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Chapter Sixty-Eight

In May of eighteen seventy-seven Scarlett received the telegram she had been dreading ever receiving. Her father was dead. Gerald O'Hara passed away at the age of seventy-five from a heart attack. If he had any symptoms, he hadn't told anyone.

Scarlett asked Melly, "Do you and Beau want to go to Atlanta for my Pa's funeral or stay here?"

Melly said, "I would like to go. I would like to see Uncle Henry. I know he will be coming to see us in July but he is not a young man and anything could happen. I would be so upset if I passed up this opportunity and ….. well you understand. He is my last remaining close relative beside you and Beau."

"Then let's get packing. We are taking Esau and Prissy with us." Scarlett went in search of Prissy. As she was searching for her, Scarlett smiled at the thought that Melanie didn't think of the Wilkes sisters as close relatives even though they were her cousins and her sisters-in-law.

The Butler group had chosen to stay in Atlanta at the National Hotel. Rhett said, "If we come to Atlanta again, we will stay somewhere else. This hotel is beginning to look a little shabby."

Scarlett looked around and it did have a scruffy look about it. Maybe they would remodel it. She had fond memories of hers and Rhett's stays here.

Father O'Flannery had been kind enough to come down and perform the funeral mass. Father O'Flannery had retired a couple of years before but he remembered the sisters and them all being married on the same day. He remembered Mrs. Butler especially. There was something about that woman that would make any man remember her priest or not.

At the funeral Scarlett had looked for Mrs. Tarleton and then she had remembered that she had passed away about two years ago. About three months after Mr. Tarleton. Careen had written that she had just given up the will to live. Betsy Tarleton had said that her father's death had been the last blow and their mother just couldn't go on after that.

There was a good turnout of people from the county. She looked around at all the people there and noticed that everyone was old. Well not old but definitely not young. If she was honest, they hadn't been young since the end of the war.

Scarlett thought, Rhett had been so kind as to let Will give the eulogy even though as the oldest male relative he should have had the honor. Rhett had just told Will, "You knew him better than me even if I was the favorite." Both men had laughed. Rhett because he knew it was true. Will because he knew it wasn't.

As Scarlett continued to look around at the people and occasionally at the fields, Rhett smiled to himself. She wasn't listening to the eulogy about her Pa any more than she had listened to Frank's eulogy all those years ago. Rhett restrained himself from laughing when he thought, 'She won't listen at my funeral either.'

The wake was nice. Everyone kept telling the sisters how much they had liked and respected their Pa. As people were getting ready to leave Scarlett smiled as people got plates and napkins out of their wagons and carriages. It was well-known the O'Hara's always put out quite a spread especially if Scarlett was involved. She never scrimped.

On the ride back to Atlanta everyone was quiet even Bonnie and Alex. Wade sat next to his mother and she put her arm around him. She smiled. Suddenly just like that he was her little boy again just like her mother-in-law had said when they were in Philadelphia. He was needing to be loved and pampered.

Wade said, "I miss Grandpa. I know we didn't get to see him very much since we moved to Hartford but I always knew he was out there. When I thought of him, I could imagine him stomping around. Talking the funny way, he talked."

Scarlett laughed and said, "He talked like an Irish man. He was so proud to be Irish."

"He was always giving me advice that didn't make any sense to me."

"Maybe it will make sense later in your life. He gave me advice that I didn't understand until later in life also." She didn't add until it was too late.

Wade snuggled into her and she hugged him close. She knew when they got to Atlanta, he would be that young man again so she was going to enjoy their time on the train.

The next morning Rhett, Scarlett, Wade, Bonnie, and Alex were on the train back down to Tara. Henry, Melanie and Beau were having breakfast at the hotel. Prissy and her family had spent the night with her mother. In Rhett's opinion there hadn't been enough room for all of them but he guess they were willing to be uncomfortable for one night. They weren't going to stay their normal two weeks. The boys, Bonnie, and Melly needed to get back to school because the school year was almost over and they wouldn't have time to get caught back up. Rhett had a couple of business deals pending that he wanted to be available to close. It surprised him that Scarlett hadn't put up much of a fuss about not staying for two weeks. He guessed it was because she knew Tara really wasn't her Tara anymore.

Will knew when they were coming so the coach would be there. Henry Hamilton was going to have the reading of the will that afternoon. Scarlett wanted to spend some time with Mammy before that event. Depending on Suellen's reaction they may choose to leave in a hurry. When they got to Tara, Rhett told Scarlet, "I'll take care of the children you go visit with Mammy."

Scarlett had sat with Mammy the entire morning until it was time for dinner. Scarlett had told Mammy all about their life in the North. She had talked about how nice it was to be received everywhere they went. How nice it was that people respected and admired Rhett. She had talked about all the conveniences there were for people in the North. How well Bonnie was doing at the school. She went on and on until finally she ran out of steam.

Mammy said, "It sounds wonderful but it isn't home. Is it child?"

Scarlett smiled sadly and said, "No but neither is this anymore. Not since the war started."

"No child. You are right. The war changed everything."

Scarlett heard Rhett calling her and said, "I'll be back before I leave."

"No, you just go on home after the will is read. We both know Suellen isn't going to be happy with what's in that will."

Scarlett hugged Mammy and wondered again how she always knew everything.

