Chapter 25. Silver threads among the gold
Saturday, May 27 1876, 10 pm, Charleston, 26 South Battery, garden of « La Mode Duncan »
"It's time to open the Ball ! Don't you think so, Duncan? »
It was Melina again who broke the tension. She had only one hurry, that to be able to finally dance with Alexander Dean. They had exchanged some harmless words in front of the buffet. Especially, he had asked her the authorization that she registers him in her dance card. Therefore, Melina was more and more impatient that the party begins!
Duncan nodded and asked his sister to alert the orchestra, which she did, leaving with a light step.
A minute later, the group's singer was heard to say: "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the music and the dance! And, to start with the best, here's a little tune that will make you want to sing along..."
Then came the first verse of what had been considered the anthem of the old Confederacy, and which was ingrained in the heart of every Southerner, "Dixie".
From the first bars, the guests looked at each other, smiled broadly and began to sing the words.
"I wish I was in the land of cotton, old times dar am not forgotten.
Look away ! Look away ! Look away ! Dixie Land.
In Dixie Land whar' I was born in,
Early on a frosty mornin',
Look away ! Look away ! Look away ! Dixie Land. » [*1]
By the time the chorus came around, the audience was fired up. Hooray" and "away" were shouted at the top of their lungs by the men who, with perfect coordination, tapped their feet while twirling their hats over their heads. The women, young and old, clapped their hands without embarrassment.
"Den I wish I was in Dixie. Hoo-ray! Hoo-ray!
In Dixie Land I'll take my stand to live and die in Dixie,
Away, away, away down South in Dixie,
Away, away, away down South in Dixie."
So many couples invaded the dance floor that the space of the garden not covered by the temporary floor had to be quickly taken over. The dancers wrapped their arms around their sweethearts in opposite directions and spun around laughing.
Young Alexander, who had been watching for this moment, came to the head table and ceremoniously asked Melina for the dance, which she immediately accepted.
The pretty Roselyne could not refuse the solicitation of a bashful suitor. Before following him reluctantly, she checked that Rhett did not show his disapproval. But he was looking away.
Duncan was pleased to hear his former brothers-in-arms at the generals' table take up a different conquering refrain transformed by the military:
"Advance the flag of Dixie! Hurrah! Hurrah!
For Dixie's land we take our stand, and live or die for Dixie!
To arms! To arms! And conquer peace for Dixie!
To arms! To arms! And conquer peace for Dixie. » (*2)
John smilingly led Blanche onto the dance floor. The first few minutes were disconcerting for her. This way of dancing seemed very exotic, far from the Parisian open-air dance hall/cafés. But she quickly adapted and followed the young American's energetic steps.
Scarlett was discreetly tapping her foot under the table. Finally, she was going to dance! She realized how much she had been deprived of this physical pleasure. Fortunately, spending some time with Ashley had indulged in her favorite distraction a few times, but it was not enough. It would never be enough. She wanted to dance, to dance, just like when Rhett used to lead her in frantic rhythms.
She felt him watching her. Like a jaguar ready to pounce on its prey.
He was on the lookout, indeed.
Rhett understood that Scarlett was stamping under the table, just by observing the slight twitch of her bustier. As if it were yesterday, he could see her stomping in cadence on the floor of the little booth at the Charity Ball, so frustrated at being confined to her place as a reclusive widow, waiting for someone to come and save her. That he had come to save her.
He was so impatient of going to take her to the track and finally embrace her in his arms...
But he had been deeply upset knowing now that she and Vayton were meeting in Atlanta. Where was he sleeping? How many times had they met?
Jealousy began to cut into him again. It was a nightmare. He had barely managed to reason with himself and calm his abhorrence of Wilkes by convincing himself that he could fight him face to face and prevent Scarlett from becoming Mrs. Wilkes! Now there was another suitor lurking around his wife. And how much more dangerous! Ashley Wilkes was a man of the past, with weaknesses that Scarlett could not respect. This one was well in his time, and he had everything to please her. What enraged Rhett even more was that he recognized that this pretentious man, boasting of being a great Parisian fashion designer, was superior to him in fortune, prestige, respectability, and, he had to admit, in charm. As for the youth...
Rhett could not hide a grimace, which Eleonor immediately noticed. She suppressed her apprehension and resumed her great discussion with Cathleen.
