Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Forty-Three

A year later there was no doubt that Gabriel and Ella were full brother and sister. Gabriel had red hair, green eyes, dimples and the Butler smile. As Scarlett was looking at Ella holding Gabriel she said to Rhett, "Yes, indeed we got out of Atlanta just in time."

Rhett had smiled and said, "Just in time."

Scarlett had turned serious and said, "I couldn't leave Melly."

Rhett put his arm around her waist and said, "I know that now."

"I didn't know what was holding me in Atlanta. I guess I knew sooner or later she was going to do something stupid like get herself pregnant. If I had left before her death I would have been eaten up with guilt. I would have been sure I could have prevented it."

"In the end the only person who could have prevented it didn't have what it took to say no."

"He always did want to avoid a conflict."

"The war destroyed him."

"That and losing his perfect life. It is sad how quickly he faded from this world. He was dead before we ever got to Sydney."

"Once he lost Beau also, he had no reason to live any longer, my lady."

"Again, if I had left before it had happened, I would have felt I could have prevented it."

"But you couldn't."

"Rhett, that was so strange. It could just as easily been Wade that stepped on the nail. They were walking through that field together, side by side."

"I know. The whimsicalness of fate."

"India is dead now. Suellen told me in one of her letters. She died two years after Ashley. Suellen had just found out. Rhett, how could India have died so young? She was only five years older than me."

"She had nothing to live for anymore and her bitterness was eating her up inside."

"I guess. It is still sad what happen to the Wilkes."

"Yes, my love, it is."

Two months later in October, almost four years after they had moved to Sydney, Scarlett walked into Rhett's office. She never knocked because she knew she was always welcome. When she walked in Rhett was lost in thought. He had a telegram in his hand. She took the telegram from his hand. He didn't try to stop her. The telegram read: Mother sister brother family dead STOP cholera outbreak STOP will take care of all arrangements STOP will settle estates STOP will keep you updated STOP. Jim Taylor STOP

Scarlett said, "Rhett, I'm so sorry."

"I had accepted never seeing them again, but this is devastating to me. All of them dead all at once."

"Just like Mr. and Mrs. Tarleton losing all four of their sons in one day."

"Exactly. I really will never see them again."

"Maybe we will see them in eternity."

"Maybe."

"We need to go to confession and confess our sins so we can be absolved from them."

"I don't know if I can remember them all."

Scarlett smiled at what Rhett had said, "Just confess the ones you remember. That will be enough for the priest to handle,"

Rhett smiled. He said, "I know my mother loved me, but I don't think she liked me."

"I think she liked you. She was always so happy to see you. She just couldn't be anything but what she was. A proper Charlestonian woman."

"As a child she never showed me any love."

"Of course not. It isn't proper to show your children how much one loves them. Remember how much grief we got about you openly showing love for Wade and Ella."

"I didn't get any grief about that."

"Well, I did," Which made Rhett smile. Scarlett continued, "Baby, you two were too different. You were fine with being unreceived, so you didn't have to put up with all the garbage of proper society. Your mother could not stand even the thought of being censured. That is why she would not be seen in public with you. Yet she still embraced all of your children as her grandchildren even knowing….. Well. Anyway, I like you and love you, your children like you and love you, and Mammy is tolerant of you because of what a good husband and father you are," Rhett laughed. Scarlett continued, "I wonder if Careen or my aunts are still alive."

He said, "I will get Mr. Taylor to check on your sister and your aunts. Let's go sailing tomorrow."

"You bet. We haven't been in a while."

They took the entire family sailing the next day. Sailing was always a cure-all for Rhett. Scarlett left Mammy at the house so she could rest but she made Edith go with her to take care of the boys while she read her book. Rhett sailed around Botany Bay for the afternoon. Wade had chosen to come with them which was nice for Rhett for Wade was a lot of help with the sails. Paddy the next oldest boy was helpful, but he was still learning what to do while Wade just knew what to do.

Two weeks later Rhett told Scarlett, "Your sister Careen is dead. The church buried her in the convent cemetery."

"And my aunts?"

"They died also."

"I hope you don't have to pay out any money to settle their estates."

"Mr. Taylor doesn't think so. My family didn't owe anyone, your sister didn't owe anyone, and Mr. Taylor thinks your aunts' house will cover all their outstanding debt. Of course, I will have to pay Mr. Taylor's fees."

"That's good. How much was left in the trust."

"Quite a bit."

"Have Mr. Taylor take his fees out of the trust before he gives it to the Catholic charities."

"Good idea."

Scarlett went back to reading her magazine. Rhett stared at her. Finally, without looking up from her magazine Scarlett said, "My aunts were nothing, but ungrateful leeches and Careen hasn't been my sister since we put her on the train to Charleston all those years ago. I will have to inform Suellen in my next letter to her."

"It is alright to shed a tear or two over the deaths of your relatives."

"Says the man who hasn't shed a tear for his family."

"Touché"

Scarlett smiled but she still didn't look at him. Rhett picked up his book and found his place. He started reading. Rhett was smiling too.

Rhett and Scarlett had quite the social life. They were included in the cream of society. At first because of Rhett's wealth but soon they were included because people like them. Everyone was just a little bit rough around the edges in Sydney, so they fit right in.

