Chapter 18
Of all the places Rhett had expected Scarlett to go, the National Hotel was certainly the last. But then, he knew his wife, and he knew that as soon as she would hear where she was, she would jump on the opportunity to have a good little quarrel with her least favorite sister.
Thus the scene he was a witness to (which he thought was beginning to be a habit for him), without both women realizing he was there, one balcony away. They were certainly making quite a ruckus, and he was almost thankful that at least, the balconies were not set on the most crowded side.
"You've always had it better! You've always had everything! Now, it's me that hold the power, it's me you have to bend to! More so, it is me that will finally have the last word and I will take great pleasure seeing you weeping when I'll benefit from it all!"
"God's nightgown, Suellen, that's Tara we're talking about!"
"What does Tara mean to me? It had always been about you, you and you! It has never truly been mine! What had been mine, you had stolen from me!"
"You ungrateful little fool! Tara, not yours? Then what has fed you, your husband, and your children?"
"Ungrateful? You OWE me! For the life you stole from me. Frank was mine! He was my beau!"
"For the misery I saved you, you mean? DO you know why I did that? Do you really want to know that I knew if I let you marry him, you would have left us to die without regret as long as you lived comfortably?"
"I…"
"You can't even say you wouldn't have. Every day, when I asked you to help, you would whine and let others do your works, just because you deemed it degrading for you. Oh, but do you know what was really degrading? Do you want to know how it has been, being Frank Kennedy's wife? Nursing his old rheumatisms, laying under his limp body as he took his pleasure?"
Rhett winced, bad memories coming to him, and a bitter taste that seemed a little like a very out-of-date jealousy in his mouth.
"Get out! It should have been my life!"
"Had your life not been happy? Do you regret your children?" He heard Scarlett taunt. "I regretted mine. Every day, for I did not love their fathers. And yet, now, they are the only ones that will never disappoint me…" She paused, and he leaned in, trying to hear more. "One thing you forgot, Suellen, is that Tara is not only me. It's also Mother. It's Pa…"
"Don't talk to me about Tara! I hate it and I always will! It had always been yours, and never mine! I'll take great pleasure in selling it, and live grandly, the life I was meant to!"
"What about your children? Your husband?"
"Why would it matter? they'll thank me for what I'm doing!"
"Is that so?" He heard her reply coldly. "Well, If you think so, then you are no better than I."
"Get out!"
A few minutes, and furious steps later, the door closed with an angry bang, leaving Scarlett scowling and hissing.
As he looked through the peephole, he saw her freezing, before stepping towards Todd Smith who was waiting, whispering some words to him, her head turning one last moment at her sister's door. He nodded.
Rhett clenched his fists and turned away, leaving when he was sure he would not cross them.
He'd have to come back tomorrow. Suellen would be much too ruffled to hear his proposition, and it might come to Scarlett's ears if he pushed too much. He had secured Carreen's part, after all. He had time.
"You never understood that. You never wanted to. And you keep proving it to me."
At least, she had a new puppy to do her bidding.
He settled in the bar and ordered a drink. Then took another. He was about to order the third when someone interrupted him.
"Long time no see, friend."
"Richard?" He turned towards the man, surprised, before smiling. "Well, it was said you would come, but I expected I would not be able to meet you before a few days, when you finally have the time to escape the attention of the old cats of Atlanta."
The light brown hair had darkened somehow and seemed almost black with the amount of wax he had put into it. The years had got rid of the youthful bumps of his cheeks and hardened the lines of his jaw. But still, it was him.
"I've heard you married. I think I saw her on the way."
"You've met Scarlett?"
"A gentleman always waits for an introduction," He laughed, before asking to be served. "At least, I'm not such a fool not to wait until you introduce her to me."
Rhett chuckled and took the glass from the waiter.
"That's one fair Desdemona you found yourself bound to," Richard continued, his eyes on his nails as he tried to get rid of some dirt on it. Yet there was a glint he did not like in it. "Alabaster skin, sweet face, and pretty mouth."
He shook his head, amused.
"My wife is no Desdemona."
"No, indeed. Her eyes are promising too many things. Beware, old friend, she might be snatched away from you!"
That trap was too vulgar for him to fall for. But then, he guessed he had this coming, with the last time he had met the man.
"By who?" He chuckled. "You?"
"That hurts, mate."
"You can try all you want," He snorted. "It is not my concerns who she consorts with."
In fact, it could be rather useful, that people see another man trying to seduce her. It would prove he did not care.
And, if he was honest enough with himself, he was a little bit curious about how she might act, loving the attention as she did. Would she use it, like she seemed to do with Todd Smith? Or would there be more? Could he trust her to be faithful?
