AN: Lol. A "Guest" really wants to know about Bonnie, but never logs in to ask so I can actually answer them. If anyone ever HAS to know spoiler details (I google everything while I watch/read so I'm that person), you have to log in or you have to at least include your FFN name so I can search it.
PS- GWTW Fanfic Archive has a challenge that posts in twelve days. It has the potential to be super fluffy (requirements: RHett and Scarlett 2. Honeymoon 3. Discussion of Rhett's scars/tattoos 4. Fluff). So if anyone is looking to dip their toes into the water of writing fic or is looking for some fluff in 12 days, it will be over on.
Groups . io / g / gwtwFanficArchive (remove all the spaces)
Thanks for all the great reviews last time. Lol. Glad you found the story in your inbox Phantom and I'm glad MissTricey that you joined our little adventure in Clayton County.
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Part Nine
Calverton
Early August
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"Isn't she wonderful?" Rhett remarked.
"That is another pony."
"It is."
"I assume it's not for us to breed and sell," Scarlett said taking in the white horse with a pale tan blonde mane and tail.
"Welsh mountain pony," he nodded, "we could. They're supposed to be the best for young riders."
"Wade already has a pony."
"It's for Ella."
"She can't say more than five words."
"She can say nine and I don't expect her to teach it commands. Why for right now it's for me to hold her on it as she rides. Do you see how enviously she looks at Wade?"
"I must have missed that," Scarlett responded dryly.
"Scarlett, you can't own a ranch if your children can't ride."
"She isn't even two."
"She'll get familiar with the motion and how to hold herself."
"Oh, she'll look absolutely horrible in that black broadcloth," Scarlett grimaced at the thought.
"We'll get a soft green. Maybe a pale bluish green. Wouldn't that look lovely."
"Well that's hardly done, but I suppose if we start it early the locals wouldn't even notice in a few years. It would look rather sweet."
"Consider it done."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"MAMA!" Scarlett flew to her feet hearing Wade's scream through the open window. She went to the window first to see if she could spot him, she heard him again, it was coming from inside the house. Her feet quickly carried her out of the office and into the hallway, seeing Wade in the foyer, he came into view screaming for her again. "Mama he's hurt!"
The relief at seeing her son fine was short lived, "Who's hurt?"
"Captain," it was all Wade got out before it hit him just as it hit Scarlett. Rhett was hurt. It was all Wade got out before his small body collided with hers.
The fear was able to flash across her face as dirty hands clutched her skirt, his face buried at her waist. It felt as if Wade had been able to drive the dread deep into her as he slammed into her.
"Miss Scarlett?" Betina asked anxiously coming down the hallway.
"Captain Butler's hurt."
"How-"
"I don't know," she shook her head forcing the shock away "Where is he?" She leaned Wade's head back when he didn't respond.
Tear filled brown eyes looked up, "The training pen."
"Stay with Betina," Scarlett said, ready to take off running.
"Mama," Wade cried sounding like a toddler and not a boy of six.
"Oh," Scarlett reacted without thought, bending to lift Wade up, the young boy helping by nearly leaping up into his mother's arms. He was very nearly almost a foot away from her height, but thankfully his weight was less than half. In that moment though she could have likely carried him even if he were her duplicate.
Down the hallway, through the front door with Betina on her heels.
She had to hold onto the porch post as she saw Rhett walking up, his arm around one of the trainers who was obviously bearing some of Rhett's great weight with his own. Lawrence walking next to them holding Rhett's hat. Relief coursed through her.
The sound of Wade's cries at her neck drew her attention down to the boy who was still very much a young boy. "Why, I don't think he's hurt quite as badly as you thought."
"I'm fine son," Rhett called out.
"You hear that Wade?" Scarlett said running her fingers through his soft brown hair, very nearly blonde from how the summer sun was lightening his hair, "Captain Butler's just fine."
"He's not gonna die?" Wade's head only lifted up to his mother and not to the direction of Rhett, his legs still tightly clamped around her waist.
Scarlett's eyes nervously looked over Rhett, "I think he's going to be just fine."
