Hi everyone!

Thank you all so much for the feedback, it's so nice. I appreciate it:)

Turns out you not only wait with excitement for new chapters of your favorite stories, but also with excitement to post your own:)

Here's the second chapter, thanks to some drafts, I was able to write it quickly:)

I don't think I'll be able to post a chapter every day, I'm not such a hero:)), but once every few days or week - I'd like to stick to that plan.

Right now I find myself with a little more free time and a little more inspiration.

I own nothing in regard to GWTW.

Chapter 2.

As Scarlett rode in the carriage with the children and Mrs. Butler, everything was a blur. Her thoughts jumped from one question to another.

How to behave with Rhett? Would he even be home? What would his reaction be? What did his mother know about their marriage? How long would she and the children be there? How to get back at Aunt Eulalia for her talkativeness?

The children were joyously excited at the news that they were moving into Uncle Rhett's house.

Mrs. Butler rattled off names and descriptions of her family members, those who now was living in the mansion. She didn't seem to notice Scarlett's nervousness, or didn't want to notice it. Scarlett sensed her mother-in-law's kindness as well as her authority.

According to Mrs. Butler, Rhett had been living in the house since early September, occasionally going to Dunmore Landing. It was their estate, which they were slowly rebuilding after the war.

When Scarlett gently asked how Rhett was doing, her mother-in-law said that he was trying to come to terms with Bonnie's death, but that he was having a hard time. "So are you,my dear. I realize it's only been six months. It's a very hard blow to you as parents. You need to help each other heal." She shook Scarlett's hand affectionately.

Scarlett thought that she would love to help him and herself, but what can you do when your husband wants nothing to do with you?

Rhett's younger brother Ross and his wife Penelope also lived in the mansion. They had only recently gotten married, a month after the tragedy with Bonnie, so the reception was homemade and as private as possible. According to Eleanor, Penelope was considerably younger than Ross, but she had a lovely malleable personality. Her parents were not of high birth and had passed away just after the war when many people were starving.

Here Scarlett remembered her parents and sighed heavily.

"You remembered your parents, didn't you, Darling? I remember your mother very young,we used to meet at events. You look very much like her - facial features, posture. Your grandfather was a French aristocrat, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he came from France. But, I don't want to talk about him, it was very hard for us after the war, but he didn't help, although he had the opportunity," Scarlett replied vehemently.

"I'm sorry Scarlett, I guess this really isn't the best topic of conversation. But, I haven't had the opportunity to thank you personally, for your help, you supported your aunts financially after the war, and they helped Rosemary and me. My husband, Mr. Butler was very ill at the time, Ross was in the service and we were left destitute." Mrs. Butler was tactfully silent about the quarrel between her husband and his son. "So thank you, Scarlett."

"Oh, please," Scarlett murmured, "those were hard times, everyone helped each other as best they could. But they've passed."

"That's right," agreed Mrs. Butler, and continued, "My nephew, Peter,also lives in the house, and his mother is my sister, and she and her husband live in Savannah; they went to London before the war. Peter is their only son, he is very good-natured and cheerful," Miss Eleanor added with a smile.

"And also, my daughter, Rosemary, also lives with me. She has studied hard, has traveled in Europe, but hasn't meet her man yet," Miss Eleanor sighed softly.

She's still young, Mrs. Butler, she's got a long way to go," Scarlett said politely.

"Anyway, I'm sure you'll be friends," Miss Eleanor added with a smile.

Then the carriage stopped and she said cheerfully, "Here we are."

Everything inside Scarlett's body trembled and her hands grew cold. But, taking a deep breath, she straightened her back, got out of the carriage, helped the children out and said to them with a smile, "Shall we go?"

Mrs. Butler smiled approvingly.

The Butler house appeared before them. The white, three-story house with a tile roof was close to the bay so that they could feel the salty air. Beautiful windows with hinged shutters, a small veranda, French doors, and a well-kept garden. The house was beautiful and elegant. Scarlett remembered her house in Atlanta and tried to start comparing them, but her thoughts were again jumbled in her head and her excitement was high.

They went up on the porch, Mrs. Butler knocked decisively and the door was opened for her by an elderly woman, a maid.

"Welcome, ma'am, miss."

"Here we are at home, come this way," Mrs. Butler invited them affectionately.

Scarlett and the children entered, looking around.

From the parlor came quiet voices, and then a cheerful voice said loudly, "Oh, she's back!" and in a few seconds the owner of that voice appeared.

He stopped in the hall and looked smilingly at the arrivals.

"Oh, Peter, it's you!" exclaimed Mrs. Butler cheerfully. "Look who I've brought! Scarlett, meet Peter, my nephew."

