Tara's Forgotten Son
Lana Mowdy
Copyright 2013 Lana Mowdy
Tara’s Forgotten Son
Chapter 1
There she was. His mother, Scarlett, was looking more frail and pallid than
he had ever seen or could imagine.
Wade knew when he received a telegram from his sister that he had to come quickly. But this sight was beyond anything his mind had conjured while waiting anxiously on the train. He had never expected to see his mother like this. He knew that no matter where she might go, Tara would always be her home. Whenever she felt sad or lonely she would return, and now, in her hour of sickness, she had requested that she
be brought home.
Mother, who had always been so healthy, energetic, and determined, looked weak. Her, once, jet black hair lay limp and tangled around her timid, lifeless face. Her green eyes that had always scared him just a little were closed when he walked into the room. Even her small, delicate hands which had been so powerful when they chose to strike now lay shriveled on the bed. Although he was a grown man, and this was his house, he feared going near her, in case she might wake.
As he quietly laid down his valise, he looked around the room. He had restored Tara to the way it had once looked before the war, but this room was prepared especially for his mother. The heavy emerald green velvet curtains were tied back so the lace sheers could sway lightly with the breeze from the open window. From her bed, she could see the magnificent rows of cotton, the trees, and garden through the picture window. On one table, a large vase stood erect, holding dozens of freshly gathered magnolias, with smaller crystals holding camellias surrounding it. On every table around the room lay varieties of camellias, gathered from Rhett’s beloved Dunmore Landing, and brought especially for her.
Scarlett looked tiny and frail against her green satin sheets. Her huge canopy bed engulfed her shrinking body, and she shivered coldly beneath her large velvet coverlet, fringed with golden bobs. Even the pale pink wallpaper with rose colored flowers did not highlight the flush in her cheeks as it had so many times before. She lay there, motionless, with only the gentle movement of her chest as evidence that she still had
life within her.
Ever so gingerly, Wade sank into a velvety plush chair, and quietly released a
long breath that he had been holding since he walked into the room. As her eyes began to open so slightly, fear gripped his heart. Without warning, suddenly Scarlett’s eyes flickered open. Wade remained seated, emotionless. Her eyes had not changed. They were true green without a hint of hazel. Her eyes seemed to take on the shape of cat’s eyes and they reflected her feelings so genuinely. However, at this moment, the look in her eyes was intriguing. He had not seen this look before, and it baffled him. Although he had seen her display a wide array of emotion, this one was unfamiliar, and although it seemed to drawn him to her, the look was disconcerting. As quickly as the fear began, it suddenly turned to agony as he saw the look in eyes.
Hopelessness.
He began to study her more closely and saw that the fine lines around her
eyes had become definitely more pronounced since he had seen her last. Around her mouth were distinct laugh lines, and small freckles had scattered across her nose. Her swanlike neck was covered with loose skin as if it had grown too big for her body. But, of course she had not lost her sense of fashion as her folded down covers revealed a creamy satin nightgown trimmed with lace around the daringly low neckline and wrists. Wade fought the urge to reach over and pull the covers over her revealing bed dress.
In her hand, she held a locket, and though he had seen it many times before, he felt the need to pry it from her fingers, and lay eyes on the images inside. Those images would revive his contempt for her. They would remind him of all the pain and misery she had caused during his life. Those images would drive out the pity and sadness that he felt and would revive his jealous passion which had fueled so many decisions during his life, most of which had detrimental repercussions. On one side of the locket was a picture of Rhett Butler, whom she had loved for so long, and on the other, a picture of Cat, her daughter with Rhett, whom she obviously loved far more than her other two children. Those two pictures reminded him of the years he had spent wondering where she was, silently pleading for her affection, and seeing that affection lavishly granted to another child.
After years of setting up boundaries around his heart when dealing with his mother, Wade knew that down deep, she still pulled the strings. She still had control and she could see his vulnerability. For years, she had instilled fear in him as he clung to her for protection, and though he fought for many years to break the bonds that hold a child to its mother, he could feel himself being drawn to her.
He reminded himself that in her hand she held what was most dear to her. That locket held her dearest memories and her most important affairs. He had never been her favorite, and he had felt the sting of her abandonment many times.
Almost as if she could read his mind, without a word, she reached her empty hand to him. His eyes followed her movement, but rather than submit to her unspoken request, he stared at her hand, immobile. His lips quivered involuntarily at the irony of the situation. Now, she held out a hand to him. After years of yearning for her comfort and pleading for her affection, she reached out to him, not with armfuls of gifts and trinkets, but an empty hand. What could she want from him that he could possible give?
Within his mind, a battle raged. Eternal love for his mother battled the hardened crust around his heart. Jealousy raged as he looked at her other hand which held her heart’s desire. How he longed to be a piece of her heart, but years of desertion nurtured bitterness within his mind. He tried to consider her a business partner for he had become a shrewd businessman, but his business tactics were no match for hers, and he knew it. He had no control over her, and to open his heart to her opened him up to personal scrutiny. Too many times he had reached to her in faith, giving her the power to devastate his very being.
But, maybe, just this once…
He reached out to her, carefully, slowly, anxiously on guard. Still perplexed by the strange look in her eye, he was startled when he heard her voice which sounded sweetly angelic.
Scarlett clung to his hand, the moment she felt it within hers. She felt that his hands were cold and trembling. Instantly, regret and frustration flooded her mind. For just an instant she was sidetracked from the words she had so carefully rehearsed over the past few months. She had spent so much of her life reminding herself to never look back, lest she become overcome with grief. But she knew that she had to look back, now. This was her last chance to save what mattered most. Only looking back could secure her future, and she knew that her plan would be successful. She had to concentrate, fight back the irritation that she had so often felt with Wade’s timidity, and speak the words that she knew she had to say.
“Wade, my darling, do you remember…?