Hello! Thank you for your patience. This chapter has some heavy themes, and I hope I handled them good enough so that it's not offending, and it's still clear they are there to mark a development of the plot, the characters and their opinions (or change of). I hope you will enjoy it.
Chapter 17
He was still not home when the sun raised high in the sky and it was time to go to Mass. Raindrops still marred the glass of the windows, and Scarlett prepared herself to face the looks of the Old Guard without him. She asked Pansy to tighten her corset until it hurt, hoping it might help her forget the fuzzy feeling in her heart and mind. Her feet still ached from yesterday, as if she had danced with the devil. Funnily, the devil wasn't there to remark on her lack of rouge or powder, nor her paleness and slightly bloodshot eyes.
Powder, by the way. How silly it had been of her to forget it. The dark matter had smeared on her pillowcase, and Pansy had scowled at this, wondering how it could be recovered. She had shrugged. It could not. But then, what was the cost of one pillowcase for her, or a man like Rhett? What significance it could have when she would have to justify Rhett's absence once again to the children, survive the parish community, and then the birthday party?
Wade said nothing on the way, but his hand clung silently to Scarlett's as Ella talked and talked, asking questions she could not answer, until she could not help but snap and tell her that yes, Uncle Rhett was not here, and no, she did not know where he was, or when he would return (or if). The little girl lowered her head and Scarlett sighed. She had done it again. She squeezed her daughter's hand and asked her what she would want for her birthday. The girl's eyes lightened up, and the babbling continued joyfully, with thankfully a very minimal need for Scarlett to reply at length.
It was almost tearing her apart to leave the children to the priest when he asked for them for the choir. She realized how much their presence prevented her from focusing on the crowd.
No, she could not ignore their stares and whispers. Especially when she had to place herself one rank away from Mrs. Merriwhether and Mrs. Meade, who did not seem to be aware she, and so many others could hear her. She stiffened but could not shut her ears from their gossiping.
"It is said he went to that madam's house…"
"Belle's?"
"No, another one, pay attention! It is known he had quarreled with her not so long ago and since then did not return. Now, here, it is said he shouted like a drunkard and claimed how much he wanted a divorce. And so many other scandalous things!"
"Poor Captain Butler…"
"Poor Captain Butler? I'd say poor Scarlett!"
"Oh, but Caroline, it is she who drove him to it! Don't you remember how good he was to little Bonnie? And she, so cold…"
"Little Bonnie is dead, God watches over her precious innocent soul. And with that went the only piece of his integrity. A rascal, he was before Scarlett, a rascal, he stayed after. And then, there was this miscarriage, and I wouldn't be surprised if… "
"No, Mrs. Meade, you wouldn't mean she…"
"Well, one can never be sure but…. Scarlett is here, though, and she had raised her head. She is still Ellen Robillard O'Hara's daughter. The follies of her youth are gone, and she is trying to change."
"But…"
"Dolly Merriwether, don't you remember what she is doing for the orphanage? Don't you know it's sinful to discourage a stray lamb, especially when the Lord's eyes are upon us? I am ashamed of you! If Melly believed in her and your daughter is ready to, you should as well!"
Scarlett bit her lip and raised. She could not stand it that much longer. Hypocrites, all of them, judging her, her marriage, changing their minds so easily!
She raised abruptly, forcing a few ill-at-ease persons to move. She could not breathe. She had to leave, if only for a moment.
As she passed them, she heard a bewildered whisper "do you think she heard us?"
She took refuge in an abandoned alcove and fanned herself, breathing in and out, hoping it would be enough to get rid of the tears that threatened to come. She stomped her foot, wanting to scream, but not daring to. The echo was already loud enough.
At least, she knew where Rhett had been. She knew what he had done. Such words couldn't have been a pure invention, a pure malice.
Damn you, Rhett Butler, she cursed through gritted teeth. Damn you to Halifax and back.
"You look beaten up, child."
