Scarlett was delighted with her mill. She managed to hire Johnny Gallagher, he was not the nicest man on earth, but he really was a professional. The numbers in the ledgers were an indicator of that.

But Scarlett liked spending time with Rhett even more, who met her on the way to the mill. He would tie his horse to her buggy and get in with Scarlett. They spent the whole trip in light conversations. He hadn't been in Atlanta for the last month and Scarlett missed him. Even if she didn't want to admit it to herself, she missed their meetings and conversations. Sometimes their meetings delighted her more than trips to the mill. While he was out of town, she was trying to figure out what was going on with her and where she got such an interest in Rhett Butler. She tried to write it all off as He was the only one she could share her innermost thoughts. Thoughts which sometimes could shock the ladies from her sewing circles.

One afternoon, she heard a knock on the door and opened it to see Rhett on the threshold. He stood smiling, in his grey coat and grey hat.

"Rhett, you're back..."

"I see you're glad to see me, Scarlett. Good afternoon," he bowed decorously and expected her to let him into the house.

Scarlett stepped back and invited him into the library.

"How are you doing, Rhett? You've been away from Atlanta for a long time." She was really glad to see him.

"Did you miss me Scarlett?" his eyes glittered.

"Yes," she answered honestly, looking into his eyes. "It was boring enough here without you"

He laughed.

"Oh, so I'm entertaining you, it's nice to hear." He sprawled comfortably on the couch, lighting a cigar. "How are you Scarlett, has anything new happened while I was away?" His posture didn't change, but there were strange notes in his voice and Scarlett tensed up. She understood what he was getting at, but decided to change the conversation.

"Suellen is getting ready for the wedding, as you remember, it takes place in two weeks"

"Yes, yes, with our dear Frank Kennedy, how could I forget"

"I'm inviting you if you're still in town."

"I don't think your sister or Frank will be thrilled about this, Scarlett."

"I don't care what they think, I'm paying for part of this wedding, which means I can invite whoever I want." She looked at him defiantly, but he just laughed.

"If I'm still in Atlanta, I'll come." He smiled at her softly and there was... tenderness in his eyes. She wasn't sure. "By the way, imagine my surprise when Mrs. Merriweather greeted me on the street today. It was quite unexpected."

"I think it's because she finally believed my story that you are a noble knight who helped me when I needed it most. Maybe it opened a small hole in this wall of alienation between you and the Old Guard. Although I'm sure they're still wondering what your motives are."

"And what do you think my motives were to help you?" he moved closer to her on the couch, waiting for her answer, the intensity of his gaze made her uncomfortable.

"Well, a long time ago, you and I have already determined that I will not become your mistress and you are not a man who marries...so these motives are as incomprehensible to me as to them"

She was watching him closely. In fact, she was doing what he always did to her. She often caught his gaze on her, a cat watching a mouse hole. Taking an example from him, she also began to watch him, it was very interesting. Although most of the time he hid behind a mask of indifference, from time to time he gave himself away with a look or action. And Rhett noticed it, of course, with a strange smile.

"Then we need to wait and figure it out together."

Scarlett felt the atmosphere in the room change dramatically. Rhett went from being distantly interested to being dangerously cautious. His face suddenly became serious and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

"Speaking of the mill. Today I met Mrs. Wilkes on the street and she kindly shared with me the news that they now live in Atlanta and Mr. Wilkes runs your other recently purchased mill." his eyes flashed dangerously. "If I remember correctly, the terms of our deal were one very interesting point about the noble Mr. Wilkes, Scarlett."

"I know what you're thinking, Rhett, but I did it for Melanie, not for Ashley. I..."

He didn't let her finish and just laughed.

"Come on, Scarlett, you can always speak frankly with me. Do you really think I'll believe you? In case you forgot, I witnessed that heartwarming love scene in the library. Still, flatter yourself that he loves you. How can such illusions exist for so long in the head of a sober girl like you?"

She jumped up from the couch, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He always accurately identified the most painful place and hit it at the most unexpected moment.

"Rhett, if you don't want us to quarrel, we'd better not continue this conversation about Ashley, you just don't understand each other..."

"And you probably read his soul like an open book. Especially when it comes to his feelings for you. Has he already confessed his eternal love to you? Or has captivity finally made him forget you and appreciate his precious wife?"

Her face contorted after these words.

"Ah, so he still hasn't seen Mrs. Wilkes."

"I don't want to discuss this with you."

His voice was getting louder and Scarlett didn't understand why he cared so much. "So he still loves you?"

"What if he does?" She tried to defend herself but realized that she was already losing to him in their verbal battle.

"I've always admired your intelligence, Scarlett, and it's completely incomprehensible to me how you can't tell love from lust."

