Lily: There is no set schedule. You can create a FFN account and log in and follow the story with "story alerts." You will get an email when it is updated.
Miss Tricey: Lol. I just had to go back and reread it to do two scenes.
AN: Sorry guys. Covid life is done. Back to normal life with 2 hours worth of commuting a day, no longer in my home 24/7. So you know the laundry list of stuff you have to get done in 4 hours, including the most important sit on couch and do absolutely nothing. The story will be finished on FFN. I mean the story is finished now, it just needs filler sections that I often see the need for when you guys post about them. Like MissTricey mentioning the family in Charleston…Yea totally never wrote a scene for that…or thought about it. Then I realized I needed to introduce a character that I have written an intro to in a different fic, which you guys have not read.
Always feel free to remind me that I have not posted in awhile or you're awaiting more. Lol, but please do not be dicks that makes me not interested in the story. I thankfully very seldomly get messages like that in this fandom, but seriously always pause and think before hitting send on anything you send, texts, emails, reviews, comments on a news board. I LOVE how I almost never get comments that discourage me with you guys. However, seriously remind. I lose track of time, I'll do it tomorrow can go on for years with me. I swear I blink and a year passes. PS my laundry is currently at day 8 of "I'll do it tomorrow."
Thanks for the reviews and the reminders.
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Chapter Twenty-One
August
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"Thirteen days," Rhett said sitting as their old desk in their new office looking at a calendar.
"What is thirteen days?" Scarlett asked rocking in the chair as she nursed the baby as Ella played on the carpet.
"Thirteen days after and sixteen days before."
"What on earth are you talking about?" Scarlett asked looking over.
"When we conceived Julian and," he looked at Ella, "your puppy."
She laughed lightly. "Don't teach her the other word either, created perhaps?"
He looked at the calendar and then up at his wife again, "We had to have struck at just the right moment to have created Julian from only one night."
"Well considering all the effort you put into it," she rolled her eyes and went to transfer the baby to the other side.
He looked up, "Thank you for finally acknowledging my effort."
"Still far less than my own," she informed him.
"I completely agree."
"So what is the point of this?"
"While it was the right moment because we have Julian, it is very likely the wrong moment for the future."
"You're suggesting I'm only fertile once during my-" she gave a look to Ella. "Considering how many time I've heard that it's during your-" she looked at Ella again, "puppy."
"I don't know. Perhaps it's twice, perhaps multiple points, but if we've identified one. We can avoid it. There is order in nature." He looked down at his calendar and then back at Scarlett, "You weren't married to Charles for long, I don't suppose you recall where you were in your-" he looked down at Ella.
"No," she gave a slow shake of her head and looked at her husband as if he were insane.
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Charleston
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It was their third day in town and Rhett's mother and her aunts had descended upon Scarlett for tea, despite having been over the previous two days. Scarlett knew it wasn't for tea or even her, but the baby. Everyone simply doted upon Julian. Scarlett did so prefer how they doted upon him than how Melly doted upon him. They visited for an hour and passed him amongst themselves and then left. The entire visit had so far been far less exhausting than she had expected.
They had her mother's breeding, the type of breeding her father knew he wouldn't find anywhere near Atlanta and had to travel to the coast for. Almost as if the further inland one got the further removed they were from the refinement of Europe. They never overstayed their welcome, they hadn't even over-spoken since she had married Rhett.
How quickly the embarrassment and repulsion of how Rhett had gained his money has disappeared when his money lined their pockets. In the three days since their arrival, Rhett's brother and his family had stopped by, her step-cousin and his family and her other step-cousin's widow had come calling. Blue bloods through and through, who gave all the old biddies of Atlanta a run for their money with their belief in propriety, but times had changed and their circumstances had changed.
So very much had changed, she realized as she was forced to accept an invitation to Elizabeth Butler's house for a small gathering to introduce her to their friends, or rather reintroduce her to them.
'You were barely more than a child with a child and recently widowed,' had been her aunt's words to refute Scarlett trying to avoid the event due to how she had lashed out the last time.
Odd how grown up she had once thought herself and how far removed she had actually been from being grown up. Rather like Ella, who once more thought herself a big girl and capable of everything Wade and Lawrence were.
She rang for a maid at her aunt's direction for Julian to be changed. She smiled after Julian as a young maid Elizabeth had hired carried the baby out.
"Your mother would be so proud," Eulalie commenting.
Scarlett's head turned back as always so proud of the beautiful baby she had created. "He is rather handsome."
