Rhett
Rushing to the mills reminded Rhett Butler of another time he'd done the same. It was shortly after he found the letter Scarlett had left him at their Peachtree home. The result of that visit still stung him even today and what he'd done afterwards was the biggest of all his regrets. He couldn't think about that now...now he needed to find Scarlett.
Opening the door in a hurry, Rhett could hardly bother with formal greetings. He needed to know where Scarlett was and fast. There's still a possibility that she is near and he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him by. He spotted Ashley Wilkes almost immediately, "Where's Scarlett?" He demanded.
Ashley looked up when he heard that familiar Charleston accent. Even seeing Rhett Butler today would not dampen his mood. In fact, he was pleased knowing that Scarlett had sent him word of her whereabouts and Rhett was obviously still clueless. After what he had put her through, he didn't deserve to know where she was.
Ashley put down the pen he was writing with and calmly responded, "Hello, Mr. Butler. I wasn't expecting to see you today. Why do you assume that I would know where your ex-wife would be?"
"Don't lie to me, Wilkes! I know she's back in Atlanta and if I know my wife, she's been here to see you!"
"You do mean your ex-wife, isn't that right, Mr. Butler? And I'm sorry to inform you that it appears you do not know Scarlett as well as you may think. I have not seen nor talked to Scarlett since she left Atlanta over a year and half ago." Ashley was being somewhat honest, it's true that he had not seen Scarlett. He didn't feel the need to tell Rhett that she had sent him a note to meet her at Tara.
Rhett grunted, he didn't need to be constantly reminded that she was now his ex-wife. Especially not by this man. Damn that Ashley Wilkes! He took a deep breath, as much as he hated the man standing in front of him, he knew that he only had himself to blame for this current situation. So Scarlett was in Atlanta and did not call on Ashley Wilkes? Perhaps Scarlett really has gotten over her childish infatuation with Wilkes. He did not get what he came here for but was happy with the knowledge that he had gained. With a smirk on his face he turned towards the door and said over his shoulder, "This is the one time I'm happy to be wrong. Sorry to have disturbed you, Mr. Wilkes. I'll leave you now." With that Rhett walked out the door.
Ashley sighed as he watched Rhett Butler leave. 'That man never deserved her,' he thought to himself. Just then he remembered the last time he'd seen Scarlett, she had come by to say goodbye before leaving town. At the time, she looked pale and thin. She looked nothing like the strong vibrant woman he'd always known. Even during the war, when there was hunger and desperation all around them, she always had fight in her. That last time though...the fight in her was gone. Her beautiful green eyes that always shined with so much spirit, seemed dull as though the light had gone out in them. He had hoped to lean on Scarlett to help him after Melly died but when he saw her, he realized that she too was broken. Rhett Butler had broken her will and her strength.
Ashley couldn't wait to see Scarlett again and hoped that time had healed her as it had healed him.
Scarlett
On the train ride back to Jonesboro, Scarlett was unusually quiet. Will thought about asking her if she completed her errands but decided to leave her to her thoughts.
Scarlett stared out the window of the train and felt content. The quick trip to Atlanta had worked out great. She didn't get to see Ashley and Beau but they will visit Tara soon. It worked out better that way since the kids would like to see Beau too. She was confident that Uncle Henry would be able to sell her businesses and she could finally relax. Rhett had been more than generous in the divorce settlement. She knew that her and the kids could continue to live comfortably. Their life in Ireland was simple and peaceful. She had not wanted to repeat her mistakes with the Peachtree house. Selling the businesses had not been a financial necessity but rather an emotional one. Truth be told, she wasn't sure she could do it, but it had been so much easier than she had imagined.
The only part of this trip that caused her any angst was her accidental meeting with Belle Watling. It occurred to Scarlett now that Rhett will find out she was in Atlanta. She knew he'd find out at some point, but with that encounter with Belle, he was bound to find out sooner rather than later. She was just grateful that she hadn't run into him while in the city. Hopefully she'll be long gone by the time he found out. Signing the divorce papers had been the most difficult thing she'd done in her life. She hoped that Rhett had found his peace and happiness.
