Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ellen Lorena Kennedy was born on October nineteenth. She was a pretty baby that looked just like Suellen. All Ellen's relatives hope she had Frank's personality.
When Ellen was two weeks old, Scarlett called on Suellen. It was a little bit early, but Scarlett was family, so it was alright. The sisters had and awkward and stilted conversation. Suellen said, "Frank is doing such a wonderful job with the sawmills. I told you that he made enough profit from his first mill to buy a second mill. He hired a salesman, and the man gets a percentage of the profits instead of a salary, so the more Mr. Jackson sells the more money he makes. Wasn't that smart of Frank?"
"Of course, it was."
"In a month I am going to return to managing the store."
"Frank is going to allow you to work?"
"Frank and I agreed that right now while all Ellen is doing practically is sleeping that I can continue to manage the store. After all, I do have Mammy to take care of my baby."
Scarlett smiled at Suellen in response to the not-so-subtle jab at Scarlett in regard to Mammy.
Scarlett said, "How is Ashley working out?"
"You must be sick with despair to see how far your special beau has fallen in this world."
"I am sick with despair at how far my friend has fallen in the world, but I am not harboring any special feelings for Ashley. I love Rhett completely. I love him to the moon and back. I would be lost without Rhett. Rhett takes incredibly good care of me. He buys me anything I want. He is going to take me to Europe next summer so we can avoid the heat. Because Rhett is so rich, my future is incredibly bright."
"In answer to your question, Ashley is a fine and competent clerk, but he will never be more than a clerk."
Suellen had said the last part like it would shame Scarlett that Ashley would never be more than a clerk.
Scarlett said, "Rhett and I went to Tara last week. We only stayed a couple of days because everyone was busy picking cotton. That brought back some unhappy memories. Of course, there were a couple of happy memories like when …. Well, I'm sure you wouldn't find them funny."
Suellen knew that Scarlett was referring to Pa taking a switch to her, but she smiled and said, "How is Careen?"
"She looked good."
Scarlett stayed for about ten minutes more but when Mammy came and got Ellen to take her to the wet nurse Scarlett made her departure.
Mammy and Scarlett had hugged and spoken briefly but Ellen's cries of hunger made it hard to have a conversation.
As Scarlett was riding home in the cab for the first time in her life, she was jealous of Suellen. Sue not only had a baby, but she also had Mammy. She resolved to never go visit Suellen again by herself. When she got to their suite, she pretended to be happy and cheerful even when she was talking about the baby, but Rhett knew her too well to be fooled. He didn't say anything to her about the baby because there was nothing, he could say to make them both feel better. Only the conception of a child would make them feel better.
The next day Rhett made arrangements to take Scarlett to New York. They left three days later. On the train trip to the city, Scarlett talked about the latest news she had read in her news magazine. She talked about a scientist Louis Pasteur who may have refuted the spontaneous generation of disease theory. She talked about the Suez Canal and what a feat of engineering it was.
Rhett and Scarlett talked a little bit about the war but they both would rather forget that it had ever happened. She made unkind comments about Ashley, Frank, and Suellen. She didn't make any comments about Melanie unkind or otherwise. Rhett made lots of mocking comments about the matrons and everyone else who lived in Atlanta.
Rhett talked a little bit about his deals he was conducting in the shadows. Scarlett said, "Be careful the matrons don't find out about you doing business with Yankees."
"I have been doing business with Yankees for years and I am not going to stop now. Besides the money is so easy it is like picking it up off the ground."
"Alright, Dear."
Scarlett didn't care if Rhett got caught doing business with the Yankees. With his charm he could manage to talk the matrons out of being mad at him.
After Rhett and Scarlett's arrival in New York, they went to several parties. Scarlett met several of the ladies and she found them to be … well… normal women. They talked about home décor and fashion. When the women would start talking about their children, Scarlett would leave the group. She just couldn't bear to hear that kind of talk. She had never wanted children, but she found that now she did. She desperately wanted a child with Rhett.
Rhett and Scarlett spent Christmas in Charleston. Elizabeth hosted a Christmas party. The townhouse was full of people. There were even people on the back and front lawns.
Rhett said to his mother, "Is everyone in Charleston here?"
"Anyone of any importance."
"I guess we will still be the Butlers from Charleston then."
"Rhett, you know if I could have stopped him, I would have."
"Of course, Mother, I know. If you are harboring any guilt in regard to Langston's actions, please, dismiss them."
"I will try."
Rhett gave his mother a sympathetic smile. He knew that Elizabeth Butler had absolutely no power in her relationship with Langston Butler. Rhett was just surprised that Langston had let her have her own room. He said, "Do you know why he hated me?"
