Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Once Scarlett, Wade, and Kenny were at the buggy, she put Kenny in his Moses basket. Wade sat close beside Scarlett and held the handles of the basket. Scarlett knew that if Kenny was sliding out of the buggy, once Wade felt the tug he would let go. After all he would just be four in a couple of weeks. Therefore, Scarlett drove the buggy slowly back to their home. Nothing could happen to Kenny. Rhett would just die if something happened to his child.

Scarlett decided that she would have to hire another nursemaid. Not only to help Mammy but to ride with her when she took the children places. No. She would make Rhett finally buy them a carriage. They needed a carriage anyway. If Rhett thought his baby was in danger riding in the buggy, he would have a carriage bought the next day.

The Butler men went out to look at the houses. Typical of a 19th century man's attitude, it never occurred to either Robert or Marshall to take his wife with him to help him choose their future home. It didn't occur to Rhett either to take Daphne or his mother with them house hunting. Ironically, Rhett would never have bought a house without Scarlett giving the abode her seal of approval.

The men had eight to look at. All eight houses were about the same size. The houses were long and narrow. All the bedrooms were off a common hallway with the parlor, kitchen, and dining room on the other side. Some of them had three bedrooms, some had four bedrooms, some had a library, most did not.

Marshall, finally decided on one that was a three bedroom with a library. He said, "Elizabeth will like the color. What color is that? Purple? I don't know if I am going to like living this close to my neighbors.

Robert said, "I know I am not going to like that at all. It was what I didn't like about being in the townhouse. All the people."

Rhett laughed and said, "I like all those people being around me."

"I guess that is why you hated living in the country. There was no place for your bevy of female worshippers to loiter."

Rhett laughed and said, "I don't need all that now. I have Scarlett. Scarlett who adores me."

"But she doesn't think you walk on water."

"No, she just thinks I am a man, a stupid man at times, in fact. I kind of like it. She always will keep me on my toes."

"I'm glad you finally found a good woman, Rhett."

"Me too, Robert. Now which house do you want to buy?"

"I will buy the four-bedroom, green house without a library. I am not going to have time for reading or money for buying books. I will just have to mooch off of you. While I undoubtably will probably have another child."

Rhett laughed and said, "We will talk later. As soon as I get through reading any of my books, you can have them." In his mind, he added, 'As soon as Scarlett gets through reading them that is.'

"I will just read them and bring them back when I am finished with them."

"What are you going to do about your children's education?"

"Daphne will just keep tutoring them as she has been doing since Bobby turned six. It was in the middle of the war so there was nowhere for her to find a tutor for him. I heard the Republicans are opening up some public schools. I will look into that."

"Good idea."

The two houses the men had chosen were a few blocks apart. Marshall's house was on Avenue M and Robert's house was on Second Street. All three Butlers homes were within walking distance from each other. The Wilkeses home was probably farthest away from the group, but it was a close walk to Ashley's work. The Wilkeses' rental house was on Fifth Street, and it was a half of block away from Perry Stone's office. That is why Ashley picked it. So, he would not have to walk extremely far to get to work.

Gerald's store was on Fourth Street. It was in between the Wilkeses home and Rhett and Scarlett's home. Any of them could easily walk to any of the others home.

The Butler men dropped into Perry's office and Rhett said, "Is Mr. Stone available to see me… us?"

"Not right now, Rhett. He has a client with him right this minute."

When the client came out of Perry's office, it was a beautiful woman with a shapely figure. She took in all the men in the room in less than a minute. Her eyes returned to Rhett. As much as Rhett wanted to bask in this woman's admiration, he kept the smile off his face. He turned his attention to his shoes that suddenly became the most interesting things in the world. No, he could not disrespect Scarlett by showing this woman admiration especially here in front of her old suitor, his father, and his brother. Soon he heard the woman leaving the office.

Ashley said, "Let me check and see if Mr. Stone is ready to see you."

Rhett looked at Ashley and said, "Thank you."

Nobody said anything for a few seconds until Robert said, "Does that happen to you all the time?"

"What?"

"You know what?"

Rhett smiled his charismatic smile and said, "With almost every woman but Scarlett. She was the first woman I wanted who didn't want me instantly."

"I guess you wore her down."

"Yeah, somehow by the grace of God she fell in love with me."

Just then Ashley came out of Perry's office with some papers in his hands. As he walked to his desk, without looking at the men, Ashley said, "Mr. Stone will see you now."

Rhett, Robert, and Marshall walked into Mr. Stone's office. Marshall shut the door. Perry said, "Let me get another chair for you Mr. Butler."

