Post by Kelly Melly on Jul 25, 2007 23:29:29 GMT -5
Scarlett’s stomach grumbled and she looked at the clock to see that it was about suppertime. She hadn’t realized that she had been in the office for so long. Since getting the advice that she had from Rhett, she had decided that, instead of just moving the kitchenware to the front, it would be a good idea to rearrange the entire store in this manner. Hearing Rhett speak about taking the things that people normally wouldn’t see to the front of the store, she had reasoned that the same could work for things that people want to see and do see all the time up front. So, she was designing a way for the more popular items to be placed in the back of the store so that people would walk all the way into the store and they would see more things that her store had to offer. She was hoping that this would improve sales in general.
She put her pencil down and leaned back against the chair with her arms stretched above her head. She knew that her mother would have never approved of this display, but she was, by now, use to ignoring that instinctive scolding implanted into her at such a young age.
After stretching her arms, she leaned forward and bent her back in an effort to loosen her stiffened muscles. It amazed her that she was just as tired physical and her body was aching just as much as if she had been working in the fields at Tara, and yet all she had done was sit at a desk and write.
She stood up and stretched again with a yawn, and slowly made her way to the door. She walked down the hallway and into the foyer. She looked up the stairs to see Rhett walking down the flight, carrying Bonnie.
“Well, you have finally immerged from the cave, my dear.” He smiled in his mocking and irritatingly smug way. Rhett couldn’t have chosen a more inopportune moment to tease her, because her irritation with him from that afternoon still hadn’t worn away. Quite frankly, he could have said anything, and she probably would have still wanted to ring his neck.
She could feel the blood boiling in her veins, but before she could come back with some cutting remark Wade and Ella both trampled in from the parlor in a fuss. Wade had Ella’s doll and was running from a crying and hysterical Ella.
“Wade! Give-her-back.” Ella screamed in between sobs. But Wade, still running with merriment at his sister’s distress, only laughed at her words and teased her with little “come and get me” phrases.
Scarlett saw what was going on and rolled her eyes in irritation and frustration. Couldn’t they grow up? Must they always run around annoying her? Her irritation with Rhett and the children now merged into one huge bubble and Scarlett could feel it was about to burst.
Luckily, for the children and for Rhett, Mammy came into the foyer with her normal, domineering effect and put the children to silence, making Wade, with a down-turned head give a still sniffling Ella her doll back.
Scarlett could feel her “bubble” starting to diminish slightly, but then a new irritation over took her. Mammy had walked over to Rhett with her lumbered treads, and with a smile started to go on about the new baby.
“Why, Mist’ Rhett. Neva in all ma days has I seed such a preddy sort in a chile. Lardy Mist’ Rhett, you thinks she gonna keep them preddy eyes.” She smiled up at Rhett, the few teeth she had shining, showing the new and strong respect she now held for Rhett.
Scarlett had noticed that Mammy had been friendlier to Rhett since Bonnie had been born, but she hadn’t paid much attention to it. But now seeing Mammy smiling at Rhett, and knowing that she would probably turn to her and scold her for…something, she felt that she had lost the one ally that had been hers, and that had utterly hated Rhett. How could a stubborn woman like Mammy change her mind so suddenly? This wasn’t fair. Now, no one would be her ultimate ally in this war with Rhett.
War? She had never really thought of that. It was kind of like a war between them, wasn’t it? Battle after battle was constantly fought in an effort to see who could outwit the one, or make the other look foolish. She wondered if Rhett saw their marriage that way too. Did he like it that way? Frankly, she didn’t care.
“Mammy, these eyes are going to be beautiful as long as she lives.” He looked down at the new-born baby with more emotion in his eyes then Scarlett had ever seen in him. She felt a sting at this and a sudden irritation fell on her. ‘Great Balls of Fire! Why does he think the sun rises and falls in her eyes?’ she thought, the sting getting greater. She wouldn’t admit that it was jealousy. ‘Well, I am glad that he is so happy with this one, because it is the only one he is ever going to get.’
He was still looking at the baby and she thought that she was going to explode. She walked over to him and snatched the baby out of his hands (as best as you can snatch a baby).
