The man standing there had sunken cheeks and a thick beard so different from the groomed trimmed mustache. But his eyes left room for no mistake. He was there and he was smiling to the depth of his dark eyes. His hands reached her waist and held her a bit far away.
It was a minute, a second or an hour when she finally whispered "Do stop gazing at me like that".
But he kept his firm grasp and finally said "How I dreamt of this moment. Let me linger a bit longer. Given that I can only hold you at arm's length, for fear you may catch some of the lice that keep me company these lovely times."
"Damn the lice" she leaned forward with some determination and kissed his hairy cheek.
She took his hand and started toward the house "I shall ask Pork to tend to you. He has always been the best valet in Clayton County.
Come, you must be famished."
Rhett stopped her and with a questioning look his hand wiped some
of the tracks left from her earlier tears –
"Melly read me a sad poem." She lied through her teeth, as no other excuse came to her mind fast enough. At the silly evident lie, he raised his eyebrow questionably but refrained from further talk.
"You have only been to Twelve Oaks, now haven't you?" She chatted rapidly with evident embarrassment – "I can't say our house was ever comparable to that mansion, yet it is still here, whereas …" She paused.
Having entered the house, she realized that awkwardly enough she had no place for him to wait. The parlor was out of the question.
She paused when light steps came from across the corridor.
"Welcome to Tara, Captain Butler. We are so glad you came. I had been yearning to thank the man who rescued us from the burning of Atlanta. Come, the parlor will be fine." Melanie delicately pointed to the room, and added "I will notify your sisters that we have a special guest my dear."
Scarlett, half amazed took off to call Pork. Hesitantly she knocked on his and Dilcey's door. Dilcey opened the door to a rather embarrassed Scarlett who stuttered that a special guest had arrived in need of bathing and perhaps some grooming. A friend. Pork rose from the armchair beside the crib, and smiled a wide smile "Not to worry, Mammy shall not lay a rusty hand on your friend".
"Should I serve him some food?" asked Dilcey.
"No, dear God, just tell me what I can warm up, and I'll do it myself."
"Well, there ain't much left of anything. You could fix him with some ham and cheese and corn bread. And Ma'am, there is some pea soup left for you. You haven't eaten enough today, Miss!" Dilcey knowingly directed the young mistress to the provisions Scarlett was reluctant to use for any of the guests and awaited her reaction.
"Fine. Ham and cheese it is".
A hint of a smile crept to Dilcey's face – "Oh, and Miss, do eat your food. You are way too thin."
"Of course, Dilcey".
Scarlett rushed to the kitchen, happy to have a hiding place from any eyes that may might encumber her thoughts. She was thrilled. He was alive and he was here. He had come straight from the war, ungroomed, to her.
She sliced the large hunk of cheese, far too generously, she thought, and put the soup on to boil. She was humming when she heard the door open.
He came to the room dressed with some of Gerald's older garments, too short and overly sized in the waist. His hair was wet, and he was barefoot.
"How elegant you are." She smiled at him.
He bowed an exaggerated bow as a response to the tease.
"Actually, I am quite happy with the attire I am wearing. No fleas or lice to entertain me during the hours of the night, mind you." He sat, and smiled honestly "I haven't had a decent bath in God knows how long." His eyes raked her face and body. She felt his gaze, as always, as if he knew how she looked without her shimmy. 'Oh, but he does now, doesn't he?" She thought, and at that, she blushed to her ears, and lowered her eyes.
Rhett reached her and lift her chin to face him – "Now, what is bothering you Scarlett? And do forgive me if I don't think it's a poem. I don't believe that Sherman has enough imagination or ability to enlighten, or say I engender an interest I hadn't noticed you had possessed before leaving Atlanta."
"What on earth do you mean?" She lost the flirtatious mood she was attempting, understanding that he was mocking her reference to poetry.
"You have been crying and quite a lot. What is wrong, dear?"
She breathed a heavy sigh, dropped her shoulders and thought 'What
doesn't bother me?' while smiling trying to force a smile "Why nothing! Please,
Rhett, do tell me what brings you to Clayton County?" she forced made herself to flutter her eyelashes at him.
"You are a poor liar, Scarlett. Come, feed me as you evidently plan to do, and do eat with me. From the looks of it, you need to eat as much as I do or even more." Without bothering to answer her question he sat at the table, turning his wide back to her.
She sulked at his reluctance to play the gallant role of southerner visitor she had bestowed on him and with much clatter of plates she served the food she had warmed, giving herself the pea soup.