Three years, three years I have been dreaming of this moment! I have "seen" her everywhere, in the most remote places of the world, and every night imagining her against me... Tonight, she is real, I could feel her skin against mine, I could smell her perfume. So why am I unable to tell her what is in my heart, how much I miss her, how much I love her... Because he is there, sticking to her, not caring about my presence. I am only the former husband, the man of the past... I must however find a solution, that I make her react. Let her insult me, let her reproach me, anything but the indifference she has been showing me since a while ago...
A small voice pointed out to him that it was unfair, that she had taken the initiative to bandage him, with such tender hands... Then, why this Vayton in her life? He did no't understand what was happening to them anymore. Only one certainty imposed itself to him: he was madly addicted to her to death.
Just as Rhett was thinking these desperate thoughts, the last notes of "Dixie" were heard, and the singer announced, "What better way to start this ball than with a poem for lovers? Ladies and gentlemen, "Aura Lea! "
His announcement was cheered by the young people. Finally they could have an excuse to approach their suitors!
Rhett barely had time to think about inviting Scarlett when his neighbor had already preceded him. Duncan stood up and bowed to her. Scarlett did not hesitate for a second and agreed to follow him.
A sledgehammer blow. Not even a glance. She did not give me a glance... The blood rushed to his temples. He could feel the anger rumbling inside him. He was going to make her believe that he did not care if she danced with someone else.
Roselyne's admirer had just escorted her - reluctantly - back to the table. She had only been in a hurry to get back to Rhett. She got palpitations when her handsome adventurer put his black eyes on her, and, with his carnivorous smile, dragged her with him.
The couples were gradually occupying the floor squared by the lanterns. Melina was in heaven. "Dixie" did not predispose to any physical connection with Alexander. "Aura Lea," which Melina had specifically added to the repertoire list, had a completely different ambition.
Blanche had slipped away for a few minutes to make sure Gina had had no trouble putting the twins to bed and was now looking after the guests' children. Like a perfect party planner, the director of "La Mode Duncan" had planned games supervised by Marguerite and Georgette's tutor in the garden near the outbuildings.
John narrowly saved Rebecca from the clutches of Petyr, who reluctantly had to fall back on Gladys, promising himself that dancing once with his wife in the evening would be more than enough.
"Becca, smile, little sister. I cannot stand to see you melancholic, you know that. "John forced Rebecca to look away from Duncan, who was holding the Georgian tightly against him.
"Don't think about it anymore. Nothing matters. Only us!" he tenderly intimated in her ear, and he guided their dance steps so as to get as far away as possible from the couple that irritated his sister.
Duncan twirled Scarlett around. "What a wonderful dancer! You look like you are flying with every step. Good thing I am here to catch you! »
Scarlett laughed happily, but her words were well considered. "My dear Duncan, it is not you who will clip my wings.»
He answered her by turning the chorus of Aura Lea from blonde hair to black hair:
"When the blackbird in the Spring,
On the willow tree,
he Sat and rocked, I heard him sing,
Singing Aura Lea.
Aura Lea, Aura Lea,
Maid of blackened hair;
Sunshine came along with thee,
And swallows in the air." (*3)
Rhett quickly gave Roselyne the dizzy spell, waltzing her with great amplitude so as to be near the leading couple of the evening.
He was ostensibly complimenting the girl he was holding tightly in his arms, using the most sensual modulations he had mastered for ages. He took great care that his voice carried far away so that Scarlett could hear him. The two couples were almost elbow to elbow, projected by the many dancers present.
Not once - not once during "Aura Lea" - did Scarlett condescend to look at him or his dance's partner. As if they did not exist. Not even Rhett's forced bursts of laughter distracted her from her target, Vayton. Not an ounce of reaction. I could openly kiss Roselyne Tucker and she would not even deign to show a hint of interest. Rhett was beginning to realize bitterly that the little game of jealousy he had wanted to initiate was futile.
At the last notes, the singer announced: "We are pleased to sing a new tune that is being performed all over New York, and that you already love. It is a hymn to the longevity of love, a husband realizing that age is coming, but that he will always see in his wife's eyes the fresh, pretty girl he once loved. This is "Silver Threads among the Gold! »
His announcement was greeted with loud applause. Elderly gentlemen decided to invite their wives, who were delighted by this touching solicitude after years of marriage.
