Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews, I see lots of you are reading the story! I'm excited it has been so well received, the next chapters are going to jump to Christmas, when it will really take off! I live in New Orleans, and I have personally eaten these foods at home and in restaurants, so this is a typical brunch items served at The COUrt of the Two sisters, ENjoy!

Saturday was a dismal cloudy day, and the threat of more cold weather was upon Atlanta. Scarlett slept longer than usual, and was awoken by Mammy insisting she have hot tea and a bowl of fruit to hold her over until eleven o'clock.

"I'll just eat the apples. The food is going to be wonderful, you will see me eat a week's worth of food today."

"Miz Scarlett, don't you go makin' a glutton of yo'self."

"Would you rather I not eat? Now, hurry and do my hair up."

Mammy dutifully got to work, as she bit into her first slice of apple. Prissy hurried in with a thick wad of mail, and Scarlett took them from her glancing at each address, and tossing them on her vanity.

"Anybody write?"

"Nobody of importance. Aunt Pauline sent me a letter, I'll read it later. And a pile of bills."

"Miz Scarlett, ain't you wondering what kind of yo' Aunt Pauline has from CHarleston?"

"Not now, Mammy. It will ruin my day, one way or the other. I'll think about it later."

Mammy huffed, and was disappointed she would have to wait. Scarlett busied herself with applying her rouge, and perfume and the tiniest of earrings and her pearl broach as Mammy fluffed out the bustle and petticoats of her dress.

AFter Scarlett was dressed she looked at Mammy, "Now, go on and get your Sunday dress on and meet me downstairs."

Mammy looked with a frown at Scarlett as she waved her away. "What now, Mammy?"

"I hear about that dark lady from Pork, you know she's black."

"She is only partly black, in New Orleans, she is a lady of color."

"She got the same blood as me, and she's no better than me. I ain't goin' in her house and callin' her Miz Pilar."

"Mammy, you sound as stupid as India Wilkes!"

"I ain't as stupid as you, Miz Scarlett. You don't know a black woman when you sees her."

"She is only a little black, and she is married to a white man, a German man."

"WHat's that?"

"He is a white man, from a country named Germany, it's around France."

"Is that so? Well, if I go to New Orleans, they let me marry a white man?"

"If you want to, Mammy, I can ask her if she has a grandfather?"

"Miz Scarlett, stop making jokes. I bein' smart to tell yo' gonna get in all kinds of troubles."

"I'm already in trouble. I enjoy her company and her husband is a successive Captain, and they are very well off."

"Mules in hawrse harnesses, huh?"

"Mammy, scoot along it get dressed, I'm hungry."

Just as Jonah brought the carriage around, Mammy came down the stairs with her head hung down. Scarlett smiled at seeing that Mammy made an effort, even though her judgement was against this whole venture. Scarlett gave Mammy a gray and navy woolen shawl, and she smiled, "That one you came from Tara with was almost thread bare, probably Suellen's old one from the wartime. I used this one last year, and it is very heavy, heavier than what I need."

Mammy nodded a thank you and climbed in the carriage with her lamb.

Pilar's house was in a newer part of town, which was farther away from the center of town, but it was a brand new home with pale yellow clapboard siding and surrounded bay windows with a dark green trim. The porch was wide and wrapped around the house, and would be cheerful in the spring when the azalea bushes bloom.

Pilar's butler, took their shawls and gloves at the door and led Scarlett into the sitting room which was various shades of cream and yellow with red and pink accents from the tiny embroidered flowers on the pillows. Even on a dreary day, the sitting room was bright and airy.

"Hello, and welcome Scarlett, and Mammy. That is not your real name?"

Scarlett looked at Mammy, who's eyes were huge with insult and shock. Nobody had ever asked such a question to her. Mammy was her title she was proud of and took pride in being her charges' Mammy. She had given up her real name years ago.

Scarlett intervened, "We have called her Mammy all my life. She cared for my Mother, and me and my own little girl."

Pilar smiled, "Well, Mammy it is, if you don't mind?"

Mammy just nodded, silently.

Scarlett sat down looked around, "Mammy has been dying to meet your Nereesa, where can she find her?"

Pilar smiled, "Of course, Amos, can you please bring Mammy to visit with Nereesa."

The butler motioned to Mammy as she followed the gray haired gentleman through the hallway to the kitchen, as the door opened the scent of spices wafted through the air, and Scarlett's stomach growled.

Pilar smiled, "I hope you are hungry, Nereesa is out doing herself."

"Oh, yes, I have thought of nothing but those crepes for days."

The women laughed, and Pilar's eyes were sparkling with excitement, and she leaned in toward Scarlett, "Mr. Lang is coming home this week, I have missed him so much. I'm just glad he will be with me for Christmas. I visit Johanna everyday, and I miss her too much."