She saw a handsome brown-haired man with brown eyes, he was smiling and had cute dimples on his cheeks like a child.

Peter approached Scarlett and kissed her affectionately on the cheek.

"Hello Scarlett! I finally get to see my cousin's wife that he's been hiding from us! You are adorable!"

Scarlett smiled at him and mouthed only, "Hello Peter, nice to meet you!"

He turned his attention to the children while Scarlett removed her shawl and hat.

She was just turning to the gold-framed mirror to fix her hair, a few strands disheveled, when she heard that voice that made her heart drop.

"Mother, is that you back? Where did you..."

Just then the voice interrupted and Scarlett saw the look of dark eyes in the mirror. Her hands froze in the air, she stopped breathing for a second.

"Rhett," exclaimed Mrs. Butler affectionately. "Look who's here to see us, son!"

Scarlett turned from the mirror and looked at Rhett with a weak smile. He seemed stunned, but the habit of quickly putting on a mask had been with him for a long time and he only smiled respectfully at her.

"Mrs. Butler I presume, my dearest wife." He walked over to her and barely touched her cheek.

"Uncle Rhett," the children called to him excitedly, and he turned to them, shook Wade's hand firmly, hugged him, and ruffled his hair. Then he dropped to one knee in front of Ella stroked her hair affectionately and kissed her cheek.

"Wade, Ella, it's so good to see you. I've missed you so much," he told them quietly.

After greetings and introductions in the living room with Ross and his wife, Rosemary, the table was set and everyone sat down to dinner.

There was polite conversation in which Mrs. Butler talked about how much she would enjoy spending time with her daughter-in-law and grandchildren. How she would like to introduce Scarlett to her friends. Rhett's very cold greeting to his wife didn't escape her, but she decided to think about that later and observe for their behaviour.

Peter was chatting merrily, mostly with the children, cracking jokes and discussing a plan for walking to the park and then, he winked at them, to a nearby candy store.

Ross and Penelope were chatting amiably with Scarlett, discussing her store and talking about their quiet wedding ceremony.

Rosemary hardly spoke at all, inserting occasional phrases, mostly nodding. She was a pretty girl, with dark eyes like her brother's.

Rhett was silent. As Scarlett thought, "dangerously silent." He had been eating leisurely,nodding politely, but watching her like a hunter after his prey.

Scarlett felt that the conversation was inexorably approaching . She wasn't ready and wanted to delay it to prepare arguments for her defense.

As soon as dinner was over and coffee was served, the children wanted to see the garden. Scarlett quickly volunteered to accompany them, but Rhett gave her a stern look.

"Peter, may I ask you to keep an eye on Wade and Ella, I would like to speak to my dear wife," here he smiled wryly.

"Rhett, go to the library," said Mrs. Butler, "no one will disturb you there."

"Yes, Mother, thank you," then he stood up, gave Scarlett his hand and they walked out of the parlour.

As soon as the library door closed behind him, Rhett turned and asked sternly.

"Why are you here, Scarlett?"

Scarlett grinned to herself. That question had haunted her today.

Rhett continued.

"Didn't you get my letter? I sent it a few days ago."

"What letter, Rhett?" she finally muttered. "I suppose I have been on the road when it came. What letter was it?" she repeated her question.

"I sent your Uncle Henry a letter inviting you to discuss the details of the divorce." he said clearly.

Her heart fell.

"A divorce?" she muttered quietly.

"Yes, Scarlett."

Gaining strength she went on the offensive, "I guess, I've told you clearly that I don't want a divorce, Rhett."

"I guess I wasn't going to give up the idea," he parried.

"Well," she replied, "I'm here now, or rather we're here with the children and..."

"I suppose you expect to share a bed with me, my pet?" he asked wryly and grinned.

Scarlett looked at him perplexed and only then remembered that separate bedrooms were not what her mother-in-law wanted to see in her house.

She sighed heavily and said to him, "Rhett, I'm not interested in that right now, just do it your way. If you want, say I'm a restless sleeper and it's keeping you awake. Or something like that. I don't want your mother to think our marriage is a fake. At least in the eyes of your family, I don't want to embarrass you."

Rhett listened to her reasoning and grinned. She didn't even want to claim him as his lawfully wedded wife. That hurt him once again. So he decided to answer her the way he knew better.

"This marriage has always been a fake, Scarlett. From the beginning.And there always been the three of us,"he told her wryly.

"No, Rhett, not three. Four. You, me, Ashley and your whore," she said clearly, looking him in the eyes. She remembered the red-haired woman who, even after his departure, had looked down on her and grinned and then she added with fury:"You humiliated me! You made me compete with a whore, damn it!"

