Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Thirty-One

The entire group went out to celebrate the anniversary of Langston Butler's death. It might appear unkind to an outsider, but an outsider would never understand how much the man was hated by his family, especially Elizabeth Butler. She had not been exaggerating when she told Rhett that she had hated Langston Butler with every fiber of her being. Rhett hated his father just as much. Rosemary and Robert probably hadn't hated the man as intensely as Rhett and Elizabeth, but they had not been unhappy that he had died. June six would always be the Butlers liberation day.

Robert had even sent a telegram stating: I hope you all are enjoying our day of freedom as much as my family and I are STOP.

Rhett had telegraph back: We are STOP Happy Liberation Day STOP.

Rhett was extremely glad he had brought James with him on the trip. He had the footman escort Rosemary everywhere she went. If she went out in public, she always came back with several men following her. They were trying to make her acquaintance.

Scarlett was awfully glad she loved her sister-in-law because every event, soiree, or ball they attended there was a man usually several of them wanting to be introduced to Rosemary. The girl she had been at the barbecue would have been extremely jealous and would have done her best to capture the gentlemen's attentions. No, she would not do that, but she was annoyed that her husband felt the need to stand beside Rosemary to protect her virtue. The European men were not as proper or reserved as the southern gentlemen were. Scarlett would stand with her mother-in-law and just watch the show.

One night Elizabeth said, "If he is that overprotective of his sister, just imagine how he is going to be regarding his daughter."

"I hope we have all boys."

"Then you will be the overprotective one."

Scarlett laughed and said, "Probably."

Despite the inconvenience of all of the attention Rosemary was getting, the family enjoyed themselves. They went to London then onto Ireland. They visited Scarlett's family, Dublin, the Blarney Stone, and Rhett's family. After each of the Butlers had kissed the Blarney Stone, Scarlett said, "I don't know why you all kissed the stone. All the Butlers already have the gift of gab. You all are already skilled at flattery and have great eloquence."

Rosemary said, "A little more isn't going to hurt us. Go ahead and kiss it, Scarlett."

Rhett said, "You could use some eloquence and ability to flatter."

"Maybe you need to kiss it again."

"Go on, my love."

On the ship back to Charleston, Rosemary said, "When we get home, I'm going to stop letting Mr. Howard call on me. I just don't want to be married to anyone with the first name Leslie. It sounds like a girl's name."

Scarlett said, "At best it is a weak name."

Everyone laughed. Rhett, Scarlett, and Elizabeth secretly sighed a sigh of relief. Nobody would ever know for sure if Mr. Howard was a fortune hunter but Scarlett had agreed with Rhett and Elizabeth that he was.

In a pensive moment, Scarlett wondered if Pere had not made Phillipe forbidden fruit would her mother have given the young man up of her own free will. Scarlett would never know so she pushed the thought from her mind. She knew that Pa, her, and her sisters had been lucky that Phillipe had died in that barroom and the priest had let her mother know Phillipe was dead. More of their Irish luck. Scarlett knew her mother would have waited for Phillipe to return to her the rest of her life.

The couple spent a couple of weeks in Charleston and then returned to Atlanta. They found out that Daphne had another little boy whom they had named Jacob Kennesaw. When they got on the train, Rhett said, "I really hate being head of the Butler family with everyone coming to me with their problems. I really hate all their whining. Furthermore, they usually don't like my solution."

"Your solution of if you don't like doing it don't do it."

"Yes."

Scarlett laughed.

It was the middle of July when Rhett and Scarlett went down to Tara. Careen looked hot and miserable. At first, it filled Scarlett with gleeful pleasure to see Careen so miserable then Scarlett felt really bad for having those thoughts. She was just being petty because God hadn't blessed them with a child yet. Scarlett and Rhett stayed a week. As they were getting in the buggy to return to Jonesboro, Scarlett said, "Is there anything I can get you in Atlanta?"

"Mammy."

"I can ask her but with Suellen being about to deliver I'm sure she would say no."

"You are right she would say I have Dilcey and Liberty."

"True."

Within a month there were two more O'Hara babies. Careen had a son who looked a lot like her whom she and Will named William Travis Benteen. They were going to call him Willie. Suellen had a son who looked like her whom she and Frank were going to name Gerald Frank Kennedy. They were going to call him Gerry.

On their way home from visiting the Kennedys to see the baby Scarlett said to Rhett, "I know Sue named her son Gerald just so I wouldn't be able to."

Opportunistic Rhett said, "So my son will be named Alexander Gerald."

Scarlett scowled at her husband and said, "If we ever have a son."

"Don't worry. We will."

Rhett and Scarlett traveled down to Tara in the middle of August to see the baby. Scarlett had bought some gifts for the little boy. Rhett had rented a buggy for the day. They were only going to spend the day. Afterall, it was cotton picking season. Seeing anyone picking cotton gave the couple nightmares from when they had picked cotton. It was a pleasant day.

Will came in from the fields to eat dinner, but he didn't linger over the meal. He had to get back out there. The fieldhands would not go back to work until Will made them. Pa stayed longer than Will but soon he too had to get back out in the fields.

