Ok, so here we go...the drama continues... *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Melanie looked shocked, hurt, and angry. India and Honey, who had voiced their opinions about how they thought Scarlett felt about Ashley, exchanged triumphant glances and quietly turned to go tell the other girls what they had just heard. Melanie did not notice their departure. She walked quickly to Rhett and then looked at Scarlett, who stood with tears in her eyes, and her next words were carefully selected, low, filled with anger, and final.
"How dare you? My Ashley...and you?! So, Honey was right about you. You do lie."
"Oh, Melly, please, listen. I did love Ashley...I loved him terribly...that is, I did until last night, and then I fell in love with Rhett. I am so sorry, Melly. I have been such a cat!"
Melanie looked shocked. "Oh, dear, how could I have said that to you, poor dear! Of course you don't love Ashley!! How could you? Of course, I apologize darling, now lets just forget all this ever happened, hm?"
At this, Scarlett looked up at Melanie and dried her tears, smiling.
"Your right, Melly. I don't quite know what I would do if you hadn't been here..."
"Don't worry about it, Scarlett darling." Melanie turned to Rhett, looking angrier than before.
"How dare you speak to Scarlett like that, Rhett? If Ashley had ever even thought about Scarlett in more of a way then he might think of a neighbor, Ashley would have told me. And I know that Scarlett is just young and troubled. She and Ashley are best friends. How can you expect Scarlett to trust you if you are so cruel to her? She never will. Come now, don't be angry with the poor girl. Else Honey and India will tell everybody what happened..." Melanie turned slowly, reluctantly, and saw that India and Honey were nowhere to be found. "Oh, Good Lord in Heaven!" she cried. Then she anxiously took Rhett's hand. "Where is Ashley?"
"In the arbor, last I knew, Miss Melly."
Before Scarlett could find out what had so upset Melly, Melly was gone, to find Ashley and tell him what Honey and India were about to do, and to tell him what she had overheard.
Frightened, Scarlett clung to Rhett, who immediately kissed her, and then started to walk away. Scarlett followed him out to a horse. Scarlett looked confused.
"Rhett, where are you going?"
"I am going, my dear, to Charleston. Or should I say to be a blockader?"
"Oh, Rhett, must you go? The war hasn't even started yet!"
"Don't tell me you didn't hear the commotion, Scarlett."
"I don't know quite what you are talking about!"
"Mr. Lincoln, apparently, wants war. He's called for volunteers to fight against us. Seventy five thousand of them, to be exact."
"Oh, no! But-but Rhett, darling, you can't go! I won't let you!"
"Goodbye, Scarlett." Rhett smiled at Scarlett, his eyes twinkling maliciously. "And, don't run off with Ashley while I'm gone, hm? If you're a good little girl, I'll bring you back a present."
"A present? What kind of a present?!"
"That, my darling, is for me to know and you to find out."
Laughing at the indignant look on Scarlett's face, Rhett smiled again and rode away on his horse. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A month later, Scarlett went back with Eleanor to Charleston. She stayed for a few weeks, and quickly got bored, so she left again. But, instead of going home, she went to stay with Melly and her aunt Pittypat. On the way to Atlanta, Scarlett kept getting sick. She wondered why, and she shrugged it off until later. The thing that kept replacing her bizarre sickness was Rhett. She hadn't heard from him since he left the barbeque at Twelve Oaks. Her reputation had suffered with the younger girls, but the matrons had fixed it for her. Where could he be? Surely, not blockading.
She fell asleep and dreamed of him in a shipwreck, and woke up sweating, just as they pulled into Atlanta. Standing at the depot to meet her were Melly and Pittypat. Melanie looked relieved and happy, and Pittypat looked nervous. She had heard much of Scarlett O'Hara-Butler, mostly good, but some bad. How would she behave? And that husband of hers, his reputation was as good as gone. And he would be staying at her house, too. That is, he would when he stayed with Scarlett. She had seen him around Atlanta lately, but with--with girls like Belle Watling. Melly hadn't known until she had seen him on the streets with her, and she had come home crying. And Scarlett looked as if she missed her husband, and she thought that he was still blockading. She looked away as Scarlett looked at her and Melanie rushed up to hug Scarlett.
"Oh, Scarlett, I have missed you so much! You must stay in Atlanta until the war is over, because if anything happens...oh, nevermind..."
"Of course I will stay Melly. I told Rhett's mother to tell Rhett that I would be in Atlanta, if he comes home soon. I miss him so! I hope he is alright-Melly, dear, whats wrong?"
Trying to distract Scarlett from the corner she had just seen Rhett and Belle on was going to be difficult. Melanie was small, not quite as tall as Scarlett, though, and Scarlett immediately picked out what Melly had not wanted her to. Scarlett turned pale and screamed Rhett's name, and then fainted, in the depot, with women looking curiously at her. Rhett turned, saw Scarlett and went to her as he saw her going down, he let out a hoarse cry and shoved his way through the crowd.
Slowly, as Rhett picked Scarlett up, blood came from her, soaking her skirt and some of the floor. Scarlett had had a miscarriage. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Sorry about the short Chappy. Bazaar is next.I guess. I hope Scarlett gets better before then, 'twould be a shame if she didn't, and she had to miss the bazaar! I felt that if I continued this Chappy, I would get carried away, so a plug on my imagination for now, huh? See ya in Chappy five GonewiththewindGurl