Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

I followed MissTricey and Laina Lee's advice and changed the rating to 'T.' For some reason I thought 'T' was the same as Rated G which it certainly isn't. Laina Lee said in her review that it is in between K plus and M. Right where I want to be.

Chapter Eleven

When the couple got to their bedroom, Rhett said, "Let me get your presents."

"Alright."

Rhett came back with two presents. The larger one looked like a dress box and the smaller one looked like a jewelry box. Scarlett opened the smaller gift. It was a small pocket watch attached to a bracelet. Eagerly Rhett said, "Do you like it?"

"I have never seen anything like it."

"In eighteen ten Breguet designed a watch like this for the Queen of Naples."

Slowly Scarlett said, "I like it. I just never have felt the need to carry a watch."

"Now that you have one on a bracelet maybe you will find it convenient. Open your other present."

"Alright."

There was a red wrapper in the box. Scarlett said, "Rhett, I don't look good in red."

"Who is going to see you in your wrapper but me and your maid? Don't you want to have a piece of red clothing?"

Scarlett smiled and said, "Yes, I do. Thank you, Rhett."

For the next couple of weeks, Scarlett forced herself to wear the bracelet with the pocket watch on it. After those two weeks she was enjoying the convenience of always being able to know what time it was. Furthermore, Rhett always smiled when he saw the bracelet.

In April Rhett took Scarlett to visit her family. They would be staying a month at Tara. Their first night at Tara, she performed oral sex on him then she got on top and let him see all of her. It was a wonderful night for Rhett. It was an enjoyable night for Scarlett also.

During the first week Scarlett and Rhett rode a couple of horses to see the lakes near the plantation. The first one they looked at was Twin Lake. Rhett said, "It is a nice size lake, but I can see the other shore. One of the things I like about the ocean, is all one can see is water."

"Let us go look at Rock Hill Lake. Maybe you will like it better."

"Of course."

As the couple sat upon their horses Rhett looked at the expansion of water. He said, "It is larger, but I can still see the other shore."

Sadly, Scarlett said, "So it is back to Charleston?"

"Yes, Honey, at least for a little while. Maybe I will be ready to move here once I am a millionaire."

"I hope so."

A few days later, Rhett said, "Do you want to go visit some of your girlfriends?"

"I only have one girlfriend."

"Really?!"

"One doesn't get to be the belle of five counties without making other girls mad."

Rhett laughed and said, "I guess not."

"Let me show you more of Tara."

"Sure."

When the couple got back to the main house, Scarlett said, "Let me write Cathy a note and see if we can call on her tomorrow afternoon."

"Alright, Honey"

The next afternoon Rhett and Scarlett took the carriage to Pine Bloom. After they had arrived, the butler showed them to the formal parlor. Soon a beautiful young woman was hurrying into the room. Rhett stood up. Cathy said, "Is this your husband?"

Scarlett stood up and hugged the other woman. She turned back to Rhett and said, "Yes, this lucky man is my husband, Rhett Butler."

Rhett said, "And that lucky woman is my wife, Scarlett."

All three people in the room laughed.

Scarlett said to Cathy, "How did you know I had gotten married?"

"Your mother told me when I called at Tara. I was so surprised. I know you had no plans to marry anytime soon when you went to Charleston to visit your aunts. Tell me how this happened to you."

Cathy had heard all the rumors about Scarlett having to get married and she wanted to know the truth of the matter.

Scarlett smiled at Rhett and said, "Rhett and I met at a ball two days before I was scheduled to return home. He asked me to go on a buggy ride. I said yes. I don't think either one of us would ever have imagined how much that buggy ride would change our lives."

Rhett said, "I certainly didn't."

"When Rhett got to Aunt Pauline's house, she was sick and couldn't chaperon us. He talked me into going with him anyway. I thought, 'What could happen?' About forty-five minutes later the buggy wheel broke. We were going to ride the horse back into town, but before we could figure out a way for Rhett to get on the horse, the horse ran off. Rhett, whatever happened to that horse?"

"I have no idea. I suppose someone got a very nice free horse."

"Probably. Let me continue. We walked back to town. Nobody saw us until we got to Aunt Pauline's house. Who should walk out of Aunt Pauline's house but my stick in the mud Aunt Eulalie. She didn't ask what had happened or anything. She just declared that Rhett had ruined me."

"Why did you tell anyone?"

"We didn't. Aunt Eulalie did. She sent a telegram to my mother thus sealing our fate. Neither one of us wanted to get married, but we have been quite compatible except for a few arguments."

"Every week."

Scarlett flashed Rhett a smile and he smiled back. She said to Cathy, "Rhett likes aggravating me, so we argue."

"Go on with your story."

"There isn't much more to tell. Rhett and I were married in the Episcopal Church about a month later."

"Let me see your ring. It is beautiful. Mr. Butler, did you know red was Scarlett's favorite color?"

"Call me Rhett. Yes, I did."

"What trade are you in?"

"I am an investor."

Scarlett said, "He is doing quite well for himself. He owns a bank and a shipping company."

Scarlett gave her husband an adoring look. She turned back to Cathy and said, "Who is calling on you right now?"

"Tom Tarleton, Tony Fontaine, Glenn Miller, Troy Aikman, and Samuel Carter."

"Who are Stuart and Brent calling on?"

"Stuart went back to calling on India and Brent is calling on a girl over in Lovejoy."

"Stuart is calling on India again?"

