Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Fifty

Later in Scarlett's bedroom, she said to Rhett, "The baby was so cute."

"Cute enough to make you want another one."

"As I have said before not on purpose."

"Very well."

Rhett was a little annoyed. He had hoped he would have gotten Scarlett with child already, but no, she wasn't. Instead, she was having her monthly. He would have to keep trying. He refused to think the horrible thought. The horrible thought that Scarlett just wasn't that fertile and despite his best-efforts Tommy might be the only child he ever got. He just hoped he would get her with child next month.

Over the next several weeks, there were a slew of nurse maids that were briefly employed by Rhett. In the middle of October, the employment agency sent over a nurse maid who was in her fifties. At this point, Rhett didn't care the age of the woman he just wanted someone competent to take care of his son. The woman's name was Agnes Moorehead.

On Agnes' first day she took over the nursery. She asked Mammy, "Why do they need two nursemaids for one child?"

"They don't. I will be returning to my Miss Ellen in the middle of November."

"I am sure your way of taking care of the child is excellent, but I have to do things my way to make it work."

"Indeed, you do. Take over."

The first thing Agnes did was move Mammy into the room that was once Faith's room. Agnes moved into the room with Tommy. She then informed Rhett there would be no more evening visits. Now that Tommy was down to one nap a day, he needed to go to bed earlier. He would be asleep before Mr. Butler finished supper.

Although Rhett had not like being bossed around by Agnes, he was used to it for Mammy had been bossing him around since Tommy had been six months old. What he liked about Agnes was that she was going to do what she thought was best for Tommy. And she was confident in herself and her abilities.

Percy and Beth went to Middleton Acres the first of November. He had told her what he was going to do. They had discussed it almost every evening as they were getting ready for bed since he had made his decision. He had told her about running the blockade and asked her to sail with him. She had agreed and added, "Rosemary will probably be married by then."

"Where did you get the idea to run the blockade?"

"Rhett."

"Is he planning on running the blockade, also."

"Yes, but don't say anything to Scarlett. She doesn't know. And I don't want to listen to them argue about it until the war starts. However long that is."

"You are sure there is going to be war."

"Yes. It is inevitable. Even more so since Uncle Tom's Cabin was published. Now everyone in the North thinks all slave owners are Simon Legrees. Most uncompromising abolitionist believe that it is morally wrong to own another human being. It is against God's will."

"Which is funny to me considering there is mention of slaves in the bible."

Percy smiled, "Nonetheless, I too now believe it is wrong to own another human being."

"I guess I do too."

"The men in the slave states will sooner or later feel threatened enough by the men of the free states that they will secede. They are always threatening to leave the union if they don't get their way."

"Why are you doing this now?"

"By doing this now, I have time to get the men taught how to read. It will allow the freed men and me to get a system set-up that will be profitable for both of us. Or I will be out of the rice growing business. If so, I will buy a ship and start hauling cargo for Rhett."

Beth laughed.

All fall the couple had been hauling favorite items back to the townhouse. Now they were ready to tell the men they were free and give them their papers. Percy would tell them of his plan, then return to Charleston. He and Beth would return the next day to see if anyone remained. If there were anyone who remained, he would hire the tutors and send them down. They would not sleep at the plantation. They would come down every day. It would be safer that way.

Percy gathered the slaves together and said, "I am giving everyone their freedom. I have papers for everyone declaring them a freed person. You can walk away right now, and nobody will come after you. Or you can stay and help me grow rice. When I sell it, I will give you a share of the profits. At the same time the men will be taught to read and write. It will be your responsibility to teach your wives and children." Percy and Beth stared into the sea of faces. Some were showing no emotion, but most of them had shocked expressions on their faces. Percy continued, "Let me start handing out the papers. Line-up.

All the slaves looked at each other and finally one man stepped forward. He said, "My name is Toby."

"Toby what?"

"What do you mean?"

"You are free now. You can choose your own last name."

The man stared at Percey, and he finally said, "Toby Fox."

After fifty men, Beth took over the writing of the names. Percy and Beth saw several people pack their clothing and start walking down the lane. It was mostly single men. Of course, the other men may have just been waiting for their wives and children to get their papers before they left.

After another fifty men, Percy began writing the names down once again. It took all day but finally everyone on the plantation had a piece of paper declaring them freed people. Percy told the foreman, Sam Cooke, that he would continue to pay him until the end of the year.

Sam said, "As soon as I find another job I will leave."

"Very well."

Beth and Percy returned to Charleston. The staff was assembled. Percy said, "You are free." He waved the papers he had in his hand, and he continued, "I just need to put everyone's names on these papers. We will start with you, Benson?"

"What last name would you like to have? "DuBois."

Percy smiled and said, "Where did you hear that?"

"Remember when Miss Beth once had a friend with the last name DuBois. I liked the way it sounded, and I always remembered it."

Beth said, "Yes, my friend Marta. She died when we had a Cholera outbreak."

"I remember her now."

Percy filled out the paperwork and handed it to Benson. He said, "If you would like to continue working for us, I will pay you."

"For a while, Mr. Percy."