The insecurities, despite knowing she loved him, kept nagging him like the gadfly that tormented Io so. He needed her to be seen as mistrustful, as defiled. And yet, it hurt him to do so, to see that look in her eyes, and to think that maybe it would drive her away from him for good. And drive her to other arms, perhaps…
He cursed himself. He had always mocked Ashley for his indecisiveness, and yet he was in the same position, and about the same woman.
No, he had to trust her for that. And that was maybe the thing that was the most difficult to do, for he had been preventing himself to do so for so long.
He took another drink.
"So then you wouldn't mind sharing?" Richard said, and in these dark eyes, lighter than his, there was a challenge.
He almost dropped it. But then, years of hiding were enough not to show anything. He took a sip, looking at him with an amused smile.
"In fact, I'm daring you to," He replied. "Seduce her. Let's see if you're up to the test, and how these years changed you. I seem to remember a clumsy lord almost tripping on his feet when a girl blinked in his direction."
He knew Richard. He remembered the little lordling, five years his junior, trying to follow his footsteps like a puppy as soon as he met him in London. He remembered all the parties he brought him to, and the little victories he had, that he could not help but brag in front of him. He was like a little brother trying to impress his older sibling, and Rhett had all but comforted him in it. He was fond of him, and that admiration he bestowed him was flattering. It was more than his own siblings had ever expressed to him, and in that time when his family seemed gone to him, it was comforting somehow.
Until Cassandra. The girl had been a bright little thing that had turned his head so. He spent a lot of money on her and treated her like a queen, though her eyes were quite wandering. She was a flirter, that one, but it was clear, at least to him, she never attached herself to anyone. She had not that honest innocence that Scarlett in her young days had, and that determination to get what she wanted (even if that determination was lost on poor hapless Mr. Wilkes). It was all just a game, and not even a game she found true pleasure at.
And then one day, she came to him, and her eyes were not so light anymore…
He shook his head, trying to get rid of the image.
No, it wasn't relevant anymore. Whatever his part had been, it had been forgiven. When they had met again, the camaraderie was here again, with a little more competition this time, and there was also this time he had saved his life. Richard wouldn't have done so if he hadn't forgiven him. At least, he wanted to believe he had.
But can I really trust him? He thought. Certainly not. But then, knowing him, he failed to see him in a dangerous light. A little on edge, he might be, but he was a good fellow.
There was a hardness in Richard's gaze that unsettled him a little, and he almost reconsidered. His teeth shone through tight lips, a little pointed at the corners.
"I certainly stepped up my game."
"Then the bet is on."
He gulped all his drink down. Richard chuckled.
"You're still a goddamn heartless gambler, Rhett Butler!"
"And the bet is even more delightful when it has no value to me anymore."
"Oh, really? Then I would have to make my own opinion about it."
"Please, do. But I have to warn you," He replied, leaning in as if to make a confidence. "There's a reason why she is called the hardest heart in all Georgia."
"Now, that just interests me even more. A national treasure, then?"
Oh, no. Scarlett would not fall for that. He was tempted to laugh. She would certainly be flattered, but then she was not one to fall for a rogue's advances like that. She had dismissed his when they had been bestowed, so it was not for her to do the contrary with Richard. Especially when she was so determined to get her reputation back. She was stubborn, his Scarlett, when she had a goal in mind. And now was the case. Not even any thought of revenge could even drive her out of that.
And then, he could not believe Scarlett would cheat on him, when everything in her told him he loved him, that she was still mourning for their dear Bonnie. She was still stubbornly wearing black, and every day he could see on the cameo she put on her dress the image of their daughter.
...
And also when she was sleeping with his missing shirt on her bed. He smiled at the memory of that surprisingly pleasant discovery.
But Richard's presence might also drive Todd Smith away, and that was quite another pleasant idea to Rhett. Watcher or not, there was always a time when a man might take a step a little too forward. At least, with Richard, it would be sure she would be offended.
"No less," He jested, though his heart squeezed a little. "If you win, you're free to get whatever thing you want from her. And me, in extenso."
"And if I lose?"
"I've heard you have certain plans concerning lands in Clayton County. Give it up and give it to me. That would be my prize."
Richard's eyes glinted. Rhett was still a little perplexed at his interests in it, so far from Europe, but he guessed it was once again the competition between them that had done it for him, just like that time when he was blockading…
"Done," Richard topped it. "But I do believe I have the better bargain."
You have no idea, Rhett thought. But there was no way he could win.
They settled the deal and went their own way.
Rhett's day was busy, and as he made all the visits he was bound to, he felt a sense of restlessness at the idea of being so far to the store and to home. But he knew what he had to do, just like he knew how many debts he had to collect from the bank. At least he felt at peace, knowing that at least he had spent the morning making it up to Ella and Wade for missing her party.
This was why he had always loved children. They bestowed their love and forgiveness easily, and when they trusted someone, it was blindly.
