Chapter 61

Scarlett decided to be present when that particular meeting began. She gave a charming smile as she entered the hall on the arm of the seniormost gentlemen there and chose to sit on a chair that was as far away from Rhett as possible. The meeting began cordially enough on very light introductions and the morning coffee was served. While Scarlett sat as demurely as possible, out of the corner of her eye, she watched Rhett. Was he sincere in coming back to the house? Or was he still the perverse wretch she knew him to be? When the maid walked around collecting the empty cups and trays, Scarlett excused herself and slipped out.

She twisted the meeting's agenda in her hands as she anxiously paced the corridor outside. What did Rhett mean by coming here after all these months? She felt that she was trying to keep her head above the waters of her emotional turmoil and if she could only cause the same turmoil in him, his reactions would help her conquer her own avoidance.

But such an opportunity never came. When the meeting was momentarily adjourned for lunch, Rhett had quietly left. Scarlett had missed his exit and she felt disappointed and vaguely aggrieved. But as the month wore on, Rhett made his appearance three times. Each time, he was polite and respectful. But he also avoided talking to her when they were alone and stayed just one time for lunch and dinner. He got along very well with the gentlemen there and usually he never noticed her when he was in some deep conversation with them. But during his fourth visit, Scarlett was startled when she suddenly felt Rhett's hand on her elbow.

"I hope I am not causing you too much discomfort in my being here, Scarlett. But you must realize that when so much of my money is being put to use in your new venture, I must visit once in a while to know just what this is all about-"

Scarlett moved back in surprise and smiled lightly. "Do you like it? Do you like what I've done to this place?"

Rhett shrugged nonchalantly. "The people here are finer than your friends of the past. I can't say I prefer being cooped up in stifling rooms like this full of cigar smoke and gloomy paintings staring down at me- Whatever happened to the Scarlett I once knew? Shouldn't the décor here be something modern and flashy, smelling of money .. I think that was more your style. Ah, I see I've annoyed you. Maybe you've changed .. no.. grown a bit.. "

With that, he directed a gaze so focussed and disconcerting that Scarlett quickly walked away. When she turned around, he wasn't there. "That varmint" she cursed, under breath.

But the very thing that Scarlett had wished for came in the most unexpected way. Scarlett remembered on the morning of the fourth meeting that She had long ago invited Ashley Wilkes to be a member of that conference and he had agreed. But he would be late and would probably come by the afternoon. Ashley had somehow drifted away from the social crowd and by submerging himself in books and ideals, he had become almost unreachable by several of the men who had held him in high esteem before. He never hesitated to do small tasks around the house now and although he looked calm and composed on the outside, there was a haunting look of despair that could be seen in his eyes. But whenever Scarlett called on him, his spirits revived and he looked more cheery and optimistic.

Scarlett forgot that Ashley was coming until she heard his voice at the door and saw him step into the house. Instantly she knew what to do.

"Oh Ashley, I was beginning to be quite worried that you wouldn't make it to our little party! Now come with me, I want to introduce you to Mr. Richards. He is from Macon and he knew the old family-"

It was a cheap trick but Scarlett was on a small hunch. The last time when Rhett spoke to her was when she first began to notice that Rhett was bluffing at his own emotions. Instead of telling het that he was enjoying being in the company of learned and respectable men, he chose to convey his intention of coming to her mansion in a very dry, very rational way and Scarlett knew that something was off. While in the past, she chose to ignore this habit of Rhett's to be maddeningly logical, she realized for the first time that Rhett was not only being insincere, but he was also ignoring his extremely obvious emotions.

She could see that he came there because he liked it. But he did not admit it. And now she had a hunch that he was not capable of reading his own feelings. "Perhaps there is hope for me yet!" she thought, wildly.

Throughout lunch, Scarlett was loudly attentive to Ashley, urging the servant girl to bring in some of Ashley's favourite dishes and ensuring that Ashley was seated in the best seat possible, close to the fire and yet in the heart of the small crowd. She drew back the curtains to bring more light into the room and cited Ashley as the cause for these changes. She even had a small piano brought in and requested Ashley for some old compositions- And when Ashley looked surprised and pleased, Scarlett took great concern in the way his horse was tied up at the stables and called to the stable boy to take Mr. Wilke's horse for a walk in the warm weather so that the beast would be properly exercised.

When she first began paying attention to Ashley, Scarlett looked at Rhett and saw his face extremely expressionless and his eyes bland and unreadable. But this time, she did not miss seeing his hands curled up into tight fists within his pockets. When she saw it, she realized with a triumphant glow that she was indeed creating some kind of tension in Rhett for her courtesy to Ashley Wilkes.

"Does he still think I love him?"

"Is he jealous of us?"

"What does he hope to get from me?" she wondered as she continued to subtly provoke Rhett.

When the evening came to an end, and most of her guests had retired, Rhett approached Scarlett once again. "I see you are still hankering after Ashley Wilkes, Scarlett. I always said you were free to divorce me if you liked- Why go through all this hassle when you could be married to the man of your dreams-"

"You've always wanted to know about me and Ashley, haven't you, Rhett?" replied Scarlett, trying to understand the meaning behind the gleam in his eyes. "I hope you aren't going to change my mind once again by making violent love to me-"

She said this in the most charming way possible but the words had a huge impact on Rhett. He seemed to move back a few paces and regard her in a new light.

She laughed outright and he grinned back almost reluctantly.