Chapter Thirteen

Nicholas accepted the invitation to Sunday dinner. Everyone always came to Sunday dinner. Scarlett demanded that all her children be at her table Sunday at noon. It made it easier to talk to Nicholas. He reminded Scarlett so much of Rhett that she could only smile at him and think we are in trouble. The meal was nice. The conversation was nice. Wade had news. They were expecting their first child. Scarlett pretended to be excited but she really didn't want to be a grandmother. She was only 44. Then Scarlett thought about her mother a grandmother at 31. She just kept smiling. Rhett knew she was upset although no one else would be able to tell. He smiled at her. He said, "Congratulations" Everyone kept talking and visiting. Ella then said, "I'm with child also." Scarlett was thinking 'One or twenty I'm still a grandmother.' Scarlett smiled at Ella and said, "Congratulations." The meal was over. Wade and his wife left. Beau and Bonnie went for a walk. Ella and Jordan moved to the sitting room. Nicholas and Melly went to the sitting room also. Elizabeth and James went upstairs and Rhett and Scarlett moved to the sitting room also. Rhett offered everyone a brandy. Nicholas gave him a smirk but accepted the drink. Scarlett and Jordan accepted the drink. Rhett and Scarlett did not drink very much these days. They felt alcohol had harmed their marriage in the early years. Rhett offered Jordan and Nicholas a cigar. Both refused. Rhett smoked alone.

Scarlett asked, 'Nicholas, do you live in Boston full time?"

Nicholas replied, "Yes. I do Mrs. Butler."

Scarlett said, "Do you own a home?"

Nicholas replied, "No. I would much rather live in a well-run hotel than bother with a home." Scarlett wanted to look at Rhett but she controlled herself with a sheer act of will.

Ella said, "That sounds very cold and austere."

Nicholas said, "When I get married then I would want a home and all the niceties that go with it." Nicholas looked at Melly when he said it.

Jordan said, "What do you do for a living?"

Nicholas said, "I am an investor."

Jordan said, "That sounds very chancy."

Nicholas said, "It was at first but now that I have a sizable nest egg it is not as risky."

The conversation flowed and everyone participated. Scarlett noticed that Nicholas looked at Melly a lot. Maybe he does feel something for her either that or he is a great actor. Rhett was feeling like all his sins were coming back to haunt him. The more they talked the more hopeless Rhett felt. Nicholas was handsome, charming, rich, and just too damn much like him.

Rhett finally said with a smile, "Mr. Lefebre I will give you permission to court my daughter."

Melly jumped up and hugged Rhett's neck and said, "Thank you Daddy."

Scarlett stood up and took Melly by the arm and said, "Melly at least play a little hard to get. Come along I know your father wants to talk to Mr. Lefebre."

Ella and Jordan rose and said they were leaving. After everyone had left Rhett and Nicholas were alone in the sitting room. Jordan had closed the door behind himself.

Nicholas said, "Well played Butler. 'Hold your friends close but your enemies closer.'" I suppose your plan is to chaperon her like no young lady has ever been chaperoned. The next move is mine. I will have to go back to the hotel or maybe I will go to the closest brothel and think about this entire situation." As he walked out of the sitting room and out of the house.

Rhett did not feel good about this. Now he knew how Mr. O'Hara felt when he came to Atlanta to talk to him after the Bazaar. He had bested Mr. O'Hara then but he had no confidence he would best Nicholas. Rhett decided that he had too much to lose and Nicholas had nothing to lose. Rhett poured himself and his wife a brandy and went to find her. He found her in Melly's room and handed her the brandy. They spoke volumes with just their eyes. She took a sip and stood up and said, "Melly clean up this room" And they left the room.

They went downstairs and saw Bonnie and Beau coming back from their walk. Scarlett said, "Bonnie we need your help. Can you come into the sitting room?"

Rhett said, "Nicholas Lefebre is officially courting Melly but we have to chaperon her all the time."

Beau said, "Do you not like Nicholas?"

Rhett said, "I actually like him." Then Rhett started laughing. He walked over and gave Scarlett a kiss on the cheek. "I will be back in time for supper."

Rhett left and went to the National Hotel and asked for Mr. Lefebre. The desk clerk asked, "Are you Mr. Butler?"

Rhett said, "Yes."

The desk clerk said, "He is down at the saloon two blocks that way." The desk clerk pointed to the left.

Rhett walked down to the saloon. As soon as he walked in Nicholas greeted him. Nicholas said, "You figured it out faster than I thought you would."

Rhett said, "Great plan. If you had asked me to court my daughter I would have said 'no' because of the age difference and the fact you are illegitimate. By threatening to ruin her you forced me to give my permission to court my daughter so I could watch y'all all the time. Since I said it in front of Melly now I would have to come up with an excellent reason to withdraw my permission. I won't let you marry until she is at least eighteen."

