Ok this is the long awaited chapter 10! Please forgive me if it isn't the greatest it is hard to get back in the same frame of mind after so many years.
Disclaimer: As general none of the characters belong to me, they are a product of Margaret Mitchell's brilliant mind! However the story line does belong to me!
Chapter 10
The trip to Tara was along one, they decided to take three carriages. Two held people, and one held the luggage. In the first carriage were Rhett, Ashley, Wade, and Beau. The second was Pork driving Melanie, Scarlett, Ella, Bonnie, Prissy and Mammy. On the long drive Melanie regaled the girls with some memories of balls and barbeques of the past. Scarlett was shocked how extensive Melanie's memory was for precise details from the balls were, she Scarlett could not recall such detail . Scarlett's mind also wandered off into thoughts of saving Melanie. Scarlett may have gathered her memories of before the accident but she also was still having her nightmares. And she truly believed that these were warnings to her of what would happen if she continued down this path of self destruction she had been racing down.
Melanie noticed Scarlett was off in her own little world, and continued entertaining the girls giving Scarlett her own thinking time. Up ahead in the other carriage, Ashley was regaling the boys with stories from the war and his imprisonment. In what seemed like eternity they rounded the top of the hill, and there in the distance was Tara. Scarlett's heart quickened as always, she felt she was home. She wanted to get out of the carriage and run up to the house. But her still tender body told her it could not do that. If felt like a life time ago since Scarlett had been here.
Suellen and Will stood on the steps of Tara as the caravan approached, waving welcome to their guests. Scarlett's usual bitterness toward Suellen had disappeared miraculously. Until Suellen sneered upon greeting her elder sister, "My we are looking Grand, aren't we sister?" "Sorry to hear of your loss, sister." Suellen quickly extended after receiving a glare from Will.
Ignoring her sister's attempt at goading her, and then her even sorrier attempt at condolence Scarlett took Bonnie and Ella's hands. "Shall, I show you darlings the swing your Aunties and I swung on as children?"
"Oh, yes Mother please!" the girls replied together.
"Scarlett, don't you think you should rest a little before you go exerting yourself?" Rhett asked with a worried expression on his face.
"Yes, Darling don't you think you should lie down after the long ride?" Melanie agreed with Rhett. "You can show the girls that stuff tomorrow. "
"But Daddy, we want Momma to show us the swing now!" Bonnie told Rhett in a firm and indignant manner.
"Yes, Da... Uncle Rhett can I ask you a question? " Ella asked with a queer look on her face.
"Yes Ella, you can ask me anything!" Rhett smiled at her fondly.
Ella came forward and motioned for Rhett to bring his ear to her level. "Uncle Rhett, If Bonnie is my sister, and she has the same Momma as me, doesn't that make you my Daddy too?"
"Well Ella, yes I would say that it does. Would you like to call me Daddy like Bonnie does?"
"Well, aren't you my Daddy?" Ella asked with a seriousness that astounded Rhett.
"Well Ella yes, you were very young when your father died and I married your mother when you were very young so I am the only father you have known."
"Wade always called you 'Uncle Rhett' why doesn't he call you Father?"
"Well Wade knew his Father because of Aunt Melly, but if you want to call me Daddy you sure can my darling!"
"I think I would like that, Daddy!" Ella smiled brightly and hugged Rhett.
Then Bonnie and Ella ran to catch up with Wade and Beau who were going around the corner of the house.
Suellen, Melanie, and Scarlett went inside where Suellen showed the ladies where they would be staying and gave them leave to freshen up before supper. And Will and the gentleman retired to the little library of Tara, where Will offered Ashley and Rhett some homemade brandy. They discussed topics of the day and the daily events of Tara for about a half hour when Rhett excused himself to go check on Scarlett.
Upstairs in Scarlett's childhood bedroom she slept as Rhett quietly entered the room. Scarlett lay on the four poster bed on her side with one hand resting on the pillow beside her beautiful face, the bruises were almost vanished, and the ride and restored a bit of color to her pale parlor. Scarlett had loosened her hair and it fell about her face in curls. Her dress had been removed and she lay clad only in her camisole top and pantalets. And no corset restrained her because of the fractured ribs. Still she was tiny without the horrible contraption. Her legs were beautifully shaped and Rhett couldn't help but be stirred by her beauty.
Scarlett's lashes fluttered a bit and opened, she had sensed someone watching her and she was right! But she wasn't prepared to find her handsome husband starring at her wantonly. And she breathed in deeply.
