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"You were so small and elegantly silent there...

10:55, 2010-Feb-2 .. Link

"You were so small and elegantly silent there that I missed you altogether, Cousin Scarlett His thick red hair was bright in the glow from the fire, and his blue eyes were infectiously merry "Will you plead for me with my cruel mother that I can have a few scraps from her table?" "Go on with you, savage, and wash the dust off your hands," Maureen orderedDaniel took his brother's place when Brian headed for the sink"We're all glad you're here with us, Cousin ScarlettEven with the racket from Jacky bouncing on Jamie's? knee, she was glad to be there, tooThere was so much life in these big redheaded cousins of hersIt made the cold perfection of her grandfather's house seem like a tombWhile they ate at the big table in the dining room Scarlett learned the story behind Maureen's mock anger at her sonBrian had moved a few weeks earlier from the room he had shared with Daniel, and Maureen was only semi-reconciled to his burst of chanel purses and handbags independenceGranted he was only a few steps away, at his sister Patricia's house; still, he was goneIt gave Maureen immense satisfaction that Brian still preferred her cooking to Patricia's fancier menus"Ah, well, what can you expect," she said complacently, "when Patricia won't allow the smell of fish to get into her fine lace curtains?" And she piled four glistening butter-coated fried fish on her son's plate"It's a hardship to be such a lady during Lent, I'm sure "Bite your tongue, woman," said Jamie, "that's your own daughter you're maligning And who has a better right than her own mother?" Old James spoke up then "Maureen has a pointI well remember my own mother's sharp tongue He rambled fondly through a series of memories of hisyouth Scarlett listened intently for mention of her father"Now, Gerald," said Old James, and she leaned toward him, "Gerald was always the apple of her eye, being the baby and allHe always got off with no replica swiss rolex submariner more than a small scoldingIt was just like Pa to be his mother's favoriteWho could resist the soft heart he tried to hide under all hisblustering? Oh, how she wished he could be here now with all his family"Are we going to Matthew's after supper?" Old James asked"Or is everyone coming here?" "We're going to Matt's," Jamie repliedMatt was the one who'd started the dancing at Patricia's birthday, Scarlett rememberedHer feet began to tapMaureen smiled at her"I believe there's a readiness for a reel," she saidShe picked up the spoon by her plate, reached across Daniel and took his; then, placing their bowls back to back, she held the tips of the handles loosely together and tapped the spoons against her palm, against her wrist, her forearm, Daniel's forehead The rhythm of the beating was like playing the bones, but lighter, and the sheer silliness of making music with a pair of mismatched tablespoons was cause for delighted, spontaneous miu miu leather black coffer bag laughter from Scarlett Without thinking about it, she began to pound on the table with her open hands, matching the beat of the spoons"It's time we were going," Jamie laughed "We'll bring the chairs," said Mary Kate"Matt and Katie only have two," Daniel explained to Scarlett"They're the newest O'Haras to come to Savannah It didn't matter at all that Matt and Katie O'Hara's double parlors held almost no furnitureThey had fireplaces for warmth, gaslit ceiling globes for light, and a broad, polished wood floor for dancingThe hours Scarlett passed in those bare rooms that Saturday were among the happiest she'd ever knownWithin the family the O 'Haras shared love and happiness as freely and unconsciously as they shared the air they breathedScarlett felt within her the growth of something she had lost too long ago to rememberShe became, like them, unaffected and spontaneous and open to carefree joyShe could shed the artifice and omega constellation watch crystal calculation that she'd learned to use in the battles for conquest and dominance that were part of being a belle in Southern societyShe had no need to charm or conquer; she was welcome as she was, one of the familyFor the first time in her life she was willing to relinquish the spotlight to let someone else be the center of attentionThe others were fascinating to her, primarily because they were her new-found family, but also because she'd never known anyone like them in her lifeScarlett looked at Maureen, with Brian and Daniel making music behind her, Helen and Mary Kate clapping in time with the rhythm she was setting with the bones, and for a moment it was as if the vivid redheads were the youthful Tarletons come back to lifeThe twins, tall and handsome, the girls squirming with juvenile impatience to move on to the next adventure life held for themScarlett had always envied the Tarleton girls their freeand-easy ways with their balenciaga handbags mother

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"You were so small and elegantly silent there...

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