It was more than just a little reluctantly that Eleanor Butler led her daughter in law to Dunmore Landing that New Years Eve. The evening was balmy; the night air as they approached the old house was scented with the flowers that had been brought in from the greenhouses that had survived the onslaught of the Yankees at the nearby plantation of Ashley Barony. She was eagerly anticipating seeing the old house resurrected to at least some of its former glory and glamour. Even now in the soft moonlight she could see that a lot of work had been done on the façade. The worst scorch marks that had been left the by the war had been healed.
Despite of this it was still with some trepidation and hesitant steps that she had embarked on their short trip there from the town.
The reason for this lay in the surprising late night visit she had received from her son the night before. A visit that had ended all too abruptly, when Rhett had stormed out of the house after discovering, that his own wife, the younger Mrs. Butler was sleeping soundly in one of the upstairs bedrooms. His very own bedroom in fact, not – she thought - that it would have made a lot of difference had Scarlett only been allowed a humble sleeping quarter in the humblest corner of the house. His reaction would most likely had been the same.
She had found his departure rather childish, but also sensed that it came from a deep sense of betrayal that he felt at her for having Scarlett in the house against his will. Even if he had never openly said that he had left his wife, he had not encourage her coming there openly either. Betrayal she feared, because he had felt trapped by her in the same way that he had felt trapped by his father who had always tried to manipulate and force him to take the proper path as dictated by society rules. And also, it showed her that the problems between him and Scarlett ran deeper than she had in any way anticipated.
She had been so sure in her instinct that Rhett dearly missed his wife, and that she was the one who could heal him completely from all the misfortune of the past years, and perhaps also the scars that his untimely departure from his childhood home had given him.
She still had faith in her son's feelings for Scarlett, but whether it had been a wise move to encourage the girl to come, as she had indirectly done, she now was less sure of.
She had all day contemplated whether to tell Scarlett of Rhett's late night visit the evening before and his hasty exit. But in the end she had decided against it. A choice she was now as they were now on the brink of her son's doorstep on the verge of regretting.
Didn't Scarlett deserve to be forewarned of a possible less than warm welcome?
Rhett she knew had felt utterly deceived by her housing Scarlett, and had been so barking mad that she feared that he wouldn't even be able to act politely to Scarlett.
Well nothing much to do about it now.
She just hoped that the two peacocks wouldn't cause too much of a scene.
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Scarlett straightened her back and tilted her chin to a perfect 90 degree angel to her long neck. She felt shaky on the inside but would rather die than let the world know of her distress. Without a backward glance or any further acknowledgement of her mother in law walking next to her she set foot on the pathway leading up to the candlelit ballroom.
Instead of using the normal entrance to the house that could just be seen to their left a special gateway had been created to let the guests enter the ballroom. A large baldachin had been raised and decorated with floral ornaments and several lengths of a shimmering dark cloth that made it look almost like an enchanted portal to a different world. Scarlett sincerely hoped that this gateway would prove to be the door to a different world, a new life for her.
The day had up till now been an emotional see-saw ride, one minute feeling sure of the successful outcome of her endeavour while the next moment she felt uncertainty and fear of defeat sneak up on her, almost overcoming her with an urge to stick her tail between her legs and flee the city, not wanting to risk her heart being trampled on yet again.
In the end, despite her doubt and the inward tremble she had felt at the coming evening, she didn't flee. True to herself she didn't shy away, and as she got ready for the ball she even felt a twinge of excitement just at the thought of being allowed to dance again. She didn't remember the last time she had done that...
She had brought a brand new ball gown, however remembering Rhett's aversion to the frills and laces that she thought so becoming, she had let her Atlanta seamstress have free hands with the creation. And though simple and elegant in the cut she couldn't help but feel that she looked amazing. She had admired her own appearance for a length of time, that , had she been present, surely would have earned her a chastising remark from Mammy about vanity, but the old lady wasn't around, and so Scarlett had indulged herself, and practised her small but dazzling smiles that she had mastered so well in her younger days.
