Note: I am back! I am aware that some people may have doubted whether they would ever read the Robillard Boutique sequel after six months' silence... I am really sorry about that. But during all this time, I have continued to work on the novel, rectifying errors, modifying passages... Read my long explanation on chapter 55. Most of all, I designed and drew the sixteen models for Duncan's fashion show, including The Thunder of Georgia and the Princess of Atlanta. I worked at it until 2 o'clock in the morning for a month, so much so that I had the impression that the Prince of Fashion was watching, behind my shoulder, the progress of 'his' work! Take a look at the result on my blog. Since the address is truncated on this site, type - without spaces: alarecherchedutempsperdu. over-blog. com . Then choose at the top of the page: Gone with the Wind fantic the Robillard Boutique. The fashion show, the models and the Duncan Fashion headquarters are on page 2, chapters 23 and t 24.
This update may disappoint you as it's a short chapter. But I absolutely had to get Rhett, Scarlett and Duncan to leave. So that my writer's block would disappear and I could get on with this long story.
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Chapter 56. On the road to Philadelphia!
19 July 1876, 6 a.m., Charleston, 9 East Battery, Butler House
It is too early for me to be notified of any telegrams... My cruel tigress is going to keep me on pins and needles until I arrive at the Hôtel Meurice!
He let out a sardonic laugh at his expense. What power did this woman have to keep him from breathing fully until she finally telegraphed a laconic 'Yes'?
Because it would be a 'Yes'. He was certain of it. It had to be. After their wild night and her caresses - oh, her caresses - how could it be otherwise?
Of course, there had been that incomprehensible outburst of coldness and her implacable words of break-up, followed by the date of 20 October proclaimed like a cleaver. But he did not want to dwell on it. He had to in no way think about it.
The last few minutes of her cold anger before arriving in Atlanta were best explained by the sudden incursion of one of Scarlett O'Hara's many mood swings.
That was the only reason. Or else doubt would nibble away like a contagious virus at his beautiful confidence in their radiant future.
As for her sentence: "In a few days, I am going to join Duncan. We are going to travel with my children and his family to Philadelphia", she had only uttered it to make him jealous, out of the reflex of the former belle of Clayton County. It was the only explanation for pretending planning such an extravagant expedition to Philadelphia, to that old Yankee den she still abhorred!
He shook his head vigorously to dispel any harmful premonitions. Enough rambling! The clock is ticking. It is high time I got to the wharf.
One of his ships, tasked with transporting the Egyptian antiquities, was already on its way to France. However, it would arrive after that of the French Line, chartered by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, on which Rhett would embark. (*1) In eight days, it would be in France.
"Missie Rhett, I've loaded your suitcases and travel bag into the horsecar, as you asked. Everything is ready."
With a nod, Rhett thanked his butler, who was already taking over the buggy.
He had said goodbye to his mother the day before. So he was surprised to see her already up and dressed impeccably at dawn to share breakfast with him before he left. An event that defied all their family habits!
He was starting to walk down the garden path, but a rustle of skirts and hurried footsteps made him turn round.
"Rhett! Rhett! Wait! You forgot to tell me something!"
Concealing his impatience to leave, he asked her calmly: "What is it, Mother?"
As they were talking, mother and son walked along the driveway to get closer to Michael, who was waiting in the front seat of the car.
"Yesterday, and just this morning again, you gave your instructions - repeating them so often as to annoy me - to notify you at your hotel in Paris if we received a letter or telegram from your lawyer or from Atlanta."
Rhett knew full well that no urgent correspondence would come from Robert Stevens Lawyers Ltd, since he had taken care, two days beforehand, to ask his asset manager to contact him directly at his Paris hotel, in case of an emergency. But specifying only 'Atlanta' would have aroused his mother's suspicion. And to think I am going to be left in limbo for the whole of the sea crossing...
"Indeed. In that case, I would like you to ask Michael to go to the postal depot to send a telegram to the Hotel Meurice, 222 Rue de Rivoli."
Eleonor showed her incomprehension: "What use is such information to you if you do not know what is in these letters? Would you allow me to open them and share them with you?
"No!" He immediately regretted his curt reply. But how could he imagine Eleonor Butler discovering Scarlett's response to his impassioned declaration of love?
"It is no use, Mother. It is a financial agreement drawn up by Robert Stevens and Scarlett's solicitor on an old property of ours in common. It is provided that if either comes forward, I will automatically contract him from Paris."
His explanation was convoluted... but he had run out of resources. He was well aware that his insistence on being informed of the mail must have seemed unusual to his mother, because for years he had been arriving and leaving the 9 East Battery without warning, giving his family no information about his comings and goings for months, even years.