Wade slowly turned from her to Rhett who was still slowly making his way to the house.
"I promise you my boy, only thing that's truly hurt on me is my pride. Betina," Rhett gave a look to the cook.
"Let's go to the kitchen boys, get you something sweet after such a fright," Betina said going to help Wade off of his mother.
"Go on," Scarlett said with a tap on Wade's back as Rhett was nearing the stairs, he detached and let Betina lower him down.
"Come on," Lawrence said holding out his hand.
Wade took it, but paused looking at Rhett coming up the stairs on hand on the railing and an arm around the trainers neck. "Are you sure you're okay? You're not gonna die?"
"Perfectly fine my boy," Rhett smiled and laid a hand on Wade's back. "Go with Lawrence and Betina."
They paused on the porch as the boys followed Betina inside.
"My dear, however did you have him on your hip?"
"I believe he jumped," Scarlett responded as if her heart weren't still beating wildly.
Rhett let out a laugh.
"Alvin will you please help Captain Butler into the office?"
"'Course ma'am"
o-o-o
"My dear you are wearing a hole in the camelhair," Rhett said as Scarlett paced the carpet in front of their desk, "and we hardly have the camels needed to replace the area."
"Now is hardly the time to be funny," Scarlett shot him an angry look as he laid back on the chaise.
He was laying back on the chaise with his ankle wrapped and not in the bath like he wanted since he'd been splayed out in the dirt. "I was hardly being glib, that carpet has traveled several thousand miles to this spot, I believe it also made its way down a mountain."
"Unless it turns into a flying carpet, I can't imagine it's good for much aside pacing."
"Scarlett," he said turning to get off the lounge chair.
"Don't you dare move until the doctor arrives," she said with fury in her eyes.
"My love, the only way you'll keep me on this chaise for the hours it will take for the doctor to arrive is to join me."
"I don't know how you can be so glib. You could have been killed."
"Death by a female in heat is certainly the end most men wish for."
Her nails dug into her palms. "You hired trainers and stable hands for reason Rhett."
"Scarlett, I'm hardly the type of man to sit around and do nothing. I could join you in the office all day, but I imagine we'd become the talk of Clayton County."
They were already the talk of Clayton County. Her nails dug in deeper. "You could have died."
"I was hardly in any danger."
She was fairly certain her nails drew blood.
"You needn't worry so. If anything happens to me, Calverton will be in your name only and I've set up a fairly large reserve for it. I have no doubt-"
She would kill him herself. "For the last time Rhett Butler, I don't need your money."
"Honey," he smiled, "were you worried about me?"
"Rhett, you were nearly trampled by a horse."
He continued to smile, "My dear, you were worried about me. Now are you sure it's not about money, what about what I do for you. I do suppose I do quite a bit to you."
"Agh! I cannot deal with you right now. You have responsibilities. You have people depending on you. You're hardly that twenty-year-old fleeing Charleston."
"Now Scarlett, I'm fine," it was easy to catch her hand for the moment he moved to get off the chaise she went to his side to stop him. "My dear, you were worried," his words were filled with amazement.
She looked at him as if he were mad, "You were nearly trampled."
"Hardly, I'm not even sure her hooves came down where I'd been-" he had to hold onto her hands as she desperately tried to rip them away from his in exasperation. "I am sorry I scared you."
"You should be sorry for putting your life at risk."
"My dear, it was hardly more of a risk any more than it is any day. It wasn't as if I went into the pen with a bucking bronco. But you're right, she seemed docile, my guard was obviously down. Which I should obviously know better than with a beautiful female."
"Stop making jokes Rhett Butler, they're not funny."
"I'm sorry, your concern is endearing." He said trying to make light of how very much it meant to him.
"Why you act as if I'm heartless normally."
No, no. She wasn't or he wouldn't be in the country instead of Atlanta. "I admit I'm rather used to your pragmatic nature. The horse is a powerful beast and life happens, but I do promise you in the future I will provide all females, not just mares that come my way with the proper respect and attention."
"Rhett!"
