Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When Rhett and Scarlett returned to the dining room, Jade was looking at Rhett warily. In truth, everyone was looking at him warily. He felt such regret. Scarlett came around the table and picked the girl up. She then sat down with the child on her lap. She said, "Jade, Honey, I want you to meet your Daddy."
Jade looked at Rhett and shrank back into her mother. Scarlett said to Rhett, "She can sometimes be a little bit shy. She just needs to get to know you. Her name is Elizabeth Katie. I named her for your mother and myself. Within a month, much like Bonnie she had a new name. Wade had said, 'Her eyes are the color of jade and suddenly she had a new name.'
Soon Scarlett had coaxed the little girl to sit in her chair by herself and she was happily chatting with everyone. Rhett thought she spoke amazingly clearly. Bonnie had never spoke that clearly. Rhett had usually understood her, but strangers never could. He could understand everything Jade said. At one point she said something that no one understood. Scarlett had smiled and said, "Try that again without all the food in your mouth." Jade had swallowed the food in her mouth. She then repeated what she had said, and it was as clear as a bell.
Wade and Ella ignored Rhett as much as they could. Rhett tried to engage them in conversation, but they wanted nothing to do with him. The worst part was he knew nothing about them or their lives now. Scarlett had tried to help him by talking about her children's accomplishments. It didn't help. They would answer his questions in as few words as possible.
As Rhett looked at his stepchildren, he admitted to himself that Scarlett was a much better mother than he had ever given her credit for. Her children were poised, polite, and self-assured. He wondered in that moment if he had guided her instead of insulted her would she have been this kind of mother to Bonnie. He wondered if he had ever given her a chance to be Bonnie's mother would she have surprised him with her ability. Rhett would have been gratified to know that the answer to his questions would have been no. It took him leaving Scarlett and her losing her child to make her grow up and to make her appreciate her children. It had been the fear of him steeling Jade away from her that had made her cherish everyday with the child and by extension Wade and Ella.
Scarlett said, "Rhett, I can't wait for you to hear Ella sing. She has the most beautiful voice."
Ella had turned to Rhett. He saw the first smile on Ella's face. She said with a lot of pride, "I sang a solo at church last week."
"Which church do you attend?"
Ella had looked at her mother. Scarlett said, "St. Mark's. With Elizabeth and Rosemary," Scarlett turned to Elizabeth and said, "I will start calling you Mother."
"I would like that for you are like a daughter to me."
Rhett said to his mother and Rosemary with a big smile, "You two must have been sweating bullets when I talked about joining you for church last Sunday."
Nobody but Rosemary and Elizabeth understood what he meant but now was not the time to explain. Rosemary said, "That would be an understatement."
Rosemary, Elizabeth, and Rhett had laughed.
Rhett said, "We shall all go together next Sunday."
"You don't believe in God."
"But I now want to believe because I want to believe Bonnie is in heaven."
"Very well, Dear. We shall all go together."
Jade said, "Who is Bonnie?"
Scarlett said, "I will explain later."
As Rhett walked Scarlett to the door, he whispered in her ear, "I know I never told you my mother's name. Why did you really name her Elizabeth?"
Scarlett turned and smiled her mischievous smile. She said, "For Queen Elizabeth of England."
As Scarlett put Jade to bed she said, "Bonnie was your older sister. She was born between you and Ella. Tragically she died. Your daddy was so devastated by her death that he had to go away."
"Alright."
Scarlett knew that while four-year-old Jade would accept that explanation sixteen-year-old Jade would not. They would cross that bridge when they got to it.
The next morning, Rhett went to see Mr. Mobbs. The lawyer asked, "How can I help you?"
"I need to change my will again. I have found my wife. She is living here in Charleston with our children. Everything goes to my wife, if she dies before me everything goes to my children Wade Hampton Hamilton, Ella Lorena Kennedy, and Elizabeth Katie Butler. Then my sister and then my brother."
