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

Chapter Thirteen

The next morning at nine o'clock the bottom fell out of Rhett Butler's world. Into the courtroom walked an attractive woman with red hair and tastefully applied make-up. She was wearing an extremely sophisticated dress. Almost as tasteful as Scarlett's dress, which actually wasn't that surprising. Scarlett had gotten the dress for her because no dressmaker in Atlanta would accept Belle's business. Scarlett had gotten Belle's measurements and her choice of color which was yellow. Scarlett had selected the dress style and the fabric. Although Scarlett found most material that was deemed suitable for a lady bland and boring, she knew what was proper and what wasn't. That was how her clothes were always just this side of tasteful. Of course, not anymore. All her clothes were tasteful by any one's standards these days. Bland and boring but tasteful.

Scarlett had given the dress to Belle while they were at the cemetery. One of the girls was skilled with a needle and had made the final adjustments for Belle. When the girl had asked her about the dress, Belle had winked and said, "One of my customers wanted to pretend he is having relations with his wife."

The girl had sighed and said, "Far too many want to pretend that dream."

"Indeed."

Belle looked to be thirty-five, which surprised Rhett because he had always thought she was at least forty-five. Rhett had thought that because that was part of men's image of a madame. A dried-up old whore. Therefore, Belle had skillfully with the proper make-up made herself look older.

As Rhett looked at Belle, if he hadn't known better, he would have thought her a very proper lady.

Scarlett's lawyer got up and greeted the woman. The woman that Rhett had taken for granted. The woman he had called a stupid, illiterate whore to her face on more than one occasion. The woman whose feelings he had never been concerned about. The woman that was going to enable Scarlett to get a divorce.

Rhett leaned forward and said to his lawyer, "Ask her if she is getting paid for her testimony."

Stephen stood up and said, "To protect my witness's privacy can we clear the courtroom."

Because of his frustration and anger, Rhett stood up and said, "What privacy? She is a whore."

Judge Mitchell said, "Mr. Darrow, control your client."

Clarence stood up and pulled Rhett down to his chair. He hissed, "You are making things worse. You just admitted that you know the woman and that you know what her profession is. Sit down and shut up. Let me try to get you out of this mess."

Mr. Cavalier had led Belle through her testimony. He had asked all the appropriate questions in an extremely delicate manner so as not to embarrass anyone in the courtroom. To Rhett's surprise, Belle had used a lot of euphemisms. What Rhett found surprising was that the judge didn't make her say the actual words.

When Clarence had tried to make Belle say the actual words, Judge Mitchell had said, "Mr. Darrow, remember we have a lady present."

By the time Belle had finished testifying there was no doubt that the woman had been intimate with Rhett. She had even described the scar on Rhett's stomach. Clarence asked, "How can you describe the scar so vividly?"

Belle dryly said, "I got a good look at it many times."

Which despite all his years of debauchery had made Rhett blush. The judge and Stephen had been appalled. Scarlett had not understood why Belle's statement had made Rhett blush then she remembered what he had made her do to him that night and she blushed also.

The judge seeing Mrs. Butler's discomfort, not to mention his own, said, "Move along, Mr. Darrow."

Clarence tried to make the judge believe that yes, the woman had been intimate with his client, but it was before his client had gotten married. To this Belle had said, "The first time we were intimate after his marriage was after Mrs. Butler told Rhett she didn't want any more children. Although I will never know why he didn't just suggest using preventatives."

With that statement everyone in the courtroom had stared at Rhett, even Scarlett. With everyone staring at him, Rhett knew that afternoon he had jumped to the wrong conclusion. Probably not the first time and certainly not the last time.

Scarlett had figured out from the use of the word 'preventatives' that there were at least two ways to prevent making a child which made her mad at Rhett once again for getting her with child.

Belle was an incredibly good witness. Nothing Clarence said got her to change her story. Nothing rattled her. Nothing embarrassed her. After all she was a whore. She was not intimidated by Clarence. She had stared down murderers before. Men who would be happy to slit her throat for no more reason than they wanted to see her bleed.

As Belle walked out of the courtroom, Rhett looked over at Scarlett and for once she was looking at him. There was such a look of triumph on her face that he wanted to say something, anything to wipe that look off her face. Rhett loudly said, "I didn't think you could stoop any lower than to be friends with the Scallawags and Yankees but now I see you are friends with a whore."

Judge Mitchell banged on his gavel and said, "Contempt of court. After we are finished here, Mr. Butler, you will pay the court clerk a hundred dollar fine."

"No, I will not."

"Two hundred dollars."

Clarence stood up and said, "Yes, Your Honor, my client will take care of it as soon as court is dismissed."

The lawyer turned to his client and said, "Don't say another damn word as long as you are in this court room. You are making your situation worse. If you would talk to your wife in public like that, what would you say in private."

Rhett nodded his head. He looked over at Scarlett and she had a smug, triumphant look on her face.