To distract her, he proceeded, as usual, to play the seduction card. He kissed her tenderly on the cheek: "To make up for this little embarrassment, as soon as I arrive in France, I am going to look for the most elegant shawl one can find on Rue de la Paix! And so much the worse - or so much the better - if your friends in the Charleston' sewing group die of jealousy!"
His laughter was interrupted by shouts from the adjoining courtyard. Both turned their heads in the direction of Magnolias Mansion.
Their neighbours were unusually agitated - especially at this early hour of the morning. Two horse-drawn carriages were parked up against the beautiful Vayton mansion. In one, an employee of Vayton House was finishing loading a large trunk alongside two other suitcases, then came and sat down next to Cathleen's chambermaid, waiting for the signal to leave.
The horse from the second carriage was pawing impatiently, in a hurry to obey the groom's orders and set off with its load of passengers. The passengers were so absorbed in their lively conversation that they were slow to settle on the leather seats.
"Mother! Melina! I cannot believe you had the ingenuity to find more trunks to fill at the last minute, when last night James had already loaded our luggage into our varnish."
The private wagon, owned by Vayton & Son Ltd, had been repatriated from its private warehouse to wait on a siding until it could be reattached to the convoy when the Philadelphia-bound train arrived.
Melina laughed mockingly: "Doesn't the Prince of Fashion know that ladies cannot go on a trip without the minimum necessary to put on their best finery?"
The arguments of his sister showed so much bad faith that Duncan threw up his arms in defeat and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek before laughing back.
Eleonor noticed that her neighbour was already in her garden. She immediately approached the short hedge that separated the two properties.
"Dear Friend! We are breaking all the rules of good neighbourliness. I am terribly embarrassed by the hubbub our family dares to impose on you at dawn."
Mrs. Butler kindly reassured her: "Do not be, my dear! We were in the middle of a discussion ourselves." She glanced briefly at the car in which employees had a hard time finding some room between the boxes. "You have got your hands full! I do not blame you for wanting to enjoy the shade of Soft South at this time of year! The heat in Charleston has become unbearable. It is a good thing the sea spray on the Battery keeps us cool!"
"Oh no! We are not going to retire to our plantation yet. We shall do so after our expedition to Philadelphia."
"Philadelphia?"
"Yes, isn't it exciting? My son has decided to take us to the splendid Centenary exhibition, where the press is boasting about the latest inventions presented in extravagant exhibition halls. There won't be too many of us to list all these treasures. Even Mrs. O'Hara's children will have to help. They..."
She stopped abruptly as the imposing figure of Rhett Butler stepped forward, his shadow blocking out the early morning light.
Concentrating on their friendly chatter, the two women had not realized that the conversation between brother and sister had suddenly ended with the first words exchanged by their neighbours at 9 East Battery. From that moment on, the two men had symbolically crossed swords, their black and blue eyes rivalling each other in sharpness.
Cathleen realized her blunder with horror. As a Southern Lady, Eleonor pretended not to have heard this incredible revelation: Rhett's former wife, this Scarlett, was going to accompany the honorable Vayton's family to Philadelphia!
Aymeric Vayton's widow quickly came to her senses as the Butlers' eldest son elegantly lifted his hat to greet her ceremoniously. Everything was back to normal, as if this little detail had not cropped up in the course of a conversation.
All of it? Only on the surface. Because inside, Rhett Butler's blood was boiling: Philadelphia! And so the ruthless Scarlett O'Hara carried out her threat! Of course, the wily Vayton has cleverly schemed to keep propriety apparently decent. With so many chaperones, it will be hard for him to break the rules of propriety and dare to compromise her...
Rhett forced himself to believe in this moral barrier. In vain. How am I going to go to France knowing that this libidinous clown is going to hang around her for days like a cobra ready to bare its fangs and paralyses her between two hotel doors?
This nightmarish vision distressed him. The sneer that Vayton gave him under his breath did nothing to reassure him.
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19 July 1876, 5.30pm, Atlanta, Peachtree Street
"Prissy, are you sure all our luggage has been gathered in the hall, ready to be loaded into the car?"
"Yes, Ma'am Scarlett. I've checked everything in your room and the children's rooms and added my suitcase."
"Very well, tell the children to come down. They need to be ready to welcome our guests."
She made a brief foray into the kitchen: "Dilcey, is everything ready?"
The question was purely formal. The cook was unmolding a cake and placing it on a china plate.