Wade was more reluctant, though, but then he guessed it was because he hadn't appeared at the church, and he had heard everything. He felt ashamed by it, but then, he had not seen any other way. When the boy asked him to promise he would make it up to their mother, he said yes immediately. But that did not mean he could do so at the moment. He seemed about to say something else, and Rhett could see that Ella was nervous like she had been told a secret, but none of them seemed to be able to say so. He shrugged, hoping he might get the end of it by the end of the week.
As he left after his last visit, he was attacked in an alley, but then the poor lad seemed to have picked the wrong person to target that day.
It was only when he reached his buggy he saw his shirt was bleeding a little. He shrugged, then continued his way, passing in front of Belle's sporting house.
He had severed his ties with the Madam, especially after discovering what she was doing with the orphanage. It had been foolish, that's what he had told her when she had admitted to him. Foolish and immoral. It was the kind of scheme that could unsettle everything, and make her lose everything (and him in extenso if he continued to support her). He held it like a whip over her head, but then he knew there were too many people, notorious people involved in this. Some he might try to use for his own interests, and that of his family. Others… that he preferred the farther away from them. And now that Scarlett was attempting to help the children of that house…
No, that did not bide well for him. She was attracting too much attention. He would not be surprised if the one that had pushed her was involved in all of this.
Just as he was about to continue his way, a sight made him stop. He blinked, unable to believe it at first. But when he did, he chuckled darkly.
The irony. The Honorable Mister Wilkes satisfying his baser needs in a whorehouse, and much more ironic, with his former mistress. He could see her waving at the man, before letting a shocked gasp at his sight. He could have laughed at it. In fact, he did just so. That insufferable man, who had dared put on high airs and questioned his intentions towards his wife. How could he even look at himself into a mirror, knowing that all his life, while having the perfect lady as a wife, he had been lusting over another and still did, and then, as it wasn't enough, the poor gentleman was despaired to the point of paying for his pleasures?
The man seemed to see him, and he bowed his head in irony, at him and his former mistress, taking pleasure in seeing his old rival scram like a berated dog. He continued on his way with the buggy, until he finally reached the warehouse and entered.
Oh, he was no fool. He knew Scarlett had been plotting around, and somehow, that warehouse had been her refuge. Not with Ashley, no. He had also noticed that somehow Todd Smith seemed to enter it minutes after she did.
He had told her he didn't mind her having an adventure, and he had meant it. After all, there were many meanings to the word, and some did not involve the idea of her with another man… He gritted his teeth. He could not bear it. He never really could, for all his talks saying so.
However now that he was here, he could see there were targets in here, and some had been used quite often, he had seen. He reassured himself. Todd Smith was a watcher, he knew that, not a seducer. If a step was taken, it would not be from him, but her. And from the amount of shots, it was certainly not in her mind.
But then, there was a more mortifying matter, more painful than the thought of never getting her heart or losing it. It was of losing her entirely. In so many moments, he could have, without him able to do anything about it. He still remembered her fall down the stairs, and the excruciating sound of her little body on the ground, and the sight of her pale skin, and the blood that was glinting on his hands. He still remembered the death of Bonnie, and of Melanie Wilkes, making him feel keenly he was losing everything that ever mattered to him, every little thing he had thought secure and safe. Leaving was easy when he could think Scarlett would be waiting for him, alive, and that he would be far enough not to worry.
But he found now it wasn't enough. He remembered how she had fainted when he had left her. He remembered when that man pushed her down, leaving her defenseless against a hungry tigress. He had fought then, tried to get her back. But then, there was also this man, this culprit, he couldn't bear to let go.
He looked at his watch and sighed.
With the chaos, he could not catch him, and when he finally joined Scarlett, another had done what he should have. He was practical enough to be thankful for that, but his pride was quite wounded he hadn't been the one to do so. Still, there was Scarlett, in his arms, in shock. But warm, safe, and alive.
Oh, couldn't she be there, already? What was taking her so long? She was supposed to be back from the store long ago!
Or maybe it was him that was too impatient. He looked once again at his watch. Yes, she was indeed late.
He paced once more, and was about to seek her out himself, when finally she entered, closing the door behind her with a weary sigh.
"O my soul's joy! If after every tempest come such calms, may the winds blow till they have wakened death?"
She jumped at this intervention, and looked around her, her eyes wide like a frightened cat's. He could almost see her hair raising as if she were. She blinked a little, before finally spotting him.
"Death? Death? Why are you talking of death?"
"It was a quote, my dear, to tell you how happy I am to see you."
He could not help it though. A smile came to his face, and he knew it wasn't a genuine one. He had been so used on using it, afraid of showing the words he said were true. Even now, there was still that fear in his heart like a reflex he could not shake off.
