Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Six

Over supper Rhett amused everyone with his stories and updated them on their investments. He said, "I have profits for you. I brought everyone greenbacks because they are holding their value more than the Confederate Dollars."

Henry said, "Because of the inflation."

Scarlett said, "What is inflation?"

Rhett said, "In its simplest terms inflation is when your money doesn't buy as much as it did last week."

"Oh. Can we spend green backs in the Confederacy?"

"Yes. Everyone is happy to take them for the same reason but don't pay the asking price. One greenback is probably worth two confederate dollars."

"Thank you, Rhett."

"When we get in the parlor, I will give you your profits?"

"Henry did you invest some of my money in this …. "

"Yes, I did it was a sound investment."

Rhett interrupted what he knew was a continual argument to say, "Mrs. Meade wanted to talk to me about bringing in some medical supplies that Dr. Meade wants. She asked me to drop by her home after I was finished here but since I didn't know when I was going to leave here, I instead asked her and Dr. Meade to join us. I hope that was alright.

Scarlett quickly said, "Of course, Mr. Butler."

Melly smiled at Scarlett. Henry and PittyPat frowned at Scarlett. She should not be behaving the way she was with Charlie not even having been dead for two years. Melly knew Scarlett had not loved Charlie, but she did believe her sister-in-law would have come to love him. Charlie had been such a sweet, caring person but he had also been so socially awkward that it actually was a small miracle that Scarlett was willing to marry him. Scarlett had done what most women did. Married the best catch out there.

After everyone was settled in the parlor, Rhett handed out the greenbacks. When Henry didn't hand PittyPat any money, she said, "Where is my money?"

"I will give you your money when I give you your allowance. I don't want you frittering the money away on pretty hats and gloves."

Melly said, "I got a letter from Ashley the other day."

"What does Mr. Wilkes have to say about the war?"

"Ashley said that morale was down because of Mr. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation."

Rhett and Henry talked about what the proclamation meant to the Confederacy. Scarlett stared at Rhett. He was talking like the most loyal of Southerners. After the Meades had arrived, Dr. Meade joined the discussion.

At last Rhett said while looking at Dr. Meade, "As I told Mrs. Meade, I have brought you some medical supplies already. I brought you bandages, laudanum, rongeurs, saws, opium, quinine, iodine, and coal tar."

"How much?"

"Fifty dollars in greenbacks or one hundred dollars in Confederate."

"Will you let me have the lot for fifty in Confederate?"

"Seventy-five."

"I think we can manage seventy-five."

"Good. I will bring everything by the hospital tomorrow afternoon."

"Let me tell you what I need if you can bring it to me."

"Why don't you write everything down and you can give me the list tomorrow while I am at the hospital?"

"I will do that. It will give me a chance to think about everything I need. Let us go, Cora. We can still get a walk in."

"Certainly, Dear."

Although Scarlett did notice the oddness of Rhett's behavior, she didn't know why he was behaving that way. Melly did though. She thought, 'Captain Butler is trying to get himself received in Atlanta. He must care a great deal for Scarlett.'

That evening as Rhett stood up to leave, PittyPat said before Scarlett could speak, "Let me show you to the door."

Rhett was not pleased about Miss PittyPat walking him to the front door, but he was pleased with the angry glare Scarlett was giving the older woman.

The next afternoon, Scarlett was constantly checking to see if Rhett had arrived at the hospital. So much so that Melly said, "Relax, Darling. He will be here."

"Who?"

Melly smiled and said, "Captain Butler."

"I'm not anxious about Captain Butler's arrival."

"Of course not."

Scarlett didn't like the laughter in Melly's voice one little bit. She said, "He is just so amusing and there are so little things that are amusing these days that I don't want to miss any of them."

With laughter still in her voice Melly said, "Of course not, Darling."

"I'm going to go tend to the wounded."

"Alright."

About thirty minutes later, Rhett arrived at the hospital. He went to find Scarlett before he looked for Dr. Meade. He saw her talking to a soldier and they certainly did look chummy. Was Rhett not any more important than any other man? Was Scarlett just flirting with him because she was a natural flirt? Or worse was she being so welcoming to him because he was the only man around between the ages of sixteen and sixty?

When Scarlett looked up and saw Rhett, the smile she gave him pushed those questions to the back of his mind. She patted the soldier's arm and then hurried to Rhett's side.

Scarlett smiled at Rhett and said, "Where is all the supplies?"

"In a buggy outside. I didn't want to bring them in until Dr. Meade gave me the money."

Scarlett whispered, "Do you think Dr. Meade is going to try to cheat you?"

"Not exactly. I think he is going to try to bargain me down some more."

"Doesn't he know you are risking your life to bring the goods into the Confederacy thus you should be compensated."

"Or do you mean we should be compensated?"

Scarlett blushed. She said, "That too. Come on. I will help you find Dr. Meade."

"Alright."

Rhett walked beside Scarlett as they went in search of Dr. Meade. They found him changing the dressing of one of the soldiers.

Dr. Meade saw them and said, "I will be right with you. You can wait over there. Scarlett, would you put clean dressing on."

"Of course, Dr. Meade."

"Scarlett, I will call on you tonight to talk about your investment."