His eyes were inquisitive as he saw the two different plates.
He took a piece of ham and cheese in onto his fork and smiled as he brought it to her mouth, " I guess I am a varmint for trying to tempt you with this fine food."
She blushed at the insinuation yet took the offer. Suddenly she remembered former daydreams from the past months she had dwelled on – she had no reason to blush about. She had given him what he had asked for. She was at her home, with the food of her labor, and he had been cared for by her dear loyal Pork. Pork, who had stolen food for their sake. The only person she could count on to sooth her father's pain.
She raised her head and with a genuine smile and responded by offering him a sip of the green soup – "I do believe that pea soup would chill any temptation in the air".
He smiled at the gesture and accepted her offering while holding her wrist and taking the spoon at in his mouth. The spoon fell to the table as he brushed her hand with his lips.
"I shall starve to death if you do not mind your manners, and as you had have been unkind enough as to mention my slim figure, I would greatly appreciate it if you'll let me eat in peace". Though harsh the words did not match the tone or her smiling eyes.
"I don't believe you. You are not one to pass on a challenge when the one appears at your door."
"Like a bearded soldier with lice?"
"You wound me, my dear!" but he chuckled as he offered her another bite of ham from his fork.
The candle was burning out as they finished the food.
"Come. You will sleep in my mother's study". She said.
To his surprise, she did not pause as she took him by the hand and directed him to the study.
"Mrs. O'Hara won't mind?" he sat on the worn sofa of the large room stretching his long legs.
She took a long breath and with a low voice "Mother died a day before we arrived home. And that is just the beginning of the troubles I seem to have crashed into." She shook her head, as if trying to rid herself of something "Wait, I shall bring you some blankets, it gets cooler at toward dawn." She started to leave the room, and he stood, much faster than she could react, his arm blocking the way out.
"Talk to me, Scarlett." His tone was demanding yet soft.
"What is there to talk about?" she exclaimed desperately - "I came home, Mother was dead, I never got to say goodbye; Pork and I buried her. Melly was half dead, she had no… Well, she has not recovered fully; my two sisters were sick with the typhoid, and are still useless most of the time, but that is plain laziness; and Pa… Well, he is not himself. At times he is so sad, repeating 'Katie Scarlett, your mother is gone' at other times, he acts, well, he thinks Mother is still here, and he waits for her so patiently. Wade is so scared all the time and he is so thin. Why, when the Yankees came here I thought for a moment the fright had killed him. Oh! Rhett, do let me bring you a blanket, it's too hard to talk. Life is this endless nightmare." She choked raising her palms at him in a childish pleading gesture.
He touched the streaks of dried tears on her face as he blinked, keeping to his silence silent-
"Yes, I cried before you came. But I hate weakness."
He took her pleading hands, and studied them intently. She blushed, fully aware of the blisters and cuts on her hands from the physical work she had been doing. She pulled away.
"And my hands are in ruins" she whispered lowering her eyes
"They are lovely."
He took her palms and opened them gently, caressing them with his thumbs.
"Liar" – She whispered, yet her feeling improved heart lightened. She did not continue, instead she rested her cheek to on his chest and closed her eyes. A forgotten sensation of warmth spread in her limbs.
"So unladylike for you to use such a harsh word and risk wound my soft heart. Though I do admit that I am far from being a gentleman." he answered.
"Nor do you possess a soft heart, Rhett. Well, don't expect me to say I am no lady, because I won't. I am a lady. A grand lady in fact! " she laughed, tilting her head at him.
There. She put it out on the open. The last words to her on their parting were out there. She looked at him with a daring look.
His gaze was unreadable.
"You look like a grizzly bear, Rhett Butler!"
Having said that she left him toward the upper floor, racing two stairs at a time.
In her room she took one of her blankets and a pillow. She watched Wade sleeping on the small bed by hers, and straightened the covers.
She came downstairs slowly, with no light to guide her way.
In the study she found him sound asleep on the sofa. She covered him with the blanket and whispered "Good night. Don't let the bugs bite" as she planted a small kiss on his fore head.
Yes, some may have expected more of this meeting. But having been in the army I know that when returning, there are only three things in mind: food, shower and a bed. Couldn't have been much different 150 years ago… Huge thanks to my beta editor – R. without you it would have been so much less fluent. You are wonderful! And thank you all for the reviews. To those who wrote that Scarlett is too nice – well, I always thought that she would have been nicer if someone had told her how wonderful she was. And she was!