Chapter Seven
When Elizabeth Butler received the letter from Nice, France addressed to Rhett she didn't wait to get permission to open the letter. What she found inside made her sit down and cry. There was a picture inside. A picture of four children. The only one she recognized was Bonnie but she surmised the two older children were Wade and Ella. It was the fourth child that made her cry. She had another grandchild that she may never see. Inside the envelope was also a note that said
April 1872
Dearest Rhett,
This is the result of our night together. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew I would have to leave. Everyone in Atlanta thought I was a whore and if our child looked just like me then there would always be questions about his parentage. It might even get so bad that they would start to question Bonnie's parentage. I may be a bad mother but I was not going to watch my children grow up with everyone considering them bastards. I don't think there is enough money in the world to stop the talk. The Old Guard may have let them into society but there would always be a hint of scandal surrounding them.
The other reason I left is because Melly was willing to rip apart the Hamilton, Wilkes, Burr family for me. I couldn't let her do that. Once I was gone, I hope it all blew over.
He has black hair, green eyes, my features but your smile.
Sincerely,
Scarlett.
After Elizabeth read the note she cried again. She knew what had happened that caused her son to come and stay with her for three months although she had never said a word to her son about it. She had to agree that the child would always be living under a cloud of suspicion. She also knew her son was very much like his father he could be cruel and mean. She knew that Rhett's way of belittling Scarlett was with mocking comments said with a sneer. She knew because that is what Rhett's father had done to his wife and his children. Her husband punished a person for not fulfilling his expectations even though those expectations were never verbalized. Regrettably Elizabeth knew her son had learned that form of punishment from his father.
After a while Mrs. Butler got up and fixed her face and went to see Rhett's attorney. It was sheer chance that the attorney had received a telegram from Rhett telling him Rhett's location; Paris, France.
Mrs. Butler got the name of the hotel and sent Rhett a long telegram. It stated: You have a son STOP He looks to be three months old STOP He looks like Scarlett with green eyes and black hair STOP She sent a picture STOP She was afraid people would question his parentage always. STOP
When she gave it to the telegraph operator he said, "This is a long message."
Mrs. Butler said, "Yes, it is. It needs to be sent right away. I will wait while you send it. Can I get a confirmation of receipt?"
The telegraph operator read the message and said, "Yes ma'am. Please wait over there."
Later after Elizabeth Butler left the telegraph office, she wondered how much brandy was in the swoon bottle because she was going to need a drink or two.
Rhett Butler was wondering almost the same thing. How much whisky was in the bottle? If he had stayed everyone would believe he believed his wife but by leaving everyone believed he didn't believe his wife's story. And he had known what he was doing. Worst his entire marriage he had treated her badly. He had treated her exactly like his father had treated his mother. He had sworn he would never do that but that hadn't stopped him. He really had been a lousy husband and he could not excuse himself anymore by saying she was a lousy wife or she deserved it because of the way she had hurt him. He was going to have a couple of shots and go to bed. He was not going to get drunk because he needed to be clear headed while he was looking for clues.
The next morning, he took the train to Nice, France. He found was where his wife and family had been living for the last nine months. Everyone he talked to told him how nice the family was except for the son who seemed a little anxious all the time. The girls were lovely and fun playmates with their children. The sisters were always nice to everyone and very appreciative of everyone's help. No, there was never any men at the cottage. A few men had tried to court either one of the sisters and they were quickly sent on their way. Nobody knew where they had gone. They didn't even say good bye. One day the neighbors saw all their belongings in a wagon heading to the dock and the older sister told them they were going home. There was a family emergency. Rhett checked the cottage hoping they had left something behind but the cottage was spotless. As he was walking away a young man came up to Rhett and told him the he had information that might be helpful. Rhett was sure this was a shake down but he gave the young man a dollar equivalent in francs. The young man said, "They got on a ship to Boston. And you might check with the photographer. The family had their pictures taken a couple of times."
Rhett decided that was worth a dollar and thanked the young man. He walked to the photographer's shop. Rhett explained that he was looking for his missing family. The two American sisters and their children. Rhett asked the man, "Would you have any photographs of the family you didn't give to them?"
