After having Clive retrieve writing utensils for her from Rhett's study, she made her way upstairs to the master bedroom to write a letter to Ashley about Beau before getting ready for dinner. Scarlett couldn't help but think about how ashamed Melanie would be of his treatment of Beau. It was no longer a wonder to her why Beau reacted the way he did when he saw her; he either thought Ashley would be with her or he was just excited that at least Wade's errant parent made an appearance and it gave him hope. Whatever his exact reason was to seeing her, she didn't care. Now was the time for action to help her defenseless nephew on behalf of her dearly departed friend.

Opening the door to the master bedroom, Scarlett was momentarily stunned by the sight before her. The room was set in the far left corner of the house, so two of the walls were practically made of windows. Natural light flooded the room, giving it a palatial feel. It highlighted the sprawling plaster design on the ceiling which, judging by how white and clean it was, had been a part of Rhett's restoration efforts. A charming seating area had been set up near the far wall, allowing whoever sat there a premium view of the Ashley River and of Charleston Harbor in the distance. The book of Greek mythology on the small seating table made Scarlett contemplate if Rhett spent a good portion of his time in here. She knew she would if she lived here. Using Rhett's book as a flat surface, she began to write her letter to Ashley in the seating area.

Ashley,

I arrived in Charleston today for a visit with my children, as well as Beau. During my visit, it was brought to my attention that you have been neglecting your duties as a father. Although I recognize that you are in mourning, your treatment of Beau is shameful.

Within the next week, I expect you to come to Charleston for a visit with your son; no excuses. If you fail to do so, I will not hesitate to file legal papers to claim Beau as my ward, in accordance with Melanie's last wishes that I watch over him.

He is expecting you, do not disappoint him.

Scarlett

Even with all the self control in the world, Scarlett would not have been able to keep her anger at Ashley in check while writing the letter. He was a disgrace to Melanie's name and when she put pen to paper, all of her negative feelings toward Ashley reared their angry heads and it showed with the language of the letter. The threat to claim Beau as her own was not a bluff; unless Ashley took some action soon to show he was a father, there was no point to him having the title. Scarlett knew she had been harsh, but it caused her no hesitation. He's lucky I even gave him a week, she thought with unbridled fury towards her former love.

It never ceased to amaze Scarlett how much she loathed Ashley once the rose colored glasses of love had been stripped away. He was so incredibly weak that she was able to walk all over him with little to no effort. Ashley's weak body and weaker mind allowed no room for gumption and that was unforgivable in this day and age. She knew now that her love for him was not directed toward the person he was, rather it was directed toward the person he represented. He was the epitome of what a Southern gentleman was and Scarlett craved a return to those days more than she would have ever admitted until she realized the error in her affections.

During those dark, hungry months at Tara she had allowed her mind to wander to thoughts of Ashley and what he meant to her. He always represented an odd paradox to her during the few hours she devoted to trying to sleep, but her drunken lulling had prevented. While she adamantly told herself that she was in love with him, upon further inspection she found that she did not like him. He was useless at working the fields, he moseyed around when he thought no one was watching, and he would go on ridiculous poetic rants at the slightest mention of the old days. Men like Ashley felt that they were honorable in their refusal to bend to the will of this cruel new world, but in truth it only made them spineless. It was spineless men like him that were allowed to retain their honor by standing on the shoulders and backs of those willing to adapt, people like her and Rhett.

After her anger at Rhett abandoning her for the Confederate Army softened, she allowed herself to think of him as well. He was a cad, an opportunist, and a rogue and yet she inexplicably liked him. Rhett was the only man who had ever been able to challenge her and deep down, she permitted herself to admit she admired him. The very things which Ashley defended with tooth and nail were the things Rhett didn't have a care in the world for. His uncaring disregard for social conventions and restraints made him the successful, thriving man that he was and that was the reason people hated him. If he had disregarded social conventions and been unsuccessful, those of the Old Guard might have taken pity on him and chalked up his behavior to be a result of the war. The fact that he was successful and thriving because of his disregard for social constraint is what made his existence infuriating and unbearable to those who were suffering and clinging to old, dead ways.

