June 1866

Rhett brought her to his room at the National Hotel. After crossing the threshold, she suddenly stopped and felt a certain awkwardness. The shock of what was happening began to pass, and Scarlett looked at her hands. They were all covered in dried blood.

She felt a hand on her back.

"Darling, let's wash the blood off you, sit on the bed." Rhett crossed the room and took off his jacket. He threw it on an armchair and then disappeared into the dressing room.

Scarlett looked at the bed and decided that it would be better to sit in an armchair so as not to stain the sheets. She walked over to the fireplace and sat down on the edge. She heard Rhett's footsteps across the room, and after a moment, he put a jug of water and a towel next to it on the table.

"Scarlett, look at me..." he knelt next to her. "Are you sure everything is fine?"

She looked into his worried face and tried to smile.

"I'm fine, Rhett, don't worry." He stared at her face for a moment longer. Then, he took the jug, soaked a towel, and wiped the blood from her forehead.

Scarlett grimaced, her forehead tingled unpleasantly.

"Is it very terrible?" she asked wearily.

"No dear, it will pass in a few days, don't worry." He took her hands and began to wipe the dried blood, carefully passing a towel over each finger, over each nail.

Rhett put down the towel and took her hands in his, bending down and pressing his lips to her palm. He left light kisses on one hand and then on the other. Scarlett closed her eyes, enjoying his gentle touch. Most of all, she wanted to forget everything that had happened today, she wanted this day to finally end.

Suddenly, she felt Rhett stop and squeeze her hands. Scarlett looked down and saw Rhett staring, frozen, at her skirt. At first, she couldn't figure out what was going on, and then she saw a bloodstain on her dress.

"Scarlett..." he looked at her and Scarlett was scared for a second when she saw a face full of rage. "What did he do to you? If he touched you, I'll kill him," he said through clenched teeth. His body tensed so much, and his face contorted into a grimace of anger that Scarlett trembled.

Her tired brain couldn't think straight. She didn't get his question. She stared at him blankly and said nothing.

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

"Scarlett, tell me... Did he rape you?"

It was as if she had woken up.

Perhaps for the first time in such a long acquaintance, she could see fear in his eyes. Scarlett wanted to calm him down, it was so unusual for her to see Rhett in such a state. He was like a beast, ready to break out of its cage and tear apart anyone in its path.

"What? No Rhett, no..."

She reached out and stroked his cheek.

"He didn't do anything." She swallowed. "He didn't make it."

He exhaled through his teeth. Scarlett tried to defuse the situation.

"My virtue is saved for you, Rhett; it's okay." She smiled.

"It's not funny, Scarlett," Rhett replied rudely, but she saw his body relax.

But he looked at the bloodstain again.

"What is it?"

"He cut me," she replied awkwardly, lowering her eyes.

"I want to see," Rhett took hold of the dress's hem and began lifting it.

Scarlett jerked and tried to stand up.

"No, Rhett, what are you doing..." Rhett sat her back down.

"You need help, let me see." He picked up the dress again, but Scarlett stopped him again.

Scarlett tensed. Rhett was going to look under her dress. Not just look, she'd have to take off her stockings and knickers. The adrenaline had gone out of her blood and she felt a burning sensation on the inside of her thigh, she knew that the cut was maybe big enough and she needed to do something about it, but for Rhett to do it… It was too much.

They had already shared an intimate scene recently, but that was no reason to let him touch her again.

"You can't do this, it's indecent, Rhett," she protested indignantly.

He laughed for the first time that evening.

"Indecent? Darling, our wedding is in two weeks. Very soon I'll see you without clothes anyway." He looked at her cheekily and Scarlett's jaw dropped.

But Rhett didn't stop there. He put his hand to his heart.

"I'll be honest, it's such an exciting experience for me to finally touch the woman I've been wanting for so long. Forgive me, my dear, that I can't keep my hands away from you and want to use this opportunity to finally worship your body."

Scarlett listened to him with her eyes wide open and then burst out laughing.

"God, Rhett... only you can say something like that at a time like this," he laughed, giving her a gentle smile.

"Scarlett, let me help you… Please."

She wanted to refuse him, but she understood that she needed help, no matter how stubborn she was.

"Okay," she relaxed in the chair. "But..." she held up her index finger. "Captain Butler, keep your hands within my line of sight."

"You've trampled on all my hopes, Miss O'Hara," he laughed.

But then Rhett got serious and started lifting the dress. He lifted her skirts to her knees and stopped. Carefully lifting her foot, he took off her shoes and gently rubbed her foot. Scarlett's eyes closed, it was too pleasant.