Rhett caught Scarlett wanting to end the dance and leave the floor. But Duncan held her back and kissed the back of her hand.
The first words came out:
"Darling, I am growing old,
Silver threads among the gold,
Shine upon my brow today,
Life is fading fast away." (*4)
Roselyne was marveling in the arms of her silver-tempered love, who for her would always be young.
Rhett finally managed to capture Scarlett's attention. Just for a moment, before she turned her head away. Duncan was focused on the dance step, or perhaps he was dreaming of a long future with the lady of his dreams.
Scarlett had wanted to leave. She had no legitimacy to be among the couples dancing in honor of their long years of marriage. She had heard this successful tune on occasion. Each time, she had turned away from it. She did not like that sweet song about eternal love at all. It did not exist. Her parents had not aged together. And she would never grow old with a man. Never with Rhett.
But Duncan asked her to give him one more dance. Then they would return to their table.
Since the beginning of the ball, she had taken care not to look at her former husband exposing himself with the young Tucker. Because it was indeed an exhibition. He was talking loudly. He was laughing loudly. He was wrapping his arms too tightly around the girl. His experienced dancer's steps were too wide to be natural, enough that the two couples almost brushed against each other. Everything sounds fake. Surely in an effort to impress this girl who is far too young for him. Younger than me. That is why he parades like a rooster. But I do not care the slightest! she convinced herself.
Let him look in a mirror! She reflected nastily. The racy man with the body of an athlete who had impressed her at the barbecue was not the one who was just now swooning over a young girl. With a wicked satisfaction, Scarlett had taken care to detail him since earlier. His waist had thickened. And that felt on his way of dancing, his strong build weighing down his step. His jowls gave him a puffy face - probably caused by alcohol, Scarlett concluded with contempt. No, he was nothing like the powerful man with the feline grace, moving like an Indian on a hunting trail. The hunt leading in her direction. When I think of how he put me lower than the ground because I had lost too much weight! It would be my turn now to humiliate him.
The warm voice of the artist cooed:
"When your hair is silver white, And your cheeks no longer bright..." (*4)
Rhett had quickly given up the idea of pretending to be happy on the arm of a girl. This text affected him too much.
The rhythm of the music was slow, conducive to embraces. Roselyne took advantage of it to get closer to the chest of this man who attracted her so much.
He did not even notice. He was searching Scarlett's gaze with such intensity that she turned around:
"But, my darling, you will be,
Always young and fair to me." (*4)
Then the black eyes plunged in the green water of the irises of Scarlett. He wanted to send her a message. No matter how much time passed. Her beauty would always be equal to that of the Belle of Clayton County.
Scarlett had the sensation that his dark pupils were going to absorb her, to transport her to a dark place where her senses would be reduced to a ball of shivers.
Rhett's muscles tensed. It was Scarlett who should have been clutching him, for this song spoke of their long shared history. How long had Vayton known her? A few months? At worst, two and a half years... I knew you when you were sixteen, and I shall love you all my life. What are we both doing in stranger arms?
Rhett moved his lips in spite of himself. She could read: "Scarlett".
The song ended:
"With the roses of the May,
I will kiss your lips and say:
Oh! My darling, mine alone, alone,
You have never older grown!" (*4)
Then everything stopped. The music, the dance.
Scarlett looked away. Duncan, who had been watching his neighbor, was happy to take her arm and lead her back to their table.
Rhett clenched his fist, and smiled politely at Roselyne to join the other Vayton guests.
Everyone was back.
Melina and Cathleen were conferring: an important step of the party was coming up. Duncan simply said, "Are you ready? "They both stood up immediately and walked to the stage.
Before leaving, Duncan leaned over to Scarlett - much too close for Rhett's taste. I am afraid I have to leave you for a few minutes," he added with a smile, "for a noble cause. I shall be back shortly. »
Rhett immediately straightened up, and lit a cigar, his eyes once again fixed on Scarlett.
Roselyne and Rosemary were wondering what the new celebration event would be.
The first piano notes of "Hard time come again no more" were heard.
Scarlett questioned Wade, who had just sat down, too. "I seem to have seen you dancing. Who was that pretty young girl, Wade? »
The boy blushed, but was proud to answer, "Her name is Jane. She is the daughter of the Mayor of Charleston. She is my age, Mother! Of course, I would never have dared ask her. It would not have been proper. But it was Miss Jane who made it clear. »
"All right," was his mother's terse reply. She widened her eyes, impressed that her son's first official dance was with the daughter of Charleston's most prominent man-with Duncan, of course, she clarified in her mind.
