Chapter 43
It was a bright May day, the first of the month actually, and Officer Jones, though not feeling as romantic as some of his colleagues were, exulted.
Finally, finally, he had in his hands the proofs he needed to get rid of one Captain Rhett K. Butler, and there certainly would be nothing to stop him this time.
The man had slipped from his fingers too many times, and that ever since that first arrestation in Atlanta, just after the war ended. He had made him look like a fool, the laughingstock of the state, forced to give his resignation by colleagues who were more interested by the rake's gifts to the office than uncovering the truth. An error that he now had the power to correct.
And the most nagging thing was that he was sure Captain Butler did not even remember his name. But then, being as he was, the man couldn't help but make some people his enemies wherever he went, and Jones was thankful for that.
So, he went on with his life, trying to find a breach in his nemesis' armor by gathering all his potential allies (for certainly, the enemies to Butler could not be anything else but his allies), but Butler was all too protected, too suspicious. He even followed him there, in New-Orleans, and managed to find another position.
Charming city, by the way. He quite enjoyed it.
For a long time, he could only find some clues, that mostly did not seem to go together.
Until he, Justice's faithful servant, saved on one of his travels to Atlanta one very important man, that would give him the key to his ambitions. A very lucky twist of fate, that he thanked God for every day.
It had taken quite some time, but then the arrest was sure to succeed, especially with the spies his unlikely ally had managed to slip into Butler's household.
With a satisfied smile, he opened his correspondence of the day and read it. Through his reading, his eyes widened, a drop of sweat sank from the roots of his hair to his heavy brow and one angry vein began to throb on his forehead.
He cursed and raised up.
Damn Butler. He should have known he would commit another mischief in the way.
Justice had to find a way to accelerate the process, before he escaped out of the country.
…
As much as Rhett would have liked to slip in the back door with his bride and elope, it seemed unfortunately that it wasn't to be for, as he prepared himself, and gave the last instructions for the children's things to be taken for the travel that was awaiting them, the arrival of telegrams forced him to delay.
The first one announcing that Mrs. Rosemary Favell, née Butler, had given birth to one boy named Jack, and was inviting him to the christening.
A piece of good news, but then he felt quite irritated by the tardiness of his little sister.
The second concerning a matter with the Governor of Louisiana, that dear (as in very expansive and risky as gamblers like him could be, to his opinion) Kellogg, that he took care to answer immediately, telling him of his upcoming wedding, and asking him to meet him there.
It may have been for the best, though, for he knew little ears were all around the house, and if he had used them for his own amusement, a trick to drive crazy that little belligerent officer that came to try to bite him once in a while, now he had no use of them.
He just had to delay Scarlett as well. So, he sent the children to do so, and like good little soldiers, they certainly succeeded in their missions.
It did not hurt also that Scarlett, when she saw the children, was suddenly taken by a sudden and surprising hint of remorse at making them move so swiftly to another place, uncaring about their peace of mind and eventual friends.
Had Rhett been there to witness the scene, he would have certainly been amused, and if doubts were a bit in his heart when he had thought of it, preparations with the children made him thankful to belong with them. They had an extraordinary plasticity of mind and capacity of adaptation that made them able to find the good in every situation.
And then, he supposed life with Scarlett and him made them prepared not to grow attached easily to things, people and places, to face every unpredictable change in the way with braveness and strength. Good children as they were, the only thing they seemed to ask in return was to be sure of their parents' love. So, he made sure to show them every step of the way.
They were all bound to one another tightly like brambles, and damned would be those who would try to separate them.
"This is an adventure," The boy said to Scarlett with a mockingly fatalistic shrug as she asked him about their travel. "And we're a family of adventurers, aren't we?"
"Oh, Wade," She took him into his arms. We don't deserve you, she thought. But instead, her voice croaked a deep "I love you", and Wade only smiled wider.
"Oh, Mama!" Ella cried as she was raising her little head from one of her fairy tale books. "Do you think we'll go to Paris? I've heard that's where Cinderella married her prince…"
"Of course, we will," Scarlett replied in false offense. "From the number of times he talked about the city, your father better takes us there, or I swear I shall never talk to him again!"
"Oh, no!"
Scarlett chortled, grazing her daughter's locks in a fond caress.
"Oh, sweetling," She said. "I'm only teasing. You know I can never stay angry that long."
