Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

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

Chapter Forty-One

After supper Rhett said, "I am going to go to the Blue Bird of Happiness and find out the latest gossip."

"Alright."

"I will be home early."

"Of course."

As Rhett entered the Blue Bird of Happiness, he saw several men at one of the poker tables. One of them was Johnny Gallagher. Rhett liked Johnny. He was another survivor. There was an empty chair, so Rhett took it.

Johnny said, "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in a while."

"I took Scarlett on a tour of Europe then we spent some time in London. We have a son now."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks. How are the mills?"

"Great. Mr. Greene is a harder boss than Mrs. Butler and she was a real….. Never mind."

Rhett smiled at Johnny. He already knew his wife was whatever Johnny was about to call her. Rhett said, "So he is making quite the profit."

"Yeah. Mr. Greene is out selling all the time."

"I heard Wilkes quit and got a job as a teller."

"Yeah. Now that I don't have to sell, I am managing both sawmills."

"I'm sure you are still doing better than Wilkes."

Johnny laughed and said, "I am but listen to this. On the first of the month when Mr. Greene comes out to the sawmills, his main topic of conversation is how much it galls him to have to write Wilkes a check for his share of the profits."

"What?!"

"Wilkes never sold his share of the sawmills. He does nothing to make them profitable but because he owns half of the one on Decatur Road Mr. Greene has to write him a check every month."

"Why doesn't Greene buy Wilkes out?"

"Wilkes won't sell."

Rhett laughed and said, "Isn't that just like Wilkes. To profit off someone else's labors."

"Yeah, but we would do the exact same thing if we were in Wilkes position."

"Damn right we would."

Both men laughed. The men would be even more amused if they knew that Ashley used his profits from the sawmills to use the services of a whore. Ashley paid the bills, so Melanie had no idea what he was spending the household money on. Despite the fact that Ashley was using the services of a whore two or three times a month, the Wilkes household was still more financially solvent than it had been when Ashley was working at the mill. Ashley was using the services at The Painted Lady not the Silver Slipper, though. Ashley had finally decided to leave the past behind and start living in their new world. Their new world where nobody needed a gentleman.

The men at the table updated Rhett on everything that had happened in the last twelve months. At one point Rhett laid his hand down and said, "Full house, Queens over deuces."

One of the other men said, "Do you ever lose Butler?"

Another man said, "There was that night when Butler didn't win any of the hands."

"Yeah, he lost like ten in a row."

"No, it was twenty."

Rhett let them have their fun. There was no statute of limitations on murder. He, in fact, was happy that these men were talking about it because that meant they remembered him being in this saloon when the bitch had been murdered. Finally, the conversation was changed to talking about some of the gentlemen in town.

One man said, "Butler, aren't you friends with some of the gentlemen?"

"I saved some of their lives and they are grateful."

"Don't you have a close relationship with Wilkes?"

Rhett burst out laughing. He said, 'Hardly. His wife is my stepson's aunt. We maintain the relationship for the boy's sake."

"That makes sense."

At the end of the evening as Rhett was getting up to leave, Johnny said, "That rumor about Wilkes is still going strong. If he and his wife didn't always act so damn proper, I guess it would have died down before now."

"So true. They always have acted like their shit don't stink."

Both men laughed. In fact, everyone at the table laughed.

As Rhett rode home, he was pleased with the information he had learned. Rhett would hate Wilkes until the man died or he did, but Wilkes was just a weak, pathetic, man who was trying to live in a brand-new world. A man who had no idea how to adjust his way of thinking to fit the circumstances. Rhett believed that Wilkes had finally found a niche in their new world. He had gone to the bank earlier in the day to check up on Wilkes. In passing Rhett wondered how the vice president over tellers had changed from Mr. Stone to Mr. Lowry in this redo of his life but he quickly dismissed it. He would never know. Mr. Lowry had told Rhett that Wilkes was an awfully good teller. The customers loved him. He treated everyone with the utmost kindness and respect. In his position as a teller of the bank he was an asset. Mr. Lowry had said that when he mentioned to Mr. Wilkes about getting promoted to Head Teller. Mr. Wilkes had said, "I know it would be more money, but I don't think I would be happy in that position. To be honest, I never want to have to tell men what to do ever again."

That comment pleased Rhett, it meant that at least Wilkes now knew his limits. Miss Melly would be a whole other matter.

When Rhett got home, he told Scarlett everything he had learned, and she was pleased. She said, "I'm glad Ashley will be able to provide for his family."

"Better than he was when he was the manager of the sawmills."

"Nice. Gerry is finished. Would you put him in his bassinet?"

"Of course."

Scarlett could have easily put Gerry in his bassinet, but she knew Rhett just loved to touch and hold his son. Even if only briefly.

As Rhett and Scarlett got in the bed, she said, "Melly should be here tomorrow morning around ten."

"I will be sure to be here."

"Are you going to tell her the rumor?"

"Of course, I am."

The couple laughed until Scarlett kissed her husband. Suddenly he was once again in a romantic mood.