“She shouldn’t be down here during dinner. She should be upstairs. Here Mammy,” Scarlett handed the baby to Mammy, “take her upstairs.”
Mammy took the baby, but not with out giving Scarlett a look of confusion and almost annoyance at her outburst. She looked at Rhett, and he smiled, then laughed and told Mammy to go ahead and take her.
“I will come upstairs after supper and read to her before she goes to sleep for the night.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes at this. “Rhett, that is ridiculous. She is a two week old baby, who can’t even lift her head off of her pillow. How do you expect to read to her?”
“Well, my pet, I expect to read to her like you would any other child. By opening my mouth and let the words come out.” Rhett smiled at her with mock innocence.
She fumed. What a fool! He knew what she meant! “You know as well as I do that she isn’t going to understand a thing that you are saying. Furthermore, she isn’t going to care. She is a baby. All she cares about is waking up in a warm bed and getting fed when she is hungry.”
“Well, in that case my dear, we must have to new-born babes in this house.” It took her a second to realize that he was speaking of her, but once the understanding of his meaning set in, her face turned red with anger.
In Rhett’s face was his normal mockery, but behind his eyes anger at her careless words about their daughter was starting to flicker. Mammy took special care with the baby going up the stairs, but hurried as quickly as she could, because she could feel that one of the heated arguments between Mist’ Rhett and Scarlett was about to be ignited.
Scarlett saw the mockery, but was blinded to the anger in Rhett’s eyes and her bubble of anger and irritation finally burst with great force.
“Well, if we were to start calling names, I suppose that you would be on that list too. Only thing missing on this list of requirements for you is a wife in your warm bed and so far I haven’t heard any complaints.” Her face was red with fury and her hands were clinched at her sides, her knuckles white in their strain against her hand. She knew that everyone in the house had probably heard her flighty speech, but she was beyond caring.
Rhett only laughed at her words, which only proved to make her angrier.
She stomp her foot in impotent wrath and screamed, “Stop laughing, you cad! You low-down…cad!”
“Why should you forbid me from laughing at spectacles, my darling, my dear little wife? Nothing has ever stopped you from laughing at one.” He said, his laughter subsiding for a moment. “And if ever a spectacle should be laughed at it is the one you just made. Scarlett, we both know that you are a living, breathing spectacle, if a person ever saw one.” He started laughing again, almost to hysterics. Laughing at the fact the she had all but revealed the truth of their marriage to everyone in the house with her outburst. And he was laughing about it. Scarlett’s temper erupted again.
“Aren’t you ashamed for being so, disgusting, so vulgar? If anyone should be laughing, it should be me. How can you not be ashamed of your-your vulgar requisites in life, especially when you have shining examples of what you should be always around you? Why…look at Ashley Wilkes. Melanie she can’t- well…and what would you do in such a case? You would probably…”
Rhett was staring at her now. Staring at her with hard, cold eyes. So hard she stopped her discourse in shock and confusion at his sudden change in emotion. Scarlett’s temper had been what had caused to her to speak to Rhett in such a way, but now that her temper was relatively drained, she was left with nothing to armor her from those hard, cruel eyes. Nothing but the fact that they stood in the foyer of their home. Realizing this, she suddenly felt foolish, exposed and even afraid. Rhett didn’t care if they were in the foyer, on the street or in the privacy of their bedroom. He was going to do what he wanted. And if he wanted to sock her right there (he really looked like he did), he would. Because he was Rhett. And he didn’t care.
But instead of the violence she had expected, Rhett spoke. “You went to the lumber office this afternoon, didn’t you?” His words were spoken in a cool and calm way, and almost sounded polite to the clandestine listener.
Scarlett felt some courage come back to her when she realized that he wasn’t going to hit her. Her stubborn will was brought into play at his question, as well, and she said with a careless tone, “What has that got to do with anything?”
Rhett smiled at her oddly and replied, “My dear, would you mind stepping into the parlor with me? I would like to discuss with you something that has been on your mind since this afternoon.” He spoke as smooth as a cat with the courtesy of a real gentleman and even lavished her with a bow before offering her his arm as if they had not been at each others throats a moment before.