"That goes for everyone. If you want to continue to work for me, I will pay you. Next."

George stepped forward and said, "Jefferson. I want to be called George Jefferson."

Isabel stepped forward and said, "Yes, Jefferson will be our last name."

"Very well."

"We will stay also."

Jemima said, "I want to be called Nancy Green."

"Sure."

"And I will stay also."

In the end every one of the newly freed people decided to stay in the Butler's employment. For the next week, the servants had a smile on their face.

When Beth and Percy got to Middleton Acres the next morning, it appeared that one third of the slaves had left. It appeared that all the single people had left. They still had enough people to work the fields just not as many acres. When the couple walked into the house, it was plain to see that it had been ransacked.

Percy said, "I bet there is not a stich of clothing left in the entire house."

"Even that ugly green dress that I hated."

"Agreed. Let me see if the overseer is still here."

"I will see if the cook is still here."

Beth found the cook and almost all the kitchen staff. Percy could not find the overseer. He assumed he had already left the plantation. He headed to the slave cabins. He guessed they weren't slave cabins anymore. He found some men there and told them there would two men who would come down in the morning.

One man said, "Where are they going to teach us?"

"In the barn."

"Good. Thank you, Mr. Percy."

"It was the right thing to do."

By the time Gerald arrived in Charleston on the fifteenth of November, Agnes was firmly established in the nursery as Tommy's caretaker. In fact, for the last week Mammy had just been sewing on clothes for the little boy. Agnes had been working on getting Tommy to say Mama and Daddy. She knew that always pleased the parents. She thought Mr. Butler was overly involved with his son and Mrs. Butler was under-involved with her son but she didn't care. Mrs. Butler's behavior was normal while Mr. Butler's was extremely odd to Agnes. No man should be that involved with his child. It didn't matter. The pay was good and the working conditions good.

Gerald spent a week in Charleston visiting with his daughter and grandson. On Gerald's last night in Charleston, Rhett and Scarlett took him out to eat. They went to the Magnolia Restaurant. Scarlett had crab cakes, Rhett had She crab soup, and Gerald had a steak. Scarlett said, "Pa, you should have some seafood. It is all very good."

"No, Puss, I will stick with my steak."

"Very well."

Later in the meal, Gerald said, "Scarlett, I am surprised you haven't gotten with child again. The Irish are known for being fertile."

"True, Pa, but I am only half Irish."

"Your mother was pretty fertile also."

"Rhett and I are simply waiting for God to bless us with another child."

Rhett was thinking, 'That is what it is going to take God's intervention.'

Rhett was getting frustrated by the situation. Admittedly Rhett had not gotten everything he had ever wanted, but he had gotten most things he wanted. He had always gotten everything he had truly wanted. Simply because he never took no for an answer. Why was he accepting Scarlett's no on the question of them having another child? He was not happy. He decided what he would do. He just wouldn't insert the cloth into her at all. He would just pretend to do it. Of course, he would have to wait a few days. She had started her monthly today.

The next morning Scarlett and Rhett joined Gerald and Mammy in the foyer to say goodbye. Mammy had told Tommy goodbye the night before. It was plain to everyone that the old woman was emotionally upset. Agnes said, "I promise I will take good care of him."

"Thank you."

With those words Mammy had hurried out of the room. Now here in the foyer there wasn't any emotion visible on Mammy's face.

Scarlett had packed up all of the food her father would need for their train trip. She knew her father would never bother with all that. For him it would be easier to get food at the water stops. She smiled when she thought, 'He would just push his way to the front of the line. Just like Rhett.'

Scarlett handed the box to Rhett then hugged her father and Mammy. She then took the box and handed it to Gerald. She said, "The family had crab rice for supper last night and I put some of that in the box."

"Thank you, Puss. Will you telegraph your mother that I am on my way?"

"Of course."

Rhett and Scarlett stood in the doorway and watched Gerald get in the carriage and drive away. Scarlett said, "Shall we see if our son is awake? We can play with him.

"No, Agnes, told me not to visit him until after he has eaten his breakfast. I distract him from his food then he doesn't eat enough and gets hungry before it is time for dinner. She is stuck with a crying fussy baby."

"I guess we could lay back down."

"I like that idea."

When Rhett and Scarlett were once again able to be intimate. He had pretended to insert the cloth. Later that night, Scarlett said, "I love you, Rhett. You are so good to me. I know it is against your desire, but you are going along with us using a preventative just to make me happy."

"I love you, too."

Rhett told Scarlett of his plans for the future and then he told her stories from his past. After he knew she was asleep, he sighed. Her statement had made him feel guilty for what he had done earlier. She was right. Until he was the one carrying the child, he really didn't have a say in the matter. He decided he would go back to just wiping the cloth off and hope for the best. Of course, she might already be with child. It had only taken one time without protection for them to conceive Tommy. With that thought Rhett went to sleep with a smile on his face.

Rhett was quite disappointed when Scarlett had her monthly in December. He decided it really was going to take an act of God. Rhett would have been surprised to know that because she wasn't ovulating, she couldn't get with child no matter what he did. If he had skipped using protection two weeks later while she was ovulating, he would have gotten her with child.