"I do." Rhett glanced at the woman standing next to him and nearly laughed. There she stood in a flaming red dress that was cut so low he would not have been the least bit surprised had the priest fainted. But, as he understood it, this priest had seen far more than this. He was one of Belle's regulars.
His father had kicked him out because Rhett had refused to marry a girl, and that very action had lead him here—to an alter. Their parting words echoed through his mind. He needed to find honor. He couldn't help but wondered what his father would think of him now. Marrying a whore, not because he loved her, not because he had wanted to, but because she was pregnant by some faceless man and he wanted to protect that unborn child from the hatred he had faced. Would the honorable Mr. Butler see the honor in this sacrifice? Would he be proud of his son for giving this unborn child the Butler name? Of course not. But it gave Rhett a wicked sense of satisfaction knowing that Belle Walting was about to be Steven Butler's daughter-in-law. If the child was a boy, he might even name him Steven the second, just because he knew how much that would gall the old man.
So much had changed these past eighteen months. Until last week, he had known he was not a marrying man. But just because he would never be a husband did not mean he couldn't have a child, and Belle's child would do just as well as any other. Besides, Belle understood him. She knew that this was not a real marriage. This was a way for him to give her child legitimacy and nothing more. She would never impeded his freedom. She would continue to work, and he would continue to visit her when it suited him, just as he would any one of the countless other women he had discovered since leaving Charleston.
They had agreed that the child would be raised by her aunt until old enough to go to boarding school. They would tell a modified version of the truth. Belle had to live in the city because she had taken up employment working for one of the finest families in the south. She did in fact service several of the best families. And the father was overseas making a name for himself. Rhett did intend to make a name for himself, and the child's father was indeed now overseas. They both intended to visit the child as often as their schedules permitted. Between them, they would ensure the child would know love and want for nothing.
He kissed the bride. It was done. He lifted the flask, ready to take another swallow, but wouldn't you know it, it was empty. He could get more in a couple of minutes, after they signed the paperwork. To celebrate—not to quiet his nerves.
When they exited the little chapel, Belle pointed across the street.
"Oh, look Rhett. Isn't that baby precious?" She reached down, touching her belly, and wore a smile the size of Texas.
He looked in the direction she pointed and saw Ellen Robillard carrying a child of about one. He took Belle by the elbow and dragged her down the street away from the happy little family. Yes, he wanted his father to find out about his impromptu marriage, but Miss Robillard, or what ever her name was these days, was connected to his mother. He had not quite reconciled himself to sharing his news with her. Suddenly, Belle's choice of wedding gowns was less amusing. If he had been spotted with her, a letter would be dispatched within the hour.
"Rhett, honey? What are you doing? Where are we going?" Belle asked. She teetered along as fast as her legs could carry her.
"I know that woman," he said under his breath.
Belle's eyes went wide. "That wasn't your baby was it?"
"God, no! I just… I don't want to spend the first hour of our honeymoon listening to news about my family." He had not lied exactly.
A wicked grin spread across Belle's face and all thoughts of the adorable baby girl with bright green eyes were swept into a dark corners of her mind. "Well why didn't you say so?"