Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The sisters finished packing up all of Ellen O'Hara's belongings. When the sum of their mother's life was reduced down to three boxes, Careen said, "It is sad that is all there is to show for the life of Ellen O'Hara."

Scarlett put her arm around Careen's shoulder as she led her sister out of the room. When they got to the stairs, Scarlett said, "Those items in those boxes are not Ellen O'Hara's legacy to the world. You, me, and Suellen are her greatest legacy of her life. She did fairly good," Here Scarlett paused in typical Rhett fashion and then continued, "Two out of three great women isn't too shabby."

Careen said, "Scarlett!"

Careen ruined her outrage by giggling. Finally, she said, "I will get Pork to move the boxes to the parlor. When Suellen gets here for the wedding, we can go through the boxes and decide who wants what."

"Let's save Pork's back and get either Will or Rhett to carry the boxes down to the parlor. You and Sue go through them first. I will go through what is left once you two are finished."

"Are you sure?" With Scarlett's nod, Careen continued, "Alright, when Sue is down here for the wedding we will go through the items."

"Great. I am going to the privy."

Scarlett could be generous because she had already taken the necklace and the only thing she genuinely wanted of her mother's. Her mother's rosary. Her sisters would never know because they would not know what the Yankees had and hadn't taken. When she had found it earlier, she had slipped it in her pocket while Careen wasn't looking. She would like to have her mother's bible, but she had left that for Careen.

Careen had seen Scarlett slip the rosary in her pocket but had not said anything. Careen had decided to let Scarlett take it without an argument for Scarlett usually got everything she wanted anyway. Later Careen planned to take her mother's bible out of the box and put it back in the dresser with her clothes. What Sue didn't know wouldn't hurt Careen. Like Scarlett had already figured out Suellen would not know what the Yankees had stolen and what they hadn't. It would make sense that if a Yankee would steal a rosary, he would steal a bible.

Over dinner which was pinto beans, greens, tomatoes, and corn bread, the sisters discussed Careen's plans for her wedding.

After dinner, the sisters hunted Mammy down. Scarlett said to the older woman, "Who was Phillipe?"

"Phillipe? I don't know of a Phillipe."

"That is funny considering that there was a letter in Mother's jewelry box from a man named Phillip. In the letter he was pledging his eternal love for Mother."

Mammy had never looked into Miss Ellen's jewelry box. She had never known about the letter. It seems Miss Ellen had kept a few secrets from her. Mammy knew why. If Ellen had told her Mammy would have once again lectured Ellen on Phillipe being a no-account loser.

Mammy said, "He was your mother's second cousin. He had emigrated from France. He had come to America to make his fortune. He was from the poor side of the family," Here Mammy sniffed in disapproval. She went on, "He decided that marrying Ellen Robillard was how he was going to make his fortune."

Careen said, "You don't think he really loved Mother."

"No, he was worthless. Mr. Pierre saw right through him and bought him off which just proved he was a fortune hunter."

Careen said, "You don't know that for sure. He might have taken the money in order to have a stake thus make a fortune."

When Scarlett saw, Mammy was going to argue back, she said, "In the letter Phillipe asked Mother to wait for him. If she thought he really loved her, why didn't she wait?"

"The day before Mr. Gerald asked Miss Ellen to marry him, she had gotten a letter from a kind priest telling her of Mr. Phillipe's death. She thought her life was over. She blamed Mr. Pierre for Mr. Phillipe's death. She had wanted to go into a convent, but Mr. Pierre would not allow that so she saw Mr. Gerald as a chance to escape her pere and all of Savannah. If the priest had not sent the letter, she would have waited forever for that skunk to return."

Scarlett said, "I am certainly glad the priest sent the letter, or we would not have been born. Thank you, Mammy. Come along, Careen."

"But…"

Scarlett gave Careen a look and Careen followed her sister back to the master bedroom. Once the door was closed, Scarlett said, "We will never know if Phillipe was a fortune hunter or not. We will never know if Phillipe was Mother's one true love. All we know is thanks to Pa's Irish luck he asked Ellen Robillard to marry him on the perfect night, and she accepted. Not only did she accept but she went with him to Georgia. Maybe to escape her pere but nonetheless we are here because of all of those events."

"I like to think he was her true love."

"Me too."

"Do you hear singing?"

"Let's go greet the men. I have a feeling that Pa and Rhett drank more than they should have."

Careen smiled and followed her sister out to the front porch.

When the men got to the main house with the supplies, it was clear that Gerald and Rhett had quite a few sips of alcohol. The two men were singing 'An Spailpin Fanach.'

Scarlett and Careen were standing in the clearing when the wagon drove up and the buggy drove up. The buggy seated four and had a pair of matching white horses. Rhett had been driving. Gerald was sitting beside Rhett and there was a bottle of whiskey between them. Rhett stopped the buggy and fixed the reins. He stood up in the buggy and hit his head on the roof and sat back down. Rhett and Gerald thought that was hilarious.

Rhett stood up and this time got out of the buggy then said, "Careen, Will, this is my wedding present to you. It is for selfish reasons. I am tired of riding in the wagon."