The photographer said, 'No!" rather quickly and he was acting very nervous. The skill that had enabled Rhett to read other poker players quickly rose to the surface and he knew the man was lying.
Rhett said, "Because if you did, I good make it very financially rewarding."
The photographer quickly sized Rhett up and decided he could make some money off this dumb American. He said, "I have one. It will cost you five dollars."
Rhett gave his sinister smile and said, "Let me see the picture."
The photographer produced a picture of Scarlett sitting on a stool. Scarlett was in profile in the picture and her features were obscured because there was a shadow on her face but clearly, she was a woman with child. To Rhett it was the most beautiful picture. He had never seen Scarlett that serene or calm. In the pictures of them before Scarlett always looked ready to jump up the minute the photographer said, "Done." Rhett gave him the five dollars and said, "Do you have any others?"
Regrettably the photographer shook his head no. The photographer thought 'I could have made a fortune on the stupid American' if I still had the negatives but Miss Brown demanded I give them to her.
Rhett stood up and walked out of the shop and back to his hotel room. He would start searching again tomorrow. He wanted to go back to his room and stare at the picture. Scarlett didn't know the photographer had taken her picture. She would never had allowed her picture to be taken with her being that large. But to Rhett who had always thought Scarlett was more beautiful when she was pregnant the photograph was priceless. It would do him no good in tracking her down but he didn't care.
Early the next morning he inquired when the next ship was going back to the United States. He was informed there was a ship leaving for Boston late the next day. Rhett booked his passage and returned to questioning the acquaintances of the sisters. He found it strange that everyone spoke of Scarlett's great love for her children. She always had at least one of them with her and usually all of them. He asked the people for a description of the sister and was told she was plain, with brown eyes and brown hair and her name was Andi Baker. Andi was the one who made all the decisions. Rhett finally understood that the neighbors didn't think they were sisters but had a different type of relationship. Rhett almost laughed out loud. Scarlett in her naivety would not even know of such a relationship so she would be perfect for this Andi person.
Now Rhett definitely knew Scarlett had help escaping but where had she met this woman. Rhett would have been amazed to know that he had talked with Andi every day for two years and didn't even remember her existence even when given her name.
Rhett spent six weeks in Boston looking for any kind of a clue as to where his wife had gone. Nobody knew anything, not the porters at the docks or at the railroad, not the hotel clerks, not the agents for rentals. Again, it was like she disappeared off the face of the earth. One of the people Rhett had talked to was a porter on the railroad and he remembered the woman with the wart on her nose. He had known it was a fake immediately and wondered who she was running away from. She was a pretty little thing even though she was pregnant and it was obvious that she and that man were not married to each other. The children were all so well behaved and polite. No, he wasn't going to tell that big, rich arrogant man anything. The odds were already stacked against the little lady. All the laws were in his favor and he thought his money could buy him anything. He knew awful things happened behind closed doors. His mother had been a victim of his father's abuse. Luckily his father had died in a drunken bar room brawl just when he had gotten this job and was able to support both his mother and his family.
Rhett went back to Charleston. They had been gone over a year. He sometimes wondered about Bonnie and if she still remembered him. He wondered how Scarlett had gotten her to behave so well. Everyone in France had talked about how well-behaved and polite Scarlett's children were. He had specifically asked about the youngest daughter. They would smile and say she was well-behaved although the little girl was awfully bossy. That made Rhett smile in a sad sort of way. Scarlett had tamed Bonnie but hadn't broken her spirit. How did Scarlett deal with Bonnie asking for him all the time? Probably better than he had dealt with Bonnie asking for Scarlett all the time. He contacted the Pinkerton Agency and told them to investigate in Boston. He would go home and write her another letter. Maybe he could convince her through words to come home.
When he got to his mother's house in Charleston the first thing, he wanted to see was the picture then the letter. He read the letter and reread it. She was right. Their son would always be whispered about and it probably would have spread to the gossips questioning Bonnie's parentage. He stared at the picture of his children. He had made such a mess of his marriage and his relationship with Scarlett. She had played her part for sure but he was the one who had punished her for things she hadn't known she had done. Yes. She had rarely considered anyone else's feelings but he had known she was that way. He would right her another letter. If she considered him her friend maybe she would let him back into her life but for now he just wanted to stare at her picture.