Disclaimer: I own nothing in regard to GWTW

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

Chapter Seven

Three months after Scarlett had heard the awful words that had destroyed her world, she was laying in Rhett's arms. They were in the master bedroom. She had tortured Melanie by telling her that she wasn't with child and how happy she was just this very day. Yet, she really hadn't gotten any joy out of it because she hadn't liked the sad look on Melanie's face. She hadn't like knowing that she had made her friend sad. Scarlett decided right then she would not torture Melanie anymore. It would be enough that everyone was talking about her husband using whores. Melly would die of embarrassment when she finally found out that everyone knew of Ashley's trips to Belle's. Besides Melly being married to that loser Ashley Wilkes was punishment enough.

Scarlett's thoughts turned to Rhett. She knew now that Rhett was very fond of her, and she smiled. She had finally figured out how to get Rhett to help her with torturing Ashley.

She said into the darkness, "He never loved me, did he?"

"No, he didn't."

"He was using me all that time."

"Yes."

"You tried to tell me."

"Yes."

"I wish I could make him pay for leading me on. I know I can make him feel stupid for being a bad businessman, but I wish I could shame him in front of the matrons. I wish I could strip him of the way people honor and respect him."

"You could repeat the rumor about him using whores."

"Poor Melly. Everyone is talking about her husband behind her back and unfortunately all this talk is shaming her, and she doesn't even know it."

"You are feeling sorry for Miss Melly?"

"I would have to be a very cold-hearted woman to not feel compassion for what is happening to Melly."

"I repeat myself you are feeling sorry for Miss Melly?"

Scarlett swatted Rhett's arm.

Rhett said, "That is sad for Miss Melly."

"No, I wouldn't want Melly to find out I was repeating nasty gossip about Ashley. I need her to redeem my reputation."

"Yes, you do but why? You don't need a reputation. Not that you have very much left of one."

Rhett laughed when he felt his wife hit his arm again.

Scarlett said, "I do not but if we aren't received then the children aren't received."

"Remember I told you that if we moved out of the South We would be received by the highest echelon of society because of my wealth, and we wouldn't have to grovel at all. How would you feel about moving to Paris, or London, or New York, or Sydney?"

"I don't know Rhett. They are awfully far away from Tara."

"Yes, they are but we could come back often to visit."

"How often?"

"As often as you visit now."

"Maybe when Bonnie is older. No point and leaving now."

"Think about it."

"You think about how I can make Ashley lose face with the matrons."

"Alright." Rhett rolled on top of his wife and started kissing her. Rhett was a very aroused man. All that talk by his wife of shaming Mr. Wilkes was working as an aphrodisiac on him and he was going to possess his wife.

When he woke up in the middle of the night with an erection, he didn't hesitate to wake Scarlett up. He didn't know if she ever completely woke up, but he knew that he had satisfied her numerous times.

In the morning when Rhett woke up, he knew he wasn't satisfied. He didn't have a second thought about waking Scarlett up. She didn't seem to mind. When all was said and done, she smiled and rolled over. She was asleep before Rhett even got out of the bed.

When they took their afternoon nap, as he helped her get undress Rhett asked Scarlett, "What would Mr. Wilkes favorite job be?"

"I don't know. What would your favorite job be?"

"Being your teacher," Scarlett looked at Rhett with a puzzled look on her face. Rhett looked at her lustfully and added, "Haven't I taught you a lot of things these last few months?"

Scarlett giggled and said, "Yes you have."

Rhett laughed. There was no more conversation for a while.

As they were lying there afterwards, Rhett said, "We could make Ashley think he was about to get his dream job and then let him get turned down at the last minute."

"You are evil"

"Thank you my dear."

"I'll find out."

"Good. I'll find a way to get him almost offered the job." They laughed and laughed.

Scarlett was happy. Rhett was kind and loving. He was Rhett, of course. He was aggravating and infuriating. He was all those things and he made her feel special. He was spending more time with her than with Bonnie. They were spending more time with the children. Rhett was being the bridge between her and her children. She had never dealt with them. She didn't know how to deal with children. Yet Rhett was beside her the entire time she was with them. Lovingly guiding her. She would never be a great mother but with Rhett's help she could be a decent mother.

Rhett was happy. He was sleeping with Scarlett, and he was encouraging her to be a better mother. He sometimes wondered if she didn't know how to be a good mother, or she didn't want to be a good mother. He finally decided that it was both. She had never had any desire to be a mother and she had never needed to be a mother. Someone had always been there to be a good mother for her. With his help she could become a good mother.

Scarlett went out to Ashley's mills and as she looked over the books she sighed. She said, "You have done better this month but that is all I can say positively. Oh Ashley. I so wish you could do better."

Ashley was not a happy man. In fact, he was a very enraged, frustrated, infuriated man. He was tired of Scarlett speaking to him like he was stupid. He was tired of her wanting him to do his job. He was resentful that she had been so weak-willed to let Butler back in her bed. He was most incensed that Butler had seduced her in to behaving in the most improper way in their marital bed. Ashley in an angry voice said, "I do the best I can."

