Scarlett ran swiftly into the hall. If only she could reach her room. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. She could feel adrenaline running through her vein coarsely. She needed to get to her room where she would safe. Where she could lock the door. Where she could be away from Rhett. She ran as fast as she could. She did not know why but she needed to get away from Rhett.
As she descended down the hall she could feel something coming closer to her. She turned up the stairs and leaped two stairs at a time in desperation. The presence was coming closer to her. She managed to trip on one of the stairs and fell forwards leaving herself groping the stairs above her. Something had then swung her up off the floor. She was in Rhett's arms.
"You turned me out on the town while you chased him. By god, this is one night when there are going to be two in the bed", he breathed heavily into her neck as he ascended the stairs towards his room. She could smell the strong liquor on his breath and it sent a shiver down her spine. What was he going to do with her? She was completely at his mercy and there was no way out…
But she couldn't let this happen. She would never be completely at Rhett's mercy no matter how much he hurt her. She was Scarlett O'Hara. She had faced Sherman's army, shoot a Yankee, starved herself for Tara, beaten all the odds in her life. She was not going to let caddish, sarcastic Rhett Butler beat her again.
Scarlett abruptly tried to squirm out of Rhett's arms but doing this only seemed to make him hold on tighter. Using all of her strength she struggled against him. She slipped slightly out of his grip so that one of his arms was around her neck. Out of desperation she bit him on the forearm. He lost his grip on her and she feel on the floor.
Knowing that her room was only a few metres away she bolted towards it. Once inside she locked the door and leaned against the wall in exhaustion. That was one of the most thrilling moments of her life. She knew Rhett was drunk but she would never have dreamt that he could do something like that. Take her against her will. Rape her. Was he that angry with her? She knew that he had every right to do what ever he liked with her but he seldom used his husbandly rights. Except when they argued about Ashley. She should've seen this coming when she threw him out of their bedroom. Rhett was not a man that could be beaten down so eaily.
Scarlett took in a deep breath in a hope to calm her nerves. She pressed her ear to the door in a hope to hear Rhett. For a long time she didn't hear anything. Maybe he had passed out on the stairs or gone back to the dining room. She hoped he had. She didn't want to face him again for a long time.
Suddenly she heard movement. Swift movement that was coming towards her door. She saw the door knob turn. Rhett was trying to come in! He was going to claim his husbandly rights. Scarlett stepped away from the door with a hand over her mouth. "No door could keep me locked out" rang clear in her mind. Her head was whirling with wild ideas of an escape. There was very little she could do. She could try climbing out the window, she could scream for Mammy in a hope she would hear her or she could hide. But where? Her eyes frantically searched the dimly lit room. She found it under the bed. Knowing that Rhett would be in here any second she climbed under the bed hoping that he would not find her.
After several moments of silence a crash came through her room. She saw several pieces of wood fly onto the floor. She also saw Rhett's shoes briskly walk in the room.
"Scarlett! …Scarlett, I know you're in here… You can't hide from me, my pet," he slurred. He wandered throughout the room searching for her, repeating her name. He then walked into her walk-in closet. Scarlett felt this as a perfect opportunity to leave. It was still a risk but she might as well take it because she knew Rhett would find her if she stayed under the bed.
Trying to be as quiet as a mouse she climbed out from under the bed and ran for the door and then out into the hall. She was not aware if Rhett had seen her or not but at the moment her mind was focused on keeping away from him. But where would she go? She was only dressed in her thin nightgown and wrapper. She could not change into something else because Rhett was most likely still in her closet. She could wake up Mammy. She would protect Scarlett no matter what. But Mammy's sleeping quarters were upstairs and she would have to pass her room to get there. She couldn't risk Rhett seeing her. She could go to Tara but she quickly eliminated that thought as she remembered her state of dress.
Or she could go to Melanie's house. Melanie would protect her and take her in. She would probably ask questions though. 'Well, I just won't tell her anything. No matter what'. She could stay the night there. Well, until Rhett sobered up.