A thought that now gave her pleasure, no matter what the outcome of the evening would be at least she would not look like a lost jilted wife. She would look and act like the true lady she had always wanted to be, and if Rhett acted like a dog. At least this time she would have the crowds on her side, unlike the way things had turned out in Atlanta. Well, no time to think about that – she smiled to her self, and stopped abruptly. They had reached the actual entrance to the ballroom.
Her eyes scanned the room, searching for Rhett but failing to locate him. Instead she allowed herself to take in the beauty of the room. Even her untrained eyes could admire the beautiful architectural proportions of the room, the high ceiling and tall windows on either side, indicating that the ballroom spanned the entire width of the house, gilded mirrors on the far wall elongated the room, so that it seemed even wider. Had Scarlett been learned in history and architecture she would have likened it to the hall of mirrors at the castle that had been the French royal palace, Versailles. She estimated that at least 25 couples could be waltzing in the room at one time, making it even larger than the ballroom at Twelve Oaks which had to so far been the largest private ballroom she had been in, and therefore her measurement stock against what, other would be compared.
The sense of magic and mystery that had been the theme at the entrance to the ball also dominated the atmosphere in the ballroom and its decorations, giving Scarlett hope that perhaps tonight really anything was possible – and that wishes might come true. Floral decorations had been skilfully placed between each of the tall windows and through the garden entrance into the ballroom shimmering fairy lights could be seen luring people out in the night air for a light stroll in between the dances.
Though they had arrived early the first couples were already taking to floor, letting themselves be swept away by the music.
Tonight it seemed like everybody wanted to put away the worries of the past years, forget that war and loss had hit their homes, and that the world they now inhabited was no longer solely guided by the rules set by their society. Everybody, or so it seemed, had put on their finest dress. The jewellery that had been buried in the furthers and deepest corners of the families gardens during the war had been polished and repaired and now shone and glittered from the light of the myriad of candles that lit up the room. Some gowns were, if you looked closer, mended and far from new, but nobody noticed and nobody glared if people had splurged and bought a new dress. This was a night for enjoyment and indulgence, which meant that just a little bit of extravagance, could be allowed. After all the restoration of Dunmore Landing was an important and significant milestone for most of the guests present.
Scarlett cast a sideways glance at Eleanor, who in return gave her a small smile accompanied by a twinkle in her eye that told Scarlett that Rhett's mother had the same experience as she. A glimpse of a world long past.
"It's amazing isn't it" Eleanor's voice had a tremor to it as she spoke, and she sounded a little bit out of breath which couldn't be justified by their short walk. Scarlett suddenly realised that this was probably the first time since the war that Eleanor had been at Dunmore Landing, at least after it had been resurrected from its ashes. The twinkle in her eye that Scarlett had noticed just before might as well had been a small tear of joy mixed with sadness in remembrance of what had been lost.
Without thinking Scarlett leaned in and gave Eleanor and awkward one armed hug around the shoulders to let her know that she understood the older woman's feelings. After all, Scarlett loved Tara and had been devastated by its ruin and equally joyous to see it come back to life under Will's loving hands. Even if it wasn't and never had been as splendid a place as the Landing, at least it hadn't succumbed to the trials of war unlike so many other places, and in that she took immense pride and comfort.
"It is, it really is" Scarlett put emphasis on each word, to best convey her feelings to Eleanor.
Eleanor patted Scarlett's arm and winked at her.
"You must be dying to go dancing my dear" Eleanor had noticed how Scarlett had hummed bits of a waltzing tune and tapped a few steps with her foot on their way out from town.
"But first" she paused for the briefest second
"We have to locate the host and his sister and ask them if they need help" she looked Scarlett straight in the eye as she said the last sentence. Tying to see if she could force some sort of give away reaction out of her daughter in law.
It was at this point in time that Rhett Butler chose to make his entrance into the ballroom. He had been in the front hall sorting out some last minute preparations with the servants.
He of course knew that Scarlett would be at the ball, until last night he had only suspected but after last night he had naturally known for sure. Still he gave a jolt pausing mid stride when he spotted her standing with his mother right at the entrance, looking all homey and comfortable with the older woman at her arm.
How beautiful she looked, he took a moment to take in her appearance. He knew that his mother and his wife could not see him from where he was standing, so he felt the right to steal a moment to just admire her.
