Southern Rose [Gone with the Wind]

John Robillard had suffered a serious illness in France before, and now his body is not as good as before, so he can only slowly recuperate.

The news of Josephine's pregnancy was not widely known, and she never went out as a guest, but the Tellent family in Boston still got the news. The old Mrs. Tellent came again, crying with resentment and grief. .

She resented that her two outstanding sons died because of Josephine. She believed that Josephine was really the "catastrophe" of the Tarent family, ominous and dangerous, without conscience. Cynthia could not grow up with such a bad mother. The granddaughter must be taken away and brought up well.

Josephine was so angry that she didn't care about "respecting the elderly", and had a big fight with old Mrs. Tarent, and broke up unhappy.

John was very annoyed, "This old witch! How, how dare she accuse you like that!"

Josephine said angrily: "I can understand her anger, but it has nothing to do with me? Of course, if I had known that Ryan wanted to beat Thomas up, I would have stopped it." His ill-advised behavior so that he would not die."

"I know that. You can't stop Talent, and you can't stop Thomas." John sighed.

"Thomas is—very selfish. He doesn't think about me. That's what makes me angry. It's fine for him to go to England. I won't see him until my anger subsides."

"At least wait until you give birth to your child. Your health is not good, and crossing the sea is not good for your child." Josephine's seasickness really made people uneasy.

"Yeah, kid..."

She didn't want to have another child, but she couldn't say that to her father.The Robillard family is Catholic, and the Catholic Church does not allow contraception. She only has two brothers and sisters, of course because Emile's body was damaged after giving birth to her, and she could not have another child. Otherwise, like many families, there will be a group of brothers and sisters.Aunt Ellen gave birth to 6 children, and 3 children died; Aunt Eulalie also gave birth to 5 children, and 2 children died.

Ugh!

Scary to think about!

The mortality rate of infants and young children in this era is too high, so women do not have the right to active contraception, not to mention that there are actually no particularly good contraceptive products.Yes, there are already condoms, but the contraceptive effect of condoms is not very good.

Pregnancy made her unwell and in a bad mood. She often lost her temper and scolded her servants.She wrote to Thomas, complaining that the condoms hadn't worked as well, and that she was too ill to cross the Atlantic to England.Thomas was not ecstatic when he heard the news, and complained that the timing of the child's arrival was inappropriate.

He sent someone to send some jewels and gold, worth tens of thousands of guldens, which is her annuity for this year (actually he has already given this year's annuity), enough for her to live a luxurious life like a royal family.

When John got better, he went to Boston to discuss Cynthia with the Talents.Josephine made a concession again, transferring some of Philip's property back to the Tarent family and putting it under Stanley's name; other properties already under Cynthia's trust fund remained unchanged and remained with Cynthia; Cynthia's education was managed by Under the joint supervision of Uncle Stanley and Uncle Charles, in principle, they lived in Stanley's house for 3 years, and then lived in Charles' house for 3 years. The time was counted from July 1865 when the agreement was signed.

Stanley was engaged to a lady from a local noble family in Boston. The marriage was scheduled for September, and the time was urgent.

John paid a large sum of money separately for a warehouse on the New York docks of the Tellents, bidding far above the market price.

I don’t know what role Rhett Butler played in it. John and Charles never mentioned how Butler talked with the Tarent family. In short, Rhett talked about the things that Robillard and his son couldn’t agree on Down: Stanley no longer claims full custody of Cynthia, and agrees to get compensation and no further charges against Thomas.

Josephine’s due date was at the end of October, which was actually nearly a month earlier. On the last day of September, Josephine gave birth to a boy named Thomas, who had the same name as his father, but his nickname was “Tom” at home. .

Emile hugged her newborn grandson, loving her so much.She returned to New York in July, and with her husband, John, sent Cynthia to Boston for a long talk with old Mrs. Tarent.As a mother, she said from the bottom of her heart that a woman cannot decide a man's choice and behavior, and Josephine actually cannot restrain her newlywed husband; Josephine loves Philip so much, if Philip is still alive, there will be no trouble after that, Ryan will also live well, and the child Josephine is pregnant with will definitely be Philip's son; a woman as beautiful as Josephine cannot always be single and live with only children, there will always be such and such The man wanted to take advantage of her. Philip was capable of protecting her and their children, but the tragedy had already happened. This was the most helpless thing. Josephine could not be blamed for this, but this ruthless fate could be blamed.

Emile wisely refrained from mentioning Thomas's name, so as not to offend old Mrs. Tarent.

Two months after Tom was born, the Robillards returned to Savannah with their daughter and two grandchildren.

Savannah is now run by the Yankees, the city government is all northern, and it's a mess.

The ancestral home of the Robillard family was in serious dilapidation. When Charles came back before, he arranged for people to repair it briefly. It was able to accommodate people, but it was far from what it was before the war.

Black Mammy is much older, and her body is still in good health. She cried and told the hostess that she failed to keep the family property, and the silverware was gone. Some were forced to sell for food, and some were robbed by the Yankees. .

