A very light "M" for this chapter. I didn't want to include it at first, but my Rhett Butler is living his own life. And one more warning about the scene of violence!
Thank you so much for your feedback. I'm glad to know that you like my story.
"So this is that store," Scarlett heard a familiar voice and turned around.
She spent the whole morning arranging the goods. She wanted to sell the stale items to customers. When she heard Rhett's voice, she was glad to finally see him. They had been busy preparing for the wedding for the past few days and had done it separately. Scarlett started sewing a wedding dress. Rhett paid for the most expensive silk, found only in Atlanta. And she was allowed to choose the wedding cake. But Rhett handled the ceremony and dinner exclusively. Scarlett tried to object, but Rhett was adamant.
And now he appeared in her store, which she had told him about after going to church. Rhett was surprised by her purchase but appreciated her efforts to put this store in order.
"Rhett, have you come to visit me?" She was genuinely glad to see him.
"I came to check on my bride. I hoped she was preparing for the wedding. But, no, she spends all her time in her new store." He crossed the store, approaching her.
Rhett tried to hug her, but Scarlett held out her arms, warning him with a look to behave himself. They were already a sight for curious shoppers. Scarlett wanted to avoid giving the local ladies more reason to gossip.
"I'm preparing for it, but unfortunately, you only entrusted me with a cake and a dress. And it doesn't take that long," she said accusingly.
"Dear…" Rhett took her hand and brought it to his lips. "I care about you, so I didn't want you to worry before the big event. I decided to save you the trouble."
Oh, she didn't believe a word he said.
"You just don't trust me to choose the rest of Rhett, and caring has nothing to do with it." She narrowed her eyes, looking at him sternly, at which he just laughed.
"Don't get mad, Scarlett, I promise I'll compensate for everything during our honeymoon. By the way, why is the store still called the "Frank Kennedy Store"? Aren't you going to change the name?"
"I have already ordered a new sign, but it is not ready yet. Do you want it to be called "Scarlett Butler's Store"? She smiled slyly at him, batting her eyelashes.
He just laughed.
"It sounds good, I would even say wonderful. My last name definitely suits you. But you can call it whatever you like. I won't interfere."
"God, what an idyll. The lovers are finally reunited."
Scarlett heard the voice and looked at the visitor who was standing a few steps away from her.
"Gregory, I haven't seen you for a long time. How are you?" Scarlett tried to ask as politely as possible.
Since Rhett had returned, she had not seen Gregory in her house or anywhere near it, which made her so happy, and she could breathe calmly. He had given up trying to get her.
"How kind of you to ask, Miss O'Hara. I'm not as happy as the two of you, but I'm fine." He turned his attention to Rhett. "How was your trip, Mr. Butler? You don't plan to leave your bride for so long anymore, someone might steal her," his face twisted into a grin.
Scarlett felt Rhett come close to her and put his hand on her waist. His face showed no emotion, and he seemed very calm.
"Don't worry, Mr. Clark. I don't plan to leave Atlanta anytime soon, except for a honeymoon with my wife. So no one will have a chance to try to compromise her."
Scarlett looked around the store and tensed. All the customers seemed to be shopping. But they were secretly watching them and trying to hear their conversation.
"It's so sweet, Scarlett, your groom is such a gentleman, always ready to guard your virtue. It's a pity that all his gentlemanly qualities end up in bed with Belle Watling."
Scarlett gasped and turned pale. She heard the other customers whispering. She wanted to run away somewhere, so as not to be a participant in this awkward scene. She understood that Gregory Clark was trying to discredit Rhett in her eyes.
"It seems to me, Mr. Clark, that my bride is able to assess my qualities on her own. And even more so, she will not believe empty gossip." He tightened his grip on her waist, looking into her eyes encouragingly. But Scarlett only wanted to be carried through the ground.
"Empty gossip?" Clark burst out laughing. "Scarlett, what about the fact that your future beloved husband owns a brothel? Would you also not believe such gossip? Think, my dear, who you choose for your husband, it's not too late to change your mind."
