Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Twenty-Six

In the middle of March Rhett knew that Scarlett was late with her monthly flow. The woman was as regular as clockwork. Rhett was going to let Scarlett bring the subject up. She wasn't acting unhappy or mad. She was behaving normally. Maybe she hadn't come to the same conclusion as he had. He just hoped she wasn't mad like she was with Bonnie. That was too painful to go through again especially her wanting to kill his child. He did know she might not be happy, but she wouldn't try to get rid of it.

That night Rhett decided to forgo his cigar. He knew his father had been in his sixties when he had died so he knew he needed to start taking care of himself. He didn't want to leave Scarlett for many years yet and he really didn't want to leave her with a house full of children.

A week later, Rhett found Scarlett in their bedroom. She was very pensive. Rhett said, "What is it my bunny?"

"I'm not with child."

"Did you think you were?"

"Yes, I didn't know how I felt about it but now that I know that I'm not I'm very disappointed."

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

"It seems I was just three weeks late," She gave him a sad smile. She continued, "I'm never late. That is why I thought I was with child."

Rhett held her close as they sat on the bed. He didn't speak any empty words or platitudes. He just held her.

She said, "This is the first time I have been sad to get my…."

"It will be alright. Remember you don't want to have any more children."

That made Scarlett smile, and she held him tighter. She said, "That's right. I don't want to get any larger in the waist."

Rhett held her for a while longer. She said, "Now I don't have to worry about showing at India's wedding."

"No. You don't. Come on. Let's get out of the house. I will take you for a buggy ride. We can talk about our future plans to torture Mr. Wilkes."

"You do know how to cheer me up."

The couple did drive around in Scarlett's new red buggy. Rhett had laughed at her expression of joy when she had seen her buggy. Yes, she did have horrible taste, but he no longer cared. They talked about the children. She talked about the mills and the store. Rhett talked about him charming the matrons and how hard it was not to verbally assault them. He made jokes at the matrons' expense that Scarlett found very funny. They actually never talked about Mr. Wilkes and their next hoax.

The next thing that Scarlett ordered under Ashley's name was several planks of lumber. When it arrived Ashley just stared at it in amazement. He had just gotten the saddle mess straighten out. He wondered if he could resell it quickly. He laughed at himself. He could hardly sell anything much less quickly.

The next afternoon Scarlett and Amy went back to the mills. In the same matching outfits. Scarlett had so much fun with the twin hoax she had to do it again. She could show her love for Rhett because Ashley would not believe it was true anymore than he would believe she had a twin. The lumber was outside the office. When Ashley heard Scarlett and another woman talking, he wanted to groan. His first thought was, 'Why didn't I move that lumber?'

He heard the other woman say, "Scar why would Ashley buy lumber? Don't you make it right here?"

Scarlett said, "I don't know, Pans. Sometimes Ashley does such dang fool things."

"I know but he is so handsome we have to forgive him for being so stupid."

Ashley wanted to scream out, 'I am not stupid.'

"Luckily for me Rhett is smart and handsome."

"Too bad he doesn't have a twin."

An idea hit Scarlett right then and she said, "He does. I will introduce him to you."

"How wonderful?"

"Pansy I know y'all will get along. He is just like Rhett. I know how much you like Rhett."

"Scarlett, you are going to make me blush."

"It is true though."

"All I have to say is you are lucky you met him first."

As the ladies walked in the office they were laughing. When they saw Ashley, they sobered almost immediately. They were giving Ashley identical matching disapproving looks. Amy really was a good actress.

Ashley defensively said, "What?"

Scarlett said, "Why would you buy lumber?"

"I didn't buy it."

"The waybill says attention Ashley Wilkes."

"I know what it says."

Amy wandered around the office while they were talking. Ashley kept looking at her. She really did look almost like Scarlett's twin. Yet he knew Scarlett didn't have a twin.

"Stop ordering foolish things. Is this your idea of a joke?"

"Scarlett, you know I don't joke that way."

Amy said, "Scarlett you know that's right. Ashley is not playful or fun. Not like Rhett."

"You are right, Pansy. Ashley, just get rid of it. Sell it if you think you can. Let me look at the books, Pans, then we can go shopping. I think we need a new hat."

Ashley said, "How are things at Tara?"

Scarlett had given Amy a brief account of her family in case Ashley asked her any questions. She answered, "Horrible, Suellen is such a whining baby."

"She never has liked living in the country."

"She should move to Charleston then. I'm sure our aunts would take her in."

"What about Will and her children?"

"What children? And what does our overseer have to do with Suellen?"

Scarlett said, "Ashley, again you have barely covered the expenses. Please try to sell something. Let's go Pansy." As they walked out the door Scarlett said very slowly, "Stop. Ordering. Foolish. Things. We. Can't. Afford. It."

Ashley sat there on the stool and stared at the door. He was angry and confused. He was angry that both Scarlett and Pansy thought he was stupid. He was angry that they compared him to Captain Butler, and he had come up lacking not Butler. What was all that about Butler having a twin? The women had acted like Butler was someone to fight over. Most confusing was Scarlett thinking she had a twin sister. He knew she didn't have a twin sister, yet he was beginning to wonder if he was imagining things. That would make sense though. Ashley sat there the rest of the afternoon thinking about Scarlett and her twin. Sometimes with anger. Sometimes with confusion.

On the way back to the mansion Amy said, "I read for the lead in a new play. I think I am going to get it."

