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

Chapter Fourteen

On Christmas morning, the couple had a delightful time in their bed. After they were intimate, Rhett showered her with presents. After breakfast in bed, they got up to get dressed. They were going to Tara for dinner.

Rhett was so pleased that Scarlett enjoyed herself in their marital bed. He never thought he would be this happy since he was kicked out of his father's house.

Scarlett was so pleased that Rhett was not a proper gentleman and wanted her to have just as good a time in their bed as he did.

They took the ten o'clock train to Jonesboro and Will was there to meet them at the station. The three people chatted amiably on the road to Tara. Scarlett asked, "How are my aunts behaving?"

"Same as they always have. Like two high and mighty women forced to live on a plantation in the back woods of Georgia," Scarlett and Rhett laughed. Will continued, "They really got in a snit when Mammy refused to obey them. Mammy said, "I don't work for you. I works for the Benteens."

Scarlett and Rhett laughed again. Scarlett said, "And Careen?"

"You could say she is still pretending to be a nun. She still wears somber clothes, reads her bible, and does good works all over the county."

That made both Scarlett and Rhett laugh but Scarlett much more than Rhett. Finally, she sobered enough to say, "And Suellen?"

Will smiled a sweet smile. Scarlett knew that Will was fond of Suellen. She thought, 'Good. That means Will will work hard to make Tara a success for him and his family. That means I don't have to worry about Tara as much.' He finally said, "She has appointed herself the mistress of Tara."

That startled Scarlett. What really surprised her was the anger she felt about Suellen claiming to be the mistress of Tara. She remembered saying the Suellen was mistress of Tara to her aunts, but it was different Suellen claiming the title. She guessed it was because on paper Tara was hers.

Rhett felt her nails dig into his arm. He put his hand over her hand. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Let her have it. You need Will to work the land. Will needs her."

Scarlett relaxed her grip on Rhett's arm and said, "I'm so happy for her. She will be a good mistress."

Once they got to Tara, Scarlett got excited about showing Rhett around. When they went to the orchard, Rhett caught her up in his arms. They kissed for a while. Finally, she said, "Let's go back before we go too far."

"I agree. It is too cold out here to expose anything."

Scarlett snaked her hand between them and said, "Especially something valuable like this."

When she had cupped him, Rhett had enjoyed the feeling so very much. What other lady would do something like that. Of course, she wasn't a lady but that was why he loved her.

He said, "Come on. Let's go back while I can still walk."

Scarlett linked her arm in his and they walked back to the house. They got back to the main house in time for dinner. The conversation was about what was going on at Tara and Jonesboro. Scarlett's aunts whined the entire time. Scarlett had enough. It was too much to expect Will to live with those ungrateful bitches. The truth was she didn't even think Careen and Suellen should have to live with the shrews. Scarlett just had to figure out how to get rid of them.

She certainly couldn't put rat poison in their whiskey bottle, and they weren't likely to die of measles. She would have to ponder on this matter.

Unbelievable after criticizing Scarlett all day about her behavior, her running the store, her running the sawmill, marrying so quickly after Mr. Kennedy's death, and openly critiquing her choice of husbands, Aunt Pauline said, "Scarlett, there is a type of tea that Eulalie and I like so much to drink. Could you get some for us?"

"Why can't you drink regular tea?"

"Well, we can, Dear, but Eulalie and I like to have this tea right before we go to sleep. You would only have to get enough for Eulalie and me. The others don't like the taste of it."

"I will think about it. What is the name of it?"

"Hot Cinnamon Spice."

With those words, Pauline signed hers and Eulalie's death's certificates. Scarlett was quite sure the women would never taste the rat poison in the tea. Scarlett said, "Let me see if they sell it in Atlanta. If they do, I will get you some."

Rhett was surprised at Scarlett volunteering to get her aunts a special tea especially after the things they had said to her all day.

Suellen announced that she was with child. Everyone even Scarlett told her congratulations. Having a child was not for her but if Suellen wanted children all was good. The truth was that Scarlett didn't care enough about Suellen to care if she had a child or not. It was plain that Will was pleased as punch. That made Scarlett happy. She like Will. He was going to make Tara profitable therefore he was of use to her.

On the way back to Atlanta, Rhett said, "I am surprised that you are going to buy your aunts tea."

"Maybe it will make them happy for a few minutes. It must be awful to get to the end of one's life and find that one has nothing. That one is dependent on the niece that one has always hated."

It all sounded very good to Rhett except that his wife had no compassion for anyone. Rhett pushed it from his mind. In truth, he didn't care why she decided to be nice to her aunts. Maybe she had been filled with the Christmas spirit.

The next week Scarlett found a tea merchant that sold Hot Cinnamon Spice tea. She bought them a tin and mailed it to them.

In late January of sixty-eight, Scarlett was informed of her Aunt Pauline's death and that her Aunt Eulalie was extremely sick. Scarlett went down for the funeral. When Rhett offered to go with her, Scarlett turned him down. She said, "No, Baby, you shouldn't waste your whole day also. I am fine with going alone. I am not emotionally distressed."