He smiled. "Why don't you go get the children, if you won't let me off the chaise and you won't join me on the chaise. Might as well have the children here to occupy the time."
Her head shook, "Let Ella do more damage to your ribs."
"My dear if you want to join me," he went to roll to his side.
"Stop moving before you hurt yourself any further. Why it's as if there are four children instead of three."
He found himself smiling as Scarlett left the room and he heard her barking orders in the hallway.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Mid-August
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They were finally breaking ground on the new house and Scarlett found herself being lost for several minutes at a time watching the work. She lost hours at a time looking over the plans. She had pages of notes for the décor and style of each of the rooms that were currently no more than pencil on paper.
Not that there was anything else for her to do. Rhett was out of town, which should have meant she should have plenty to do with the care and managing of the stables and the several horses Rhett had acquired, but she didn't because along with those horses he had also managed to acquire the most opinionated trainer and stud manager. He wasn't a manager not truly. The freed man would eventually get a boss, someone to replace Rhett in the old Calvert place when it was done. Of course, with all of the changes he kept demanding to his cabin, Scarlett wasn't sure within a few years that the cabin wouldn't be nicer than the house.
She'd likely find the man grating if he weren't so competent and he was eager to travel to select horses and could go without Rhett. He had already gone with Rhett once on a trip, but Rhett had chosen to take another trainer with him as he returned to New Orleans to return Lawrence to look at some horses he had seen last time.
Scarlett shouldn't mind that she was left without anything to do, she was at least able to do it outside of Tara because it was rare that they would ever leave her doing nothing. Ella was with Estelle. Wade was at Tara. Scarlett sat with the stack of magazines that had gathered in the office for Rhett was always returning with a new one. She was current on all of her correspondence and had to stop herself from writing again out of sheer boredom because Rhett would have returned by the time she received a reply.
She gave a look over at the letter she had written to her aunt, wondering if there was anything else she should have included, especially regarding the trip they would take the following month. She wasn't entirely sure why she'd agreed to such a thing or why she had such an urge to take pen to paper and write to Rhett's mother before the trip. Surely she could figure out how to make a good first impression if she accomplished it on paper rather than risk it face to face. The only thing Scarlett could be grateful for was she hadn't met his mother on her first trip, Elizabeth Butler would have no doubt heard about it, but she at least hadn't witnessed it in person.
Scarlett had been seventeen, a new mother and a widow. She kept repeating that to herself every time she felt her heart beat faster as she worried about the trip. She'd been a child. She knew that now. They were older, they knew it as well. It had been her money that got gotten the Robillard sisters and the Butler family through the worst of the times. She had to have at least boughten herself redemption.
Oh she did so hate being alone with her thoughts.
Scarlett stood from the desk and wandered to the window, it never failed to disappoint her that she couldn't see the new house from this room. Not that it was much of a house more of a giant pit. The cellar would run the footprint of the house.
A knock at the door interrupted Scarlett's thoughts and she returned to her desk before calling out, "Enter."
"Excuse me Mrs. Kennedy," Estelle said from the doorway with Ella on her hip, "I was wondering if I could leave Miss Ella with you, while I help Betina with the canning."
"Why aren't the maids helping Betina?"
"I have them transplanting the snap beans and potatoes."
"Did you remember to start the cucumbers and squash?" Scarlett questioned.
"Yes ma'am and we'll start the others in two weeks so they'll be ready for planting."
"Good," there was always such an inward sigh of relief at the kitchen garden crops Calverton would bring in. It was the same variety they grew at Tara, aside from the asparagus that she planned to have them plant in the fall, which wouldn't mature for picking until the following year. They would have different beets than Tara as well, Scarlett had put an absurd amount of effort into tracking down a different cultivator than they grew at Tara. She couldn't have imagined it several years ago, the comfort of knowing there would be enough food, the joy at the variety of food. Betina hadn't even blinked at the quantity Scarlett expected to be canned.
Rhett hadn't blinked either, but he had been quick to remind her of his great wealth. Which truthfully, she was starting to wonder just how wealthy he truly was. The O'Hara family had been wealthy once and in the end the money they had wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. They could simply give away what food didn't use, it would do wonders to improve the reputation of the Butler and O'Hara name.