Most of the furniture in the house was also damaged. The big bed that the old lady Solange slept in was taken away (it was such a strong and good bed); the dresses of the wife and the lady were taken away. Dresses of bright Parisian satin, shiny and almost new, later on by those shameless women whom the Mammy hated so much.

Emile comforted Hei Nanny, it's fine if the money is gone, as long as people are free.Mammy Hei was very moved.

The war destroyed Savannah's political culture and economy. It is considered good for the pre-war "elites" to keep their original residences. As for the fields and manors in the suburbs, they are all owned by the current Yankee government. There are very few people who have enough money to buy back their own manors.

A large number of lands were put up for re-auction, and the northern upstarts bought most of them, and some southern speculators bought estates that they had never dreamed of before the war.

Charles failed to buy back the estate of the Robillard family. The old Robillard had bought a lot of fertile land; Mian played with it, and then Josephine felt that the Yankees might find an excuse to clean up Robillard's house, so she asked Percy to burn all the waste paper.

John was busy checking the fields that Charles had bought in the summer. There were enough people. After the war, many former black slaves who were liberated returned to their original cities. Revenge; there are also honest and responsible blacks who know nothing but field work and just want to find a field job.

Now it is not the era of black slaves, and the wages of black workers are almost the same as those of white workers. Old John is always worried about how many workers he can hire with his family's money.

He is unwilling to use his daughter's money. "It's not that the family has no money at all. I'm waiting for this year's sugarcane money."

"Didn't you give all your money to the Tarent family? Father, you worry about spending money for me, so let me share your worries."

"Your money is the living expenses that Wolfe gave you. How can I use your money? I know your current situation. You don't have any money."

"Father..." Josephine felt that her father didn't understand her financial situation at all. The property left by Hastings was said to be for Victor, but the income was quite considerable, tens of thousands of dollars a year; After marriage, there was no annuity of 2 US dollars from the Tarent family, but Thomas gave her an annuity of 5 pounds this year alone; and the railway company was already making a profit, so she was not short of money.However, it is really unlikely that her father will take her money. The sugar cane money from the island will be delivered before the end of the year, and the family's financial situation will improve.

Savannah’s current market economy cannot pay monthly bills in many consumption occasions like before. For example, when the ladies and gentlemen of the upper-class families go out to drink tea, eat and party, they often settle the bill once every half a month or once a month. People pay the bills, and it is impossible for the gentlemen, ladies and ladies to renege on their bills.

Now, this sense of trust and honor is gone.

Rhett is very busy.After returning to Charleston from New York, she first went to Eulali's house and sent her three children home. Eurali was very moved.Rhett asks Eulalie to look after his mother Mrs. Butler and sister Rosemary, and secretly leaves money for them.I met my younger brother Jeff secretly and gave him money to start a small business, but I didn't dare to give too much. If I gave too much, my father Butler would definitely become suspicious.

He went to Savannah and New Orleans to continue his bad business.With more items needed for post-war reconstruction, he could still make money, big money.He was busy making money, and he went to New York several times during the period. Besides doing business, he just went to visit Josephine.

Josephine was pregnant with another man's child, and he thought she was beautiful!The pannier skirt hid her growing belly, and he could hardly remember that she was pregnant.He brought her a lot of news about relatives in the south. Although she was too busy to go to Atlanta, Scarlett wrote to both Eulalie and Pauline, saying that Tara's situation did not improve after the war, thank you Leton did her a great favor by deciding to stay, and she didn't have to worry about where to find a reliable butler; Aunt Pauline's husband, Carey, was wounded and limped in the Confederate Army, so he was discharged and went home. The two of them live well, they are considered the best family among the neighbors, and their vegetable farming business is relatively prosperous, and they can actually help their neighbors!

Yulali's family is also okay, the manor is gone, but her husband and children are alive, so Yulali has no dissatisfaction—that is, she is having fun in bitterness.

As for the cousins ​​who were closely related to the Robillard family, some of them were okay, but most of them had casualties. Compared with Charles, who was only lame, it was a blessing.

The Robillard family is already the best financially among their relatives because of the income from sugar cane on the small island of the Bahamas.

Josephine sighed.

But after the Robillards returned to Savannah, Rhett never came.

Some people say that Captain Butler took a large sum of gold from the Confederates two years ago. He originally wanted to buy weapons and food, but then the war situation took a turn for the worse and the Confederates retreated steadily. Did not get any supplies.

People familiar with the matter believe that Rhett Butler swallowed the gold, so there are many people who want to "settle accounts" with him.

A few days before Christmas, someone came to Charles and said that Captain Butler had a message to Mrs. Tellent. He was locked up somewhere in Atlanta. They wanted to ask about his property. Mrs Lunt went to see him.

Josephine couldn't take care of Rhett, the agent of the small island in the Bahamas swallowed the money and ran away, Charles rushed to the Bahamas and failed to stay at home for Christmas.

John became anxious and fell ill again; little Tom also fell ill, and Josephine guarded the youngest day and night.The Robillard family had a surprisingly simple Christmas this year.

Medicine is underdeveloped these days, adults get sick all because of their physical fitness, and the mortality rate of infants and young children is as high as half, so carelessness is impossible.