Rhett and Scarlett had just come down to see the baby so about an hour after dinner, the couple returned to Atlanta. They both agreed Willie was a cute baby but that was all they said about the baby. Instead of talking about the baby Rhett started talking about them taking a trip out west. Scarlett thought it sounded like a grand idea.

The couple attended some soirees and received a few invitations to supper but there wasn't a lot of socializing by the gentry of Atlanta. Nobody had any money. When one of the other gentlemen, Sam Baker, asked Rhett to attend the Democratic Party meetings. Rhett said, "I don't get involved in politics. In truth, I can't remember the last time I voted. Actually, I don't think I have ever voted."

"Think about it anyway. Now that you are living in Atlanta, you might want to get involved."

"I will think about it."

Rhett knew that was a bad combination. Him in a room with a bunch of fools talking politics. He would definitely ruin his reputation at that time. He had a passing thought about deliberately ruining his reputation so he could get Scarlett to live somewhere other than Atlanta, Georgia. But he shelved the idea. That would not only hurt Scarlett and her family, but it would hurt his relatives in Charleston. Rhett then saw his wife and thought, 'She is worth it.'

In September, Rhett and Scarlett traveled out west. They went to Denver and San Francisco. Rhett knew people in both cities, so they received invitations to nighttime social events. They had great fun. Scarlett heard Rhett discussing things like the war and Charles Darwin's theories. It was a lovely three months for the couple.

On the way back to Atlanta, Rhett and Scarlett took a side trip to see the Grand Canyon. They had even rented mules and a guide and travel down to the bottom of the canyon. On the train, they both were trying to figure out a way to move away from Atlanta. Scarlett just couldn't tell Rhett that after everything he did to get received in Atlanta and the South she no longer wanted to live there. Rhett just couldn't ask Scarlett to move away from Atlanta for he could see how happy it made her to visit Tara.

In December, Rhett and Scarlett went to Tara. They were going to spend the two days before Christmas and the two days after Christmas at the plantation. Frank, Suellen, and their children were going to come down for the day. Suellen was giving Mammy the day off so she and Frank would have to deal with the children. Of course, the wet nurse was coming with them also.

Careen and Scarlett both knew that Suellen had given Mammy the day off so she didn't have to bring Mammy to Tara where Careen might convince her to live with her.

Nonetheless, the company was pleasant. Frank talked about his sawmills and the store. He talked about how wonderful Suellen was to continue managing the store. It made things easier while they were still struggling financially. Suellen said, "I wouldn't be able to do it if I didn't have Mammy to help me. The only employees we have at the store are Ashley and Horatio. Horatio only works in the afternoons and on Saturdays. They are both dependable workers but neither one of them is a manager."

With that sentence, Suellen smirked at Scarlett. Scarlett just stared at Suellen. Partly in shock and partly in irritation. Did Sue think she gave a fig about Ashley? She wished Sue would stop trying to best her. The only thing Sue had that Scarlett wanted was a child and sooner or later she and Rhett would make a child. And her child would have the finest things that money could buy. Plus, all of hers and Rhett's love. What's more her child would be beautiful with a delightful personality.

With that Scarlett stopped listening to the conversation and started thinking about electricity. She had read an article on it just last night.

Rhett and Scarlett went to Charleston to visit with his family. His family was delightful to visit with. It was all of Rhett's other relatives that drove him crazy. Over supper one night, Rhett said to Robert, "When I am not here do our relatives go to you with their troubles?"

"They tried but I told them to wait until you came back for a visit."

"I'm not sure if I am grateful for you reinstating me as head of the Butler family."

"As my big brother always said, 'I don't do anything if there isn't something in it for me.' Not being head of the Butler family was definitely an advantage for me."

Rhett laughed and said, "You better hope I have a son, or this responsibility will be passed back to you upon my death."

"Who knows I might die before you."

"Then it would be passed on to Jeremy."

"He has broad shoulders. He can handle it."

Rhett shook his head. Elizabeth changed the subject by talking about what one of her committees was going to do in the spring.

One night at supper, Rosemary's latest suitor was in attendance. His name was Walter Plunkett. He was attractive enough. He was the same height as Rosemary, but she didn't seem to mind. He was nervous and a little tongue tied. It became known that he and Rosemary shared a love of books and found lots to talk about concerning literature.

After supper, Rhett said, "I think I like the fortune hunter better."

"Don't be silly, Dear. Mr. Plunkett is sweet."

"Do you think I'm sweet?"

"You are sweet to me but no I would never call you sweet. I think you would probably be insulted if I did."

Rhett roared with laughter and finally said, "Yes, I would. Come to bed."

After Rhett and Scarlett returned to Atlanta, he bought them tickets to the St. Valentine's Day fund raiser. Scarlett didn't have to ask him. He bought tickets for the Wilkeses. He could handle spending the evening with the Wilkeses once a year. Especially since Scarlett got such joy out of it. The relations afterwards were pretty amazing, also.

Scarlett wore her red dress again and Rhett wore his red waistcoat and cravat again. The happy smile that Scarlett gave him made it all worthwhile.