This news was not new to Scarlett. Even on that visit to Rhett in prison, he had told her about it. She didn't enjoy it. Also, Scarlett hated Belle Watling with all her soul. She didn't know why. But she couldn't do anything about it.
She saw that the situation between the two men was heating up. And she didn't want Rhett to do something stupid.
"Mr. Clark, please leave my store. You are not welcome to discuss, without you, whatever we need to discuss with Captain Butler."
Scarlett was seething with anger. He made her look like a fool in front of the customers, who would now spread it all over the city. And she and Rhett would once again become an incessant object of gossip.
Rhett took a step forward, but she grabbed his arm, trying to prevent any further attempts by the two men to clash. And when Clark left the store, she made Rhett look into her eyes. He looked angry, even though he was trying to keep calm.
"Rhett, promise me you won't do anything to him, please."
"What are you talking about, dear? I wasn't going to do anything," he replied casually.
Scarlett looked at him skeptically, he was trying to seem too indifferent.
"Oh, I don't believe a word you're saying, Rhett Butler." She knew Rhett as well as she could. He wasn't the kind of man who swallowed insults. She needed to distract him somehow and turned on all her charm.
"What can I do for you, dear, so that you don't try to take revenge on him?" she tried to smile seductively at him.
"Dear? We're not married yet, and you're trying to seduce me and make me dance to your tune, Scarlett," he laughed softly, then whispered in her ear. "I'll wait until New Orleans, and there you can try all your methods on me, and I'll enjoy every one of them, sweetheart."
Scarlett blushed terribly, his hints were vulgar as always.
"Rhett!" she tried to protest.
"Okay, I promise not to do anything. Consider him very lucky." He exhaled and smiled at her. "He's lucky that I'm too busy with our wedding."
"Oh, yeah, I remember. Preparations that I am not involved in..."
The summer in Atlanta turned out to be especially hot this year. Scarlett's bedroom was stuffy, despite the open window. So, she gave up her long-sleeve nightgown for a summer chemise with wide straps. But still, it didn't save her. It was almost midnight, and she was still awake, tossing and turning in bed all the time. In the end, she decided to go down to the kitchen and eat something delicious. There should still be cakes left that they hadn't finished for dinner.
She returned with her loot. There were two éclairs on a plate. She finished one on the way to the bedroom. Scarlett always loved sweets, even before the war. At Tara, she often sneaked into the kitchen at night and ate the cake that Dilsey was making.
A new pastry shop had recently opened in the city, and Scarlett was a frequent visitor there. Today she brought home eclairs, which she was going to eat now. As soon as she put the plate on the bedside table, Scarlett heard soft footsteps in the hallway. At first, she thought it was Aunt Pitty, but she didn't hear the sound of the door opening or closing.
She reached for the revolver that was in the drawer of her bedside table. Her heart was pounding in her chest, there was a stranger in the house. The footsteps approached and then stopped. The stranger was either listening or deciding which door to enter. Her bedroom door was locked, but she didn't know what was wrong with the Pittypat door. Maybe this someone would attack her.
Scarlett approached the door, trying not to make any noise, sweat broke out on her forehead. She didn't know what to do, open the door and shoot, or wait and see what would happen next. She hesitated in front of the door until she heard a whisper.
"Scarlett..." at first, she didn't understand who was calling her. The stranger called her by name again, and then she realized who it was.
"Rhett?" Scarlett was shocked that he was in her house in the middle of the night. Was he drunk? She quickly opened the door, fearing that someone might hear him and it would be a real scandal. He stood hesitantly on the landing. There were three doors. He didn't know which one to choose. But when he saw Scarlett open a door, he quickly slipped inside.
"Good evening dear..." he stood in front of her, beaming, as if it was happening somewhere on the street, and not at night in her bedroom.