"Stay angry at whom?" A deep, irresistible bass rang in the room, and Scarlett raised lightly, a brow arching at his entrance when she thought he would already be gone. He winked at her, and gestured the children to leave the room, a loving smile on his face. And when they were finally alone in the room, a green room just as green as her eyes, he strode to her purposefully, and slipped his hands around her waist.
"Darling," He drawled, and she knew immediately she might not like what he was about to say. "I have some little news that might please you, you who like to be surrounded by the famous and the wealthy…"
"I'm sure I will not," She retorted, before begrudgingly continuing. "… What is it?"
He smiled.
"The Governor of Louisiana in person."
"Name of…"
However, she was bound not to finish her curse as suddenly, they heard a great bang at the door, and a burst of booming, roaring laughter that broke their intimacy.
Scarlett raised her head, alert. She would know this laugh anywhere.
"Blast all these intruders," Rhett cursed.
Scarlett's eyes brightened. "Oh, darling, did you invite them as well?"
Yet, she knew already the answer to the question as she slipped from his embrace, and raced to the hall, where one Patrick McConach was shouting for her. On the way, she met a strangely excited Prissy who ran the other way. Yet, as much as it surprised her, Scarlett continued and welcomed her guests.
Aren was already there, seemingly berating the Scottish giant, watched fondly by his fiancée, as Todd was making apologies to the distraught butler that had come to open the door.
"Lassie!" Patrick called as his eyes found her.
"Patrick!" She shouted back, and he raised her in his arms in a tight embrace that made her think she was held by one big, hairy bear.
"Ar, I'm afraid I've scared yer little butler on the way," Patrick said sheepishly as he put her down, before winking. "Though it's quite worth it! I see this Butler did not lose his time to put his bun on the oven."
Scarlett, flustered, then chortled. "Oh, you old bear, it's been so long!"
"Well, you and yer husband certainly made us do quite a bit of travel."
"When did you arrive? Last time I had news from you, you had decided to go to Savannah, to find some ship. How did you…"
That was true, though when she received the letter, she did not really have time to read it, with Rhett suddenly being quite insistent in wanting to distract her from everything that wasn't him.
"It was in my heart, lass," Patrick put his hand on it for good measure. "A liege always know when their laird lives one crucial moment in their life. Even one fickle laird like you."
She shook her head, conflicted between laughing at his pretense, and crying as she was so very moved.
Damn the pregnancy.
"Oh, Patrick…"
"He read the newspaper and guessed it," Todd said dryly.
Patrick shrugged good-naturedly.
"And then I need money and support, for you know I've got one fine woman to court."
A giggle left her lips.
"Oh, so it wasn't only for my pretty eyes? How disappointing. I say I shall die of heartbreak!"
"Please don't, your man would kill me."
"Very much so," Rhett grinned maliciously, as he joined them, folding his arms over Scarlett's shoulders. "I don't like anyone trying to break my property."
"Fiddle-dee-dee, property," She grumbled, and his grin stretched.
Todd bowed lightly at her (future) husband, and greeted her with a friendly smile, and she remembered all the adventures, big and little she went through with these men, even those she never really quite thought about it. Joyfully, she invited them to the wedding, ignoring Rhett's frown as she did so, and suggested them to rest in the living room.
It was only when they left the room Scarlett took time to ponder what her big Scottish friend meant in his greeting.
"I wondered who that woman could be…"
Rhett gagged, his eyes shining mockingly.
"You mean you hadn't seen…?" At her perplexed expression, his laughter escaped his mouth. "By God, this is certainly one little secret that is known by almost everyone that saw Prissy and him together, my dear."
"Prissy?" Her eyes widened at this, and even if it seemed for her to come from nowhere, she thought about it, and admitted. "Oh, I had my doubts, but then…"
"Then?"
She raised worried eyes on him.
"He's not going to take her to Scotland, is he? Wade and Ella will be so sad not to see the children!"
Rhett let out an amused snicker. "Oh, Scarlett. Why can't you say that it is you who will be sad?"
"Well. I have to admit I've begun to understand her better and well… But most of all, I have a duty to her, as…"
There, he interrupted her quite rudely, with a very condescending smile that made her want to scratch him.
"You have no duty. Don't hide yourself behind it."
"No, I definitely don't care," She shrugged, though it failed to convince him. "Well, why not, after all?"
