Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Fifty-Three.

One night while the men were having whiskey and cigars, Robert said, "How are you managing to not have a baby every year?"

Rhett looked at Percy and said, "We will talk later."

Percy said, "No, go ahead and talk now. I might be able to contribute to the conversation."

Rhett said, "There are four ways that I know of. There may be more, but I just know of four."

"Go on."

"Wear a condom."

"The thing I wore to prevent me from getting a disease from the whores."

Robert could not believe he was speaking so bluntly. Nonetheless, he had to get the information. Daphne was no longer happy about having relations. She would, and she had a good time, but she was always reluctant because of the possibility of her getting with child again.

Rhett said, "Yes."

"Go on."

"Remove yourself before your big moment."

"Go on."

"This is for the woman to do. Douche herself immediately with hot water and vinegar or use an iron sulfate solution."

"Go on."

Rhett explained everything to his brother. Finally, Rhett added, "That is the least invasive."

Rhett stopped himself from adding that was the method he and Scarlett used. If she found out that he had told someone that intimate piece of information, it would be a cold day in hell before she would willingly have relations with him again.

Percy said, "After you were born, Robert, I decided that we would not have any more children. I used the pull-out method. I never messed up, yet I still got your mother with child. None of these methods are one hundred percent. They just lower your odds."

"I must do what I can. Daphne wants to go a couple of years without having another child."

"Good luck. Shall we join the ladies?"

"Yes, of course."

The men got up and knocked back their whiskeys. They joined their wives who were happy to see them.

When it was once again time to plant the rice, Percy went down to Middleton Acres. He marveled at how much more confident the men were and how much happier all the people were. Surprising to Percy all the men had already learned to read. They were now teaching their wives. They would let the women teach the children. Although when it was time to harvest the rice, everyone was in the fields working except the kitchen staff. These days there was nothing left in the house except the kitchen. All the kitchen equipment was still there. Percy had learned the men were going to tear the house down and use the lumber to build more cabins or make their cabins larger.

Percy usually rode down to Middleton Acres, two to three times a month, but during key moments in the rice production, he would ride down every day. He rarely told the men what to do, except when he thought they were about to make a big mistake. Most of the time he was letting them guide their own ship.

It was clear to Percy that Middleton Acres was already self-sufficient. Percy said to Malcolm, "You have done well here. I am amazed at how much you have accomplished."

"We had some problems. One of the first rules we made was that if a person didn't work, they didn't eat." With a smile Malcolm, said, "Then we had to define what work was because some of these jobs are harder than others."

"True."

"We had to come up with punishments for people stealing." Sadly, Malcolm said, "We even had to decide if a man was guilty of murder. The man had caught the other man forcing himself on his wife. We determined that was a justifiable murder. We can never tolerate that. We have had to tolerate that for too long." Percy didn't say anything, but he knew it was true. He had done his best to protect the slaves, but he had not been on the plantation all the time. Malcolm went on, "There has been a lot of discussion on almost everything. Some of the men have come to blows. We had a lot of votes to decide what is right for our future."

"Keep up the good work."

"Thanks, Mr. Percy."

By the end of April, Scarlett knew she was with child again. She had missed two flows, and she was sick every morning. Rhett was beginning to relax about her fertility. He just knew he had gotten her with child on Valentine's Day. Now he felt that they could make a child any time they wanted to. They just had to stop using the prevention.

Scarlett and Rhett waited until May to visit her family. She had just been too sick in the morning to be able to be on a train for twelve hours. Once she got where she wasn't getting sick every morning, they left for Tara. They left Agnes behind to sew on pants and shirts for Tommy. He was finally potty trained, and he could now wear pants instead of dresses.

After getting to Atlanta, the family stayed at the Ellis Hotel. They met with Melanie and Matty and visited with the couple. Melanie was finally with child. Scarlett said, "Get someone to give you ether to dull the pain."

"Is that safe for the baby?"

"Yes, I used it, and my sister-in-law used it for her two children."

Rhett said, "I was talking to Dr. Kiley, and he has read where Queen Victoria was given chloroform while she was in labor with her eighth child. Dr. Kiley is thinking it will be safer."

Scarlett said, "That is nice to know. Melly, don't listen to the people who say that a woman suffering through labor and delivery is God's will."

Rhett said, "If Queen Victoria who is the head of the Church of England used it, I think that debate has ended."

Matty said, "True. Let me check in to this for you, Melly."

"Thank you, Dear."

Scarlett and Rhett visited with Cathy and Tom. They admired Cathy's new baby girl. They named her Maude for Cathy's mother.

Scarlett said, "Tom, are any of your brothers married?

"No, Boyd isn't able to support a wife yet. Neither are Brent or Stuart either for that matter."

Scarlett looked at Cathy and said, "What about Rafe and Cade?"