Two weeks later when they got the telegram that Eulalie was dead, Scarlett again went to the funeral by herself. Rhett was happy to let her go alone. He had hated the old bats and didn't want to waste his entire day at their funeral.

After the funeral, Scarlett was walking around the old women's room when Suellen joined her. Suellen said, "They didn't have anything of value."

"No, if they had anything they would not have been living in the back woods of Georgia."

"True."

"I am going to take this tea as a memento of our aunts."

"Of course, there isn't much tea in the tin though.

"I won't drink the tea. I don't like tea for the most part. Maybe some white tea every now and then. I just want it for what it represents."

"Of course, Scarlett. Whatever you want?"

Suellen was glad her aunts were gone also. All they had done was complain about everything. She was certainly tired of them referring to her husband as 'That Cracker.' Yes, Will was no gentleman but he had wanted to marry her. Maybe to stay at Tara but nonetheless he had married her. Frank's betrayal with Scarlett had wounded her deeply. She had not been surprised that Scarlett had stolen her fiancé. Scarlett had always been a selfish, self-centered bitch but she had expected better of Frank. She guessed it didn't matter anymore. Frank was dead and she was married to Will.

Scarlett picked up the tin and with a quick goodbye she walked out of the room.

Will took her back to Jonesboro, as soon as he had left, she had opened the tin and emptied all the tea all around the station. The Jonesboro station would not be having a rat problem anytime soon. The tin went in the trash. She would have like to keep the tin as a reminder of how horrible those witches had died but that would make Rhett very suspicious. Nobody could question the deaths of two old women. Besides, she didn't want Rhett to have his guard up if she decided to put rat poison in his whiskey.

Soon Scarlett was on the train to Atlanta. She had a smile on her face the entire time. Another problem dealt with.

The next week Rhett had written to his mother of the death of two of her friends. He had smiled when he had received the reply letter. It was a very proper Charleston letter.

At times like this Rhett wondered how he could have been born to two such proper people as his parents. He smiled sadly. He wished he had known his Grandfather Butler better. Unfortunately, the man had been dead before he was five.

In March, Scarlett had agreed to have tea at Melanie's home for Scarlett's birthday. Scarlett had agreed when she was assured that India would be out all day. While they were sitting there happily chatting away, India and PittyPat returned to their home. They joined Melanie and Scarlett in the parlor. India was still giving her hateful looks even though the incident had happened many years before. What's more Stuart was dead.

Scarlett didn't have much to say after the other women had joined them. The ladies were talking about other people. People who Scarlett didn't care about. She spent her time imagining ways she could help India to the other side. She wouldn't do any of them because she wasn't going to risk getting caught to rid the world of India Wilkes. Although Scarlett felt she would be doing the world a public service. After it had been long enough, Scarlett made her departure.

As Melly walked her to the door, she had smiled sheepishly. She whispered, "They said they were going to be gone all day."

"Do not despair, my sister. We just won't trust them next time."

That made both Melly and Scarlett laugh. Scarlett walked out the door. Scarlett liked her visits with Melly. She guessed she liked the woman. She also pitied her for she had a horrible life. She was poor, plain, flat-chested, couldn't have children which she wanted, and the worst was she was married to that loser Wimp. In truth, the only thing she had going for her was her personality. Actually, her being a genuinely nice person.

Scarlett left and went to the dress shop. She had more clothes than she needed now but she always like to see the newest fashion. It was a source of annoyance to her that while she was always dressed to the height of Paris fashion her very handsome and well-formed husband insisted on continuing to wear clothes that would have been appropriate in Charleston twenty years ago. Everyone knew that Charleston was the armpit of fashion in the South which was really saying something because the South was the armpit of fashion to the world. Luckily, he had never worn that top hat again. She didn't know what had happened to it, but it was no longer in Rhett's possessions. She knew because she had searched for it so she could destroy it but happily she had not found it.

When she got to the dress shop, she saw some of her friends there. One of the ladies, Betsy, believed she was with child, but she was going to go see a doctor and get rid of it. Scarlett never knew she could do that. She found out the doctor's name just in case she needed to use his services.

Soon she was on her way home. Rhett was out of town. He had traveled to Chicago to check on an investment he had up there. Rhett had asked her to go with him, but she had said no, but next time he traveled she was going to go with him. She missed him when he wasn't around even if he did insist on wearing old, fuddy-duddy clothes.

Scarlett would have supper in her room and then read one of the books that Rhett had bought her. She laughed out loud when she thought about everyone's expression if she showed up at the Bonner's soiree tonight. They would be looking at her like she was a turd in the punch bowl. That made her giggle more. She knew she could tag along with Melly. Scarlett was tempted but then she remembered she would have to stay as long as Melly and Ashley wanted to stay and decided against the idea. She couldn't stand that much boredom.

Scarlett ate her meal and read the book Journey to the Center of the Earth. She enjoyed the book. She had a glass of brandy. When she went to bed she thought of Rhett and wondered if he was thinking of her. She knew he was. Probably in the same way she was thinking of him. She brought herself pleasure but it wasn't as good as when Rhett did it. She hoped he felt the same way. She smiled. She knew he did.

Rhett returned from Chicago, and they made up for lost time. They were both still content to be living in a hotel.