The servants of the Butler mansion were usually the first awake in the colossal house on Peachtree Street. Many things were in need of being done before the masters of the house woke up. Cooking breakfast for the family was the first on the list of tasks. Breakfast needed to be on the table waiting when Mister Rhett and the children came down. Miss Scarlett usually took her breakfast later in the day. She had a tendency to sleep later than the rest of her family.
While the cook was in the kitchen preparing the meal, everyone else would work together to get everything else ready for the day. Mammy would set the table. Pork would ready the house depending on the seasons, whether by opening windows to allow some summer air to refresh the stifling mansion, or by starting a fire in the parlor and the dining room to ward off the cold in the winter. Rhett's horses would be readied, for Mister Rhett could have a mind to leave at any time. The household knew that it was in Mister Rhett's nature to be slightly unpredictable. Miss Scarlett's carriage would be readied for when she left the house in the late morning to run her errands. All the while, the nursemaid was readying the nursery for the children.
The servants knew their masters and they knew what they liked and what they needed. They knew the Butler's gargantuan mansion from top to bottom and knew everything that needed to be done to keep it looking its most grandiose. And they knew the family that they lived for and worked for.
And in knowing this family so well, no one expected to be awakened right at dawn by Miss Scarlett herself.
Mammy was appalled. Imagine her lamb coming down to the servant's quarters in her condition: clutching a half-donned gown to her form, asking Mammy to dress her. Her lamb! In the servant's quarters of her own house, half dressed! Miss Ellen would be turning in her grave to see this! What was Miss Scarlett doing up anyway? She never got up before the sun was mid-way in the sky.
Mammy asked her. That's none of your business! You just fix the dress and let me worry about what I am doing awake!
Mammy knew Scarlett. She had taken care of her and her sisters since they were tots. Mammy had fed her and changed her when she was a baby. She had bandaged up her scrapes and bruises when she was a little girl always playing far too roughly with the boys of the county. She had watched her grow into a clever young woman, who knew just how to tilt her head to draw the attention of any lad within a mile radius. And she had watched her become the hard businesswoman that she was today, who had scrimped and saved to keep her family alive and now basked in the result of her efforts. She knew when Scarlett was upset or happy. Or sad. Scarlett was an open-book.
And Mammy knew that now her lamb was frantic.
Mammy carefully dressed Scarlett, all the while scolding her and telling her that she should have called rather than sneaking down in the servant's quarters of the house like a cat and she begged her to go back up stairs to let her dress her. She even tried to sweet talk her. Why's ma lamb don here wid' all dis riff-raff wen she should be up dar in her nice preddy bed sleeping wid da angel's in her head?
Scarlett refused to listen to any of it and hastened her on. After Mammy finished dressing her, Scarlett immediately ordered her to tell Pork to go and saddle her horse. The old woman wasn't having any of that. Imagine Miss Ellen's daughter gallivanting around Atlanta when the sun wasn't even past the clouds. On horseback! Mammy refused at first. When Scarlett looked at her, her eyes were wild. She demanded that Mammy get Pork to ready the horse. She was shocked. Scarlett had always been a spitfire, but her eyes looked untamed. Feral. As if she had been some wild animal, finally released from captivity only to be captured again.
Pork readied the horse and Scarlett was gone in an instant. Mammy was left to ponder what had happened to make her lamb so upset as the servants, now awake, got started on their morning duties.
Mammy found herself even more perplexed concerning Scarlett's behavior when she saw Mister Rhett that morning. He was in the best spirits she had seen him in for quite some time. He practically skipped down the stairs, the tiny bundle that was his daughter in his arms, and jovially greeted everyone. He saluted Mammy with a cheeky grin. Mammy chuckled at his audacious personality.
That morning Rhett sat at breakfast with the children and laughed and played with them for nearly an hour. Mammy was pleased to see the laughter and happiness on the faces of Scarlett's two oldest. They seemed so somber for two children their age.