Nicholas said, "I did come to Boston with the idea of getting revenge on you. I really like the idea of seducing your wife. She is one beautiful woman," Rhett growled. "But she never even looks at other men. I saw Melly and fell in love with her. I arranged for a friend of hers to introduce us. She is very naïve. It never occurred to her that her friend didn't know me. I will be happy to wait."

Rhett said, "I will still chaperon her all the time." Rhett stuck out his hand and Nicholas took it.

They had several drinks together. Rhett said, "I regret my part in your mother's death."

Nicholas said, "I know you do. Melly thinks you walk on water. She is always talking about you and her mother. I feel like I know you already."

Rhett said, "If you ever hurt Melly I will kill you and if I am no longer living her mother will kill you. I would be more scared of her mother than me. Her mother drove through a war zone with only a sick woman, two children and a darkie just to get home."

With that comment Rhett threw some money on the table and said, "Which is why I better not be late for supper. She still scares me even after all these years."

Nicholas laughed, got up and walked out with Rhett. Nicholas couldn't be happier. He had gotten what he wanted. He got permission to court Melly. He would wait two years. No problem. His greatest joy is that he outsmarted the famous Rhett Butler. Nicholas would admit that Butler was not at the top of his game but he was still proud of his accomplishment. But Nicholas knew it would never happen again because Rhett would never underestimate him again. He went up to his room to look over his investments.

When Rhett got home, he explained what had happened to Scarlett and she said, "So it does have a romantic ending."

Rhett shook his head and said, "Yes it does. And you have two years to plan the wedding."

Scarlett said, "You know me so well."

Rhett said, "Come on I'm hungry and supper is about to be served."

Nicholas did court Melly for the next two years and they were married the summer after she turned eighteen in 1893. Melly surprised everyone by telling her mother no on several of her mother's plans for the wedding. Melly knew what kind of flowers she wanted, what her colors were going to be, what foods were to be served at the reception, etc. Rhett had to step in and remind Scarlett whose wedding it was. Scarlett conceded and made the wedding perfect for Melly and Nicholas. They both were positively glowing. Nicholas bought Melly a house as a wedding present but they chose it together.

Rhett said, "He is a lot smarter than I was at his age."

Scarlett slipped her hand in his and said, "We were both very foolish people."

After all the drama of her two older sisters Elizabeth's courtship seemed anti-climactic. She met a young man from a nice family. He started courting her when she was sixteen, Edward asked Rhett for her hand in marriage when she was seventeen and they got married when she was eighteen in the fall of 1894. The only thing Rhett had to make fun of them about was their names Elizabeth and Edward. They were royalty.

They had a lovely wedding that Elizabeth and Scarlett planned together. It was very simple yet very elegant exactly like Elizabeth herself. Fortunately for Scarlett she still had James at home so her nest wasn't empty. Neither parent was worried about James settling down. He had no desire to settle down. He would say, "I'm not a marrying man." which always made his parents smile.

As the children moved into their own homes and Rhett and Scarlett got older, they hired a few more servants but Scarlett still didn't want very many of them. As more and more grandchildren arrived Scarlett got accustomed to being a grandmother. She did enjoy playing with them, not as much as Rhett but she was a grandmother her way.

In 1895 James met a woman he could not live without unfortunately she was already married. Her husband was much older than Sarah was. It was a marriage of convenience. Within six months Sarah's husband passed away suddenly and Rhett urged James to ask her to marry him immediately. James balked saying It wasn't right. She had just buried her husband. Rhett told him that if he really loved this woman, he should tell her that he loved and get her to say yes to his marriage proposal before anyone else could lay claim to her. James took his dad's advice and asked Sarah to marry him six weeks after she had buried her husband. To James's surprise she said, "Yes. I love you too." They waited a year to marry but the gossips still talked about them. Rhett said to James, "Don't worry about the gossips when you have the woman you love in your bed." James smiled and said, "You are so right."

Scarlett and Rhett were hoping they would both survive long enough to see the new century but it was not to be. Rhett was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away in 1898 when he was seventy years old. Scarlett passed away the following year of a massive stroke. It was believed she had undiagnosed high blood pressure. She was only fifty-four years old. Her children were sorrowful that she was gone but happy that their parents were back together. They now met at Wade's house every Sunday for dinner. No excuses. Everyone was expected to be there. Wade was the only one of the children that remembered the bad times before the great escape and he usually kept those memories to himself. His siblings preferred to think of their parents as this perfect couple. He agreed they did become a perfect couple but Wade often thought if one of them had made a different choice things could have turned out very badly.