Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Ten
That night Scarlett read the story The Fox and the Grapes. She laughed out loud. Rhett had always been saying 'The sour grapes are out today.' in their timeline and she had never understood its meaning. She now did. She also thought it was Rhett's attitude toward society. Because he couldn't be a part of it, he tried to make people believe he didn't want to be a part of it. Yet, she knew he did, or he wouldn't have humbled himself to get Bonnie received into that group.
After Scarlett had nursed Melanie for her last feeding of the night, she handed the child over to Mammy. The old servant showed nothing on her face about what she was thinking. Mammy knew that Miss Scarlett was not behaving completely properly but she didn't have the heart to scold her. The child had spent her entire marriage desperately trying to get Mr. Ashley to love her. The child had tried to be like Miss Melanie and had failed. What's more it seemed the harder the child tried the more remote Mr. Ashley got towards her. Miss Scarlett had just kept getting sadder and sadder.
These last weeks she had started behaving like Scarlett O'Hara again. Besides that, almost every day when they got back from the park one of the boys would give Mammy half of a sandwich. Mammy didn't know where they were getting the sandwiches, but she was too hungry to refuse the sandwich or ask any questions.
The next day Scarlett asked Rhett, "What is your side of the buggy incident?"
Rhett opened his mouth to speak, and Scarlett could tell he was going to make a joke which would not tell her anything. Suddenly he stopped and stared at Scarlett. He said, "It was the biggest mistake of my life."
"Not marrying her?"
"No, convincing Mary Beth to leave her chaperon at home."
"Oh, Rhett."
"I took her for a buggy ride in the middle of the afternoon. We should have been back long before dark. Before thirty minutes had passed, I knew that she was a ninny. I didn't even try to kiss her. I turned the buggy around and was heading back to town when that damn wheel broke," Rhett stared off for a long while.
"Rhett?"
"Want to know why I wouldn't marry her?"
"You didn't want to be married?"
"I hadn't done anything wrong. I had proof that the wheel had broken. None of that mattered. I got her home after dark. That was all that mattered. I was quite the catch then despite me having been expelled from West Point. I was young, handsome, and the heir to a vast fortune. You know the saddest part is that I wasn't even attracted to her. She was pretty enough. She was a blue-eyed blond, but I have always preferred women with dark hair and more recently green eyes," Scarlett smiled at the statement. She waited. Rhett continued, "She was a ninny. I didn't want to marry a ninny. The truth is I didn't want to marry at all and especially not to a ninny over a broken buggy wheel. I wanted to go have adventures which I did. I was so young. I was only twenty-two. I truly didn't know what I was giving up."
"If you could go back and marry her, would you?"
In what Scarlett knew was a rare moment of total honesty, Rhett said, "Oh hell yes. Especially after I finally realized how important a reputation was. I told you when we danced at the Hospital Bazaar that if one is rich enough and brave enough, they don't need a reputation. That was a bunch of hog wash."
"Oh Rhett."
"Scarlett, she died a year later of typhoid fever. I could have married her and then I would have been rid of her in no time. Of course, if I had married her, she probably would have lived to be a hundred."
Scarlett had laughed as Rhett had wanted her to. She had allowed him to change the subject. She had gotten all the information out of Rhett she was going to get.
Later as Scarlett walked back to her house she thought, 'Yes, my poor ignoramus regrets his actions very much but is too proud to admit it.'
The next time they were at the park Scarlett asked Rhett, "What is Ockham's razor?"
"Was that something else Mr. Wilkes mentioned?"
"Yes."
"I can tell you a lot more but generally it means 'the simplest answer is usually the correct answer."
"Really."
"Yes."
"Do you agree?"
"For the most part."
Scarlett smiled at Rhett. Rhett caught his breath. He still loved her so very much. Rhett proceeded to tell her all about William of Ockham. Rhett said, "He was born in 1285. He was an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher, and theologian. He was considered one of the major figures of medieval thought and he was at the center of the major intellectual and political controversies of the 14th century."
Rhett told her the most interesting information about the man. Scarlett actually found the whole thing very interesting. When Rhett wasn't talking to her in a mean way, he could be quite informative. If she married Rhett, she would make him teach her all that useless information he had in his head.
Several days after Scarlett had moved her belongings out of Ashley's room when he said, "It is time to retire, Scarlett."
"No"
"I told you that you will retire when I retire."
"And I have decided that I don't want to retire when you retire."
India and PittyPat quickly got up and left the parlor.
"You will obey me. Melanie would never have disobeyed me."
"Ashley, in case you don't know it. I am not Melanie, and I am not retiring right now."
"Do I have to physically drag you down the hall?"
"You can try. I am reading my book and I am not ready to retire. We are not even retiring to the same bedroom so there is no reason for us to retire at the same time."
Ashley was still smarting about the fact that Scarlett had left his bedroom. He was getting mad. He said in a louder than normal voice, "I told you not to back talk me."
"I am not back talking you. I am simply stating that I am not ready to retire but you go ahead and retire. I want to read a couple of more chapters in my book."
"Where did you get that book anyway? We cannot afford for you to willy nilly buy books."
"Of course, we can't. We can hardly afford to buy food. I found it at the park."
Ashley jerked the book out of her hands. It was titled Aesop's Fables. Scarlett jerked the book back and said, "I'm going to my room where I can read without people rudely jerking things out of my hands."
With the dignity of a queen Scarlett left the parlor. Although Scarlett was retiring at the same time as he was Ashley knew he had not won that battle.
