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The sooner she got away from Charleston, the happier she would be
This must be the hottest place on the face of the earthShe shaded
her eyes with her hand to look at the skyShe started along deck towards her rooms
Poor baby Cat must be practically cookedAs soon as they got out of
the harbor she'd bring her up on deck for whatever breeze the ship's
movement might causeClattering hoofbeats and feminine laughter
caught her attentionMaybe this was who they were waiting forShe
glanced down at an open victoriaWith three fabulous hats on the
women in itThey weren't like any hats she'd ever seen, and even
from
a distance she could tell they were very expensiveWide brimmed,
decorated with clusters of feathers or plumes held by sparkling jewels
and swirled with airy tulle netting, from Scarlett's perspective the
hats were like wonderful parasols or fantastic confections of pastry on
big traysI'd look simply wonderful in a hat like thatShe leaned
slightly over the rail to look at the womenThey were elegant, even
in the heat, wearing pale organdy or voile trimmed with-it replica swiss rolex submariner looked like
wide silk ribbon or was it ruching?-on cuirass fronts and-Scarlett
blinked-no bustle at all, not even a hint of one, and no train
either
She hadn't seen anything like that in Savannah or AtlantaWho were
these people?
Her eyes devoured the pale kid gloves and folded parasols, lace, she
thought, but she couldn't be sureWhoever they were, they certainly
were having a good time laughing their heads off and not hurrying to
get on the ship they were holding up eitherThe Panama-hatted man
with them stepped down into the streetWith his left hand he took off
his hatHis right hand reached upward to hand the first woman down
Scarlett's hands clutched the railing
Dear God, it's RhettI've got to run insideIf he's on
this ship I've got to get Cat off, find a place to hide, find another
shipI've got two trunks in the hold with
frilly dresses and Colum's rifles in themWhat in the name of God am
I going to do? Her mind raced from one impossible idea to another
while she stared blindly at the group below herSlowly her brain
registered what she was seeing: Rhett was newest chanel bag bowing, kissing one
gracefully extended hand after anotherHer ears opened to the
repeated "goodbye and thank you" of the womenBut
Scarlett was notHer protective rage had disappeared, and her heart
was exposedI can look at him all I want
Please, please don't put your hat back on, Rhett
His skin was brown, his smile as white as his linen suit
He was the only man in the world who didn't wrinkle linenAh, that
lock of hair that annoyed him so was falling down on his forehead
again
Rhett flicked it back with two fingers in a gesture that Scarlett knew
so well she felt weak-kneed with possessive memory
What was he saying? Something outrageously charming, she was
sure, but
he was using that low intimate voice he saved for women
And curse those womenShe wanted that voice murmuring to her,
only
herThe ship's captain walked down the gangplank, adjusting the set
of his gold epauletted jacketDon't make them hurry, Scarlett wanted
to shoutStay, stay just a little longerI'll
never see him againLet me store up the sight of himHe must have
just had his share cut, there's the tiniest chanel diamond watches pale line above hisearsIs
that more gray at the temples? It looks so elegant, the silver
streaking his crow-black hairI remember how it felt under my
fingers,
crisp and shockingly soft at the same timeAnd the muscles in
his shoulders and his arms, sliding so smoothly under the skin,
stretching the skin when they hardenedI wantThe ship's whistle
shrieked loudlyShe could hear rapid footsteps, the
rumble of the gangplank, but she kept her eyes fixed on RhettHe
was
smiling, looking over there to her right, looking upShe could see
his dark eyes and slashing brows and impeccably groomed mustache
His
entire strong, masculine, unforgettable pirate's face"My beloved,"
she whispered, "my love Rhett bowed once againThe ship was
moving
away from the dockHe put his hat on and turned awayHis thumb
tilted the hat to the back of his headDon't go, cried Scarlett's
heartRhett glanced over his shoulder as if there had been a sound
His eyes met hers, and surprise stiffened his lithe bodyFor a long,
immeasurable moment the two of them looked at each other while the
space between cartier picasso tank watches them widenedThen blandness smoothed Rhett's face
as he
touched two fingers to his hat brim in saluteScarlett lifted her
handHe was still standing there on the dock when the ship turned
into the channel to the seaWhen Scarlett could see him no longer,
she sank numbly into a deck chair"Don't be silly, Bridie, the
steward will sit right outside the oorHe'll come get us if Cat so
much as turns overThere's no eason for you not to come to the
dining
saloonYou can't have our dinner in here every night
"There's reason enough for me, ScarlettI don't feel easy among ancy
gentlemen and ladies, pretending to be one of them
"You're just as good as they are, I told you that
"And I heard you say it, Scarlett, but you don't hear meI prefer o
have me meal in here with all the silver hats on the dishes and y
manners my own business'Tis soon enough I'll have to go where the
lady I'm maiding tells me to go and do what I'm told to doIt's
certain that having a grand meal in private comfort won't be one of my
instructionsI'll take it now while I can Scarlett had to agree
with celebrity chanel handbags Bridie |
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