Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and the feedback.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Scarlett wrote Ella every week whether she got a response from Ella or not. She always used small words and kept the letters short. Bonnie and Alex drew Ella pictures which were placed in the envelopes also. Bonnie's were quite good for a five-year-old and Alex's were scribbles on a piece of paper. Scarlett always put their names on the paper so Ella would know who they were from. Every now and then the rest of the family would write her a letter. Scarlett didn't need to tell Rhett when she had written Ella, he knew by the overly bright smile she would wear for the next couple of hours. When she got a response from Ella Scarlett was so very happy. So was Rhett. In a few days Scarlett would get a little melancholic but Rhett would tease, harass and mock her until she came out of her despondency.
December came and with it thoughts of Christmas. Christmas was Scarlett's favorite time of year. Rhett was sure Scarlett would leave the house to go Christmas shopping. She loved to Christmas shop especially with his checkbook. He was wrong. She had made him detailed list of what she wanted him to buy for her. She had the person's name and then what gifts she wanted to give them. She even had his name on the list. As she gave him the list she said, "I will do better next year. I will start shopping in September before it gets really cold."
Rhett looked at the list and said, "Scarlett, this is ridiculous. Just put on a couple of extra layers of clothing. I can't believe you are doing this. You are basically self-confining yourself. You hated your confinements."
"No, Rhett," Then she said in a whisper, "When the wind blows up my skirt it makes me so cold, I think I am going to die. You wouldn't want anything to freeze up down there, would you?"
Rhett burst out laughing. She was serious if she referred to her nether regions in the parlor.
He finally said, "How about I get you a pair of Wade's pants and you can…"
"Rhett Butler! How dare you suggest that. I know the matrons of Atlanta thought I unsexed myself by running a business but I didn't and I never will."
And with that she stormed out of the family parlor. Rhett walked to the foyer and put on his gloves, his overcoat, his scarf and his hat. He would do her Christmas shopping while he was out. He had to go to the jewelry store. As he got in the carriage, he said to himself, "You dimwit. If you had gone out and gotten her all the presents and then played up how cold it was, she might have given you your special reward. Now you are the one apologizing to her."
As they were getting ready for bed that night, Scarlett had the fire in the fireplace blazing. It was so hot in their room that Rhett didn't feel the need for a nightshirt. She was brushing her hair and sat on the bench at the vanity. He came up and straddled the bench and took the brush from her hand. He started brushing her hair. He said, "I'm sorry that my suggestion made you feel like I wanted you to unsex yourself. That is the last thing I would want."
She smiled at him in the mirror and he knew he was forgiven. He handed her the box which was bigger than a jewelry box. Inside was a new hair brush and comb made of sterling silver. There were also some hair pins because he knew of her need to horde hair pins. Rhett didn't know it but Scarlett was more moved by the hair pins than the hair brush and comb.
"Rhett, thank you. And thank you for going out in that awful cold for me."
"It was awful. I was afraid my toes were going to freeze."
"As long as another one of your appendages didn't freeze, I'm alright with that."
Rhett laughed and led her to the bed. She thanked him very sweetly but he didn't get his special reward.
Elizabeth arrived on December fifteenth and she shared Scarlett's aversion to the cold. Rhett knew with his mother's arrival neither woman was leaving the house until his mother returned to Charleston. He knew Scarlett wasn't leaving the house until the temperature outside was over forty degrees. When they moved in to the house Rhett had a temperature gauge installed by the parlor window. He had taught Scarlett how to read the gauge from the parlor window. Every morning Scarlett would check the temperature. If it was below forty, she wasn't going outside. Rhett had accepted that his wife was not going outside until the spring thaw.
Scarlett spent her self-imposed confinement catching up on correspondence with Careen. Her Pa never wrote letters and she wasn't sending Suellen a letter. She sent everyone in Atlanta even India Wilkes a Christmas card with a cheerily little note written inside the card. She sent a lot of people in Hartford Christmas cards. She had sent presents to Ella and her nephews. She sent presents to Robert's children. Rhett had offered to take them to the post office for her. Ever since the fight he had been so sweet about running errands for her.