After Rhett and Wade had finished what was one of their many butter-knife sword fights, Rhett turned to Mammy and asked where Scarlett was. Mammy's mind had drifted from her lamb's unusual departure that morning upon being bombarded with the merriment of the house. Mammy quickly answered that Scarlett had left earlier that morning to take care of some business. Rhett simply chuckled and focused again on the children. Mammy noticed Mister Rhett's eyes, as she had Scarlett's that morning. His eyes had taken on the look of a convict that had been set free after years of imprisonment. Reckless. Unguarded.
Mister Rhett must have not noticed Mammy's hesitation or her perplexed expression, because he continued to laugh with the children as she left the breakfast room.
The town of Atlanta had changed within the past few years, though the old society of the city tried their damnedest to keep it as much like it was before. Though many new comers had tried to offer friendship to Atlanta's initial citizens, the Yankee riff-raff was rejected at all costs.
The Old Guard dies but it never surrenders.*
And in the tight-knit society of former Confederates, the ones shunned the most were the ones who had turned from their loyalties and united with the Yankees. And no other couple was more rebuffed in their excommunication than that of Rhett and Scarlett Butler.
And no one was more intriguing either.
Rhett Butler's name had always carried intrigue and inscrutability with it, but now that name also included a wife and a house. And a beautiful baby girl, who they were told was lavished upon with adoration by her parents, particularly her father. The citizens of Atlanta couldn't help but wonder with morbid curiosity what the family did up there in their house on that hill on Peachtree Street.
But however curious about the treacherous couple, Mrs. Merriwether would never offer a salutation to Rhett Butler whenever he greeted her on the street. It seemed that anytime that she was walking down the street and Rhett Butler was riding by, he would tip his hat to her or smile that impudent grin that made her feel unsafe though in a crowd of people.
The first time he had done this, Mrs. Merriwether had glared at him in shock at his presumptuous behavior, and continued to walk in a huff. After that, she merely tried to ignore him, or pretend that he wasn't there at all.
On this particular morning, that was not the case. While Captain Butler never had dared to speak to her before, he had the audacity to do it now. "Good Morning, Mrs. Merriwether. Fine weather today, is it not?" he had said as he tipped his hat.
Well, what was the woman to do in good Christian spirit but to acknowledge the rogue? She nodded stiffly while muttering a barely audible, "Indeed". As she walked away, she was surprised to hear laughter behind her.
The clerk of Kennedy's General Store was greeted by Captain Butler that morning, as well. The poor man was surprised and a little more than anxious when Captain Butler walked through the door of the store. He had only ever seen Mrs. Butler's husband once before, and he wasn't sure whether he had much to do with the business. Not wanting to be scolded for doing an inadequate job, he hastily fumbled with the papers in his hands as he shakily welcomed Captain Butler to the store. When asked if there was anything that he needed assistance with, Rhett threw back his head and laughed, and congratulated the man on his apt patron skills. "Mrs. Butler would be proud, no doubt." And though Rhett words were laced with sarcasm, the clerk visibly eased.
Captain Butler had merely wanted to know if Scarlett was at the store. Upon telling Captain Butler that he had not seen Mrs. Butler, Captain Butler tipped his hat jovially and took his leave.
Johnnie Gallegher had also seen Mrs. Butler's husband that day. Captain Butler had shown up at the mill in a cheerful mood, looking to see if Mrs. Butler had been there. Johnnie answered. No, he had not seen Mrs. Butler. Captain Butler had merely tipped his hat to him and left just as quickly as he had come.
Ashley Wilkes had seen Captain Butler that day as well. He had been working arduously over the books that Scarlett had corrected for him just the day before, trying to keep the numbers in order. He had never been good with numbers, being one more prone towards literature as a young man. And now he wondered what had ever made him believe that he could have survived as a banker even if he had moved up North with his darling wife and son.
