Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Thirty-Four

In the middle of December Suellen got a telegram from her Aunt Pauline. Her Aunt Eulalie was dead. Suellen had telegraph Scarlett. The telegraph said: Aunt Eulalie dead STOP Someone must go to funeral STOP

Scarlett's return telegram said: Cannot go STOP In my confinement. STOP

Suellen's return telegram said: Cannot afford to go STOP No clothes STOP

Scarlett's return telegram said: Come to Atlanta STOP Will give you money and clothes STOP

Suellen's return telegram said: On the three o'clock train STOP

Scarlett informed Elizabeth. She said, "Mother, my Aunt Eulalie has passed away. There were no details about when the funeral would be."

Elizabeth was saddened by the news but was not surprised. Her friend had not been well for a while. She said, "That is because your Aunt Pauline is no longer thinking straight. I will go and make all the arrangements for you."

"Suellen is going to go. If I can find some clothes for her. I hope my funeral dress will fit her. She is larger than me."

"Most women are. I have a dress she can borrow in Charleston. Is she, my size?"

Scarlett looked at Elizabeth and judged her size. She was a woman in her sixties who had not gone to fat like most of the matrons had but she still was larger than a schoolgirl. Scarlett said, "I believe so."

Rhett picked Suellen up at the train station. Suellen had brought Prissy with her to act as her maid. When they got to Scarlett's home, she scurried Suellen up the stairs, "We have no time to waste. The next train to Charleston leaves at six. Rhett has arranged a private car for you. Rhett's mother is going with you. Rhett's mother has a black dress you can wear to the funeral. Let's go through my wardrobe and finds some dresses for you. They found a week's worth of dresses that Suellen was able to fit into. Even with a twenty-four-inch waist most of Scarlett's dresses were too small for Suellen. Scarlett gave Suellen a bunch of new under garments also. Sue's should have been thrown out years ago. She knew why they hadn't. Suellen would not ask for anything more than she had to from Scarlett.

At five-thirty Suellen, Prissy and Elizabeth were walking out the door to go to the train station. As the sisters hugged goodbye, Scarlett slipped a ten-dollar coin in Suellen's hand. She said, "For anything we forgot. Don't argue. Just take the money. Now go before you miss your train."

A week later Suellen and Elizabeth returned from Charleston at around noon. Suellen had brought their Aunt Pauline back with her. Scarlett wanted to groan when she saw her aunt, but she didn't. She smiled and welcomed her aunt into her home. Scarlett had held dinner for her sister and her mother-in-law. As they dined a servant was making up their last spare bedroom.

As soon as dinner was over Suellen asked to speak to Scarlett privately. Scarlett already knew what she was going to say. Scarlett took her sister to her office. As soon as the door was closed Suellen said, "I couldn't leave her in Charleston. She is completely senile."

"I noticed that over dinner. I don't want her here."

"I don't either."

They heard a knock on the door and without waiting to be asked in, Elizabeth entered the room. Elizabeth shut the door and said, "I will take her into my home. She has been my friend for many years. She and Eulalie stood by me during the scandal thus assuring mine and Charles' place in society. When she starts talking about the old days, I will know what she is talking about."

Both sisters said at the same time, "Alright."

It made Elizabeth smile because neither one did the proper thing and demurred. No, they had both accepted immediately. Elizabeth didn't blame them. She had listened to Pauling and Eulalie talk about the scandalous things their nieces had done enough times to know there was no love lost between the women.

With that decided Suellen said, "I would like to return home today. I miss Will and the girls."

Scarlett thought, 'She can't get out of here fast enough.' She said, "I will have Rhett drive you to the station."

"Do you want your clothes back?"

"No, you can keep them."

"Thanks."

Within the hour Suellen was on the train back to Jonesboro. She had telegraphed Will and he would be there to meet her at the station. By the time Scarlett got into bed for the night she knew she was a lucky lady that her mother-in-law was taking Aunt Pauline back to Charleston with her.

The next day Rhett wrote his Charleston attorney, Charles Mobbs, and instructed him to settle the estates of the two old women. He was to send his bill to Henry Hamilton. Scarlett could pay to settle her aunts' estates. She had enough money from selling his gifts. That thought made him smile.

Scarlett found her aunt not as trying as she had thought she would be. Pauline Wallace was firmly trapped in the past. She talked about her life as a young girl. Her mother's death. Her father remarrying. Her new sister. Her life as a belle. Her life as a bride. Her sorrow at the loss of her two children while they were still toddlers. Her sorrow at not being able to get with child again. Surprisingly to Scarlett she never asked where her husband was.

One night when the others were involved in their own conversations. Scarlett said, "Have you heard from your sister, Ellen?"

Pauline had said, "Very little since she married that Irish peasant."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Where did she move to again?"

"He took her to the back-waters of Georgia. He has a plantation there. She has three little girls now. She says the oldest is very spirited. Ellen thinks it will be hard to teach her to be a lady."

Scarlett smiled at that and said, "Why did she marry him if he was so far beneath her?"

