Chapter XV
The tumult of gossip, surmise and deep suspicion which followed the announcement was not surprising...
... Both the Tarleton and O'Hara families had strongly protested the idea of Careen and Brent leaving with Scarlett and Rhett. None had understood why they must leave, or even their need for some privacy in these precious days as newlyweds. Brent had affirmed his desire to be of some use to the Confederacy, even if it was through blockading, and Careen had quietly stated that it should be nice to spend time with her sister. No reason or excuse would have been enough however, to convince their families that they were leaving in good sense and they quickly gave up on offering any. To Nassau they were to go and they would not be dissuaded.
It was less than two weeks after Scarlett and Rhett's arrival that the two couples departed together. Their departure had hardly been marked with happiness, though Suellen was the only one who had taken to her rooms, sobbing dramatically.
"Well, I should have invited her to come with us, except I know that she wants to be close, should Mr. Kennedy be granted furlough," Scarlett had said sweetly to her mother as they departed.
"Of course, dear," the strain of farewelling her eldest and youngest daughter's was written plainly on Ellen O'Hara's face. "Do take care, my darlings."
Looking back as the train pulled towards Atlanta, Scarlett felt a twinge of guilt at the memory of her parent's faces as they had bid them farewell. She knew it would be difficult for them, parting from two of their daughters, but she was so glad to have Brent and Careen joining her and Rhett in Nassau, that she resolved to think of her parent's pain another day.
That night saw them stopping again in Atlanta, the night next in Charleston, where they were to wait for several days, while Rhett acquainted Brent with some of his business contacts, and they picked the best time to risk their passage through the blockade.
It was on one such day, while Rhett and Brent rendezvoused with other blockade runners at the docks, that Eleanor and Rosemary Butler visited with them.
"I'm so sorry to come unannounced, my dear," Eleanor had apologized to Scarlett awkwardly. "I told Rhett we would come if we could, but I wasn't sure when we would be able to get... the time to come."
Scarlett smiled as kindly as she was able. She knew little of the difficulties that Rhett had with his father, but from what she did know, she knew Rhett's mother and sister would have been able to come to visit only when he was otherwise occupied and with very little notice.
"It's never a bother," Scarlett lied, for she and Careen had been preparing to explore the meager offerings of the Charleston shops and she was a little put out at having their excursion delayed. "Here, let me write to Rhett, he's only down at the docks and I'm sure he'll be back here as soon as he's able."
Penning a quick note and summoning a hotel employee to deliver it for them, Scarlett ordered a coffee service and set about making conversation.
She had not met Rhett's sister, Rosemary before. She was rather more handsome than Scarlett had imagined her to be, considering her unmarried state and Scarlett soon realized she had the same biting, sarcastic wit of her eldest brother. Careen was painfully shy with these people she didn't know and left Scarlett wincing, for her youth was glaringly on display, alongside her timidity.
"You are recently married?" Eleanor asked Careen, as Scarlett set about serving coffee.
"Yes ma'am," Careen replied, almost in a whisper. "Just this month."
"And your husband is set to work for my Rhett?"
"We are very lucky to have Careen and Brent coming to live with us," Scarlett jumped in, in defense of her younger sister. "They are doing us a very great favor by coming all the way to Nassau to be with us. Rhett does worry about me when he goes off blockading, and I've been ever so lonely. And now Brent will manage the selling and buying of goods, so that Rhett may run the blockades more often, which is, of course, the best thing for the Cause."
She smiled prettily then, dimples and all, her hands clenched into fists at her sides at the judgmental looks the Butler's were giving her little sister.
"How nice," Eleanor smiled insincerely.
Scarlett's relief upon seeing her husband's return could scarcely be believed. That he was genuinely pleased to see his mother and younger sister was the only thing that kept Scarlett from somehow silently demanding he make them leave.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here to greet you Mother, Rosemary," he smiled disarmingly, kissing them both on the cheek. The muscles of his big body rippled against his well-tailored clothes, as he settled himself beside her, and, as it still occasionally did, the sense of his great physical power struck her like a blow. She watched the swell of his powerful shoulders against the cloth with a fascination that completely distracted her from her surroundings. His body was so tough and hard, as tough and hard as his keen mind. His was such an easy, graceful strength, lazy as a panther stretching in the sun, alert as a panther to spring and strike. She was intimately acquainted with every inch of that lithe, powerful body and yet, on odd occasions such as this, the strength and virility of her husband would hit her anew and she would be left, dizzy with desire and longing.
"Darling?"
It took her a moment to respond.
"Oh, I am sorry," she smiled charmingly at their guests before turning smoldering eyes on her husband, who she felt stiffen convulsively in response. "I was woolgathering."
"I can imagine what about," Rhett murmured to her, in a low aside.
Their guests departed some half an hour later, unable to risk staying any longer. Rhett insisted on seeing them to the street and, in the hallway corridor, paused his mother and sister's progress with a serious look.
"Come to Nassau," he said demandingly. "Scarlett and I are to take a house there, we shall have plenty of room."