"Rhett, what the hell are you doing here?" Scarlett forgot to whisper. She spoke too loudly and bit her tongue, realizing her mistake. She pressed a finger to her lips, urging him to be silent and listening to see if Pittypat was awake.
"I missed my bride so much that I felt the need to see her," he replied matter-of-factly.
"We only saw each other this morning, Rhett. It's ridiculous." She was still angry at him for breaking into her house at night.
"Oh Gods, she rejects my feelings. I missed her so much that I snuck into her bedroom to watch her sleep in the moonlight. She makes fun of me for it."" he pressed his hand to his heart, theatrically rolling his eyes.
"Well, your plan has failed, I'm not sleeping, there's nothing to watch. Go to sleep." She tried to move him to push him out of the room, but he stood there and did not move like a wall.
Scarlett saw him searching her room, as if for something. Then he stopped looking at the plate.
"Does anyone like to eat at night? And even cakes. I didn't know you had a sweet tooth, Scarlett."
He walked around her and unceremoniously sat down on the bed, picking up a plate.
"Can I try it?"
Scarlett didn't understand what was going on at all. He broke into her house at night, and now he sits uninvited on her bed with the intention of eating cakes. It seemed to her that this was a dream and now she would wake up, but a minute passed and nothing happened.
"Are you serious, Rhett? Are you going to sit here and eat as if nothing had happened?" She waved her hands.
"Yes, why not?" He took one éclair and took a big bite.
"Why are you here?" she couldn't calm down, she needed to know what he was up to.
"I already told you I wanted to see you. I thought you were asleep."
"I can't sleep, it's too hot..." She caught his gaze, which slid from her feet to her eyes. She then realized she was standing before him in only a thin chemise.
Her eyes darted around the room, hoping to find something to put on, but there was nothing nearby. She felt naked under his gaze. She remembered the barbecue at Twelve Oaks. She had first seen him at the bottom of the stairs. Then, Rhett looked at her the same way now. Scarlett laughed at the thought.
"What made you laugh, dear?" he was watching her with interest, leaning back on one elbow.
"Oh, nothing special, I just remembered the day we met..." he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You looked at me when I was walking up the stairs... and your gaze, you looked at me as if you knew what I looked like without a shimmy, it seems now you almost know."
He laughed out loud, throwing his head back.
"Hush, Rhett, they'll hear you..." Scarlett was scared that someone might find him here and it would end in a scandal. But he didn't calm down, and she came up, standing between his legs, trying to cover his mouth with her hand.
At the same moment, he wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face in her stomach. Scarlett did not expect this. She felt his hot breath through the thin fabric. His hands gently stroked her waist, then squeezed her buttocks through the fabric.
"Rhett!" She tried to pull away in shock, but he wouldn't let her do it.
He raised his head and stared at her. The room was dark. All the candles were out. Only moonlight filtered through the open window, casting dark shadows on his face. This made it almost impossible to see the emotions that were reflected there. But his voice, deep and hoarse, sent goosebumps through her body.
"You smell great. I couldn't sleep without seeing you, will you let me stay for a while?" He continued to slowly stroke her buttocks. Then, he went down to her hips, tracing circles with his thumbs.
Oh, he was a tempter. Just the thought that a man, even her future husband, would stay with her in the bedroom at night was scandalous. What a scoundrel he was, how he loved to break all the rules and try to persuade her to do it too.
The South had its own rules, formed over the years. Mothers taught their daughters to follow them, to raise a lady. "A young lady cannot be alone with a gentleman behind a closed door, without the presence of another lady or servant...". "A gentleman, even a groom, cannot touch a young lady except to hold her hand or lightly kiss the back of it."
Scarlett heard the loud voice of old Mrs. Roberts. She made all the girls in her class memorize the book. Her mother would have fainted if she had allowed Rhett to be in her bedroom while being half naked.
She should have kicked him out, ordered him to get up and leave her house. But the idea of letting him stay and spend time with him, without fear of interruption, was so tempting.