Startled, Scarlett jumped and looked at the intruder. Her fan had fallen on the floor, and she found herself gaping before the one who had surprised her so.
"Mrs Meade…"
She looked at the woman and recoiled.
She hated their pity. She hated all of it.
And she hated Rhett for having to face it.
She took a big breath of air before replying.
"Just a little tired, thank you for your kindness. It is nothing. It is Ella's birthday, today…"
The old woman looked at her with kind eyes, nodding as she would for a child, and patted her hand.
"Oh, yes, sweet one. You're doing so much… How about you take tea with me tomorrow? Dr. Meade will be at work then, and will not disturb us."
Scarlett was tempted to scowl, but instead, she nodded, lowering her gaze demurely.
"It will be a pleasure, Mrs. Meade."
"Please, child. You have to come back. People will talk if you don't."
"A moment, please."
The woman nodded with understanding. Still, she waited a few seconds, her pitiful gaze on Scarlett as if it would change anything. She watched the back of her with relief. She closed her eyes and focused. She needed to be strong, she needed to face them, for herself, for the children, for…
"My lady?"
She almost screamed in frustration. The not so discreet whisper came from none other than Todd Smith, who had settled himself on the adjacent alcove.
"What are you doing here?" She hissed. Why aren't you with my sister?"
"She's still roaming in the Hotel. No one has joined her yet."
And what about now? Scarlett fidgeted, uneasy.
"Please keep watching. Or take her walking. She thinks you're Fenton, after all. See how much she is willing to sell our birthright for."
She could almost see him nodding.
"As you wish, my Guinevere."
"Guinevere?"
He fidgeted. "Olsen did say we have to keep up with the surnames."
She rolled her eyes.
"When there are many people who know me nearby?" She scowled. "Fiddle-dee-dee, that's ridiculous! If scandal there is, it would not be stopped by the use of nicknames," She sighed. "Go, now. Please."
"I will. You can count on me."
She shook her head, glad he could not see her face. Nor her his. If she had, she would have hit him.
"I know I can."
She waited for the footsteps to fade and left on her own.
For a spy and a speculator, this one was very bad at it.
She took back her place, only to see the empty places at her side had been taken by Maybelle Picard and her husband, who greeted her rather kindly.
Then the Mass began, and she felt glad not to have to continue talking. Her gaze found her children, and she felt suddenly far away from it all. She sang, prayed, but she knew it wasn't with her heart.
Once, the priest talked of a God that forgave it all, of a death that was only the beginning. Of the dead, especially children, being pure and innocent as they left their sins behind, becoming angels in the sky, watching over them.
What could he know of it?
She was tempted to scream. Oh Lord, she thought. I killed one man last night. Two in my whole life. How could it be so?
She felt Maybelle's hand on hers, and she knew she understood. She squeezed it more gratefully than she thought she could, and continued listening, the words stopping making sense to her at all.
Then, it was the children's time to sing, and she almost smiled at Ella's eagerness, though she could see from a distance the words she sang were not exactly the same as those expected of her. Wade was invested, and then Scarlett knew it was not thanks to her, but thanks to Melly and the faith she gave him.
Could her dearest friend be watching over them, even now? What could she even think of it all?
She nodded when, after the priest pronounced the end of Mass, the Picards took their leaves, promising to bring their children and friends in the afternoon.
She clung to Wade and Ella's hands when they came to her, but she could not fool them when they finally left and took the carriage to go home.
"Mother…"
"Mama, are you crying?"
She put a smile on her face, but she knew it wasn't genuine.
"No sweet-heart. I'm just tired."
She said nothing more, and they seemed to understand it was not time to ask anything more of her. Even when they settled for lunch, they said nothing, only lightening up when it was time to see the decorations for the party and add their own parts. That put a smile even on Scarlett's face, as she remembered her childhood. She found herself playing with them, teasing them with the ribbons and matching even Ella's eagerness for the opening of the gifts.
The children came, and soon the plays began. Prissy and Pansy were requisitioned for the handling of the cake, and even the beginning of the games.