"Yes, Ma'am Scarlett. I've already put the tray of glasses and the coffee set in the dining room. I'll bring the cold drinks as soon as the ladies arrive."
"Good. You and Pork have my instructions until we return. If anything goes wrong, he will have to warn Mr. Hamilton who is aware of my absence."
She checked her figure one last time. The image in the mirror satisfied her.
Duncan had telegraphed her the details of the arrival time of the Charleston train and the departure time of another railway company's train to Philadelphia at 7.30pm. Scarlett had immediately replied that she would be happy to welcome the Vayton family to Peachtree Street during that interlude.
She heard a commotion outside. Pork had just returned from the station with his passengers and was helping Mrs. Vayton out of the car. She opened the door at the first knock.
Two irises of a deeper blue than this July sky obscured her peripheral vision. They radiated with such intensity that she felt the heat pierce her.
In a flash of clarity, she admitted to herself that it was not this wildly attractive man who had taken possession of her restless nights. No! even with her implacable determination to block out the slightest mention of the man who had shamefully betrayed her, it was the latter who was haunting her nocturnal fantasies, re-enacting their erotic lovemaking, and making her wake up in a sweat, with a sour taste on her lips.
Fortunately, she reassured herself, the fact that he was now standing just a few centimeters away from her, all muscle and blondness, devouring every part of her anatomy with his eyes, had the invigorating effect of a cool water emulsion energizing every pore of her skin.
This delightful confusion lasted only the blink of an eye, and the new arrivals saw nothing of it. Duncan had to be content with a kiss on the back of her hand a little too long, but she could feel a slight trembling that he had not been able to suppress.
This holiday is shaping up to be deliciously unsettling... concludes the pretty Georgian silently.
The three women expressed their joy at seeing each other again by kissing on the cheek.
"Scarlett! Your home is... unbelievably original!" concluded the mistress of Magnolias' Mansion. "That hardly surprises me, for your brilliant personality is unique - as my son so aptly remarked when he instituted you Muse of La Mode Duncan!"
Scarlett invited them to settle down in the parlor, telling Dilcey to do the service and Pork to load the suitcases into the second car hired for the purpose.
Wade and Ella made their appearance, much to the delight of the Charlestonians. The "Princess of Atlanta" was warmly acclaimed by her dressmaker, which made the little girl's cheeks burn.
Dilcey's crushed almond and pear cake was so popular that Eleonor begged Scarlett to share her cook's secrets with her.
"Duncan, do you think we have time to drive past Robillard's Boutique? I would be honoured for your mother and sister to discover the shop where I have the pleasure of displaying Vayton Ready-to-Wear dresses."
They nodded loudly in agreement.
"That is an excellent idea, Scarlett. We can linger a few minutes."
It was then all hell broke loose. Within minutes, the merry team had taken possession of the two vehicles and were in front of the shop.
The Robillard's shop handler was loading five bulky parcels into the delivery cart. As soon as he saw his boss, Peter Calvet politely lifted his cap: "Good day, Mrs. O'Hara. I am off to drop off Mrs. Jackson's order. I'll have to go back tomorrow as Mandy has to finish a touch-up. At least, that's what she told me."
After assenting to her employee, Scarlett explained to her hosts: "Mrs. Jackson is a loyal customer - who has a wide circle of acquaintances, which is not to my displeasure, as she is my best promotional agent. She loves..." - Scarlett raised her eyebrows in delight - "just about everything we display in the shop! If I add that she has many children and that she is generous with her entourage, you will understand why we take such good care of her!"
"Scarlett, with your gift of persuasion, you would be able to get the most hardened bachelor to buy a complete bride's trousseau!"
Scarlett was amused by his remark, which was not far from the truth.
Eleonor made no comment, but the neatly stacked trunks were proof that business was booming for Mrs. O'Hara.
This was confirmed when Duncan pushed open the door.
The Charlestonians felt as if they had entered a beehive. A shop assistant was delicately displaying two taffeta skirts in front of a mother and daughter who could not resist caressing the silky fabric. The second sales assistant had two hat boxes in her hands. She presented the first to a customer who had made herself comfortable in an armchair.
The Vayton women, accustomed to refined surroundings, sincerely congratulated the owner of the Boutique Robillard: "What a talented decorator, Scarlett! This shop layout, combining the classicism of noble mahogany with crystal and bronze chandeliers, is a hymn to good taste! Many of the prestigious shops on New York's Ninth Street should be inspired by it!
This compliment went straight to the heart of the woman whose former husband used to launch cruel arrows to mock her bad taste.