Scarlett held up her index finger, looking at him sternly.
"You, Captain Butler, will keep your hands to yourself. Any obscene movement, and you won't see me until our wedding day." She tried to look formidable. It didn't seem to affect Rhett, though he listened to her.
He pulled back and raised his hands in defeat, but there was a slight smile on his face.
"Okay, Miss O'Hara, you have nothing to worry about. Your virtue won't be harmed. I'll just stay here until you fall asleep, and then I'll can you doubt my pure thoughts?" Now it was Scarlett's turn to laugh.
"Pure thoughts? Yes, you look like a cat that caught a mouse, you just have to lick your lips to complete the effect," she tried to seem outraged, but in truth it was not so.
Scarlett wasn't afraid of him. His bad reputation had preceded him. But, on some level, she knew that Rhett wouldn't hurt her in such a seemingly intimate setting.
"You always think the worst of me, darling." He got out of bed, allowing her to crawl under the thin blanket.
Scarlett settled on the pillow, pulling the blanket up. She watched in surprise as Rhett took off his jacket and then his shoes.
"What are you doing?" He wasn't going to undress and get into bed with her, was he? The thought shocked her, but it didn't scare her.
"Lying in shoes on the bed is not very comfortable, dear. And I don't want to dirty the bed linen," he replied simply. She continued to stare at him in surprise.
"Come on, Scarlett, I'm not going to eat you… right now." He flashed a white-toothed, insidious smile. It gave her goosebumps.
She thought he would continue to undress, but Rhett only rolled up his shirt sleeves and lay down on top of the blanket without touching her, keeping enough space between them.
"Do you want me to tell you some interesting Scarlett stories until you fall asleep?"
At first, Scarlett felt strange being in the same bed with him, even if he did not touch her and did not even make a single attempt to move closer or pull her to him or, what would be even more scandalous, kiss her.
"It was about six years ago when my team and I docked in Nassau in the Bahamas. Someday we'll go there together, darling, you'll see what a beautiful island it is. You have never seen such water, the colour of azure and such white sand. We will swim in the warm ocean and fall asleep to the sound of the waves…But I got distracted, so when the team and I landed on the island..."
Scarlett turned to face him and put her hand under the pillow and closed her eyes. His voice soothed and lulled her to sleep. She did not listen much to the words. Instead, she heard the velvety voice. It quietly told her either the truth or fiction. It was so skillful that she was ready to believe everything.
His scent enveloped her: whiskey, cigars, and horses. At some point, she moved closer and rested her head in the crook of his arm, pressing against his side. He immediately hugged her, pulling her a little closer.
God, she had never felt this way before. It felt so good to press against his hard body, to feel his warmth, to feel his muscles under her arm. What this man was doing to her.
She didn't realize how intently she was trying to see his face in the moonlight. Then, she noticed that Rhett had stopped telling the story. He was looking at her with that burning, inviting look that had appeared more often on his face in recent days.
He suddenly lowered his face and their lips almost touched.
"It seems my story wasn't very interesting, since you found it more attractive to stare at me," he almost whispered.
She didn't know what to say. Her thoughts wandered far away. All she could do was feel a wild desire to kiss him. She looked down at his lips, breathing heavily.
And the next moment Rhett lowered his lips to hers, drawing her into a passionate kiss. His hand tangled in her loose hair, trying to pull her even closer. Scarlett responded fervently to his kiss, forgetting about conventions or where they were now. Their tongues intertwined in a passionate dance. She tried to match his fervor. Rhett threw back the blanket that covered her body and rolled on top of her, breaking the kiss.
Scarlett was breathing raggedly, gasping for air. Leaning her head back on the pillow, she felt his lips find a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear, paying special attention to it. His lips slowly slid down her neck, nibbling and licking the thin skin, pulling soft moans from Scarlett. One of his hands was under her chemise and slowly rose to her hip. He stroked her delicate skin with callused fingers, sending goosebumps all over her body.