Rhett was proud of his mother for not denying that Langston Butler hated his eldest son. Elizabeth sighed, "I don't know for certain. And it probably wasn't any one thing. You have always been a charming rogue like his father and Langston was always ashamed of his father. I think your grandmother taught him to be. She hated her husband so much. Mabel Mulberry was forced to marry Alex Butler because the Mulberrys were so poor, and they owed everyone in Charleston. It was so bad that shopkeepers would no longer extend them credit. Your grandmother was the only daughter as you know, so she was forced to marry your grandfather for the sake of the family. What was sad to me was that your grandmother was never grateful that your grandfather saved her family and their social position in Charleston. No, your grandmother never considered your grandfather anything more than an uncouth, ill-mannered reprobate," Here Elizabeth flashed her son a smile and continued, "He was a reprobate, but he was not uncouth or ill-mannered. He was so very charming. When people would go on and on about how wonderful Alex Butler was, Langston, I think, just hated him that much more. Furthermore, you were extremely attractive, and he was not. Of course, the fact that you fought him at every turn may have had something to do with it also."
"I had to fight him, or he would just steamroll over me."
"Yes, he would have. I don't think he liked Robert any better than you if that makes you feel better."
"Not really. Why did you marry Langston?"
"Believe it or not Langston was considered quite the catch. He was wealthy and he had some social position. Not as much as the Kennesaws though, therefore it was a good match for both of us. My family had social position but while not poor we certainly weren't as rich as the Butlers."
"Of course not. Granddad got all his money from being a pirate and robbing other people."
Elizabeth smiled at Rhett's statement then she said, "I had hoped to learn to love him, but it was not to be. Our first few years of marriage were fine but as you and Robert got older, I didn't like the way he treated you two. I really didn't like the things he said to you and Robert. Not the least being that if either of you boys started crying, he would call you sissies. Or if either of you expressed tender emotions, he would ridicule you boys. He would never listen to anything I said about anything. So, over the years I began to dislike him more and more, but I was still able to have a functional relationship with him. That ended when he threw my baby out on the street. After that I hated him with every fiber of my being."
Rhett smiled and said, "I was hardly a baby. I was twenty-two."
Elizabeth smiled at her son and said, "You will always be my baby. You will discover that when you and Scarlett have a child," Elizabeth watched as a shadow passed over her son's face. She continued, "It is going to happen. Don't give up hoping."
"From your lips to God's ear. I'm going to go get another whiskey."
Elizabeth knew where her son was going. He was going to find his wife. Whenever he was moved emotionally, he always searched for Scarlett. It seemed just her presence could restore his equilibrium.
On Christmas Day Robert, Daphne and their children were at Elizabeth's townhouse. The children were enjoying all the presents everyone had given them. Robert announced, "We are going to have another child."
Scarlett, who had been sitting next to Rhett, slipped her hand in his hand. He painfully squeezed her hand, but she didn't complain. She had seen the wistful looks on Rhett's face when he looked at his nieces and nephews. She knew he genuinely wanted a child. Yet, it just might not be in the cards for them. At least, they were happy together.
The couple stayed in Charleston until the middle of January. When Rhett and Scarlett got on the train, he said, "It is exhausting having to visit with all my relatives. It was so much easier when I was unreceived."
Scarlett laughed and said, "How are your investments coming along?"
"Excellent. Everyone I lent money to is promptly paying on their loans. Everyone's businesses are beginning to show a profit. A couple of them are struggling but I gave them some tips to help strengthen their business."
"You are such a financial genius. Did Rosemary tell you she has a gentleman caller?"
"No, but Mother did. Mother thinks he is a fortune hunter."
"Oh no. Rosemary is so happy that a man is calling on her."
"I know that is why Mother and I agreed that we would not run him off. Mother thinks that Rosemary is not that interested in Mr. Howard but is flattered by the attention. Mother is going to monitor the situation and if needed Robert can run him off."
Remembering her mother's words in Ellen's letter to her pere, Scarlett said, "Even if he is a fortune hunter you can control the situation by controlling the money."
"True. We don't want Rosemary to think that the only reason a man would call on her was for her money."
"Just tell Mr. Howard that Rosemary is one fourth Irish. That would run that pretentious snob off."
Rhett said with a smile, "Pretentious snob."
"Yes, didn't you hear him talking about how his family was on the Mayflower and all that other poppycock."
"Yes, but I didn't make the connection to him being a pompous snob, but now that you say it, you are right."
"Yes, I now have quite the instinct for sniffing out snobs. What kind of a first name is Leslie for a man? It sounds weak to me."
"I think your snobbery is showing."
"Maybe but we are going to name our son a strong name."
"Like what?"
"Like… Rhett or Gerald or …."
"Alexander."
"Yes, Alexander would be great."
"We could call him Alexander the Great," Scarlett smiled at Rhett's joke that he was laughing at. He continued, "If we have a boy, I would like to name him after my grandfather. My Grandfather Butler's first name was Alex"
"I wanted to name my son after Pa."
"How about Alexander Gerald?"
"Or Gerald Alexander?"
"We will talk about it some more when you are with child. For a girl I would like to name her Elizabeth Scarlett."
"No, she will be called Eugenia Victoria."
"Why?"
"Don't you think it sounds regal?"
"It sounds like a lot to lay on a small child."
"She won't always be a small child. She will grow up."
"We will talk about names when you get with child. I bought you some magazines when I went to the bookstore yesterday."
"We aren't going to do any reading right now. We are going to check out the mattresses."
Rhett smiled and said, "Both of them?"
"Before the evening is over, we will have used both mattresses."
"Whatever you want to do, my darling."