"I didn't mean to wake you." Rhett said softly.
"Why, don't you join me? " Scarlett smiled softly and Rhett swore his heart skipped a beat. He walked slowly over to the bed, removed his over coat and slung it on the arm chair near the bed. Removed his cravat and unbuttoned his vest and removed that too. Next he sat on the edge of the bed and removed first his left shoe then his right. Then lay back on the pillows of the bed turning on his side to face Scarlett.
"How are you feeling?" Rhett asked with concern on his face. He reached up and brushed a stray hair back from her face.
"Well at first when we got here I felt fine, but after I got up here I discovered I was actually pretty tired. I went to sleep the moment my head hit the pillow!"
"You have been threw a lot, I still am not certain you should have been on this long of a trip this soon."
"Oh, Rhett I am fine. Really, I just need to rest a little and I will be even better!" Scarlett smiled reassuringly for Rhett.
"Rhett we need to get going west soon. I am so afraid we won't get there in time to save Melanie!" Scarlett confided to Rhett tears welling up in her eyes.
"Scarlett it is so dangerous, I don't even know if Gray Eagle is still living. And if we do find him what if Melanie won't agree to let them perform this method of child birth on her?"
"She just has too Rhett! It's the only way; she suffered hours and hours to birth Beau! I couldn't watch her die that way, after that birth she lost all her strength her very health was taken from her that time. She has never been well since. She could not survive child birth again." Scarlett's eyes told Rhett the whole gruesome story of Beau's birth, and Scarlett barley a woman herself witnessed it all.
Rhett put his arms around Scarlett, and she placed her head on his chest and wept. "Shh Scarlett, its alright, we will try or damndest to save her I promise, don't cry honey." Rhett softly whispered in her ear and stroked her back.
Their mouths met without thought, and the soft kisses washed away the hurt. And the soft kisses, turned more urgent, their tongues meeting, exploring each other. Rhett took Scarlett's lower lip between his and sucked causing wonderful sensations. Then Rhett's lips traveled along her jaw line, to her sensitive ear nuzzling here for a moment and moving down her neck to taste the hollow of her neck.
Scarlett moaned under this treatment, and received a grunt in reply. Scarlett's nubile hands were tugging at Rhett's shirt exposing his hairy chest to her fingers.
Rhett's hands followed suit and bared her snowy peaks, his fingers tracing her delicate rosebuds which stiffened under his attention. And he dipped his head to take a taste of each of them. Scarlett's moans encouraged Rhett to continue his ministrations. Returning his mouth to hers he slid his knee between hers and they parted willingly. He nestled his thigh in her warmth and rhythmically moved his leg until he could feel the heat of her wetness through his trousers.
Then suddenly there was a knock at the door followed by silence.
When no more knocking came Rhett thought maybe he had been hearing things for obviously Scarlett had heard nothing for she was still moaning in unison with his administrations. And her vocals were sending him over the edge, he had to have her, he would be gentle with her but he had to claim her as his. Rhett was just hooking his finger in the waist band of her pantalets when another rap came at the door followed by a cautious, "Uncle Rhett?"
Scarlett quickly adjusted her camisole and pulled away from Rhett her eyes widened. Rhett chuckled and pulling the covers over his reddening wife, stood and answered the door. He quietly opened the door and entered the hallway. "Your mother was just taking a nap, and I was lying down with her. Let's talk out here as not to disturb her."
"That's what I figured, but I really needed to ask you do you intend to go to Twelve Oaks today? It is getting to be late afternoon. And everyone is really anxious to go, sir?"
"Well, I guess we had better get going then shouldn't we?" Rhett smiled knowingly at the boy's anticipation. "Just let me get myself rearranged, and tell your mother we are going."
"Alright Sir, I will go tell the others!"
"Scarlett?" Rhett waited for her too look at him then continued "I will see you tomorrow; we are off to Twelve Oaks for the night."
"You're leaving already?" Scarlett asked rather disappointed, and Rhett laughed.
"Believe me my pet, leaving you here is the last thing I want to do but it is for the best considering what you have just been through. "
Scarlett watched as Rhett changed into clothing more suitable for camping around the campfire with the boys. And he was thinking to himself that the last thing he wanted to do at this moment was spend time with Ashley Wilkes away from society where he could possibly kill the man. But he thanked god Will was coming along and Wade and Beau would be there too so hopefully it wouldn't be too bad.