@@@@@All her luggage was already on board,
@@@@@All her luggage was already on board, and
she was sure that Stephen was smuggling guns to Colum in her
trunks
They were depending on herAlso, she wanted to get back to
Ballyhara,
and she wouldn't let anything or anybody stand in her wayBy the
time
Scarlett reached her suite, she had built up a consuming fury against
RhettMore than a year had passed since he had divorced her, then
immediately married Anne Hampton
During that year Scarlett had been so busy, had experienced such
changes in her life, that she'd been able to block out the pain he had
caused herNow it tore her heart, and with the pain was a deep fear
of Rhett's unpredictable powerShe transformed them into rage
Rage
was strengtheningBridie was travelling with Scarlett part wayThe
Boston O'Haras had found her a good position as a lady's maidUntil
she learned the ship was going to stop in Charleston, Scarlett had
been
glad at the prospect of Bridie's companyBut the thought of stopping
in Charleston made Scarlett so nervous that her young cousin's
constant
chatter nearly drove her crazyWhy couldn't Bridie leave her alone?
Under Patricia's tutelage Bridie had learned all the duties of her job,
and she wanted to try them all out on ScarlettShe was loudly
distressed when she learned that Scarlett had stopped wearing
corsets,
and vocally disappointed that none of Scarlett's gowns needed
mending
Scarlett longed to tell her that the first requirement for a lady's
maid was to speak only when spoken to, but she was fond of Bridie,
and
it wasn't the girl's fault that they were going to stop in
Charleston
So she forced herself to smile and act as if nothing was bothering
her
* * The ship sailed up the coast during the night, entering Charleston
Harbor at first lightScarlett hadn't slept at allShe went out on
deck for the sunriseThere was a rose-tinted mist on the wide waters
of the harborBeyond it the city was blurred and insubstantial, like
a city in a dreamThe white steeple of Saint Michael's Church was
palest pinkScarlett imagined that she could hear its familiar chimes
faintly in the distance between the slow strokes of the ship's
engine
They must be unloading the fishing boats at the Market now, no it's a
little early yet, they must still be coming in