When times were especially harsh at Tara, she always secretly hoped Rhett would come riding in on his large black horse and take her away from everything, or at the very least find a way to make her laugh. It had been so long since she had laughed and he always seemed to find a way to force her to forget about the world so she could. His ability to make her do this was one of the reasons she loved when he would come visit her during the war. Sure, she loved the presents he would bring her, but his carefree nature is what she most enjoyed. She could recall with ease how flustered and excited she would feel when she looked out a window and saw that it was Rhett who was coming to see her. Every time she thought about that reaction, she always denied that it was an indicator of a deeper feeling towards him out of respect for her love for Ashley. After all, she repeatedly told herself, it's impossible to love two men at once. Little did she know then, this train of thought would ultimately be her downfall.

If only I had realized what I felt for Rhett during my time at Tara, we would all be so much happier, she thought weakly. Tara, her sweet Tara. The day after Rhett had left her, she had almost boarded a train to her beloved plantation when something stopped her. The last time she had been there, the ghosts of her parents and the Yankee she killed followed her. Not real ghosts, Scarlett did not believe in such absurd things, but it was as if their prescience was constantly weighing down on her. Tara no longer held the majesty for her that it once did and the last thing she needed was to add the ghosts of Bonnie, her miscarried child, Melanie, and her dead marriage to the already crowded house. Not to mention her bitter sister Suellen and her bratty children would stifle any progress she might make. Will Benteen would be a welcome prescience, she felt she could talk to him about anything without judgment, but it wasn't enough to get her to board the train. It was the first time in her life where she found herself without a place she considered home.

Keep thinking about the past Scarlett and you'll turn into Ashley, she told herself to come back to the present. The sun was getting ready to set and she knew that meant that the Butlers would be arriving soon. Time had gotten away from her and now she would have to rush getting ready. She was lucky that her chignon was still presentable or she would never be ready in time. Looking at her face in the mirror of the vanity, she was pleased to see that color was returning to her, but the effects of the abuse she had put herself through were still evident. The area around her eyes was still a little puffy and her cheeks shallowness added to the sharpness of her features. Taking her rouge out of a bag, she added just a dab of it on the apples of her cheeks to give added color and distract from the shallowness. She tucked back in the few stray hairs she had before consulting her luggage for a decent dress.

"Oh hell," she said quietly to herself when she realized that she was going to have to wear a corset to look presentable to the Butlers in an evening dress. Although it would still be ill fitting because of her new size, it would be the only way she could get her breasts to be ample enough to fill out the chest of any of her dresses. The sacrifice was worth it though; there was no way she was going to give his family further ammunition to criticize her appearance.

Scarlett could only recall meeting Celine Butler, Rhett's mother, once during the course of her and Rhett's five year marriage. It had been during the day of and after Bonnie's funeral. She was an older woman, but she carried herself with the grace of someone half her age. Her skin was in remarkable condition; her sun-touched skin was marred by only a few wrinkles around her dark hazel eyes and her mouth. Rather than adding to her age, her pure white hair added to her regal appearance. She was slightly taller than most ladies, but it was noted by Scarlett that it most likely didn't distract potential beaux when she was young because even now she was intensely beautiful. Celine Butler was the epitome of what all well-bred women hoped to look like as they aged.

Celine had arrived at the house alone a couple of hours before the funeral and had immediately gone to comfort Rhett in his room. Scarlett could recall being happy that she had arrived because Rhett loved her a great deal and would hopefully find some solace in her. About half an hour before the funeral, she had knocked on her door to come in and comfort her as well. It was awkward to both of them that they were introducing themselves for the first time and then doing something as personal as going to a funeral together within an hour. Through the conversations both Scarlett and Rhett had with Celine, they were able to forge a sort of unspoken treaty with each other to go to the funeral as a unified front, tied together in the sorrow both felt for their deceased daughter. In the end though, Scarlett gravitated more towards Melanie for support and Rhett towards his mother. When Celine left the next day, she bid Scarlett farewell and hinted to her that Rhett needing her more than he would ever admit. Her manners were impeccable, but it was apparent that she found her and Rhett's behavior towards each other to be deplorable and it was equally apparent that it saddened her to no end. It was with her departure that the unspoken treaty crumbled along with the rest of their marriage.