With a smile, Scarlett said, "Alright, Rhett."

Rhett flashed Scarlett a quick smile then turned to lead the doctor to his buggy. Rhett had been right. Dr. Meade did try to get the supplies for sixty dollars instead of seventy-five. Rhett said, "Dr. Meade you trying to get me to lower my price some more is not making me want to bring you more supplies."

"Here. There is your seventy-five dollars and here is my list."

"I can't guarantee I can get all this, but I will certainly try."

"Do the best you can Captain Butler."

"Would you like me to help you carry the boxes inside?"

"Yes."

In no time the boxes were in the supply room. As Rhett was walking out of the hospital, he saw Scarlett flirting with another one of the soldiers. He decided that she was just a natural born flirt. Hadn't she been flirting with all the men at the barbecue when the only man she wanted was Wilkes. Which made Rhett wonder what her feelings were these days for Wilkes.

Rhett did stop by the Hamilton House that night and he amused the ladies with his stories. When he stood up to leave PittyPat once again quickly offered to walk him to the door. Rhett was pleased by the annoyed look on Scarlett's face.

As Rhett rode to Belle's, he wondered what Scarlett's feelings were for him. He also wondered what her feelings were for Wilkes. He flashed on the memory of her flirting with the soldier at the hospital and he frowned. He would wait for her to declare her feelings before he told her of his feelings for her. Rhett pushed the subject from his mind. When he got to Belle's he played poker, drank whiskey, and socialized with the other men. He once again did not take himself upstairs. Now it wasn't just Scarlett that he didn't want to know he used whores but the matrons of Atlanta also.

The next day at the hospital Mrs. Merriwether said to Scarlett, "Are you and Captain Butler keeping company?"

"No ma'am. That wouldn't be proper. Charlie hasn't been dead for two years yet although my mother told me I needed to wait three years to be truly proper."

"I think, Dear, in these times it will be alright to be a little improper. Especially knowing the man could die anytime he ran the blockade. That is why I gave Maybelle permission to marry Rene Picard so quickly."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Mrs. Merriwether, but the only person's opinion that matters is my mother. She has already told me that if I misbehave again, she will send my father to take me back to Tara for the rest of my life."

"Well, you can't let that happen, can you?"

"No ma'am. I can't."

"Dear, do you think Captain Butler would be able to bring me five yards of white satin material?"

"I will ask him."

"And two yards of lace."

"I will ask him about that too."

"Thank you. Now let us get back to work."

"Of course."

That evening Scarlett did ask Rhett to get satin and lace for Maybelle's wedding dress. Rhett replied, "Yes, I will get it but I'm not going to give it to her. My investors don't like it when I give stuff away.

Which made all the ladies in the room smile. Rhett was pleased that Mrs. Merriwether had asked a favor of him. That meant he was sort of received in Atlanta.

Melly asked, "When are you returning to Charleston?"

"The day after tomorrow on Friday."

"You must stay and escort us to the Elsings soiree this Saturday."

"I will escort you all to the Elsings then I will take the evening train to Charleston."

That Saturday night, Rhett picked the ladies up in a carriage he had rented for the evening. There was much talk at the soiree about the war and England or France coming to the Confederacy's assistance. Rhett muttered under his breath, "Damn fools. Nobody is coming to our assistance."

The talk went on for about fifteen more minutes until Rhett said, "I have to leave."

Scarlett said, "Why?"

"I am about to say something that will destroy all my hard work of trying to get received in Atlanta."

"I thought you said life was better when one didn't have to worry about a reputation."

Rhett smiled at the obtuse young girl and said, "Maybe I was wrong about that."

"I don't understand."

Rhett smiled again and said, "I really must go. I will stop by the Hamilton House upon my return. I probably won't return until June."

"You will miss my birthday."

"When is your birthday?"

Scarlett smiled and said, "St. Patrick's Day. March seventeenth."

"I will have to bring you back a present. Now I truly have to leave. I will leave the carriage for you ladies. I will walk."

As Scarlett watched Rhett walk out of the Elsings home, she was disappointed Rhett had not declared his feelings or told her he was trying to get received in Atlanta for her sake. She cheered herself up by thinking, 'He will be back in June.'

Scarlett had decided that she would wait for Rhett to declare his feelings first. She could not repeat that embarrassing scene that she had with Ashley. The worst part would be if Rhett didn't think she was anything but Irish trash either. She didn't think so, but Ashley had fooled her so completely she would never know for sure until he said he loved her.

As Rhett walked back to the hotel, he was ranting to himself the entire time. How could these people be so blind? How could they not see the Confederacy was going to lose? Then he thought, 'How can Scarlett not see how much I care for her?'

Rhett bought the satin and lace for Maybelle's wedding dress and mailed it to Mrs. Merriwether with a bill. On the bill he told the matron to give the money to his investor, Scarlett Hamilton, and he would collect it from her the next time he was in Atlanta.

Mrs. Merriwether was happy to give Scarlett the money. It was in Confederate dollars which Scarlett spent purchasing food items before the dollars lost even more of their value. Rhett could take the money out of her profits.

As it turned out, Rhett never asked Scarlett for the money Mrs. Merriwether had given her. Scarlett knew it was another kindness by Rhett.