Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Later that day Scarlett did take the children to visit Bonnie. They talked to her for a little while, but they were soon ready to leave. Scarlett took them all to visit their fathers and Beau his mother, of course.
Scarlett still came two to three times a week to visit Melly. It made her miss Belle. She always hoped her friend was living a fabulous life. She deserved it.
Scarlett had been at peace while at Bonnie's grave. Yes, she would always miss the child but now she could think about her and remember all the good times.
Sadly, to Scarlett, the children were forgetting about Bonnie. Every year she was becoming less and less important to them. Maybe that was even true about hers and Rhett's feelings. They would always miss their daughter, but their lives had moved on. Nothing was the same. They no longer lived at the mansion and Bonnie's parents were no longer married.
Rhett and Scarlett's relationship changed once again. They were no longer enemies but parents of a dead child doing their best to make it down the horrible road they had found themselves on. Finally accepting and taking comfort from the other parent. Finally letting go of petty jealousy, like who did she love the best. In that moment, it didn't matter. What mattered was that she was dead. What mattered was that she had loved them both. What mattered was they were going to miss her the rest of their days.
From that day forward they started helping each other get through this awful time in their life.
Scarlett was still not warm and friendly at their bi-weekly meetings, but Rhett didn't feel the glacier ice storm that he had felt before. She still didn't engage him in conversation or answer him when he spoke to her, but she did listen while he was talking. And they were smiling at each other.
Ella and Scarlett managed to pick all their crops from their garden. Scarlett had even allowed Ella to give Rhett a basket of tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn. After Rhett had thanked Ella for the gift, she looked at her mother then back at Rhett. She said, "There are a couple of watermelons and a couple of cantaloupes that are ready to pick. Mama said that if you come by tomorrow around three-thirty you can pick out which ones you want."
"I will certainly be there. Thank you, Miss Ella."
Ella had smiled and Rhett had smiled back. He did not look at Scarlett. He kept all his attention on his sweet daughter. The daughter who needed so much love and tenderness.
It was the middle of July. Scarlett and the children were going to spend two weeks at Tara before the harvest began. They would go down after the monthly supper.
Everyone was excited about their visit to Tara, even Beau. Scarlett took the boy with her, but she never took him to Twelve Oaks. There was nothing there but remnants of a lost civilization. She never told him about his father's life before the war. She knew that India did but Scarlett never would. It was a life best forgotten. Nothing good would come out of looking back to their nearly perfect world. Their nearly perfect world that they themselves had destroyed.
When Scarlett was at Tara she would often think of Ashley's words in the orchard. She understood them now because she had made Ashley dummy them down for her. She understood everything he had said that day. Words to confuse her with and keep her believing they loved each other. She had long discharged the words Ashley had said the day she went out to the mills after Bonnie's birth. Ashley had denied even remembering what words he had said but she had a lot more awareness now. His words were words meant to stop her from lecturing him on what a lousy job he had done managing the sawmill while she was in her confinement. They were words meant to drive a wedge between her and Rhett. Rhett was giving her the life Ashley never could. Scarlett knew that Ashley had sensed she was drifting away from him. Ashley knew he was losing her, and his self-esteem couldn't handle not being worshipped and adored by a young girl. Ashley had not cared about the damage he had done to her and her life, all he had wanted was for her to be that sixteen-year-old girl again that adored him and continue carrying him because he damn sure knew he couldn't make it without her help.
Scarlett knew that she had swallowed the bait because she had wanted to be that sixteen-year-old girl again who had not done all the awful things she had done to survive. Also, because Ashley was the one that got away and she was still trying to make him hers.
Woulda, Coulda, Shouldas. If Rhett had made her feel like she was an amazing woman she would not have been susceptible to Ashley's words because she would have been secure that Rhett thought she was wonderful.
The day of the monthly supper in July while Scarlett was eating her breakfast, Rhett walked into her house uninvited. Peter had not even tried to stop Rhett. He had tried during the war, and he had failed. He had tried when Miss Scarlett was married to Mr. Kennedy, and he had failed. He was not going to bother to try now because he knew he would fail. Although Peter had often wondered what kind of a weak man was Mr. Kennedy. He let another man call on his wife while he was sitting right there.
Rhett sat down at the breakfast table while Scarlett watched him with a shocked face. He said, "I did not wait for an invitation because one would never come."
Scarlett had smiled. This was the Rhett she thought she was marrying. The man that she had loved. She immediately shut down that thought. Instead, she crossly said, "What do you want?"
"To offer the services of my staff. My cook, Mrs. Child, can help with the cooking and Dilcey and Pork can help with the serving."
"I guess you don't want me serving the masses again like a servant."
"No, you were serving the masses like the great lady you are." Scarlett looked at Rhett's face to see if there was any mockery in his expression. Finally, he said, "You really are a great lady."
"Rhett."
"What do you want Mrs. Child to cook?"
"Let me finish eating then we will go talk to Cookie. We are going to have beef stew."
"With peas?"
"Yes, with peas. Just the way you like it.
"I do like peas in my stew."
With a smile Scarlett said, "I know."
