Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Fifty-Six

As soon as the Butlers were settled, Rhett had gone to the employment agency to find Eunice. The clerk said, "Eunice Hill isn't working right now. She is in mourning. Her parents just passed away."

"How long do you think she is going to be in mourning?"

"I don't know."

"My name is Rhett Butler. If she informs you that she is ready to go back to work. Please let me know."

"Yes, Sir. What is your address?

"1515 Shaftesbury."

"Alright."

"Wait. I just thought of something. If I write her a note, will you give it to her?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a piece of paper?"

"Yes."

The note said: We are back in London and would like to hire you again.

Rhett Butler
1515 Shaftesbury

Rhett said, "Here you go."

"I will need a shilling for the runner."

"Alright."

Rhett handed the man a shilling. The clerk got up and walked out to the street. He called for one of the boys outside on the street and said, "Take this to 17 Bexley Street," He turned to go back inside. As he passed Rhett he said, "You can stay for about thirty minutes. Eunice doesn't know how to read so if she cares what is written on the note, she will walk over to get me to read it for her."

Rhett did stay and his patience was rewarded fifteen minutes later when he saw Eunice walk in the door of the office. She smiled at Rhett with a smile of recognition. She said, "Hello, Mr. Butler," She waved the note in the air and said, "Is this from you?"

"Yes, please accept my condolences on the death of your parents. When you feel up to it will you come to work for us as a nursemaid."

"Yes. I will start next Monday if you give my husband a job also."

"What does he do?"

"He is a footman."

"Yes."

"Then we will see you next Monday."

"Great. See you then."

Eunice was going to mourn her parents probably the rest of her life, but she believed that Mr. Butler was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

When Rhett got home, he went in search of Scarlett. He found her in the parlor with her feet up. She was sewing on baby clothes. The clothes were mostly gender neutral. Neither Rhett nor Scarlett had any strong feeling on what gender the baby was going to be. She said in way of greeting, "I guess I knew despite your best efforts you would get me with child again therefore I saved all of Gerry's clothes. A baby goes through so many in their first year of life. Although, I did give away all of Genie's baby clothes. At least, I did until I found myself with child again then I started saving them. I continued saving them because I just knew you would get me with child again despite your best efforts.

Rhett picked up the cloth that was beside Scarlett and squeezed himself into the tiny space on the divan. Scarlett scowled at him when she had to move over to make room for him. Rhett said, "What? I still want to be close to you."

"Did you find Eunice?"

"Yes, she and her husband will be on our doorstep ready to go to work Monday morning."

"What?"

"She would only come to work for us if I gave her husband a job also."

Scarlett laughed and said, "She made hiring her husband part of the deal. I love it. She must have known how crazy you are about her. Tell me the entire story."

Rhett told her everything that had transpired in the last few hours. He finished by saying, "I think Eunice would like to live with her husband."

"That makes sense. I like living with my husband. Will you give her husband a job to get Eunice to come with us to New York?"

"Of course! Mammy can't live forever."

"Rhett! Don't talk that way. Mammy is going to live forever."

"Alright, Dear."

Eunice and her husband, Mortimer, arrived at the Butlers' doorstep at eight o'clock on Monday morning. Scarlett and Rhett had still been working out the details of how much staff they needed therefore, hiring Mortimer was not an inconvenience. Eunice slipped into the nursery routine seamlessly. She, in fact, remembered all the children's names. She was not surprised that Gerry was a strong-willed child. What else could he be with the parents that he had. With Eunice's arrival Mammy let her do most of the work. She was grateful for the young woman. Mammy knew her days were coming to an end, but she would not stop working. It was all she had ever known – being a Mammy.

Mammy had been just fifteen when Miss Ellen was born. She at first had been a playmate to Miss Eulalie and Miss Pauline then she had helped in the kitchen. Mr. Pierre had said she was going to work out in the fields, but Miss Solange had said, "No, she can be our baby's mammy."

That is what Mammy had become despite the fact that Miss Solange had died one month after Miss Ellen's birth from childbirth fever. That was good because Mammy could not be separated from the baby by that time.

Mammy didn't want to think about that time when Miss Ellen was throwing herself at Phillipe. She didn't want to think about Miss Ellen's despair when Phillipe left Savannah. She definitely didn't want to think about how Phillipe's death had robbed her Miss Ellen of her joy of living.

Mammy guessed that was why she loved Miss Scarlett best of Miss Ellen's daughters. Miss Scarlett had all the fire and spirit that Miss Ellen had until Phillipe's death.

Mammy smiled when she thought, 'So does Miss Genie. Mr. Gerry is more like his father – controlled.'

Mortimer settled into the household and Rhett was pleased he was a hard-working young man. That would make it so much easier for Rhett to offer him a job in New York also.