Marshall replied, "No, thank you. Let's just get our business taken care of so I can get back to my business."

"What kind of business do you own?"

"I own The Smuggler's Cove."

The statement was incongruent with the man standing before Perry. The man had the regal bearing of all the great kings of Europe. When Marshall saw the man's eyes widen, he smiled and said, "I have recently changed professions. I was a Charleston planter and now I am a saloon owner. We all have to do what we have to do in these troubled times."

Rhett said, "We would like to make an offer on the house on Avenue M and the house on 2nd Street."

Perry said, "The asking price on both of them is twenty-five hundred."

"We will offer twenty-three hundred on each one."

"Very good, Mr. Butler. I will let you know what the sellers says."

"Thank you."

The men stood up and walked out of Perry's office. When they got back to their home, the men told the women all about the houses they had put offers in on. When Daphne said, "I wish we could have seen them."

Scarlett said, "We can. Let's go look at them. What are the addresses?" Rhett smiled at his bride and told her the addresses. When he had finished, the women put on their bonnets and left the house.

After the women had left Robert said, "Maybe we should have taken the women with us to look at the houses."

Marshall said, "No, it is fine. Elizabeth and Daphne will be happy with the houses we have chosen."

"I guess you are right."

Rhett just smiled at his brother and father. It wouldn't matter if Daphne and his mother hated the houses, they would never say anything about it to their husband. Directly that is. Not his wife. She had as much subtlety as a sledgehammer. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

As Elizabeth looked at the house that Marshall had chosen, she said, "All I can say is that I like the mauve color."

Scarlett said, "It is pretty."

Elizabeth said, "It is so small."

Daphne said, "Yes, but I think we are going to have to get used to everything we own being smaller and just not as nice."

Elizabeth said, "Yes, we are because of that damn war."

Scarlett said, "Everyone lost so much because of the war."

Neither of the other women said what they were thinking because they were still too polite. They were thinking, 'except Rhett.' They also wouldn't say anything because they all knew they needed Rhett and his money too much to appear ungrateful. They were grateful but they didn't want to have to be grateful. That was not Rhett's fault. That was the fault of all those fools that got the slave states involved in the war. There should have been a better solution besides going to war. Of course, those same fools thought the Confederacy would win the war within six months.

Cheerfully Scarlett said, "Let's go look at the other house. This one is within walking distance from our home."

The other women replied cheerfully, "Yes, let's."

The women all got back in the buggy. Daphne said, "I like this buggy."

"Yes, it is nice, but I am going to make Rhett buy me a carriage. Kenny is not safe when I transport him around in it when it is just Wade, Kenny, and me."

"Why don't you just get a driver? If you get a carriage you are going to have to get a driver also. It would be much cheaper than buying a carriage and hiring a driver."

"I guess I could hire a nursemaid to help Mammy with the children. Once you move out she will have three children to take care of in the nursery."

"That sounds like a much better idea."

"Alright, I will have to talk to Rhett about it."

The women's reaction to the house that Robert picked out was much the same as the one Marshall had picked out. It was small. It was right next to their neighbors. This was going to be an adjustment not only for Marshall and Robert but for Daphne and Elizabeth. They all had spent most of their lives living in the country especially during the war. Admittedly they had spent the last year living in a city but now with them moving into these two houses they would have to completely accept that their old life was over. This was their new reality.

Daphne said, "I like that lime green color."

Scarlett said, "It is nice. Let's look around back to see if there is room for a garden."

"Yes, of course."

When the women got to the back yard, Elizabeth said, "A small one."

"That is apropos. A small garden in our small back yard behind our small house."

The statement made all the women burst out laughing. When Scarlett could speak, she said, "Let's go to Holly Berry Tea Room and get some tea. Maybe a big dessert or two."

Daphne and Elizabeth laughed and climbed in the buggy. Soon the women were sitting at a table with tea and desserts. Scarlett had a cherry tart, Daphne a piece of chocolate cake, and Elizabeth had a piece of Boston Crème pie.

Daphne talked happily about her children, Scarlett talked happily about her children, and Elizabeth talked happily about all the children. Elizabeth and Daphne talked happily about the house and how excited they were to be moving into their own place. Although they did not look forward to hiring a staff of servants. Both women knew that they would not be hiring a lot of servants. That was going to be a step down also. They would have a small staff. They knew they would get through all of this. They would get to the other side of this entire debacle and be better people for having gone through it. Yet, the truth of the matter was that they didn't want to be better people. They would be perfectly happy remaining selfish, self-centered brats for the rest of their days but unfortunately, that was not one of the options possible for them anymore.