Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Eighteen

After the trio had stopped laughing, Scarlett said, "Alright, Pa, I will write them," Gerald scowled at his eldest daughter. Scarlett continued, "Right now, Pa, Rhett and I have to behave extremely proper. We can't give people a reason to gossip about us. I am going to have to write them and tell them of my marriage to Rhett anyway."

"You do what you want to do but don't you dare invite them to live at Tara. If you do, I will tell them to leave."

"Of course, I wouldn't do that. I don't want to live with them either."

"One of those soldiers got dumped on our porch in the middle of the night. He was almost dead. That was a week ago. Careen somehow managed to nurse him back from death's doorway but only time will tell if he recovers completely."

"What is his name?"

"Will Benteen."

"Where is his home?"

"Albany, I think."

"Is he a cracker?"

"Most certainly."

"Oh."

"When he gets well, we will make use of his labors."

Scarlett and Rhett smiled. Nobody got a free ride around Gerald. Not even his daughters.

Scarlett did write her aunts about their sister's death, her marriage, their support check, and her desire that they help her mother-in-law. She just hoped they wouldn't say anything to Mr. Butler about the arrangements. She figured they wouldn't because they didn't want Scarlett to get mad at them and cut off their funds. She thought that since the checks were being drawn on the account of Rhett Butler her aunts would figure out that Rhett was actually the one giving them the support check. The older women would probably know that the only reason they were getting a support check was so they could help support Elizabeth Butler.

Mr. Kennedy did come down to Tara, but he didn't take the train. He rode his horse down. Suellen and Frank spent the afternoon together on the porch talking. Frank said, "As soon as I get five hundred dollars in the bank, we will get married. We will have to live behind the store until our house is built. Are you alright with that?"

"Of course, Dear."

By early afternoon, Frank was on the road to Atlanta. For the next week, Suellen was walking on air. Everyone else at the plantation was hoping that Mr. Kennedy took Suellen off their hands.

Will Benteen did get well. He gladly agreed to help pick cotton. One day over supper, he said, "There is no point in me going back to Albany. I was eking out a living on a small plot of land. Every year I was barely making enough to survive. I don't have the money to pay the taxes so the county will foreclose on my property. Can I stay here?"

Gerald said, "You can stay here as long as you pull your weight."

No more was ever said about Will leaving.

Careen was happy that Will was staying. He always acted so happy to see her. He acted like she was the most wonderful woman in the world. He acted like Brent had always acted around Scarlett. Careen knew that if Scarlett hadn't married Charles Hamilton, Brent would never have given her the time of day. One thing Careen didn't understand was why didn't Brent and Stuart start calling on Scarlett again once she was a widow. Was it simply because Scarlett was no longer a virgin? It didn't make sense to her. She wished there was someone she could ask about it.

Careen had considered going into the convent, but she loved living at Tara too much to do that. She could mourn Brent just as easily here at Tara as she could in a convent. As her grief over Brent's death was beginning to ease, she was beginning to remember all the stupid, inane things he had said. Things that even she a young girl had known were stupid statements. Maybe she had just been caught up in his good looks.

At the first of August, everyone was out in the fields picking cotton. Everyone even Pork and Mammy.

When the first load of cotton had to be driven to the gin, Rhett said to Scarlett, "Do you know where the gin is?"

"Yes."

"Do you think you can drive the wagon that far?"

"Of course, I can."

"Then drive the wagon to the gin and get a break from picking cotton."

Scarlett gave Rhett an idolizing look and said, "Thank you so much, Honey."

"Go now before your father over rules me."

Rhett helped Scarlett up on the buckboard and handed her the reins. She bent down and quickly kissed him on the lips. It was so very improper, but it made Rhett feel so good. It always made him feel good when she broke the rules for him. As he watched her drive down the lane, he smiled when she turned around to check to make sure he was still watching her drive away. She broke into a big smile. He did too.

Rhett, in fact, watched Scarlett until she drove around the bend. While he was watching her, he wondered if it was time to introduce giving oral pleasure to Scarlett. No, not tonight. He didn't want her to think he had done the special thing of letting her drive the wagon to the gin so she would do that. He had done it so the woman he loved would get a break from picking cotton.

Rhett smiled when he had thought about everyone's expressions when he passed out the gloves to protect their hands. Scarlett and her sisters had accepted the gloves immediately. So had Gerald. Surprising to Rhett the former slaves were the ones that resisted the gloves the most. Will was in the middle and the first besides the O'Haras to consistently wear his gloves. Finally, Pork started wearing them then Dilcey then Prissy. The last holdout was Mammy, but she had finally come around.

Rhett smiled when he thought of Mammy. He knew Mammy didn't like him, but he didn't care. The older woman didn't like him because he had left Scarlett in the middle of a crisis. He had left Scarlett after she had received the horrible news that her mother had died. Yet, he couldn't have fixed that situation. Only time could ease that pain. Rhett was so relieved that Scarlett had understood why he had to leave her then. Scarlett and Gerald understood.