Scarlett watched all of this carefully, trying to prevent any incident that might unsettle it all, verifying every little thing that had the potential to go awfully awry. And at least to put herself to work was a way not to think of the obvious absentee, whose presence was being missed so.
But Wade did not participate much at first. Instead, he was withdrawn, almost scowling at Raoul Picard as the boy watched him uneasy.
She had to do something, and quick. She had not worked so much, for it to be destroyed so easily by Wade's sudden bad manners!
"Why aren't you playing with the other children?"
"I don't want to be Raoul's friend, Mother. He had been mean to me, to you and Uncle Rhett!"
She sighed, already feeling the headache coming as her boy crossed her arms stubbornly.
"Try to, Wade. If not for you, for my sake. You may not like him, but one day you may need him. Do not do the same mistakes as I. You are my son, but you are also the son of Charles Hamilton. Just like he knew how to be sweet and friendly, I know you can too."
"But I am also Rhett Butler's son. Aren't I?" A little note of uncertainty was added in the end, despite the attempt at confidence.
She blinked, the name hurting her at her core.
"You are. But he also would agree that a person will always be in need of a friend for the most important parts of their lives."
Wade looked at her seriously, then nodded.
"I'll do it. I'll do it for you."
She smiled at him, relieved. "That's my boy. Now go and play. And if you can win against them, do it in whatever way you can!"
Wade only laughed in reply, before joining them. There, she could see he could be charming and persuasive, for, after a time, the group opened up to him.
The rest of the afternoon went peacefully enough, but Scarlett was incredibly relieved when finally the gifts were opened, the children fed, and the parents went to get them home. Had it been that way with Bonnie, or the other birthday parties? She did not seem to remember. But then, it had always been Rhett who organized it. Rhett…
She shook her head, before turning to her daughter, who was clutching at her dolls with a happy smile.
"Do you want something more, my sweet? Anything else your little heart wants?"
She was hoping for a no, but instead, she had another reply, with Ella's eyes glinting with enthusiasm at the idea.
"What if we went to the park, mama? Maybe Uncle Rhett will join us here!"
She winced but found herself replying to this instead.
"Maybe he will."
She doubted it very much. But then, she didn't want to be the one to crush the dreams of her little girl. Not again.
So to the park, they went, with Pork and Prissy joining them. Wade came with his fishing rod, and insisted to try it on the little pond, while Ella wanted to pick flowers on the other side. With so different activities, Scarlett regretted already to have proposed it. So she asked them to go accompanied by the two servants. But she did not join them right away. No. She wanted to reflect a little on her own and appreciate a moment of quietness before meeting them. Those were so hard to find, these days.
And visibly, too short for her liking. She froze as she turned her head.
There, before her, there was none other than Lord Richard Fenton, strutting like a peacock before her with a terrifying determination in his eyes, and a charming smile that made her think of a con man.
"Oho. I thought I would meet a gypsy, an Indian pagan at least, but here's a sweet sultana before my eyes!"
"My lord?"
He let out a loud, spectacular laugh.
"Oh, such a deceit on this sweet innocent face! I should have known!"
She frowned but tried to keep her composure. Her voice was cold as she replied.
"Whoever you are, this is no Europe, my lord. As a mother and a married woman, I have a reputation to hold… even if only for my children."
"And I will respect it. As long as you respect mine."
"And what kind of reputation do you have?"
"That of an admirer of remarkable women."
She almost giggled at this, with the waggling of his eyebrows and the comical way he was eyeing her.
"Admiring meaning wanting to bed, I suppose."
"That is never out of the question."
She let it hang between them for a moment, not knowing what to do with that answer that no gentleman would have uttered, before deciding to dismiss it. She was Rhett's wife, after all. She had heard worse than that. He could not shock her.
"But I'm sure you're here for a different reason than just the admiration of remarkable women," She said. "So what brings you really here, in this park at all places, my lord?"
He let out a short laugh.