As Mammy watched her little lamb walk away, she was proud of her. She had matured into a wonderful woman and she had been wrong about Mr. Rhett. He wasn't trash. He was treasure. Now that Mr. Gerald had gone on to be with the Lord she could stop holding on. She had done all she could for Miss Ellen's family. Miss Scarlett and Miss Careen had good lives. She wondered not for the first time where they had gone wrong with Miss Suellen. She had been a whiny finicky baby who had turned into a jealous, tattle telling child who had turned into a resentful, bitter woman. Was it that Mr. Gerald never paid her any attention? Or that her mother was always away caring for others? Was it that she had the misfortune to have an older sister as charismatic as Miss Scarlett? Mammy did know that Miss Suellen had never got the attention she deserved. Mammy had tried to give the child some attention but she was a difficult person to get close to. Mammy knew she would never figure it out in the short amount of time she had left.

When Suellen found out that she had not received any part of Tara or anything else she had screamed, "No! That Irish bastard!"

Scarlett had said, "Pa wanted Tara to stay intact. Why are you so upset? You don't care about Tara. When was the last time you came to visit Tara or Pa?"

Suellen had turned and yelled at Scarlett. She said, "How do you do it? You got Pa to leave you the picture of Grandmother Robillard and then you talked Pa into giving all of Tara to Careen. If it hadn't been for me Jonas Wilkerson would be living here right now."

Scarlett said, "No, he is dead."

"This is what you have done all your life. Gone out of your way to make sure I don't get things. Do you think I wanted to marry Frank? No, but you had managed to steal every other man away from me."

"You seemed very happy together."

"I was just happy to not be an old maid. He was one of the few unmarried gentlemen to come back from the war."

"I'm sorry you are upset but these were Pa's wishes. He wanted Tara to stay intact. Suellen, you don't even like living at Tara."

"What do you care if Pa gave it all to Careen? Your rich husband could buy you a plantation if you wanted one."

"Frank left you with a thriving business. When Rhett and I left for Hartford you were happy? What happened?"

"What happened? Frank was not the man he was before the war. Before the war he was a successful business man with a lot of money. After the war he managed to start that store and he was making a nice profit then he bought the saw mill which was profitable. After Ashley Wilkes got killed Frank blamed himself and me for his death. I know Melanie Wilkes blamed me too no matter how nice she pretended to be. I know you encouraged her to blame me. We didn't sell the mill so he could concentrate on the store we sold the mill because it was going bankrupt. Frank lost all his drive and vigor. We didn't build our own house because we couldn't afford to build a house. Behind my back Frank kept giving people credit. In a matter of years, he went from a very dynamic man to a very old, washed-up man. The guilt of getting Ashley Wilkes killed ate him up. He started drinking. He wasn't sick all the time he was hung over or drunk.

We were barely able to buy the Hamilton House from you and Melly. Once again you came out on top. Charles Hamilton left you well off. You managed to snare the richest man in the state and despite him being a reprobate you still managed to stay in the matron's good graces. You have three smart, beautiful children."

"Sue, you have a beautiful son and daughter.

"Beautiful daughter! She looks just like Frank. It is not a pretty look on a girl. The only beautiful feature she has is her green eyes which are the same color as yours. Every time I look at her all I see is you. Do you know how infuriating it is to look at your daughter and see the person you hate most in the world? And she has your smile too."

"It is your smile too."

Suellen hadn't even heard Scarlett. She kept ranting. "Ella is stupider than a cabbage. I can't even marry her off because nobody will have her. I can't even bribe them with a large dowry. George is handsome and smart. He at least can help me make money. George, I love."

There was silence in the room for a very long time. What seemed like hours but was probably only a minute or two.

In Suellen's words she heard herself before she was broken but unlike her Suellen would never be broken. She had not lost the love of her life. She had lost a man she had married so she wouldn't be an old maid. Scarlett wanted to know when Suellen had stopped loving Ella and why. But there were bigger issues here. Scarlett looked at Rhett and he nodded. She said, "Give me custody of Ella. She will have a better chance of making a successful marriage in Hartford. She and Bonnie get along so well."

"Take her. I don't care. I don't want her. If you take her that would be one less person I have to support. I have never understood your attachment to her anyway."

Rhett stood up and offered his hand to Scarlett as he was saying, "My attorney will contact you within the week with the custody papers. Mrs. Kennedy, even if your father had left you part of Tara it still wouldn't be yours. You sold your part of Tara to me back in sixty-six for three hundred dollars. So, it seems I gave you three hundred dollars for nothing. If you give me any grief about transferring custody of Ella to me, I will sue you for my three hundred dollars back. I still have all the paperwork. Good day."

When Suellen looked into Rhett's face she recoiled from the anger showing there. She didn't say anything. She couldn't. She was dumbstruck. She just nodded. Her only thought was, "Good riddance."

When Rhett had been standing next to Suellen, he had smelled the brandy on her breath and he wondered how much she had already drunken that day then he dismissed it and Suellen from his mind. Rhett held Scarlett's hand and they walked out of the house. Careen rushed out after Scarlett and Rhett. Suellen sat down in a chair and stared into the empty fireplace.

Henry Hamilton stood up and said, "Mr. Benteen I will send you all the necessary paperwork to get the name changed at the county court house."

"Thank you."

The two men walked out of the parlor. Neither looked back at Suellen. They were disgusted by any woman that would give her child away especially a child as sweet as Ella.