Scarlett now found herself hoping that Celine would be as warm and caring as she had been that day now. She reminded her so much of her own mother that if Celine were to be angry or bitter towards her, it would hurt just as much as it would if it were her own mother that she upset. A knock on the door interrupted Scarlett's trip on memory lane.

"Mrs. Butler?" came Clive's voice through the door.

"Yes?" she called back.

"Mr. Butler wants to know if you require his help getting ready," he informed her. One look at the dreaded corset lying in front of her told her the answer to that question.

"Please tell Mr. Butler that I do need his help," she replied nervously. She had no way to know how he was going to treat her once he came in the room. His mood had been mercurial towards her all day. No more than a minute later, three taps on the door and the knob turning alerted her that he was coming in.

"Mrs. Butler, I am at your service," he said humorously entering the room with an exaggerated bow, which extracted a small giggle from her. He had already changed into a black evening suit and cleaned up the rest of his appearance.

"I need your help getting into the corset," she said to him. Her statement served no purpose though because he had already started to cross the room to her and picked up her corset.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked as he started to help her into the corset.

"Yes, it's lovely. Wade showed it to me earlier when he wanted to fly his kite right on the shore of the Ashley," she replied as she continued to look out the window.

"Speaking of Wade, what is it that he wants you to talk to the honorable Mr. Wilkes about?" he questioned. While his voice remained steady, his deft hands pulled far too harshly on her laces when he mentioned Ashley, which Scarlett chose to ignore.

"I saw Beau when I got Wade and I noticed that he didn't like when his father was mentioned. Wade told me by the river that Beau has desperately tried to communicate with his father and all he's gotten is a letter. One letter! So I'm going to find a way to force him to come and see Beau. Melanie would be furious with him for acting like such a damn fool," Scarlett answered angrily.

"Acting a fool is hardly out of his character, Scarlett," he replied with thinly veiled malevolence. She had no idea how to reply since a statement either way could be a trap with him. Mercifully, the silence between them didn't last long.

"No comment about how it is indecent for me to know how to lace up a corset? I must say I'm shocked," he said lightly as he was finishing up her lacings.

"There are a great many indecent things you know about Rhett Butler; this probably being the least of them," she replied with feigned coyness.

"Touché," Rhett said chuckling. He finished up her lacings and it didn't go unnoticed by either of them that there had been barely any effort in tying her into it. She was about to turn around when his powerful hands clasped around her waist. Neither of them would be able to tell how much time elapsed with them standing there with his hands on her waist before he spoke.

"You're so small," he said almost too quietly for her to hear. With that, he dropped his hands and Scarlett spun around on the spot to face him. He was looking down at her with a blank stare but there was something brewing below the surface that she couldn't place. Rhett took in a deep breath then and fixed a smirk on his face that did not reach his eyes.

"Do you need help into your dress?" he asked casually.

"Please," she replied. Rhett picked up her dress that she had laid on top of her luggage and she saw a genuine smile spread across his face.

"It seems you have provided another shock to my system Scarlett," he said mockingly to her as he held the dress. It was a dark green velvet dress with mint colored accents on it. Scarlett chose it because it went perfectly with her emerald necklace from Rhett.

"And what's that?" she asked knowing that whatever the answer was, it would be delivered in a sarcastic fashion.

"This dress is perfectly acceptable," he said with mock shock. Scarlett glared at him in return and stuck her tongue out.

"Arms up," he said laughing as he started to put her dress on and then smoothing and adjusting it into place.

"Are you ready to go down stairs?" he asked as she was looking in the mirror to judge her appearance.

"Not yet. I'll be down in five minutes," she replied to him. He started to make his way towards the door and when he opened it to leave, he turned around to face her.

"Till we meet again Mrs. Butler," he said in a tone which suggested something indecent had occurred before another exaggerated bow and he left the room. Scarlett couldn't help but laugh at his playful nature and hoped it would last the rest of the day.