"Direct, I like it," He commented. "We have one thing in common, it seems. We are all two people that had been wronged by none other than the terrific Rhett Butler. A man that had claimed to have affection for us…" He stopped a little, before chuckling. But it did not make the atmosphere lighter somehow. "well, maybe less for me, than for you, I gather, but who has shaped our lives in such a way it had made us miserable."
"And how had my husband made you miserable so?"
He met her unimpressed gaze with darkened eyes that put goosebumps on her flesh.
"He had killed the woman I loved, and the child she bore as well. And I'm pretty sure he killed one of my men last night."
All breath left her as she tried to make sense of the words that had just been uttered. No. It couldn't be. When? Where? How? HOW?
The paper-knife, certainly, it was the paperknife. It had his initials on it, like pretty much everything that was in the house.
But then, what had he been saying? Had Rhett killed a child? A woman?
She needed to focus.
"… How…?"
He gazed at the horizon, his mouth set on a hard line.
"Her name was Cassandra. She was my mistress, in a time when I couldn't claim her for my wife. We were at that time two young scoundrels, he the black sheep of his family, just sent away, and me, the young lord in training, constantly disappointing his parents. She was all I ever wanted. He took her from me, led her to… one of these women that would get rid of my son so he could have her all for himself. Oh, he did try to say he was sorry when he died, but then I knew it. I knew it all. And I did not forget, not forgive."
Scarlett, I saw a girl die that way once. She was only a – well, a pretty good sort at that. It's not an easy way to die. I –
Could it be…?
No. It must have been a misunderstanding. She knew her husband. No baby in a womb would have stopped him if he wanted a woman, to the contrary. He loved babies, loved their innocence too much to force a woman to do such a thing. Remembering his face when he evoked her, there was no guilt here, just a fear to see that again. And yet… No matter what was the truth, there was indeed this woman who had got rid of her child and died in the process. That was undeniable and common to both versions.
She shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts.
"So what do you want? Revenge?" She said idly, watching her nails as an attempt at normality. She almost hesitated, dreading the answer, but then she put a mask of carelessness on her face to hide it. She could not afford to show her feelings on the matter. "To ruin him? Murder him?"
He smirked.
"No, that would be too good of an end for that rascal," He replied with a cold calmness. "I want to make him pay. I want him to watch as I take everything that matters to him."
"And that includes me," She said with nonchalance, though she was tempted to laugh at him. How little he seemed to know! But then, he was from far away, how could he know?
"That includes you."
"That's quite bold of you to suggest I would be so willing to," She said, batting her lashes coquettishly with a teasing smile.
"Oh, I have no doubt you'll be willing," He said with a smirk she wanted to erase.
"And if I need the right incentive?"
"Oh, then I'm sure we'll find one together, sweet lady," He said with a pleasant smile, though his eyes were intense on her.
"Mama!" She suddenly heard Ella's cry as she ran and joined her. Prissy was running after her, a panicked expression on her face. "I've met Billy and look at what he gave me for my birthday!"
Scarlett looked at it, amused, though she would have very much preferred Ella stayed where she was. She was uneased with the presence of the man at her side.
"Oh, that's a lovely err… stone, Ella,"
"He said it was an emerald, like my eyes!" The little girl said happily.
"Quite a charmer, indeed," commented the masculine voice of Lord Fenton.
Ella's eyes widened as she finally took notice of him, her cheeks blushing as he smiled at her.
"Lord Richard Fenton, to serve you," He bowed comically. "And who are you, sweet one?"
That's when she finally found her voice back.
"Ella!" The little girl replied eagerly. "Ella Lorena Kennedy! And it's my birthday! Mama had prepared a party for me! Are you a friend of Uncle Rhett? Or Mama's"
"Ella, you shouldn't…"
"I am a friend of your Uncle Rhett, indeed. A birthday party, you say? Oh, then maybe I'll have to give you a gift."