At one point, the straps of her chemise were pulled down, and his lips covered one of her nipples. The light touch of his teeth on the already hardened peak made Scarlett arch slightly and moan loudly.
Her whole body was trembling, she was drowning in sensations she had never experienced before. The heat spread all over her body, which made it shine with small grains of sweat.
His mouth moved to the other breast, doing the same movements, but this time, he covered the other breast with his palm and gently squeezed the nipple between his fingers, which sent an impulse right between her legs. Her hand instinctively dug into his hair, running through the soft strands.
Her body arched to meet his touch, Scarlett felt a growing pulsation between her thighs and did not understand what was happening to her. She wanted something that she did not know and could not figure out how to get it. But when she pulled Rhett's hair slightly and heard him moan softly, her eyes suddenly opened and her whole body froze.
Scarlett suddenly realized what was happening. She was lying flat with her legs spread wide, with Rhett nestled between them. The bottom of the shirt was raised almost to the hips, and the top was crumpled under the chest. And the worst part was that he didn't just see her almost naked, he did things to her that would make a real southern lady faint.
For the first few seconds, Rhett did not notice that Scarlett was looking at him and continued his movements. She could see that he was enjoying it, as if he really liked it. That's what he's doing to those women, to Belle Watling, that's what it looks like! She was disgusted that he decided to do to her the same thing as his whore.
Rhett noticed Scarlett's tension. He raised his head. She saw his bewilderment. She was burning with shame that she had allowed him to do this. It was necessary to kick him out from the very beginning.
"Rhett, you need to leave!" She tried to keep her voice as low as possible, but her voice betrayed her. "Leave immediately!".
She pushed him off. Then, she frantically straightened her chemise and crawled back under the covers. He looked surprised or even worried, his hair was disheveled, and his lips were parted. He was breathing in air, trying to catch his breath. She could see the feverish gleam in his eyes.
"Scarlett, please calm down. I wasn't going to do anything terrible to you…" he sat up on the bed, pulling his shoes back on.
"Terrible? You... you did… How dare you do something like that to me? It's dirty and indecent and..."
"Your moans told me it was pleasant," Rhett said with a wry smile. He looked too pleased. She opened her mouth in indignation.
"Don't you dare even say that to me? It's your fault, you decided to do all these... things to me!"
"And you liked it, you don't have to admit it, honey, but we both know it. But you're right, I shouldn't be doing this now. Forgive my outburst. I will curb my impulses before our wedding, Scarlett."
He wanted to sound sincere, but his grin showed that he wasn't sorry about what happened at all.
Rhett bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"You mean you're going to do IT again?" Scarlett was shocked.
He smiled even more.
"Of course, my bird," and then whispered conspiratorially in her ear. "This and much more, for your and my pleasure, but not before you officially become Mrs. Butler. In the meantime, I will keep in my memory those sweet sounds that you made, and the memories of the taste of your soft, sweet skin will keep me warm on lonely nights."
Scarlett's heart raced at his hot whisper. But she clung to her anger at everything that had happened.
"Go away!" That's all she could say.
But it seems Rhett didn't try to stay here any longer. He took the jacket and quietly opened her bedroom door.
"See you at dinner tomorrow, darling."
Scarlett hardly slept at night, the memory of the heated meeting with Rhett did not leave her. She was trying to get mad at him, what kind of bastard she was she marrying? It wasn't that she hadn't known this before, they had known each other for a long time, and she knew some of his adventures. But she didn't imagine that he would do something like that. Scarlett didn't know much about this side of the marriage.
Back at school in Fayetteville, the girls read aloud several romance novels at night, which they secretly somehow got out. The most interesting scenes, of course, were the relationships of the main characters in the bedroom. Something that was not taught in etiquette lessons and was even forbidden to say out loud was everything that could be related to it.