"Rhett..." his mother sighed resignedly. "You know we can not..."
"Hang him!" Rhett exclaimed. "You need not even pack bags, we can see to your things in Nassau. Leave with us. The South is destined to fall and..."
"Hush!" His mother exclaimed, while Rosemary rolled her eyes. "You mustn't talk like that."
"I have always talked as I please," Rhett retorted. "And shall continue to do so. Come with us so that I might see that you are always safe and cared for and away from him."
"He is my husband, and your father," Eleanor gently chided. "He deserves our loyalty."
"He deserves no such thing," Rhett scoffed. "Though I know neither of you will ever believe it. Go on then, leave. If things do get bad though, promise me you shall try to contact me."
"We promise," Eleanor smiled, reaching up to cup her son's cheek. "You precious boy. We shall be fine; it is you I worry for. Do try to take care darling."
"I'm always careful," Rhett grinned roguishly, though his heart truly wasn't in it.
"You haven't always had a wife, child sister in law and crippled brother in law to look after either," Rosemary said bluntly.
Rhett raised an eyebrow at her.
"These people are my family as much as you Rosie, do try to be courteous at least."
"Let's not part on bad terms," Eleanor pleaded. "Come darling, give your Mama a kiss. Don't forget to let me know next time you're back on a run."
Much later that night, as Scarlett and Rhett lay entwined together in their bed, quietly discussing the house they were to take in Nassau, Rhett bought up the subject of Brent and Careen.
"Has your sister said anything to you about... their marriage?" He asked, running gentle fingers down her naked spine.
"Nothing aside from the ordinary," Scarlett responded, her brow creasing. "Why?"
"Brent insinuated today that they've not yet consummated the marriage. He's waiting until he's sure he can...erh... perform acceptably. He's planning on doing so once we reach Nassau."
"Oh. Do you think perhaps I ought to speak with Careen?"
"I believe that is what he was hoping would occur by speaking to me," Rhett nodded his agreement. "How shall you like handling that conversation my dear?"
"Rhett! Don't tease! I shall have no idea what to say," Scarlett lamented.
"What did your mother tell you, before we married?"
"To close my eyes and endure my wifely duties for my reward would be a baby," Scarlett responded immediately, blushing darkly when Rhett roared with laughter. "Come now, it's not funny!"
"Oh but it is," Rhett protested. "Tell me my darling wife, how have you born your wifely duties this whole time, given how often I demand them, brute that I am."
"Rhett!" Scarlett buried her face in his side, enjoying the husky scent of horse leather, tobacco and a scent she had long since come to appreciate as uniquely Rhett.
"Scarlett?"
"You know I enjoy our love making as much as you do," Scarlett whispered, suddenly shy.
"I know," Rhett smiled, flipping Scarlett onto her back and kissing her wetly beneath her ear. "I revel in it," a kiss to her neck now. "I love it," his lips gently explored her collarbones. "I live for it," a final, far from chaste kiss was pressed to her waiting lips.
"Rhett?" Scarlett broke away from his growing ardor. "Are you terribly disappointed that we haven't had a baby yet?"
There was no immediate response from Rhett and Scarlett immediately began to fear the worst; he was disappointed, he blamed her, he worried they might never have a baby...
When his silence became overwhelming, Scarlett daringly lifted her head from it's perch on his chest, tentatively meeting his eyes, what she saw there confused and bewildered her.
Rhett's dark eyes were full of laughter.
"Scarlett, whoever has been putting such ideas in your poor, naïve little head?"
"My mother," she responded immediately, frowning at the thought that he might be laughing at her. "She was surprised I wasn't... in a fix... when we arrived. She thought I must have suffered some disappointment at some stage."
"Oh dear, poor Mrs. O'Hara," Rhett's mouth twitched upwards at the corners. "What did she say to you dearest?"
"She asked if you were... performing as a husband ought," Scarlett whispered, as scandalized now as she had been when her mother first introduced such a topic of conversation.
Rhett fair yelped with laughter, his whole body jerking underneath her.
"Oh, to have been a fly on a wall for such a conversation," he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. "Scarlett, what did you tell her?"
"That you were doing as you ought," Scarlett replied defensively. "Though I did think that if she knew just how often you were... performing as my husband... she would be shocked and horrified."
"Undoubtedly my dear," Rhett's expression turned serious now. "Scarlett, be honest, has this been bothering you ever since your mother bought it up?"
"Well, yes Rhett is has," Scarlett said frankly. "One doesn't like one's mother to think something is wrong with their marriage. And it makes me wonder what others think of us."
"Forget the others Scarlett, even forget your mother, I couldn't care a jot what they think. Tell me how you feel about it."
"Oh, I've hardly thought about having a baby Rhett," Scarlett shrugged uncaringly. "I know that married people have babies and I know that...what we do... I know how they're made, but I'd never given a thought to the fact that we hadn't... that I hadn't... found myself in the family way. But now that Mother bought it up, oh Rhett I'm so concerned!"