Pauline sighed and said, "I shouldn't say. Promise you won't tell anyone?"

"I promise."

"She fell in love with our worthless cousin, Phillipe. He was quite handsome and charming. A lot like that man over there. I will never know for sure, but I believe he decided that the easiest way for him to gain a fortune was to marry it. Ellen was so young and naïve. She saw him as perfect and would not listen when Eulalie and I tried to tell her that he just wanted her money," Scarlett thought just like me and Ashley. Scarlett continued listening to her aunt. "When Eulalie and I found out she was planning on eloping with Phillipe we told our father." The older woman's face took on a sad expression.

Scarlett let her remember for a moment then said, "What did your father do?"

"Paid Phillipe off. He took the money and ran off to New Orleans. He was killed in a bar room fight. A priest found Ellen's name and address in his trunk. The priest wrote and told her of his death. I know the priest meant it as a kindness, but his death turned him into a martyr. If Ellen had not known, he had died she would have gotten over him when he didn't return. She would have thought he deserted her. She certainly wouldn't have married that Irish peasant."

"You will never know. You shouldn't dwell on it. How is your other sister doing?"

Pauline then told Scarlett about a young Eulalie. She told her of a happy young bride who was excited about moving to Charleston where her husband's family lived.

Later that night Scarlett asked Rhett, "Did you know my mother?"

"No."

"That's right. She was living in Savannah."

"That and I wasn't interested in proper young ladies."

"How did you and a proper young lady end up on a buggy ride then."

"My father asked me to take her for a ride. I think he thought that if I got married, I would settle down and become a proper gentleman. At the time I didn't regret my actions even though it cost me my station in life. As I have gotten older, I know a compromise could have been achieved if I would have been willing to listen to one."

Scarlett just sat there brushing her hair while looking at him in the mirror. Then Rhett did what Rhett did when something was too emotional for him. He made a joke. He said, "You may not know this about me, but I can be stupidly stubborn."

Rhett got the response he wanted. His wife laughed. He took the brush from her hand and finished brushing her hair for her.

As Scarlett laid in the bed wrapped up in her husband's arms, she had to be grateful to that unknown priest that he had written her mother and told her of Phillipe's death. She knew her mother would have never given up believing that Phillipe was going to return to her. Scarlett had always thought she had gotten her stubbornness from her father, but she knew now she had gotten it from her mother. That damn bulldog stubbornness.

In the first week of January Scarlett said to Rhett, "Isn't it nice how much time Rosemary and Mr. Jackson spend together."

Rhett knew that more was going on between Mr. Jackson and his sister for he knew that they were corresponding. Rhett always got all the post first. It was always left on his desk in his office. He wanted all the post, so he knew for sure he was getting all his business mail. He wanted it first also, so he knew who was corresponding with his wife. He trusted Scarlett but he still wanted to know who she was corresponding with. He said, "It is nice for Rosemary to have a little romance in her life."

They were quiet for a few minutes and Rhett ruined Scarlett's good mood by saying, "If they get married then Mr. Jackson will have to find another job. I don't pay him enough to support a family."

"We have to break up this romance. I can't lose Mr. Jackson."

Rhett smiled at his selfish wife and said, "Is that really what you want? For two people to be unhappy so you can have a good tutor for your children?" Four years ago, Rhett would not have given Scarlett's comment another thought. He probably would have agreed with his wife but now he was trying to be a better person. Not always succeeding but always trying.

"I suppose there are other people out there that would be just as good as Mr. Jackson."

When Rhett saw that his wife continued to wear an unhappy expression on her face, he said, "Cheer up. Good jobs are hard to come by in the south."

With those words his wife did cheer up. She was a better person also, but still in their core they were selfish and self-centered. He just hoped they weren't hard, greedy and unscrupulous anymore.

Their son was born on January 20th of eighteen seventy-two and his name was Kennesaw Gerald Butler. When the baby was placed in her arms she said, "Welcome to the world, my son. I have waited so long to meet you." Which everyone in the room thought was the strangest thing but no one asked her to explain."

They called him Kenny. Rhett's mother was over the moon about her grandson having her maiden name as his given name.

Kenny had been born with green eyes and a strong resemblance to his father. Rhett carried his son around everywhere he went in the house. Scarlett chose to breastfeed Kenny also. She knew it was the only way she would get baby holding time. She enjoyed the bonding time with her child also. Again, Kenny's bassinet was in their room. Again, Rhett said, "As soon as you have weened him, he is going into the nursery. We aren't going to be having one of our children sleep with us."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Of course not, dear." Knowing that despite her husband being a very jaded man he was inhibited with his child being in the room. Even though his child was too young to even know what his parents were doing much less remember it. It didn't stop him from initiating relations, he just wasn't as open. The same man that had no shame about walking around their bedroom naked became the man who would make sure the drapes were drawn and the lamp was completely out before he would initiate anything. When he had done all this when Vicky was a baby Scarlett had thought he was doing it because Vicky was a girl. She decided that she would truly never understand the workings of Rhett's mind. She was just not that insightful. She didn't even think Melly was that insightful.