Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Eight

Once again when Rhett knocked on the door to Hamilton House, he was loaded down with presents. Uncle Peter had simply taken the box of books from Rhett and led him into the parlor. Rhett put his presents down on the tea table and Uncle Peter had placed the box of books down next to the table.

When Rhett had walked through the door, Scarlett had stood up to greet him. She said, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I wanted to surprise you."

"A very nice surprise it is."

Melanie had stood up also and said, "How nice to see you, Mr. Butler. You are here just in time for our birthday celebration. We are going to have it on the seventeenth."

"Then next year we will have it on the eighteenth."

"You must come to supper and celebrate with us."

"That is why I have come for a visit, is to celebrate you lovely ladies' birthdays," Rhett placed two jars on the tea table and continued, "I didn't know if you could get flour or sugar, so I brought you some for the cake. All you have to do is find a couple of eggs."

"Easier said than done."

PittyPat said, "If you offer to give the Meades some of the cake, I think Cora will give you a couple of eggs."

"Great idea."

"Tell Mrs. Meade that I will give her husband some medical supplies for two eggs."

"Thank you, Rhett."

"Go ahead and open your presents."

"Which one goes to who?"

"This one is Miss PittyPat's, this one is Wade's, this one is yours Miss Melly, and this one is yours Scarlett."

"Thank you, Rhett."

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Butler."

When Wade had heard his name, his head had shot up. He had walked over to the tea table. Scarlett had put her present down and had picked up his. She said to the little boy, "Uncle Rhett has brought you a present. Would you like to open it?" The little boy nodded his head. She continued, "Pull on this paper right here."

With a lot of help from Scarlett, Wade got the wrapping off of the toy. It was a spinning top. Scarlett showed the boy how it worked but he was content to let Scarlett do all the spinning. When she attempted to give the boy the top. He squawked at that decision.

Rhett said, "Let me spin it for him while you open your present."

Without any embarrassment Rhett sat down on the floor next to Wade and spun the toy for the boy repeatedly.

Melanie said, "Thank you, Mr. Butler, this is beautiful material."

Melly's fabric was blue with tiny flowers on it.

"You're welcome. There's some thread and straight pins in the package also."

"And hairpins also. Thank you."

"Rhett, this material is beautiful."

Scarlett's material was a dove gray material.

Rhett said, "Your welcome. Next time I come I will bring you some material to match your hat."

With a smile, Scarlett said, "I would rather have fabric to make a few petticoats out of next."

"Of course. I have some more of your profits," He got his wallet out and took out five twenties. He handed them to Scarlett. He said, "Here you go."

"Thank you, Rhett."

While Rhett had been giving Scarlett the money, he had stopped spinning the top. Wade was happy to tell him of his failure. Rhett was not so negligent again. He stayed for an hour. He accepted when Scarlett asked him to supper the next night. When she walked him to the front door, he kissed her again several times. She backed off and opened the front door. She said, "Good night, Rhett."

"Good night, Scarlett."

Rhett escorted the ladies of Hamilton House to several social events. He did not hesitate to offer his point of view on the war. He was mocking at times, but he wasn't insulting or rude to the other people. He would often say, "I have been against the war from the beginning. I think our politicians should have found another way to resolve our differences with the North over the issue of slavery. Although I do hope the South wins the war."

Rhett thought, 'The South has no more of a chance of winning the war than the sun coming up in the West.' But he kept that thought to himself.

On Rhett's last night in Atlanta, he said, "Will you be going to Tara to celebrate your birthday?"

"No, I will wait and go for two weeks at the beginning of May. My mother's birthday is May the eighth. She has told me that the only thing she wants for her birthday is for her to get to see Wade."

"That is nice. You know you can deliver that."

"True. When do you think you might be back?"

"The end of June or the first of July."

"I will look forward to your visit."

Rhett smiled smugly. Scarlett thought, 'He is so conceited, but I guess he has reasons to be."

When Scarlett walked Rhett to the door, he kissed her passionately and she responded as passionately.

As Rhett was walking to the Satin Slipper, he thought about Scarlett's response to him when he had kissed her. That pleased him very much. He thought, 'I am glad Scarlett is so passionate. I want a passionate woman for my wife. No! Not wife! Mistress.'

Rhett refused to think about that thought but deep in his heart he knew he would never be satisfied with Scarlett as just his mistress. He could never take the chance of her leaving him. He could never disrespect her by even asking her to be his mistress.

Rhett played some poker and won enough money to purchase the services of one of the whores. It was getting harder and harder to win that much money. Not that his skills were lacking but because nobody had any money to bet with. There also weren't a lot of men in Atlanta available to play poker with.

Rhett didn't mind taking the time to come see Scarlett for not only did he get to see her but the profits for his goods were greater in Atlanta because not many blockade runners would come this much inland. Most of the men sold their goods to another man and he resold the goods at a profit.

All of Rhett's captains turned their goods over to Harold Berman, his business partner. They were paid a lump sum for the goods and Harold resold them. That is what Rhett did also except when he was going to go to Atlanta.