She felt his hands slide over her stocking. His fingers dived under her knickers and pulled the stocking down. He slowly massaged her leg, rising to the edge of her knickers. Scarlett opened her eyes to find Rhett staring right at her. His fingers found the lace of the pantaloons and pulled. He lowered his head, watching as more naked skin appeared.

He moved higher and higher, above the knee, and they both saw blood. He stopped and clenched his hands into fists, along with the cloth, but then continued his work. Scarlett was so excited about what was happening that she didn't even feel the pain of the cut. Just the excitement of Rhett's touch. He lifted his trousers almost to the middle of his thigh, which made Scarlett squirm in her chair, and saw a shallow cut from which blood was oozing.

Scarlett closed her eyes at the sight of the blood. But, when she felt a wet cloth, she looked back at Rhett. He gently wiped the blood around the cut, trying not to touch her. Scarlett sat tense, not daring to move. Rhett accidentally touched the cut with the cloth. Scarlett screamed and twitched. He looked up at her, alarmed.

"Does it hurt?" Scarlett could only nod, gritting her teeth. Rhett leaned even closer to her hip and she felt the cool air as he blew on the wound. If it wasn't for that cut on her leg, she would have regarded Rhett's actions as intimate, in this case, she could only focus on the blood on her leg.

Rhett suddenly stood up.

"Don't move, I'll be right back."

He disappeared back into the dressing room and returned with one of his crisp white shirts. He knelt in front of her again. Scarlett wondered what he needed the shirt for until he tore it in front of her.

Scarlett gasped.

"Rhett, what are you doing?" She was outraged, but Rhett didn't seem to care.

"We need to bandage your leg. Tomorrow, Dr. Meade will check it," he said. Then, he began to tie an improvised bandage around her thigh.

After he finished, Rhett carefully lowered her knickers and skirt. Then, he rose from his knees.

"That's much better," he nodded in satisfaction. And he held out his hand to her to get up. "Do you want something, maybe a drink or something to eat?" he asked solicitously.

But Scarlett wanted nothing more than to go to bed and forget about all this. She looked at him wearily.

"Thank you, Rhett. I'd like to go to bed, can you get the maid to help me undress?"

"I'm sorry, darling, I can't do this, no one needs to know that you're here, remember?"

Scarlett looked at him blankly.

"But what should I do?"

And at that moment, she saw a predatory smile spread across his face.

"I am at your service, madam." He bowed to her and laughed.

Scarlett couldn't believe what a scoundrel he was. He took pleasure in putting her in such an awkward position. But for some reason, she couldn't be mad at him, he had done so much for her.

"No, you're not going to undress me," she said stubbornly.

To be honest, Scarlett was excited by the idea. A warmth flared up inside her at the thought of Rhett undressing her. It was thrilling, but she didn't want to give up so quickly. He shouldn't have realized that she liked it.

"Don't be so stubborn, darling, you're tired and you need help." He approached her, hypnotizing her with his gaze.

"And you're very happy to give it to me, as I see," she raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"I can't leave a lady in distress, gentlemen don't do that." He laughed lightly.

She paused for a long time before exhaling and turning her back on him, she knew that she had lost this battle. There was no point in resisting. Of course, she could have undressed herself. But, it would have taken much longer. And all she wanted to do was get into bed and fall asleep.

"I always knew, Scarlett, that you were capable of making the right decisions," he laughed.

"Oh Rhett, let's get this over with..." she said irritably.

He didn't say anything else, but she felt his fingers begin to unbutton the hooks of the dress on her back. There was silence in the room, broken by the sound of their breathing. Rhett unbuttoned the dress and ran it over her shoulders, pulling it off her arms. The dress fell with a rustle at her feet and Scarlett closed her eyes. The next thing he unbuttoned was the petticoat, and then the crinoline, which followed the dress. His hands moved to the corset and with each movement, Scarlett could breathe more freely. But the situation in the room suddenly changed. She felt Rhett move closer behind her, but she didn't move. When the corset was so loosened. That it could be removed, he took hold of its edges and pulled it over Scarlett's head, she obeyed and raised her arms. She heard the corset fly somewhere in the direction of the chair. She remained standing only in her chemise and pantaloons.

Scarlett felt naked, even though she was still wearing several layers of clothes. She felt Rhett put his arm around her waist and pull her back to him. Scarlett gasped softly and put her hands on top of Rhett's, leaning her head back against his chest.

"You are a scoundrel who takes advantage of your position..." she muttered.

"I'm doing… How can I deny myself the pleasure of feeling you with almost no clothes on?"

She didn't answer. She stood with her eyes closed. Her brain screamed at her not to do this. She shouldn't let Rhett behave like this, even if they were getting married soon. But she couldn't bring herself to pull away, no matter how scandalously she behaved at that moment.