All three women smiled at Scarlett's words.
"He is certainly a beautiful baby, but I was referring to you my dear."
She certainly would not mention how Rhett insisted on taking credit for their boy when she had done very nearly everything.
"You've grown into such a wonderful mother."
"Why thank you, Aunt 'Lalie."
"More than just a wonderful mother, you're a wonderful person as well Scarlett. Why Rhett only mentioned Lawrence to me once, I hadn't an idea he was anything more to the boy than a benefactor. For you, to take in an orphaned child, not even a blood relation and with two young children and expecting," Elizabeth added.
"You can tell how grateful he is," Pauline added.
"We love having Lawrence with us, he's wonderful with Wade."
"Boys and their brothers," Elizabeth smiled.
Pauline and Eulalie had bittersweet expressions pass their faces as they recalled their lost boys.
o-o-o
"I certainly hope you didn't smirk like that while our family was visiting," Rhett said walking back into the formal parlor after seeing their family out, having only emerged from his office in order to undertake the task of saying goodbye to the family.
"Don't be silly."
"Then what has you smirking."
"Why to all of Atlanta, I'm trash. I took jobs away from their husbands, I had the gall to actually support my family, even while I was pregnant, I married you."
"Am I a step above or below a Yankee?" He questioned.
"There are some days I think they're so jealous of you that you're three steps below a Yankee."
He laughed. "Now I imagine this has something to do about what Charleston thinks of you."
"I think they might respect me. Nearly everyone that's come to call has invited me to join some committee or whatever tedious task they think is enjoyable. We are certainly not staying in town even a day longer than the two weeks you promised."
He laughed.
"Fiddle-dee-dee, you think I'm joking. I am getting on the train with Julian that morning. You and the other children may do whatever you wish."
"My dear, we are only on day 3 and I just hid in my office for over an hour to avoid our family."
Scarlett sighed, it was so much nicer when they were at home and the nearest neighbor was an hour away, she leaned into his embrace as his arms wrapped around her.
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Scarlett sat in the formal parlor with swatches of fabric surrounding her, catalogues of furniture and décor. Handwritten lists of the options she had seen locally.
Their family in Charleston had listened to her, just barely, in regards to what she had wanted for the house. The bare minimum of her input and full of Rhett's sense of style. Stodgy and boring. Why it was near impossible to design an appealing informal parlor that blended with the rest of the first floor. He had known that, had known how jarring it would be to have a room of her design in a house of his design.
It shouldn't matter, they'd almost never be in Charleston, perhaps a few weeks every summer, but likely not even that. They'd certainly spend more time in Atlanta than Charleston, why even New Orleans would have been a better choice to purchase another house in. She could barely wait until they returned for their first anniversary, even if they would be taking the baby with them.
She wasn't sure how Julian would be handled, but she was hopeful that leaving him with a wetnurse at night wouldn't be too uncomfortable for her, they could hardly do anything fun in the short time between Julian's feedings.
"What has you looking so cross?"
"This house, did you write your mother instructing her to make it as boring as possible," Scarlett snapped.
"The house has been done in excellent style," he said ignoring her caustic words that made his blood boil, "everyone that has visited has said so."
"They had to, they're guests."
"Well seeing as we're more guests in this town than residents. I am sure you can suffer through for the month we'll be here each year."
"A month?!"
"Give or take, a few weeks in the summer and I imagine a few weeks during the holidays."
"Which holidays?"
"Any of them. We can't expect my mother to only see her grandchildren once a year."
"She can visit us." Scarlett spoke and then instantly regretted it, the idea of having to live with her mother-in-law for weeks on end.
"I am sure she will, but she's older. It's far easier for us to travel."
"Your mother is perfectly healthy. Traveling with four children and servants is certainly harder than your mother getting on and off the train." She wasn't entirely sure why she was making a case for Elizabeth Butler to travel to them because again once the words finished leaving her mouth she regretted them.
He continued to ignore his wife's mood, "Perhaps this will improve your disposition," he pulled a flat leather jewelry case out of his suit's pocket.
"My disposition is perfectly fine, what is that."
"A gift I procured for you."
"I'm glad you aren't calling the house a gift," she dryly remarked.
"Should we move in with my mother for the rest of our visit?"
She gave him a dirty look.
"I suppose we'll call this a reward for behaving as good daughter in law in public at least, although I did requisition it well before that."
She sighed.
He opened the case.
A necklace made of pale green beads. Perfectly uniform jade orbs in color and size with the most beautiful luster and a brilliant circular diamond clasp.