She looked for an escape for a moment, and when she found none she took his arm hesitantly and Rhett started to the parlor, moving more quickly than Scarlett would have liked.
When the kitchen servant came out into the foyer to announce dinner to the Mister and Mistress of the house who had been there moments before, she only found a silent, empty hallway.
She put her pencil down and leaned back against the chair with her arms stretched above her head. She knew that her mother would have never approved of this display, but she was, by now, use to ignoring that instinctive scolding implanted into her at such a young age.
After stretching her arms, she leaned forward and bent her back in an effort to loosen her stiffened muscles. It amazed her that she was just as tired physical and her body was aching just as much as if she had been working in the fields at Tara, and yet all she had done was sit at a desk and write.
She stood up and stretched again with a yawn, and slowly made her way to the door. She walked down the hallway and into the foyer. She looked up the stairs to see Rhett walking down the flight, carrying Bonnie.
“Well, you have finally immerged from the cave, my dear.” He smiled in his mocking and irritatingly smug way. Rhett couldn’t have chosen a more inopportune moment to tease her, because her irritation with him from that afternoon still hadn’t worn away. Quite frankly, he could have said anything, and she probably would have still wanted to ring his neck.
She could feel the blood boiling in her veins, but before she could come back with some cutting remark Wade and Ella both trampled in from the parlor in a fuss. Wade had Ella’s doll and was running from a crying and hysterical Ella.
“Wade! Give-her-back.” Ella screamed in between sobs. But Wade, still running with merriment at his sister’s distress, only laughed at her words and teased her with little “come and get me” phrases.
Scarlett saw what was going on and rolled her eyes in irritation and frustration. Couldn’t they grow up? Must they always run around annoying her? Her irritation with Rhett and the children now merged into one huge bubble and Scarlett could feel it was about to burst.
Luckily, for the children and for Rhett, Mammy came into the foyer with her normal, domineering effect and put the children to silence, making Wade, with a down-turned head give a still sniffling Ella her doll back.
Scarlett could feel her “bubble” starting to diminish slightly, but then a new irritation over took her. Mammy had walked over to Rhett with her lumbered treads, and with a smile started to go on about the new baby.
“Why, Mist’ Rhett. Neva in all ma days has I seed such a preddy sort in a chile. Lardy Mist’ Rhett, you thinks she gonna keep them preddy eyes.” She smiled up at Rhett, the few teeth she had shining, showing the new and strong respect she now held for Rhett.
Scarlett had noticed that Mammy had been friendlier to Rhett since Bonnie had been born, but she hadn’t paid much attention to it. But now seeing Mammy smiling at Rhett, and knowing that she would probably turn to her and scold her for…something, she felt that she had lost the one ally that had been hers, and that had utterly hated Rhett. How could a stubborn woman like Mammy change her mind so suddenly? This wasn’t fair. Now, no one would be her ultimate ally in this war with Rhett.
War? She had never really thought of that. It was kind of like a war between them, wasn’t it? Battle after battle was constantly fought in an effort to see who could outwit the one, or make the other look foolish. She wondered if Rhett saw their marriage that way too. Did he like it that way? Frankly, she didn’t care.
“Mammy, these eyes are going to be beautiful as long as she lives.” He looked down at the new-born baby with more emotion in his eyes then Scarlett had ever seen in him. She felt a sting at this and a sudden irritation fell on her. ‘Great Balls of Fire! Why does he think the sun rises and falls in her eyes?’ she thought, the sting getting greater. She wouldn’t admit that it was jealousy. ‘Well, I am glad that he is so happy with this one, because it is the only one he is ever going to get.’
He was still looking at the baby and she thought that she was going to explode. She walked over to him and snatched the baby out of his hands (as best as you can snatch a baby).
“She shouldn’t be down here during dinner. She should be upstairs. Here Mammy,” Scarlett handed the baby to Mammy, “take her upstairs.”
Mammy took the baby, but not with out giving Scarlett a look of confusion and almost annoyance at her outburst. She looked at Rhett, and he smiled, then laughed and told Mammy to go ahead and take her.
