Anne was setting in a lawn chair waiting for Rhett to return with Cat. She
knew Scarlett hadn't wanted her alone with the child, but Rhett and Miss
Eleanor had pushed until Scarlett had no choice.
Anne knew she had this chance to make Cat like her without Scarlett around. If she could form a bond with the child perhaps Rhett would think about taking Cat back with them when they left. If Cat came to live with them, Scarlett would be out of their lives.
Mrs. O'Hara could fake being a lovely mother for only so long before her true selfish color appeared. When they did Rhett would pack up his daughter and take her home with them where Cat belonged.
Anne knew once they got home to Atlanta with Cat Rhett would be so happy again, they both would be. Since Anne herself couldn't have children Rhett's child would do. Cat could be the daughter she was never going to have.
Now all that stood in the way of her happy dreams was Scarlett O'Hara. Given time the trash would show her true colors. Then Rhett, Cat and she could be a happy family.
Anne smiled as the sight of Rhett and Cat walking towards her hand in hand came into view. Rhett loved that child so much; her heart ached that she couldn't give him another child for him to love. A child that would be half hers and his together.
"Cat" Anne said standing as they came up to her. "We're going to spend the whole day together. I hope we can become friends."
Cat looked up at her Father, she didn't know her 'Aunt Anne' well enough to want to spend all day with her. Rhett saw the anxiety in his young daughter's eyes.
"Why don't we all meet here for tea later?" He asked hoping to calm Cat's frightened nerves.
"Yes, I would like that" Cat replied before Anne could answer the question. "Could Mommy come too?"
Anne winced at the words Mommy coming from Cat's mouth. It wasn't fair, this child should be hers not Scarlett's.
"Of course she can. Rhett you'll tell Mrs. O'Hara won't you?" Anne asked smiling mischievously as she said Mrs. O'Hara reminding her husband just who Scarlett was now.
"Well I better hurry if I'm going to catch Scarlett before she leaves. She had some type of business needing her attention this morning." Rhett said then bent down on his knees so he was eye level with Cat.
"Why don't you show Anne around Ballyhara, Cat? She hasn't had a chance to see it all yet."
Cat nodded her head yes then hugged her father goodbye. She didn't know why but Anne scared her, something that wasn't easy to do.
Anne watched as her husband left then turned her eyes onto the child left alone with her. "I would love to see Ballyhara Cat. Why don't you show me your favorite places?" Anne asked faking the sweetness in her voice.
"Would you like to see my pony Ree?" Cat asked it was always fun to show off her pony.
"I would like that very much" Anne said making a mental note to ask Rhett what he thought of his only child having a pony after Bonnie's accident.
Cat took Anne's hand and led her to the stables. The first thing Anne noticed when entering them was the awful smell. It made her feel faint. Cat was just smiling happily as she walked past stall after stall and the smell kept getting stronger and stronger.
How the child could spend one minute in here Anne didn't know. But she tried to smile and not let the smell get to her. After all Cat was trying to be nice, the child seemed to want to be friends.
Anne felt great joy when Cat stopped in front of a stall and said loudly "This is my pony Ree." Anne watched Cat climb over the gate and then pat her pony "Ree this is my Aunt Anne"
Anne couldn't help but laugh at the child. She was such a tomboy, the first thing Anne planned on doing once the child came to live with Rhett and she was to break that habit. Cat shouldn't be in the stables playing with horses.
"Where to now?" Anne asked wanting nothing more then to get out of the stables and get away from the smell.
Cat stopped as if she was thinking then a smirk appeared on her lips as she replied.
"My tower"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anne was out of breath as she fell back into the lawn chair she had began this day in. How was she to know when the child talked about her tower it wasn't part of house but instead deep in the muddy woods that surrounded Ballyhara.
Anne's mouth had fallen open once they had gotten there and Cat expected her to climb a rope ladder up to her tower. Telling the child Ladies didn't climb ladder, was met with Cat telling her how her mother always did. Yet another thing Scarlett did that she could not.
Cat then left Anne behind as she went up to her Tower and played. The little girl didn't return for hours it seemed. What she could be doing up there alone, Anne hadn't a clue.
After that Anne was ready to head back to Ballyhara giving up her thoughts of Cat and she ever being close. The child she now thought of as a mini Scarlett had other ideas though.
Taking her hand, Cat had decided they could pick flowers together. Something Anne thought sounded nice. And she even reconsidered her earlier thoughts of the child. Until they started picking flowers and Cat wandered away coming back a few minutes later with some type of small animal in her tiny arms, holding it for Anne to take.