Scarlett thought about making a fuss about having to stop work that she didn't have in order to care for Ella, but the situation with Estelle was precarious. Scarlett was fairly certain at any moment the woman could expose her secret. While she had never caught them and she had never once come to the door when it was locked, it supported Scarlett's theory that the woman knew exactly what on behind their office door.
"I suppose I ought to just take her home for the day," Scarlett said taking the toddler from Estelle.
"Mama," Ella said trying to grab up at her mother's dark hair and plant a sloppy kiss on her cheek.
"Hello darling," Scarlett said tilting her head, knowing Ella wouldn't stop trying to climb her until she accomplished her goal.
Sure enough once the sloppy kiss was completed, Ella stopped trying to scale her mother's body.
"We won't be that long Mrs. Kennedy and Betina already has the plums in brandy and sugar for clafoutis for your tea."
"Oh my that's far too rich for tea."
"She says the house is far too empty without Captain Butler, we need to fill our bellies."
Scarlett worried that the cook also knew what was going on between her and Rhett or perhaps Rhett had asked them to spoil her while he was away. There were simply so many layers to this, she hated Rhett being gone and forcing her to actually think about this for longer than a few moments.
"I would have to get George to stop his work, if you wanted to return home with Miss Ella now."
George, Betina's husband who had been fetching her to and from Tara in the days since Rhett had been gone, regardless of whether Wade was joining them.
"I wouldn't want to be any bother."
"You'll stay?"
"Of course," Scarlett smiled, "how could I say no to Betina's plum clafoutis."
"Can I get you anything before we get started canning?"
"No thank you," Scarlett said as she began to lower Ella to the floor. "I suppose you could use some toys."
"Would you like me-" Estelle began.
"I'll bring her up to the nursery she'll likely be far happier there than in my office."
"I'll come up for her as soon as I'm done," Estelle nodded.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Late-August
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"Scarlett, I have some news that I imagine will upset you greatly," he said standing next to her in only his drawers, which he had just pulled on.
She was still splayed naked across the chaise lounge and he wanted to do nothing more than sink down and join with her again.
There were so few moments that he could linger and savor her. There was always a frantic rush to undress her and himself so they could get to the act itself before quickly redressing. They already pushed the limits of impropriety with how often they retreated behind their closed office door. The servants would talk, they likely already were.
"Are we not going to get the Arabian from Raleigh?"
"That was your first thought after we make love?"
"You should be glad it wasn't my thought during it, well?"
"Negotiations for the horse are still progressing," he supplied knowing that would remain her focus until he answered her.
"Oh then what is it?"
"I'm afraid the sheath broke."
She shot up, "What?"
"Now my dear," he said going to sit on the chaise with her, capturing her upper arms with her hands, holding her to face him before she could flee or throw something at him, "it was only one time, but we'd likely be best off erring on the side of caution."
"Caution being what?"
"That we marry of course."
"You did this on purpose."
"I hardly did it on purpose, if I did I would have forgotten the sheath. I'm hardly a man to limit my own pleasures."
"I'll not marry again."
"You'd rather leave Tara and hide away for months, then be presented with an orphaned relation?"
"You certainly seem to have given this some thought."
"We've been engaging in an affair for several months Scarlett. Nothing is ever foolproof."
"Not having relations would be."
"Don't my sweet. Don't stop what truly makes life worth living."
"There is far more to life than this," she waved a hand over their naked forms, "I need to dress. We've been in here far too long."
"We could be in a bed enjoying ourselves for hours if you wouldn't-"
"Refuse to entertain the idea of marriage. Why Rhett, aren't I just learning from you? You were opposed to the idea of it until you were nearly 40. I've been married twice, I can tell you, you were right in your decision."
"You'll be married a third time," he said standing up quickly and pulling her up with him, then quickly gathering up the clothing he had stripped off of her not long ago, "if you're carrying our child. Why you could give it to Suellen to raise afterwards, but I'll not have you leave for months or our child born a bastard," he began to dress her without any of his normal tenderness.
