Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Seventeen
The next day after dinner Rhett had another meeting with Philip. The private detective had found not a trace of Scarlett Butler or O'Hara or Hamilton or Kennedy at the docks. No one had seen Scarlett or her family. Philip said, "I will search at the train station tomorrow. If that is no, I will canvass stables that rent carriages."
"Check with merchants that sell carriages. Although I think that is a long shot."
"Yes, Sir."
"She can't be that hard to find. She is a very striking woman. Let me give you a picture of her. You can show it around. I have one of the entire family although everyone is five years older now. I can give you a picture of my son, also."
"That would help a lot."
"Great. Let me get them."
Rhett went to his bedroom. From a top shelf in his closet, he took down the box that contained all of his pictures. He got the last family picture that had been taken the Christmas before Bonnie had died. He looked at the picture. It made him sad. It made him regret letting Bonnie make that jump. It made him regret not accepting Scarlett's love when she was willing to give it to him. It made him regret stealing Kenny and running away from Scarlett one more time. He lost over five and a half years with her and his other son by running away from her. Why had he done that? He remembered. He had done that because he had been one thin thread away from collapsing completely. If Scarlett's love for him had been false, that thin thread would have broken.
Rhett knew that Scarlett loved him. She loved him enough to steal his son away from him. She loved him enough to incur his wrath. She loved him enough to keep his other son a secret from him because she didn't want him returning to her for his child's sake. The same reason Rhett had never told Scarlett that her son was alive and well in Cambridge, MA. He had wanted her to come for him and get the baby as a bonus.
Rhett knew that was why Scarlett had never reached out to him in all this time.
Rhett couldn't stop smiling. Scarlett loved his son! No, Scarlett loved their sons! Scarlett not only loved him but his children also. This was what he had dreamed about for the last seventeen years. It had finally come true. She would be found in a matter of days, a week at most. They would decide where they were going to live.
Rhett briefly considered if Scarlett would return to Atlanta. He decided she wouldn't because it would be too easy for him to find her there. Then he decided she would because she had to get all her money and all her jewelry. She probably wouldn't bother to sell the store or the mills. She probably would be back on a train out of Atlanta within twenty-four hours. If she had gone straight to Atlanta two days ago, it was probably too late, but he could not assume anything. He would send Mr. Powe a telegram in order to get her address. If she was still there, he would get the Atlanta police to arrest her for something. He would think of something.
Rhett walked back into the parlor. He handed the pictures to Philip and said, "I will need those back. My wife may have returned to Atlanta so be sure to check all the South bound trains."
"Of course, Sir." Philip stood up and continued, "I will be in touch."
"If you have found out that she did return to Atlanta let me know immediately so I can act before she leaves the city. If not, I will need a report in two days. I need to find where she went before, she gets any further away."
"Yes sir."
As Philip left the townhouse he thought, 'I wonder why Mrs. Butler ran away from her husband. Not my problem. My problem is finding her.' With those thoughts Philip stopped thinking about why and started thinking about how.
As soon as Philip had left the townhouse, Rhett had walked to Western Union. He sent Joe a telegram that said: What is my wifes address STOP I need to get in touch with her STOP.
Within an hour Rhett had received a reply. Joe had telegraphed: Wife no longer lives in Atlanta STOP Moving to the North STOP She will send me her address when she decides where she is going to move to. STOP
Rhett could not believe the words written on the paper. His Scarlett had chosen to move to the North. That was why she and her family had been in Cambridge. It also meant she had all her worldly goods and all her money with her. That meant it was going to be even harder to track her. Nonetheless, Rhett was confident he would eventually find Scarlett.
Rhett sent Joe another telegram. The telegram stated: Why did you not tell me my wife was leaving Atlanta STOP That would have been nice to know. STOP
Joe stared at the telegram in disbelief. This was the first time in over five years Mr. Butler had indicated that he had any interest in his wife's activities. Finally, Joe sent a telegram back that said: Was going to tell you when I knew which city Mrs. Butler was settling down in. STOP
Joe was relieved when he didn't hear any more from Mr. Butler. Although over the next several days Joe would ponder what a strange man Mr. Butler was.
Rhett had sent a note to Philip saying: My wife has not gone South.
Rhett now knew the South would be the last place Scarlett would go to.
The next two days were calm for Scarlett and her children. The twins were bright and took to learning like a duck to water. Whether it be learning to read or learning to sew. As the train pulled into the San Francisco train station Gerry and Kenny were remembering most of the letters of the alphabet and the boys had new red shirts.
Scarlett had found out the name of a hotel by asking the conductor. The man had told her about the Palace Hotel which had just opened in seventy-five.
The family took a cab to the hotel. As Scarlett looked around the lobby of the hotel, she knew it was going to be an expensive hotel, but she needed a hotel with a concierge. She knew how to buy train tickets, but she had no idea how to book her passage on a ship. She also wouldn't know what to ask for or arrange.