Ashley actually had been trying to make sales, but the truth was he wasn't a good salesman. He just didn't seem to be able to close the sale. Often when he went back to follow up on a prospect the man had already bought from someone else. While Mr. Jackson was making sale after sale.

"I know sweetheart. Maybe your best isn't good enough. Maybe running a sawmill isn't your cup of tea. If you could do anything you wanted, what would it be?"

"To live at Twelve Oaks forever."

Scarlett wanted to scream at him, 'Don't you think I want to live at Tara forever?' Instead, she said gently, "Those days are gone, my darling. What else?"

With that faraway look that she had once found so attractive but now found so annoying, Ashley said, "I don't know. Maybe teach poetry or philosophy."

"Or maybe Greek Mythology."

Ashley looked at her with the condescending way that she always hated and said, "Yes, that would be nice." Like he was better than her.

Scarlett got up and slammed the ledger shut. She said, "Do try to do better next week. If I am not making huge profits, Rhett will not allow me to continue owning the mills. He says he has better things to do with my time than chasing a dream." She blushed and quickly left the mill office. She said, "I must hurry. Rhett doesn't like it when I am late. As I told you he makes me account for all of my time." She blushed some more and hurried out of the office.

Rhett and Scarlett had never talked about it but both people knew they were going to torture Ashley for an awfully long time. Later that night Scarlett said, "He wants to be a teacher also although I'm sure he would never be as good a teacher as you are."

When she blushed Rhett smiled and said, "Thank you, my dear."

Scarlett blushed deeper.

"What does he want to teach?"

"Poetry, philosophy or Greek mythology."

Rhett said, "Maybe Stuart will help me. I can get Stuart to almost offer Wilkes a job teaching philosophy at his school. Do you think his emotions would be in turmoil?"

When Scarlett laughed wickedly Rhett decided that Scarlett thought it was a grand idea.

She smiled up at him and said, "Yes, I do." She pulled his head down to kiss his lips. Rhett briefly thought it seems the thought of torturing Wilkes is an aphrodisiac for his wife also. Soon he wasn't thinking at all.

The next morning Rhett greeted Miss Melly kindly and solicitously just as he always did. These days talking with Captain Butler was one of the few bright spots in her world. Ashley had turned as bitter and resentful as India. Melly wondered why Ashley was so angry all the time these days. When she had asked him, what was wrong he had snapped at her and told her nothing.

After Melly left the house, Rhett left to go see his friend Stuart Townsend. Stuart was from Charleston and he and Rhett had been friends when they were children. They had run into each other at Belle's and gotten reacquainted. Stuart didn't care if Rhett was no longer received. To be honest Stuart was tired of all that garbage. After the end of the war the only skill Stuart possessed was to be a gentleman which, one cannot make a lot of money off of that skill. Instead, Stuart had been working as a clerk to a lawyer. He had once thought about being a lawyer but no longer wanted to do that.

Stuart was a second son which meant he would have not inherited the plantation and he was expected to become a doctor or a lawyer or a priest. He damn sure wasn't going to be a priest. Stuart was a couple of years younger than Rhett, but they had always been good friends. They had always been up to mischief together. As much as Rhett had dark good looks, Stuart was a blue eyed blonde. Stuart was not a big man, but he was tall enough. He was five feet ten inches. He was a handsome man. At first, he had not wanted to marry then after the war he could not afford to marry. Now he found that all the women were either empty headed belles or sour, bitter old maids.

With Rhett's help he had opened a boy's preparatory school. He called it Townsend's School. He had opened the doors two years ago. He had admitted anyone who could pay the tuition which meant the boys were almost all sons of Yankees. He didn't care. He was making a nice living. A nice enough living to consider taking a bride. Stuart knew that some of the members of polite society looked down on him for admitting Yankee boys to his school. He didn't care. They probably would look down on him accepting money from Rhett. Rhett was one of the first men to enroll his stepson at the school.

Rhett walked into Townsend's office that morning and shut the door. Rhett said, "I want to play a joke on a friend of mine."

Townsend said, "How can I help?

"I want my friend to think he is going to get his dream job."

"And at the last minute does not get it for some trivial reason?"

"Yes, he would like to teach philosophy and poetry or Greek mythology."

"I actually do have the older boys learn philosophy and Greek mythology, but I don't need a whole teacher just for that."

"Scarlett and I will have a supper party and we will invite you. At the supper party you can make his acquaintance then tell him you have a position open at your school teaching those subjects. Do you have a lady you are courting?"

"No, not yet."

"I will get Scarlett to invite an extra female to the party. I'll let you know when."

As Stuart watched Rhett leave, he knew this was not a joke on a friend. He knew Rhett was playing a mean trick on someone. He didn't care. There were a lot of people he would like to play mean tricks on but most of them lived in Charleston which was why he lived in Atlanta.