"You leave all the time," she angrily reminded him.
"You could come with me if we were married," he pointed out.
"I don't want to leave Tara."
"You're so afraid of the big bad world," he pulled her into him tightly and so at odds with his earlier mood, "what happened to that girl that set out on her own at 17? The woman, who stayed in Atlanta despite the bombardment, who escaped the city, took on Yankees, ran a business, hired convicts."
"She learned her lesson Rhett."
"You learned the wrong lesson, it wasn't that you should hide, my love. It was that you can take on anything, you can survive anything."
She laughed lightly, "I could survive a marriage to you?"
"The thing is my sweet. I could survive a marriage to you. I'll not be bullied like those last two. We could take on the world together and have so much fun. Haven't we been having fun Scarlett?"
"There probably isn't a baby. You're making a lot of fuss about nothing."
He sighed and looked down at her, she was so youthful in only the white of her chemise, "There will one day be a baby, I have no doubt. Be in this year or ten."
"You said you could prevent."
"Today has shown us nothing is foolproof, not even the most confining of protection. I'll not let you go, I'll not let this go. So banish that thought from your head."
"I'm not ready," her voice finally betrayed her vulnerability.
"I know you're not," he dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "But we may not have a choice in the matter."
"We'll know in a few weeks," she nodded harshly, she would not cry in front of him. Another baby.
"I would prefer we announce our engagement now. If we find you're expecting, we can marry quickly and it won't be as noticeable."
"And if I'm not."
"Why we tell them we want to wait so we can throw a grand wedding. We can barbeque and dance into the night. Why we'll build just for it. Set up a bottom floor for dining and the top floor for dancing. I'll build you a gazebo and have lace imported from France. We'll give them the grandest party they've ever seen even before the war."
"And we could keep having parties?"
"We could have a party every week if you wanted."
"No," she shook her head, "I said I wouldn't marry for money again. Nothing good comes of it."
He chuckled lightly at her, "Should I remind you of the children?"
"Of course, I meant aside from them."
He laughed again, "We'll not marry for money Scarlett. We'll marry for fun. I promise you it will be fun," he pulled her in tightly to him to remind her of the fun they could currently be having.
"Until there's a baby."
He laughed. "I will find every amusement there is to distract you if you end up expecting. I'll hire an army of nannies so you never need to change another baby."
"You want a baby," she said in astonishment.
"I admit there is a certain appeal of you and I being bound together for generations."
"You want a son," she gave him a displeased look.
"I don't care about the Butler name living on. Us living on though," his hands wound through hers, " I find myself caring about that. Imagine our great-great grandchild at the turn of the millennium. Imagine the world they'd live in, the life they'd lead."
"We won't see any of it."
"But they will and they'll be ours. Say yes Scarlett. You can change your mind in 10 months, but say yes now."
"Did you really get me a ring in England?"
"I did my sweet," he smiled, "I stopped just short of vulgarity with how large it is, but I will spend my life covering your ears, your neck and your wrists with jewels to make up for that."
"Do I get this ring?"
"You have to say yes first."
"Yes, but even if I take it back, I get to keep the ring."
He laughed, a bellowing laugh that she was sure the entire household had heard.
Thanks for reading!
After notes: Lol. Thanks guest (s) um I could have totally been going for Bouchard household instead of my normal accidental last name switches, I mean I wasn't, it was meant to be Robillard sisters, but I could have surprised you and gotten a basic word totally wrong (okay I know that definitely would not have surprised you guys).
Ranch instead of my previously used stud farm...Haha this is what happens when you take a girl from NY (and not the country part of it) and let her use for the time uses of words. The word was in use and I imagined Rhett deciding he wanted to set Calverton apart upon his travels during the summer. We only have horse ranches in downstate NY, lol so horse ranches are my first thought when I hear "ranch," but right cattle, that was probably the first use for the "specialized farm. Hmmm...I'm leaving it just so we can now have a scene with Rhett and Scarlett discussing it because the conversation has become amusing in my mind.