"Why-" she said wondrously, her fingers going to dance over the beads.
"They're the color of your eyes."
"Perfectly," she said accepting the case.
"I saw an artist to mix the shade for my representative."
"Your representative?"
"I did not imagine you wished me to go to China for them and creating a necklace such as this in the States would likely take years."
"Why it's absolutely lovely," she looked up at him in adoration, "whatever made you think of such a thing."
"Your robe at Tara, whatever became of that."
"I left it with Suellen, I hardly had a need of it." She had returned from New Orleans with several dressing gowns all of finer quality.
"It was a wonderful robe, there was something about it that gave you a divine quality, very nearly reminding me of the Madonna."
"The heavenly mother?" she gave him a look.
"It was a fleeting moment, but it inspired me." He pulled out another flat leather case, slimmer than the last.
A bracelet of perfect orbs, but… She looked down at the necklace in her hands and then back at the bracelet.
"The shade of Ella's eyes."
"Aren't they beautiful," she said looking at the stones wondering why she had never noticed what a perfect shade of pale blue green Ella's eyes were.
"They certainly are."
"So is this for Ella or for me?"
"I was thinking you could hold on to it until Ella is older. One day when she's a woman you'll pass the bracelet down to her."
"What a lovely gesture," Scarlett smiled. "When did you arrange this?"
"April."
"Isn't China very far? How did it take you a year to settle things in England-"
"Of last year."
"Last year? Why we weren't even married last year."
"Yes, but you were Ella's mother last year and occasionally, you are an exceptional mother."
She rolled her eyes.
He laughed. "Seeing this I wonder if we should do this for all the children."
"Isn't jade only shades of green?"
"It's not actually my sweet, but there are certainly enough gemstones that I could find a match for all three of the boys. It would be nice don't you think when they're grown if you passed on the jewelry to their brides."
"That's certainly far in the future."
"But things we should plan for," he nodded and moved to sit next to his wife. "Why in our family it certainly seems like an appropriate tradition for jewelry to be passed on."
"I certainly won't complain if it means I'll have twenty years with the piece first."
He laughed.
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"Listen to your mother," Rhett said at the dining room table taking breakfast with the family, while halfway ignoring them as he read the paper. He practically drooled over having new information readily at his fingertips, while in the country they only received the paper at mid-day when someone went to town for it, provided it had even come in on the train.
The boys stopped bickering and Ella pouted instead of whining.
It was clear in that moment, likely from all the moments that came before it as they had said, 'Mother and Aunt' or 'Daddy and Uncle' or simply just 'Mother' or 'Father' to save time. Rhett's laziness in that moment as he refused to draw anymore attention from the paper than saying the short and concise message.
"Would you like to call me mother?" Scarlett asked Lawrence.
"What ma'am?"
She gave him a look, she'd found out he was very receptive to those, they'd raised him incredibly well, all the effort lay on Scarlett's part to remember to chastise him for poor behavior, far too often it went without of her notice.
"Excuse me Aunt Scarlett, did you just ask if I wanted to call you mother?"
Rhett's paper went down.
"Well, it seems like a whole lot of effort on everyone's part to remember who to call what. I am certainly mothering you and you are certainly behaving as a son, far more of a brother than you are a cousin."
His Aunt Scarlett's eyes upon him, informed him that he had yet to respond with an answer, it hadn't been a question that required thought, merely surprise that it was asked. "Well uh, yes, ma'am. It would be nice to have a mother of my own."
"Now Lawrence, you have a mother of your own and I promise you, she cared for you a great deal, it's why she gave you over to me," Rhett informed the young boy.
"Well if you think I shouldn't-"
"I'm sorry son, I didn't mean that. I just wanted you to know your mother gave you over to me in order for you to have a better life."
"Do you think she wouldn't want me to call Aunt Scarlett-" Lawrence was suddenly confused by his mysterious mother who had never once come to visit him or take him home. He had dreamed of her until his Aunt Scarlett had done exactly what he had always wanted his mother to do. Would his true mother come for him one day?
"This is your life my boy, you should live it as you see fit."
He was a sensible boy, "I would like to call Aunt Scarlett, Mother."
"I imagine you should remember to call me Father if you call her mother. Otherwise, they'll imagine your mother is several years older than she is."
"No one would dare think that," she wanted to stand to look in a mirror to see what Rhett was implying about her looks.
Rhett chuckled and Lawrence smiled.
"Is Lawrence my brother now and not just like my brother?" Wade asked.