Scarlett had found out in two and a half weeks how incredibly boring the Wilkes lives were. Ashley went to work, came home, ate supper, read for the rest of the evening, then went to bed. Occasionally Ashley and India would have a discussion on a play or a book they had read. Aunt PittyPat and India's lives were not much more exciting. India did chores all day every day except Wednesday when she got to go visiting. She read all evening also. It was just as well that Stuart died a Gettysburg because the boredom of living with India would have killed him if he had survived the war. Aunt PittyPat did her chores every morning then spent her afternoons in committee meetings which was just another name for gossip sessions. The boredom in the house had reduced Scarlett to reading also. There was little to no conversation in the house. Scarlett now knew that Ashley didn't like all that inane chatter as he called it. She could tell that he thought all her chatter was inane chatter.
If Scarlett had not had her mission of deciding the best path for her life, then she would have wished herself out of this life a long time ago. She thanked God that she had gotten this chance to see the road not taken.
Scarlett knew that she could easily live with the Rhett that she met every morning in the park or the Rhett that had driven her back from the mills when she was pregnant with Ella. In fact, that was who she thought she was marrying the first time.
It was the mean, cruel, childish, immature Rhett that she couldn't live with. Scarlett knew that his frustration at not achieving his goal of her loving him had brought out the worst in Rhett. Her loving another man that Rhett thought was so much less than him had just made that frustration worse.
Yet, Genie had said Scarlett could manage Rhett now that she was observant. Of course, he wouldn't be angry and frustrated with her because she would not be in love with another man. What she was worried about was what would happen if he got angry or frustrated with her about something else? She decided that was what Genie meant. She would now know what he was angry and frustrated at her about.
When Sunday came Scarlett was sick again. She just wasn't going to go to church. It was boring. Admittedly her life was pretty boring, but church took boring to the excruciating level. She could not sit there for an hour and a half then visit with people afterwards. Not when she could stay home and eat her honey undisturbed and feel so decadent. Her wonderful honey that Rhett had given her. Her wonderful Rhett.
Scarlett smiled at the irony of the situation. An irony that six weeks ago she would not have even be aware of. Instead of going to church and being saved she wanted to stay home and be decadent with a cup of honey.
The next day while Scarlett was in the privy, she called for Genie. She said, "Tell me about the background on Suellen and Careen."
"Suellen married Frank and moved in with him. Careen moved in with them also. As I told you Frank bought Suellen a house, but she sold it after Frank's death. She added on a kitchen and two more rooms to the rooms behind the store. Suellen got pregnant and had a daughter in October of sixty-six. Frank was killed in the clan raid in April of sixty-seven."
"Was Ashley gravely injured?"
"Yes."
"Did Rhett save them?"
"Yes. Suellen sold her half of the sawmill to Rhett. She, Careen and Ellen live behind the store."
"What about our aunts?"
"Suellen sends them a small check each month, but their friend Elizabeth Butler gives them money also."
"Those old hags better hope Mrs. Butler will give them money in my new timeline because I'm not going to do it ever again. They have never thanked me for my check, but they have always been quick to criticize my behavior."
"That is true."
"I guess it is time I went to visit my sisters."
"Mistress, this is not a good idea."
Scarlett smiled sadly at Genie and said, "Probably not but I must see Ella. If only from afar."
Genie didn't say any more. She knew Scarlett was missing her daughters very much.
When Scarlett walked in the store, Careen who was behind the counter said, "Scarlett, I haven't seen you in so long. I thought after your last fight with Suellen you were never going to enter the store again."
"It is time to let bygones be bygones. You should come by and see Pa."
"No, he is constantly calling me Mrs. O'Hara. That is just too much for me to bear."
"Of course."
Suellen came from the back with a little girl that Scarlett knew was Ella or Ellen. She looked just like Frank except she had Suellen's red hair and brown eyes.
The pain sliced through Scarlett. The pain of missing her baby girl. Scarlett had not been aware of how much she loved all her children. She had known she loved Bonnie, of course, but she now knew she loved Ella as much as she loved Bonnie. Tears sprang into her eyes. She had to get her daughters back but that would require her leaving Melanie. She loved the little girl also. Scarlett wasn't sure she could do that. She was in quite a dilemma just because she had been silly enough to realize she loved her children so very much.
Suellen said, "Have you come to pay on your bill? Frank extended you far too much credit."
"No, I have no money."
Which made Suellen smirk, Suellen said, "The high and mighty Scarlett has fallen."
"Suellen, I didn't come here to exchange barbs with you. I came to see how you were doing. How is Ellen doing? She looks like she is growing like a weed. Ellen, come give me a hug."
Suellen stopped Ellen from moving forward. To the little girl she said, "No." To Scarlett she said, "Unlike you, who is able to live off your successful husband, I have to work for a living," There was no missing the spite when she had said 'successful husband,' but Scarlett didn't react. Suellen continued, "Careen go wait on that woman looking at the fabric. Goodbye Scarlett. I don't have time to stand around and talk to you."
"You should come see Pa."
Suellen cruelly said, "Why? He won't remember that I visited him five minutes after I am out the door. Go!"
"Of course. I will take my leave."
Scarlett turned and walked out of the store.
Only through sheer determination had Scarlett stopped herself from crying. After she got herself under control, she decided that neither Suellen nor Careen had ever loved Tara the way she and Pa had. She decided that she and Careen were not that close either. Admittedly they weren't hostile to each other like Scarlett and Suellen, but they weren't friends either. Her sisters' lives were as good as they had been in the other timeline.