Even before Rhett had closed the door, Scarlett's eyes welled up with tears of humiliation. She was mortified at the thought of being the object of his sympathy. If it cost her everything she had, she would make sure to never again put herself in a position where he could pity her. Still, at the same time, she longed more than anything to hold onto Rhett, never to let him go, even if it meant throwing away her pride. What did her pride matter now? She had never in her life felt so utterly and desperately alone. Scarlett began to sob weakly. She was terrified of falling into the mist-filled nightmarish madness of her earlier dream. In the absolute stillness of her room, as she hovered between consciousness and unconsciousness, voices both nearby and far away seemed to descend upon her, uttering a cacophony of unintelligible words. Was she imagining things? Was she going mad?
Scarlett closed her eyes tightly in an effort to ground her nerves, fearing for her sanity. The dissonant chorus of voices in the room continued to descend upon her in waves. For what seemed an interminable time, Scarlett lay suspended between a conscious and semi-conscious state. All of a sudden something caused her to sit up and look around. The room was darker now for the lamp with its tiny glow had gone out, and a fine, silvery stream of moonlight shone through the window. Scarlett felt an unmistakable air of calm in the room; then her eyes grew wide with wonder and amazement. At the foot of her bed stood a familiar form—delicate, frail, ethereal, otherworldly. The heart-shaped face was youthful and unlined, the large eyes luminous and tranquil. Gone completely were the lines of strain and exhaustion, the deep hollows of pain and grief that had marred it a few short hours ago. Its countenance was serene, angelic, saintly, and daresay . . . beautiful.
Scarlett dared not blink; hardly dared even to breathe for fear that the vision would disappear. She did not know whether she was dreaming or whether she was imagining things, but she was too happy to care. All that mattered was that for that moment, Melanie was there. Scarlett feared even to break the silence in the room lest the spell of the moment be dissipated. Melanie's soft luminous eyes, filled with gentleness and compassion, looked tenderly at Scarlett. At some point—Scarlett did not know when or how—Melanie was at her bedside, wordlessly murmuring tender encouragements and endearments, gently wiping away Scarlett's tears with a soft white handkerchief. With a sob, Scarlett threw her arms around Melanie and buried her face in Melanie's shoulder, clutching at her desperately as if she feared Melanie would fade away into the darkness.
In the dim light, Scarlett stared wonderingly at Melanie's serene face. "Melly...Melly, is it really you? Oh Melly, I just saw you a few hours ago, and you were...you were..." She could not bring herself to say the word. What was going on? Was this a dream? Had she gone mad?
"My poor darling...my brave, sweet girl," was all Melanie said, her gentle voice soothing and tender. It was some time before Scarlett could bring herself to speak. Whether this was a ghost, an apparition, or a dream, Melanie's presence was a balm on her crushed and broken spirit.
"Melly, oh Melly," The words poured out in a torrential sob. "Melly, I love you so much...I love you, darling, and I'm so thankful you've come-so thankful, even if it's only for these few moments. I've so much to tell you...so much...oh darling, I never realized what you meant to me until...until..."
Scarlett lowered her eyes, suddenly overcome by a burning shame, a terrible certainty that Melanie knew everything about her—her contempt for Charles, her schemes to win Ashley's affections, her underhandedness and her pettiness—and the thought made her sob wretchedly. Scarlett faltered but only momentarily. "Melly—I'm sorry, so very sorry—about everything. Melly, you know everything, don't you? I was such a fool—but please, darling—can you find it in your heart to forgive me? I am so sorry, so truly sorry." Scarlett could not bring herself to meet Melanie's eyes.
"Scarlett, I love you as much as I could ever love anyone. You are my dearest, bravest sister—nothing you do could ever change that. I love you now as much as I've always loved you." At these words, Scarlett lifted her tear-stained face. Melanie's eyes shone with fierce love and devotion.
"Oh, Melly…" Scarlett wept brokenly. "I'm not worth it, but thank you. I love you, Melly, so much. If only I hadn't been so blind, so foolish..."
"Shshsh—shshsh—Scarlett, there's no need for further words." Melanie's voice was gentle and soothing. "Oh my darling, what you must have gone through tonight..."
"Rhett's leaving," Scarlett's voice was barely above a whisper. "He told me tonight that he loved me. He loved me, Melly. He loved me all these years, and I never knew. Oh Melly, I didn't know! I realized only tonight how much I love him. I love him, Melly, so much! How did I not know? I must have loved him for years without knowing it. I've been such a fool, such a blind, stupid fool. It made me so happy when I finally realized. I ran all the way home to tell him how wrong I'd been. I wanted so much to make it all up to him. But Melly, I've ruined everything. He's leaving. He said his love has worn out. Oh Melly, how will I go on without him?"
Melanie stayed very quiet. She gently stroked Scarlett's tousled hair, listening, her head bowed as if in prayer.
After a long moment, Scarlett looked up and saw that Melanie's eyes were shining with tears. "Scarlett," she said gently. "There is a way, a way for you and Captain Butler to be happy together, to have a real marriage. But darling, can you bear it? Can you be very brave? The way will be very, very hard and very painful. And even if you are willing, Captain Butler has to be willing too...and I'm afraid there's no assurance of that. Even if you both consent to try, there's no guarantee that things will work, but at the same time, there is also a chance for you and Captain Butler to be happier than you've ever been."
"Melly, what do you mean? What would I have to do?" Scarlett was incredulous. What on earth was Melanie talking about?
"Scarlett, every married couple is given the secret of a happy marriage right at the beginning of their married life, and you and Captain Butler are no exception. Do you recall the day you married Captain Butler? Do you remember the wedding? Such a lovely ceremony! Darling, you were the most beauti—"
"For heaven's sake, Melly! What does the wedding ceremony have to do with anything?" A tiny spark of hope had lit in her heart at Melanie's mentioning the possibility of a true reconciliation with Rhett, and Scarlett was bewildered at Melanie's bringing up such sentimental foolishness as her wedding ceremony at such a crucial moment.
"Please, darling, you'll have to trust me—the ceremony holds the key to your happiness."
Scarlett did not reply, the set line of her jaw betraying her impatience and disbelief. By nature, she was too practical and too hard-headed to dwell on the past. Truth be told, she had never once looked back on her wedding day with Rhett. Scarlett let out an audible, irritated sigh. At Melanie's prompting, she closed her eyes and thought back to that day, almost seven years ago.