Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the many reviews and the feedback.
Chapter Eighteen
A week after their return from New Orleans, Rhett went to The Painted Lady. He talked to Belle. She said, "I heard you were back in town. I would have thought you would have been here sooner. It has almost been a week."
"I had business to take care of. I had to get Scarlett and the children settled at the hotel in my suite."
"Was it everything you expected?"
"Not to be rude, Belle, but that is none of your business. It certainly isn't why I came to talk to you," As he had been talking Belle had poured him a drink of his favorite whiskey. He smiled. He said, "I don't want that Belle. I have quit drinking and smoking."
"Why?"
"Scarlett wants me to live for a very long time and she thinks smoking and drinking is bad for my health."
"So, Scarlett is going to wear the pants in the family."
An image of Scarlett's captivating behind in those Capri pants popped into Rhett's mind and he smiled. He said, "How can a man get mad at his wife for wanting him to live an awfully long time. It is for my own good."
"I've heard about things being for my own good and they usually hurt like hell."
"I didn't come here to talk about that. I came to tell you that I appreciate that you have been my friend for many years since we met in that whore house in New Orleans. I probably wouldn't have made it if you hadn't helped that stupid, naïve, inexperienced, arrogant bastard that I was right after my father disowned me."
"Thank you, Rhett. We have always had fun."
"Belle I have always been very fond of you. I have thought of you as one of my best friends. I will always remember you with affection. I have begun a new life and even though I am moving on it doesn't mean that I don't appreciate everything you did for me in the past. In order to make my marriage with Scarlett work I must leave all of this behind," He handed her several pieces of paper. After she took them. He continued, "That is a deed transferring my half of the saloon to you. You deserve it. You built this business. I just supplied the money."
"No, Rhett. You can't leave me."
Rhett smiled kindly and said, "Belle, I have never been with you. We were convenient to each other. You gave me pleasure. I gave you pleasure. All that is over now. I will be faithful to Scarlett."
"When that cold-hearted bitch hurts you again, I won't be here for you."
"I would not expect you to be here for me. Belle, with Scarlett I am going to return to being a gentleman and living on the better side of life."
"You God damn son of a bitch! All this time I have been waiting for you to realize that we are meant to be together and now you are going to dump me."
Belle was shouting now, and everyone was looking at them, but Rhett didn't care. He could have been cruel, to Belle but he had already been cruel enough to her. He by default had made her believe they could be together when nothing could be further from the truth. He may not technically be a gentleman, but he still thought of himself as a gentleman therefore his love would have to be a lady, not an illiterate whore. Rhett chose his words carefully because he did not want to hurt Belle, yet he had to make it perfectly clear they had no future. His future was with Scarlett.
Rhett said, "Belle, I love Scarlett, and she loves me. I could never love someone like you because you are so far below me on the social standing. Our relationship would never have been any more than what we had before I met her. I am walking away from this life because I finally have a chance to be part of a family
Belle grabbed up the papers and said, "Get out you son of a bitch."
Rhett stood up. There was nothing more he could do here. He had tried to soften the blow, but he guessed where love was concerned there was no painless way to reject someone.
Rhett walked out of the saloon and felt good. He was going home to his wife and his family. When he got home Scarlett was already in bed, but she wasn't asleep. She was trying to read Journey to the Center of the Earth. When Rhett saw her, he said, "Do you like it?"
"I like the Reader's Digest version better."
Rhett laughed. He knew she would never be a reader but at least she was trying. She looked at him and said, "Was it awful?"
"What?"
"Your conversation with Belle?"
Rhett flashed her a quick smile. Those six months in nineteen sixty-eight had really changed both of them. Scarlett was a lot more observant now. No, that wasn't right. She was concerned about him thus she was aware of his feelings and emotions. Something that she hadn't been aware of before their leap. Maybe they both had some responsibility for the demise of their marriage. Rhett took off his clothes and crawled into the bed naked. He took the book from her hands and laid it on her nightside table. He simply said, "Yes, but I don't want to talk about it."
"Alright, we won't talk about it."
He kissed her and she said, "I can't get any more pregnant."
"We don't know you are pregnant."
"Please! We both know I am pregnant, and she will be born on February second. We will …."
Rhett kissed his wife. Yes, they both did know that.
The next day Rhett felt better than he had in many years. He wanted nothing to do with prostitution. He would not benefit from some young girl's degradation. In time maybe he would come to terms with how often he had degraded some young girl but not today. He wasn't that good a person yet. For now, he would continue to deny the facts even to himself.
In the next months, Scarlett spent time with her children. She no longer saw them as their father's offspring but as her children. Her beloved children. A precious gift.
She would smile all through Wade telling her about the latest book he was reading. She would smile when she looked at Ella trying to walk and talk. She wasn't smiling when Ella's first clear word was Dada. She would smile though Rhett telling her about the latest book he was reading. She would smile through Melanie talking about how wonderful Ashley was.