Scarlett felt herself shiver with a dread that surprised her. It was in his eyes, something that was dangerous and dark. Something she did not trust, not one bit.
"You don't have to…"
"But I insist."
His tone was insistent, definite. There, she knew there would be no bargain, and she wondered where this all could lead to. If the price was enough to make her even consider it. Suddenly having him in front of her presented her with the reality of a revenge she had thought of (though in her mind, it had always been more of teaching a lesson), sometimes with passion, and it was all so very unsettling how now she found herself recoiling at the idea.
She still needed to distract that man, she could see that. But could he be persuaded? Could she make him fall in love with her? She knew at least he was attracted to her, and maybe that could be a starting point to influence him. No matter what, she knew it was better to keep a close eye on him, to be prepared at anything. Whether she decided to go through that idea or not.
She watched as Ella ripped the paper and squealed.
"A necklace!"
"As a gage of my admiration to two delectable ladies."
It was so very far from the chocolate and flowers they could have accepted without anything in return. And yet, she could see he would not let them refuse, and after all, he was European. Maybe it could be excusable, for he did not know the customs?
What was more troubling though was the fact it was no little girl's necklace. It was a woman's, and one that had certainly not been newly made. She met his eyes.
Could it be?
He only smiled in reply. She felt cold inside.
She cleared her throat, then turned to her daughter.
"And what do we say when someone offers you a gift?"
Ella grinned, then pronounced a very happy "thank you". Lord Fenton chuckled in reply.
"Well, I hope it would make you not forget me, young lady," He said, winking at her daughter. "Unfortunately I have to leave you..."
"Oh, no!" Ella exclaimed, her little mouth trembling a little with disappointment. "What about Uncle Rhett? Certainly, you could come with us to meet him!"
"Ella!" Scarlett scolded, bewildered.
"Cheer up, little girl," He smiled, his finger grazing Ella's chin with a teasing gesture that unsettled Scarlett. "I'm sure we'll meet again, you, your charming mother, and your Uncle Rhett."
Then, he nodded towards her, a charming smile on his too much charming face, and went away, as if he had not just proposed revenge on a man moments before.
"Ella, you should not have done that," Scarlett said more calmly. "A young lady like you shouldn't have invited a stranger like that."
Ella cocked her head.
"How so? Isn't he Uncle Rhett's friend?"
"Who was it, Mother?" Wade had finally joined them, the fishing rod still gripped in his tiny hands.
"A strange man," Her tone was emotionless, almost dead. She gripped the hands of the children and raised. "We're leaving, children."
"He said he was Uncle Rhett's friend!" Ella added.
Wade's eyes widened.
"A friend of Uncle Rhett?"
They talked some more, but she was not listening anymore. She called Prissy and led them back home, before insisting they stayed under the servant's supervision. She needed to go out, on her own. She needed to hit something. She tried to call Pansy, but was unable to find her. But then, maybe she was sick. She was often sick, these times. Scarlett worried. But then, as Pork told her she was resting, she found enough peace to continue on her project, going to the warehouse. If only to take back her horse left in there. She took her reticule and made her way on the servants' quarters of the stables, hoping to find someone to help her with the horse. But what was awaiting her was even more surprising. It was a gathering of servants, some not her own. Black people gathering around what seemed to be none other a very healthy and eloquent Pansy. Most horribly, it did not seem to be the first time it happened.
"There's no such thing as a good plantation. From the moment there are masters and slaves, there are problems on the way. Every plantation, whether they are Tara, Twelve Oaks, Mimosa, or Fairhill are the symbol of that. That's why if God really gives justice to all, it should be destroyed and erased for good."
She froze, her heart shattering.
"Get out. All of you," She found herself ordering with a cold voice.
They all looked at her with fear in their eyes, before scampering with haste. Only Pansy met her eyes, surprised to see her.
"You lied," Scarlett hissed as she took a step forward.
Pansy looked at her with a bewildered look.
"You weren't ready to hear this."
"Ready for what?" She snarled. "I thought you were my friend!"
