When you get into widows and horrid little... 218
When you get into widows and horrid
little viscounts and third son's wives and so on, it's like a
labyrinthMama has to hire advice every time she gives a dinner or
she'd be guaranteed to insult someone fearfully importantYou simply
must not seat the daughter of an earl's younger son, like Roger, below
somebody like poor FrancesIt's all too foolish for words The
Cowperthwaite Ladies were more than a little giddy and rattlebrained,
and Roger seemed to have inherited some of Papa's dimness, but they
were a cheerful and warmhearted trio who genuinely liked Scarlett
They made the trip fun for her, and she was sorry when they left the
ship at LiverpoolNow she had almost two full days before she got to
Galway, and she wouldn't be able to delay any longer thinking about
the
meeting with Rhett in Charleston, that was really no meeting at all
Had he felt the same shock of recognition she had when their chanel classic jumbo flap bag eyes
met?
It was, for her, as if the rest of the world disappeared and they were
alone in some place and time separate from everything and everyone
that
existed
It wasn't possible that she could feel so bound to him by a look and
that he would not feel the same wayWas it? She worried and relived
the moment until she began to think she'd dreamed it or even
imagined
itWhen the Fleece entered Galway Bay she was able to store the
memory with her other prized memories of Rhett
Ballyhara was waiting, and harvest time was nearBut first she had to
smile and whisk her trunks past the customs inspectorsColum was
expecting the weaponsIt was hard to remember that the English
were
all such bad people when the Cowperthwaites were so charming
Colum was waiting at the end of ? the gangplank when Scarlett left
The
Golden FleeceShe hadn't expected him, she'd known only that
someone
would meet her and take care of her trunksAt the discount cartier watches sight of his stocky
figure in worn black clericals and smiling Irish face, Scarlett felt
that she'd come homeHer luggage went past customs without any
questions other than, "And how are things in America?" to which she
answered, "Awful hot," and, "How old is that grand beautiful baby,
then?" to which Scarlett replied proudly "Three months shy of a year,
and already trying to walk It took nearly an hour to drive the short
distance from the port to the train stationScarlett had never seen
such traffic snarls, not even at Five PointsIt was because of the
Galway Races, said ColumBefore Scarlett could remember what had
happened to her the previous year in Galway, he quickly added
details
Steeplechase and flat racing, five days' worth every JulyIt meant
that the militia and constabulary were too busy in the city to be
wasting time idling around the docksIt also meant that there was
not
a hotel room to he had chloe paddingtons at any priceThey'd be taking the afternoon
train to Ballinasloe and spending the night there
Scarlett wished there was a train all the way to MullingarShe wanted
to get home"How are the fields, Colum? Is the wheat nearly ripe?
Is hay cut yet? Has there been plenty of sun? And what about the
that
was cut? Was there enough? Did it dry out like it was supposed to?
Is it good?
Does it burn hot?"
"Wait and see, Scarlett darlingYou'll be pleased with your
Ballyhara, I'm certain of it Scarlett was much more than pleasedThe townspeople had erected arches covered with
fresh greenery and gold ribbon over her route through Ballyhara town
They stood outside the arches waving handkerchiefs and hats,
cheering
her return"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," she cried over and
over, with tears brimming from her eyes
Fitzpatrick and the three ill-assorted maids and the four dairymaids
and the stablemen were lined up to omega seamaster orange greet herScarlett could barely
keep herself from hugging MrsFitz, but she obeyed the housekeeper's
rules and maintained her dignityCat was bound by no rulesShe
laughed and held out her arms to MrsFitzpatrick and was immediately
caught up in an emotion-ridden embraceLess than an hour later
Scarlett was dressed in her Galway peasant clothes striding quickly
over her fields, Cat in her armsIt felt so good to be moving,
stretching her legsThere'd been too many hours, days, weeks of
sittingOn trains, and ships, in offices and armchairsNow she
wanted to walk, ride, bend, reach, run, danceShe was The O'Hara,
home again, and the sun was warm between gentle, cooling, swiftly
passing Irish rainsFragrant mounds of golden hay stood in field
cocks seven feet tall on the meadowsScarlett made a cave in one
and
crawled inside it with Cat to play houseCat shrieked with delight
when she pulled part of the "roof" down on christian dior handbags