Rhett stared at her. She did know. He remembered another comment he had made that day he had returned to the mansion from Belle's. He remembered saying, 'You haven't been much of a wife to me since Bonnie's birth.' He had been so ignorant. She had still been a good wife to him except for not being intimate with him. What she had been was much more than the paltry relationship of a mistress to a man. She had taken care of all of his needs except one. In truth, she would have taken him back into her bed despite his unfaithfulness if he had shared a preventative method with her. He had taken everything she did for granted. He had taken her for granted. Never again.
When Scarlett had finished eating, she and Rhett had gone to the kitchen together. Cookie was quite happy to turn the cooking of the corn bread over to Mrs. Child.
Mrs. Child was not happy to have to make pan after pan of corn bread, but she would do it. She was cheered up by the knowledge that she would not have to make Mr. Butler's dinner that night.
To make the cook's life easier, Rhett had said, "I will buy you four more baking pans."
"And a cast iron skillet."
"Alright."
Rhett had gone to Scarlett's store and bought the items. Hugh had waited on Rhett himself. Hugh wanted to make sure nobody gave out any information about Mrs. Butler. Hugh knew about the spectacle Mr. Butler had created at the May monthly supper therefore he was going to try to protect Mrs. Butler.
After Rhett gave Mrs. Child the cast iron skillet she said, "I won't be able to use it tonight but by next month I will have it seasoned."
Mrs. Child then went on to talk about all the meals she could make with a cast iron skillet. Rhett stuck it out and listened to everything the woman said. Afterwards, he thought some of those meals sounded pretty tasty.
Rhett had gone back to Scarlett's house and found her in the parlor. Scarlett had smiled at how Rhett was entering her home without permission. Once he found her, he said, "We need to hire someone to carry the corn bread from my kitchen to your kitchen."
"I know just the girl. I will send her mother a note asking her to help us out."
"We will pay her."
"Rhett, you know she will not accept money for her labors. She will not think it is right since we are feeding her entire family."
"What is your plan?"
"Give her a bunch of leftovers to take home with her."
"Good plan. How will we know there will be leftovers?"
"There will be leftovers because we will put them aside for her."
"Great plan."
Rhett bent down and kissed Scarlett. It was just a peck, but she was smiling when he left the parlor.
Rhett attended the supper despite the fact that nobody spoke to him and despite the fact that all the gentry gave him looks of hate. He would speak to the crowd in general about what a wonderful woman Scarlett Butler was. That she was a great lady. That the only thing she had ever done wrong was marry him.
Much to Rhett's unhappiness, Scarlett's lawyer had decided to attend the monthly supper although it didn't appear that Mr. Cavalier had come to eat supper. It seemed the lawyer had come simply to socialize with Scarlett. When Rhett saw the utterly happy smile Scarlett gave to the man, his gut twisted. It was the smile she had given him when he had met her at the bend in the road. It was the smile she had given him while they were in New Orleans. Before he had cursed her and run away. It was the smile she had occasionally given him during their first year of marriage but never after she had found out about Bonnie. Rhett was eaten up with jealousy, but he would not say anything to Scarlett about Mr. Cavalier. He would not ruin what he had with her like he had ruined their relationship because of his insane jealousy over Mr. Wilkes.
That night after all the moochers (as Rhett called them) were gone, he was sitting on the porch with Scarlett. He was enjoying just being in her company. Of her just talking to him like one friend to another. If that was all he got he was going to appreciate it. Not ruin it by demanding more from her.
Scarlett said, "Thank you for all your help today."
"You are welcome. How much food did that girl take home?"
"Julie?" With Rhett's nod, Scarlett went on, "Enough food to feed her family of eight for a week."
"Do you think she will come back next month?"
"Undoubtably. Rhett, you know the children and I are going to Tara Monday."
"Yes."
"If you come in time for dinner, I will feed you."
"Are you expecting me to ride all the way down to Tara to see the children?"
Scarlett giggled and said, "Among other people." Scarlett paused in Rhett fashion and said, "I'm sure Suellen and Will would like to meet you."
"I have already met Will." At Scarlett's questioning expression, Rhett added, "I just knew you were at Tara before the divorce. So, I rode down there."
"How did you find it?"
"I asked for directions at the feed store."
"Of course, Mr. Price could never keep a secret."
"According to Will, neither can your sister."
"No, she can't."
"I will take you up on your offer, but it won't be Will or Suellen that I am coming down there to spend time with."
"It's the children you want to spend time with, right?"
With laughter on his face for anyone to see, he replied, "Of course, it is the children…. And their mother."
Scarlett laughed. She said, "You go now before we get talked about."
"I will go but I want you to know that you are always welcome in my home."
Scarlett simply smiled at Rhett then she said, "See you tomorrow."
Scarlett watched Rhett walk to the back door. In the darkness she quickly hurried to the kitchen window where she could see him crossing the yard and cutting through the hedges. Rhett looked back and he could see her silhouetted in the darkness. There wasn't much light, but he still knew she was watching him cross the yard. It filled his heart with happiness. Maybe.
As Scarlett walked up the stairs, she sighed. She wished she could be as involved with Steven as she was with Rhett. As she had always been with him.