She huffed.
"Happy, indeed!" She scowled, stomping her foot. "Fiddle-dee-dee, you gave me such a fright, lurking in the corners like that!"
"It seems I'm not the only one lurking in dark corners," He chuckled. There, he could not help it. The smile turned malicious. "You'll have to guess who I've seen…"
He stopped.
She was shaking.
"Scarlett…" He took a step closer and turned her to him, his hand on her cheek to urge her to look at him. "What happened?"
She shook her head, and he could see the tears that were threatening to fall on her cheeks.
"I can't bear to see doors closed at my face; I can't bear it!"
"I'm glad you share that opinion, my dear. "
Her eyes sent daggers at him, and he took pleasure in dodging them.
"Oh, of course, you take it for you! But it's not, it's not!"
"Tell me, then, what bothers you?"
She shook her head, her hands firmly gripped at her sides as she tried to regain her breathing.
Then her shoulders fell as if she was defeated. He did not like that. He did not like that at all.
"Rhett," She said, weary. "Do my words always have to bite me in the neck?"
"Well, you throw them swiftly, dear, they tend to act like boomerangs."
"It doesn't mean I mean them!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide and vulnerable like those of a child. "These words… I've heard them so many times, and I've said them…. And I thought they were like all the other words, not the pleasantest, maybe, but then everyone said them and it seemed… normal. Why now is it not? Or maybe before they weren't, and I just couldn't see it?"
"No, you didn't. You generally don't. But no matter how many times they had been said, the hurt is still the same."
"I guess so."
"Who did you hurt this time, darling? What words did you use?" He reached out for her, his hand caressing her cheek. "Scarlett…"
She recoiled with all the defiance of an offended goddess.
"Oh, don't act as if you care! Not now!"
His hands clenched in frustration, and he put them in his pockets.
"Would it surprise you if I say I do?"
"It wouldn't surprise me if you lie to me."
"Fair enough. Though I still have some questions I need answers to."
"As if you'd answer mine."
He chuckled.
"I'll certainly try. But it's irrelevant. You certainly do have strange frequentations, my dear."
She looked at him with a strange, almost amused glint in her feline eyes.
"Be cautious, my love," She said with a teasing, but cold smile. "One might almost think you really care."
"I might. But I'm serious. Meeting this man may be dangerous, Scarlett."
"Everyone is dangerous at one moment in their life. Why him in particular?" She snorted in an unladylike way that would have made her blush years ago, and he felt amused by that. "Why, he looks like a lamb!"
He crossed his arms, eyeing her.
"A lamb, he maybe is at first. But he is not to be trifled with. Nor are his friends."
Too late for that… Her eyes said. He blinked. Could it be? He had had his suspicions, well, more than suspicions, but then… he had wanted to deny it in his will to believe in her safety and cluelessness, but he had known already, hadn't he? It was the only thing that made sense, more than her having an affair. It would explain why Todd Smith seemed to always be around her, why she had confronted Suellen over selling her part of Tara. She knew more than he had thought at first. And somehow, she was involved in Todd's scheme more than he would have wanted her to be.
He almost cursed.
"Rhett…"
His eyes snapped at her and softened when he saw she was a little bit afraid of him. It gave him more determination somehow.
"Yes, my dear?"
She bit her lip. "Would you mind helping me loosening my corset?
His eyes widened a little, but he nodded, his heart beating with the anticipation of getting that close to her. She was alive, she was conscious, and how she looked at him so!
"There's blood on your shirt." Her eyes widened.
She looked at him with bright eyes, begging eyes, and he was tempted to give in to her plead. He felt almost clumsy when he loosened the laces, his fingers grazing the thin shirt underneath. She shivered as he touched her.
How touch-starved was she? He wondered painfully. How touch-starved was he? The image of her in his arms, unconscious as he embraced her, came to his mind. It was wrong, he knew that. Not that his gestures were sexually inappropriate. It made him ashamed nonetheless, remembering that unfortunate night when he had snapped, and took more than he should have. And yet... that night, she gave herself to him, fully, returning every caress, every word...
His hands stayed a little while on her as he recalled the recent events.
The first night he had used the draught doctor Meade gave him, he had been so desperate to see her, to see if she was alright, safe, alive in his arms.
The other night, the fear had not left him, especially when he had seen her, so cold and angry.
He could not get rid of the image of her rolling down till her body reached the scene, nor the one of her falling down the stairs.
In both cases, he had been hopeless. In both cases, she almost died in front of him.
He could not bear that. He would not allow this to happen again.
He was just a man, after all.
A very pathetic man. He almost swore once again.
It felt harder and harder to resist. But he had to. He sent her a blank look, his words smooth as silk.
