Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the many reviews and the feedback.
Chapter Twenty
While Scarlett and Rhett where in the common room that night after supper, Rhett asked her, "What is troubling you?"
"I miss Tara. Will you take me?"
"I would be happy to take you to Tara, but your sister will not let me in the house."
"Yes, she will. I own fifty-one percent of Tara so if I say so she will let you in."
"It was you that wouldn't let me in the house when you went to visit Tara all last year."
"Yes. Shall we go the day after tomorrow?"
Rhett shook his head and smiled at the woman that was fortunately his wife and not his worst enemy. Although he supposed that the two were not mutually exclusive. Yes, indeed, he was not going to have a boring life. He said, "I will make the arrangements for us to be out of town for a week."
"That would be nice. Thank you, Rhett."
They went to Tara. Wade and Scarlett were both happy. Ella wasn't quite two and she was pretty happy all the time. Mammy was happy to be a Tara also.
When Will pick them up in the wagon, Scarlett introduced the two men. Will said, "I don't agree with a lot of things that you did during the war. The war that I lost part of my leg in."
"I joined up and served at the end of the war in the eleventh hour."
Will went on like Rhett hadn't even spoken, "But the war is over, and we need to move on. I will be polite and civil to you, but we are not going to be best friends."
"I understand."
When they got to Tara, Suellen came out to greet them as any lady would. Scarlett and Suellen gave each other a kiss on the cheek. Suellen said, "Rhett, if it was up to me, you would still not be allowed in the house but Scarlett has said to let you in so I will. Scarlett will show you around. Mammy, you can put the children in the nursery with Susie."
Suellen turned around and walked into the house. Scarlett smiled mischievously at Rhett. Rhett smiled back and said, "I guess you were right. I am welcome in the house."
"No, you are not welcome in the house. You are just allowed in the house."
Mammy hurmped and muttered, "Miss Ellen is rolling over in her grave." She didn't wait for a reply but proceeded to take her charges into the house.
Scarlett said, "How is that infamous charm working for you?" She did not wait for a reply but followed Mammy in the house.
Rhett thought, "Not very damn well."
As Scarlett walked in the house, she thought, 'Sue is behaving just like mother would have. She is going to be a fine lady despite the war. She definitely will be a fine mistress for Tara."
As Scarlett looked around, she could see that Sue was restoring Tara to its former grandness. In that moment she decided to give Suellen her extra buggy and horse. If she regretted it, Rhett would buy her another one. She would ask Rhett permission to do that with the horse since he did give it to her.
Scarlett had Pork put hers and Rhett's bags in her room. She showed Rhett around Tara. Rhett could tell she loved every square inch of this land. Rhett said, "Is the cotton ready to pick?"
"Probably in about two weeks."
"Who is going to pick it?"
"Day laborers. They do it for food and shelter."
"That's a nice deal."
"Yes, I think it is called the barter system."
"That is what it is called."
After supper Rhett had groaned when he had seen how small the bed was in Scarlett's childhood room. It was bigger than a twin, but it certainly wasn't a full bed. As they had gotten in the bed that night, Rhett said, "I don't know if I filled up the bed when we were in New Orleans, but I am certainly going to fill up this bed. Why is it so small?"
"Because the room is so small. Pa had it made special to fit in this room."
"You will have to do something about this before I visit again."
"I suppose we could use the guest bedroom. It has a full-size bed in it."
Rhett jumped out of the bed and started putting his underwear back on. "Come on. Get up."
"Rhett, it is too late. There aren't even any sheets on the bed."
Reluctantly, Rhett took off his underwear and got back in the bed. He said, "Tomorrow morning, first thing, I want you to get our belongings move to that bedroom."
"I will."
"This bed is too small for two people."
"Three."
"Huh?"
"There are three people in the bed."
"Where is the third person?"
"In my womb."
They were both quiet for a while. Finally, he said, "Are you sad about having another one of my children?"
"I am sad that I am pregnant. I was having so much fun. It was the first time I was really having fun since the war started."
"We can still have fun until the baby is born. Even with our past history I didn't expect you to get pregnant so fast but what's done is done."
"Mamie told me how to get rid of it."
In a very cold voice Rhett said, "Did Mrs. Bart also tell you that you could die from having that done?"
"No."
"I saw a woman bleed out from that procedure once. It is not an easy way to die."
"I won't do it."
"I would never allow you to go to a butcher. I will handcuff you to me if I have to."
"Am I so valuable to you?"
"Of course, you are the mother of my children."
"Humph. Now I will get fat and go into that grotesque shape again."
"You were beautiful when you were pregnant with Ella. You will be beautiful with this child also. Have you seen Dr. Meade?"
"Dr. Harrison. He gives the mothers chloroform to ease the labor pains."
"Is that safe?"
"Mamie said it was."