Scarlett nodded, "I understand, was she your only child?"

"Actually, I had a little boy, Javier, he would have been three this January. He died just days after birth, he was very small, and not very strong. Then it was just a few years later, I had my Johanna, she was such a robust and healthy baby. But as soon as we arrived her, within days she came down with the measles, I think she caught it on the train. ANd she was gone in a few days."

Scarlett could see in the woman's eyes, she desired more children, but considering her age, Scarlett asked, "Do you want more children?"

"Of course, I would love to give my husband a son. His first two sons were killed in the war, and the son who has survived is quite distant, but his daughter is very close to him. How about you?"

"I would love to have another child, if my husband would want to, but you see he has taken the death of my daughter quite hard. I had a fall, and I lost another baby two years ago. The doctor assures me that I would do fine to have another, but it is up to my husband."

"I see, and you have taken the second baby's lost hard yourself, no?"

"Oh, both children. I hardly left my room after Bonnie's accident, and I was so angry."

"I can see in your eyes, when you talk about your fall, you are on the verge of tears."

"It was an extremely difficult time, but enough of this, tell me what have you been up to these few days."

Pilat was taken aback by the abrupt change of subject, but being a pleasant hostess followed her guest's lead, and started to discuss how she had received several invitations for donations to Confederate this or that funds, and as soon as her husband came home, he would want to give to help these causes. Pilar gave a chuckle when she thought of attending some of these functions, but of course she knew she couldn't.

"Why not?" asked Scarlett, "You are giving good money, you should attend at least one, let me see the invitations. I have gotten them, too."

Scarlett thumbed through the ivory and grey cards, throwing the boring ones aside and stacking the nicer ones in a stack, and handed them to Pilar, "Here these are the best events."

Pilar looked at the small stack, "Only three?"

"Yes, theses are the ones that have the best in Atlanta's business men. What business is your husband in?"

"Well, he wants to use Cuba as a stopover for items from Europe as well as Cuban items like tobacco, sugar and rum, and import them to the East coast at a better cost to the saloons, stores, and customers."

Scarlett nodded her head, "Very good idea, well you will want to make the Christmas Ball, its at the hotel, and nobody's house. The house parties are the worst."

Pilar laughed, "I hope you will join us?"

Scarlett hadn't even thought of going, without Rhett, "I'll have to see if my husband is able to come home."

"If not, we can escort you, we may have a group of people joining us for Christmas. My husband wants to start shipping the day after the new year."

Amos stood at the door, "Madame, your dinner is ready."

Pilar led Scarlett into the pale gray and taupe dining room, that was adorned by white washed french style table and chairs, and a long buffer table with plates and plates of food. The smell ranged from spicy, sweet, and pungent. The windows were adorned with pale rose velvet curtains, and the table had the same color candles in crystal candelabras.

Pilar handed Scarlett a plate, and smiled, "Take whatever you would like, if you need me to explain what everything is?"

"Everything smells so wonderful, I want a bit of everything, there is so much!"

"Well, after we eat, and retire to the parlor, my servants will eat, and I do want to give you a plate to take home."

Scarlett almost fainted, did she really say she could take food home.

"Why thank you," blushed Scarlett.

Pilat smiled, "Well, I would like to send a plate for your cook to try."

"Oh," was all Scarlett could answer, ashamed of her greediness.

There was grits, and veal steaks called grillades in a tomato gravy, them the rice pancakes called "callas" with two kinds of fruit compote, soft boiled eggs with a yellow spicy sauce called Hollandais, and of course crepes, wrapped around a strawberry and sugar filling topped with whipped cream. Scarlett took a taste of everything, and it was the first time in weeks, she had cleaned her plate. As she finished the second cup of coffee, Pilar stood up, and asked, "Would you like anything else?"

Scarlett didn't answer but stared, "What?"

Pilar smiled, "I'm going for another callas, would you like anything else?"

Scarlett smiled, her sweet tooth begging her, "I do believe I will get another crepe, those strawberries are divine."

As they retired to the parlor, Scarlett felt pleasantly full, even though her stomach ached against her stays as she sat down. Pilar smiled, "I don't eat like that everyday, but on Saturday, i like to have a nice breakfast."

Scarlett laughed, "I was just thinking, I would never fit in my clothes if I ate like that everyday."

Pilar smiled, and took a deep breathe seeing her friend had lightened up since the first time she met her. She watched as Scarlett went on about how she adored the breakfast, and she had not eaten the grillades on her trip to New Orleans, and she wondered how this tiny woman could carry so much pain, but she enjoyed her company, so she didn't pry.

"Scarlett, would you like to take a walk in the park with me, while our servants eat?"

Scarlett nodded, and then added, "It's such a dreary day."

"I know, but I need to get out and stretch my legs."

