Chapter 59
Although Scarlett was never analytical by nature, when presented with a clear pattern of how her own Mother had been hurt during her girlhood, she could now understand how the hurt had been carried on. With no help from Gerald, Ellen had been stuck with popular opinions and moulded her three girls in her own Savannah upbringing adhering to her instruction through minute details. If Scarlett would be more sedate then the men would favour her. If Scarlett would be more sweet tempered, she would make more friends among the girls. If Scarlett would.. If she only could.. If she might.. ought.. should.. It was all towards a hopeful future. But that future had changed when the war came.
Now that the truth stood out as clear as day, Scarlett felt a great release of emotion. She didn't cry. But she laughed. It all seemed so sad yet delicate, fragile yet profound.. Now, her childhood began to make sense. And she began to see her own self so vulnerable to the versions of the future predicted by her Mother's reproaches and careful instructions. And stories of her soul going to hell. Now she understood the impact of those stories on her own fears and insecurities. She pressed her lips to a thin line.
Two years went by. Scarlett was an extremely busy woman now. She extended the rooms in her Peachtree mansion. Four new rooms has been added and interestingly they had been designed and decorated after the long gone style of the Old South. She hired more servants and retired Pork. Pork went back to Tara to help at the farm. Prissy had married and was going to have a baby soon. Scarlett supervised the food in the kitchen. The cook knew how to make tea and various dishes as they made it in the Savannah, Virginia, Charleston etc.. Scarlett built two large conference rooms, a library and a large, cheerful room where people could sit around and do anything they pleased.. there were plenty of chairs and newspapers., ashtrays and spittoons..
The first important meeting between old Generals, the Governor and a few dignitaries occurred there in December. Normally these meetings would end in a verbal spat and people would walk out sullenly and the next meeting would almost never take place. But Scarlett provided guestrooms. The speakers stayed at her mansion and while they stayed, she raised their spirits with music, food and culture of the times gone by.
Scarlett picked up old paintings, sculptures, writings and even a portrait or two of the great leaders of the Confederacy. The people of Atlanta were highly sceptical at first but when they entered the house and came into the conference room, they saw paintings of the firings on Fort Sumter and small beautiful inscriptions of courage and infallible spirit. The rooms were practically furnished and very sedate and cheerful. Scarlett had displays of the old Confederacy notes and letters. She really had a lovely little museum inside too.
The men stayed over in the guestrooms and the conference resumed the next day. This kind of arrangement made it possible for definite policies to be framed and the first time a four day conference came through successfully, good opinion spread abroad of Mrs. Butler's excellent accommodations and patriotic sprit. Soon Scarlett's house was booked and buzzing with people. It became a place of action.
Scarlett herself was much altered in appearance now. She wore clothes of refined taste. She walked slower now and she was more firm and extremely persuasive in her hospitality to her guests. Slowly she became an influential person and she was approached more than once by the governor to help him bring about important alliances and business deals.