Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Twenty-One
Scarlett thought about Ashley. She was so mad at Ashley Wilkes. Not only was he incompetent but he had the gall to criticize Rhett. Rhett her best friend. The man that took care of her. The only person who took care of her. Everyone else always wanted something from her. Scarlett smiled when she thought of Rhett telling her aunts off. She had wanted to do that for years, but Rhett had been right. She had still been too much of a lady to do it. Luckily, Rhett wasn't a gentleman. That made her smile also.
Ashley thought about Scarlett after she had left the sawmill office. Although she had claimed to still love him, he knew it was just a matter of time before she realized that he was no longer the man he had been before the war started. In truth, before she realized he had never been the man she had always thought him to be. It seems Captain Butler was managing to worm his way into her heart. No, Captain Butler had already managed to worm his way into Scarlett's heart. She was just too obtuse to realize it. Ashley would enjoy her looks of admiration as long as they lasted but he knew the battle for Scarlett's heart had already been lost. All good things must come to an end. He wished he had realized that while he had been living his idyllic life. He wished he had appreciated what he had at the time.
Scarlett had forced herself to stop thinking of Ashley. She needed to be calm to nurse Genie. Halfway home Scarlett's breast began to hurt, she knew that she had to hurry home. Ashley had made her so mad that she had forgotten all about having to feed Genie. Also, she remembered what Mammy had said that she had to remain calm, or her milk would dry up. When she had gotten upset with Ashley, her milk had dried up. Now that she was relaxed again, it had come back full force. She hoped Genie was hungry because the child had to relieve this pressure.
When she got to the mansion, she just left her buggy in the lane and hurried into the house. She didn't even slow down long enough to take off her hat. She walked rapidly by Pork and told him, "Go fix my buggy so the horse doesn't run off."
Scarlett hurried up the stairs. When she got to the second floor, Scarlett could hear Genie crying. She walked into the nursery and Rhett was shooting her ugly looks. She said to Rhett, "It isn't what you think. Come with me," Scarlett took Genie out of his arms. She said, "Come on Precious. Are you ready to nurse?"
Scarlett walked out of the room not caring if Rhett was following her or not. When she got into their room, Rhett was right behind her. Scarlett sat in the chair as Rhett closed the door. She said, "Don't yell at me or even speak harshly to me. I have to stay relaxed, or my milk won't flow."
Rhett's face was stone cold, and he said, "I will be in my office when you are finished."
"Will you unpin my hat before you leave and take it off me?"
Rhett wasn't any less mad than a few seconds earlier, but her statement had made him smile. He said, "Yes."
Rhett unpinned her hat and put it on the bed. Scarlett could deal with it later. He left the room without another word.
Scarlett closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair. That was why she had to have her hat off. With it on she couldn't lay back without ruining it. She made herself think about her wonderful childhood. She thought about being the belle of five counties. She shied away from thinking about Ashley. If she thought about Ashley, she would get mad again. She couldn't afford to get mad, or Genie wouldn't get enough milk and that would be another reason Rhett would yell at her.
Scarlett wished Rhett was here to read her poetry. Maybe this afternoon he would if she could get him to understand this wasn't her fault. She had gotten home before it was time for Genie's next feeding. She just knew he thought she had been gone so long because of Ashley Wilkes. She laughed when she thought, 'And he would be right.'
Scarlett forced herself to think of her childhood again and all her beaus, but she stopped thinking about them. Far too many of her beaus never returned from the war and those that did weren't the same people they had been before the war. She smiled. She wasn't the same girl as she had been before the war either despite what Ashley wished to believe. She guessed Ashley wasn't the same man he had been before the war either.
When Scarlett switched Genie to the other breast, she marveled at how pretty the little girl was. She looked similar to Scarlett, but she wasn't an exact copy. She believed her daughter was going to have her father's nose and forehead. She was happy. She was glad Rhett could see himself in his child. She remembered how happy it made her when Wade and Ella had her smile.
When Genie was finished, Scarlett fixed her bodice then took the baby back to the nursery. She laid the child in her crib and rubbed her back to settle her down. She had learned that in the last two months.
Scarlett spoke to Ella and Wade for a few minutes. She was enjoying talking to Wade and Ella these days, but she also knew she was procrastinating yet she couldn't rush off. Wade was telling her a boring story, but she could tell it was important to the boy, so she listened.
Of course, part of the reason she didn't want to hurt Wade's feelings was because she didn't want to endure Rhett speaking harshly to her at best and yelling at her at worst. She just hoped he didn't call her names. He hadn't done that yet, but she just knew he would be able to call her some awful names. Not the least being that she was stupid. She knew she wasn't as smart as Rhett or Ashley or even Melly, but she still didn't like being called stupid.