"Yes," Scarlett spoke before Rhett could give some lofty speech.
"Did you marry someone?" Wade questioned. "Uncle Will and Aunt Melly are Mother's brother and sister because of marriage, just like how Daddy became my dad."
"He did not marry anyone my boy. The story is the same as always, I married your mother and Lawrence is my ward. He is a member of the family and not a visiting relation. Growing up exactly as you children." Rhett supplied.
Wade turned to Lawrence, "That means Ella's your sister too, you can't keep making me deal with her saying she's my sister."
"In a few years your little brother will be just as tiresome," Scarlett informed them.
"Really?" Wade looked at her. He couldn't believe that for Lawrence and Beau were never annoying, but Ella and Iris often were.
"You may not find your sister as-" she looked over at her daughter, "challenging when you'll be able to foist the baby upon her."
"My dear what are you teaching the children?" Rhett forced himself not to smile.
"How to survive the first four or five years with their siblings?" she questioned.
"I believe what your mother is saying is one day Ella may marry someone you enjoy."
Wade laughed, "Like how Mother prefers Uncle Will to Aunt Suellen?"
"It makes sense," Lawrence added, "Aunt Suellen prefers Uncle Rhett to Aunt Scarlett."
"You should probably never repeat this conversation," Scarlett informed the children.
"Yes Moth/Aun/er/Mother."
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Rhett watched Scarlett with the 17-year-old blonde classic beauty that his nephew was courting as they debated yet another fabric swatch. They were seated in the dining room, sketches, catalogues and fabric spread across the table, which also held cordials. The girl had taste as outlandish as his wife, especially based upon the fabric in her hand and the expression on her face.
He had nearly been sure Scarlett would loathe Tabitha, several years younger and free from the burden of children. Recalling that 16-year-old girl Scarlett had once been, how she had thrived being doted upon and playing with the hearts of men, generally under the scornful watch of other women.
It was reassuring the way his wife was willing to socialize with the young woman. Although he imagined in comparison to his aunts and his mother, Tabitha was a welcome relief. Even in comparison to his sister, who like Scarlett found it hard to throw off the years of struggle to simply enjoy life and the riches he had procured.
Tabitha had no such issues in life. She had lost two older brothers in the war, but she seemed as untouched by it as a young child. She loved money just as Scarlett did, although she hid it better. Her father did not and he and Scarlett had several rousing conversations about the mercantile he owned and plans for expansion. It almost seemed that his nephew, Alan being enrolled in the University of Charleston, courtesy of his uncle, was a strike against the young man. Wasting time on frivolities when there was a life to be lived and money to be earned.
Not his daughter though, Rhett could see it in the young girl's eyes the way she envied Scarlett's decadent life. He knew Scarlett saw it as well and basked in it. To be the role model for the young woman.
Still though there was a difference between envy and friendship and Scarlett oddly enough seemed to be forging an actual friendship with the girl and not the charade she held with his mother and sister.
He found the growth in Scarlett remarkable. In Georgia, she seemed to be forging an actual friendship with Leticia DeVaughn and would actually seek out and implement the older woman's advice. In Charleston, she had Tabitha, whom she supported and lifted up instead of putting the girl down.
So far from the woman he'd once told that he'd be strong enough to survive. He liked to think he had a part in that, removing all struggle from her life, allowing her to simply be. To heal from the endless wounds of war and poverty. To blossom into the woman she was meant to be.
The woman, he moved to join at the table, that had forced him to live a life he'd so long abhorred and distanced himself from. A husband, a father, a respectable business man, a good neighbor and man. He'd once expected it to feel as confining as that jail cell, to feel shackled, it wasn't though.
It was freeing in a way he'd never expected. So many lives depending on him should have been weights, but instead there was joy and freedom in being able to help them. The comfort and the love offered to him by Scarlett and the children. There were never any words for that. To the children, he was their everything. He was capable of anything. And Scarlett…
It was freeing to love her finally. She was a weight lifted off his shoulders he hadn't realized for years. To force himself to be aloof, to force himself out of town, to force himself to be harsh. How much greater his life was so simply enjoy being with her.
To see her be happy. Contented. With him. She was happy with him.
His world was limitless because of her.
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Savannah
Late August
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Scarlett struggled to contain her nerves as she stepped out of the changing booth on Tybee Island with her cousin's wife, Greta and Ella. Forcing her hands to not draw attention to her waist where the blue flannel was cinched at her waist with a white braid. It was hardly the most flattering of spots to cinch her waist that had yet to fully recover from having Rhett's giant child. She could only imagine how awful the material would cling to the curve once it got wet. She made no fast moves like Greta to return to the spot on the beach that their family had claimed.