"The man never did have good sense."

"Neither he nor Brent do. Did they manage to make it through a year at the University?"

"No. They have been thrown out of two this year. Boyd and Tom went back to the University of Georgia. Allegedly Boyd said, "I can't wait for the twins to grow up. If I did, I would be an old man before I graduated. I don't have time for that. I want to be a lawyer. Tom went back to the University of Georgia also."

Both women burst out laughing. Rhett didn't know what the joke was, but he was happy to hear his bride laughing.

Scarlett said, "If Boyd becomes a lawyer, who will take over the running of Fairhill?"

"Tom."

In that one word, Rhett knew who Cathy was hoping would ask her to marry him. The women talked for about another hour until Scarlett said, "I'm sorry, Rhett. We have been ignoring you this entire time."

"That's alright. You can make it up to me somehow."

"I will have to think on what I can do to make up for us ignoring you for the last hour."

"I'm sure you will think of something."

Scarlett smiled her mischievous smile. She said, "Shall we go?"

Cathy said, "Are you going to the Wilkes' barbecue?"

"I don't know anything about it."

"The Wilkeses are having a barbecue to celebrate Ashley's twenty-fifth birthday."

"Of course, we will be going. It will give me a chance to show off my handsome husband. Cathy, did I tell you that Rhett was the most eligible bachelor in Charleston before he married me."

"No, but I am not surprised you snagged such a wonderful husband."

"You will too."

"Just as long as I get the one I want."

"True."

"Shall we leave, Scarlett?"

"Of course."

After the couple was settled in the carriage, Rhett said, "What was the joke about those two boys?"

"Brent and Stuart aren't very smart, and they are immature. The first year they went to college they were thrown out of four universities and now two this year."

"Who are Boyd and Tom?"

"Their older brothers. Boyd is the oldest, but Tom is the cutest. Every time the twins would get thrown out of a university Boyd and Tom would leave in protest."

"Boyd and Tom are smart to cut ties with their brothers. From the way you talk, the boys will never graduate." After a moment Rhett said, "Robert used my being expelled from West Point in order to not have to go there. He told Father that he could never attend a school that had the gall to expel his older brother."

"Wow! That was pretty loyal of Robert."

Rhett laughed. He said, "Loyalty had nothing to do with it. Robert just didn't want to go to West Point any more than I did. After a man graduates from West Point, he has to spend four years in the army. Once I told Robert that, he was bound and determined not to go to West Point. The army is not for the Butler brothers. A man can get killed serving in the army. Both of us value our sorry hides too much to take a chance like that."

Scarlett laughed. For the rest of their trip back to Tara, she told Rhett all about the other people who lived in the county. He could tell she loved this place. This was her home. Sadly, he knew she would never be completely welcomed in Charleston because of the stupid reason that she hadn't been born there. He thought, 'God damn bitches. My mother included. If Mother wasn't so God damn proper, she would have embraced Scarlett and told his wife to call her mother. He knew his father hadn't because he had followed his wife's lead. My grandmother is as God damn proper as my mother. Bitches.'

The questions careening around in Rhett's brain were: Could he live in the country just to make her happy? Could he still make a boat load of money while living in the country? He answered his questions. Yes, he could live in the country to make her happy, but he could not make a boat load of money.

Rhett was determined to be a millionaire. Maybe after he was a millionaire.

After they had been at Tara for a week over supper, Gerald said, "The Wilkeses are hosting a barbecue next Saturday to celebrate Ashley's birthday."

"How nice."

"Now this is a secret, but they are going to announce Ashley's engagement to Melanie Hamilton."

"Who?"

"His cousin who lives in Atlanta."

"His cousin?"

Ellen said, "You know the Wilkeses always marry their cousins."

Gerald said, "They were going to announce it last year, but Miss Hamilton got sick. She had to stay in bed for almost a month."

Scarlett had turned pale. She realized that Ashley had been about to shame her by throwing her over for his cousin. She was stunned. She looked around the table. Her parents and Careen were continuing to eat their dinner. Suellen was smirking at her.

Rhett was just looking at her. He could not help but notice how pale she had gotten. He whispered, "Honey, are you alright?"

Scarlett whispered back and said, "Yes, I just realized that a man I thought was a gentleman wasn't. Ashley called on me for the last two years when he was committed elsewhere."

Rhett whispered back, "I can't blame him. You are a beautiful woman."

With grateful eyes, Scarlett said, "Thank you, Rhett. Not just for the compliment, but for being a gentleman."

Rhett of the loose morals accepted all of Scarlett's gratitude. He was enjoying her looking at him like he was a god among mere mortal men. He also knew that his wife had strong feelings for Mr. Wilkes. At least, she once had. He didn't think she had any feelings for the man now. At least, no positive feelings. He couldn't wait until the barbecue next Saturday.

Ellen was thinking, 'That should torch any lingering feelings Scarlett might have for that bag of hot air.'

Gerald was thinking, 'I don't know what Scarlett saw in Ashley but hopefully all her feelings for him are dead now. I would never have approved of a match between Scarlett and Ashley. He is just too peculiar. Who wants to sit around reading when they could be outside hunting and drinking?'

Suellen was thinking, 'Good. One of Scarlett's beaus preferred someone else to her.'

Careen was thinking, 'This stew is really good, and I like the corn bread.'

For the rest of the meal, Scarlett had plastered a smile on her face. She wasn't fooling anyone, but herself.