"Oh. Little wounds. Sometimes you get some when you play with tigers. What about yours, darling? I see your hands are quite bruised too. Though I wonder which tiger you fought, this time."
Her eyes narrowed. She was about to retort when he pushed her lightly and put the gun in her hand.
"Here. Show me what your skills are."
Please, may her little training by herself have some effect….
Her grip on the gun tightened as she aimed at the target. He went closer and tried to rectify her posture. She stiffened as his hands touched her shoulders and spine to straighten her before it went to her own to ease the painful grip on the gun. Her hands trembled slightly as he did so, and he wondered if she felt the heat like he did, and these sparks coming between them.
"You should be cautious," He said softly. "People may talk."
Her eyes hardened.
"Whatever they are saying…"
She shot straight, and it almost went to the second ring.
He laughed, and the relief was almost ringing in it.
"People are not saying anything yet. But I have eyes. The lad is quite smitten with you, my dear. He almost follows you everywhere like a puppy."
"You're insufferable," She answered him lightly "But then, Todd is a nice man. Blond, clear eyes."
Her eyes were teasing but attentive as they were fixed on him. He could see clearly their intent.
He shook his head, amused as he took the gun again to prepare it, before giving it back. She aimed once more and he went closer, the sweet scent of rosewater and lilacs, and the feeling of her warmth coming to tease his senses.
"You always liked glitter more than gold."
She went still, aimed.
"What about you Rhett? If you loved gold more than glitter, you would have never loved me. And if you wanted to show me gold was better, the house we live in would never have been built."
This time it went straight in the middle.
He was taken aback. She turned towards him, fire in her eyes.
"Melly was gold. Maybe it would have been better for you to love her."
Now, this was too much. Especially for her.
"You sell yourself cheap." His tone was shorter, sharper than he had intended.
"Are you calling me a whore?" She hissed.
"No!" He scowled. "By God, Scarlett, I'm trying to say you're worth so much more!"
"At least a little bit more," He could not help but add, but this time, his tone was lighter. However, he almost cursed himself for that part. What was it that each time he wanted to tell her the truth, or something that might be pleasing to her ears, he could not help but add something that might unsettle it all?
She did not seem to pay attention to that part though. He was surprised, but also a bit disappointed for it would have caused quite an amusing ruckus years ago.
"Then why don't you just say so?"
And why now? Her eyes said.
Isn't it obvious? He wanted to answer her.
He was still uneasy about these truthful moments, moments he could not laugh it off easily. But then, looking into her bright eyes, hearing the simple tone of her voice, and feeling the relieving warmth of her body... he knew honesty would be the best way.
"I guess I should."
She stared at him, then hmphed.
"Not that I would trust it is the truth."
He could not help the smirk on his face.
"That, you will, my dear. You never refused a compliment."
"Perhaps I ought to. You never did compliment me without asking something in return."
"True enough." I was asking for your love, he thought. I wanted to buy it, to get it like a prize that I deserved for all my work. And you wouldn't give it to me, and I wanted to hate you for that. I did hate you for that. But my hate was never too far from my love.
And then love was not something one could buy, he was realizing that. Just like trust, he had to build it, and sometimes he did not know how to start, he who had learned it was better not to believe in anyone else but himself.
And now, he needed to trust her to come to him at the right time. He wanted to. But the worst in all of that is that she had to mistrust him, openly and directly, for doing so meant she would be safe, and others would not try to use her and the children to get at him.
Oh, if only she was better at hiding! Why was it that each time there was danger, she was on the way?
She had kissed him, and then he knew he would never be free. He had to find this man and kill him. He had to distract the attention of his opponents from his wife.
And then, when all would be over, they would leave. Europe would be great at this time of the year. It might be a new opportunity. He so wished to take Scarlett to Paris. To show her all the places he had seen, and see her eyes brighten at all the marvels she would discover. It would be a new start, for them all.
Wade and Ella would follow them, and they might learn a lot from this travel as well. A time away from the society of Atlanta might be profitable for them, and they may be able to return with an almost clean board. If they ever returned.
Maybe they could find their way elsewhere. He and Scarlett were after all not people that settled, and she would realize it soon enough. When she would reach her objectives, soon it would be a bore to her. He could see it already.
They continued for a little while, then he led her home and went to organize his files in his room. As he was about to join the nursery, he stopped. Scarlett was here, talking with Wade. He could see the back of her as she knelt in front of the boy.
"Where is Pansy, Mother?"
"She… she is unwell, Wade. But she'll be alright. She'll be back soon, I swear it to you."
"Would you read it to me?"
"Sweet-heart, you don't have to do that for me to have interest in you!" She said fondly. "I know you have certainly finished it already."
"I like hearing your voice when you read to me."
"Then, we shall read another one together."
"What about the three Musketeers?"
"Alright for the three Mousekeepers."
