Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.
Chapter Sixteen
When Rhett got to the parlor, he found Frank sitting there. Frank said, "You are not welcome in this house."
"I would like Scarlett to tell me that herself."
Frank, who truly hated conflict, decided that he would let Scarlett get rid of Mr. Butler for him. Frank said, "Let me go get her so she can tell you herself."
Frank and Scarlett entered the parlor and she said, "Frank says you have some questions for me."
"Yes, I do. Mr. Kennedy says I am not welcome in your home. I said you would not allow Mr. Kennedy to show me the door."
"Why would I not? If my husband doesn't want you in our home, then I will not welcome you in our home. If I did, I would be a disobedient wife. If I am anything, it is an obedient wife."
When Scarlett said her statement there was a smirk on her face for a second. So short a time that Rhett was sure he had imagined it.
Rhett said, "If you don't receive me, I will demand repayment of my loan."
"We had a verbal agreement and there was nothing said about me not welcoming you in my home. Now go. You are not welcome here. You are not received by any proper family in the South, therefore we will not receive you either." Rhett just stood there staring at her. Finally, she said, "Frank, would you make sure Rhett leaves our home. Let me go get Big Sam to help you."
Rhett said, "You don't need to do that, but I will be back on the first of the month for your loan payment."
"Of course, Rhett. I look forward to seeing you. Goodbye now."
Rhett left the Hamilton House. He got on his horse. He rode to Belle's. He thought, 'This was so strange. Last time Scarlett had bullied Frank into receiving me whenever I stopped by. This time it was almost like she had bullied Frank into not receiving me at all. Everything was so strange.'
Rhett walked into The Painted Lady and Belle waved at him. Captain Tom Jaffery was at the poker table. There were a couple of Yankees Rhett had met at the poker tables also. Rhett sat down and Tom said, "No hard feelings. I was just doing what I was told to do."
"No hard feelings. Fortunately, my pardon came in just in time before you hung me."
"Indeed. Are you going to stay in Atlanta?"
"Of course. There is money to be made off the new Republican government."
Everyone at the table laughed. After winning forty dollars, Rhett took himself upstairs for some fun. It had been over twelve years since he had any fun. He was certainly going to make up for lost time. He didn't even ask Belle for a green-eyed woman. He would just close his eyes and imagine he was with Scarlett, same as he had before he married her and after she had thrown him out of her bed.
As Rhett walked to the National Hotel, he thought about Scarlett's behavior from earlier in the evening. It was very strange. He had a passing thought of how good a cigar and a glass of whiskey would be, but he squashed them down.
On the first of March, Rhett arrived at the Hamilton House. To Rhett's surprise Peter seated him in the parlor. Within five minutes, Scarlett entered the room with Frank. Rhett was disappointed but he knew that Scarlett could not be alone in the room with him without being gossiped about.
The couple sat down on the sofa across the room. Frank said, "Are you planning on living in Atlanta full time, Mr. Butler?"
"I plan to spend a lot of time here in Atlanta working with the Republican government."
Scarlett smirked like she knew exactly what he was going to be doing with the Republican government. She said, "I understand that there are a lot of Yankees coming down to help us."
"I understand that to be true also."
"It is a good thing you don't have any trouble doing business with Yankees."
"Of course not, they are the same as you and me."
"Not the same, Rhett. No, never the same. Although I too have had to do a lot of business with Yankees in the last month because they are the only ones who can afford to buy lumber."
"How is your sawmill working out?"
"Very well. I can afford to give you a fifty-dollar payment. That makes my balance four hundred and fifty dollars."
Frank said, "I thought you just borrowed three hundred dollars."
"I had to borrow five hundred dollars. Three hundred was just the cost of the sawmill. I needed another two hundred for much needed supplies and payroll until I started making a large profit. Although I did make a profit, most of it went to my loan payment." Scarlett got up and walked across the room and handed Rhett fifty dollars.
Rhett took it and said, "Thank you. Yes, your balance is four hundred and fifty dollars."
"Very good. Good night, Rhett, Frank."
With that Scarlett walked out of the room and never looked back. Rhett could not believe that she had left him alone in the parlor with Frank. In their first timeline, she never left him alone with Frank. She stayed until he walked out the door. In fact, she usually walked him to the door.
It was the middle of March and Rhett met Scarlett at the bend in the road. She smiled as a queen would smile upon a loyal servant. She said, "Hello, Rhett."
"Hello, Scarlett."
"I have brought you a horse."
"No, thank you. I have a horse."
"A horse that is one step away from dying."
"He is not that bad off."
"Scarlett, let me trade you this horse for your horse. You can make up the difference when you get the money."
"No, thank you. My husband would not like me accepting horses from other men. Good day. Big Sam, drive on."
"Scarlett, damn it. Take the horse. Your horse could drop dead any minute and leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere."