"Do friends have to share the same ideas? To be exactly the same as you?" Pansy taunted. "I am not. I am not spoiled, nor vain. I never had the advantages you had, with your color of skin, rank, and money. Are all your friends paid, Scarlett? Then I'm sure they are no friends at all."
"Get out."
"Yes, I'm getting out! I'm out. I am more than a background character in your story, Scarlett O'Hara. I have a voice and…" She took a big breath of air, as if to give herself courage. "It's time it is heard."
The words were definite, and Scarlett found herself breathless and cold. A sudden despair after everything that happened overwhelmed her and she found herself talking venomously, the words stinging as she said it. All she wanted was to hurt as she felt hurt, and yet….
"Then go! I don't need you here, you and your insolent little tongue, and your lies, and your sneakiness! You're just a… a… a dumb negress!"
She hiccoughed, paling, and found herself waiting. Pansy blinked, and her eyes hardened.
"Thank you then for showing you're no better than anyone else. You're even worse."
Scarlett had the impression her world was crumbling down at her feet, and she couldn't do anything but watch as Pansy left the room, throwing the apron on the way.
She had lost her only ally, and that for words she did not believe in. At least not anymore, since the time she was a girl that had learned she had to show the way to the inferior people.
Inferior people, indeed. If it was so, why did she feel so little, then?
She took refuge in the warehouse, shooting to her heart's content, and screaming like a banshee until her voice failed her. Sometimes, she managed to reach the target at the heart, but she felt no satisfaction in that. Only her heart being torn apart and the regret gripping her guts.
When she finished, she joined the children for dinner, barely putting a bandage on her bruised palm, and then hurried them to bed, promising them the continuation of the story for the next night. After all, she said, and Wade nodded eagerly, Uncle Rhett was still not here, and how disappointed he would be to miss it!
But was it worth it, to continue pretending? She wondered.
As she put them to bed, Ella suddenly talked eagerly of the park, and the person they had met there. She froze on her gesture.
"He was so handsome, wasn't he, mama?"
"Don't be a fool, Ella!" Wade scowled, before crossing his arms. "I don't like that man."
Scarlett sighed, but Ella continued.
"Oh, but he said he was Uncle Rhett's friend! And he's a lord!"
"All lords aren't good men, my sweet Ella," Her mother said as she caressed her cheek. "I would prefer it if you don't talk to him again."
"You think he's a bad man?"
She wondered at it.
"He may be."
Ella seemed to want to protest, but then, begrudgingly, she nodded.
"Alright, Mama," She said, visibly disappointed.
Suddenly very weary, Scarlett kissed them goodnight, before tucking a last time the covers of each child. Then she returned to the dining room, hoping to appease her burdened mind.
But as she saw who was waiting for her, she decided maybe brandy was not for her that day.
"Scarlett, I need to talk to you."
He was here, in front of her. The love of her life, her husband, the one who had betrayed her so, made her believe there could be so much more, drugged her, and who now stood so calmly in front of her, as if nothing had happened. Not even a smell of alcohol on him. Nothing. Only his taunting eyes, and this scent, that made her treacherous heart want to leap and take refuge in his arms.
"I don't want to hear it." Her fists clenched from the pain of uttering these words. She felt anger at herself for the cracking of her voice. "I don't want to hear how you… found pleasure in other beds, how you drank yourself almost to death because of how painful it was to have me as your wife! How you play so easily with your own reputation, mine and that of the children, when you spent so much time lecturing me on this when Bonnie…"
He scowled.
"Don't you dare say her name! It's not the same thing!"
"How so?"
"By God, woman, can't you understand anything without it being said to you? There are lives at stake!"
"I understand very much, thank you. My children's lives are at stake. Their reputation, their future," She lowered her head, trying to hide the tears that threatened to leave her eyes. She continued, more softly. "They may not be your blood, but I thought they had your love."
"They do, Scarlett. You know they do."
Oh, why were his eyes glinting so?!