The couple also had lots of friends in the church.

Rhett volunteered to be on the planning committee to raise money for the new building the church wanted to build. Rhett knew how to make money.

Scarlett joined the committee to help widows and orphans. Rhett asked her, "Why did you join that committee? You don't like other women and you aren't fond of other people's children?"

"You are so silly, Rhett. I joined it because Bridgette and Jewel were on that committee. They say the most outrageous things. They are so much fun."

Rhett laughed.

The family had an incredibly good life in Sydney. Although Scarlett would often say to Rhett, "Who would have thought Sydney would be wilder than Galveston."

"Go figure."

But they knew Galveston wasn't far enough away from Atlanta and Charleston.

Rhett and Scarlett had a good life because nobody cared about their past. Nobody cared that Rhett had been disowned thirty years ago. Nobody cared that Scarlett had run a sawmill while being with child. Scarlett would often say, "How did those good people expect me to feed thirteen people? Through prayer?" Scarlett never felt ashamed of what she had to do and because Rhett was her husband she never would.

The truth was most of the people in Australia were starting a new life and were willing to let someone else start a new life also.

Rhett was so happy to be able to go sailing every day although he rarely did. Rhett and Scarlett had met other sailing enthusiasts. Scarlett had accepted that she was going to spend a lot of time on the water because her entire family loved being on the water. They did live on a giant island.

It was one of the few times she would read a book because even reading a book was more exciting to her than being on the water. Rhett would smile as he looked at his Southern belle while she was reading her book. She still had on her big hat, a long sleeve dress and she sat in the shade. She wasn't letting the sun get to her skin. Even at her age Mammy would lecture Scarlett on getting freckles.

Yet Scarlett would let the girls be on the boat hatless and in short sleeve dresses or in bathing suits. Scarlett had several bathing suits made for the children to wear on the boat. Rhett could not help but notice that the girls' bathing suits looked like short pants with a tunic over them. To Rhett they looked amazingly comfortable.

Rhett finally convinced Scarlett to wear a bathing suit on the boat by telling her, "If you fall off the boat with all that clothing on you will sink to the bottom of the sea."

Scarlett had made everyone take swimming lessons even Rhett. Rhett had said he knew how to swim although Scarlett didn't see any evidence that he had any knowledge of swimming. Scarlett had laughed to herself. Rhett had lied because even all these years later he didn't like her seeing him as less than perfect. Scarlett had thought, 'If anyone knows he is less than perfect it is me. Yet I still love him to the moon and back.'

Once Henry's sister Sarah Jane had passed away, he decided to tie up all the loose ends of the Hamilton family. Henry knew he wouldn't be on this earth much longer. He frequently had pain in his chest. He knew soon his old heart with give out on him. He had set-up a pension for Uncle Peter.

Henry knew that Wade was never coming back to the United States. Although Wade's letters to him were polite and kind they were letters from a stranger. He decided that Wade was no longer Charlie's son.

Wade had been raised by that traitorous, dishonorable Rhett Butler who had probably ruined the boy. Furthermore Henry knew that Wade had loved Rhett Butler and had wanted to be just like him. He laughed when he remembered Scarlett saying that Rhett Butler would teach Wade how to be a gentleman. Not very likely. For part of being a gentleman was being honorable and behaving properly something that neither Scarlett nor Rhett Butler could manage. Henry had decided that it really didn't matter. He would soon be dead. With that thought Henry had gone to see Jim Taylor and made him the executor of the trust. Jim was a good lawyer. He would handle everything.

Soon Henry was right. Jim Taylor had tied up all the loose ends. He had written to Wade and informed him of his Great Uncle's death. There was a small inheritance of a hundred dollars which had been enclosed in the envelope. Wade wrote back thanking him for the information. He had asked Mr. Taylor to sell the Hamilton house. Mr. Taylor had written back informing him that because of the trust he would have to wait until he was eighteen to sell it.

Scarlett had mixed feelings about the deaths of the Hamiltons. They were good people who had love Charlie's son. That was the problem they had wanted Wade to replace Charlie and that just wasn't fair to the boy. As she thought about the Hamiltons she wondered who was still living that had made her life awful. Mrs. Merriwether? Mrs. Elsing? Mrs. Bonner? Or even Mrs. Meade? She guessed it didn't matter. Like her father she had started a new life in a new country and all in all she wasn't sorry.

That night as they laid in their bed Rhett said to Scarlett, "Are you sad about the Hamiltons?"

"No, not really. They were pious hypocrites like my aunts. Ashamed of the way I made the money but not ashamed enough to not take it."

"Scarlett, thank you for being my wife. I can't imagine anyone more perfect for me. You stand up to me if you think I am wrong, you set a fine table, you have the finest manners in Sydney, you entertain all my business contacts better than Mrs. Astor could and most important for a man as sexually needy as me, you are a wonderful playmate."

It made Scarlett laugh because their nightly activities had slowed down as Rhett had gotten older, but she didn't care. When they did have activity, it was always wonderful. She said, "Thank you, Rhett. Want to come play with me?"

"Always."