Rhett joined a men's club. That wasn't quite right. He became an associate member with limited privileges although he had yet to be denied anything he wanted inside the club. He could not become a full-fledged member because he wasn't English. Nonetheless he was always admitted into the club. He went to have intelligent conversation. Something he had sorely missed since his disownment. He had found intelligent men in New York, and it was so refreshing to have open conversations with people who were not closed minded as the people in the South were. Although with their move to the North, he had noticed that Scarlett was starting to read the newspapers he got every day. He knew that she just mostly skimmed the headlines, but it was an improvement from her behavior when they lived in the South. At that time, she acted like a woman reading the newspaper was the ultimate in unfemininity.

Scarlett went into labor on April tenth while Rhett was out and about. By the time he came home his daughter had already been born. Scarlett was not upset that he wasn't there. There wasn't anything he could have done but wait any way. She was only concerned that Dr. Hickman was there with his magical gas.

Wade had figured out what was happening when Mammy spent a long time in Mama's room. When he saw the doctor and his assistant arrive, he knew he had been right. Mama was having her baby. He didn't tell his brother or sisters. They weren't old enough to understand. After three hours, Mammy came out of Mama's room holding something. She showed the baby to Wade and his siblings. Mammy said, "It is another girl."

"How is Mama?"

"She is fine. Let me go tell the cook to fix her a meal."

"Can I hold her?"

Mammy looked at Wade standing there. He was twelve and he was old beyond his years. She said, "Go sit down and I will let you hold her until I gets back but nobody else. I mean you Miss Ella."

Ella stuck out her bottom lip, but nobody cared. Wade sat in the big chair in the room. Mammy wasn't worried. Eunice was there to make sure nothing bad happened. Wade took the baby in his arms, and he felt an instant connection to the baby. He looked into the baby's eyes and promised her he would protect her from all harm.

Wade said, "Hello, Olivia. I am your big brother, Wade."

Ella was right there and said, "Hello Olivia, I am your big sister, Ella."

"Hello Olivia, I am your big sister, Genie."

Gerry didn't say anything. He just stared at the child.

Olivia stared at all the people staring at her.

Soon Rhett was back, and he took Olivia from Wade. He was angry at himself for missing the event, but he calmed himself down by thinking, 'All I would have been doing is sitting around worrying about Scarlett. Maybe this was better.'

Rhett then went to see Scarlett. Hopefully, she wasn't already asleep. As he walked into the master bedroom, he knew that his bride was fast asleep. Her tray was on the floor with all the food eaten off of it and she was clutching his pillow. He wondered if she had ever done that in their very first timeline. Probably. Definitely. He wouldn't have known because once he left the room in the morning he never came back. He stopped his thoughts for a minute and wondered if he would have realized the significance of her clutching his pillow or would this have been another clue he had missed. He knew without a doubt it would have been another clue he would have missed. Like his older self had said, 'Scarlett didn't say it the way I wanted her to say it, so I didn't see it or hear it.'

Rhett turned and left the room with his baby. As he walked down the hall, he thought, 'No, I wouldn't have seen it because I was too drunk and too mad. I was also taking advice from an illiterate whore. I was a damn fool but not anymore. Thank God for this third chance.'

The next six weeks were hard on Rhett. Although the previous three months of living with Scarlett had not been a walk in the park. While she was with child, she was just extremely sensitive. Of course, she was uncomfortable all the time also. Now she was going through post-partum mood swings. She was either yelling at him or crying endlessly or telling him she was as fat as an elephant. Thanks to his older self he never reacted negatively to all of this. He had been through it twice before and this would be the last time Scarlett would suffer from her emotions being all over the place. He had no one to blame but himself. He knew what he was getting himself into when he asked her to give him another child. He got the child, and it was a daughter to boot. All good things. Rhett thought of that Persian adage – This too will pass.

When Rhett had suggested that he and Scarlett go out to supper for their anniversary she had shouted at him, "I'm too fat to fit into any of my clothes except these tents and I refuse to ever be seen in public in a tent again."

Rhett had forced himself to smile and say, "Then we will have a special meal in our room, just the two of us. Maybe a glass of champagne."

With a catch in her voice Scarlett had said, "I can't have champagne because I am nursing Olivia."

"One glass won't hurt her. It might even make her sleep through the night."

That had made Scarlett giggle and she had said, "Yes that sounds nice."

Rhett had the cook prepare all Scarlett's favorite English foods. They had roast beef, mashed potatoes, sauté mushrooms and for dessert they had peach cobbler. Scarlett said she liked it so well because the peaches reminded her of home which may have in fact been true. Although she always said, "These peaches aren't as good as the peaches are in Georgia."

Rhett would always reply, "Of course not, Dear."

Later Rhett and Scarlett had a lovely time in their bed. They could not have intercourse, but they were able to bring each other to satisfaction then sleep in each other's arms. Rhett kept telling himself, 'This is the last time there will be any restriction on our activities.'