Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the many reviews and the feedback.
Chapter Forty-Six
Three months after Wade turned eighteen, he had received a letter from Mr. Taylor informing him that he was now the owner of a house in Atlanta. Wade had written Mr. Taylor and told him to sell the house. It had taken a while to sell and a year later Wade finally got a check for the sale of the house.
After Wade got finished reading the letter, he went to speak to his father.
Wade said, "The Hamilton House finally sold," He held up the check and said, "What do I do with the money?"
"What did you do with the hundred dollars you got?"
"I put it in my bank account. I didn't know what to do with it."
"What you do with it is up to you, Son."
"It is no more my money than it is Paddy's."
"You can give it to a charity," Rhett laughed when he saw Wade's look of disgust. He continued, "You can give it to me, or you can keep it."
"What did you do with the money Mother made from selling the store?"
"She took it and put it in our overseas account."
"That is what I will do with this money. I will keep the hundred dollars as payment for writing all those letters."
"Are you sure you don't want to buy a sailboat?"
"Why? You let me take the Katie out anytime I want."
Rhett laughed and said, "That I do."
In that moment Rhett knew he had been completely forgiven of an unforgivable sin. Yes, indeed he had received another miracle. In later years he would often ask himself why he had received these miracles, but he made himself stop asking that question because in truth he would never really know why he had been granted these miracles. It certainly wasn't by his good works.
As Rhett told Scarlett all about his conversation with Wade, he changed several of the details. Primarily why Wade didn't think the money was his. Rhett said, "Wade said that after Miss Melly and Beau's deaths he hadn't felt any connection with his Hamilton relatives. So, he didn't feel like the money was really his.
"He is such a good boy."
"Yes, we may have accidently instilled some morals and values in him.
"It wasn't us. It was Melly and Mammy."
They both laughed. They started talking about other things.
Ella went to finishing school and got to start receiving gentleman callers at age fourteen. Genie was so envious she was constantly upset with her father for not letting her have gentleman callers also. Her disposition got better once she started going to finishing school when she turned twelve.
When Genie turned fourteen the house was flooded with men seeking the attentions of the young ladies. Genie and Ella were perfectly happy to be loved and adored by many men, but they also liked the freedom they had with living at home where their father spoiled them.
The only fly in the ointment was their pesky younger brothers, especially Daniel. He would sit outside the parlor and listen to the conversations between the girls and their suitors. He would then mock and make fun of the men over the supper table which he did remarkably well for an eight-year-old. Of course, once he did Wade and Paddy would join in. It didn't help that the girls' parents were often trying not to laugh while they were telling the boys to quit.
Scarlett would feel sympathy for the girls if it weren't for the fact they could be just as mocking as the boys. It seemed that all her children had inherited Rhett's sense of humor except maybe Gabriel. He never said anything mocking nor did he ever try to scare anyone.
On Ella's eighteenth birthday they had another huge celebration. They invited practically everyone in Sydney. It was a huge party. At the party Ella said to Rhett, "Don't forget Daddy you promised to let me go to the University."
"I have not forgotten, Pumpkin. We will go down tomorrow and sign you up."
"Oh Daddy, you are the best. Mother you should go too."
Scarlett looked at her eldest daughter and was trying to decide if the girl was mocking her or was sincerely asking her to go to school with her. She finally decided it was the later and said, "I am far too busy running a household and raising seven children."
"You only have six children."
"There is your father also. All he is, is an overgrown child."
Everyone laughed including Rhett.
The next fall Ella Butler did start taking classes at the University of Sydney. Yes, her father had to bribe several people to make it happen, but he would do anything to make his wife and children happy.
After Ella started at the University. Scarlett decided that she didn't need to worry about Ella not finding a husband. After she started attending classes the number of young men calling on her doubled.
Scarlett was not happy with her eldest son's activities since he had turned twenty. After he had graduated those activities had gotten much worse. She knew most of his activities involved gambling and loose women, and she wasn't happy about it.
Rhett kept saying, "Let the boy be. When he finds the right woman, he will settle down. Remember, my love, he is my son not Charles Hamilton's and you should expect this bad behavior.
"He is providing such a bad example for his brothers."
"I am pretty sure his brothers will behave badly whether he does or not."
Finally, Scarlett had said, "Just don't let him start smoking."
"I will try to keep him from smoking."
"Alright."
In March of eighty-five Scarlett turned forty which was very devastating to her pride. She found some gray in her hair. She noticed she had wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She knew she had gained a few inches in her waist. As she was sitting at her vanity table pondering these facts Rhett walked into the room. She looked at him and felt better. He had a lot of gray in his hair now. He had a lot of wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. She knew he was fifty-six so compared to him she was a spring chicken. That made her feel a lot better. As he was unashamedly taking off his clothes, she noticed that he no longer had the flat stomach he had when they first got married. What's more she knew he had gained several inches in his waist because when they were first married, she could slip her arms around his waist and her hands would meet easily. She could no longer even make them meet. Spitefully she thought, 'My hands can barely wave at each other now.' Although it was all at Rhett's expense, she did feel considerably better.