But even in the books, the descriptions were too vague. It was hard for their gentle, girlish minds to grasp what the author meant. And now Scarlett was beginning to understand the meanings of some of the scenes described and the sensations that Rhett's touch gave rise to.
Remembering all this, Scarlett blushed in the dark of her bedroom. Her upbringing struggled with feelings that screamed to accept how good it felt. She longed for this, though she did not fully understand it. But she desperately wanted to understand.
His words pulsed in her head. "This and much more, for your and my pleasure." Was there anything more that could be experienced… Oh, that was so wrong. She wanted to hide from Rhett after that. She wanted to avoid him for as long as possible. But, she had dinner with the Stantons on Friday. That meant she'd see him today. It made her even more uncomfortable. She could only hope that he would have the tact not to mention what had happened.
Scarlett was carefully preparing for dinner. She chose a dark green dress with white lace on the sleeves. Aunt Pitty was surprised at first by the list of invited guests, but did not say anything, in any case, it was Scarlett who financially supported her all this time and tried to make sure that Aunt Pitty, although she was not her relative, still did not need anything.
Scarlett was grateful that Pittypat had sheltered her in her home after the war and allowed her to stay there. It wouldn't last long, anyway, Scarlett's getting married soon, and Rhett refused to live at Aunt Pitty's house.
Dinner was scheduled for 6 p.m., and the Stantons arrived a little earlier. Emma's husband was in a better mood than when they first met, but that didn't make Scarlett like him anymore. She already knew that he was hitting Emma, but she didn't know what he was capable of. But, she liked this girl, and so she was ready to tolerate her husband's visit today.
They were having a casual conversation in the living room, waiting for the last guest. A guest whom Scarlett, on the one hand, wanted to see, and on the other, hoped that he would have a reason not to come.
But after a few minutes, she heard a knock and went to open the door herself. Rhett was standing in the doorway, smiling his best smile. He stepped inside, and she noticed the box in his hands.
"Scarlett, dear, good evening," it seemed to her that he was going to hug her, and took a small step back, nodding his head towards the living room. She tried to be calm, but excitement lingered. She feared Rhett might remark on their meeting yesterday in front of guests.
"You look great today. I brought eclairs, I thought you said you loved them." He grinned, making her blush.
What a scoundrel. How could she think that he would be such a gentleman that he would at least pretend he had forgotten about the last meeting?
But she needed to pull herself together because Rhett was amused by her discomfort, and he didn't even try to hide it.
"Hello, Rhett. Thank you. This will be a wonderful dessert." She waved, inviting him into the living room with the other guests.
"Emma, Mr. Stanton, you've already met Captain Butler."
Rhett bowed politely to Miss Pitty, who was fainting, as always, at his presence. He shook hands with Stanton and smiled sweetly at Emma.
After Rhett arrived, everyone followed to the table and had dinner. It was a relaxed atmosphere. Stanton and Rhett mostly talked about politics and some business. The ladies discussed the weather and the latest gossip from sewing circles.
After the Stantons and Rhett left, Aunt Pitty locked in her room. Scarlett took a book and decided to read on the sofa in the library.
The last time she looked at the clock on the mantelpiece, it was almost ten o'clock at night. And she decided it was time to go to bed when she heard quick footsteps approaching the porch. Although the person who made these sounds was running rather than walking.
Then she heard a hurried knock on the door, then another. Scarlett hesitated, not knowing who could be there at such a late hour. But then she heard a voice.
"Scarlett, Scarlett, please open up, it's Emma... please, I need your help." Hearing a familiar voice, she immediately hurried to open the door.
Emma looked terrible. Her hair was disheveled, there were traces of dried tears on her face, and her eyes were red and swollen. She was wearing the same dress as at dinner, only now it was torn in several places.
"God, Emma, what did he do to you? " Scarlett hurried to lock the door.
"Oh, Scarlett, I'm so scared. He's so angry, he's stalking me, he's going to find me. Please help me." She started crying.
"Let's go upstairs quickly, but quietly. So as not to wake anyone up."