The next morning at ten fifteen Melanie and Beau were on the Butlers doorstep. Pork showed them in the parlor. He then sent Prissy up to the master bedroom to tell Miss Scarlett she had guests.

When Prissy told Scarlett that Mrs. Wilkes and her son were in the parlor, Scarlett said, "Go to the playroom and tell Wade Beau is here and they can play in his room. Tell Rhett that he needs to entertain Melly in the parlor. Also tell him I will be at least ten more minutes."

"Of course, Miss Scarlett."

Scarlett looked at her watch. She would give Rhett at least fifteen minutes to tell Melly what everyone was saying about her husband. Her only regret was that she wasn't going to be there to see Melly's face as she realized that whether it was true or not it was what everyone was saying about her husband. Of course, as Rhett had said – One can't disprove a cheating spouse.

When Rhett entered the parlor, he had a cold face devoid of emotion. Melly looked at Captain Butler and tried to smile as kindly as she could. She said, "Captain Butler, how are you today? How was your trip to Europe?"

Rhett's voice was as cold as ice as he said, "I am fine. Our trip was fine. Scarlett and I have another son. He was born January first. He looks like me, but he has Scarlett's green eyes. I'm sure Scarlett will bring him down for you to see. She is rather fond of her child."

Melly replied in as steady of voice as she could manage, "How wonderful. Yes, I would very much like to see your son."

With Rhett's voice still as cold as ice he said, "I went to the Blue Bird of Happiness last night to play some poker and drink some whiskey. Guess what I heard?"

Priggishly, Melly said, "I would have no idea what you heard?"

With Rhett's ice-cold voice, he said, "I heard that Mr. Wilkes has been seen entering and leaving The Silver Slipper," Rhett paused here to let what he had said sink in. Menacingly and with an expression on his face that scared Melly more than anything else in her entire life had, Rhett continued, "Wasn't that the same place you lied to Scarlett and told her I had been frequenting? Did you know the name of the establishment because your husband has been using it?" Rhett quit speaking and just stared at Melanie Wilkes. Her face was as red as a tomato. He waited for her to deny her lie or her husband had used a brothel. When she didn't, he continued, "Of course, considering your condition it would be understandable. Scarlett will be down in just a minute therefore I will make this quick. You tried to destroy my marriage with Scarlett for your own selfish reasons. I am warning you I am a dangerous man to cross. I will do everything in my power to destroy you and your husband. Believe me I have a lot more power than you ever dreamed of. For example, I own the bank that your husband is a teller at. I can have him fired on my word alone. After I fire him, I will tell everyone he was stealing from the bank. He will never get another job in Atlanta. If by some freak accident he does get another job, then I will use my considerable influence to get him fired from that job also. Rest assured that I will make sure my wife never gives you a penny. Mind my words, Mrs. Wilkes, you have been warned. You mess with me or my sweet Scarlett again then you will feel like the hounds of hell are biting at your heels. Whatever you have heard about me no matter how awful it was, was probably true. I am not one of those weak-willed men you have dealt with all your life. I am not a gentleman. I am a predator of the worst kind. To let you know how much of a predator I am - the last woman who hurt my sweet Scarlett died shortly thereafter. It was not a coincidence. Have I made myself clear?"

A shocked and scared Melanie stuttered out, "Y y yes. P p perfectly clear."

Rhett stood up and said, "Here is Scarlett now with our son."

When Scarlett walked into the room with a sleeping Gerry, she stared at Melly. The woman looked awful. Her face was pale, she was shaking, and she looked like she had sweat on her brow. Melly stood up and said, "I'm so sorry but I have suddenly been taken ill. I must go home. Would you go get Beau for me?"

Scarlett handed Gerry over to Rhett. She didn't want her baby to catch whatever Melly had. She said, "Melly, just leave Beau with us. We will bring him home later. You go home and lay down. You look awful."

"Of course, thank you."

"I will bring Beau home after dinner."

"Thank you."

With that Melly hurried out of the mansion. She got in her buggy and drove down the street until she was out of sight of the mansion. She pulled her buggy over to the side of the road. She made sure to fix the reins. She then started crying. Partly out of fear and partly because she knew her life as she had known it was over. She now knew why she had felt like everyone was laughing at her. They were. She knew that Captain Butler would not tolerate her trying to destroy his life and his marriage. She knew he would not hesitate to kill her if she tried to cause trouble between him and Scarlett again. If she hoped to maintain what little they had, then she would have to never cause the Butlers any trouble. She and Ashley didn't have much but what they had she wanted to maintain. She now knew it would be all they ever had. She would talk Ashley into moving back into Hamilton House. They did not need to maintain two separate households for the sake of appearances. They had not fooled anyone. Everyone knew they were dirt poor and now everyone thought Ashley was a man who would use whores. It didn't get much worse than where she was at. Sadly, she knew this was all they would ever have now. As she had realized all those years ago, Captain Butler was her greater danger. She now knew she had underestimated the man much to her detriment. She had assumed he would behave like a gentleman, but he was no gentleman.