Screaming, Anne backed away from Cat like she was a wild animal herself. Cat got a look of confused on her face then let the small fuzzy friend she had made go free.
All the way to Ballyhara Anne heard how Cat's Mommy never screamed about an animal. Or how it never bothered her to walk this far from the house. If that wasn't bad enough; those green eyes of Scarlett's kept looking at her through Cat .It was enough to drive a person insane.
Finally getting back to the house Cat had stated she couldn't wait to have tea with her Mommy and Daddy. That was when it dawned on Anne, no matter what she did; she could never take Scarlett's place as Cat's mother.
Cat had said they would arrive early and they did. Neither Rhett nor Scarlett we're there yet. Cat had then left her to rest as she went to find Mrs. Fitz to order their tea.
Anne was just catching her breath when Cat, followed by Mrs. Fitz carrying a tray, showed up. The older women smiled kindly at Anne, and Anne did the same in return, knowing the other woman probably hated her Surely Scarlett had poisoned everyone's mind at Ballyhara against her.
"Thank you, Mrs. Fitz" Anne said as she watched the woman lay the tray on the table before her.
"Your welcome Mrs. Butler. Mrs. O'Hara and Mr. Butler should be along shortly." Mrs. Fitz replied then turned to leave. Ever since learning the truth about Mrs. O and Mr. Butler she couldn't stand to be around Anne. The girl had a look to her that she didn't like.
Anne fixed herself and Cat a cup of tea while she waited for her husband and his ex-wife to show up. The child's nose wrinkled up as she sipped her tea. "To sweet, Mommy never makes it that sweet"
Anne felt her anger boil over. She couldn't stand it a second longer. Four years of being compared to Scarlett had finally come to a maddening scream in Anne's mind. She was never good enough. She was always supposed to understand and be forgiving let Rhett moon away for his former wife and dead child.
Everyone was always saying how she was the perfect wife. It was a shame Rhett couldn't let go of the past.
Now here she was in Scarlett's house, setting at a table with a child that shouldn't exist or rightfully be hers. Getting told she wasn't good enough either. Without another word being spoken Anne's hand went up and across Cat's tiny face making a sound so loud Anne was sure it could be heard a mile away.
As Cat's cries and tears reached Anne's eyes and ears her hand went to her open mouth. What had she just done?
Anne knew she had this chance to make Cat like her without Scarlett around. If she could form a bond with the child perhaps Rhett would think about taking Cat back with them when they left. If Cat came to live with them, Scarlett would be out of their lives.
Mrs. O'Hara could fake being a lovely mother for only so long before her true selfish color appeared. When they did Rhett would pack up his daughter and take her home with them where Cat belonged.
Anne knew once they got home to Atlanta with Cat Rhett would be so happy again, they both would be. Since Anne herself couldn't have children Rhett's child would do. Cat could be the daughter she was never going to have.
Now all that stood in the way of her happy dreams was Scarlett O'Hara. Given time the trash would show her true colors. Then Rhett, Cat and she could be a happy family.
Anne smiled as the sight of Rhett and Cat walking towards her hand in hand came into view. Rhett loved that child so much; her heart ached that she couldn't give him another child for him to love. A child that would be half hers and his together.
"Cat" Anne said standing as they came up to her. "We're going to spend the whole day together. I hope we can become friends."
Cat looked up at her Father, she didn't know her 'Aunt Anne' well enough to want to spend all day with her. Rhett saw the anxiety in his young daughter's eyes.
"Why don't we all meet here for tea later?" He asked hoping to calm Cat's frightened nerves.
"Yes, I would like that" Cat replied before Anne could answer the question. "Could Mommy come too?"
Anne winced at the words Mommy coming from Cat's mouth. It wasn't fair, this child should be hers not Scarlett's.
"Of course she can. Rhett you'll tell Mrs. O'Hara won't you?" Anne asked smiling mischievously as she said Mrs. O'Hara reminding her husband just who Scarlett was now.
"Well I better hurry if I'm going to catch Scarlett before she leaves. She had some type of business needing her attention this morning." Rhett said then bent down on his knees so he was eye level with Cat.
"Why don't you show Anne around Ballyhara, Cat? She hasn't had a chance to see it all yet."
Cat nodded her head yes then hugged her father goodbye. She didn't know why but Anne scared her, something that wasn't easy to do.
Anne watched as her husband left then turned her eyes onto the child left alone with her. "I would love to see Ballyhara Cat. Why don't you show me your favorite places?" Anne asked faking the sweetness in her voice.
