Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Six

Rhett and Scarlett spent the rest of the day in the museum. They went back to the freak show and some of the other displays. They watched some of the shows. There were so many things to see at the museum that it took Rhett and Scarlett two days to see everything. Finally, at five o'clock on their second day, the couple left the museum for good. As they were going back to the hotel, Scarlett said, "I'm having a wonderful time, but seeing the museum was worth the trip alone."

"I agree."

"I probably could spend another day at the museum."

"No, there are too many other things to see in New York. Tomorrow, I will take you to St. Patrick's Cathedral. Tomorrow night we have been invited to supper at Mr. Vanderbilt's home. He is having a small supper party."

"Will you talk business with him at the supper party?"

"Maybe. I will let him take the lead." With a smile Rhett said, "I really have no other choice. He is the one who will make the decision whether I can invest in his railroads or not."

"Someday you will be the one who will make the decisions."

Rhett smiled at Scarlett. After over a month of marriage, he still wasn't tired of her. Not just sexually, but her company as well.

Scarlett enjoyed seeing the cathedral and all its opulence. Rhett pointed out some of the other landmarks of New York City.

After dinner, Rhett said, "Do you read books?"

"No."

"Magazines?"

"Fashion magazines."

"I am going to buy you a book and I would like you to try to read it."

"No."

"At least try."

"No, reading books is boring."

"How about if I find you a real page turner?"

"What does that mean 'real page turner?"

"A book that is so exciting that you want to read it quickly."

"You find me a book like that, and I will read it."

"Alright."

After Rhett saw Scarlett in her new sophisticated dress, he was in awe. She really was going to make him a fine wife.

Rhett said, "Grab your shawl. It is a little cool outside." Once Rhett saw the shawl with the dress, he said, "It doesn't work. Get the other one."

"I will get the other one, but I don't think it works any better than this one."

When Scarlett showed Rhett the other shawl, he said, "You are right it doesn't work either. I will keep you warm."

Scarlett giggled and put the shawl down.

When Rhett and Scarlett got out of the cab, they were both impressed by the size of the Vanderbilt mansion. As they waited in the foyer with some other guests to be escorted to where everyone was having appetizers, he whispered, "Someday I will buy you a home bigger than this."

Scarlett smiled at her husband and whispered back, "This design was featured in Harper's Bazaar."

"It is ugly."

"It is the latest in-home design."

"That doesn't make it pretty. We will stick with the tried-and-true home designs."

"Like they have in Charleston."

"Exactly."

The butler came to lead the group to the party. As Scarlett walked along, she thought, 'What a stick in the mud.'

After the couple had joined the other guests, they found out that the small dinner party was over fifty people. While the guests were having appetizers, Rhett nodded at a couple of men. Scarlett said, "Do you know them?"

"Yes, they are customers of my shipping line."

"Have you been to New York before?"

"A couple of times. I have made sales calls in Boston also. I had been lining up customers. I have been lucky and usually end up with five or six more customers. I will make some sales calls while I am here, but not very many because we won't have the time. If I do that, I can get reimbursed from the shipping line for my train ticket, a couple of nights for the hotel room, and some of my food."

Scarlett turned a shocked face to Rhett and said, "Really?! That is amazing. You are so smart."

"Yes, I am, and I am resourceful also."

Scarlett heard an older, plain-looking woman speaking. She said, "Shall we go to supper? Just look for your place card."

Scarlett found out later the woman was Sophia Vanderbilt, her hostess.

Scarlett found her place card and scowled. It said, "Mrs. Rhett Butler."

Rhett who had been helping Scarlett find her place card, said, "Mrs. Vanderbilt didn't know your first name."

After Scarlett sat down and Rhett left her a sense of panic flowed over her. She hoped she would be able to keep up her side of the conversation. She also hoped the people around her didn't talk over her head. She would not be able to ask them what they meant like she could with Rhett. The meal was good, but her fears had been realized. She had no idea what anyone had been talking about at the supper table except for one woman. The woman had been talking about prison reform. Scarlett knew she was talking about somehow reforming the prisons, but she had no idea what needed to be reformed. After dessert the ladies left the men to their whiskey and cigars.

The conversation between the men had been on the political climate of the nation, what was going to happen to the land they had acquired at the end of the Mexican American war, abolitionists, and several other topics. Soon Cornelius stood and said, "Let us join the ladies."

Rhett knocked back the rest of his drink and stood. He moved to join the ladies. Cornelius said, "Mr. Butler, come to my office tomorrow morning around nine. I will let you invest in my railroads."

"Thank you, sir."

"12309 Doyers Street. Fifth floor."

"Yes, Sir."

Even though it wasn't the norm, Rhett went and sat next to Scarlett. The relieved look she gave him made him feel good. People started leaving after another hour. In the cab back to their hotel, Rhett said, "I'm in. I go talk to him tomorrow morning."

"Wonderful!"

"Yes, wonderful."

Rhett put his arm around Scarlett which was highly improper. He was glad she hadn't said anything. She didn't say anything because she was cold. They were quiet for a few minutes, until she said, "Why do you smell bad?"