Thomas had written to say he would return to New York in August, but he didn't arrive in August, he didn't arrive in September, he didn't arrive until October.

Not only did no one come, but there was no letter.Josephine wrote to London, but received no reply.

Could it be that he was taken home by the duke's father again?It's quite possible.Josephine sent an agent for Thomas to find the man in London, and the letter from the agent was not forwarded to Savannah until after Christmas, saying that the man had come to New York in August, but had been attacked in New York Harbor and was badly injured ; the host disappeared mysteriously afterwards, and the narrator—one of Thomas' entourage—run away in time and turned around to board the passenger ship back to Europe.

The agent said that he would definitely find the male master, regardless of life or death.

Well, this is something that cannot be helped, and Thomas cannot be blamed for being irresponsible.But who could have done it?It must be Stanley!On the surface, he received the compensation money, but he still did not give up revenge on Thomas.

Josephine also didn't care about Thomas. Little Tom's condition worsened for a time, and he had a high fever all day long. Emile tried her best to guard Little Tom day and night with the black mother, and kept wiping the baby's body with warm water. The pediatrician comes in every day.After the New Year, in January, 1866, little Tom gradually improved, his fever subsided, and his spirits improved day by day.

Messages from Rhett kept coming, asking Josephine very urgently to meet him in the past, it seemed that he really believed that his life was not long.

Josephine didn't plan to meet Rhett at first, but according to the plot, it should be Tara who is being called to pay taxes at this moment. Scarlett, who is poor and crazy, went to see Rhett in prison in desperation, and asked him to borrow money. But was humiliated by Rhett, and Scarlett returned disappointed.Thinking about it, she decided to take a trip to Atlanta.Scarlett didn't know if she got the $5000 she asked for last time. Rhett didn't say it before, and she forgot to ask.If Scarlett had the money, she would not have to ask anyone to borrow it.

She wrote to Tara, but got no reply, wondered if the letter had been lost.

Emile said: "If your father hadn't been ill, he would have liked to go to Tara before Christmas, to see Ellen's grave, and to see Sister Scarlett. But, look—"

"Accordingly, Tara should be able to receive my letter. I don't know what went wrong." Josephine frowned.

"Maybe the letter was lost. Charles hasn't come back yet, otherwise, let him go to Tara with you. I can't trust you to go to Atlanta alone. It's too messy outside!"

Emil was worried, "If there is anything wrong with Tara, I can't let you handle it. Charles is a man, so I can rest assured that I leave everything to him. As for you, Scarlett has always liked you, and she is willing to go with you." You talk, not Charles. She's a lot like Ellen, very stubborn."

Also, you can't talk about girls' affairs with your cousin who is not very close.

"I want to see Su Lun and Karin. Both of them have been ill for a long time. I am worried about their health. If they are really not healthy, I want to take them here to recuperate."

"You are very considerate. The two of them will marry after all. If you stay in Tara, there is no decent family to choose from." Emile still retains the way of thinking before the war.In fact, she has never really experienced war, so she doesn't really understand the current situation.

"As for Scarlett, she's Tara's mistress now, and she won't leave."

Charles' return date is undecided.

Aunt Eulalie recommended Rhett's younger brother Jeff to accompany Josephine to Atlanta, saying that Mrs. Butler was very anxious when she learned that her eldest son was in prison, but the old Butler refused to allow his wife to go to Atlanta, and Mrs. Butler dared not resist her husband , I can only let the youngest son go to Atlanta to visit under the pretext of "going out to discuss business".Now that he had a ready-made reason, he could accompany Josephine to Tara, and old Mr. Butler could not scold his wife and young son when he knew it.

Josephine agreed.

Jeff doesn't look like Rhett very much, nor is he taller than Rhett. He looks like an honest man.Josephine and Jeff arrived in Atlanta by train, booked a hotel and a carriage, and Jeff went to visit his brother in the prison converted from a fire station.

Josephine only went out in a carriage the next day. She planned to go to Tara first, spend the night, and then go to see Rhett when she came back on the third day. Unexpectedly, she saw Scarlett, who was wet all over the road.

Percy had seen Scarlett, sitting beside the driver in front of the carriage, calling, "Is that Miss Scarlett? I'll tell you, it must be Miss Scarlett. Look, madam, it's really Scarlett." Miss."

Scarlett has grown up, from a carefree teenage girl to a strong woman with the task of reviving Tara.

Her gaze became firm, and her hands became rough, no longer the soft hands of a girl.

Josephine looked at Scarlet lovingly and stroked her hair, "Look, you've grown up and changed now."

"Is it ugly?" Scarlett anxiously touched her wet hair and wet dress, "It's all because of the damn weather! I hate rainy days!"

"No, you are beautiful, my beautiful cousin. Come on, come back to the hotel with me, and change into a dry suit. You can wear my skirt. Don't get sick, you can't be sick. After you change, Then order a big lunch and have a good meal. Then we will go to Tara together, shall we?" Josephine said softly.

She sent Scarlett to the hotel, but she didn't stay. Instead, she went to the prison first and met Rhett Butler.

The author has something to say: Rhett: I heard that I am the hero.