"It would not be in the middle of nowhere and if the horse does drop dead Big Sam is here to walk with me to get help. Although I very much remember when you left me in what was the middle of a battlefield with a horse that was much closer to death than this one. One of your finest moments. That horse that you left me with died when we reached Tara. Go away, Rhett. I don't want any more help from you. You have done more than enough by giving me a loan to buy the sawmills. Drive on, Big Sam."
"Yes, Miss Scarlett."
Rhett sat on his horse seething. Why was she behaving so differently? Last time he had to do a little coaxing, but he had been able to dress it up and get her to accept the horse as a trade. That Scarlett had been a little fast and loose with what was proper but this one seemed intent to follow the rules of proper society to the letter. He wondered if she had cheated any of her customers or if she had run the other sawmill owner out of business. This Scarlett certainly wouldn't tell him. She had only told him that information when they were alone together. When she thought he was her friend. Damnit. This was not going the way he had planned at all.
To Scarlett, Rhett was behaving the same way he had during the last timeline, mostly. He was tempting her to disobey the rules, then he would later mock her for disobeying the rules. She wanted nothing to do with Rhett. Although she had been tempted to stay in the parlor when he had come to call a couple of weeks ago, just because her life was so boring, and he had always been an amusing person. At least he was an amusing person when his wit wasn't turned on her.
Scarlett had not drunk any brandy this time around. She hoped she had not affected Ella with her drinking while Scarlett was carrying her, but there was no point in taking any chances. She would say sober. Ella had been an ugly baby but as she had gotten older her face had taken on an exotic look. She had been becoming striking.
After Scarlett got home, she had been a little chilled, but she got Cookie to warm her up some bricks to put in her bed as she laid down. Scarlett had dosed for about thirty minutes when she heard Frank come home. Tomorrow while he was at the store, she was going to move all of his belongings into another room. She was not going to have relations with him ever again. It was still awful. They had been having relations for two months. In the last timeline Ella was born in October, therefore, Scarlett was positive she was already carrying Ella. If she could get someone as strong and dynamic as Rhett to accept separate bedrooms, she was confident she could get Frank to sleep somewhere else. Furthermore, she didn't care if Frank used whores. She should have known she loved Rhett based on how much his actions had hurt her.
Scarlett went to Wade's room and there he was. Her son. She sat down and played with his blocks with him. Mother and child played for a while until she had to change for supper. Before she left, she said, "Give Mama a hug and a kiss."
Wade readily complied. The four-year-old didn't know what had changed Mama but she was different. He still saw that cold, hard look on her face but never when she looked at him. When she looked at him, she seemed to soften, and she always had a smile for him.
After Scarlett was changed for supper, she stopped by the nursery and got Wade so they could go down to supper together. They held hands as they were walking down the stairs.
The next evening Scarlett informed Frank that she was with child, therefore he would have to sleep in another bedroom from now on. He was not happy. Eventually, he accepted the news and became happy he was going to be a father but unhappy about getting denied access to Scarlett's body. It had ended up being the only plus he had gotten from his marriage.
Frank was beginning to grow resentful towards Scarlett. First, she tricked him into marriage for three hundred dollars, then she refused to have relations with him. Furthermore, because she stole his three hundred dollars, he couldn't afford to buy the sawmill. The sawmill that she managed to buy with Butler's help. No proper woman should have a relationship with Butler. Although Scarlett had refused to let Rhett Butler inside their home, Frank still thought their relationship was too chummy, especially for a married woman.
A week earlier, Frank had found out that Scarlett had lied to him about Suellen and Tony Fontaine. He had found out because he had run into Tony on the streets. Frank had asked Tony, "What are you doing in Atlanta?"
"Getting supplies they don't have in Jonesboro."
"You must come to my store to buy your supplies. It is at 1202 Congress."
"Sure."
"Congratulations on your marriage."
Tony smiled and said, "I didn't get married. Neither Alex nor I can afford to take on a wife. We can barely feed everyone we already have living at Mimosa."
"Do you have any news about Suellen?"
"I thought you married Scarlett?"
"Yes, of course. What I meant was, do you have any news about the Tara residents."
Tony thought it was strange that Frank felt the need to ask him about his wife's relatives, but Tony answered him anyway. He said, "Everyone at Tara is doing fine. I have heard that Suellen is a little depressed."
"Really! That is great news." Tony looked at Frank strangely. Frank didn't bother to explain why he was happy with Tony's statement, instead he said, "Walk with me to my store. I will give you a bargain."
"Great."
Later in the day, Frank reflected on his conversation with Tony and his resentment of Scarlett grew. Scarlett had lied to him. He would never believe anything she said to him ever again. That night, Frank had a couple of hot toddies. His guilt was eating him up. He had betrayed Suellen. He had believed Scarlett, no questions asked, despite the fact that Suellen had been waiting for him for five years. He had gotten caught up in the excitement of Scarlett O'Hara being interested in him. That made him feel like a first-class fool. He had honestly believed that a woman as attractive and as sexually exciting as Scarlett would have been interested in him for his own sake.
