Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
I have always believed that Belle didn't love Rhett. She saw him as - the phrase goes - as a meal ticket. She knew he would never marry her. She knew that as long as he was single or unhappily married her coffers would be greater. Did she damage Rhett and Scarlett's relationship? Yes. The same way Ashley damaged the couple's relationship. BUT the people who damage their relationship most were Scarlett and Rhett.
Chapter Twenty-One
The next day Rhett and Scarlett went to the jewelry store. Rhett was going to buy her an engagement ring and wedding rings for them both. Scarlett saw her original ring and smiled. Yes, she had done so many things trying to make the pea hens jealous. They hadn't been. In truth, she had acted trashier than Emmie Slattery. That would have been the thing her mother would have been most ashamed of. She wasn't going to do any of that this time, and she wasn't going to be ashamed of Rhett either.
She smiled and thought, 'I guess it doesn't really matter I ruined what was left of my reputation when I married Rhett within a week of Frank's death, but I just couldn't stand another year of boredom that results from being proper especially with Rhett being out of the country.'
Rhett had the jeweler show them her original ring. He said, "Is it large enough for your greedy little heart?"
"Don't be silly, Rhett. It is far too large. It is so large it is vulgar."
Rhett stared at Scarlett then he said, "But it will make the Peahens jealous."
"No, Rhett. Nothing I own will make them jealous. Nothing I do will be the right thing to have done. You know that. Now stop talking about the matrons of Atlanta. I want to enjoy the choosing of my engagement ring. This is the first one that I have ever had."
Rhett turned to the salesclerk and said, "Show us that one."
It was an emerald ring. The stone was in an oval shape, and it had tiny diamonds around the emerald. The metal used was gold.
Rhett said, "Do you like it?"
As Scarlett slipped the ring on her finger, she said, "Yes, very muchly. Now let's find a band to match it."
They found a band to go with it and a matching band for Rhett. They had to be sized and wouldn't be ready for a week.
A week later Rhett and Scarlett went and got their rings. As they walked out of the jewelry store, Rhett said, "Now I feel like I am married."
"Rhett, how many women have you slept with?"
"Just you."
"Only me."
"Yes, only you."
"Didn't that make you feel married?"
Rhett looked at her and smiled. He said, "No, that just made me feel lucky that you were in my bed."
"I feel like we have been married forever. Let's go get our portrait taken."
"Alright."
The couple had a picture taken of the two of them then Rhett told the photographer to take a picture of their rings on their hands. Scarlett smiled. She had never known that Rhett could be so romantic.
After two weeks in the hotel, Scarlett said, "Rhett, can you rent us a house? The hotel is no place for children. They need a back yard to play in."
"Alright. Would you rather buy something?"
"Not yet.
I will get a list from my solicitor. We can go look tomorrow afternoon."
"Wonderful."
As they looked at the homes, Scarlett knew which ones Rhett would prefer but he kept saying, "I don't care. You choose."
"When I choose something you hate, you are going to care? Now give me your opinion."
"I really don't care."
"Then after I choose something, you can't complain."
"I won't."
Scarlett chose a house in a Victorian style that was very elaborate and fancy. The interior was so ornate and glitzy it was almost too much for Scarlett. While they were looking at it, Scarlett innocently said, "What do you think?"
"It is fine."
"Rhett, I know that you hate it. I can tell. Why can't you be honest with me?"
"I am…. I want you to be happy."
"I will be happy when you give me your honest opinion. This is one of those ways you will make me miserable. You will hate it. You will make snide comments. I will get my feelings hurt. You won't apologize which will hurt my feelings even more when in truth all you have to do is tell me what you think."
Rhett smiled. He knew what Scarlett had just said was correct. He was amazed that she had figured it out. Yes, the woman was definitely more aware of him and his behaviors. Maybe she wasn't as obtuse as he had always thought. He said, "I hate it."
"Now we are getting somewhere. Let's go back and look at the houses again. Choose two or three choices you can live with, and I will choose from those. Easy peasy."
That is what the couple did. It was a Victorian style home. It was blander than Scarlett would have liked but she also knew it was flashier than Rhett would have liked. Within a week they had rented the house and were moving in. It was furnished so they didn't have to buy furniture. The inside of the house matched the outside but they both were content.
Rhett returned to the house one day in August. He found Scarlett in the nursery with her children. She was sitting on the floor with Ella. She was standing the child up and letting her go. She would then catch the child before she fell down. Ella must have thought this was a fun game they were playing because the child was smiling. Of course, the child could have been smiling because her mother was smiling at her.
Rhett would never have thought Scarlett was a good mother but to his surprise she was a rather good one. She spent time with the children every day. Rhett joined her on the floor. He gave her a kiss on the lips. He knew it was not proper to show that much of a display of affection in front of others, but he didn't care. He guessed Scarlett didn't care either for she always kissed him back.
As she was pulling away, she said, "I am with child."
Rhett smiled and said, "Really?"
"Really."
"When?"
"When what?"
"When will it arrive?"
"Late January or early February."
"Have you been to the doctor?"
"Yes, one that Abby recommended."
"Wonderful."
"Yes. What's more I don't have to go into a confinement."
"You will like that."