With gusto, she anticipated their curiosity by sliding the drawers of the counters from which emerged, on the gold of the elm burr veneer, in one case lace trimmings, in another iridescent mother-of-pearl buttons, or in the third silver hair combs and coral hatpins. Among the frivolities imported from Paris were silk fans painted like eighteenth-century miniatures which delighted the Charleston women.
With a discreet clearing of his throat, Duncan signaled that it would be more sensible to speed up their exploration. The dresses from Johnson Ready-to-Wear, neatly lined up on racks, were reluctantly left behind.
The two women stopped in amazement in front of three dresses parading like imperial finery on their mannequins made of wood and boiled cardboard. Scarlett was surprised to realize that Eleonor and Melina had never seen the models from the ready-to-wear line created by the great couturier.
While mother and sister gawked at the finery, almost reproaching Duncan for deciding to discontinue his collection, Scarlett took the opportunity to renew her final recommendations to Emma Whising, who had already recorded them in detail the day before.
One last quick pass in front of the rolls of fabric from the Vayton & Harvey Wooden Mills spinning mill before entering the workshop, where the seamstress and the sewing retoucher barely raised their heads to greet them, so absorbed were they in their task, and it was time to leave.
Wade and Ella breathed a sigh of relief. They had been discreet, as their mother would have demanded, sitting quietly in their seats, but they were bubbling with anticipation.
The regret of leaving the Robillard's Boutique was replaced by the joy of starting their expedition to Philadelphia. Everyone set off for Atlanta station.
Scarlett relished the opportunity to demonstrate her success as an Atlanta businesswoman to the Vayton women.
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19 July 1876, late evening, on the Piedmont Air Line of the Richmond and Danville Railroad
Thanks to the prompt action of the Pullman's Palace Car Company Porter, assisted by the three members of staff of the Vayton and O'Hara, installation in the private varnish was rapid and each passenger took his bearings.
Travelling on the same company, and in a luxury varnish, Scarlett expected to find the same configuration of space as in the private carriage rented by Rhett. But, as a pragmatic businessman, the heir to the Vayton Empire had transformed it in such a way as to make good use of every last surface. The observation deck, with its arched windows offering panoramic views of the landscape, was used as a lounge and dining area and, for business trips, as a meeting room. The two rooms vacated had been replaced by the addition of a second bathroom and two bedrooms.
This arrangement was perfect in this case, as it allowed each of the passengers to enjoy a large bedroom, with the exception of Wade and Ella who occupied twin beds. Scarlett's bedroom was next to her children's bedroom. The master's bedroom was on the opposite side, where large mahogany panels divided the space by a door to protect their privacy.
Because behind the partition, the original kitchen had been reduced to a bare minimum, being used, in reality, only to prepare tea or coffee.
Scarlett agreed with this decision - as with all Duncan's other interior design choices: why deprive yourself of the services of the Delmonico Grand Restaurant and its eighty dishes cooked by two Grand Chefs?
Thanks to the space gained, two modest bedrooms had been installed along with a small toilet, all intended for the staff accompanying the Vaytons. Prissy was to share Susan's room. Barnabee had a smaller space but a comfortable bunk bed.
Served first, Scarlett's two children were quickly put to bed, as tomorrow was going to be a tiring day.
After a refined meal, the three members of the Vayton family and Scarlett were relaxing in the living room.
"We will be arriving in Philadelphia at 2.20pm. By the time we put our luggage down at the Continental Hotel, we'll be going straight to Fairmount Park. We had the option of disembarking directly at the station depot inside the exhibition fairgrounds. (*3) But you deserve the finest comfort and attention of the staff at Philadelphia's most renowned hotel. Expect to be surprised by the gigantic infrastructure built for the exhibition: more than two hundred buildings have been erected. But do not worry. We will be limiting our visit to four of the five huge exhibition halls. Which means we will have to cover a few kilometers... Ladies, I advise you to wear your most comfortable walking shoes. But there is no question of our expedition tiring you out. Above all, I want this visit to be a pleasure for the eyes. That is why I have booked rooms in one of the temporary hotels built in the park, for the sole purpose of getting you there at your leisure during the day. That way, you will be able to freshen up and enjoy a relaxing nap."
"I recognize you there, my son. You are so thoughtful!"
"Only with the people I love most in the world, Mother!" Discreetly, he turned his gaze to Scarlett. She batted her eyelashes.
Unfortunately for Duncan, their connivance was limited to this discreet exchange. The rules of decency had to be formally observed.