Placing the pencil gently on the table before rising from the desk, Ashley wandered over to the window on the other side of the room. When he caught sight of Rhett Butler riding up on horseback, his first reaction was disgrace. He remembered the things that he had said to Scarlett months before about her husband. Shameful things that a married man should never say to another married woman, especially when one knew of the outstanding sentiments that had yet been settled between the two. His second reaction was that of fear. For though he assumed Captain Butler to be an irresponsible, reckless man, he did not believe him to be ignorant. Ashley's first assumption was that he was here to call him out.
Quickly putting the absurd thought from his mind, Ashley hurried to the door to meet Rhett outside. Rhett rode his horse right up to Ashley and tipped his hat to him. "Mr. Wilkes."
"Good Morning, Captain Butler. It's a nice morning for a ride. What can I help you with?"
"Indeed it is," Rhett spoke, and Ashley thought that his smile looked more like a jeer. "I was wondering if you had seen my wife."
Ashley tried not to assume things but he couldn't help but sense the possessiveness in the choice of Rhett's words. It felt more like Rhett was claiming what was his, rather than simply asking Ashley if he had seen her.
"I haven't Captain Butler. Not since yesterday." Ashley stated, peering up at Rhett through squinted eyes. It was almost noon, he aimlessly thought as Rhett thanked him and rode off. Ashley couldn't help but notice the smirk that had settled on Rhett's face as he galloped away, leaving him in a trail of dust.
Many of Atlanta's citizens had spotted Captain Butler that day. Some who had seen him that morning had noticed his unusually jovial manner. Those who had seen him again that afternoon noticed a difference in his expression. While this morning he had been carefree, this afternoon he appeared to be searching and a little worried.
Mrs. Merriwether had seen him, to her misfortune, a second time that day. When she had seen him, she had quickly diverted her attention, hoping to spare herself the embarrassment of another awkward greeting. But Captain Butler's greeting never came. He seemed intent as he rode by her on the street, his mood having almost completely shifted from the jovial, impetuous man of this morning.
The most baffled of all was Mammy. When Mister Rhett had stormed through the doors of the house that afternoon demanding that he be informed as soon as Miss Scarlett arrived, Mammy had nodded dumbly with a "Yes suh".
Mister Rhett went to the nursery to sit with the baby, and didn't come down again until supper.
The children arrived downstairs that evening and upon seeing their Uncle they had cheered and yelled, remembering with rapture the great fun that they had had that morning. But though Uncle Rhett was just as nice as he always was, this night he did not butter-knife sword fight with Wade, or pretend that he was a prince and Ella was a beautiful princess. The children were disappointed. Where had the Uncle Rhett from this morning gone?
After supper was over, Mammy had ordered the children up the stairs. Rhett followed them and headed straight for his daughter's bassinet when he reached the nursery. After reading the baby a story and gently placing a kiss on her forehead, Rhett left the room and headed downstairs once again.
When Mammy had hustled her way back down the stairs after the children were asleep, the sun had since gone down, leaving just the barest trace of daylight in the sky. Mammy was frenzied with worry and scolding Miss Scarlett in her head for being so late getting home. As she walked past the dining room door, which was partially ajar, she peeked in to see Mister Rhett taking a nightcap. She asked if he needed anything, and he merely nodded "no" as he continued to sip his nightcap.
A half an hour later, Miss Scarlett arrived home to the wrath that was Mammy. As Mammy helped her inside and ordered Pork to go and take her horse, she harassed Scarlett with every thought that she had been thinking since the sun went down. You's Miz Ellen's daughta! An' I can't 'magine wat Miz Ellen wud say to Ol' Mammy was she's ta see ya now! Gallavantin' all over 'Lanta like's a Yankee girl on hawseback all day, and not showin' hide na tail 'til afta da sun dun went down from da sky…
Mammy continued to go on, even as Miss Scarlett shushed her. Once Miss Scarlett started to make her way up the stairs towards her room, Mammy saw her eyes shift to the dining room door. Mammy looked too and saw Mister Rhett looking at Miss Scarlett keenly as he leaned casually against the door jam. When Mammy looked back at her mistress, Scarlett had already turned to make her way up the stairs.
Mister Rhett's eyes followed her all the way up.