinking about the fact it was Ella's birthday.

They moved into the new house on November 1st even though almost all of the downstairs still needed to be decorated. They had worked on the bedrooms, the family parlor and the dining room. Scarlett had all winter to work on the rest of the house. She wasn't going anywhere until the spring thaw came.

Rhett had tried to get Scarlett to pick Bonnie and everyone else up. She had refused to leave the house after the temperature dropped down to below forty degrees and stayed there. Rhett was getting tired of Bonnie's teacher. Every day Mrs. Miller wanted to give him an update on Bonnie's progress but though undoubtably kind she was an older woman who had bad breath and she stood too close. Further more she had the annoying habit of holding his arm like he was a small child when she talked to him. He often had to pull his arm away to get away from her. He knew now why an animal would gnaw off their paw to escape a trap. Rhett had never practiced more self-control then at those moments. He hadn't even had to restrain himself that much when he was schmoozing the old guard during the first timeline. He did it though for his little girl. He didn't want to make Mrs. Miller mad and he honestly did want the updates she was giving him.

When Rhett tried to send Prissy Scarlett wouldn't let him.

She told him, "It is too cold out there for Prissy especially with her being with child." Rhett didn't understand how Prissy being with child made it worse for her to be out in the cold but it was another of his wife's illogical thoughts.

Scarlett continued, "We should probably make Melly stay home until the spring thaw comes."

Rhett replied, "Melly can make her own decisions."

After three months in the North everyone was beginning to adjust to their new environment. It wasn't home. It wasn't like home. It was alright though. Wade and Beau made friends with the classmates and had been invited over to their homes. Wade and Beau had been promised they would be allowed to invite people to their home as soon as all the decorating was finished.

Prissy and Esau were busy running the household. Rhett had always known the Esau was smart but as he watch Prissy manage the household staff, he finally conceded in his mind that Scarlett was right. Prissy wasn't flighty at all. In fact, she was pretty bright herself. Prissy and Esau liked living in the North better. Although they were still treated like second class citizens there was still more respect given to them than in the South.

By the first of December most of the house was decorated although there were one or two things they were waiting on to be delivered. The divan that Scarlett had selected for their front parlor was uglier than the one that Scarlett had selected for the mansion in Rhett's opinion. He wondered not for the first time if she needed glasses. Her needing glasses would explain her thinking Mr. Wilkes was handsome. Although her taste in clothing often looked garish and exaggerated on the hanger it always looked stunning on her.

Rhett walked into their bedroom and there was a changing screen set-up by the closet door. He didn't like it. He knew why she had bought it for Mammy's teachings ran deep. He had seen all of her many times. He had helped her get dressed and undressed many times in the middle of their room. Despite all of that it wasn't right to be changing clothes out in the open. One changed their clothes in a changing room.

A few minutes later when she had come into the room he pointed at the screen and asked, "What is that?"

"It is a changing screen. I ordered it all the way from Italy. It is made with Italian leather. It was hand crafted."

"How much?"

"Don't you like it?"

"How much?"

"One hundred dollars."

"One hundred dollars for a changing screen?"

Now Scarlett was confused. Rhett let her spend his money freely. He had never really ever told her no. She said, "What are you getting mad for? You never care how much I spend."

"I just wanted to know how much money I paid to block my view of your beautiful body."

"I guess we can take it down."

"Your damn right we can."

Scarlett chose not to say anything else. She had learned that when Rhett cursed, he wasn't playing anymore.