Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Five
The next night, Rhett was riding over to Belle's lost in thought. He was lost in thoughts about Scarlett. It was two months since Scarlett had joined Rhett in his bed. Two months of her being sweet to him. Two months of her never getting that dreamy look that meant she was thinking of Mr. Wilkes. Two months of her constantly calling out his name in the most sensual way. He needed to stop thinking about that. He laughed because he had just left her in their bed after having made love to her, but he was ready again. He had to concentrate on this deal he was about to make. His associates would just as easily slit his throat as smile at him. They probably would rather slit his throat than smile at him. They hated him as much as he hated them.
As Rhett got up from the table where he and his associates had agreed on their plan, he looked up and saw Mr. Wilkes. One could not see the doors of the rooms men visited from the main room, of course. There were a lot of Belle's customers who went up and down the back stairs so no one would know they were using the services of a whore. The back stairs were accessed from the alley. Belle got enough traffic from proper gentlemen sneaking in the back door that she stationed a young boy by the door. The young boy would come tell Belle whenever they had a customer. Belle would send a girl to the door, the girl would lead him to her room, and she would take care of the man's needs. The customer could not be picky. He had to take which ever girl he got. There was a time when the customer was exposed to the main room. It was when he crossed the top of the main stairs to return to the back stairs. He was exposed for only two minutes at most.
If Rhett had not despised Mr. Wilkes as much as he did, he would not have been sure it was that spineless coward. He had to think about this very long and hard. How could he get this piece of information to Scarlett without telling her himself? He didn't think she still thought herself in love with Mr. Wilkes, but he wasn't one hundred percent sure. If she still thought she loved Mr. Wilkes, she would at best be angry at Rhett for telling her or at worse she would truly hate Rhett for telling her. Under different circumstances he would just tell Belle to spread it around town that Mr. Wilkes was using whores, but Belle had an iron clad rule that she never broke. She never told who was using the house's services. Rhett knew it was a good rule yet if Belle didn't have a soft spot for Mrs. Wilkes, he might have been able to talk her around but he knew she would never do anything that might hurt Mrs. Wilkes. He also knew that was why Belle had not told him Mr. Wilkes was using the services of the house. Belle knew that Rhett would use any weapon at his disposal to blacken Mr. Wilkes' name with Scarlett. He didn't want to hurt Mrs. Wilkes but Rhett strongly believed that all he needed was for Scarlett to know of Mr. Wilkes not behaving as an honorable gentleman and all her feelings- for Mr. Wilkes would crumble. This might be his one chance for Scarlett to learn that Mr. Wilkes was not the gentleman she believed him to be thus sealing Mr. Wilkes fate.
Then he heard the Irish brogue of Johnny Gallagher and knew who was going to spread that rumor.
Rhett joined the table where Johnny was playing poker. The men nodded at each other. Rhett said, "Have you found other employment?"
Johnny said, "Yeah, no thanks to that … Mrs. Butler."
"Sometimes she can get a bee in her bonnet and there isn't any stopping her. Believe me I have tried." Rhett gave Johnny a look that said, 'I have had to deal with that crazy woman also.'
They played a couple of hands and Rhett said casually, "I just saw your rival leave one of those rooms upstairs."
"He is more your rival than mine."
It was not the first time Rhett had heard that innuendo and it no longer phased him. He said, "Hardly." Rhett laughed the obscenest laugh possible.
They played another hand and Rhett said, "It was Mr. Wilkes that got her all riled up about the prisoners. He was the one that filled her head with all the nonsense about treating the prisoners humanely. He wants her to give them rest breaks every hour and not use the whip on them." Rhett was actually glad that Scarlett had fired Johnny over the prisoners. They had talked about it after she had fired Johnny. Rhett had made the comment that Johnny was a Simon Legree in the flesh. Rhett knew the reference went over Scarlett's head which wasn't that surprising. Uncle Tom's cabin had been banned in the South. When he saw her puzzled face, he said, "A very bad man from literature."
She had scowled at him and said, "Then just say that next time."
Rhett had smiled back and since it was almost time for them to retire said, "I will."
Johnny said, "I knew, that little pussy, had it out for me."
"He acts so much better than you or me. He acts like he is such a fine gentleman, but he is not better than you or me. A gentleman doesn't use a whore."
"I'm surprised he went to go use one since he doesn't have any male parts."
Rhett laughed. He was enjoying having someone speak badly about Mr. Wilkes. Most people held him in such high regard, especially Scarlett. Now Rhett had to tread carefully. He had to choose his words carefully. He said, "I would love to see those pious matrons' faces when they heard he had been seen leaving the room of a whore. You know the ones that cross the street to avoid you and me."
A mean look came on Johnny's face, and he said, "I know the ones. The ones that think their shit doesn't stink."
Now Rhett was moving in to set the hook but if he wasn't very careful the fish would just swim away. Rhett said, "I would tell everyone, but my wife is very fond of him. They were childhood friends, you know. It would hurt her so much to find out the truth about her friend. So, for my wife's sake I won't say anything."
When Rhett saw the gleeful look cross Johnny's face, he knew the fish had taken the bait and was hooked. After a few more hands Rhett got up and said, "I have to get home to my lovely bride." He had been saying it ever since he had gotten married although in those six months of separation it had been such a mockery of his life.