He chuckled softly, and he heard Wade's laugh echoing in the room. It was even more of a delight when Scarlett joined him.
Wade almost invited him when he left the room to look for the book. But he declined it, and gestured him to keep silent. He wanted to see these peaceful moments, when Scarlett wasn't so wary. He needed to keep in mind the serenity on her face, the liveliness of it all. It was for that he was fighting, after all. He said nothing else when Wade returned with the book, and was content to stay behind that door. He listened to it all, a wistful smile on his face, wishing he could actually join them and rest his head on her lap as she read. Now was not the time, though. But soon… Yes, soon.
Dinner was served, and indeed, there was still no trace of their other servant. He looked at Scarlett closely, and it surprised him to see she seemed quite upset by it.
After dinner, he was the one to lead all his little family back into the study, Scarlett eyeing him with irritation as he said:
"Well, I'm in the mood for some story. Aren't you, children?"
"Yes!" Ella cried eagerly. "Oh, mama, continue, please !"
When Wade joined her, Rhett couldn't help the triumphant glance towards Scarlett, for she knew she had lost. No, she would not hide from him tonight, she would continue what they had begun.
She huffed at him, but when she turned to her children, her smile was soft, and he wanted to kiss her for that.
Her talent for telling a story had certainly improved. But still, he could see she was still inspiring herself to what had happened to her, and what was happening. Her imagination had always been too bound to her own reality for her to step back too far from it. All the more, he was glad of it, for it gave him insights on what she felt, and how she had lived certain situations. He found he was discovering more than he had even realized at the moment.
He stopped in his thoughts, realizing he had missed some parts of the story, after the recalling of the other events, and she had noticed it.
He cleared his throat and encouraged her to continue, telling her he had understood that after Robert and Solene helped Mary to get back into the ship, they found an island and settled in for the night.
Scarlett blinked at his answer, visibly surprised he had managed to catch these elements, and he looked at her with an innocent smile.
"How was it called, Mother?" Wade intervened, unwillingly interrupting their duel.
"Err… Wardes. Yes, Wardes. But then, when they reached the island, Robert decided it was no adventure enough for him, so he left. Even when she asked him to stay."
Her eyes teased Rhett so, and yet there was still a little bit of restrained bitterness at this.
"And I believe he regretted that," He commented softly. "After some time."
"Oh, no, he didn't," Scarlett scoffed. "He even managed to steal a kiss from her!"
"He stole a kiss?" That was too much for the little girl's romantic conceptions, and he chuckled when she blushed, and almost swooned at the idea.
"Fiddle-dee-dee, Ella, don't be such a ninny! Ella? Ella?"
But the little girl did not answer, her eyes in the vague, and Scarlett sighed. Wade seemed also a little uneasy, the tip of his ears growing red, and then Rhett remembered, with some twisted amusement he had been the one, in fact, who had stopped his mother from succumbing to his attentions. Maybe he still remembered some bits of it.
"Well, then, Robert left, and Solene was a little angry."
"A little…?" Rhett teased.
"A lot," She retorted. "But then she had better things to think about. Like the survival of her friend."
Ouch. Touché.
"Were they lost, mama?" Ella finally managed to ask, though there was still red on her cheeks.
"They were, my sweet," She said. "And there was one time when… Solene thought they would not manage. But then there was Mary, and she had to be strong for her."
And somehow, it made him love her more.
"They found a cavern, but it was so dark and there were such strange noises they were afraid they might get attacked unaware. So Solene decided to throw the diamond at her feet to have some light. And when it finally happened, they found out their fears were unjustified. The cavern was more welcoming than she had thought, and the strange noises were in fact because of the source of clear water at the back of it, alimented by a cascade."
"Oh, I'm so relieved for her!" Ella exclaimed joyfully. "For them both!"
"They will not stay always in that cave, will they, Mother?" Wade asked, a frown on his face.
"Else, they might grow like old ermits," Rhett added mischievously. "Or worse… Old maids!"
She ignored his jap, but he could see the tease had made her eyes greener.
"Oh, no, darling, they will not. In fact, on the second day, they met a peacock who came to pay a visit to them. Soon, they began to talk, and he told them he was a prince that had been the victim of sorcery."
"Oh!" Ella reacted. "How romantic!"
Scarlett chuckled, but seemed insistent on not looking at him, so he thought it was a way to make him react. Which one could be linked to a peacock? He wondered, amused. Visibly, she wanted to make him jealous.
"It seems so, my sweet."
"Oh, but princes are so overrated," Wade intervened, crossing his arms, a stubborn pout on his face.
Rhett laughed and ruffled his hair.
"Good lad. Indeed, there are already too many princes and princesses in this story."
"But he was there, at least," Scarlett quipped. "And… he said things… about Robert that Solene did not dare to believe. And he asked them to be friends."