"Oh, honey. Even if it happens, I'm sure we can find a way to visit them once in a while."
The corner of her lips raised a little.
"Would it be the same for Pansy?" She said in teasing.
"There, you're on your own."
"I've gathered so."
She knew Pansy and him were like cats and dogs, always bickering, especially over her, and if it irritated her at first, she soon realized how amusing it could be, to watch them.
Chuckling lightly, Rhett turned her to him, and handed her the telegram he had received, and delighted in the raising of her lids as she read it.
"Is that…"
"Yes, Kellogg in person."
"Coming to our wedding?"
He shrugged.
"Well, he did say it was urgent."
She pursed her lips, her eyes glaring on him. Oh, predictable, adorable Scarlett, he thought.
"It was supposed to be our day!"
"Selfish and a little hypocrite to the end, aren't you?" He looked at her, amused. "Darling, from where I stand, inviting your former companions of mischief is not my idea of a secret wedding."
"Fiddle-dee-dee, selfish and hypocrite! That'd be the pot calling the kettle black!" She dismissed it quickly. "How about a private one ? They're friends."
"Your friends, my love."
She shrugged.
"Oh, you know you like them as well. After all, they're the ones that led me back to you."
"And drove you away from me as well."
"Well, you did bring that Governor, and I'm sure other ruffians will come like Alphonse and… well, I can't seem to recall the name of the other one. I would have asked Will, for I know you're dying to be his friend..."
"Not quite," He replied, the light dancing in his eyes. "As for Kellogg… Well, I did help him to be elected, after all. It's a matter of politeness."
"Oh, yes. I forgot about that one secret."
He chuckled. "I do believe you forgot all that wasn't about you."
"Not quite. Which one is it, number seventeen? Among one hundred?" she quipped. "Well, now what are you going on about 'secret' wedding ?"
"I do believe we agreed on the term private. And then, you know the delicacy of politicians. This one will be gone at the first hint of scandal, that is sure to come."
"You rascal. You'll be the death of me."
"And you me," He let out a sigh. "Fine, Scarlett, we'll have it your way. They deserve to see the final act, after all."
….
Finally, it seemed quite a good number of New-Orleans' society seemed to be aware of what was going on, and Rhett and his wife certainly would laugh about it in their later years, remembering the overcrowded church when it was supposed to be a secret wedding. Or a private one. Whatever.
Catherine Bertha was not a great beauty as society defined it, yet there was definitely something in her that caught the eye and kept it, a charm that made her more than beautiful, and those who had managed to get away from other obligations felt a guilty pleasure at sneaking in what was supposed to be a secret ceremony.
No one really knew who had spilled the beans, but suddenly it had become a piece of common knowledge, that the two most insolent creatures in the city wanted to play them another trick of their own, and that they had chosen the first of May to do so.
Some ladies almost swooned at the romance of it.
It added even some romance in it when one gentleman said he had rescued the bride when in the way, she was almost abducted by a dark stranger.
But the most surprising thing came when, just as the vows had been pronounced and man and woman were about to seal the deed with a kiss, a disheveled officer and one of his colleagues broke into the church to arrest the groom.
How exciting it was, most gentlemen and ladies thought with vibrant agitation as the officer began to read the lists of crimes Rhett King Butler was accused of.
At this name, the bride snickered lightly, her pretty eyes in a mocking connivance that rose a few eyebrows. The groom barely lifted an irritated brow as he sent mocking little jibes his way.
"I did that too? Well, I've been a very busy man…"
One had to admit that, no matter what, that rogue had quite the guts, the present men had to agree among themselves.
The officer reddened with outrage, and then came the most interesting thing of the party.
"Secondly, this marriage cannot proceed, for Captain Butler is already married, and his wife is very much alive."
And then, as if to prove his point, a woman, visibly a prostitute by the choice of her dress came forward, with dark hair and hazel eyes.
"Fiddlestick, Rhett Butler!" She exclaimed. "You've buried me too soon!"
There came an appalled silence, before the bride finally manifested herself.
"How dare you?" Miss Bertha seethed, red settling on her cheeks as the man beside her, visibly her corruptor, roared in laughter. "On my wedding day?"
"Oh, hush you!" She turned to that man, her voice coming in a strong hiss that hindered the comprehension of the first words. "…not sound like that!"