Scarlett asked the desk clerk, "Do you have a suite with four bedrooms?"
The desk clerk, Justin Timberlake, said, "No ma'am. The largest we have is three bedrooms."
"Is there one available?"
"Yes, ma'am. Please fill out the registration form." As Scarlett was filling out the form, Justin said, "How long will you be staying with us?"
"Just until the concierge books our passage to Australia."
"Very good, Madame." As Justin was handing Scarlett the key, he said, "I hope you enjoy your stay, Mrs. Lincoln."
Gerry said, "Mister, our last name is Butler not Lincoln."
Scarlett ignored Gerry and said, "Thank you. Can you tell me where the concierge is?"
"Just across the lobby. There by that potted plant."
"Thank you."
Scarlett handed the key to Wade and said, "You go with the bellhop and get settled in the room. It is almost time for supper. The twins will sleep in your room."
Ella said, "No, Mama, put them in the same room with me. I am used to taking care of Gerry."
"Thank you, my lovely daughter."
Kenny said, "Can we put our new shirts on?"
"Yes. Now go with Wade."
Scarlett watched while her children headed to the stairs. She then walked over to the concierge's office. The door was open, so she just walked right in. She said, "I need for you to arrange passage for me and my family to Sydney, Australia."
Scarlett had chosen Sydney because it was the only city she knew of in Australia.
The man said, "Certainly. I am Jeff Bagwell, and you are?"
Scarlett, at that moment, decided to use her real name. If Rhett learned she had used Katie Lincoln on the train, then he would know to look under the last name Lincoln also. Besides, Gerry and Kenny would be telling everyone their last name was Butler. She said, "Scarlett Butler."
"Very well, Mrs. Butler. Please, have a seat?" After Scarlett was seated, Jeff continued, "Will you be traveling first-class?"
"No, second-class is good enough."
Jeff was a little taken back by Scarlett's answer. The people who stayed at The Palace Hotel always traveled first class. He said, "When would you like to leave?"
"As soon as possible."
"Let me look at the schedule." Jeff stood up and went to the filing cabinet. He opened one of the drawers and pulled a folder out. He brought the folder with him back to his desk and sat back down. He opened the folder and read the top sheet. He looked at Scarlett and said, "There is a ship leaving in three days."
"Book us on that one. How long is the trip?"
"Two months. The ship will stop in Honolulu to take on supplies. You have a day to go ashore."
"Honolulu?"
Honolulu, Hawaii. It is a tropical paradise. It is an island in the middle of the Pacific."
"Oh."
Scarlett quickly dismissed staying in Honolulu. She needed a whole continent to hide from Rhett.
Jeff said, "How many people are in your family so I can figure up the cost of food?"
"Four. No, I mean five."
"Very well, Mrs. Butler. I just want you to know that in second-class, the cabins are just one large room."
Scarlett sighed. She said, "What is the difference in price between first and second class?"
"A first-class cabin, which has a sitting room and two bedrooms, is one hundred and fifty dollars plus food and the second-class cabin with just one room is fifty dollars plus food."
"We will stay with the second-class cabin."
"Your total will be…" Scarlett waited while Jeff added up some numbers. Finally, he said, "seventy-eight dollars."
"Very good." Scarlett handed the concierge four twenties which made her smile because it made her think of that hag Belle in prison. Admittedly Scarlett knew that Belle was no longer in prison, but when she thought of the old whore it was always her still suffering in prison.
Scarlett didn't know what had happened to Belle after she got out of prison. The Painted Lady had closed down a year after the Treasury Agents had come to Atlanta.
Scarlett guessed there was no one to manage the day-to-day operations of the saloon and bordello. She hoped Rhett had to eat the entire loss of the business.
"Let me write you a receipt." After handing the receipt to Scarlett, Jeff said, "I will go purchase your tickets on my way home. What room are you in?"
"Three hundred and twenty-two."
"I will bring them to you tomorrow morning."
"We are probably going to be out tomorrow morning. I will just pick them up tomorrow after we get back from shopping."
Scarlett stood up and Jeff did too. He said, "Very good. See you tomorrow."
When Scarlett got to their suite, she saw that the twins had their matching shirts on. It was like seeing double. She started to tell them that they would never get to wear matching shirts again, but she couldn't because they looked so proud. They looked just like Rhett.
Over the next three days, the family bought all the supplies Scarlett thought they were going to need for the next two months, which included candy, fabric, primers, and books on Australia and Sydney. They also walked around the city getting exercise.
Before Scarlett had left Atlanta, she had cashed in all her bearer bonds. She had decided to cash in all her U.S. savings bonds because she didn't know if she would be able to cash them in when she was outside the United States. One afternoon she had Wade take Ella, Kenny, and Gerry to the park for the afternoon while she went to the bank. Once she had cashed in her savings bonds, she exchanged the money for the English pound.