"Would you like to see my pony Ree?" Cat asked it was always fun to show off her pony.
"I would like that very much" Anne said making a mental note to ask Rhett what he thought of his only child having a pony after Bonnie's accident.
Cat took Anne's hand and led her to the stables. The first thing Anne noticed when entering them was the awful smell. It made her feel faint. Cat was just smiling happily as she walked past stall after stall and the smell kept getting stronger and stronger.
How the child could spend one minute in here Anne didn't know. But she tried to smile and not let the smell get to her. After all Cat was trying to be nice, the child seemed to want to be friends.
Anne felt great joy when Cat stopped in front of a stall and said loudly "This is my pony Ree." Anne watched Cat climb over the gate and then pat her pony "Ree this is my Aunt Anne"
Anne couldn't help but laugh at the child. She was such a tomboy, the first thing Anne planned on doing once the child came to live with Rhett and she was to break that habit. Cat shouldn't be in the stables playing with horses.
"Where to now?" Anne asked wanting nothing more then to get out of the stables and get away from the smell.
Cat stopped as if she was thinking then a smirk appeared on her lips as she replied.
"My tower"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anne was out of breath as she fell back into the lawn chair she had began this day in. How was she to know when the child talked about her tower it wasn't part of house but instead deep in the muddy woods that surrounded Ballyhara.
Anne's mouth had fallen open once they had gotten there and Cat expected her to climb a rope ladder up to her tower. Telling the child Ladies didn't climb ladder, was met with Cat telling her how her mother always did. Yet another thing Scarlett did that she could not.
Cat then left Anne behind as she went up to her Tower and played. The little girl didn't return for hours it seemed. What she could be doing up there alone, Anne hadn't a clue.
After that Anne was ready to head back to Ballyhara giving up her thoughts of Cat and she ever being close. The child she now thought of as a mini Scarlett had other ideas though.
Taking her hand, Cat had decided they could pick flowers together. Something Anne thought sounded nice. And she even reconsidered her earlier thoughts of the child. Until they started picking flowers and Cat wandered away coming back a few minutes later with some type of small animal in her tiny arms, holding it for Anne to take.
Screaming, Anne backed away from Cat like she was a wild animal herself. Cat got a look of confused on her face then let the small fuzzy friend she had made go free.
All the way to Ballyhara Anne heard how Cat's Mommy never screamed about an animal. Or how it never bothered her to walk this far from the house. If that wasn't bad enough; those green eyes of Scarlett's kept looking at her through Cat .It was enough to drive a person insane.
Finally getting back to the house Cat had stated she couldn't wait to have tea with her Mommy and Daddy. That was when it dawned on Anne, no matter what she did; she could never take Scarlett's place as Cat's mother.
Cat had said they would arrive early and they did. Neither Rhett nor Scarlett we're there yet. Cat had then left her to rest as she went to find Mrs. Fitz to order their tea.
Anne was just catching her breath when Cat, followed by Mrs. Fitz carrying a tray, showed up. The older women smiled kindly at Anne, and Anne did the same in return, knowing the other woman probably hated her Surely Scarlett had poisoned everyone's mind at Ballyhara against her.
"Thank you, Mrs. Fitz" Anne said as she watched the woman lay the tray on the table before her.
"Your welcome Mrs. Butler. Mrs. O'Hara and Mr. Butler should be along shortly." Mrs. Fitz replied then turned to leave. Ever since learning the truth about Mrs. O and Mr. Butler she couldn't stand to be around Anne. The girl had a look to her that she didn't like.
Anne fixed herself and Cat a cup of tea while she waited for her husband and his ex-wife to show up. The child's nose wrinkled up as she sipped her tea. "To sweet, Mommy never makes it that sweet"
Anne felt her anger boil over. She couldn't stand it a second longer. Four years of being compared to Scarlett had finally come to a maddening scream in Anne's mind. She was never good enough. She was always supposed to understand and be forgiving let Rhett moon away for his former wife and dead child.
Everyone was always saying how she was the perfect wife. It was a shame Rhett couldn't let go of the past.
Now here she was in Scarlett's house, setting at a table with a child that shouldn't exist or rightfully be hers. Getting told she wasn't good enough either. Without another word being spoken Anne's hand went up and across Cat's tiny face making a sound so loud Anne was sure it could be heard a mile away.
As Cat's cries and tears reached Anne's eyes and ears her hand went to her open mouth. What had she just done?