Scarlett went to Tara the first of May. She had invited Melly to go with her. She could visit with her in-laws. Melly had turned her down stating, "We both can't be away from the hospital. What would the doctors do without both of us."

"True. I will be back before the fifteenth."

"Alright."

When Gerald picked Scarlett, Wade, and Prissy up in Jonesboro, he picked Wade up and hugged the boy. He then carried his grandson out to the buggy. He gave the boy back to his mother only because he had to drive the buggy.

This was strange to Scarlett. Usually, they drove the coach into Jonesboro because it was so much more comfortable than the buggy. After they were settled in the buggy and on the road to Tara, Scarlett said, "Why didn't you bring the coach?"

"The buggy is easier for me to drive."

"Why did you just not make Abner drive you?"

"He ran off."

"He ran off?"

"Yes, about a fourth of the slaves have run off. Everyone is having that same problem. We don't have enough men available to truly search for them. Some we capture but most we don't. We are just lucky that most of the rest of them have stayed."

"I guess."

"We barely have enough laborers to work the fields. I have even let the wilderness take back some of the cleared fields."

"Oh Pa."

"Not that it really matters. Nobody is buying cotton because nobody can get it to England. I hope this war ends soon."

"Me too, Pa. It is dreadful to see, all the boys who have been injured. So many have lost their limbs."

"I'm sure it is, Puss. You don't have to stay in Atlanta. You can come home."

"No, I have to do my part, Pa. It would have been what Charlie wanted."

"Of course."

As soon as they got to Tara, Gerald got out of the buggy and took Wade back into his arms. He then helped Scarlett out of the buggy. Prissy got herself out of the buggy. Scarlett smiled at her maid and said to her, "Go find your mother."

With a big smile, Prissy said, "Thank you, Miss Scarlett." The maid then ran into the house.

Father, daughter, and grandson walked into the house. Ellen was scurrying down the hallway. She, at least, had the good manners to hug Scarlett first then she took Wade out of her husband's arms. Scarlett knew that Wade would be held frequently for the next two weeks. She just hoped the boy would tolerate it. She thought he probably would because he could sit on the floor and play with his toys for hours. She smiled that was the Charles Hamilton in him. As a child she could never sit still. The only time she could was when she had to sit with Melly after Melly had an asthma attack.

Scarlett enjoyed her time at Tara. She updated everyone on what was happening with the war. On May the eighth, Scarlett gave the cook, Liberty, the last of the flour and sugar that Rhett had brought her for her cake.

Over supper that night, Ellen said, "Scarlett, I received a letter from a Mrs. Bonner. She wrote that you have already started receiving a gentleman caller."

"It is proper for me to start receiving a gentleman caller."

"Although that is correct. It would have looked better if you had waited another year."

"I probably would have waited another year or more if I hadn't met Rhett. He is my business partner, sort of. He is Rhett Butler, the famed blockade runner. Mr. Butler and I met at that barbecue at Twelve Oaks the day the war started. He had eaten dinner with our group and through the course of the meal I had found out that when the war started, he was going to run the blockade if there was one. He was in the shipping business, so he already had five ships. Last time he was in Atlanta he mentioned that he was going to try to buy another ship."

"Mrs. Bonner wrote that you have been seen frequently in his company."

"Yes, with Melly and Aunt PittyPat also. He comes to Atlanta to sell his goods and Melly and I thought it would only be polite to invite him to the social functions going on in Atlanta while he was there. Mr. Butler has brought us items that we cannot get anymore, like hairpins which I have shared with you all. He brought me flour and sugar to make a birthday cake for Melly and me. What I had leftover I brought down here to share with you all. That is why we will be eating birthday cake tonight. He has also brought medical supplies to Atlanta and given them to Dr. Meade. He is just a genuinely nice man."

Scarlett knew that Rhett was not a nice man although he had been nice to her and Melly. She had seen him too many times be teasing and mocking usually to her.

Ellen said, "Where did you get the money to invest in Mr. Butler's business?"

"I have saved every dollar I have ever been given."

"Why would you do that?"

"I don't know why I did it. I just felt that I would need a lot of money one day. You know I get these feelings all the time."

"Yes, I do."

"I have learned over time to trust those feelings."

"Have your feelings ever been wrong?"

"No."

"Alright. We will let you return to Atlanta."

"I do want to point out that as of June thirtieth I will have been a widow for two years. At that time, I can start wearing gray and maroon. I can also start receiving gentlemen callers even by your standards."

"That is true. Maybe I will send Mammy with you to keep an eye on you."

"I would enjoy having Mammy with me in Atlanta. I am not doing anything wrong."

"I will talk with Mammy about it."

In the end Prissy was the maid that returned to Atlanta with Scarlett. Ellen decided she didn't want to do without Mammy. Mammy ran her household while she ran the plantation. And Scarlett was a proper, young lady. She had never done anything really questionable since she came back from the finishing school. Ellen was so immensely proud of her.