She had received a few letters from Ella. She treasured the letters. Ella's weren't very long but she always signed them the same way Scarlett signed hers, I love you. In one of Ella's letters, she had mentioned that her Daddy was getting sick a lot. Scarlett didn't feel a moment of shame when after reading that line, she had thought, 'If Frank dies, maybe we can get Ella like Rhett said.'
She didn't even feel shame when she gleefully told Rhett, "Ella said in her letter that her Daddy has been getting sick a lot."
Rhett didn't feel any shame either when he said, "That is good news."
In fact, the two of them never felt any shame about being happy that Frank was sick. They were so selfish and self-centered that they never acknowledged to themselves or each other that they should have felt shame about being happy that Frank was sick.
Scarlett knew that her refusing to go outside didn't make any sense to Rhett but she hated to be cold. She always had. The winter of sixty-four had been a cold one and they hadn't had very much wood and what they had was saved for cooking. She was constantly cold that winter. She was constantly having to go outside to do something which had made her colder. She had let Wade sleep with her because she was worried he would freeze to death.
During that winter was when she started having the nightmares. The only time she had been warm was when she had gotten in bed with Melly. She would have a nightmare then she would take Wade and get into bed with Melly and Beau. As she thought about it, she had been so obtuse. Melly and Rhett had always provided her with comfort just with their presence and Ashley had given her none. She shook off those regretful thoughts. She had gotten a second chance. She got up and stirred the logs in the fireplace.
She had a few of the ladies that she visited regularly stop in to see her when they heard about her self-imposed confinement. When Mrs. Stone found out she was staying inside all winter because of the cold she sent her a pair of bloomers made out of wool. The note attached with the package said, "I don't agree with Ms. Bloomer's opinion on women's rights but this worn under your skirt helps keep the cold out."
Scarlett thought, 'If Mrs. Stone wears them then it will be alright for me to wear them. If anyone finds out they won't accuse me of unsexing myself.' Scarlett did try them on and they did make her feel warmer. Scarlett began wearing them all the time. It was difficult to get them up and down when she had to use the water closet but she managed. She thought she looked rather fetching in them and decided to wear them to bed. She quickly found out that Rhett had an entirely different opinion on the matter. She felt herself lucky that she had managed to keep the garment in one piece. She didn't know why but he had really gotten mad that night. She had even said she was sorry that she had worn them to bed. She had started kissing him and he had been cold and unresponsive. She had kept kissing him and asking him to forgive her. She didn't know what she had done wrong but it was something serious. Maybe someday she would find out what had made him so very mad. When she felt him begin to respond she had kissed her way down south. He had really responded then. She had done that thing he liked to appease him. Later that night he had said, "I forgive you but don't ever wear bloomers to bed again."
All Scarlett had said was, "Alright." Scarlett still didn't know what had made Rhett so mad but she knew it had something to do with the bloomers. No matter how cold she was she wouldn't wear those bloomers to bed ever again. She did smile when she thought, 'If I had known as much about relations in the first timeline as I do now, I could have made Rhett do anything I wanted.'
Rhett had felt rejected. He had felt the exact same way he had felt in the first timeline when she had put a door between them. He wasn't going to allow there to be anything between them not even a piece of fabric. If she was cold in the bed, he would warm her up and that was that.
Scarlett still wore the bloomers under her dresses during the day. She just didn't wear them to bed.
Christmas wasn't like being in Georgia. There were none of the traditions they were used to. Rhett said, "We will have to start some traditions." Rhett took all the children out to get a Christmas tree. Rhett knew someone that was going to let them chop the tree down themselves. It sounded like so much fun and Scarlett had been tempted to go but she decided not to go. She wanted to make Rhett leave Alex but she knew she couldn't disappoint Alex that way. He wouldn't understand why he wasn't getting to go with everyone else. Yes, he would be cold but he wouldn't get too cold. Rhett wouldn't let anything happen to him. When she saw them off, she was fussing and she knew she was fussing but she couldn't stop herself from fussing. Finally, Rhett said, "Let's go.".