"Wonderful, I would be so happy for you. You really are a great actress."

"Thank you, Scarlett. Would that mean I would have to stop being your twin? I rather enjoy the part."

"No, no. Ashley can't afford to go to a play nor anyone else I would want to fool. What is the name of the play?"

"Our American Cousin."

"Why does that sound so familiar to me?"

"It was the name of the play President Lincoln was attending when he was shot."

"Amy, wouldn't the play be bad luck?"

"Why? None of the cast was killed."

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Rhett was at the bank when Scarlett and Amy returned to the mansion. Scarlett thanked her and paid her another twenty-five dollars. She sent Amy on her way. It was so much more exciting to tell Rhett these stories in private. That man got so creative when he was really excited.

After the children were asleep and Scarlett told Rhett about her afternoon, he laughed and laughed. He then hurried her to their office. He pushed her against the wall. He said, "I will move us to the desk in just a minute. I have wanted to do this with you for a long time."

At that point, all Scarlett could say was, "Yes."

Although Rhett didn't know if she was agreeing with him or telling him she liked what he was doing. When it came time to move to the desk, Rhett just couldn't do it. He couldn't quit doing what he was doing for all the tea in China. Rhett hoped they hadn't created a child, but he also didn't think Scarlett would be that upset if they did.

In the following days Scarlett tried to find an actor who looked enough like Rhett to be his twin, but she didn't find anyone, so she shelved that idea for the moment.

A week later Scarlett strode into the mill office and said, "Good afternoon."

Ashley wasn't saying anything about Scarlett's twin. He was going to pretend it just hadn't happened. He said, "Good afternoon."

She announced, "Ashley, we have to cut expenses somehow."

"I don't know how."

"Of course, you don't. That is why I am going to make some changes. We are spending too much money on supplies. I am giving you one pencil and when it has been used up you will have to turn it in to get another. You will get one pen with one bottle of ink both of which you will need to turn in to get another one. You can use this pad to make estimates on. Don't waste the paper. Paper cost money."

"Scarlett I can't work in these conditions."

"Start making a profit and I will loosen the restrictions."

"I am trying the best I can."

"Maybe your best isn't good enough. I may have to buy you out."

"I don't want you to buy me out."

"Then go out and sell! I will see you next week. I have to go. Rhett said he had something special he wanted to talk to me about. That can be either very good or very bad. I hope he doesn't threaten to cut my allowance again. He is so brutal, crude and coarse sometimes. He is a caveman sometimes."

"A neanderthal."

"A what?"

"A caveman."

"God's nightgown, Ashley. Can't you talk like a normal human being? Bye."

"Wait. Have you learned anything more about the Confederate gold?"

"Oh, yes. Rhett was so excited that he had learned it was exactly five miles from Norfolk."

"The center of Norfolk?"

"I don't know. I will try to find out. Bye."

Ashley was so angry. She had no useful information. She was so stupid. How dare Scarlett talk to him that way? Where was that pliable, foolish, love-sick young girl? He was getting tired of her telling him to sell all the time. Damn it! He was trying. How had his acceptable world fallen apart? What had gone wrong? He knew Scarlett still loved him, but he also knew she was falling more and more under Butler's spell. It seems between Butler's money and his sexual skills the man had seduced Scarlett into being his perfect wife. It made it easier for Butler because he didn't want Scarlett's love just her body and her attention. Damn it! He didn't want her love either he just wanted her body and her devotion. And to be able to use her.

Rhett and Scarlett went out to supper for their anniversary. They ate too much, and they drank champagne. Rhett talked about the new book he was reading, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Rhett told her that it was about a boy named Pip. Pip was of royal birth but raised in humble surroundings. As Rhett told the story he had Scarlett's complete attention. He thought, 'She is so smart. She is just uneducated. I will continue teaching her verbally.'

They talked about things going on in the world that might affect their money. Rhett told her how Queen Victoria had married her nine children into almost every royal family in Europe. Scarlett said, "So everyone is related to everyone. Why do you think she did that?"

"So that nobody would go to war with anyone else because they were all family."

"She certainly didn't learn the lesson of Cain and Abel or Rhomus and Remus. Familicide seems to be quite common in royal families."

Rhett smiled at his clever wife. He knew that she would never try to educate herself because she was afraid that would make her a blue stocking. Something she would never be. He decided that she did want to learn she just didn't want to read books to do it. He could deal with this. He said, "No, she didn't but hopefully the Europeans won't go to war against each other anyway."

They talked about their children. Scarlett convinced Rhett to let Bonnie sit in her own chair and eat off her own plate. Rhett didn't want to, but he finally agreed with Scarlett that it was time. Rhett had to admit she was a toddler now.

Rhett convinced Scarlett to let Ella take piano lessons. He said, "It might help her settled down and not be so flighty."

Scarlett finally agreed.

Scarlett said, "Mr. Elsing has finally become a good manager."

"Why don't you give him more responsibility?"

"I don't want to pay him anymore."

"You could give him part of the profits which would motivate him to work hard."

"It didn't work with Ashley."

"No, it didn't. Think about it though."

"Alright."

Of course, a night out wouldn't be complete without going out to Ashley's mill and having relations on Ashley's desk. Rhett sprayed his seed on the desk once again. Leaving the remains of their activity for Wilkes to find always made Rhett so incredibly happy.

As Rhett laid in their bed with Scarlett asleep by his side he thought, 'What a difference a year makes?'