She felt Rhett's gaze, laughing, knowing eyes. Was he proud, too, that his former stepson had been introduced, however superficially, to his closed Charleston world? Scarlett could not help but return his knowing smile. She was used to having shared all of Wade's childhood years with Rhett, and felt proud to seeing her son take his first steps into his life as a young man.
Duncan stood at the podium at the bottom of the stairs, with his mother and sister by his side and another man. With the enhancing voice cone, he solemnly declared:
"My dear friends! I hope you are having as much fun as I am enjoying the festivities. It is time to dance! But let me interrupt it for a few minutes for a good cause. We are fortunate, all of us gathered here tonight, to belong to the most venerable and privileged families in South Carolina. As our great artist Stephen Foster advised us in his famous song, "Hard time come again no more," we have a duty, because we are fortunate, to be an example of generosity to the poorest. Let us think of our compatriots who have been dramatically ruined by the financial and economic crisis of the last year. We owe it to them to act. »
Duncan turned to Cathleen: "That is why my family and I decided last year to establish the Aymeric Vayton Charity's Foundation, in memory of my father's philanthropy. His widow, Mrs. Cathleen Vayton, and my sister, Melina, worked tirelessly, with the enthusiasm of the charitable ladies of our honorable city, to fund meals for the needy. They have been assisted in the logistics by the Foundation's administrator, who is here today. Unfortunately, the repercussions of the crisis have intensified as many businesses have gone bankrupt, increasing the number of Charlestonians without work. We need to step up our capacity to help each other. I am proud, as the heir to Vayton & Son Ltd, to announce that we have tripled our funding support to the foundation today. »
Duncan let the applause die down, and continued, "I know how beautiful your souls are and how great your love for humankind is. »
At the head table, Rhett did not hide a mocking laugh addressed to Scarlett: "Your dear friend plays the violin with mastery. Praising the "Love of one's neighbor' for all those rich people who have scraped every cent from their suppliers and employees in order to amass even more gold bars, I must admit he dares shamelessly! »
Scarlett gave him a pout of disdain.
Duncan continued, "Therefore, I have no doubt that your generosity will be great again tonight to augment the emergency relief work planned by the Foundation. To this end, you will find pre-printed cards on each table where you can write down the amount of your donations. We are a wonderful community, proud to bring to fruition the values of our beloved South, of which charity is the finest!»
As soon as the last words were spoken, all the instruments of the orchestra accompanied the two singers to intone :
"Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears,
While we all sup sorrow with the poor;
There's a song that will linger forever in our ears;
Oh! Hard times come again no more. » (*5)
All the guests were delighted with this conclusion. The men removed the donation cards from the envelopes, which had been discreetly placed near the vase of flowers adorning each tablecloth.
Scarlett and Rhett each took an envelope. Then began an impromptu fight between them.
Scarlett read the printout. She looked at Rhett, hoping he would lend her a pencil. Rhett casually handed her his brand new MacKinnon ink pen across the tablecloth. As she reached for it, his fingers closed over hers.
Their eyes clutched. Scarlett's jaws were tense. Ready to bite. But Rhett would not give in. He had caught her. His expression changed. He cursed the tabletop that separated him from her and had forced him to stand up and lean in across closer to her.
He was delighted to feel his wife's pulse racing under the pressure of his thumb. Knowingly, his finger exerted a tender rotation on her skin. Such thin skin. His gluttonous lips moistened when he realized that her breasts, skillfully discovered by the décolleté, were inflating with the speed of the rubbing of his thumb inside her delicate skin.
With a violent gesture, Scarlett tore herself away from the grip of her former husband and seized the pen.
"Always so voracious, my dear! Even for a poor pencil! "His lips made a mocking mimicry, but his pupils were a black abyss.
They both made an effort to calm their breathing.
Not a word from their table neighbors had disturbed them. Rosemary and Eleonor were exasperated to see this cat-and-mouse game between the two former spouses. Poor Roselyne was disconcerted by the fact that her beautiful platonic love was a little too busy with the woman who no longer had any rights over him.