"Darling…" Yet, Rhett Butler continued to laugh.
The bells rang for the change of hour, but he wouldn't stop, and with that, others did at the absurdity of the situation. Yet, his bride did not seem quite so pleased, and neither was Officer Jones, who felt dismissed among the crowd when he thought his arrival would put the light on him.
"Now, that was a good laugh." Butler let out another amused huff, dusted his pants, then sent them an insolent smile. "Gentlemen, I do believe you're in the wrong story. Now, if you excuse me…"
He leaned in to kiss his bride, and that was too much to bear for our poor officer Jones.
"This is no joke, Rhett Butler. It's over for you, now."
There, the Captain was more than irritated.
"By God, man, can't a man kiss his wife in peace?"
"You already have a wife," Officer Jones retorted. "And you won't escape, this time! You've angered greater than you!"
Something lightened in Butler's eyes, a greedy light that meant danger. Jones examined him uneasily as he slowly twirled towards his bride, his hands sliding from shoulders to wrists in a shockingly intimate gesture until he raised her knuckles and kissed it.
"My pretty little Cat, my dear Cathie," He drawled. "I do believe I find myself being very curious…"
Said Cathie scowled.
"Oh, don't you even dare!"
He continued cradling her face lovingly, as if in a deep silent conversation, where she obviously was the angry losing side.
"Captain, this isn't proper!" Said Jones' colleague, ill-at-ease at such a conduct as he surveilled the surroundings, most of the people gathered here silently trying to desert the church to avoid interrogations.
Oh, was there the Governor Kellogg among them?
This remark seemed to awaken the captain as he turned to the officer, wincing from the wrathful grip of his woman.
"Who sent you?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Rhett cocked his head with a grin and a fatalistic shrug.
"I guess I'll have to find it for myself."
A stamp of the foot. The bride.
"Damn you, Rhett! Damn you to Halifax and back!"
"Trust me, love," He said with a sheepish smile. "I'll come back. Get the children ready to leave for the honeymoon."
"Don't expect me to wait for you!"
"Well, I do have a little bun in the oven, as one said, don't I?"
There, Jones was consternated. Poor lamb, he thought as he saw the young woman that was still there, in a splendid wedding gown of grey silk bordered with pearls.
But then, as he looked closely, indeed… there was a little something.
"Miss… Captain…" There, his colleague tried to intervene.
Officer Jones scowled. "Oh, for God's sake, let's just take him!"
"Wait!" The bride cried. "I have something very important to do…"
With malicious glee, Officer Jones benevolently stopped for a time. After all, the girl also had her right to punish the man who had led her to believe he wanted to marry her.
…
"Wait!" Scarlett cried, and Rhett's heart leaped in an almost regret for his persistence.
Stubbornly, she pulled to him and kissed him, not even caring for the crowd, nor the bewildered officers in front of them.
In this kiss, Rhett felt the irresistible promise of wrath and love coming to him when he would face her again. And just for that, he was even more tempted to go, if only to see her carry this out. It was all in the hunger of that mouth, devouring him as if she hadn't eaten anything for days, all in these little teeth, nibbling his lips in a revengeful yet still soft teasing, and that little tongue that met his and took it dancing.
She fairly took his breath away. And too soon, she broke away, very much aware of the effect it had on him, from that satisfied glint in her eyes.
"There, now you can take him… But don't spoil him too much. I have still use of him."
"My darling," He drawled. "You're the most charming woman I've ever met."
"Why, Rhett!" She batted her lashes. "You know I've waited for so long for you to say it!"
"Now, that's enough, I'll take you…" Jones intervened, out of his depths.
Both looked at him as if he was the rudest person on earth. Jones stared, dumbfounded, and for once at loss for words.
But then, Rhett turned to Scarlett and kissed her brow one last time. She nodded and let him go. Her eyes did not leave the direction he went, even as she gathered her children in her arms, and her friends came to her, visibly wanting to give her some comfort. She was tempted to cry as she heard Wade, her brave and so, so beloved son, said with heartbreaking faith "We'll get him back, Mother. We always do." She bit her lips and thought deeply, before raising and turning to Todd.
"I believe you have means to know what is going on," She said quietly.
He smiled and nodded. On his face, she could see he was entertained by what seemed to be another incident in their life. He did not say it, but it was almost as if he did.