Oh, now, he was more than intrigued.
But then, disappointedly, Scarlett seemed to think she had told more than she wanted, and she continued. But not as he wanted her to.
"'Oh, I so wish for something to be true and easy, for once!" Solene said to the peacock. She was wary and desperate for friends. But she knew the peacock would only give her something fake, that wouldn't make her happy in the end."
He would let this pass. For once.
The peacock must be Todd, he thought, and it somehow relieved him of a burden he had wanted to ignore. Even in this story, she was not impressed by him.
He wanted to reach out to her, to make her see that he too, yearned for something true, something easy. He wanted peace, with her, and the children. He wanted to nestle under the sunlight of their love and provide them tenderness and protection in return.
Oh, he so yearned for the day when they would just shake it off and say it was another one of their adventures.
But it wasn't now. He kept his hand to himself, and looked at her, hoping she might understand the message he was sending her with his eyes.
She did not seem to. Instead, there was a strange look in her eyes, almost sorrowful.
"'Or maybe I had it, and I did not see it,' Solene finally said. 'I remember once, I was friend with a girl. Or I think that I was. I did not think of it at the time, for she was a maid and I a princess, but then she made me realize… she made me realize…"
"What, Mother?" Wade asked, a worried look on his face.
Scarlett shook her head.
"'She made me realize that no matter what she and I were, we were all with flesh and bones, and would die in the end,' Solene said. Melanie expressed curiosity at this, and asked Solene if they were still friends again. This is what she answered:
"' One day I went angry and felt lost. One day I cursed the world and the people around me. I cursed her. There, she turned away from me and stopped being a handmaid to me. And when I tried to apologize, when I asked her to come back, she told me she would not be bought like that, not like… Oh, she just said she would not be bought. And thus, this door was closed to me.'"
"That's a sad story," Ella commented. "I hope Solene and that friend of hers manage to find their way back to each other."
"I hope so too, my sweet," She paused, then sighed. "'Thus, children, the importance of being nice, and thinking before talking. You might never know how much hurt it can bring to people."
"That's a good lesson, Scarlett, and I think we can all learn from this," He took amusement on her bewildered eyes, and he guessed it showed, for she crossed her arms and her mouth formed a delicious little pout, accentuated with the delicate quirk of her brows.
She huffed, then after he embraced the children goodnight, she took them to Prissy. Where was Pansy, he didn't know. But he was suspecting she had done something to upset Scarlett. It would actually quite make sense if she was the one she had hurt, now that he thought of it. But then, it did not matter. It had no impact on his plans. What mattered more though was that it had an impact on Scarlett.
He served them both brandy, hesitating a little as he dropped the last drop in her glass, and waited for her to return.
He saw her looking at the glasses warily, but then he attracted her attention to the game, and it began.
He let her win the first time, to relax her. Then the game hardened, and he realized he better paid attention to it. He hadn't been lying when he said she was learning. Somehow, it made him uneasy she was, for it meant she was losing that predictability he was counting on.
Her gaze not leaving him, she took a glass and drank it like the other times, before putting it back on the trail. He said nothing, took his eyes back on the game. Silently, they continued. He won once, she did another. And him once again. He frowned, before taking his glass.
Her eyes glinted as he drank, and he wondered what she could be up to. There were that dimples on her cheeks. She had some game, and she had forgotten to hide herself. She had put down her guards, and it made him want to kiss her.
But too quickly, the moment passed, and she shook her head coquettishly, a tiny smile on her lips.
They continued to play a little more, and he looked at her reactions carefully, waiting. Until, finally, she raised her eyes on him and dropped her cards, folding it with a sigh.
"Oh, I feel so tired, now."
The draught might have taken effect. Good. He didn't feel quite so good as well. But then, with the dose she had, it might be even worse for her;
"Do you want me to help you to get into bed?"
She scowled.
"I am well enough to go into bed by myself, thank you! My, what is it with you, it's almost like you want to get into bed with me!"
He chuckled willfully.
"That's not out of the question."
"Oh, you insufferable man!" She chided as she raised and left the room and he followed. "Well, you did tell me to keep my lonely bed, so I intend to keep it. I won't let you do your…" He bit his lips with amusement when she stumbled over the words, and a blush adorned her cheeks. She was always quite prude when it came to saying this, but most of all, he could see she was jealous, and somehow it pleased him. "whatever you do with the other women that easily. I'm not an easy woman."
"You never were," He chuckled lightly. "But one day, sooner than you think, you will. By the end of the week, or maybe more so at the beginning of the new. You will let me get into your bed willingly, and I'm sure it will be with much pleasure. You will be easy on me."
She huffed as she finally reached the stairs and put a shaking hand on the rail. There was something theatrical in the way she acted, but then he shook it off as an attempt to keep her dignity.