Amos ordered the carriage, and the ladies were dropped off at the square.

The two figures in black headed through the path to the duck pond. The park was quite empty except for a few boys who ran through the park with bike and heavily wrapped up in coats and scarves. The two ladies stood by the pond watching the ducks and swans piddling around the pond. One of the boys left the group and approached the two women, "Excuse me, Ma'am, aren't you Mrs. Butler?"

Scarlett smiled, "Why, yes, am I. And who are you?"

"I go to school with Beau Wilkes, are you his Aunt?"

"Yes, Beau will be back at school on Monday."

"Is he still sad?"

"Yes, but he is doing better. He cannot wait to see his friends again."

"I miss him, too. He does my homework for me, and I have been getting poor marks since he's been home."

Scarlett wanted to scream at this nasty little boy, but she said, "Don't worry, I'll be sure to talk to Beau and his father about this."

The boy turned and ran away with his friends.

Pilar laughed, "Beau? You have a nephew?"

"My first marriage, his mother is my dear friend who died a few weeks ago."

"Oh, I see. Those lillies were lovely at the cemetary, she liked lavendar?"

"Yes, she was a lovely person," Scarlett's throat clenched.

Pilar got quiet, and let Scarlett have her moment, and then Scarlett went on, "Melanie was my only friend, she stood up for me to those old bats and greyhounds."

Pilar nodded, "I see she was a very special person. I hear people talk about her in town, she was a very beloved citizen."

Scarlett could not stop the tears, as they started to roll down her cheeks, and nodded,"She was."

Pilar stroked Scarlett's arm, "Oh, dear, I'm sorry that I upset you. Let's go back."

Scarlett wiped the tears and shook her head, "I'm alright. I just miss her, and I wasn't always fair with her. You see, I knew her husband in childhood, and I loved the man I imagined in my mind, but he-he."

Pilar took Scarlett into her embraced and hugged her, the human contact overwhelmed Scarlett and her trickle of tears turned into sobs, and she couldn't find the words to talk anymore. Pilar walked Scarlett back to the carriage, and the traveled back to Pilar's house.

"Scarlett, I know you loved and missed your friend, why else would you be so upset?"

"Pilar, you don't know the whole-"

"I don't want to know, I just know that you are a very nice and understanding person. We have all made mistakes in our life, and your grieving for your friend, so much so that you loved her, even if you had grand ideas about her husband. Can I ask, how did he feel about you? Did he know you loved him?"

Scarlett's eyes hardened still wet with tears, "He knew," she coughed, "And he had feelings for me, but not honorable."

Pilar pursed her lips, "I see, did he ever-"

"No," it was a swift answer, "He just talked and talked, and I believed him."

"I think you are angry, angry with yourself. But you are very young, and so inexperienced with the world."

Scarlett wiped her eyes, and gave a little laugh, "Mr. Butler wouldn't agree with you."

"Did he know about ?"

Scarlett sighed and rolled her eyes, "Did he? Yes! That's why he's gone."

Pilar shook her head, how had this lady been through so much, she was ashamed of her sheltered life, seeing this poor soul, "Has he written?"

"No, and I doubt he will."

Pilar clasped her hands, and her smiling dark eyes reminded Scarlett of Melanie, "Well, you can always spend CHristmas with us. You know you won't go hungry."

Scarlett laughed inspite of her grief, "Isn't that the truth."

When the arrived back at Pilar's house, Scarlett heard Mammy's laugh, and was relieved she had a pleasant time. Scarlett took her fur shawl and put on her gloves as she waited for Jonah to bring the carriage around. Mammy carried two large plates wrapped in cheesecloth as Amos helped her on with her new shawl.

Pilar and Scarlett said their goodbyes, and promised to have tea next week at the National Hotel. Once in the carriage, the smells from the plates permeated the air.

"Did you have a nice time, Miz Scarlett?"

"Yes, Mammy, Pilar is a lovely person, how about you?"

"Her cook, she talks like the Robillard's with that accent, I felt like I was twenty again in Savannah, and that food was so good."

"Yes, it was."

"You didn't make a pig of yo'self?"

"Of course not, "Scarlett answered shifting her eyes.

"Miz Scarlett?"

"Well, she asked me to take a second crepe. Pilar ate three callas."

Mammy shook her head, would this girl ever learn?

Scarlett was stuffed but the smell of the grillades beaconed her, and she smiled at Mammy, "Do you think, we could give one plate to Cookies and Prissy, and we could have the second plate?"

"Naw, Miz SCarlett, that is positively bad of you. No, besides, Jonah knows about the two plates, he gonna tell on us."

Scarlett pouted, and sighed sitting back in the seat, then she smiled, "What if we offer him a callas?"

Mammy laughed, "Oh he like those grillades, fo'sure."