Scarlett knocked on the door and entered Rhett's office. She looked around momentarily avoiding her husband. The office looked just like his clothing bland and boring. He might have good taste in gifts and when they were working together but alone his taste was bland and boring. Finally, she looked at Rhett. He still had the same hard look on his face. She said quickly, "Let me tell you what happened first. As I said it is not what you think it is."
Rhett was not giving Scarlett any quarter on her interactions with Wilkes. She had to understand that while he could not control her heart, he could control her actions. He would not be disrespected by people speculating about his wife and Wilkes. He had already lived through that once and he wasn't going to live through it again. Harshly he said, "Go on."
Scarlett thought of Rhett's statement of her life could be heaven or it could be hell. She knew she hadn't experienced hell but just the tip of the iceberg or the tip of the pitchfork might be a more appropriate analogy. She didn't want to experience anymore. These last several months had been pretty nice. She wanted to keep things the way they were. She said, "I went and checked on my businesses and the results were just as you predicted. You are so smart," Rhett gave a half smile at Scarlett's blatant attempt to flatter him. She continued, "Ashley and I got into an argument on whether to use freedmen or continue using convict labor. I got caught up in what I was doing and lost track of time, but I was still home before it was time for Genie to nurse."
Harshly Rhett said, "Maybe we should hire a wet nurse. Somebody who is more responsible."
"That is not fair. I was here before it was time for her to nurse. I can't help it if Genie got hungry early. Even if I had been here Mammy would not have come and got me until it was time. Mammy believes that babies should only be fed every four hours."
"I don't agree with that. Bonnie should be fed when she is hungry."
"I agree with you which is why I normally go to the nursery to get Genie early in case she is already hungry."
"I think you are leaving a lot of things out of your story. I am warning you Scarlett I will not be a cuckolded husband."
"A what?!"
"A husband of an adulterous wife."
"Don't you say that about me! I would never be unfaithful to you."
"Physically you wouldn't."
"I am not being emotionally….." Scarlett ran out of steam at the harsh, ugly expression on Rhett's face and the cock of his eyebrow.
Rhett said, "Are you trying to tell me that you haven't thought about Mr. Wilkes once since you said I do and promised to love, honor, … and obey me? I can't make you love me, but you will honor and obey me."
"I'm obeying you. I don't think about him when you are around. I have accepted that Ashley and I can't be together until you and Melly are dead. I even defended you to Ashley when he tried to speak ugly about you. I told him that I wouldn't let anyone talk badly about my husband."
"I appreciate at least that much loyalty."
"Rhett, don't be like this."
"How would you like me to be?"
"Sweet to me."
"I will be sweet to you when you deserve for me to be sweet to you. You may go. I will forgive you."
"Forgive me for what?"
"Forgive you for being late to feed my daughter."
"You are impossible. You jerk. I wasn't late. And to think I defended you when Ashley said you were brutal and coarse."
With that Scarlett stormed out of the room. Rhett couldn't show any weakness in regard to Mr. Wilkes. He just had to figure out a way to get her to sell her sawmills. He also needed to figure out a way to separate her from Miss Melly.
Scarlett spent the rest of the day meeting her staff and cursing Rhett in her mind. She worked with the housekeeper getting all the employees assigned to their roles in the household and informed of their duties. The employment agency had sent over a nursemaid. Her name was Mary. Scarlett wondered if she would last the day much less the week.
Later in the day, Rhett decided to encourage Scarlett to once again spend time with the Scallawag and the Republican wives. She would have fun with them, and they would treat her like a queen. The more time she spent with the wives the less time she would have to spend with Miss Melly. Furthermore, Miss Melly would not spend time with the wives. Rhett was also going to have a talk with Wade about his position in Southern society. No, Rhett would not humble himself to be received in Atlanta. After Scarlett realized the truth about Wilkes and her feelings for him, he would move her to New York or Boston where all their children would be received into the finest homes in the world.
Rhett pondered what Scarlett had meant by saying she had defended him when Wilkes had called him brutal and coarse. He speculated that when Scarlett defended her position of using convict labor something she said appalled Wilkes. Because what she said appalled Wilkes, he had to blame it on Rhett for if Wilkes accepted that his Scarlett was no longer gentle and sweet then his fantasy would crumble. Rhett knew that if he hadn't pampered and spoiled Scarlett for the last ten months Wilkes' words would have hit too close to home therefore, she would have been quite willing to blame all her negative actions on her husband also. Or at least not correct Wilkes when he made that assumption. Rhett pondered how that conversation led to her asking him to sleep somewhere else. He would never know. Yes, she had gained an inch in her waist, but Rhett was sure it was more than that. Something Wilkes said gave her the courage to talk to him. Rhett also decided that with Scarlett defending her husband Wilkes might think he had already lost the battle. The man certainly didn't have the strength to wage war unless he was sure of victory.