She decided she'd only get her feet wet, why she wouldn't allow the flannel to be soaked past her calves. She imagined her calves would look wonderful once wet, what a wonderfully freeing feeling it was to be wearing the wide trousers under the short dress. Why if they lived somewhere with no neighbors, she'd create a habit like this so she could ride astride like the men did.
"What fetching costumes," Rhett smiled approaching his wife and daughter, wishing Ella's costume was anything, but gray, reminding him of all of those blood-soaked uniforms that still haunted his dreams.
Scarlett took in the sight of Rhett in his own blue flannel costume, she held in snort at how undignified he looked. It almost made her forget how uncomfortable she was. "I should have gotten one of those cloaks," she said looking out enviously at the cloaks some women had so their bodies could be completely unseen when they emerged from the water.
"They'd only hinder you in the water."
"But-"
"You look wonderful. I know it's not fashionable, but trust me once we're in the water you'll enjoy yourself so much you'll forget your wearing anything at all."
Exactly! The word rang in her mind, but there was no one to speak it to as Rhett had already lifted Ella up and was heading back to the boys.
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New Orleans
Mid-September 1869
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"Where's his nurse?" Scarlett groused as a crying baby greeted her.
"In the other room, but you haven't nursed him in half a day,"
Scarlett groaned, "Which is why I'm soaking the sheets," she struggled to sit up and hold out her arms in annoyance for the baby. "He should just have a full-time nurse."
"If that's what you want."
Scarlett looked down at the baby now contented at her breast. "We could do far more."
"We could travel alone."
She shot an annoyed look at her husband, "I didn't say I wanted to leave him." She shook her head, less filled with annoyance at being woken up, their little boy was perfect, simply the most handsome baby, everyone said so. She couldn't imagine not seeing him every day.
"Hire a wetnurse for home, hire a dozen nurses. As always whatever you want," he smiled.
She regarded her husband with a look, finding it absolutely unfair that she couldn't punish, remind him of difficulties of having a baby without also inflicting it upon herself. She should make it so they couldn't leave the house for more than two hours at a time. Not take supper out or see the theater while they were in Atlanta.
She should, but she wouldn't.
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Calverton
Fall 1869
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"Did you like your party?" Scarlett questioned as she walked in their bedroom nursing the baby, finding it impossible to sit down, despite how tired her legs and feet were. Their parties were simply the events no one could miss. They had thrown a huge summer barbeque upon their return from Charleston to celebrate the house being finished before they had set off for New Orleans. Scarlett was sure everyone from 10 miles around had found their way to that party, why she'd heard of people spending the night with friends in order to make the trip.
For Rhett's birthday, Aunt Pitty and Uncle Henry were once again spending the weekend with them and Rhett had been oddly delighted to have the company of the older man. Considering how frequently she herself had blocked out their conversation, she supposed she couldn't blame her husband for having someone willing to talk about his interests that didn't interest her.
Ashley and Melly had decided to stay at Tara and Scarlett had refused to even give that a second thought, why they should stay there. They had lived at Tara for some time. They had of course left Beau to play with his cousins, for Lawrence and Wade and even Ella at nearly three were far more interesting than a house full of adults, a toddler and a baby.
She had planned to make Rhett's party smaller, but he had insisted they host the whole county if they wanted to come. It hadn't been quite as large as their late summer party, but it had come close.
"It was exquisitely done. I don't believe you overlooked a single luxury. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Mr. Tarleton lead his wife out onto the dance floor."
"Mrs. Tarleton is certainly more cheerful now that she has a horse of her own again."
"If Mrs. Tarleton were a few years younger, I'd imagine we'd see a ninth child in nine months," he smirked.
"What a repulsive thought," she stared blankly at her husband.
"My dear, I'm not even twenty years away from being Mr. Tarleton's age."
"I wasn't talking about him, I was talking about her. Why I hope she keeps her shimmy on."
He laughed loudly. "Come here my dear, put that boy of ours down, he is fast asleep with your nipple hanging out of his mouth. I will be far more attentive to your body."
Thanks for reading!
Anyone have any Xmas prompts? I believe I had a theme and then I forgot it and the piece I was working on is currently stalled.
It could be anything, for example,
A quote or a song
A situation Rhett or Scarlett or Rhett and Scarlett find themselves in.