“I will come upstairs after supper and read to her before she goes to sleep for the night.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes at this. “Rhett, that is ridiculous. She is a two week old baby, who can’t even lift her head off of her pillow. How do you expect to read to her?”
“Well, my pet, I expect to read to her like you would any other child. By opening my mouth and let the words come out.” Rhett smiled at her with mock innocence.
She fumed. What a fool! He knew what she meant! “You know as well as I do that she isn’t going to understand a thing that you are saying. Furthermore, she isn’t going to care. She is a baby. All she cares about is waking up in a warm bed and getting fed when she is hungry.”
“Well, in that case my dear, we must have to new-born babes in this house.” It took her a second to realize that he was speaking of her, but once the understanding of his meaning set in, her face turned red with anger.
In Rhett’s face was his normal mockery, but behind his eyes anger at her careless words about their daughter was starting to flicker. Mammy took special care with the baby going up the stairs, but hurried as quickly as she could, because she could feel that one of the heated arguments between Mist’ Rhett and Scarlett was about to be ignited.
Scarlett saw the mockery, but was blinded to the anger in Rhett’s eyes and her bubble of anger and irritation finally burst with great force.
“Well, if we were to start calling names, I suppose that you would be on that list too. Only thing missing on this list of requirements for you is a wife in your warm bed and so far I haven’t heard any complaints.” Her face was red with fury and her hands were clinched at her sides, her knuckles white in their strain against her hand. She knew that everyone in the house had probably heard her flighty speech, but she was beyond caring.
Rhett only laughed at her words, which only proved to make her angrier.
She stomp her foot in impotent wrath and screamed, “Stop laughing, you cad! You low-down…cad!”
“Why should you forbid me from laughing at spectacles, my darling, my dear little wife? Nothing has ever stopped you from laughing at one.” He said, his laughter subsiding for a moment. “And if ever a spectacle should be laughed at it is the one you just made. Scarlett, we both know that you are a living, breathing spectacle, if a person ever saw one.” He started laughing again, almost to hysterics. Laughing at the fact the she had all but revealed the truth of their marriage to everyone in the house with her outburst. And he was laughing about it. Scarlett’s temper erupted again.
“Aren’t you ashamed for being so, disgusting, so vulgar? If anyone should be laughing, it should be me. How can you not be ashamed of your-your vulgar requisites in life, especially when you have shining examples of what you should be always around you? Why…look at Ashley Wilkes. Melanie she can’t- well…and what would you do in such a case? You would probably…”
Rhett was staring at her now. Staring at her with hard, cold eyes. So hard she stopped her discourse in shock and confusion at his sudden change in emotion. Scarlett’s temper had been what had caused to her to speak to Rhett in such a way, but now that her temper was relatively drained, she was left with nothing to armor her from those hard, cruel eyes. Nothing but the fact that they stood in the foyer of their home. Realizing this, she suddenly felt foolish, exposed and even afraid. Rhett didn’t care if they were in the foyer, on the street or in the privacy of their bedroom. He was going to do what he wanted. And if he wanted to sock her right there (he really looked like he did), he would. Because he was Rhett. And he didn’t care.
But instead of the violence she had expected, Rhett spoke. “You went to the lumber office this afternoon, didn’t you?” His words were spoken in a cool and calm way, and almost sounded polite to the clandestine listener.
Scarlett felt some courage come back to her when she realized that he wasn’t going to hit her. Her stubborn will was brought into play at his question, as well, and she said with a careless tone, “What has that got to do with anything?”
Rhett smiled at her oddly and replied, “My dear, would you mind stepping into the parlor with me? I would like to discuss with you something that has been on your mind since this afternoon.” He spoke as smooth as a cat with the courtesy of a real gentleman and even lavished her with a bow before offering her his arm as if they had not been at each others throats a moment before.
She looked for an escape for a moment, and when she found none she took his arm hesitantly and Rhett started to the parlor, moving more quickly than Scarlett would have liked.
When the kitchen servant came out into the foyer to announce dinner to the Mister and Mistress of the house who had been there moments before, she only found a silent, empty hallway.