"You have such a way to show it! People are talking, and I've worked too hard for it to only go to waste!" She shook her head, before regaining her composure. She had enough of all of this, of all these games he seemed to play. "Do you know what my father told me, once? He said that land was the only thing in the world that amounts to anything, for it is the only thing that lasts."
"It is not the only thing that matters..."
"True enough. When I went back to Tara, I swore that I and my people would never go hungry again, that Tara will never be lost to us, even if I had to steal, beg or kill."
"A good wish, maybe, but…"
She shook her head once again, and stopped him by putting her hand between them.
"No. You never understood that. You never wanted to. And you keep proving it to me."
"Scarlett."
"Hush. Don't say anything now."
She looked at him, looked at that man she loved still, but who hurt her so. That man at that moment she wanted to hurt as much as she hurt, and she wanted to soothe as much as she wanted to be soothed.
Such conflicting feelings for something that were praised as the only thing that mattered in the world. Love.
Her lips lingered on his cheek, while she savored one moment the feeling of closeness between their bodies. So close, and yet so far. Skin touching, but the poison between them kept stinging and stinging.
"Whatever war you and I have against each other, don't put it on my children. If… If they suffer because of this, I shall destroy you. No matter how long it would take, I'll make sure you find no peace."
Yes, she could. She could gather the means to. She could even use Lord Fenton's way, lacking and untrue as she found it was.
"It is not me you should fight against."
"Then why do you make it so?"
They stared at each other, the words leaving a space between them that was aching to be filled.
"Such a fire in your eyes, such a… life," He whispered, his eyes lightening up strangely at this. His hand raised to meet her cheek, and Scarlett felt the warmth of it before it even reached her. She found herself recoiling, unsure by the sudden ardor, but he held her shoulders in a tight grip, forcing her to face him. "Why not? Maybe it's better like that… Yes…" He cleared his throat, but his eyes were still brazing on her. "You want a war, Scarlett? Fine, I'll agree with you until you understand, for I know you need to experience things before accepting it as it is. But for that, you better be prepared to fight."
She scowled, offended.
"Oh, I am. Don't ever doubt it."
"Good. Then you'll meet me at your little warehouse tomorrow afternoon. We'll see, then."
She blinked.
"You're daring me for a duel?"
"I'm daring you to let me train you. For now."
"And why would you do that?"
"Because I always believed it's better to fight on equal grounds."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"I don't believe you."
He released her, stepping back abruptly, his fists clenching and fiercely put in his pockets.
"Believe what you want, Scarlett. I never could stop you."
She shook her head, her eyes flaring.
"Don't do that to me, Rhett, don't act like you're some powerless, misunderstood man. You've never been that when it came to me. You just never tried enough when it mattered," Her voice broke a little, and she tried to regain her composure. "Goodnight, Rhett."
With that, she nodded at him, trying to meet his blank gaze with a defiant one, and reached her chambers.
She took down her clothes and changed on her own, feeling more keenly the loneliness of her situation. No, certainly, she could persuade Pansy to come back. Certainly, she would see she didn't mean any of it! Or with enough money….
Are all your friends paid, Scarlett? Then I'm sure they are no friends at all!
She shook her head. No, she would not cry. Not again. She filled her glass from her jug of water and drank it heavily.
The taste was sour on her lips and she cursed. Certainly, he had not dared…. Not again?
She felt dizzy suddenly and with panic, she reached her bed. For a moment, she wondered if at another moment of her life, one she was not so wary, she would have realized the effects, and explained it only on her own tiredness. Or maybe it was only so, and she was imagining it entirely. She could not think clearly.
She may have awakened once, maybe. Or maybe not. Her mind was fuzzy, but she thought she felt strong arms embracing her tightly, and the whisper of a kiss on her hair. And words, soft, sad, loving, and pleading, like a request for forgiveness. A forgiveness she wanted to ask in return.
What a sweet dream, she thought as darkness surrounded her yet again. A sweet dream…