Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Sixty-Four

At the beginning of March, Rhett said to Scarlett, "I am going to sell my part of the Vanderbilt railroads."

"I thought you were making good money."

"I am, but I feel like it has been good for too long, and the bottom is about to fall out."

Scarlett stared at Rhett and said, "Do you get feelings?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like when you're playing poker, do you just get a feeling that the other man is bluffing?"

Rhett smiled and said, "You are the only person I would admit this to, but yes."

"Did you get a feeling that something good was going to happen when we went for that buggy ride?"

"Yes, that was why I worked so hard to convince you to still go on the ride. To be honest, I don't know why I even asked you on a buggy ride. You had already told me that you were returning to Georgia in a couple of days. In reality we should never have seen each other again."

"I don't have any of those feelings. I agreed to go on a buggy ride with you because you were so amusing, and I had nothing else to do that afternoon. I was planning on going to a soiree that evening. I don't know if I would have gone without my Aunt Pauline."

"Maybe your Aunt Eulalie would have taken you."

"It is just speculation right now. Baby, sell your interest in Mr. Vanderbilt's railroads."

Within two weeks, Rhett did just that. He took a cargo to New York and sold his share of Vanderbilt's railroads. Cornelius told him, "You are a fool to get out now. We are just about to really take off. Once the transcontinental tracks get built."

"No, Mr. Vanderbilt, those tracks will not get built until the decision about slavery has been made in Kansas."

"Here is your check, Mr. Butler. I made some mistakes in my youth also. Hopefully, like me you learned from your mistakes."

Rhett took the check and said, "Only time will tell if it is a mistake or not."

"True. Good luck."

"Let me go cash this check."

"Go ahead there is plenty of money in the account to cover it."

Rhett joined Scarlett in the lobby. He cashed the check. It was for five hundred dollars. He said, "I made a hundred dollars besides my dividend checks. Would you like to go to the opera?"

"What is the opera?"

"It is like a play except instead of the words being spoken they are sung."

"Have you been before?"

"No, my father told me about them. When Mother and he were here last fall, he said they went to one at the Grand Opera House."

"Let's go."

"Let's take a cab to the Grand Opera House and see if we can buy tickets."

"Alright."

Rhett and Scarlett were able to get tickets to Le prophete by Meyerbeer. They had supper at a French restaurant. As Rhett was staring at the menu, he said, "I am glad I can read French."

"Well, I can't."

"I will order for you."

Rhett ordered Scarlett Spinach Quiche and Beef Bourguignon for himself. They split an appetizer of escargot. He had to coax her into taking a bite. After she did, she found she liked it. They had crepes for dessert. Everything was very good.

When Rhett and Scarlett got to the Grand Opera House, they realized immediately that they were underdressed. Although Rhett was wearing one of his best suits and Scarlett had on one of her best dresses. There were men there with tuxedos and the women had more jewelry on than Scarlett even owned. Maybe more than Beth owned.

The couple carried on and found their seats. The performance was not what either person had been expecting except all the singing.

After Rhett and Scarlett left the Grand Opera House, they were neither one sure they had enjoyed the performance. In the cab on the way back to the ship, Scarlett said, "Everything was sung in a foreign language."

"It was French."

"Did you understand them?"

"Not really. I heard words I knew, but not enough to follow the plot."

"I didn't understand anything, but I was impressed with the scenery and the costumes. Next time we will have to find an opera that is sung in English."

"Or learn French."

"I think my solution is easier."

"We will see."

Scarlett received a letter from her mother. Careen had a baby boy on March sixteenth. Mammy had returned to Tara. Mammy had been wanting to come back for a while, but she couldn't break Suellen's heart by abandoning her. George was over a year old. It was time Suellen found a nursemaid amongst her people.

Careen named her son Gerald James. He had been named after his grandfathers.

After reading the letter, Scarlett turned to Rhett and said, "Gerald is off the table. Careen has had a boy and she named him Gerald James."

"That is good news." Scarlett scowled at Rhett. He added, "About the baby, not about the name."

"Although I am sure you think that is good news too."

"Yes, I do."

All through the month of April both the Charleston Gazette and the New York Times were filled with articles about the Dred Scott decision. It was plain that the two papers had totally different opinions on the decision. Over supper, Rhett said, "The Dred Scott decision is going to tear the country apart even more."

Scarlett said, "Explain the decision to me."

"Dred Scott was a slave who had lived in a free state and a free territory. He believed that gave him the authority to claim to be free. The state of Missouri did not agree. With help from abolitionist lawyers, he filed his lawsuit in federal court. The lower court found that Dred Scott did not have any standing with the court because he was not a citizen. It went all the way to the Supreme Court. If the Chief Justice Taney had just upheld the lower court's decision that would have been the end of it."

Percy said, "But Chief Justice Taney tried to do something that never works. He tried to impose a judicial solution on a political problem. Mr. Taney went on to say that people of African descent can never be citizens of the United States whether they are free or not."

Robert said, "Mr. Taney took it even further by declaring that a state's voters could not decide if a state was slave or free. In his opinion, it lacked constitutional legitimacy. Therefore, slavery was legal in all states regardless of what laws the state legislature enacted."

Rhett said, "There is more, but that is enough for you to get your head around. The slave states feel that their right to own slaves has been validated by the highest court in the land."

