Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and all the feedback. All comments are appreciated.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
As Henry walked out of the house into the yard, he asked Rhett, "Is there room in the carriage for me?"
Rhett said, "We will make room." Rhett was glad that Melly and Beau had stayed in Atlanta at the hotel.
Henry got into the carriage. Rhett asked Will to go get Prissy and her family. Will quickly walked to the servants' quarters. Rhett had warned Esau that they may feel the need to leave in a hurry so Esau had their bags ready to go. Rhett was sorry for Prissy that her visit with her family was being cut short but it couldn't be helped.
Scarlett said to Ella, "You are going to come stay with us for a while. Give George a hug."
Ella hugged George and said, "Do you want me to get my clothes?"
Scarlett said, "No, just get in the carriage."
Ella got in the carriage. She never asked about her mother. Wade had picked up Bonnie and he was walking to the carriage. Scarlett picked up Alex and walked to Careen. There was a quick hug between Careen and Scarlett. Scarlett was getting in the carriage as Prissy, Esau and their children came hurrying toward the coach. Dilcey and Pork were following them. Rhett placed his hand on Dilcey shoulder and said, "I'm sorry for the short notice of departure but we really want to leave in a hurry. Careen, please."
Careen came over and put her arm around the older woman. She said, "Let me explain.
Rhett and Esau climbed up next to Big Sam and they were on their way to Jonesboro. The train from Jonesboro to Atlanta left every hour on the hour and they didn't want to miss the one leaving in thirty minutes.
Once they were on the train to Atlanta Scarlett and Rhett relaxed. Once they got Ella to Hartford, they would never let her go back. Scarlett and Rhett both knew he would make sure they were able to legally adopt Ella by any means necessary.
Scarlett sat next to Ella and Bonnie on the train seat. They all three could sit there comfortably. Alex crawled up in his mother's lap and she held him tight. The only thing that would have made Scarlett happier was if she could have squeezed Wade into the seat with them. Wade would never agree to be squeezed in there with them he was too old for that then almost as if he could read his mother's mind Wade walked over and picked Bonnie up then sat down with Bonnie on his lap. Scarlett was crying but she didn't know it. Rhett walked over and picked up Alex and set him in Ella's lap. He made Scarlett stand up. He sat down and although it was incredibly inappropriate pulled Scarlett down on his lap.
Henry looked at the group. As incredible as it seemed all six people were squeezed into the tiny space. Everyone looked very happy and nobody looked uncomfortable. Henry smiled at the pinched faces of disapproval of the other passengers. Nobody sitting on that bench cared in the least.
Ella thought, 'Between Uncle Rhett and Wade I can barely breathe but I haven't felt this loved in a very long time.'
When they arrived at the Atlanta train station Rhett checked the train schedule for the next train heading north. He found one. Rhett said, "The next train leaving is a train to Columbus, Ohio that leaves in four hours. It will be a little bit longer trip but…"
"I don't care. We have to get out of Atlanta before she changes her mind."
Henry who had been walking to the cab stand with them said, "If she changes her mind, y'all would legally have to bring her back."
Scarlett said, "I don't care. Get us out of Atlanta, Rhett."
When they got to the cab stand, Rhett said, "You take Ella to get her belongings." He put her and Ella in a cab. Rhett handed her some money. He knew without asking she didn't have any money on her. She never carried money. If Rhett wasn't with her to pay for something, she would just ask the proprietor to send her husband a bill. All the merchants in Hartford knew who she was and that she never carried cash. Mrs. Butler spent a lot of money so they were happy to accommodate her.
Rhett took the rest of the group to the hotel. After arriving at the hotel Rhett left everyone with Melly and told her to get everything pack they were leaving Atlanta in less than four hours. He would explain after they got on the train, he had to go see his attorney. Rhett left the suite.
As a stunned Melly looked at the door, Wade said, "Grandpa didn't leave Aunt Suellen anything in his will. She blamed Mama. Aunt Suellen said some ugly things about Ella. Mama offered to take her to Hartford. Aunt Suellen said, 'Take her. I don't want her.' Papa threaten Aunt Suellen about her causing problems with the transfer of custody of Ella. If she did, he would sue her for the money he gave her back in sixty-six for her part of Tara."
"Wow! How…"
"I was sitting on the porch and I heard Aunt Suellen scream so I eavesdropped."
"You shouldn't eavesdrop," Melanie said automatically but there was no conviction to the words, "Your mother is going to be so happy. She loves Ella so much."
"Yeah! Mama is going to be very happy now. I don't know why but Mama loves Ella almost as much as she loves Alex, Bonnie and me."
"She does. Doesn't she? Let's get packed!"
Prissy and Esau had been standing there listening to everything. Prissy said, "Yes ma'am."
Suellen had sat in the parlor for a long time after everyone had left the room. She had heard all the commotion outside and then there had been quiet. She had gotten up and walked upstairs. She had been staying in Scarlett's old room that Careen had turned into a guest room. Suellen wondered if Careen had asked Scarlett's permission or had just done it. Careen had probably asked Scarlett's permission. Careen would never do anything to cross Scarlett. She groveled around Scarlett just like everyone else.
When she got to the room, she poured herself a glass of brandy. She still couldn't believe that old goat hadn't left her anything. It was typical of their relationship. There was something for Scarlett, of course, and something for Careen but not a damn thing for her. Most of the time he hadn't even known she was there. He hadn't even had the common courtesy to tell her ahead of time and explain why he hadn't left her anything. Nobody else had been surprised so both of her so-called loving sisters had known ahead of time. She still wouldn't have been happy about not getting anything but at least the jerk could have extended her the courtesy of telling her himself but he really hadn't been anything but an Irish peasant just like her aunts had always called him. Suellen brushed away the tears that she refused to acknowledge. It was one last hurt in a lifetime of hurts. She squared her shoulders and jutted her O'Hara chin. At least now he could never hurt her again.
