A Dire Situation
Chapter Fifteen

With her newly discovered resolve set firmly in place Scarlett made way for the door followed closely by Belle who was now drilling her with last minute instructions.

'Remember never promise too much. You're not officially working yet but that wont stop some of the drunker ones trying to go too far if you lead them on a bit. Be nice, but not too nice.' She warned.

'If you get in any trouble or you need some help just catch my eye, chances are I'll be looking at you, I'm going to be keeping my eye on you all night and I'll come sort out whatever mess you may find yourself in.'

At that Belle caught the look of anger and resentment that had flashed across Scarlett's face as quick as lightening.

'I don't say that to patronize you Scarlett darling. I have complete faith in you, but this can be a tricky business and while you may be an accomplished flirt this is a whole new field with a whole new set of players the likes of which I doubt and hope you've never had the misfortune to meet before. I'm just looking out for you honey, I don't want you to find that you're out of your depth.'

Scarlett understood and was, she had to admit, begrudgingly grateful. It was nice to know that someone would be looking out for her. But if truth be told she was rather eager to just get on with the whole business.

It wasn't as though she was looking forward to it. Quite the contrary, all she wanted to do was get home. At some stage that afternoon, she was having difficulty pinpointing when exactly, she had suddenly become exhausted with the whole affair and frankly she just wanted to repay her debt and return to Tara as quickly as possible so that she could focus on something real like surviving and her son. Thoughts of Tara turned to thoughts of the other people residing there at present and namely one Ashley Wilkes.

As much as Scarlett felt obliged to care for Melly she would have to have the pair of them out of her house. Even the thought of having to see Ashley again made her skin crawl.

'Of all the pathetic shadows of a man why had she spent so much time mooning over him. Why even Charles Hamilton had more gumption than he did. At least Charles had the nerve to ask me to marry him, even though he knew his dearly depated parents would have never approved.'

'Thank you Belle' replied Scarlett, not wanting to seem ungrateful.

'Dottie?' Belle suddenly called and a shining blond girl dressed in the palest blue satin, who in every inch of her fair appearance was in direct contrast to Scarlett's darker look, stepped forward from behind on the landing.

'I want you to stay with Miss Scarlett for tonight and perhaps tomorrow as well. Wherever she goes you go. Help her make conversation and if business is slow you keep her entertained with a game of cards or a drink understand? Make her seem right at home so it appears as though she's been at the business forever. We don't want anyone who might not know her to suspect anything odd.'

Belle then turned to Scarlett. 'We'll just pretend for appearances sake that you've just moved here from out of town, someplace obscure no need to mention where, men always like a bit of mystery, but say you were in the same line of work as you're doing now okay?'

Well that was more than okay with Scarlett. It was much easy to act out a pretence than it was to try and hide the truth.

'Of course Belle whatever you say. I'm sure you know best when it comes to these things'

Belle was pleasantly surprised by Scarlett's choice of words. And when she looked the young woman in the eye she noticed the smallest tinge of admiration resting softly on the surface.

'Yes' Belle thought suddenly. 'The two of them could indeed become good friends'

Rhett had been in a bitter mood all the way back from Tara.

'How dare Ashley Wilkes, of all the poor excuses for a man, make him feel bad about his actions?' He thought.

For Ashley's actions and comments had indeed sparked in Rhett a most inconvenient surge of conscience as to how he'd treated Scarlett.

And what made it worse was that Rhett himself was still unsure why he had.

'She's beautiful, even when she is so thin.' He thought. 'And God knows how much I wanted to take her up on her tantalizing offer. So why? Why would I refuse her the one thing she wanted, the one thing she needed?'

The answer came to him out of the blue and it caused his conscience to ache with even more bitter weight.

'It's because that one thing, that one thing she wanted and needed above all, wasn't me.'
'Oh certainly it was my money. Now that was something she wanted' He thought sardonically. 'But not me. Never me.'

Feeling, perhaps, if it were possible, even bitterer than he had before, Rhett decided there was only one place for him tonight.

He'd go to Belle's. Belle was always good for a chat and she'd lend a sympathetic ear. She had a soft spot for him and he knew it and maybe sometimes he took advantage of it, but that was something his conscience couldn't deal with right now, not on top of everything else.

Yes he'd go to Belle's. And after a few drinks and a chance to unload some of what was on his mind perhaps he'd find some forgetfulness in one of her girls. Belle's saloon was notorious for a good time and a bit of harmless good fun might do him the world of good tonight.

'Hell' he thought 'It's just about my only chance'

Scarlett hated herself for it. And she'd never admit it, even under pain of death, but she was actually enjoying herself.

She'd forgotten what it was like to be the belle of the ball, a carefree young girl. But she was once again beginning to realise that it was one of the best feelings in the world.
There was no doubt about it, she was the main attraction. Every man in the building it seemed was vying for her attention. The art of being a successful flirt was apparently something one never forgot, for Scarlett was breezing her way through conversations on a wide array of topics. She was, without a doubt, a natural.

The atmosphere was loud and slightly bawdy but it was still pleasing and Dottie was being most helpful having more than once taken care to steer Scarlett out of what were quickly evolving into compromising conversations with some of Belle's patrons.
She was having so much fun that it was easy for Scarlett to forget that this wasn't even the half of the job she had been paid to do. And that within a matter of days she would have to take things those few frightening steps further.

She was, in actual fact, having so much of a good time and was so removed from the realities of the moment, that it did not appear at all out of the ordinary to her when Rhett Butler crashed through the front door of Belle's Saloon and cried for the world to hear that he needed 'a bloody hard drink and fast.'

Hello to all my readers. Thank you so much to all those who reviewed the last instalment. It means so much to me especially because I'm trying really hard to get back into, and finish this story. This part is quite short but I hope to have the next part up as soon as. Please review and let me know what you think etc. Until next time……