Percy said, "Most Northerners are angry at his decision for a lot of reasons not the least being that Mr. Taney had declared that there is no such thing as state's rights."

Robert said, "The decision was a significant victory for the South, but it has intensified anti-slavery sentiment in the North."

Beth said, "Why did Mr. Taney try to impose a judicial solution on this very heated political issue?"

"Poor judgment. And probably ego also. He thought he could single handedly solve this divisive issue."

"Are we closer to war?"

"As I have said before the citizens of Kansas and Nebraska are already at war."

That night in Robert and Daphne's room, she said, "Would you leave the South and your family?"

"The day we got married, I would have said, 'Hell no.' Now I think I am getting there. Would you want to move back to Manchester?"

"No, that would always remind me too much of Mummy and Dad."

"Where to then?"

"Somewhere in England, but not London."

"Alright. Let's look at a map in the next couple of days and we can start getting information on cities we might want to live in. Why did Dad decide to move to Charleston?"

"He met a Charlestonian and the man wanted to sell his textile mill. Dad had run a textile mill in Manchester, so he bought the mill and we moved. We were on the ship within the month."

"I'm glad he did."

"Me too."

"Let's make that baby girl."

"Alright."

Several months later at the end of July after supper Rhett said, "I'm going to go play some poker."

When Rhett bent down to kiss Scarlett's cheek, she said, "Do you have to?"

In a mocking voice, Rhett said, "Yes, I have to."

"Be careful."

"I will promise you that."

"See you when you get home." Scarlett turned to the others in the room and said, "Would you all like to play whist?"

Rosemary said, "I don't know how to play."

Beth said, "It is time you did. How dreadful of me for neglecting my duties as your mother?"

Percy said, "I also am guilty of neglect."

Soon everyone was seated with Percy and Rosemary being partners and Beth and Scarlett being partners. The foursome spent the next two hours playing the game and were thoroughly enjoying themselves. It was a good evening for everyone, but Rhett.

Rhett had broken even which was good, but he usually came home at least ten dollars richer. To make matters worse to him, the man who had won big that night was some wet behind the ears young boy. The boy had spent the entire night talking. Nobody could get him to shut up. Admittedly, there is often conversation at the poker table, but the young man was not conversing he was telling long boring stories that he thought were funny. They were not. Furthermore, he didn't appear to be paying the least bit of attention to the game. He was constantly having to be told how much the bet was to him. Rhett's comments had been mocking and contemptuous and while everyone else got his comments, the young boy had not. Rhett had even made fun of him for being stupid. That went over his head also. Which just made sense because the boy was stupid, despite the fact he had all the winnings for the night. It was just beginner's luck. Tomorrow night he would just stay home with Scarlett.

When Rhett walked into the townhouse, he heard everyone laughing and perversely that made him madder. Irrationally he thought, 'How can they be having such a good time when I had such a bad time?'

Rhett walked into the parlor and without greeting anyone, he said, "Let's go, Scarlett. It is time to go to bed."

"Sure, Rhett, let me finish this hand."

"No, come with me now."

"If you are in a hurry to go to bed, go on, Rhett. I will be right there."

"Scarlett, I said for you to come with me now."

Finally, Scarlett turned to stare at Rhett. In truth, everyone was staring at him. Nobody had ever heard him speak to her that way. Scarlett laid her hand down and said, "Of course, Rhett."

Scarlett was embarrassed and that made her mad. As soon as she and Rhett were in their room, she turned on him and said, "How dare you embarrass me in front of your parents and your sister? I didn't deserve to be treated like that. Whatever happened to you at the saloon was not my fault. If you ever want to have relations with me again you better apologize to me."

Rhett was about to make his situation worse. The scene downstairs flashed across his mind. He was an idiot, and he was going to be a bigger idiot because he was not going to apologize even though he knew he was in the wrong. He said, "Fine, if we aren't going to have relations, I will go sleep in Robert's old room."

Going to Robert's old room had been a mistake. Although there was a bedspread and pillow on the bed there were no sheets. Rhett returned to his room. He didn't say a word. He just got into his bed on his side.

Scarlett did not acknowledge her husband's presence in the room. She was not going to apologize. She hadn't done anything wrong.

Both people had a hard time going to sleep, but they both finally did. They rolled into each other in the night. Rhett woke up enough to realize what was happening. He started kissing Scarlett. She was kissing him back. When she became completely awake, she said, "Did you put the cloth in?"

"No."

Scarlett rolled over and grabbed the cloth and said, "Put it in. I will be mad at you tomorrow."

"I will tell you all about it tomorrow. I'm sorry. I was an idiot."

"On that I agree. We can talk later. Hurry up and put it in so we can get back to…"

Rhett smiled and did as instructed. He kissed Scarlett again and worked on getting her aroused again. They ended up having a really good time.

Author's Notes: The Dred Scott Decision has the dubious honor of being considered by most constitutional scholars as the worst decision ever handed down by the Supreme Court. It is also considered the most shockingly bad decision in the court's history of wrongly imposing a judicial solution on a political problem. This decision also caused the Democratic party to split into sectional divisions, thus making it easier for a new party to win the Presidential election.

FYI: Dred Scott and his wife were sold in late 1857 and given their freedom by their new owners. Mr. Scott died in 1858. His wife lived until 1876.

I gathered all my information from Britannica On-line.