Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

I laughed when I read Nova's review about the title reminding the reader of the song One Fine Day. I had wondered why the title had sounded so perfect. I had thought I had named another of my stories that, but I hadn't so I used the title. My subconscious must have pulled up that title because I too remembered the song. The song doesn't really fit with the story though.

Chapter Six

One night Scarlett asked Rhett, "Why are we not attending the Scallawag or Republican parties?"

Rhett was being more open and honest with Scarlett than he had ever been because he was genuinely happy. Happier than he had been since he had been disowned. He was optimistic about his and Scarlett's future. He was no longer deliberately rude, mocking or unkind to her. They had some squabbles, of course and he still teased her but there was no meanness in his words. He said, "I find those people stupid, crude, crass, primitive and gauche people. You seemed to have found them fun and entertaining, so I was willing to attend. When you stopped talking about going to their events, I thought you were over them."

Scarlett stared at Rhett. She thought, 'Did he think she was all those things he had just said?'

Rhett had no problem reading her mind at that moment. He smiled. He said, "No, I don't think you are all those things. I do think that you are young and naïve. You have a tendency not to look too deep at things."

"Are you saying I don't see what I don't want to see?"

"That is exactly what I mean. Remember when I told you that all your Yankee friends would someday be gone. That is still true in five years the occupation of the South will probably be over and all that will be here are the people we despise and who despise us."

"What can we do?"

"We can move or if you insist on staying here you will need to get received again. I don't know if that is possible after you invited Bullock into our home."

"Rhett, I don't understand how having the governor in our home is so bad."

"Do you remember when we first danced and you said, 'I would dance with Abe Lincoln himself to get to dance.' Not a very flattering statement to me but why did you say that?

"Because everyone in the South despised him."

"Everyone in Georgia despises Bullock except the Republicans, Yankees and Scallawags."

"Why did you let me do it?"

"I enjoyed you insulting the old guard."

Scarlett looked so sad like she just realized that she had thrown away the last of her reputation.

"Come on. Let's go to bed. It's not all bad. We will just move somewhere where we will be received."

Scarlett stood up and took his hand and sadly said, "Like up North."

"Or Paris."

"I might like Paris, but it is awfully far from Tara."

In the middle of September, Scarlett went to visit Melanie. Melanie greeted her warmly. Melanie liked Scarlett and she appreciated everything Scarlett had done for her. Melanie knew they were doing Scarlett wrong, but she eased her guilt by telling herself that all the clues were there if Scarlett wanted to see them, and Scarlett did want her husband. Scarlett had come over to go calling with Melanie.

As they sat in the parlor Scarlett said, "I am giving up those trashy Scallawags and I so need your help to restore my reputation.

"I will be glad to help you, darling."

"Thank you, my dear sister-in-law. If only Charlie had lived, I wouldn't have ruined my reputation if it weren't for the mills. The mills that kept everyone fed during the hard times. It goes without saying that I wouldn't have married Rhett because I would have still been married to Charlie. Charlie would have taken care of us. He would have thought of a solution, or he would have run the mills. Charlie could have done as well or better than I did. Frank was not half the man Charlie was."

"You are right. If Charlie had lived you would not have had to do all the awful things you have in order to support all of us. Charlie would have thought of something. He was so clever."

Melanie knew what Scarlett had said was true. She had sacrificed her reputation for the sake of others. Melanie did feel guilty about that because hers and Ashley's reputations were squeaky clean while Scarlett's was in shambles. That was one of the reasons she was always defending Scarlett.

As they walked out to the carriage it occurred to Melanie that Ashley should have been clever enough to find a way to support everyone instead of leeching off Scarlett.

When they got into Scarlett's carriage to pick up Aunt PittyPat, Melanie commented on how nice it was. Scarlett had laughed and said, "Rhett is so silly sometimes. He insisted that I ride around in the finest carriage available although I thought our old carriage was just fine."

Melanie who didn't even have a carriage was a little bit envious and a little bit mad. Scarlett took all these luxuries for granted.

Before they got to Aunt PittyPat's house, Scarlett said, "I am so afraid I am with child again. I wish I could tell Rhett no, but he just laughs and starts kissing me and then I don't want to tell him no. I tried to convince him that we should have separate bedrooms after Bonnie was born but he would have none of that. Oh, Melly you don't know how lucky you are to be married to a man that can control himself."

Melanie was mad the rest of the day. Scarlett didn't know how lucky she was to be able to have more children. To be able to be intimate with her husband. To not have to pretend that it didn't bother her every time her husband used the services of a whore.

Scarlett was so nice to the matrons that they wondered if she was sick or something. The matrons had never known Scarlett to be so polite and so deferential. Once Scarlett had decided to restore her reputation, she would do whatever she needed to do to get received again. She would bow and kowtow to the matrons. She would donate money to their causes. She would buy their children the best presents when Wade started getting invitations to the birthday parties.

Scarlett started going calling with Melanie every week so she could torture Melanie and restore her reputation. She wanted her children received. She would not stand for Bonnie and her other children not being included. More Bonnie than the others but she would not stand for any of her children not being accepted into the cream of society. She would make Rhett work on this project also. He loved Bonnie so much. She knew he loved Bonnie because she was their child. Not just because Bonnie was his child but because she was their child. She knew that Rhett cared more for her than he was willing to admit to her.

She wondered why. She knew instantly she was a witch to the people who loved her. She would have to be nicer to Rhett and probably Mammy.

Two and a half months after Scarlett had found out what a two-faced liar Ashley was, she overheard the most delicious rumor. She was at one of the endless sewing bees she had been attending one afternoon and she was sitting by two women she didn't know very well. Mildred Wright and Susan Hill were talking quietly, and Mildred said, "I know it isn't true, but Austin swears it is. Mr. Wilkes was seen at a whore house coming out of one of the rooms."