Cathy smiled and said, "They are too busy having fun to get married." Scarlett laughed. Cathy continued, "Father told Rafe that his playing days were over, and he needed to start learning how to manage the plantation that was one day going to be his."

"How was Alex's and Dimity's wedding?"

"I wish you could have come."

"Me too, but Rhett can only get away from his investments once a year. They keep him very busy."

"It was nice. The Monroe's went all out. They even served ice cream."

"What? How wonderful."

The couples visited some more. Neither Rhett nor Scarlett mentioned to anyone about Rhett's father freeing all his slaves. Nobody would understand. In fact, other people would be angry and hostile that Mr. Butler had done something so stupid. Scarlett didn't know if she completely agreed with freeing the slaves, but she was also wondering how many masters treated their slaves as badly as Simon Legree had. She hadn't wanted to think about it, but the thoughts just kept on popping into her head.

While the family had been at Tara, she had told her mother she was with child again and the child was due in November. Both Ellen and Gerald were happy. Now that their grandson was almost three, they were very optimistic about his future health. Scarlett said, "Mother, will you be able to come for the baby's birth?"

"Yes, Dear, as soon as harvest is over. Mammy and I will be on the train."

"Thank you, Mother."

"I believe I will leave Suellen and Careen here. They are old enough to stay by themselves."

"They won't be by themselves. They will have Pa."

"Yes, they will have your father."

Ellen was thinking, 'Gerry will be here, but he will not think about the girls if he wants to go do something. He has never had to be responsible for them.'

Scarlett also found out that Frank Kennedy was calling on Suellen. Rhett was happy to make his acquaintanceship once he found out the man was a cotton broker. After the war started, he would have to find ways to buy cotton and through a cotton broker was the easiest way.

Brent was still calling on Careen. One night both Frank and Brent had been invited to supper. Scarlett could not believe all the stupid statements Brent was making. Scarlett could not believe that Careen was continuing to look at the idiot with worship in her eyes. Scarlett could not believe that Suellen couldn't get anyone better than Frank Kennedy. He must be at least forty years old. Although he was not ugly, he definitely was not handsome. She looked at her husband. Almost to reassure herself that he was a handsome man. He was smart too. He was well off also. He had told her that he was now worth fifteen thousand dollars.

Scarlett could not understand why her sisters were settling. Why weren't more men calling on her sisters. There shouldn't be any competition. Except maybe the Tarleton sisters. And who would want to marry someone with red hair. She had been out of circulation for almost five years now. Then she wondered, 'Who are the men calling on? Both Cathy and I are taken.'

Scarlett said, "Who is the most popular girl in the county?"

Ellen said, "I don't think there is anyone who is the most popular. All the girls seem to have gentlemen callers."

"That is odd."

"Not really, Dear. To me it seems more normal than all the men calling on just one girl."

"Oh."

"Let's talk about something else?"

Gerald said, "Rhett, how are your shipping lines?"

"Good, really good. We are considering buying another ship."

"Really?"

"Let's just say it is in the works."

Scarlett, Rhett, and Tommy returned to Charleston. After Rhett got back, he had to take care of the daily operations of the shipping line while Rudy went to New Orleans to check on the business. Eleuthere had invited Rudy to stay at his home and Rudy had accepted. Eleuthere and his wife, Madeline, had shown Rudy a good time. The food he had been served had been delicious. His only complaint had been in regard to his breakfast, but he accepted that nobody could fix his eggs exactly the way he wanted them fixed except for him.

After Rudy got back from New Orleans he told Rhett, "I will be glad to go back to New Orleans if I can stay with Mr. and Mrs. du Pont again."

"I have always chosen to stay in a hotel."

"Next time you should consider staying with them. They were very interesting people. We never ran out of things to talk about."

"Did you take our big client and his wife out to supper?"

"Yes, they weren't as interesting as the du Ponts, though."

"Just as long as you told him how important he is to us."

"Yes, I did that."

"What do you think about us buying another ship?"

"I don't know. I know as well as you do that occasionally we lose customers because we can't get their goods shipped fast enough, but I don't think it is often enough to justify us buying another ship."

"Alright, we will visit the issue again in six months. When are you going North to visit with our customers?"

"In July."

"Very good."

Now that Scarlett was with child, Rhett was happy all the time. He and Dr. Kiley had decided to try the chloroform to ease Scarlett suffering. Both the men hoped it worked as well as the ether but didn't smell as bad.

Scarlett had gotten an entire new set of dresses to wear after she couldn't fit into her regular dresses. She had done the same thing as she had done the last time. She got seven high waisted dresses. She didn't get a dress to be dyed at the plantation. She didn't think the freed people were doing that anymore.

With Warren's death, Daphne had asked Beth if she could bring her mother with them when they came to supper. Beth had agreed. Daphne said, "I just don't want to leave her alone."

"It is fine, Dear. Your mother is good company."

"Not lately, Mother. I am hoping that once she gets over the shock she will return to her happy self."

"I hope so, also."