Rhett turned and saw her staring at him and gave her a cocky grin like he thought he was still the most handsome man in the world. She smiled back because to her he was.
He said, "Where do you want to go eat for supper tonight?"
"Where do you have reservations at?"
"Friggitoria"
"Perfect"
"Come on. Get dressed. Unless you want to stay home. We could skip supper and just go to dessert."
Scarlett laughed. She said, "I want supper and dessert and then more dessert."
Rhett laughed. He said, "Wear that silver blue dress. You always look beautiful in that one."
"Alright."
Scarlett got up and Rhett lustfully looked at her. He said, "You still drive me crazy with desire when I see you in just your shimmy. Give me your corset and I will help you put it on. If I don't, we won't leave this room."
Scarlett giggled again and handed him her corset. After they were changed and were leaving the room, Scarlett's sad mood was gone. They had a delightful time that evening. Supper was good, dessert was better, and the second dessert was the best.
The year before when Gabriel had turned six, he had been moved into a room with Daniel. Paddy had then been given a room of his own. Wade had his own room. Ella and Genie shared a room. The nursery had been changed into a playroom. Mammy had her own room next to the now playroom. The nursemaids had been let go for the children didn't need constant supervision as they had in years before. Mammy could watch them when Scarlett and Rhett went out at night.
Scarlett had noticed Mammy slowing down year by year. She didn't ask a lot of Mammy. She had tried to make Mammy's workload as light as possible. She had even had Mammy start helping her get dressed again. She would sit and talk to Mammy every morning.
Every morning Mammy was telling Scarlett stories. Mostly they were stories about Scarlett's mother. There were some about her and her sisters.
One day Mammy said, "At first I was a playmate to Miss Eulalie and Miss Pauline. When they no longer needed me to play with them Miss Solange had me learning how to be a lady's maid. When Miss Ellen was born, I became her Mammy."
"Mammy what was your name before my mother was born?"
"Ruth. My name was Ruth."
"Mammy you gave your whole life to the Robillard family. Do you have any regrets?"
Mammy had looked at Scarlett strangely and said, "Regrets? What could I have regretted?"
"Not having a family of your own."
"No, Miss Scarlett, I have no regrets on that score."
"Really Mammy? Didn't you want a husband or a child of your own?"
Mammy had smiled kindly at Miss Scarlett. Miss Scarlett in her innocence had no idea what it was like to be a slave. As a slave Ruth had no rights. Her husband and her children could be taken away from her upon the whim of the master. Ruth had loved a man once, Bernard, but they had not jumped the broom because Mr. Pierre had not allowed it. They had relations but she had not gotten with child. After a year or so Mr. Pierre had sold Bernard. She had been used by the overseer a time or two, but she had been fortunate to not have become with child. No, it was easier to give all her love to the master's child for she never had to worry about that child being sold.
It was so much better once they had move to Georgia. Mr. Gerald didn't hold with men using the slave women and she was grateful. There had been a couple of other men that she had felt warm feelings for but not like the feelings she had felt for Bernard. She briefly wondered what had happened to him. She dismissed it. She would never know.
Miss Scarlett was looking at her so earnestly that Mammy had to make her feel better. She said, "Once upon a time when I was young, but I couldn't have any children, so I loved the children that I had. Your mother. You and your sisters. Your children and Miss Suellen's children."
Scarlett hugged Mammy and said, "I have loved you too."
"Mr. Rhett is going to be upset that I have upset you. Go on now and make yourself pretty for Mr. Rhett."
"Alright, Mammy"
"You have made him a better person."
"Yes, I have, Mammy, but he has made me a better person also."
"Go on now and start your day."
One morning Mammy said, "It was me that told Mr. Pierre that Miss Ellen was planning on running away with Mr. Phillipe. I have always felt so ashamed to have betrayed her trust that way. I just hope she never knew."
"Mammy, shake that sorrow off. You were doing what you thought was best for my mother. Just as Grandpere was doing what he thought was best for my mother."
"I should have been loyal to Miss Ellen."
"Did you think Phillipe was a fortune hunter?"
Mammy looked startled for a minute and said in a quiet voice, "Yes, I thought her love for Phillipe was the love of a child and she would quickly get over him once he was gone."
"She probably would have if he had lived. When he died then he was perfect, and she turned him into a martyr. It is like Careen and Brent. If Brent had lived, I think Careen would have outgrown him before they married."
"I was just trying to protect her from herself."
"You did. I am so glad you did. I wouldn't be here right now if you hadn't.
Mammy smiled at that and said, "I guess that's right."
The next day, Scarlett took Mammy down to the portrait studio and had her picture taken. She had another one taken of her and Mammy.
Scarlett was enjoying her chats with Mammy. She was learning all sorts of things about her mother and about Mammy's life. Scarlett hoped their morning chats would go on forever.