Thinking about Rhett after all this time was still difficult. Scarlett was happy but she knew there would always be a part of her heart that belonged to him. She wasn't sure how she would react if she saw him again. Perhaps it would give her a sense of closure...or it could possibly open up old wounds. Would it break her again? It was this uncertainty that Scarlett feared. She could not risk it again. She'd rather go the rest of life without seeing him again, just for that very reason. Why did everything always have to be so complicated with him? Scarlett sighed to herself, she hoped that she could spend the next month in peace. She wanted to have good memories of Tara to take back with her to her new home and her new life. She smiled at the thought of what...and who was waiting for her in Ireland.
As they rode up to Tara, Suellen came out with a telegram in hand. "Scarlett! A telegram arrived for you from Aunt Eulalie."
SCARLETT NEEDED IN CHARLESTON IMMEDIATELY. LEGAL MATTER.
"Fiddle-dee-dee! What could they possibly need from me now? Haven't I done enough already?"!Scarlett was quite annoyed. Wild horses couldn't drag her to Charleston, that place was Butler territory and she had no intention of going there. "If there is a legal issue to contend with, then Uncle Henry could handle it." She would send to Charleston in her place.
Eleanor
Eleanor Butler spent the early afternoon pacing around her garden. She had called on her friends Eulalie and Pauline Robillard this morning to give her condolences for the recent death of their father.
"Eulalie? Pauline? What's wrong? You both look so upset?"
"Oh Eleanor, it's Scarlett. Well, actually it's our father." Pauline was rambling on.
"What are you saying about Scarlett? What does she have to do with your father?"
"She left right after the funeral. Father's lawyer is refusing to do a formal reading of his will unless Scarlett is present. We're not sure what this means."
"Scarlett's back?" Eleanor asked.
Eulalie explained that Scarlett had returned to care for her ailing grandfather in his last days. It seems that in her rush to leave after the funeral, the reading of the will was delayed, for she was the one person that was required to be present at the reading. Now Scarlett was being summoned to meet her aunts and the lawyer in Charleston.
Both Eulalie and Pauline were obviously upset by this news, "What could this mean? Why did Scarlett need to be there?" Monsieur Robillard had never really cared about his daughters and even less about his granddaughters. Everyone believed that his estate would probably go to the many charities he'd kept up with.
The most important of all this information was that Scarlett would be in Charleston! Eleanor had known that Rhett's broken heart these last few years had as much to do with Scarlett as the death of his daughter. She struggled with the knowledge that Scarlett would be here soon enough. Should she send for Rhett? She wasn't sure if it would be better for him to see his ex-wife or not.
In the end, she decided that she would send for Rhett to come home.
Rhett
Rhett had returned to his hotel with a heavy heart. Scarlett had been in Atlanta the same time as him and yet he'd failed to find her. Was she still here? Belle seemed convinced that she was leaving town, never to return. Where would she go? Tara was the only place he could think of. He wasn't sure if he could go back to Tara again. The last time he'd gone there was after finding the letter Scarlett left him at the Peachtree house. In his frustration, he had gone to Tara to look for her. There he had been surprised when Suellen had come out angrily as he approached. As far as he knew, Scarlett and her younger sister had a turbulent relationship that was strained further when Scarlett married Frank. Now, Suellen was obviously defending her sister against him. Heavy with child at the time, Suellen had almost attempted to physically throw him out of Tara herself. Fortunately, Will and some servants came out to calm her down and take her inside. Will had politely asked him to leave Tara and to never return. Unsure of what had happened to upset Suellen so, Rhett agreed to leave. He did not however, promise that he would stay away. Now knowing that Scarlett could possibly be there, he was tempted to make a trip back to Tara again.
He spent the night drinking more whiskey and contemplating his next move. Would he really go back to Tara? Running his hands through his hair, he sighed. He needed to see Scarlett, of that he was sure. Not being able to see her for the last two years had weighed heavily on his heart. She was a poison in his blood and he could not stay away. He would go to Tara tomorrow.
The next morning, Rhett decided that he would have breakfast and then head to the train station. Before he could get seated, a hotel staff member approached him with a telegram from his mother. She wanted him home and it was urgent. Rhett was torn between his mother's urgent request and his desire to see Scarlett. He knew that he may never be this close to seeing Scarlett again, but couldn't ignore his mother. She had never called for him like this before, something important must have happened. He packed his bags and headed home.