"You are so sure of yourself it irks me," She declared, with her head raised high. "I'm getting to bed. Alone."
She almost missed one step, and he laughed when she rejected his help. She was always so stubborn, even with the medicine taking effect. He himself felt a bit exhausted, but then, he had had a long day.
He followed to make sure she did not fall and let her enter her rooms. He felt the lack of her presence in his sight, the worry creeping in irrationally, he knew that, but that much clinging.
He waited until he felt sure she would be totally asleep, then entered.
She laid peacefully on her enormous bed now, her legs almost out of it and her arm under her pillow, and he wondered if it was clenched even when asleep. He went closer and settled her more comfortably under the covers. She did not stir, but he noted her body was still a little stiff. It was the beginning, he thought, and maybe she was a little bit conscious. It had happened last night, but she had slept all the same, and soundly. He did not dare to imagine what she would think, what she would do if she knew. He was already ashamed of himself. But then, it was the only way to be sure she would not leave by the night. The only way he could be sure she was safe at that time.
He settled himself at her side, his body facing hers, and looked at her. Oh, if only she could be that peaceful with him! But it wasn't to be. Not for the moment. He'd have to bid his time.
He went closer and gathered her in his arms, his right, rough hand caressing her cheek lightly. The skin was supple and soft as ever, and he was tempted to kiss it.
"O, beware, my lord of jealousy; it is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on. Scarlett…" He hummed, burying his nose in the luxury of her straight, dark hair. It was soothing, somehow, to talk to her unconscious form like that. He could imagine she was listening to him, and for once understanding him completely. "Though not a monster, no Desdemona, you are my lovely green-eyed demon, which is fine by me, for I'm the goddamn devil that cannot let you go, and that intends on trapping you every night so you can't leave astray and be gone forever."
Softly, he toyed with the end of it, and gathered it in a thick rope he laid across his neck. It was the bound that tied him to her, he had thought the first time he had done that, on their wedding night. The remembrance that the woman by his side was his, and he would not let her escape this time. But also, in his most cynical moment, that she had tied him up, him, the man that never thought of marrying, thinking it was only a masquerade with no fun at all to be found.
He shuddered. He had no other choices, then, he did not want to lose her to another. And maybe, maybe, he had thought, maybe with his love alone, soon followed by hers, it would not be that dreary.
But he did not get that love. At least not when he so despairingly expected it.
One thing hadn't changed though.
He did not want to lose her at all.
"I wish I didn't have to do that. I wish you could just let me in, you could let me soothe your pains and doubts, just like I wish you would soothe mine. I wish I could let you. What are the words, my sweet? I love thee! And when I love thee not Chaos is come again. For when I think, and I want to think I do not love you anymore, that you're not in my blood anymore, my life is indeed chaotic, and I just can't help but crawling back to you again, my heart on my sleeves, hoping you might feel the same!"
He kissed her hand, grazed each nail with his lips, and it almost seemed like it trembled. Or was he the one shaking? He didn't quite know. His mind was quite fuzzy, and his sight almost blurry. He so wanted to sleep, and he knew it had been a long time since the last he had managed to get it.
He sighed.
"Sheathe your claws, my little cat. Can't you see it is for you that I do that? For us? Can't you see how I love you madly? Oh, I wish I could tell you everything, I wish I didn't have to hide so, and to give you so much pain. I wish it were easier to explain to you while you're awake, to embrace you freely, without having to use such despicable means. I am not a good man, my love, and I am weak. I need your comfort, but I can't bear to ask it. I wish I could trust you, but years of keeping from doing so are hard to erase….
"I'm a coward when it comes to you, my love, but the coward that means to fight for you, and for that land you love so much. And darling! it's your eyes, they betray you too much, and the others around us would know that. They would see that you are my weakest point… they already did, damn me for being that obvious... Why had they understood it, and not you? I wouldn't bear seeing another attempt on your life, not if I can help it. Hate me if you will… distrust me, betray me if you must, but… I'll keep you safe. No matter what... And you'll forgive me… I know you will. My darling… Won't you meet me halfway? Will you be waiting for me in the end? I'm willing to trust that you will this time, that you love me enough... Oh, I'll do anything if you do…"
As he talked, it was beginning to be harder and harder to fight it.
Defeated, he shrugged it off. What harm could it do, to take a little nap with her? After all, he would be gone before she awakened… She was always a sound sleeper despite her nightmares, his Scarlett…
He fell asleep, his arms tightening comfortably around his wife.
His eyes closed, and when they did so, others opened, bewildered and distressed.
...
...
A/N: Oh, yes, Rhett is a little too fond of Othello, and that won't help him that much with Scarlett. Any thought?
I still don't own these works, though.