Even when they were not particularly searching for it, adventure still came to them whether they wanted it or not.
…
To the surprise of everyone, even to the Governor who tried begrudgingly to interfere, before (the gossip said so) Rhett Butler said to him with a little shrug: "It's no use, old chap, I'll get out of it anyway", the infamous Captain was quickly sent to Atlanta, where awaited quite the number of witnesses, including an old maid with the name of Wilkes, who almost fainted when she saw him.
He did not react when the death sentence was pronounced. Not a word, or maybe a little ironic smile that was not to make him sympathetic to his opponents.
He's plotting something, Scarlett realized, as she watched from afar, hidden under her cap, the children safely away from this masquerade of a judgment.
The matter was what and how.
Swiftly, she went back to the hotel room and prepared for the children to go back to Butler's Hearth, taking the whole evening to reassure them.
Yet, as she sent them back with Pork by the train, she was almost pulled in an alley. Like other times before. She dismissed it at the time, like the other times, yet, it seemed she was not able to keep it that long, she soon realized with dismay.
….
"What do you mean, someone tried to catch you on the way?"
She winced. She shouldn't have said it. Yet, seeing Rhett in these jails once again after working so hard to get an interview, and seeing him so carelessly dismissive of the eventual dangers still quite shook her, and she was afraid she had said more than necessary.
She tried to dismiss it, but he was already scowling.
"Oh, I don't know. You know, delinquents are everywhere, nothing out of the ordinary. It hasn't worked the first time, why would the second be different? I can defend myself, you know."
His hand raised to his forehead as if he was suddenly attacked by a violent headache.
"Love, you're driving me mad."
"You're driving me mad."
There, he knew she was not talking about her attempted abduction, and from the look in her eyes, she would not let it go.
Lightly, he caressed with a finger his usually neatly clipped mustache, that unfortunately had grown a little wilder without the commodities of one good shaver.
"I am this close to find out who framed me."
"Rhett, that's madness!"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Rhett drawled. "Give me the brooch, darling. I do believe I'll need it more than you will."
"Oh, damn you and your games!" She shouted, taking a step away from him, her hand on her heart, where the brooch laid. "I'll keep it, you scoundrel, and you better run for it! There, you can say it! You love adventure more than me!"
"That's not true and you know it," He sobered as he managed to pull her lightly to him by her wrists. "But I don't want us to live without knowing who our enemies are. I need to have their names, and I need to neutralize them."
"But you risk your neck here!" She protested, her heart breaking in these mesmerizing eyes of hers.
"No," His hands left hers to cradle her face. "Darling, I ask you to be strong…"
She shook her head.
"Oh, I don't like where this is going."
"It will take a little time…"
"Now you're going to say something stupid."
"You'll only have to be patient…"
"Great balls of fire! I don't want to hear it."
"God damn it, woman, let me talk!" He bellowed, before softening. "No matter what, I always have a backup plan. You know it, don't you?"
"… Yes." She said begrudgingly.
His lips stretched in a gentle smile.
"There, smile to me, my darling. I'll get through it. I always do. I have a pretty little shack in Cuba, and I'll come back to you with some sunburns before the baby decides to show his little head, that's all. And if not, you could always say you told me so," He urgently reached out to her, and she felt her heart plummet. "Now kiss me, I believe I'll need that memory on the way."
He kissed her firmly, making her forget almost all of her anger. She gave in quickly, but just as quickly, she recovered and pushed him away. He let out a deep laugh as she raised, every inch of an outraged goddess.
"You rascal!" She cried as she turned away. "Well, you better be red as an Indian when I see you again, or I'll whip you until you do! Then, I'll be able to tell you you had it coming!"
Yet, she heard his laughter when she slammed the door behind her, and it made her smile in anticipation. For what, she did not quite know. He had managed to make it seem like a game, and she was determined to be the one to win it.
And when she came back, her mind buzzing, to the hotel room and found Todd, Patrick, Pansy and his fiancee, she began to devise a plan. They did not stop her, and even gave her advice, for it was obvious she would not be stopped. And that was certainly a terrifying thing to see.
Only Pansy stayed with her longer than the others and asked the dreaded question.
"Don't you trust him?"
"Oh, with my life."
"Then why?"
Scarlett pursed her lips. "I don't like his plan."
Pansy shook her head in deep amusement. "You two… One day, I believe you'll provoke one of the biggest disasters in the whole world."