Although at time Scarlett would wonder if Melanie really believed what she was saying or was trying to convince herself that her husband was the man he had been before the war. It didn't matter to Scarlett. She knew Ashley had never been the man that she and Melanie wanted to believe he was. He had been a weak man before the war, and he was even more of a weak man now.
Scarlett and Rhett attended most of the functions given by the Republicans and the Scallawags. They had an enjoyable time with them. Although Rhett was very mocking towards almost everyone there. Scarlett always laughed at his comments.
Rhett let her build her house anyway she wanted. He knew it was going to be ugly, but he didn't care. When Scarlett finally decided it was ugly, they could tear the whole damn thing down and start over. She could decorate the interior any way she wanted. It could be redone when she finally thought it was ugly also. If Scarlett wanted her décor to be in an avant garde style he would let her decorate it that way. It would impress the Yankees and Scallawags and that would make her happy.
Scarlett now accepted that nothing she would ever do would impress the matrons because they wanted to believe the worst about her no matter what she did. Therefore, she might as well do what made her happy. Rhett let her have a free hand. She made him give her his opinion on his office, the library, the family parlor, and their bedroom.
When Rhett would say, "I don't care. It is my gift to you."
Scarlett would reply, "I need you to care."
Rhett would smile and give her his opinion.
Rhett bought her the gaudiest buggy he could find, and she loved it. He bought her a carriage, but it was conservative in design. Scarlett frowned when she first saw the carriage. It was black but it did have some gold trim on it. She smiled and said, "It is fine. Afterall you will be riding in the carriage. Thank you for the gold trim, Honey."
"You're welcome."
Rhett bought her jewelry. She bought herself dresses, hats and shoes. She bought Wade and Ella clothes, shoes, and toys.
After they moved into the mansion, Scarlett had a crush. She invited everyone in Atlanta, including the governor. She was thrilled when the governor attended but wasn't surprised when the proper people left. Even Melanie and Ashley left. She continued having an enjoyable time with Rhett. She was going to have a fun time now. She hoped Marie was wrong about her future, but she knew in her heart she wasn't. If she had a lousy future, then she was going to have a wonderful today.
Rhett Butler had never genuinely cared about anyone else's feelings and desires before his leap forward. He had told himself he had loved Scarlett, but he now knew he just wanted to sexually possess her. He wanted her to love him and worship him like all the other women in the world did. Scarlett had been the only woman he had wanted who he had not been able to get her to fall in love with him.
He had been extremely disappointed in his sexual sessions with Scarlett on their honeymoon because they certainly had not been like he had fantasized they would be like for years. She had not really been a participant in the activities. At first, she had just let him do what he wanted to her body. He had told himself that she was behaving that way because that was the way ladies were supposed to behave. That ladies weren't supposed to enjoy sex. In his narcissism, he had started to believe that maybe she was holding herself back from him. After all wasn't that what he was doing to her. After all it couldn't be that he was not getting her sexually excited.
After they had leaped forward, and Jasmine had given her that sex manual, things had started to change. When somewhere in that book she had found out she could receive immense pleasure she had been willing to let him do more to her. After he had brought her to orgasm, things had really started to change. He knew though it was Jasmine telling her it was alright to enjoy herself sexually that had made the biggest difference.
When Scarlett had asked why they hadn't discussed pregnancy prevention in their timeline he had known he had really been a selfish bastard. Despite knowing she didn't want any more children he hadn't done anything to prevent them from making one. As secretive as he had been then he wouldn't have even told her, he wanted a child. So, in her mind she would have been going through all that pain and suffering for nothing.
On February second when Scarlett felt the first labor pain, she said to Rhett, "Send for Dr. Harrison and his chloroform."
Rhett had laughed and gone to tell Mammy then sent a footman for Dr. Harrison and Miss Melly.
Mammy said, "You better send the children to Miss Melly's too."
Rhett said, "No, they need to be here, so they know their mother is alright. Prissy and I can watch them."
The doctor arrived in plenty of time to administer the chloroform and Scarlett thought, "Wow. It still hurts but the chloroform takes the edge off the pain. In the early afternoon, their daughter was born with black hair and very blue eyes. Rhett was crazy about their little girl. When he came into the room after it had been cleaned up, Rhett sat down next to Scarlett on the bed and said, "Thank you, Scarlett. It was a true act of love."
"You are welcome. As is living in this monstrosity is for you."
Rhett kissed her briefly. Prissy brought in a tray of food and Scarlett sat up to eat it. They chatted happily while Scarlett ate her dinner. Once she was finished, she said, "Put Genie in her bassinet. She and I are going to take a nap."
Rhett did as he was told. He still couldn't believe Scarlett was going to nurse her own child despite what she had told him about it being a form a pregnancy prevention. He was fine with it although he knew she was going to make him practice coitus interruptus also. At least some of the time.