Scarlett was angry, so angry that she was ready to hit him.

"And you, as I see it, are an expert in this. You probably learned this from visiting Belle Watling! Apparently, it was she who taught you to feel pure and bright love!" she was almost screaming.

"So I'm only capable of carnal lust?"

"I didn't say that..."

"But you thought..." she just shrugged her shoulders.

"So that's why you don't want to talk to me about Ashley. My dirty hands and lips defile your love. But I will still continue to talk about him. So does he love you for your kindness, dedication, your mind and your soul?"

Scarlett cringed inwardly at his words and a feeling of disgust swept over her. When Rhett talked about it in that tone, it seemed dirty.

"So there is no carnal lust in the honorable Mr. Wilkes' love for you, only lofty feelings? Would this love be the same if it looked different? Or do you want to say that he doesn't care at all about your smile or those cat-like green eyes, or maybe your red moist lips… That is, he does not see all of this."

"Yes," her answer infuriated him.

"He doesn't even know that you have a mind and he's not at all interested in what kind of soul you have. He's obsessed with wanting to possess you, but his honor won't let him! He's too proper! I can only imagine how hard it is for him to remain a noble gentleman and a faithful husband next to you! I can't imagine how he was able to hold back until this moment and not tell everything to go to hell. Oh, yes, the honor!"

At that moment, Rhett was so disgusted with her that she decided to hit him as hard as possible.

"And who told you that he couldn't get me!" She almost screamed at him.

As soon as she said those words, Rhett jumped up, covering the distance between them in two steps and pinned her against the wall. His face was no longer devoid of emotion, he was furious. He bent over her so that their faces were almost touching.

"Repeat what you said."

"You heard perfectly well." She was scared of what he could do, but she wasn't going to give up so easily. "What happened, Captain Butler? Is it unpleasant to realize that Ashley has received something that you have wanted to possess for so long?" She saw, it seems, a million emotions that flashed in his eyes, from anger to... sadness. He was looking for something in her face…

"Never play poker, my dear, you are bad at bluffing," he said softly.

"You'll never be able to find out if it was true Rhett," she smiled at him maliciously, and at that moment it was as if something collapsed between them. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, they were completely empty.

"Then you're just an idiot for doing this to Scarlett..."

He quickly retreated, grabbed his coat and hat, and without saying another word left, slamming the door loudly.

As soon as Rhett left, Scarlett immediately regretted what she had said to him. She wanted to anger him so much, he was so vile in his statements, how could he doubt Ashley's feelings for her?

She went up to her bedroom and fell on the bed. He said such nasty things, how could he think that Ashley only wanted her body? He loved her. but thinking more and more about what Rhett was saying, an alarming thought crept into her head...Ashley had never told her that he loved her. She remembered that scene in the garden between them, even then he didn't tell her anything about love, he wanted her body… Scarlett felt so disgusted, but she couldn't figure out which was more, from the fact that she realized it or from the fact that Rhett threw it in her face.

What about her? She loved Ashley. I loved him. But the word sounded uncertain even in her head. When was the last time she thought about him? Yes, they saw each other several times a week at the sawmill, but they hardly discussed other issues besides work. Lately, she's been thinking more and more about Rhett Butler than about Ashley. This confused her even more, she wasn't in love with Rhett.… The thought made her stomach churn. She quickly pushed the thought away. He was a nasty boor, she wouldn't even let herself think about it. All these thoughts gave her a headache and she decided to think about all this later.

It had been a few days since she last talked to or heard from Rhett. He did not try to visit and she did not see him in the city when she went there on business. Scarlett was getting nervous, and she was increasingly thinking that they should talk about what had happened, but she didn't want to look for him intentionally.

On the third day of his silence, when Scarlett was drinking tea in the living room all alone, Uncle Peter brought her two large boxes.

"The messenger delivered this for you." He left them on the table in front of her.

Scarlett opened the top box and saw the finest white silk with embroidered white flowers on it. In the second box she found a dark blue velvet letter and a small velvet box. She grabbed the box and tore it off with a soft sigh. Inside were the most beautiful sapphire drop earrings she had ever seen in her life. She was amazed.

When she opened the letter, she recognized Rhett's sprawling handwriting.

"Miss O`Hara,

Let me congratulate your sister on her upcoming wedding. I would like to give her a gift, I am sure she will look great in a wedding dress.

Rhett Butler"

And not a word about the velvet or the earrings, which were obviously meant for her. He was still mad at her, but he sent her a gift anyway, which he obviously bought on his last trip. Scarlett looked at the earrings again, they were very expensive. She felt a pang of conscience, she said nasty things to him, but he still gave her a gift.

Scarlett hoped Rhett would show up at Suellen's wedding and they could talk.