In truth, Rhett knew that Scarlett had earned that feeling of triumph and smugness. He had lost control and showed the court if not the world what an ass he could be. Furthermore, she had taken his most loyal supporter and had turned her against him. Just like when he had gotten Miss Melly to help him trick Scarlett into selling her mills. Rhett knew that Scarlett had given Belle the dignity that she had always wanted. The dignity that she had always deserved.

As soon as Rhett could leave the courthouse, he went to The Painted Lady. Rhett surveyed the bar and did not see Belle in the main room. He immediately walked to the door of Belle's office/bedroom when he heard Moses, the bartender, say, "She's not in there. In fact, I think she left town."

"Why do you think that?"

"She rushed in here a little bit before dinner. She did not look like herself. It took me a minute to recognize her. She went into her office and came out with a trunk. She hollered at Wilford to get her a cab. She turned to me and said, 'Give me everything in the cash drawer.' After I did, she said, "Congratulations, you are the new owner of The Painted Lady. I put your name on the owner line, but I have forgotten your last name.' I said 'Thibodeaux.' She said, 'Fill it in here.' I said, 'Belle, I can't read or write.' She had smiled and said, 'Get Rhett to fill it in when he gets here.' I said, 'What?' She smiled and said, 'I don't have time to explain. I'm leaving town this very morning. I'm going home. Bye.' I said, 'Wait! An old man dropped this envelope off to you.' She took the envelope and looked inside. She smiled a really big smile. At that time Wilford hollered that the cab had arrived. He got her trunk and the next thing I knew she was gone. How did she know you were coming by?"

Rhett smiled, "I told her I was coming by. Do you have an inkwell? It must be filled in with ink."

"I guess. You can check in Belle's office. Well, I guess it is my office. I almost forgot she said to tell you that she left you a note on her desk."

Rhett walked into what once was Belle's office. He picked up the letter. The only thought that crossed his mind was, 'I guess Belle knows how to read and write.'

He read the note and laughed.

Dear my irritating, arrogant, blind, conceited former partner,

You thought all women loved you. Not me. You thought I couldn't read and write just because I was a whore. Not me. You thought I was ignorant. No, in fact, I am quite smart. I worked as a whore because it was good money. Jobs for women are teacher, washer woman, seamstress, or whore. The whore makes three times as much money as the other three combined. I was about to get out of the business when you offered me this partnership. I said yes because I knew I could make even more money and I would only have to service you. I already knew that you would expect that to be one of your perks of the partnership. And you did. You didn't even make a token gesture to offer to pay. Of course, with your ego I bet you thought I should pay you for giving me such a great time in the bed.

I will credit you with being a great lover but the pudding head that you were didn't show Scarlett the joys of her marital bed. I feel sure if you had she wouldn't have said a word to you about not wanting any more children. She damn sure wouldn't have been thinking about anyone else but you.

My father was a lawyer and my mother a very proper woman. A wonderful man introduced me to the joys of relations, and I was hooked ever since. Unfortunately, good lovers are few and far between, but I have amassed a fortune from the work.

I am going out west where I can live a quiet life of respectability with my son. I will take my mother with me also if she wants to go.

Goodbye Jackass. May you roast in hell,

Not a Stupid, Illiterate whore.

He said aloud, "Definitely not a stupid, illiterate whore. I was hoisted by my own petard. Yes, my dear Mrs. Watling, you are so much more than I ever thought you were. And in my arrogance and egoism, I never looked below the surface. I am afraid I made the same mistake with Scarlett. Never looked below the surface to what a complicated woman she truly was."

As Rhett flashed through his memories of Belle, he remembered the times that she had done something or said something that made him think she was more than an illiterate whore, but he had immediately dismissed it and kept Belle in the place he had allotted her in his mind. He was finding out that Scarlett wasn't as stupid as he had always thought she was either. She had simply been uneducated.

Rhett grabbed the inkwell and the pen. He had known right where they would be. He stopped. How many times had he been in this room and never registered the quill or the inkwell? He now remembered they had always been sitting right there.

Rhett filled in the form for Moses and said, "You need to get someone to teach you how to read and do the sums."

"I can do the sums."

"I will come by these first few days to teach you how to do the books."

"Thank you, Mr. Butler."

As Rhett walked back to the hotel he thought, 'I don't have anything else to do. Just wait for the judge to end my marriage. Damn, but I have to get her back. I just don't know how.'

A few hours later, Rhett wondered how Scarlett and Belle had met. How they had been able to put their animosity aside and even started talking, much less become friends? He had thought they hated each other too much for that because of their jealousy over him. He also wondered why Belle had done Scarlett the favor of testifying in court about his and her intimate relationship. He certainly would have been hurt if he had known the two ladies had bonded over their mutual hatred of him. He would also have been hurt to know that Belle had been happy if not eager to testify against him in a court and ruin his chances of winning the court case.

Author's Notes: 'To be hoisted by my own petard' is from Hamlet. It means to be hurt by one's own schemes.