Scarlett led Emma into her room and sat her down on the bed.
"Tell me what happened. What did he do?"
"Oh, Scarlett, he's mad about Captain Butler. He kept saying that he had his eye on me and that I was flirting with him. But there was nothing like that, you saw. I would never dare..." She burst into even more tears. "When we got home, he started screaming, throwing things. He hit me several times and almost took me by force. But I broke free and ran here. Scarlett, he'll find me..."
Scarlett went cold. Edward Stanton was crazy and could come here. And there was no one in the house to protect them. Just Aunt Pitty and old Uncle Peter, who wasn't much help, either.
"Don't worry, Emma, everything will be fine. We'll figure it out. You're staying here tonight. And tomorrow we'll figure out what to do."
But Scarlett hadn't even finished speaking when she heard a loud knock on the door. Someone was banging on the front door with his fist.
"Emma, I know you're here! Come out immediately! How dare you!"
Emma screamed and squeezed Scarlett's hand.
"He's going to kill me, he's going to kill me."
"Calm down, everything will be fine."
Scarlett wanted to believe that. But she began to shake herself. The man downstairs was in an inadequate condition, who knows what he could have done? She reached into the drawer of the bedside table and took out a loaded revolver.
"Emma, stay here and don't come out. Lock this door."
Scarlett walked slowly down the stairs and hid the revolver behind her back before opening the front door.
"Mr. Stanton, what do I owe this late visit?" she tried to look as calm as she could.
When Scarlett looked at his face, she was horrified. His wild eyes made her knees tremble and she tightened her grip on the revolver behind her back.
"Miss O'Hara, I know my wife is here. And I came to pick her up." He tried to enter, but Scarlett blocked his way.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Mr. Stanton, Emma is not here, and why would she be here at such a time? Did something happen to you?"
"Yes, my wife ran away and this is the only place where she could hide." He seemed to become even angrier.
He pushed Scarlett aside and went inside, looking around the living room and the library.
"Emma, I know you're here. Get down the good way before anything happens."
"Mr. Stanton, you'd better leave this house." Scarlett pointed a gun at him. "I insist."
He quickly grabbed the revolver and threw it aside, it happened so fast that Scarlett couldn't react in time. And Stanton began to climb the stairs, shouting Emma's name. At some point, she let out a plaintive sob, and he realized which room she was in.
Scarlett ran after him and tried to stop him by grabbing his arms, but he pushed her, and she hit her back against the wall.
Stanton wasted no time. He kicked down the door he needed. Then, he grabbed Emma by the hand and began to drag her down. Scarlett followed them, trying to push him away. At some point, she managed to pull Emma's hand out of his grasp, and she screamed.
"Emma, run, run outside, and scream with all your might..."
Emma stormed out of the door, and Stanton went completely berserk. His eyes were bloodshot and his nostrils flared like a bull about to attack its prey.
He pulled Scarlett by the arm and dragged her into the library.
"Anyway, what difference does it make, Emma or you? A woman is a woman. And if I don't get my wife, then I'll take you."
Scarlett began to struggle violently, trying to free herself from his grip. But he threw her against the doorjamb, she hit her head and fell to the floor. She tried to stand up, but she couldn't. All she could do was crawl further away from him. But he grabbed her by the hair, pulled her up hard, pulling a strangled scream out of her chest. This angered him even more. He kicked her in the stomach. The corset softened the blow, but she still moaned in pain.
Her head was ringing and she couldn't see clearly, everything was blurry in front of her eyes. She could hear Stanton's voice as if underwater.
"I've been watching you all evening. Butler got a tasty piece of the pie. But I think he won't mind if he doesn't get the first bite..."
Scarlett could feel him ripping the dress off her chest. She tried to fight back, but he was stronger. At some point, she felt something cold on her neck.
"Stop twitching, or I'll slit your throat."