At the end of the week, Rhett signed the new will and testament. He left the lawyer's office and called at Scarlett's townhouse.
After Scarlett and Rhett were seated in the parlor, he handed her the copy of his will. He said, "I left everything to you. This is not dependent on you taking me back. This is simply because I never want you to have to marry anyone for money again."
"Oh Rhett. You know I didn't marry you for the money."
"I know that now. You married me because I was your best friend."
"You were my only friend. And because I loved you. I just didn't know it."
"I know. I was such a stupid man."
"Rhett."
Rhett went on like Scarlett hadn't spoken, if he responded to the anguish in her voice, he would not be able to go on. He said, "Besides that, I know you will take care of everyone else. You always have no matter how much I wanted you to shake those leeches off."
"Oh Rhett."
"Give me a real kiss then I will be on my way."
"Of course, my dear."
Rhett kissed her like he had when he had proposed but then he left. He knew he had a long way to go before she would take him back. He considered it a small miracle she was even talking to him. He had treated her so badly and that was before he called her an ugly word, questioned her faithfulness, stole her child away from her, and allow that child to die.
As Scarlett walked Rhett to the door, she said, "Will you come to supper?"
"Of course. I will come to supper every time you invite me."
"Let's just consider it a standing invitation. Unless I am having supper at my mother-in-law's."
"I will be having supper at my mother's if you are there."
That night over supper, Scarlett said, "Rhett, you need to add a provision to your will making Rosemary the guardian of our children in case we were to both die."
As Rhett looked at the other people at the dining room table, he could not help but notice all the hopeful faces, Rosemary's most of all. He said, "Of course, if Rosemary is willing to accept the guardianship. It isn't easy raising children. Rosemary?"
"I would be honored."
"No, we are the ones that are honored."
Rhett did start courting Scarlett in the conventional sense. He had supper with the family every night. Most of the time his mother and sister were there also. His mother and sister made the table conversation easier for there were fewer awkward silences. Once a month Rhett would take Scarlett out to supper. That was one of the few times they went out alone. Rhett knew he wasn't just courting Scarlett but in reality, he was courting the entire family.
Rhett joined Scarlett, Rosemary, and Wade when they went to the traveling lecturers. When they were coming back from the lecture was when Wade was the most relaxed around Rhett. When Wade was discussing the lecture, he would forget that he was mad at Rhett. Rhett had bought circus tickets for the entire family, and they had all gone. When a traveling opera show came to Charleston, Rhett took the entire family. As they were going home, Rhett said, "Ella, you are a good enough singer to do that when you grow up." Ella had beamed. Every time Rhett and Scarlett parted ways, he would kiss her cheek. Occasionally if they were alone, he would kiss her lips, but he never did anything more or asked for anything more.
After Rhett started courting their mother, Wade and Ella had another conversation about him. Ella said, "What are we going to do?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing to help him. Nothing to hurt him. We will just watch the situation."
"I know Mother wants to take him back."
"But she won't until she is sure he is trustworthy. We have to trust in Mother."
"We always have."
"And we always will."
Wade and Ella had been released from the house and were once again visiting their friends. Much to Scarlett's happiness everyone was still receiving the children although their friends were not allowed to come to Scarlett's home anymore.
When the family had entered St. Mark's the next Sunday there was a collective gasp from the other worshippers. Yet people still spoke to Scarlett, Elizabeth, and Rosemary while ignoring Rhett. Rhett behaved himself and didn't force himself into the conversation. He did make a comment every now and then but when it was ignored, he accepted it.
Rhett went out and bought a horse and a sailboat. He was finally settling down. He named the sailboat The Katie. He had thought about naming it The Bonnie but remembering Scarlett's words of him always choosing Bonnie over her, he had named the sailboat after her instead. Scarlett was so pleased. Rhett smiled at her happiness. Rhett felt Bonnie would have wanted this for her mother.