When Scarlett started to speak again, Rhett kissed her which was improper even in the North. He then said, "I will bring back everyone healthy. Have the hot chocolate ready."
She had smiled and whispered, "Bring yourself back home healthy too."
Then she pushed him out the door. They were letting all the cold in.
They did all come back healthy. They were all talking over each other. They were each trying to tell the ladies of their adventure. Neither Scarlett nor Melly nor Elizabeth could understand exactly what they were saying. Rhett and Esau were getting the tree in the tree stand.
At one point Bonnie said, "Mama!" Scarlett turned to her and said and signed, "Yes, Precious."
In a painfully slow manner Bonnie told Scarlett about their adventure. To Scarlett it was wonderful. She didn't know all the signs Bonnie was using but she understood what Bonnie was trying to tell her. Scarlett spoke and signed her response back. Scarlett felt they had reached a milestone and now Bonnie would really improve.
They had hot chocolate and cookies. They strung popcorn and cranberries. They made paper ornaments. They had a really good time.
After a few hours Alex crawled into Rhett's lap and went to sleep. Scarlett looked at Rhett's face and he had fallen asleep also. They looked so much alike especially in slumber when they were both relaxed. Seven years ago, when they had returned, she would never have believed her husband would be able to fall asleep with all this noise and chaos for he had always been a little bit tense. He had always been a little tense around her but she now knew why. He had always been afraid of revealing something. He would deny he had fallen asleep. He would claim he had just been resting his eyes. She knew the truth and she would let him sleep.
Christmas Day came and everyone was in a festive mood. Everyone was opening presents and was very excited about their gifts. When Rhett opened his gift from Scarlett he said, "A bottle of Bourbon. What a surprise!"
Scarlett just stuck out her tongue. Then she said, "You have to make it last until next Christmas."
"No, I don't. I'm not confined to the house. I'll brave the weather to get another bottle if I need to." Rhett laughed after he said it. Scarlett smiled at him.
Rhett handed her a present and said, "Open it."
When she did there were two pairs of flannel bloomers in the package. Scarlett looked up at him and smiled so big. Then he leaned forward and whispered, "But you can't wear them to bed."
Scarlett blushed. She nodded her head and whispered back, "I won't."
Soon all the presents were opened and everyone was pleased with their gifts. They had given Wade and Beau books, educational toys, and clothes. They had given Bonnie dolls, blocks, a few dresses and some hair ribbons. They had given Alex toys and clothes.
They gave Elizabeth some fabric and some jewelry that matched the fabric. Rhett said, "So you can have a new dress for the May Masked Ball."
Elizabeth smiled mischievously and Rhett smiled back with a matching smile.
They gave Melly a new dress of sturdy fabric in a plain style. They never gave her very much because she was always embarrassed that she could not reciprocate the gift. She had very little money of her own. All she had was what she had left from selling the house on Ivy Street. Most of the time she was comfortable with living off of Scarlett and Rhett's good will but there were times that she was just ill at ease. They never acted like her living with them was an imposition or that they minded. Any time she had hinted at her living off of their charity both of them would spout out a lot of reasons why they needed her. It always made Melanie happy because they both always told her company and her love was all they needed as repayment.
They gave the ladies on the staff a new dress and the men a new shirt and pants. They gave Rachel a new dress and some blocks.
There was a very nice meal for Christmas dinner. There were no yams on the table but nobody minded. The meal was much the same as they would have in Georgia. Everyone was happy and cheerful. Nobody mentioned Atlanta or Tara or the South. Scarlett played the piano and they sang Christmas carols. Whenever Scarlett and Rhett sang together it reminded them of all the times they had sang together during the war. Rhett had wondered why they had stopped doing that. Probably because he was mad at her and she was too busy having fun with the Scallawags. Rhett looked at Scarlett and for once he felt like she was reading his mind especially when she gave him a sad smile. A sad smile of acknowledgement of another missed opportunity.