It was a long time since she had looked as beautiful as she did tonight. Her dark her was twisted into long thick ropes, edging their way op from her neck, allowing the black curls spill down at the side, in a way that looked carless yet elegant, but most likely had taken hours for Scarlett's poor maid to construct, revealing glimpses of the beautiful curve of her neck. For a moment he let himself remember, those rare moments where she had willingly let him trace its line with his hands and bury his head in his curls. He shook his head, and let his eyes wander further.
She was wearing an amazing gown. Not something that looked like anything she would normally have chosen for herself. The simple elegance rather looked like something he would have chosen for her, he though dryly, yet he was sure he didn't recognise so it couldn't be an old model brought back to glory. The colour of it was an unidentifiable shimmering shade of green with blue tones. It changed with every movement she made depending on how the light was caught. From lighter green tones, to something that was deeper almost the same colour as the ocean.
He was about to move forward with a friendly greeting when Scarlett put her arm around his mother's shoulders and squeezed them lightly in an intimate gesture. The tiny motion was all it took for the emotions of the previous night to well up, and his face that moments before had been almost open and inviting, a small smile lurking at the edge of his eyes, clouded over and his face became his trademark unreadable mask.
After he had stormed from his mother house as if the fires of hell were on his feet, driven by an uncontrollable anger, he had walked the streets of Charleston. Trying to calm down, and regain some measure of control over him self. He had been so angry that hadn't he left his mothers house as quickly as he did, he was afraid that he would have smashed something or hurt someone, just to find an outlet. Instead his legs carried him, one long step at the time through the sleeping streets of Charleston. For once he didn't pause to admire the beauty of the old town and its many carefully designed houses.
He didn't understand why he had been so angry just by learning of Scarlett's presence in his mother's house. After all he had wanted her to come to Charleston and to be at the ball, so why was it so much worse for her to stay at his old childhood home compared to staying with her aunts or just showing up at the ball?
Perhaps, he had felt like his Mothers house was his haven and safe place, and having her there uninvited, somehow left less room for him there. Also, by his mother taking Scarlett under her wing she clearly showed the whole town that she approved of his bond with Scarlett, and if he couldn't reconcile with Scarlett it would be a damn sight more difficult for him to gain the sympathy of the town he so desperately needed to be able to help his mother and stay in Charleston.
Women and their meddling ways, he had cursed his mother under his breath, why couldn't she have left him to sort out his own mess.
He felt that his hands were now forced, and he hated not having the liberty to follow his own mind. Whenever people previously had tried making him follow a certain path, the most likely outcome had been for him to walk in the opposite direction.
He had wanted to meet Scarlett with an open mind to be able to figure out his own feelings, and whether he could endure another ride on the merry-go-round with her, not having lot of expectations dragged down over him.
He hated feeling trapped, and trapped he had felt standing there in his mothers living room, knowing that his wife slept just a few feet away.
It was a completely illogical reaction, which also made him mad at himself, as he knew that his kind hearted mother had probably only done what she felt was best for him. For in his hearts of hearts he knew for certain that his mother had no other things on her agenda than a genuine wish for his happiness.
After several hours of mad stalking around he had also come to realise and accept this, and had it not been so late at night then, he would have walked straight to Eleanor Butlers house offering her a sincere apology for his unacceptable behaviour.
However it had been late, to late to do any such things, instead he had resolved to be on his best behaviour this evening and meet Scarlett with his best behaviour and his mother with a deep felt apology and a plea of forgiveness.
All those good intention though, were momentarily forgotten as he saw the closeness between his parent and his wife.
What a manipulative shrewd woman his Scarlett O'Hara was, ensnaring his mother to help her trap him. For a moment he forgot that his mother had probably played an active part in getting Scarlett there, and all his pent up emotions where directed at Scarlett. It was so much easier to reason that his resentment to Scarlett were well deserved, rather than being angry at his mother towards whom he still felt a lot of guilt for leaving her to her own devices during the war and after, until his father had passed away.
So it wasn't a Rhett in a very pleasant mood that moved from his unseen observing post to greet his mother and his wife.
A/N Well, I couldn*t resist dragging out the "pain" just a little bit longer. Hope you enjoyed and please feel free to tell me what you think....