Rhett ran his nose through her hair, going down to her neck and leaving a gentle kiss on it.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered in her ear, almost purring at that moment. "I'm counting the minutes until our wedding."

"Rhett..." was all she could say, she didn't even know what she wanted to say, and her thoughts didn't form into sentences.

But the next minute he pulled away, walked around her and held out his hand so she could get out of her skirts. Scarlett blushed looking at him, but Rhett did not feel any embarrassment, he just looked at her with a burning look but did not allow her to make some teasing comment, as he always liked to do, for which Scarlett was very grateful to him. She wanted to get away from his gaze anyway, and she didn't want to get into a verbal altercation with him.

Rhett bent down and took off her other shoe and stocking, and now she was standing barefoot on the soft carpet.

His behavior had changed. He now seemed focused and detached, as if he was trying to restrain himself. Scarlett still didn't understand what was going on. But, she didn't want to deal with it now. She would think about it later. So she turned around and climbed into bed as quickly as possible. As soon as she lay down, her body sank into a cloud. The bed was so soft, it felt like she was floating above the ground.

While she was blissfully lying in bed, Rhett managed to change his clothes and remained only in trousers and a bathrobe, taking off his vest and shirt at the same time. He walked over to the bed on the opposite side, picked up one of the pillows, and headed for the couch. Scarlett was surprised. She had hoped he'd sleep next to her. But Rhett had other plans.

"What are you doing?" she asked in surprise.

"It's obvious, dear, I'm going to sleep," he replied, laughing.

"On the couch?" Scarlett didn't believe it at first, but now it was obvious to her that he would sleep there.

"Would you rather see me next to you in bed, Miss O'Hara?" He raised his eyebrows, trying to look surprised, but his face betrayed his amusement. "I intend to behave like a gentleman and leave the bed to you while I spend time on this couch. Everything for my lady."

"But Rhett..." Scarlett saw how stupid she looked. It was indecent to convince Rhett to sleep in the same bed with her. But when something like that stopped her. "You said, our wedding is only two weeks away and..."

"Don't tempt me, Scarlett."

But she wouldn't stop. She liked this game too much. So, she decided to hit where she could break through his defenses.

"What happened? Is fearless Rhett Butler afraid to join me in bed?" She smiled slyly at him.

There was an impassive mask on his face, which meant that he did not want to show true emotions. But then his face changed, and Scarlett saw an expression of absolute lust. She sighed, feeling a wave of heat pass through her body.

He walked up to her slowly, like a predator. Then, he leaned a knee on the mattress and bent over her. Their lips were almost touching.

"You can't even imagine, sweet little fox, what kind of fire you're playing with. I'm looking forward to our honeymoon, it will be very interesting..." Scarlett caught her breath. She couldn't answer. She tried to kiss him, but he pulled away and straightened up next to the bed. She stood there, stunned. He was composed and unperturbed, as always. The passion of his last words was gone.

"Move over," he said brusquely.

And when Scarlett did, he lay down on his side of the bed and extinguished the last candle that lit the room. Rhett didn't try to move closer to her or hug her or even say anything. They just lay there, each on their side.

Now, in the silence and darkness of the room, Scarlett finally remembered how and why she was there. Memories flooded back to her and she shivered. Only now she realize that Rhett's teasing was a distraction. His fleeting seductions aimed to distract her from the dark thoughts swarming in her head. He was trying to make her forget about the horror she had experienced earlier in the evening. And she wanted to be in his arms more than anything in the world right now, and she didn't give a damn about decency.

Scarlett turned on her side. She shifted on the bed to snuggle up to Rhett. She hugged him around the waist and rested her head on his chest. She feared he might push her away. But, his arms wrapped around her, pressing her closer. He buried his nose in her hair and sighed.

And suddenly she burst into tears. Hot tears flowed down her face and did not stop. Scarlett trembled in his arms, remembering everything that had happened. If she had been less determined, who knows how this night would have ended? She could have been raped or even killed. She could feel the cut on her leg aching and the wound on her head throbbing, not letting her forget. She pressed harder against Rhett's hard chest, feeling him hug her tighter.

"Thank you, thank you for everything," she whispered into his chest.

"Please, darling, don't cry, just rest. You need to sleep, it's over, everything will be fine." She felt a kiss in her hair and realized that she could finally relax and fall asleep.

She woke up to someone calling her name. At first, she couldn't figure out who it could be, but then she realized it was Rhett. She was half asleep. Her mind tried to figure out how he was in her bedroom. Then she remembered she had spent the night in his room.