"I don't believe I will trust Mrs. Bart's opinion on the matter. I will investigate this."
"She said Queen Victoria used it for her last four or five deliveries."
"I will still research the giving of chloroform to women in labor."
Scarlett didn't argue with Rhett. She knew he was going to research the issue no matter what she said. She said, "Dr. Meade said for me to stop having relations because I was with child. It wasn't a problem with Frank. We only had relations on our wedding night. He never wanted to do it again. I never wanted to do it with him again. Yet I don't understand why he never wanted to do it again."
"Don't worry about it." Rhett knew that Frank had been more interested in him than in Scarlett. In fact, Rhett had forced himself to flirt with the man just to keep the door to the Hamilton House opened to him. It made him feel sleezy every time.
He also knew that Frank had married Scarlett because she was an extremely attractive woman that most men wanted to be with. They wouldn't look too closely at Frank's activities.
"Of course not. I was happy he didn't want to do it again. It was gross and humiliating. It wasn't like with you which is fun and exciting."
"I'm glad you are enjoying yourself also. Do you want to stop having relations?"
"Not until Dr. Harrison tells me to stop."
"Me neither. I'm happy. I would like to have twenty."
"Rhett, no. How about we just have three?"
"I want more than three. How about nineteen?"
He got a huff and a slap on his chest for his comment but that was all. He pulled her close and said, "I am fond of you. I would not want anything to happen to you."
"I am able to tolerate you, barely, nonetheless I would not want anything to happen to you either," In Rhett fashion she took a long pause then added, "At least not until I have access to all your money."
The statement made Rhett roar with laughter for he knew she knew that she was going to inherit all his money should he die. When he stopped laughing, he started telling her stories about his childhood in Charleston.
After he knew she was asleep, he thought about her being with child again. He thought about that old saying 'All I have to do is put my pants on the bed post and she gets pregnant' and thought that was his wife. After this child was born, he wanted to wait at least two years before he got Scarlett pregnant again. He wanted to take her to Europe.
His next thought was, 'I am such a lucky man to be having another child. I love them all so much. I love her so much. Will she ever love me as much as I love her? Probably not after everything I have done to her and definitely not if I keep getting her pregnant.'
He laughed. He put out his cigar. He snuggled up with his wife. There wasn't anything else he could do in that tiny bed. As he drifted off to sleep, he knew that she was fond of him also for she had long ago stopped giving him looks of hate. He was going to cherish any positive affection from her. It was more than he deserved. The truth was he deserved her undying hate instead her undying love.
They moved into the guest bedroom the next day. The rest of the week was peaceful and quiet.
Suellen and Scarlett discussed what they were going to do with Tara in the next six months. Rhett noticed that Suellen never looked at Will for approval. Of course, Scarlett never looked at him for approval either. Rhett decided that the ladies definitely felt that Tara was their family plantation. To the ladies it was the O'Hara plantation.
Rhett and Will enjoyed a few moments of companionable interaction on the porch after supper every evening. They both enjoyed their late father-in-law's hooch. Rhett suspected that his wife would enjoy the hooch also, but he wasn't giving her any in her current state. Scarlett never asked for any. She knew Rhett wouldn't let her have any of Pa's hooch.
As they returned to Atlanta a week later to resume their lives while on the train Scarlett said to Rhett, "Is it alright if I give Suellen my old horse and buggy? She needs something to drive into town besides the wagon especially in the fall while it is being used for hauling the cotton to the gin."
"Of course."
After a few minutes Rhett said, "Mrs. Bart will not be welcome in our home."
"Rhett, no. I wasn't going to do it."
"Nonetheless, I don't want some old whore putting those thoughts in your head."
"Rhett! Don't use that word in front of the children. Please don't bar her. She is so much fun."
"No, she doesn't enter our home."
"She did tell me about Dr. Harrison and the chloroform. Please, don't bar her."
As Rhett looked down at Scarlett's earnest face, he smiled and said, "Alright. I won't bar her from the house this time."
"Thank you."
The next morning after Rhett had kissed her goodbye, Scarlett laid their thinking. She decided that he was a great father, and he was a decent husband. Better than most if the truth were known. He did try to make her happy. He was a good provider, and he was generous with his money. He would occasionally make a teasing comment about her having too many dresses or too many hats, but he never said anything when she went out and bought another dress or hat.
Scarlett had accepted that she was with child again. It was her lot in life to have child after child. She knew Rhett would never stop having relations with her. She hoped Rhett was true to his word and was willing to wait two years before they had another one.
That day Scarlett sent Pork to take Suellen the buggy. When Pork returned, he said to Scarlett, "Miss Suellen said to tell you thank you and your generosity overwhelms her. She also said she would write you in a couple of days."
Scarlett had smiled with Sue that meant in a couple of weeks. Sue was better now with her correspondence, yet she still wasn't a good correspondent.