"Yes, I will. Do you think Ella is slow?"
"She certainly isn't the brightest child in the world, but I would never call her slow."
"The doctor told me not to drink with this child. That it was harmful to the baby."
"Alright."
"I drank far too much when I was carrying her. I was so unhappy. You were the only happiness in my life then."
Rhett smiled sadly at her and said, "What's done is done. You didn't know you weren't supposed to consume alcohol. Your life was pretty horrible then."
"I'm not drinking alcohol anymore until the baby is born. Neither are you. You are going to be a teetotaler with me."
"I don't think so."
"Alright. How about you don't drink in the house?"
Rhett sighed and said, "I'll try."
"You don't want to be a bad influence."
"I love being a bad influence."
Scarlett laughed then said, "Try."
"I'll try for my baby's sake."
"Our baby's sake."
Rhett smiled but he didn't say anything else.
Rhett did manage to quit drinking in the house. If he went out to meet a business associate or socialize with other men, he would drink then. If the couple was at a social event, he would not drink in front of Scarlett.
Scarlett had decided that in their first timeline she and Rhett had consumed too much alcohol and neither one of them was a nice drunk. In fact, she decided that they were both mean, stupid drunks.
For the next couple of months Rhett hovered over Scarlett. So much so that Scarlett would shoo Rhett away. She had asked him on many of occasions if he didn't need to go to his club.
One day when she had a headache, Rhett tried to get her to go lay down. She refused. Rhett said, "Go lay down just to make me happy."
"I don't want to lay down. I want to sit on the porch. It is hot in the house and there is a cool breeze on the porch."
Rhett left the porch while thinking, 'That woman will never do anything just to make me happy.' With that thought he remembered the number of times they had said to one another don't you think it would be appropriate to tell me you loved me even if it was a lie.
Rhett stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around and joined Scarlett on the porch. He sat down next to her on the swing. He said, "Not because it is appropriate but because it is true. I love you, Scarlett."
Scarlett smiled at Rhett. and reached out her hand. He took her hand and pulled her into his lap. She said, "I love you, too."
Rhett massaged Scarlett's temples until she assured him that her headache was gone.
In October, the family had a small birthday party to celebrate Ella's first birthday. In the last timeline, Melly had put together the party and Scarlett had been annoyed that she had even had to attend the party. Of course, she had been still too anxious about money at that time even though she was about to marry Rhett.
A month later as they were returning from a lecture on electricity, Scarlett said, "Rhett, do you think Melanie took advantage of my feelings for Ashley so I would continue carrying him?"
She remembered what Genie had said but she wanted to know if Rhett would admit that Melly wasn't perfect.
Rhett was quiet for a long while. Finally, Scarlett said, "Rhett?"
"I'm thinking. It doesn't fit my image of Miss Melly as being a great lady but on the other hand she probably knew that her husband was not dealing very well with the post-war world we have found ourselves in. So, I am going to say sort of. She was going to let you continue carrying Mr. Wilkes as long as you wanted to carry him."
"Melly said in her letter that Ashley is doing quite well in his new job as a law clerk. That he is typically happy these days when he gets home from work."
"I'm happy for Mr. Wilkes."
"Liar."
Rhett smiled and said, "How about I want to be happy for Mr. Wilkes."
"That is better."
By this time, they were home. Rhett helped Scarlett down from the carriage. Scarlett whispered, "You can make me happy."
"When do we have to stop being intimate?"
"After she is born for six weeks which is just about how long I will be feeling miserable."
"Six weeks?"
"You can show me the other ways to make you happy that you alluded to."
"Yes, I can but it is not as good."
Scarlett giggled. She said, "I told Frank I couldn't have relations from the minute I found out about Ella."
"Of course, you would. Good thinking."
Scarlett smiled at her husband. She took his hand and Rhett smiled down at her.
In January, Scarlett had a birthday party for Wade. They had lots of friends and acquaintances here in London. Scarlett was nice and respectful towards all the other ladies. They were kind and polite towards her. These women didn't see her as the improper man-stealing Scarlett O'Hara. They saw her as the loving, doting wife, and mother Scarlett Butler.
Scarlett had invited several families to the birthday party despite the fact she was eight months pregnant. She no longer thought of her shape as grotesque because Rhett was so adoring of that shape. Every night Rhett held her as they went to sleep with one hand always on her baby bump.
In rare moments Scarlett allowed herself to contemplate how she had hurt Rhett in their previous timeline. She had wanted to get rid of his child. His child wasn't a blessing but a curse. The day Bonnie had been born she had been more worried about when she was going to get her shape back than the birth of her child. Worst of all she had not fought Rhett for Bonnie. In fact, she had been happy she was not going to be inconvenience by having to pay attention to her own child.
On February second Scarlett went into labor which was strange to Scarlett. February second was Bonnie's birthday. Several hours later, as she looked at her daughter, she recognized the child as her daughter from the first timeline. She was a little groggy from the chloroform, but she would know that sweet face anywhere. She smiled when she decided that Genie had made this happen. That Genie had given her a fourth wish. Would she get baby Melanie back also? Scarlett was not going to think about it right now. After all, there wasn't anything she could do about it at that moment.