"And I never even had a chance to compete, Ashley Wilkes was always on the pedestal!"

"You knew that when you married me! You knew I cared about him, you said all you wanted was my body!"

That's when she realized she had fallen into a trap. He looked at her triumphantly and said, smirking bitterly.

"And even that was denied to me! "Rhett looked at her fiercely and turned away to the window.

They are walking in a circle. Scarlett remembered how she had heard the expression "circles of hell" from Ashley.

"How many of them were there?" she thought absent-mindedly, "seven or nine. Well, never mind."

And then she realized that she could finish at least walking this one now, come out a winner, if she would have enough courage.

She took a deep breath and said clearly and loudly: "It was a mistake, Rhett! I regretted it immediately when you took your things from our bedroom."

He turned sharply towards her and stared at her in disbelief. She continued.

"I was hurt and ashamed, I cried all evening after that conversation. But I was afraid to admit it to you, my pride prevented me from asking you to come back. I was afraid you'd laugh at me. For that I apologize to you now. I'm sorry, Rhett."

She finished her confession, and with it came the end of her strength. While he was silent and walking from the window to the fireplace, she suddenly realized she wanted to go to bed. To sleep for twenty-four hours, or better yet, a month. She also wanted to go home.

He was silent for a few seconds, and then he said, "It doesn't change anything, Scarlett. Your confession and your apology. It's too late, I don't love you and I don't want you, either as a wife or as a lover."

He seemed to be spewing out all the venom that had built up in his soul over the decades.

Scarlett listened in silence, she felt like she had been punched hard in the stomach. Like when she had taken a bad fall from a tree as a child. Why had he been so cruel to her. She didn't ask him for anything now, she just decided to apologize. Pulling herself together and taking another deep breath, she spoke clearly:

"I don't think I have asked for anything from you right now, Rhett. Not love, not acceptance. I have apologized to you and that's the end of the bedroom issue. I won't discuss it or blame myself anymore. It's gone and there's no fixing it."

He looked at her seriously. He wanted to piss her off with his cruel words, even to bring her to tears. But she was only serious and that was all.

"Rhett, as fascinating as our conversation is, I have children waiting for me. Don't worry, we won't be here long, a couple of days and we'll be gone. I can leave right now if you talk to your mother, after all, she's the one who insisted I come here."

She stood up, adjusted her black dress, walked quickly to the door and went out without looking back at him.

Scarlett stepped out onto the veranda through the French doors and looked out over the garden. Wade and Ella were playing catch-up and she watched them and waved occasionally.

"Thank goodness they're playing and don't notice this tension in the house. They've been very warmly welcomed..." thought Scarlett. And began to look at the garden further.

"How beautiful it must be here in the spring. And the magnolias blooming in April."

She remembered the spring in Tara, when everything was bright green, when the air was clear and fresh, when her favourite plants were in bloom. Ah, how she loved the scent of jasmine, of honeysuckle...

For a moment she remembered that spring of 1861, her favourite Tarleton boys and herself, so young, in love, in a white dress sitting on the porch.

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.

"Scarlett?" came a pleasant male voice from behind her.

She turned around and say:

"Oh, Peter, I'm sorry, I was just thinking, admiring the garden. It must be very beautiful here in the spring."

"Scarlett, stay there with your husband and see for yourself," he said with a smile.

Scarlett smiled nervously and he noticed her hands clenching.

"Your aunt is going to be all right, isn't she? How is she, Scarlett?" he asked anxiously.

"Thank you, Peter, she's a fighter. The body is weakened, but good nutrition and proper care and she'll be fine."

"That's good to hear." Smiling, he added, looking at her intently. "Okay, well, how about you, Scarlett? How are you?"

She turned sharply towards him, studying his face.

"You know, you're the first person to ask me that in the last couple of months!", was the first phrase that came out of her mouth.

Then, already calmer, she added.

"I don't know... I guess I'm okay. Thank you, Peter."

He looked at her, but remained silent.

They stood in silence for a couple of minutes, and then Peter continued.

"Your children are adorable, Scarlett. And it's immediately obvious how attached they are to you. If you don't mind, how about a walk in the park right now?" asked Peter and then added, "Unless you have plans with Rhett."

"No," Scarlett interrupted him sharply. "As far as I know, the children haven't made arrangements with him, so we would love to go out with you. Thank you, Peter."

"Then I'll go over and call them, Scarlett. I hope you don't mind stopping by the candy shop too, for some sweets." he winked at her and smiled. "I want to treat my nephews."

"Okay, Peter," she replied with a smile. "But not too much."

Smiling at her, he turned, waved at the children and headed towards them.