"What's concerns you, my pet?"
"Well, maybe I can't have babies at all? Maybe there's something wrong with me and we'll be one of those couples that everybody pities for they haven't had any children."
"Scarlett my love, look at me," Rhett commanded her, his hands on her cheeks, forcing her eyes to his. "My darling, I told you when I married you, I have enough money to give you anything your heart desires and if, for some reason, one of us in unable to have a child than my money shall find a way to bring us a child from somewhere. As it is however, I don't want you to worry you're pretty little head about babies for a moment longer. I know exactly the reason we haven't put a babe in you yet."
"You do?"
"My darling, I've been taking precautions for the duration of our marriage."
"Precautions?"
Rhett paused, unsure of how to explain such a thing to a gently bred young woman such as his wife without risking offense. He was surprised she hadn't realized that the small pause before he entered her, that the skin he donned, wasn't normal. He realized now that he had been underestimating her naivety, and the lengths Southern families went to, to keep their daughters pure of both mind and body.
"I've been using prophylactics," he began, continuing when he saw her brow creased in confusion. "A prophylactic is a method used to ensure that no pregnancy occurs. The skin that I put on before I enter you..."
Scarlett's mouth fell open into a perfect 'O.'
"You... you don't want... babies with me?" She asked with a small voice, heavy with heartbreak.
"Of course I do, darling," Rhett soothed her immediately, cursing himself for not having this conversation with her earlier in their marriage. "But you are so very young and, given the hasty nature of our courtship and marriage, I thought it best that we have some time together, before introducing children into the mix. I was also hoping that we would raise a family in the South, rather than tripping all over the world, as is our current want. Perhaps I ought to have discussed it with you."
"I should think so," Rhett was surprised by the coldness of Scarlett's voice.
"Nassau is no place to raise a child Scarlett," Rhett continued reprovingly. "And I promised you a marriage of fun and I could hardly deliver that if you were confined to the house, heavy with child."
"Still, I ought to have had some say in the matter," Scarlett was surprised by how harshly she felt Rhett's deception. "How long would you have allowed this to go on, had I not beggared the question Rhett?"
"Scarlett, I thought you realized," Rhett protested. "I hadn't realized the depth of your naivety..."
"That is unfair," Scarlett spoke coldly. "You knew I came to this marriage as an innocent."
"Are you desperate for a child then, my darling?" Rhett asked, confused. In over a year of marriage he had never heard Scarlett speak to him as she now was, and it disconcerted him more than he cared to admit. None of their little disputes or fiery words they had exchanged had ever felt like this did.
"Of course not!" Scarlett exclaimed, her hand immediately flying to her seventeen-inch waist. "I shouldn't care a dolt for babies, certainly not yet! I'm far too young and pretty to think of ruining my figure with children!"
"Scarlett you do make me laugh," Rhett tipped his head back and did just that, relief flooding his heart. "If you shouldn't care to have a baby just yet, why are you so miffed with me?"
"You made me promise we should never lie to each other," Scarlett reminded him gently. "I've not broken that promise."
"Scarlett," Rhett raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss upon it that was both apologetic and reverent. "I truly thought you knew, I never intended for it to be a lie."
"Well... I suppose I shall forgive you," Scarlett replied archly. "Though perhaps it might be worth a new gown or two?"
"I shall buy you three new nightgowns," Rhett bargained with her, relieved more than he would care to admit that he was back in his wife's good graces. "And I shall rip each of them to shreds as we practice not making babies."
Scarlett giggled and settled herself down in his embrace again.
"I should like a baby or two one day Rhett," she told him, as his fingers resumed their gentle stroking up and down her back.
"You shall have as many as you please my darling," Rhett promised her. "Though no boys if you please."
"No boys? Rhett how you do run on! Every man wants boys!"
"Not this man," Rhett smiled with a shake of his head. "Boys aren't any fun Scarlett, all they are is just a passel of trouble. Boys aren't no use to anybody, aren't I proof of that?'
"I shall remember this conversation when I present you with a son one day Rhett Butler, and watched as you holler for joy."
"Not me, Mrs. Butler. But provide me with a parcel of girls and then you shall see me gallivanting like a merry man," Rhett bent his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I should very much like a girl with cat-like green eyes and stubbornly straight dark hair. And God help us if she has her Mother's temper."
"Maybe I should like a little boy with dark eyes and tanned skin and pirates features," Scarlett retorted, instantly enamored with the idea of miniature Rhett's. "And God help us if they have their Father's way with women."
"I shall never deny you anything Katie Scarlett," Rhett sighed, his grip tightening convulsively on her. "And you wield your power over my like a knife. If you were less charming, you'd be downright dangerous. God help me."
Scarlett found she had very little to say to that, smiling happily at the thought of her husband's care for her.
"Go to sleep, wretch," Rhett responded adoringly. "Would that I could go back in time and warn myself what I was getting myself in for when I married you."
"Goodnight Rhett," Scarlett spoke primly.
"Goodnight Scarlett."
End Part II