"Dear, we could have just bought a buggy and then drove our buggy down to Tara when we came for a visit."

"That is a good idea. I will do that too."

After Will had gotten down from the wagon, Scarlett said to him, "How long have they been singing?"

"They started about halfway home."

"At least they weren't drunk in Atlanta."

"No, not in Atlanta. Just in Rough and Ready and the rest of the way home."

Scarlett walked up to the buggy and said, "Rhett Butler, get yourself in this house and go lay down until you are sober. Gerald O'Hara get yourself up to your new room and you lay down until you are sober."

"Honey, I'm not that drunk."

"No daughter of mine is going to talk to me that way."

"Yes, you are, and I just did. Both of you get in the house."

Will said, "Miss Scarlett, can you get them to help me unload the wagon first?"

"Rhett, Pa, you can sober yourselves up by unloading the wagon."

"Of course, Honey."

When Rhett reached over to put his arm around Scarlett she stepped out of his way, and he fell on the ground. Pa sat down on the steps and started giggling. Scarlett said, "Will, it might be safer for the groceries for Pork, Careen, and me to help you."

While looking at Rhett lying on the ground, Will smiled, and said, "I believe you are right."

As the group unloaded the wagon, Will told them everything they had gotten. Pork and Dilcey came along and helped the trio unload the wagon. The group left Rhett sitting on the ground and Gerald sitting on the steps. Will took the bottle of whiskey with him.

By supper both Gerald and Rhett were sober enough to know they were both in big trouble. Gerald more than Rhett because both of Gerald's daughters were mad at him. Gerald said, "You two remind me of Suellen with her disapproving ways." Although Rhett enjoyed the joke, Gerald's daughters did not. They did perfect imitations of Suellen. They sniffed and turned their heads away from their father in disgust.

That night while Scarlett was sitting on the porch swing, Rhett sat down next to her and said, "I haven't drunk that much in so very long. The whiskey just went straight to my head."

"How much did you have?"

"Maybe half a bottle."

"You and Pa went through and entire bottle of whiskey?!"

"Please don't shout. No. I meant between the two of us we had a half a bottle."

"So, you had a fourth of a bottle? Rhett, you can't drink that much. You will end up saying things you shouldn't say."

"I know."

"Lay your head in my lap."

While Rhett was lying down, he said, "Why did you let me fall?"

"Rhett, I couldn't have stopped you from falling if I had wanted to. You would have just taken me down with you."

"That is true. Forgive me."

"For being a knucklehead?" With Rhett's nod, Scarlett smiled and said, "Yes."

"Come on let's go to bed. I really need to go to sleep."

Scarlett smiled and said, "I hope your head hurts in the morning."

"It probably won't because I am pretty sober right now."

Scarlett laughed and went upstairs with her husband.

Over breakfast the next morning, Gerald told the sisters that Suellen and Frank would be coming down the morning of the twentieth and would return to Atlanta that same day. Frank couldn't be away from his sawmills for more than one day and Suellen didn't trust Ashley alone at the store. He was barely a competent clerk. Frank had earned enough profit from his first sawmill to buy another sawmill instead of building their house.

Scarlett asked, "So, are they still living behind the store?"

"Yes. I think even Suellen is happy with living behind the store. She said to me there was no point in spending money on a house until they needed one."

"Maybe she is no longer the spoiled belle she was when she lived with us."

"Maybe."

That news made Gerald, Scarlett, and Rhett happy they had tricked Frank into marrying Suellen. It really had been the best thing for both of them.

Later in the morning, Careen said, "Mother did have a good life and she did come to love Pa. I'm glad to know it. It makes me feel better about marrying Will."

"If Mother could turn Pa into a gentleman, I'm sure you can turn Will into one."

With a serene smile on her face, Careen said, "He is already very special."

"Yes, he is."

At nine o'clock on Saturday morning, Gerald picked Frank and Suellen up from the train station in the Benteen's new buggy. They had come down on the first train of the morning.

After Suellen got there, before Careen had to go upstairs to get dressed, she took the time to sit with Suellen in the parlor to go through the items in the boxes. Scarlett joined them just to be nice.

Scarlett was quick to notice that anything that she took any notice of suddenly became something Suellen had to have. Therefore, Scarlett never again showed any interest in any of her mother's possessions.

After a few more minutes, Scarlett stood up and said, "Let me check on the meal that is to be served after the ceremony." Scarlett had left because she had decided to let Suellen win that petty argument.

Truly the only things Scarlett wanted was her mother's rosary and the necklace. The necklace because it reminded her of that remarkable day when she not only met Rhett but learned what a pompous snob Ashley Wilkes was.

Scarlett wanted the rosary for one of her earliest memories was of her mother praying the rosary. Scarlett remembered her mother often kneeling by her bed with the rosary in her hands. They were wonderful memories.

Scarlett never returned to the parlor. She did check on the meal but Dilcey and the cook, Liberty, had things well in hand. She then went in search of her husband. She found him helping to set the tables up. Scarlett smiled they were barrels with planks on top of them. All items that would be used for other purposes in the coming days.