Rhett hoped he was living in Charleston the rest of his life which made him smile at the irony of the situation. In his youth he couldn't get out of Charleston quick enough. Now he knew there was no better place in the world. As long as Scarlett was there, of course.
Rhett had always enjoyed sailing. Some of his happiest memories were of him, his brother, and his father sailing. Rhett decided that his anger at his father was dissipating. All his sailing memories were happy memories.
Everyone in Charleston was talking about Rhett and Scarlett Butler. Everyone knew that they were seeing each other socially. Everyone also knew that Rhett was still living with his mother. The ladies would not call on Scarlett anymore although they would still receive her.
Two weeks later when the family was walking into St. Mark's, Scarlett said to Jade, "Let Daddy carry you. You are getting too heavy for Mother to carry."
When Jade easily went into Rhett's arms, he had felt he had just been given the greatest gift of love by both Scarlett and Jade.
Wade and Ella were remaining cool and aloof. They were polite and courteous but that was all. Rhett was not surprised that Wade was not thawing towards him, but he was kind of amazed that Ella with her gentle heart wasn't thawing towards him. Rhett would have been surprised to know that even though Ella was just four years old at the time she still vividly remembered how horrible their life had been in Atlanta especially compared to how wonderful their life was in Charleston.
The worst part of all was that Rhett's baby girl undeniably preferred Scarlett to him. He guessed much the same way Bonnie had preferred him to her mother. It hurt Rhett probably the same way Bonnie's preference had hurt Scarlett. Yet unlike Rhett Scarlett hadn't bought Jade's love, she had earned Jade's love and devotion by being a good mother.
What also hurt Rhett was half the time Jade would call him Uncle Rhett. He knew she was doing that because Wade and Ella called him that. Scarlett would always kindly say, "No, Jade, he is your daddy."
Nonetheless, Rhett was overjoyed. He was so incredibly happy that Scarlett had not gotten rid of the child. That Scarlett had moved heaven and earth to make sure his daughter was received. In a pragmatic moment, Rhett knew that if his going away was what was best for his daughter, he would do it.
Rhett was just going to consider himself lucky that Scarlett was considering letting him live with her and her children again. She had definitely been right. The last time they had lived together had been hell for everyone.
All the children and Scarlett loved to go out on the sailboat. Wade had volunteered to help Rhett with the sails. Rhett was pleased. It was a baby step toward reconciliation with Wade.
A month after finding out about Jade, Rhett asked Scarlett to let him speak to Wade and Ella privately and she had. Once Wade and Ella were seated in the parlor and the door was shut, Rhett said, "I want to tell both of you how sorry I am for abandoning you five years ago. I want to tell you both how much I regret my behavior while we were living in Atlanta. I am sorry I repeatedly said unkind things to hurt your mother's feelings."
Wade interrupted to say, "Unkind? What an understatement? Try cruel and hateful comments."
With an embarrassed look on his face, Rhett said, "Yes, cruel and hateful would be more accurate but I am deeply sorry for my words and my actions."
They were quiet for a minute. When Wade realized, Rhett wasn't going to say anymore, he said, "And?"
"And what?"
"Don't you want to apologize for taking Bonnie away and allowing her to die?"
Rhett sucked in his breath. He would never have thought Wade would be so cruel. Rhett looked at Ella and Wade's emotionless faces and dead eyes.
Rhett said, "I am extremely sorry that I took Bonnie away from her family. I will regret until my dying day that I let my daughter try that jump."
They were quiet again for a couple of minutes. At last, Ella said, "Was that all?"
"Yes."
Rhett watched Wade and Ella leave the parlor without a goodbye and without a backward glance. He smiled at the memory of thinking that getting back on Wade and Ella's good sides was going to be easy. It was going to be harder than getting received back in Charleston. In fact, he knew now that Wade and Ella were going to be the hardest people to get to forgive him.