Later, Scarlett... Later... His blood boiled at the prospect of finding the opportunity to hold her close to him. The clandestine nature of their engagement added spice to the fire the young woman was breathing into his life.
Assisted by Prissy, Scarlett took advantage of the marble bathroom adjoining her bedroom and then went to bed, without Duncan being able to catch a glimpse of her tempting nightdress.
Despite the comfort of her large and soft bed, the young woman found it hard to fall asleep. Just ten days earlier, she had been on the same train, and the man she had decided to kick out of her life had been lying next to her - against her - on top of her...
After breakfast, Duncan gave everyone a small booklet with a red cover, entitled Visitors' Guide to the Centennial Exhibition and Philadelphia, May 10 to November 10th 1876, the only guide-book sold on the exhibition grounds (*4).
"There is a copy for you too, Ella. You can write down and draw anything that interests you on the twelve blank pages."
Ella was delighted to be considered the equal of the adults and of her brother, especially by the man who had entitled her Princess of Atlanta.
It was even more so when he placed two boxes on the table.
"I have brought something to entertain you at the hotel."
The young child and the young boy applauded at the sight of the most popular board game, "The Game of Life".
While the three women immersed themselves in reading the guide, the three players played through the stages of life, from infancy to adulthood. Ella rejoiced when she drew the card that gave her the most points, the one for happy old age.
Her mother asked her to be more discreet. In fact, she was touched by the happy harmony that had developed between her children and Duncan. He is having as much fun as a teen! No doubt he would make an ideal stepfather. That he will," she corrected.
When the game was over, Duncan slid the lid off a small wooden box.
"Dominoes!" exclaimed Ella.
"I bought this box in France when I arrived as a present for my little sister. But time has passed. Do you know where the name of these white and black tiles comes from? It refers to an ancient French religious congregation, the Dominicans, who wore a white alb covered by a black cloak."
Wade thought he would tease his friends to guess this unusual anecdote. His mother's friend was definitely interested in everything, even children's games.
"Scarlett and Melina, would you like to join us?"
His sister pretended to be offended: "Since you think, Big Brother, that 'time has passed' and that this is no longer an activity for my age, let me, if you do not mind, read the details of the exhibition where we are going to get our feet wet."
Brother and sister laughed, watched by Cathleen's maternal air.
"You, Scarlett, please! Do us a favour! And maybe we will let you win?"
Wade and Ella joined in the pleas. Defeated, Scarlett took her turn to sit around the table. "Fine! But do not delude yourself. I will not need your sympathy to win the game!"
And she began to manipulate the tiles made of bone and mother-of-pearl.
Duncan's laughter bounced against the glass walls of the living room.
The sound of his voice became huskier and lower so as not to be heard by the Vayton women: "Oh, I do not doubt it! I know your power to overturn any obstacle that comes your way. Even when it comes to innocent wooden tokens. I do not stand a chance against you. The poor man that I am is inexorably bound hand and foot before you."
If the words were harmless enough not to alert her children, Scarlett savored the compliment. There was no doubt about it: the handsome, rich and powerful Duncan was at her feet...
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Notes on chapter 56 :
(*1) The French Line, Le Havre-New York route, chartered by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. Cruising speed had greatly improved. By 1876, passengers were crossing the Atlantic in eight days. However, I have not found any information on the routes from Charleston to France. So as not to complicate the story and force Rhett Butler to take the train to New York, I imagined that a ship left directly from the South Carolina port for France.
(*2) Direct train from Atlanta to Philadelphia: Southern Mail No. 50 of the Piedmont Air Line Richmond and Danville Railroad route: http: .
Train equipped with luxury Pullman Sleeping Cars - Route indicated on the 1882 poster showing the cities crossed, from Atlanta to Philadelphia: Atlanta, Ga - Lula, Georgia - Toccoa, Georgia- Seneca, North Carolina - Charlotte, North Carolina - Salisbury, Maryland - Greensboro, North Carolina - Danville, Virginia - Lynchburg, Virginia - Alexandria, Virginia- Washington DC - .
luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~24491~900025:The-Piedmont-Air-Line-&-connections
(*3) At some point during the journey, some of the cars, including Duncan Vayton's, will be hooked up to the Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad's Centennial through train, which allows visitors from the South to exit directly at the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's Depot on the Fairgrounds. /Museum/Centennial_Exhibition_ Duncan's private car will remain in a storage track at Philadelphia station.
(*4) Visitors' Guide to the Centennial Exhibition and Philadelphia - Illustrated and Prepared, BY J. S. INGRAM. PUBLISHED BY Hubbard Bros, Philadelphia, Pa, 1876
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