A week later over supper, Gerald said, "Rhett, you and Scarlett need to go into Atlanta tomorrow and buy the supplies for the month. If they have some chickens a few more would be nice."

"Of course, Gerry. We will."

Scarlett and Rhett looked at each other. They had no problem reading each other's mind in that minute. They would get up early, drive into Atlanta, get a room at the National, have a bath, have relations, have dinner maybe at BoccaLupo, then go buy the supplies.

A bath sounded heavenly. Rhett and Scarlett both washed up every day after being in the fields but there was only so much a sponge bath could get clean. Besides, they had already discovered they both like taking a bath together and having relations afterwards or during.

The next day, Scarlett was up with the sun. Rhett smiled at her excitement. He said, "What are you most excited about? The bath or the food?"

"The chocolate cake."

Rhett and Scarlett did have a bath, relations, and a meal at BoccaLupo. Italian food was quickly becoming one of Scarlett's favorite meals. To Rhett's surprise she wanted to try something different every time they had a meal there. Her favorite was the garlic bread. Despite the fact that it gave her garlic breath Rhett continued to kiss her often. She kissed him back despite the fact he had garlic breath, also. She always had tiramisu for dessert.

While watching Scarlett enjoy her dessert, Rhett said, "You have quite the sweet tooth."

"Yes, I do."

"I don't normally indulge it, but I can right now, so I am going to enjoy myself," As Scarlett watched as her husband lit a cigar, she said, "Rhett how did you get by in the army without your cigars?"

"I took up chewing tobacco," At seeing Scarlett's disgusted face Rhett added, "Believe me I wasn't happy about spitting all the time either."

"Chewing tobacco was easier to get than cigars?"

"Not really. We weren't allowed to have a lit object in the dark. The commanders were afraid it would give our position away. Which was silly. The Yankees knew exactly where the Confederates were," Sadly Rhett added, "Except at Gettysburg. There they just came upon each other."

"Honey, I will never understand why we seceded from the union. I read in that news magazine you make me read that Lincoln wasn't threatening the Southern states."

"Sweetheart, seven states had seceded from the union before Mr. Lincoln had even taken office. He hadn't done anything to threaten our way of life. Damn fools."

"By seceding we destroyed the very thing we were trying to save, right?"

"Yes, my very clever wife, we did."

"So, we destroyed ourselves?"

"Yes."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"I don't either. I would rather talk about how green your eyes are and how I could not forget them the year before the hospital bazaar."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. At the time I had planned on making you my mistress."

"I would never have become your mistress."

"I guess I figured that out. I guess deep in my heart I already knew that. Every time I dreamed about you; it was as you being my wife."

Doubtfully Scarlett said, "Really?"

"Some of the time it was questionable if you were my wife or my mistress because we were in bed together. In truth, I mostly dreamed about us being intimate, but I also dreamed about us having children together. About us growing old together."

"I knew I loved you almost from the beginning also. I guess because you were so handsome and playful."

Rhett said, "How you do go on."

Which made Scarlett laugh and laugh.

Rhett spent the rest of the meal flirting and charming his wife. Of course, his wife was flirting and charming him also.

After dinner Rhett and Scarlett went to see Henry Hamilton. After they were in Henry's office, Rhett said, "Scarlett and I got married back in May."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you. As her husband I will start managing her moneys and her properties. What exactly did her first husband leave her?"

"Two vacant lots, eighty dollars, which she invested with you, and half of the Hamilton House. Mr. Butler, I don't think we ever got our investment back."

"No, you have not. I am waiting to sell my ships until the market gets better. Nonetheless, I will get the money you invested from the bank and bring it to you. Or we can walk over there, and I will give it to you right now."

Henry stood up and walked over to his file cabinet. He opened one of the drawers and took out two thin folders. He handed one to Rhett. He said, "That is all Scarlett's deeds of ownership. Let us walk over to the bank," Henry shook the other folder in the air and continued, "This is our contract. As soon as you give me the money, we can void the contract."

"Perfect. Shall we go, Scarlett?"

"Of course."

Thirty minutes later Rhett had returned his investors' money and voided their contract. Henry left the bank whistling a happy tune.

Rhett set-up an account for Scarlett at the bank. He said, "We will put your money in this account where it will be safe."

"No, Rhett. Banks fail."

"Not this one. I am a part owner of this one so it will not fail."

Scarlett smiled at Rhett's confidence. She said, "Alright."

After the money was deposited, Rhett and Scarlett went to see Bruce Hancock, Rhett's attorney. Rhett gave the folder to Ross and said, "Tell Mr. Hancock that he has a new client my wife, Scarlett Butler."

"Yes, Mr. Butler."

After Rhett and Scarlett had walked out of the lawyer's office she said, "Why didn't you introduce me to our lawyer?"

"If we sat down in his office for any reason, it would cost us fifteen minutes of his time. I'm not paying anyone just to sit in his office.

Scarlett laughed. Rhett helped her up on the buckboard and got on beside her.