Susan said, "Not Mr. Wilkes. He is such a gentleman."

"I guess he is not such a gentleman after all."

Scarlett pretended to not hear them, but she had wanted to burst out laughing. She was so happy she finally had a reason to give to Rhett when she told him that she no longer loved Ashley. Now she could set her other plan in motion.

After supper while they were in the family parlor Rhett noticed that Scarlett looked so very sad. She in fact was continually blotting her eyes to remove the tears. Rhett wondered if she had heard the rumor about Mr. Wilkes being a whore monger. He went and sat down next to her and put his arm around her. She leaned into him and just laid against him. Rhett said, "What is the matter, baby?"

"Promise you won't say I told you so."

"I can't promise but I will try not to."

Scarlett was alright with that. He was entitled to a little bit of smirking. He had been so right after all. Scarlett said, "Ashley has been using whores for God knows how long." She burst into tears and hid her face in his chest.

Rhett who had known Scarlett for a long time wanted to see the tears before he believed she was really crying. He reached under her chin and tilted her head up and low and behold there were indeed tears there. Scarlett had made herself cry by thinking of the dead of Clayton County.

Rhett said, "How did you find out?"

"I overheard some women gossiping about it."

Rhett held her close. He heard her say, "How long have you known?"

"For a while."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Who am I to cast dispersions on a man for using whores when his wife was not available?"

"Oh Rhett, you never did that. That was just a bunch of hateful talk on your part." She so wanted Rhett to deny that he had used whores even if it was a lie.

Rhett knew this was a crucial moment in his relationship with Scarlett. He said, "No, I would never cheat on you."

"I would never cheat on you either."

Rhett decided for once to not point out the obvious that she had been cheating on him in her heart since they got married. No, he would not point that out. She was angry and hurt by Mr. Wilkes right now. He needed to keep the anger building toward Mr. Wilkes. So instead, he held her close and gently kissed her temple.

After a little while she said, "Let's retire for the evening. I'm really tired."

Rhett held her close as they walked up the stairs, he hoped she wasn't too tired. No, she wasn't too tired for them to be intimate. In fact, she very muchly welcomed his advances.

The next day as Rhett was getting out of bed, Scarlett turned over and opened her eyes and said, "Can you stay a little longer?"

"Yes, I can."

As Scarlett was driving out to Ashley's mills she felt like singing. She walked into the office with a sad expression on her face. She sat at the desk and looked at the ledgers. They had actually made a little bit of a profit, but she would not praise Ashley. She looked at Ashley and said, "Ashley, I heard the most horrible thing about you. You have to tell me it isn't true. I would die if it was true."

Ashley smiled his lazy smile that had once been Scarlett's favorite and said, "I'm sure it isn't true. What did you hear about me?"

"I heard that you were frequenting that… that… that," and she whispered, "that whore house. You were seen leaving one of the rooms at Belle's." Scarlett looked at him with pleading eyes.

Ashley was stunned. He said without really thinking, "Where did you hear that?"

Scarlett blushed and said, "Rhett told me."

"He is lying about me."

"Why? Why would Rhett lie about you?"

"He is jealous of your feelings for me."

"Oh no! Rhett doesn't know about my feelings for you. Only you know."

"Then he is jealous because I am everything that he threw away by his boorish behavior."

"I guess that could be right," Scarlett said happily, "So you don't use whores. I knew it couldn't be true. I knew Rhett was just lying."

"Of course, he is. Rhett Butler is the one that is using whores."

Scarlett laughed and said, "No, he isn't. I don't think any man could do it more than Rhett does. We have relations all the time. At least three times a day, every day. Occasionally it is four times a day. I know I am naïve about relations, but I don't think any man could do it more," Scarlett blushed and said, "Rhett said he was glad he had a wife to take care of all his sexual needs. It was saving him a small fortune. Oh Ashley, listen to me blathering on. I have spoken about the most inappropriate things, and I have told you far, far too much. You were so right that day after Bonnie was born. He is a brute. He is coarse. He poisons everything he touches. He has made me … ," She whispered, "He has made me do such awful things. He is certainly not a gentleman. He is a caveman."

Ashley reached to hold Scarlett and she moved out of his way. She said, "No, Ashley. Our love is the only perfect thing I have left in my life. Our pure and unsullied love. We can't let it be besmirched with gossip and rumor. Someone might see us."

"You are right, my dear."

"I am being true to you in my heart, if not my body. Ashley, I have to leave. I have to get home. Rhett has gotten extremely strict about my time. If I am not home when he says I should be home, he will demand a full explanation of what I did. If he is not satisfied with my explanation, he will punish me in the most awful way. He will make me…..," She blushed, and she whispered, "Do things that would make a prostitute blush." With that Scarlett rushed out of the office.

Ashley stared at the closed door. The fact that Captain Butler had told her meant his secret was still safe for nobody would believe Captain Butler if he claimed Ashley was using whores. That was good. He thought she believed him when he denied his activity at Belle's. He thought she believed herself still in love with him. He also believed that she had become Rhett Butler's sexual toy. That thought made his body respond. Maybe he could take care of his need in the outhouse. The thought of Scarlett being his sexual toy was so exciting. So exciting that it never occurred to him that Scarlett would never talk the way she had even with her peasant roots.

Reality crashed down. He had hoped she would offer herself to him and he would have taken her up on her offer and hoped Melly never found out. He had done too good of a job of convincing her that their love would have to remain pure, chaste and noble. He had done that for Melly. Scarlett would never be his sexual toy because he was married to Miss goodie two shoes Melanie. Melanie who would not even help him with his needs. Ashley's resentment for Melly was growing by the day. Ashley didn't even think about the fact that up until three months ago he had thought Melanie was almost perfect.