Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
I don't like the way Cathy Calvert Hilton was portrayed in GWTW. Therefore, as far as Cathy is concerned, she will not resemble the character from the canon. She will be OOC.
Chapter Twenty
On July third Rhett showed up at Hamilton House without an invitation around seven. The truth was he had never received an invitation except that one time Melly had invited him to dinner after returning their rings. Peter showed Rhett into the parlor and PittyPat left in a hurry. Rhett sat down in a chair that was across from the sofa Scarlett always sat on. Her husband sat there too but that was of no importance.
Soon Scarlett walked into the parlor. She said, "Frank will be here in just a minute. Can I get you some tea or some whiskey?"
"I will have some tea."
"Let me go get it. We don't have enough servants to have one of them bring it to us."
Shortly after Scarlett left, Frank walked into the parlor. He said, "Scarlett isn't here yet."
"She went to get tea."
Frank walked over to the sideboard and said, "I will just have a whiskey."
Rhett thought, 'You might as well enjoy yourself. You are going to be dead in less than a year.'
Soon Scarlett was back with the tea tray. She even had some cookies on a plate. Rhett noticed the cookies were oatmeal raisin, which was one of his favorites. He wondered if she had done that on purpose or if that had just been the ingredients they had in the house.
This was the first time Scarlett had done so much to make Rhett feel welcome. He wondered what she was going to ask him for. He knew. She was going to try to get him to soften his stance on not hiring Mr. Wilkes.
Once Scarlett had served the tea, she placed her cup and saucer on the tea table. She got up and walked across the room. She handed him some bills and said, "Another fifty dollars. I will have the loan paid off in no time."
"Yes, you will."
Scarlett sat back down. She said, "Where have you been? You usually come to call for your loan payment on the first day of the month."
Scarlett knew that Rhett had been in Charleston. She knew his father had just died. She didn't remember the exact date, but she knew it was late June. Pa died in July. She would think about that later.
Rhett casually said, "My father has passed away and I had to make arrangements for my mother and sister. It took longer than expected."
Scarlett said, "My condolences."
"Thank you. Let's talk about something else. What do you think Governor Jenkins is going to do with this influx of Yankees?"
Rhett and Frank talked about politics for another thirty minutes, then they talked about the economy as a whole. They talked about President Johnson's bad leadership. Soon it was time for Rhett to leave and he did.
As Rhett walked to his horse, he thought, 'I am surprised Scarlett didn't ask me for anything or try to change my mind about Mr. Wilkes. Scarlett seems more interested in the political discussion than visiting with me. Or even being amused by me. I don't understand why she is behaving so differently. One thing I know is that Scarlett was unaware that oatmeal raisin cookies were one of my favorites.'
It was July eighteenth. In the middle of the afternoon, Scarlett got the telegram she had been dreading getting. That night over supper, Scarlett said to Frank, "Pa is dead. They are burying him tomorrow. You will have to go to give the eulogy. You are the only male relative he has except for Wade."
"Of course, my dear. What time do you want to leave?"
"Right after breakfast, say nine o'clock."
"I will send Phil a note right now."
"Thank you, Frank. You are so truly kind. We will take the buggy."
Scarlett gave Frank a smile that made his heart flutter. Then it made him mad. It was the smile she had given him the entire two weeks they were courting.
Scarlett stood up and said, "Let me go see if Mrs. Meade has a black dress I can borrow."
The next morning Frank, Scarlett, Mammy, and Wade were in the buggy. Frank was uncomfortable about seeing Suellen again, but maybe he would get a chance to tell her how sorry he was. He was also honored that he was going to get to give the eulogy. Although he knew very little about Mr. O'Hara. He would have to get Scarlett to tell him about her father on the way to Tara.
Scarlett would not have brought Wade, but Mammy wanted to go. Wade was too much for Aunt PittyPat. Besides, it would be good. Melly would get to see her nephew before she moved up North.
Last time Scarlett had not made Frank go to her father's funeral because he was embarrassed to face Suellen. She made him go this time so Ashley would not turn it into a Methodist funeral. Pa was a Catholic and he would have a Catholic funeral as much as his daughters could arrange.
When the family arrived, there were a few mourners already there. Scarlett walked into the house and then into the parlor. She found her aunts in the parlor. She said rather sharply, "Do you do anything but sit in the parlor? Go outside and greet the other mourners. Strike that. Go outside and greet the mourners because I know you two are not mourning the death of Gerald O'Hara."
Eulalie started to reply and then thought better of it. Soon the old women were outside greeting guests. Scarlett started walking around. Soon she found Will in her mother's office. She said, "What happened?"
"Well, Miss Suellen and your father had been having a lot of quiet discussions. Miss Suellen convinced Mr. O'Hara to sign the unionist papers. Then she mentioned the Slatterys trying to convince him to sign the papers." Scarlett thought, 'I told her not to mention the Slatterys. She probably did that on purpose also.'
Will went on, "Your father had a moment of awareness. He stole a horse and tried to make it jump a fence. The horse wasn't a jumper. The horse stopped at the fence. Unfortunately, your father didn't."
"I will miss my father, but it is where he wants to be – With my mother."
"Yes, he is."
"Give me the rest."
