SAVANNAH, GEORGIA 1844
The two young men staggered along Bay Street on a November midnight. "That…you see that? Butler, that where my relatives fought in the Siege of Savannah, back in glorious '79" The speaker laughed, gesturing sloppily at a series of elegant buildings.
His friend a black haired seventeen year old, swigged from a jug and said "But-but you're always telling me that your grandfather was a cowardly Loyalist, and it's hypocrisy that he sent you to West Point, Robie."
"Ah yes, Butler, but when it came to the Brits taking our propitty' greedy Gran'ther joined up with the French and fought 'em back. He will be nearly as angry today when he finds out that I've been expelled from the precious Military Academy."
Young Butler looked somewhat serious as he passed Robie the jug. "Yes, my pater won't be terribly pleased either. I'm not familiar with Savannah, but it comparatively will be a more hospitable town than Charleston, at least in the near future, eh?"
"I know. I should feel badly about all this, but when I remember Lieutenant Colonel Vinson's face when he found the octoroon nigra in his bed—" Robie's reminisce ended in both boys laughing uproariously.
A few minutes later, Robie led Butler to a vine covered trellis on the side of a stately mansion, or so Butler remarked.
"Oh yes," Robie remarked drunkenly. "This house was made of sawn lumber North Carolina in 1791, and the nails were purchased from Cousin Aldous's nailery near Tarboro, North Carolina, and the window glass was brought from near Richmond…this is a hall-parlor—"
"Enough!" Butler held the jug to his lips but straight up in a "Hush" motion. "Do I look like I want an architecture tour? Why are we here, anyway? Is this your home?"
"No, not at all, Butler. This is the home of my darling Ellen. Remember Ellen of the scented letters?" Robie winked, but had to right himself against the "hall-parlor" mansion.
"Good God, man, she's not going to admit us here at this time of night, is she?"
"We have a system." Robie winked, and then made a meowing noise…and then another.
"Stop it, the constabulary will be arriving for us!" Butler put his face in his hands.
But Robie only meowed louder, and then finally a window opened.
"Whut kine noise going on down deah? Dat ain't no cat!" A round black face emerged from the window, looking down into the dusk balefully.
"Mammy! Mammy…it's Phillippe, I've come to visit Ellen!"
"Mist' Fee-leep you 'spose to be at the 'Cademy. West Pernt"
"I have been 'spelled from West Pernt!" Robie called back up, in an imitation of Mammy's Geechee accent that put young Butler in a state of helpless chuckles.
"Mist' Fee-leep, you best go home to Mist' Christophe's house. You keep mee-owing lak dis and I'll turn a bucket of water on yo' haid."
"No you won't Mammy." Phillippe said calmly, although again young Butler looked worried. "Get down here and let us in. I brought you a present, Mammy. Don't you want to see it?"
"Miss Ellen in bed, and if huh momma, Miss Solange was alive—"
"Mammy, I brought you a present! I can just meow all night and give the nice scarf I brought from up North to Gran'ther's housemaid Rielle—"
"Don't you give nothin' to that no-count nigguh! Cleans like a monkey on moonshine! I'll be down in three minutes."
A few minutes later, the boys were ensconced in a small parlor on the second floor, and the door opened, and two young ladies came in, both wrapped in shawls. Mammy, thrilled with a "scarf" that had up until recently been Mr. Butler's bow-tie, was fetching coffee for the assembled.
Rhett was stunned by the beauty of the dark haired girl who met eyes with his friend. Robie, Rhett thought, you're the luckiest man alive!
"Oh Phillippe!" Ellen threw herself into Phillippe Robillard's arms, and there was some kissing, while Butler and the young lady, a demure strawberry blonde looked somewhat embarrassed.
"Ellen, and hello, Anna…"
"Phillippe, you rapscallion." But Anna smiled when she said this.
"This is Rhett Butler, he was my dear friend and unfortunately my partner in the unfortunate escapade that has landed me back in Savannah."
"Mr. Butler, it is a joy to meet you, any friend of Phillippes…and I'm sure he led you into whatever prank—" Ellen's eyes twinkled.
"No, I unfortunately set the blueprint on this misbehavior, but I will say Robie was the only one of my classmates who had the nerve, or gall to participate." Rhett Butler winked at Anna, and she giggled.
"So how have things been in hilarious Savannah since I've been gone?" Phillippe asked, after Mammy grumblingly brought the tea.
"Oh, you'll love this Phillippe—Ellen has a new beau!" The girls looked at each other and collapsed in giggles.
"Who, Cedric Molineaux? Or young Campbell?" Phillippe snorted, winking at Rhett Butler. "I knew they'd come sniffing around my little raven haired goddess—"
"No no…this ridiculous little man (giggle) but he's very sweet—" Ellen said as she grabbed her chin to keep from laughing more. "He's a nice little Irish gentleman, he's about—"
"About a hundred years old!" Anna screamed. "If you dressed him in green, you'd think he was a leprechaun about to take you to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!"
Ellen wiped tears from her eyes. "He's a sweet fellow, and his brothers own the mercantile. Father has asked me to be kind to Mr. O'Hara. So I've suggested he marry Anna instead—"
Anna began pinching Ellen, who laughed more, and for a bit it was feminine mirth, while the young men sipped coffee, surreptitiously feeding their cups from the jug they'd sneaked in from the cold.
"Phillippe, could I have a moment alone with you in the other room?" Ellen blushed as she said this, but Phillippe stood up and bowed to the others, and took Ellen into the next chamber.
"She's missed him a lot" Anna, the strawberry blonde said, simply.
Rhett liked it that Anna was not making snippy remarks about the possible loss of Ellen's virtue, or other nonsense that he often heard from young women.
"Well, Phillippe's a fine fellow, and I think he's going to do great things, he's not like some—not a permanent blackguard." Rhett Butler bit his lip.
"Like yourself, perhaps, Mr. Butler?"
"Among others, Miss—"
"Watling. My first name is Annabel, and some friends call me Belle."