Johnny watched Rhett Butler wave at Belle and walk out of the saloon. He had wondered why any man would marry a ball-buster like Scarlett Kennedy and he had decided that Butler had liked living dangerously. That Butler had married her for the excitement living with a woman like that would provide. Johnny would spread the rumor about that pussy especially if it would hurt that bitch. He just wondered why Butler would want him to spread it. Maybe the other rumors of that bitch being a little too fond of Wilkes were true also. At the very least he was sure Butler was tired of hearing them even if there was no truth in fact. He owed that bitch. She had told everyone he had been stealing from her and that was why she had fired him. He had been stealing from her, but she had no proof.
Belle watched Rhett hurry out of the saloon. He was hurrying home to his wife. She hoped that bitch he was married to was treating him right. She was so tired of listening to him complain about her and her love for Mr. Wilkes. Belle hoped Rhett never found out about Mr. Wilkes using the services of the house. He would be mad that Belle hadn't told him. The truth was it wasn't any of Rhett's business who was using the services of the house. Although she knew Rhett wouldn't see it that way. Belle knew that the less people who knew about Mr. Wilkes' visits the more likely it would be kept secret. Belle didn't want Mrs. Wilkes hurt by slanderous gossip. Yet considering Mrs. Wilkes condition it only made sense that Mr. Wilkes would use the services of a whore. Polite people were so stupid sometimes.
As Rhett rode home he decided it had been a highly successful night. He thought about what Scarlett had said, when he had been getting dressed, "Do you have to go? I will miss you so." He had looked at her still naked lying on her stomach on the mattress without even a sheet over herself. She was exposing her quite delightful behind. He had wanted to say, "No, I don't have to go." But he did have to go. Instead, he said, "I am going to make a lot of money on this deal and my wife has expensive taste."
She had smiled and said, "Yes, she does. Hurry home." She had rolled over and held her arms out. He had quickly gone into them. He had kissed her and left their room half dressed. If he had stayed a second more, he would have soon been completely undressed.
Scarlett had learned in the last two months that her body was actually a weapon against Rhett. Scarlett O'Hara Butler always used every advantage that she had. She also knew that Rhett didn't think of her as a lady, so she didn't have to act like a lady around him. She still behaved like a lady in public, but it was rather liberating to not have to behave that way in the privacy of their home, especially their bedroom.
She now knew that he didn't really mean those hateful words he had said that day in her room. Women's bodies might be pretty much the same, but Rhett preferred her body to anyone else's body. She also knew that Rhett very much liked looking at her body, so she put it on display for him.
As he slipped into their room, he turned on one of the gas lamps and looked over at Scarlett. She was awake, and she had given him a sleepy smile that he found irresistible. He was quickly disrobed and got in the bed. Almost as quickly he was inside her. Rhett didn't think he would ever get tired of a warm and welcoming Scarlett. Scarlett didn't think she was ever going to get tired of a kind and thoughtful Rhett.
Scarlett hadn't seen Melanie except to pick Wade up or drop Beau off for the last two months. In September Wade went back to school and Beau started first grade. Scarlett had already made arrangements to pay for Beau's schooling. Scarlett like the boy so she wouldn't back out besides Rhett would demand to know why she was backing out especially since she had insisted that they pay for Beau's education. Of course, at the time she had done it because Beau had been her true loves' son. Rhett had made some mocking comments about Ashley not being able to pay for his own son's education and that she was rescuing Ashley once again. Beau came to the house to be taken to school with Wade. Melly would walk Beau over every morning and their driver would drop him off at the Wilkes every afternoon. Scarlett was never downstairs when Beau and Melly arrived. She let Rhett deal with Melly. She didn't know how she felt about Melly.
For once she had really thought about a subject. Scarlett had been so hurt when she heard Melanie and Ashley talking about her and making fun of her. She was hurt by Melanie for making fun of her, but Melly was not the one that had deceived her. Melly was not the one that had misled her. Melly was not the one that had manipulated her except maybe in her mother's office, but she had been trying to manipulate Melly, so Scarlett guessed they were even. Melly had not told her that she knew about Scarlett's feelings for Ashley, but Scarlett knew that wouldn't have made any difference. She would still have continued believing herself in love with Ashley. Only Ashley telling her that he didn't love her would she have believed and probably not even that. She had been so painfully obtuse.
All that would have happened would be that she would have lost Melly's friendship. Scarlett knew that Melly really was a kind person. Hadn't Melly said to Ashley that she was often tempted to tell her the truth. She hadn't because Scarlett had always acted so much better than Melly. That was probably true. She still thought she was better than Melly. Scarlett was thinking about getting received back into polite society and she would need Melly for that. Melly was always defending her to the matrons. Scarlett was tired of being snubbed and she was really tired of her children being excluded.
Scarlett would still punish Melly but to a much lesser extent than Ashley. Ashley was the rat-bastard that had been manipulating her for the last eight years. Ashley was the one who had lied to her. Ashley was the one to talk her into stealing Stuart away from India and making India her mortal enemy. Ashley was the one she hated with a passion. She smiled. She hated him now as much as she had thought she loved him.