She knew Scarlett had talked the peasant into doing it. Scarlett no longer wanted Tara so she found a way to prevent her from getting any part of it. She knew Scarlett had talked that idiot into giving it all to Careen by spouting out about keeping Tara whole.
Suellen wondered again how Scarlett had gotten the dowagers of Atlanta to continue receiving her into polite society and her unreceived husband if he was with her. She remembered her and India laughing at how Scarlett was in a real fix with her marriage to Rhett Butler. He was not received and that was all there was to it. So, by extension she would not be received. They had laughed about how although Rhett was rich and good looking, he was an aggravating donkey most of the time. They had laughed about the fact Scarlett was going to have to put up with that jerk all the time then he turned into just another one of her adoring subjects.
Somehow Scarlett had not only maintained her position in society but she had managed to get her reprobate husband received also. Of course, Melanie Wilkes telling everyone that sob story about poor Scarlett had certainly helped.
While Suellen hadn't done anything wrong except for the one time when she had foolishly driven her buggy through Shantytown and the matrons had practically shunned her from society. Melanie Wilkes had probably bad mouthed her all over town. It wasn't Suellen's fault Ashley had gotten killed. She hadn't asked those men to defend her honor. They had done it because of their own gentlemanly code.
Not for the first time Suellen wondered what Scarlett had that made people especially men jump to do her bidding. After Scarlett had thanked that old priest for coming out of retirement to do the funeral mass, Suellen had heard him telling Scarlett that it was his honor to perform her father's funeral mass. She had smiled at him and he had gotten that worshiping look on his face. He was a damn priest and almost as old as Pa but she still had him ensnared.
She started putting hers and George's things in their carpetbag. She looked at Ella's few things and decided that she would just leave them. Careen could either get rid of them or send them to Scarlett, she sure as hell didn't want them. She had their bag packed but she would stay here until she heard the new coach return.
Scarlett's rich husband bought the coach for Tara just because he thought the old one was too uncomfortable to ride in. They rarely came to Tara but he couldn't be uncomfortable for even one afternoon. The man had more money than was good for him.
Suellen poured herself another drink and wondered when she had stopped loving Ella. Probably when she realized she had never loved Frank. She had thought she loved him but he had just been a means to an end. She had married him so she wasn't an old maid but also because she had thought he was going to become rich again. She had imagined she would have pretty dresses again, pretty hats and shoes, a nice little buggy to drive around Atlanta. Frank would have been bestowing jewelry on her all the time. She would be spending her days socializing and she would have servants to take care of the grand house that, of course, she would have. It would have been grander than even Scarlett's house on fifth street. It would have been a mansion. All those old bats would have been pea green with envy.
After that damn clan raid Frank's guilt began to eat at him. The guiltier he felt the less motivated he was to build back his fortune. Those eighteen months Melanie Wilkes had lived with them after the raid had nearly destroyed Frank.
His guilt became worse and worse every time he looked at Melanie. Suellen had been so happy when she went to live with Scarlett. She had gotten so tired of her looking so sad and pitiful. She had also upon occasion had seen glimpses of pure hate when Melanie had looked at her or Frank.
She had been optimistic after Melanie had moved out. Suellen didn't know what but something about George's birth had brought back all of Frank's guilt and he could never shake it. The only thing that helped was his hot toddies which she suspected were mostly whiskey.
It was that September after Scarlett had moved to Hartford when she had discovered that her dream of a fabulous life was never going to happen that she began to stop loving Ella. She looked like a cross between Frank and Scarlett the two people she hated most in the world. Then the child had the annoying habit of talking about how much she missed her Aunt Scarlett, Bonnie and her Uncle Rhett. She would talk about how beautiful her Aunt Scarlett was. Ella had never once said she was beautiful. How much fun her Uncle Rhett and Bonnie were. She would go on and on until Suellen had to scream at her to shut up. Then a week later she would be talking about them all again. Whenever she smiled it was like Scarlett was in the room with her again. If she was solemn it would remind Suellen how unattractive the child was and that Suellen would be stuck with her forever. If all that hadn't been bad enough when she tried to teach the child to read, she couldn't remember any of her sounds no matter how many times they went over them. It would frustrate Suellen so much she would scream at the child and tell her to take her book and leave. The child would look so hurt and that would make Suellen mad. The child was as timid as a mouse. She drank down the last of the brandy in the glass. After that good for nothing Frank died the child would cry and say, 'I miss my Daddy' all the damn time. If she wasn't talking about Scarlett and Bonnie then she was talking about her Daddy. No, it had been too much for any woman.
Now she was a widow with one child, and a spinster friend that she had to support. She was never going to have all those fine things. She was barely even a lady these days. She was barely received by polite society because of that damn clan raid. She was making a nice profit from the store now that Frank wasn't giving everything away but she had to be there all the time to make sure everyone did their jobs and nobody stole from her.
It helped to make a profit without all those mouths to feed. All those people she had been supporting had just been dead weight. Suellen giggled at that thought. Frank and Miss Hamilton were definitely dead weight now.
She would sign those papers so fast it would make the lawyer's head spin but first she would see how much money she could get out of Scarlett's rich husband. They both seemed eager to get Ella. They would probably give her five hundred dollars to sign the papers. It would be a win-win for her she would make some money and no longer be responsible for Ella. She would tell everyone that she sent Ella to live with Scarlett for a while. She wouldn't tell anyone that she had let Scarlett adopt her except India, of course. They would have a good laugh at imagining Scarlett trying to marry Ella off and knowing that Scarlett was stuck with her for the rest of her life.