"We're still thinking about which one," Scarlett retorted. "Too many options."
"When you know, let me know," Pansy said as if it was a matter of fact… "So then I know when to hide, and from what."
It began with a snort, then a chortle, and Scarlett could not even remember who started it. It felt good, to laugh instead of worrying, to forget a little that icy grip on her guts that she couldn't shake.
She sobered.
"Pansy," She said softly. "Would you help me?"
"And have the Almighty Butler forced to thank me for saving his unworthy neck?" Pansy replied sneakily. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"
Scarlett blinked, then examined her friend with narrowed eyes that could not hide the hint of amusement at the corner of her lips, and the dancing light of mischief in the green.
"Sometimes, I think we have had a bad influence on you."
"A terrible one," The young black woman grinned. "I've learned from the worst. And not just you."
"Now I feel terribly insulted," Scarlett scowled. "Who else have you learned from?"
Her friend's laugh was the only reply.
…
The sun burned high on the sky, as red as the good old clay of Georgia, when Captain Rhett K. Butler was once again moved to another city for the execution of his sentence.
Quite a good day to die, he thought with a devil-may-care attitude. One he would have liked if it was actually his time. In fact, the audience was what he thought he wanted if he ever got hanged, some crying already for the loss of scandals, and others hiding their bloodlust by calling their voyeurism witnessing Justice take its curse.
He wondered idly who was the unfortunate soul that would be hanged beside him. A woman, it seemed, from the petite, yet shapeless figure (some dresses and caps had quite that effect, though Rhett wondered how she could bear the heat) that was led to the scaffold, and with quite a history of mischiefs and crimes, from what he had heard.
The merry murderess of Clay County, they had called her.
He bowed lightly to her.
"Why, hello. It seems we are fellow sufferers for today."
The hood was pushed back a little and he saw two red beguiling lips stretched at his greeting.
"Hello, Mr. Butler. You're not red yet."
There, his world turned upside down.
"Scarlett?" He faltered, his insolent grin for once disappearing from his lips. "What are you…"
Smiling, she balanced lightly from her toes to her heels, back and forth, and he thought he heard her humming "He had it coming…"
His brow crinkled in dismay at her carelessness, yet, it only made her grin wider as she took him in.
"I did say once I'd be the most wanted woman in the state…"
"… And that men would be at your feet. But this is no game," He shook his head, upset. "Scarlett, please… You shouldn't have done it."
"If there's one thing I've learned from you, mon amour, it's that everything can be a gamble. Trust me," She replied calmly, sending him a cheeky wink. "I have a plan."
He looked at her, then sighed heavily. Too heavily to be completely serious.
"And I had one too, the one I told you. Though my rescuer seems to have taken the long way," He sighed heavily. "I did not intend you to be by my side."
"What a forgetful husband I have," She drawled heavily in an attempt to mimic him. "In sickness and health. Life and death. I've tied the rope around your neck, it's fitting there's one around mine as well."
He shook his head in begrudging mirth.
"Two scoundrels, united even in their hanging. That's quite poetic."
"Fiddle-dee-dee. I don't intend to die. I have a free pass," She grinned. "One you've kindly provided for me, darling. I'll plead my belly if need be."
"Oh, and you intend on showing it?"
"Only if something does not go entirely to plan. After all, who would dare hang a pregnant woman?"
"My, that's scandalous, Mrs. Butler."
"You do run on, you're the scandalous one in our relationship," She said, visibly very much pleased with herself. "And then, I know you'll find something to get me out of there if I stay longer than necessary. That's why I have to make sure you're alive to do it. Now, where are your minions?"
"On the stage, talking to the coroner. And then, there's one horse waiting for me, and a place in a ship for Cuba. As I told you before, though it seems you did not listen."
"Yes, as you told me. Yet, I made it clear I would not stand it," She pouted. "Why do most of your plans involve you getting away from me for an indefinite period of time?"
He snorted.
"Oh, I know I'll have more luck getting away from these gentlemen than from you, my love," He clipped. "Now, you've seen my men. Where's yours?"
She did not have to reply. The ruckus provoked by gypsies and one current manifestation for the right of colored people, whose songs could be heard from far away were her answer.
He shook his head, amused. "Always going on the most chaotic way. Let's see which one is the fastest, then. Your plan or mine."