"Some of the men sitting near me were smoking cigars."

"Don't ever do that. I would not want to constantly have to be near you when you smell like smoke."

"I have no plans to start smoking. Robert and I smoked one of our grandfather's cigars when I was twelve and he was ten. We were sick for days."

Scarlett smiled at him and said, "The pirate?"

"No, it was the other one."

"I didn't know what most of the people were talking about. All the women were talking about their causes."

"The women of the North are better educated than the women of the South. And rich women have their projects."

"Like prison reform? One woman talked about that. I understood she wanted to reform something about the prisons, but I didn't know what."

"Yes, like prison reform. And school reform, freeing the slaves…"

"Yes, one woman talked about that while giving me ugly looks."

Rhett smiled and continued, "They also want limits on child labor, temperance, and women's suffrage."

"Huh?"

"Temperance – complete abstinence of the use of intoxicating liquor. Suffrage – getting the right to vote."

"God's nightgown! Why would any woman want to get the right to vote? We aren't smart enough to be given the right to vote."

"An opinion a lot of people agree with. If you read the newspaper, you would become more knowledgeable."

"I am not a blue stocking."

"And I would not want you to be, but you could learn about these causes by just reading the newspaper."

"I might as well. I don't have anything else to do. I don't have any friends."

"Through no fault of your own. Before I go meet with Mr. Vanderbilt, I will buy you a newspaper tomorrow morning."

"Alright. I will attempt to read it, but if there are too many big words I will just give up."

"Alright. Now we are back at the hotel. Let's go up to our room and forget about all this."

"Will you walk me to the privy first?"

"Of course. I will use it also."

As always Rhett and Scarlett had a good time in their marital bed. He didn't give her oral pleasure very often because he wanted it to be something special to her. Besides, doing that got him too aroused and their relations were over far too fast.

The next morning before Rhett left for his meeting with Mr. Vanderbilt, Rhett bought Scarlett a copy of the New York Times. After she had gotten herself cleaned-up and had eaten the breakfast Rhett had brought her, she sat on the floor and spread the newspaper out. She read the first section which appeared to be on the country's political atmosphere. She saw ads that she didn't understand. Some were for condoms and some just said, 'Let us take care of your little problem.'

The next section was on what was going on in New York with a couple of articles about Boston and Philadelphia.

For some reason, Ashley popped into her head. She rarely thought of him. She guessed he wasn't as committed to their relationship as she was. As she thought about their time together, she realized that he had never said or done anything to indicate that she was anything more than a friend. Maybe she had been a convenient way for him to pass some time. Tara was Twelve Oaks' closest neighbor. She knew she had given him adoring looks. Maybe that was all it had been to him. Someone to spend some time with while reading romantic poetry. Someone who adored him. That must have been great for his conceit.

When Scarlett heard the door opening, she quickly dismissed Ashley from her thoughts. Her husband was here, and he deserved all of her attention. Rhett had come back before she had time to read another section. He said, "Were there any words you didn't know?"

"A couple, but I got the gist of the article anyway."

Scarlett showed Rhett the ad for condoms and said, "I don't know that word."

Rhett smiled. He said, "I'm glad you don't. It is something a man puts over his member when he is having relations with a whore, so he doesn't catch any diseases from them."

Scarlett blushed.

Rhett had no intention of telling her what else it prevented, because he was never wearing one with her. He didn't care how many times he got her with child. Since he had gotten married, he had considered the possibility of having children. The idea pleased him. Yes, he wanted children.

Scarlett showed him the other ad that she had wondered about. She said, "What is the little problem?"

"An unwanted child, but those men are butchers. They a lot of time kill both mother and child."

Rhett didn't know that for sure, but Hugh had told him how to get rid of an unwanted child. Rhett figured the doctors were shady individuals. It didn't matter if it was completely safe. He was not getting rid of any of his children. He hoped they had a lot of children, but not right away. He was glad Scarlett hadn't got with child yet. He wondered if there was a way to prevent making a child.

Later that night Rhett tried to remember what Hugh had said about how to not make a child. There was the condom. No, thank you. There were other ways. Then he remembered one of them. The pull-out method. He removed himself before completion. No, thank you. He was trying to remember the other ways Hugh had told him about. He would just have to ask Hugh about it when they got back to Charleston.

Over the next several days Rhett made sales calls. He was able to line up three more customers. He was pleased. Every morning before Rhett left, he bought Scarlett a couple of newspapers for her to read.

On Rhett's first day of making sales calls he handed her some money and said, "You will have to buy your own dinner."

"How? The hotel doesn't have a restaurant."

"I saw a deli about two blocks away on Box St."

Rhett bent down and kissed Scarlett and waltzed out the door. She just stared at the closed door. She couldn't leave the hotel by herself. What if she got lost? She would never be able to find her way back to the hotel. There were so many people out there and she was sure not all of them were good people. What if she ran afoul of a bad man? A man who did awful things to her.

No, Scarlett decided she would just stay in the hotel. She would just skip dinner. No, she couldn't do that. If she skipped a meal, she got short-tempered and cross. The only way she could endure her husband's teasing was by having a lot of patience.