"The Wilkeses are planning to move to New York."
"Probably a suitable time. Go on."
"That would leave me, your aunts, and your sisters."
"Do you want to marry Careen?"
"Careen would say no. I want to ask Suellen."
"Now is the perfect time to make your move. Suellen knows she messed up big time. She is going to be shunned by the community for her actions. She will need you. Go ahead and ask her. If she says yes, go into Jonesboro right away. Don't give her time to think about it."
"Alright."
"Let us go, we have a funeral to attend."
While Scarlett had been inside with Will, Frank couldn't stop himself from looking at Suellen. She looked at him and he mouthed the words – I'm sorry.
Suellen turned her back on Frank.
Scarlett saw Cathy Calvert Hilton. Cathy looked like she had gotten plenty to eat. She had a new dress on and if Scarlett wasn't mistaken a new horse and buggy. Scarlett approached her and said, "How are you doing?"
"Besides being shunned by everyone, fine."
"Forget those old bats. I like your dress."
"Thank you. Latest fashion."
"I had gotten a few new dresses but then I found myself with child so now I just wear tents."
Cathy smiled. She said, "No point on spending money on anything ugly."
"True. If you get to Atlanta look me up: 322 Tulip Lane."
Cathy rolled her eyes and said, "At least, it isn't Peach something Lane."
Scarlett giggled then put her hand over her mouth when everyone turned to look at her. Cathy said, "I have to ask. Frank Kennedy?"
"He had the three hundred dollars I needed."
Cathy smiled. Scarlett smiled. The ladies hugged. Scarlett said, "Let me find my seat."
"I'm going to run on. I have paid my respects. There is only so much shunning I can take in one day."
"True. Go on."
The friends turned away from each other. Cathy to her brand-new buggy and Scarlett to the seat beside Frank. Frank was sitting next to Melly. Scarlett leaned over Frank and Melly to say to Ashley, "Frank is going to give the eulogy."
"Oh."
Scarlett sat back in her seat and started daydreaming about her life with Patrick. When Old Miss Fontaine came to get her, she said, "It is not good for the baby all this emotional stress. Come with me."
Scarlett didn't agree with Old Miss, but she didn't want to sit there any longer in the sun. She sat on the slider and let her mind drift. She thought of the events that occurred last time on this day. The only really significant difference would be that she was letting Ashley go to New York.
After everyone had left, Scarlett said to her sisters, "Let's go into the parlor."
When the sisters got to the parlor, their aunts were there. Scarlett said, "Get out of here. And no, you can't have the master bedroom."
Careen said, "Scarlett."
"What? They are poor relations expecting to be treated like fine ladies." Scarlett turned to Suellen. She said, "I told you this would not turn out good, didn't I? But you had to do it anyway. Probably just to spite me. Well, you are the one who has to live with the consequences. Now you are shunned by your community. Don't think I didn't notice that nobody spoke to you. Will wants to marry you. I would take him up on his offer."
Suellen said, "Alright."
"Pa didn't leave a will therefore one third of Tara belongs to all of us. Careen, you can use yours for your dowry to the church. Start writing your letters. Is there a convent in Atlanta you can join? Sue, you and Will can work the land. I will help you financially when I can. I am going to go do the books. You go find Will and go into town."
"I will check on a convent in Atlanta."
"Alright, I will find Will."
Scarlett went to the doorway and said, "And move into the largest bedroom."
"Yes."
Scarlett walked to her mother's office. She sat down at the desk and started going over the books. The first person to darken the doorway was Ashley. He sat down and smiled his lazy smile. Scarlett didn't smile back. She said, "I'm busy. What do you want?"
Ashley was offended by Scarlett's tone of voice, but he needed the loan, so he didn't say anything. The truth was he wouldn't say anything anyway. He was a coward and would always take the path of least resistance, no matter how much it would harm him and his family. He said, "I have a job offer in New York."
"That's good. You should take it."
"One of my friends that I went to Yale with has offered me a job in his father's bank as a teller."
"A good place to start. Do you need money to get to New York?"
"Yes, but I don't want to take any more of your charity."
"Consider it a loan."
Scarlett took a ten-dollar coin out of her pocket that she had put there for this very reason and slid it over to Ashley. Ashley blushed but he accepted the coin. He got up and without another word, he left the office.
Soon the books were done, and Scarlett went looking for Frank. He was talking to Suellen. Surprising to Scarlett, Suellen was answering him. Scarlett said to her sister, "Have you been into Jonesboro?"
Suellen turned her back on Frank and said, "Yes, Will and I got married at the courthouse."
"Great"
Scarlett got Mammy, Wade, and Frank in the buggy and they traveled back to Atlanta. As they were riding along there wasn't any conversation. For some reason, the buggy ride reminded Scarlett of the buggy rides she took with Rhett when she was carrying Ella in their first timeline. She allowed herself to think back about those times. She hadn't known at the time, but they had been happy times. Maybe the happiest times she and Rhett ever had. That thought made her sad, therefore she started talking about the funeral and what a nice turnout there was.
Later Scarlett thought about Cathy marrying her overseer. Scarlett thought about her marrying Frank. She decided that women were doing what they had to do just like they always had.