She grinned.
"See you on the other side, husband. Prepare yourself, you have a lot of things to be forgiven for."
"Oh, I will," He smirked. "Have I told you I love you today?"
"No, and I don't think I will forgive you for that."
"Oh, you will, honey. You will."
She smiled. She already did.
Like actors on a stage, they both bowed graciously to their spectators and grinned for their upcoming triumph.
….
In the end, he had to admit her plan, though chaotic and involving many moves of the crowd that he had anticipated, had worked more quickly than his, and that the grace might have come quite a bit too late. He hadn't calculated on old enemies taking advantage of the situation to speed up the process, and for Adrian, one of his last resorts in the matter, to wait the last minute to finally decide to help. But then, he should have expected it, for he always had been quite the defiant hellion.
Now, Rhett expected it would come just on the moment he set foot on the steps of their home.
Scarlett would come back later. From the moment she let go of her cape, and shown her pregnant form, cries of shock and horror had raised in the audience, and she was sent back urgently to the office, and the gypsies and some of the rioters took advantage of the ruckus to take him.
It was only a matter of time before she would come back home as well.
This was quite twisted, but then if it worked, he wasn't about to complain. It gave him more time to think and plan.
Whoever it was, the one that wanted his head, it was someone with influence and wealth, and he needed to know who it was, to put an end to it all.
With relief, he finally settled on the sofa, and gave himself and Pork some whiskey, before running through his correspondence.
As he read one telegram, his heart skipped a beat, the blood running cold in his veins. He looked on the horizon, paled, and cursed his over-confidence and stupidity. He knew he should have verified the matter of it, he did remark on it to Scarlett. But then, they had so many things to settle, so many ghosts in their pasts that this one seemed quite insignificant, indeed.
It had been a diversion, a God-damned trap, and they had fallen into it without a care, caught in a feeling of security. Now, he could see things more clearly. The hanging had never been about killing him. It had been about delaying him, putting them apart.
Dividing to conquer. An old trick he himself had used more than once during his youth, and now that came biting him.
He had to find Scarlett, and quick.
In his mind, came the image of her, fierce and strong, telling him to trust her. She had survived everything, even death. She would do anything to come back to him. He trusted her on that. She had proved time and time again that he could, and this danger was one she had already escaped many times. Yet, that did not mean he had to wait and do nothing, while other things could happen on the way.
Especially their soon-to-be-born child.
"Pork," He said, his voice tense. "This story isn't over, old boy. Scarlett has been abducted."
….
Further miles away, in a carriage wondering in the city of New-Orleans, an abduction was certainly in the making, and Scarlett was too impatient to see her beloved ones to actually pay attention to her surroundings. And then, what else was there to see, but one old woman and her son (from their accents and clothes, certainly Irish immigrants, which gave her somehow a sense of security) and another man that almost took the entirety of the seat and smelled of whiskey and tobacco?
The days before, she had escaped as it was planned, with the help of Pansy, her friends and family, and had finally managed to find a place in a carriage to reach the city again.
There, on the other side of the city, Rhett and the children were waiting.
There, on the other side of the city, their future life was waiting, so full of promises. No ghosts, no terrible house… No fear and anger from earlier expectations about their lives.
As she saw through the window the shape of the Lalaurie House, she let out a little chortle at the irony.
Yet, she did not laugh when suddenly the carriage came to an abrupt halt.
"Why are we stopping?" She said, feeling suddenly a chill run down her spine.
But it was too late.
There, the door of the carriage opened, and she felt she was prevented from finding any escape. The old woman and his son were swiftly urged out, to let the newcomer in.
"Hello, my sweet sultana," She heard a cold, vicious voice with an elegant English accent. She shuddered, then her mouth pursed in irritation. Hadn't she gotten rid of him already? "Aren't you going to say you've missed me?"
She was about to scream, but as her mouth opened, the man behind her moved swiftly and pressed a handkerchief firmly on her mouth and nose. The fabric had a sickly sweet scent, and she found herself gagging at it.
Yet, the more she struggled, the more she felt sleepy and dizzy. Until she had no other choice than to close her eyes.
One curious (and very unchristian, certainly) little thought came to her as she slipped out, was that some should have the decency to stay dead, because certainly, no one wanted them to go back like that and ruin what was supposed to be a very happy ending.