She opened her eyes. She was lying on her side, her back pressed against Rhett's big, hot body. It excited her. She had never thought about what it would be like to sleep in the same bed with a man. But girls weren't taught to think about something like that at all. The whole upbringing stopped at the fact that every good Southern lady should find a good husband. And what should have happened next, history was silent. Now, lying in bed with this man who would soon be her husband, Scarlett felt many new emotions. They were beyond the control of her still-awake brain.

"Scarlett, it's time to get up, you need to get home before Atlanta wakes up," he whispered in her ear.

"What? What time is it now?" Scarlett wanted to sleep. She was too good right now to leave this bed.

"Six in the morning, you need to have breakfast and I'll take you home." He began stroking her hand with his fingertips, causing goosebumps.

"Six in the morning, Rhett, I want to sleep, it's too early," she muttered into her pillow.

Scarlett tried to get comfortable in bed. She forgot she was pressed against Rhett. As she moved, something hard pressed against her lower back. She froze.

"Rhett," she wanted to ask him about it, but something told her that she shouldn't talk about it, because she would make herself look very awkward.

She heard his laughter behind her.

"Yes, dear, you will find out very soon that I will be demanding of you in the morning."

She strained to understand him. Then, it struck her. He meant their marital duties. She felt herself blushing and tried to turn away even more.

"Oh my God, Rhett, why are you always like this…" she couldn't find the right word.

"I'm sorry, dear," he continued laughing. "I sometimes forget how innocent you still are."

He turned her around and pressed his lips to hers.

"I'll fix it," his voice was full of promise. She wanted to say something in response, but she heard a knock on the door and started.

"This is breakfast, you need to eat something before we leave."

He got up, opened the door, and did not let the servant in, even took the tray from the threshold. Scarlett managed to sit up in bed during this time, waiting for Rhett. He returned and placed the tray on her lap. She looked at the contents and grimaced in displeasure.

"There's only breakfast for one here," she said to Rhett, who sat down in an armchair and lit a cigar.

"Yes, for you, I can eat later after I take you home."

"No, that won't do. What do you want, a croissant or a bun? Do you want it with butter or with jam?"

He looked at her in surprise, unable to hide a smile. Scarlett thought he liked the idea of having breakfast with her. She waited for him to answer.

"Are you interested in what I want?" he asked in surprise. Strange emotions were playing on his face that Scarlett couldn't decipher.

"Isn't it obvious?... So what do you want?" She continued to insist.

"A bun with butter," he replied simply, stubbed out the rest of his cigar, and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.

She handed him a bun, taking the second one and doing the same with it.

"And I like butter and jam," she said, taking the first bite and setting it aside.

She took the coffee pot filled the only cup that stood on the tray to the brim with coffee and handed it to Rhett.

"Coffee for you," he shook his head negatively, but she continued to hold the cup, inviting him to take it from her hand.

"I don't drink coffee in the morning, I prefer tea, so coffee is for you," and smiled.

"I didn't know," he replied, finally taking the cup from her.

"Well, now you know."

They sat in pleasant silence, looking at each other. It seemed to Scarlett that for the first time, he did not hide his emotions. He was smiling and happy as he bit into a bun and washed it down with coffee. Scarlett wished to do this forever. To have breakfast with him in perfect harmony. But this idyll was spoiled by another knock on the door. Scarlett rolled her eyes, and Rhett laughed, putting the cup on the tray and walking to the door.

Rhett returned with a small package in his hands.

"What is it? She asked curiously.

"I asked someone to bring one of your dresses here, you can't go back in the one you wore yesterday, it's all covered in blood."

Scarlett was once again amazed at how much Rhett did for her. He always seemed to think everything through in advance.

"Come on, Scarlett, hurry up." He took her corset in his hands and waited with an expectant smile.

"Wait, won't you call the maid?" she was a little confused. Yes, she let them undress her yesterday, but she was a little out of her mind, today… she wasn't sure if this was a good idea.

"The answer will still be the same: "No." Come on, Scarlett, I already took all this off you last night. This is not the time to be shy." He smiled slyly.

She rolled her eyes and silently got out of bed, he was such a scoundrel sometimes. He patiently helped her put on her stockings and shoes, and then proceeded to tighten her corset.

Scarlett could only marvel to herself at how masterfully he did it.

"Tighter," she said when he hadn't tightened enough. And she felt him tighten the ribbons tighter. "I probably shouldn't ask where you learned this."

He burst out laughing behind her.

"I think you already know the answer, dear, and I shouldn't repeat it."

Of course, she knew, in a brothel, where else. She didn't like to think about Rhett visiting this place, especially now that they were engaged. He promised her that he would never approach this woman again, and she could only take his word for it.

After she dressed, they went out the hotel's back door. They got into the carriage meant to take Scarlett to Aunt Pitty's house.