The blade of the knife slid across her skin and her heart almost stopped. And then she felt him tearing at the hem of her dress. She no longer resisted, fearing that he would carry out his threat. It was enough for her vision to clear, and Scarlett could see the poker standing next to her.
She felt him running his hands over the inside of her knickers. At that moment, he got distracted. So, she grabbed a poker and hit him on the head with all her strength.
He fell, and Scarlett jumped up as fast as she could and ran into the hallway, where her revolver was lying on the floor. Grabbing it, she turned around and saw Stanton in the doorway, holding his head. His face was covered in blood.
"Oh, you bitch. How dare you..."
"Get out of my house, you bastard." She pointed the gun at him, standing far enough away that he couldn't knock it out of her hands again. "Come on, hurry up."
Scarlett gathered her willpower into a fist. She tried to make sure that neither her voice nor her hand, the mighty revolver, trembled.
Stanton moved slowly toward the exit and then went down the steps and out onto the road. All this time, Scarlett was following him with a gun at the ready. She did not immediately pay attention to what was happening around her.
The neighboring houses were on fire. Her neighbors stood outside, watching. She was not thinking clearly after hitting her head and could not fully focus on what was happening. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear crying and someone was saying her name. But she couldn't figure out who it was. Stanton turned to face her and stood motionless.
"And what will you do? Will you shoot me?" he laughed, and it was like madness.
"If necessary"
She suddenly remembered, in vivid detail, the face of the Yankee soldier she had shot. She tightened her grip on the revolver.
She didn't know how long they had been like this. But she could hear hooves somewhere far away. The sound got closer and then faded away. Scarlett kept her eyes on the man opposite and couldn't see what kind of people were around.
"Miss O'Hara put the revolver down." She heard a familiar voice and turned her gaze to the right. Captain Jeffery was walking toward her.
"So that you can let him go tomorrow, no way, Captain." Now Scarlett was overcome with anger.
"Please, Miss O'Hara, we'll figure this out."
"Scarlett, darling, do as the captain says." She heard Rhett's voice and saw him coming toward her from the left. "Come on, sweetheart, give me the revolver, I'll take care of everything."
"Rhett?"
"Yes, dear, I'm here."
He reached out and gently took the revolver from her. Scarlett snuggled against his chest, hugging his waist. She felt his arms wrap around her. He led her back into the house. She looked around for the first time. All the neighbors were watching the scene before them.
Rhett took her into the house and Scarlett saw Aunt Pitty, who was shaking while standing on the stairs.
"Scarlett, darling, what happened?" She looked as if she was going to faint.
"It's all right, Aunt Pitty, go to your room, it's all right now," Scarlett said wearily. She did not resist much and quickly slipped into her room.
"Darling, I'll take you to your room." She heard Rhett's quiet voice.
But the prospect of staying in this house tonight was unbearable for her. She looked at Rhett, who looked quite menacing. His jaw was clenched tightly and his brows were furrowed, although there was nothing but tenderness in his eyes.
"Rhett, what are you going to do?" he put his hand on her cheek.
"Leave it to me, Scarlett. Don't worry about anything. You've been through too much today. You need to get some sleep and see Dr. Meade."
"Please, Rhett, please. I don't want to stay here today. I can't."
She clutched his jacket with her hands, trying not to let him get away from her. He frowned.
"You can stay at my hotel if that's what you want."
It was scandalous to stay in the same room with a man who wasn't her husband. But she needed to get out of this house. She needed Rhett.
"Yes, let's go there, it's better that way."
"Okay, we need to wait a bit. I'm going to have to leave you here for a while. But I'll be back." She nodded.
He was already heading for the front door when she stopped him.
"Rhett, how did you end up here?"
"We were playing cards with the captain at Bell's. One of his men broke in there and said that you were holding that bastard at gunpoint. We hurried here together. And very timely, I want to note. Okay, we'll still have time to talk."
He left the house so that the neighbors could see him leaving the house. After a while, he returned through the back door to take her to his hotel under cover of night.