Ella was quiet, exhausted by the excitement of the fashion show and her new status as a princess. She had not wanted to join the other children, and had set about undressing her porcelain doll with the utmost care. "Mother - she asked shyly - can I borrow your comb so I can brush my doll's hair? »
Scarlett, still reeling from the turmoil of a few seconds ago, said nothing, but pulled a tortoiseshell comb from her reticule. "Take good care of it, and do not break any of the teeth! »
Wade had turned the chair toward the podium - and let his gentle gaze trail in the direction of the table of political figures and their families.
The music continued to accompany the guests as they fulfilled their pledge.
The refrain was repeated several times, so much so that it tended to instill optimism in this picture of distress drawn by Stephen Foster.
" 'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door.
Oh! Hard times come again no more. » (*5)
In energetic handwriting, Scarlett listed the amount of her pledged donation that would be transferred to the Foundation's account as soon as her return to Atlanta. Then she looked defiantly at Rhett. Watching to see what he would do.
Still leaning over the table, he very slowly slid the pen from Scarlett's fingers to get ready to write.
Aware that she was watching him to see if the amount of his donation would be higher - and by how much - than hers, he wrote down the number 2, admiring her lowered eyelids, still amazed by the length of her lashes.
Hypnotized, she was keeping her eyes on the pen, not caring about hiding her no-lady-like curiosity. He added zeros, happy to share this silent game with her. Then he raised the pen. He caught the look on her face that meant, "Nice amount! »
It was at that very moment that he added a zero to the amount.
Scarlett's reaction delighted him because he had expected it. It reassured him that her reactions were still so predictable for him.
She let out an outraged "Rhett! "
He burst out laughing. A liberating and happy laugh. The first one in a very long time. Years!
In a gently sarcastic tone, he asked, "What is the matter, Mrs. Butler? Are you afraid I shall be ruined? Always so stingy, I see. Never mind the money! Please! Be generous to the rest of humanity!»
He hit the nail on the head, as he had hoped. She took on her pinched look that delighted him, for she was the fiery Scarlett he loved to anger.
In an acid voice, with glitter in her eyes, she replied, "Do I need to remind you that my name is no longer Mrs. Butler? I do not care what you do with your money. If you want to throw it away, good for you! »
Rhett did not have time to continue his little game when he heard Roselyne's high-pitched voice interject: "I am not surprised that you are so generous, Rhett! You show such greatness of spirit! You are the most altruistic man I know! "Her blue eyes radiated conviction.
Scarlett's response was immediate: "Feedle-dee-dee! You! Altruist? Wade's dog is more altruistic with his bone than you! »
Rhett caught her eye and burst out laughing. She could not help but follow suit and burst out laughing too.
How good it felt to know the other's foibles so well, and to have fun with them! The magic of a moment, their old complicity blossomed again.
Roselyne took offense, not understanding what she had said to trigger their hilarity. As for Wade and Ella, they were stunned not to witness, for once, a pitched battle, but rather a moment of shared joy.
They were laughing so hard, free of the tension of their reunion, that they barely heard the singer announce, "Ladies and gentlemen, get your handkerchiefs ready, because here's the tune that has made many a heart grow fonder. I say, 'When This Cruel War Is Over'! »
Rhett felt a pang in his heart. His laughter froze. So did Scarlett's.
Just then, Duncan returned and stood beside her.
ooooOOoooo
Notes on Chapter 25:
(*1) "Dixie" or "I wish I was in Dixie's Land", 1859 - Words by Daniel Decatur Emmett - music by W. L. Hobbs - During the Civil War, the song was adopted as the national anthem of the Confederacy. Traditionally, the audience repeats the chorus with the orchestra.
Youtube, "Dixie", 2ndSouthCarolinaBand - Live performance by the 2nd South Carolina String Band at the 2010 re-enactment of Cedar Creek - watch?v=_kQX12S9YI&list=LL&index=44
Youtube, "Dixieland", Elvis Presley - "An American Trilogy" (Aloha From Hawaii, Live in Honolulu, 1973) - watch?v=0FT3SmZ_zx0
(*2) "To arms in Dixie", 1861, lyrics by Albert Pike: version adapted for the Confederate military.
Youtube, "To arms in Dixie"- Video of "Gods and Generals" - Alexander - watch?v=Bd1oA47Ti0I
(*3) "Aura Lea", 1861 - lyrics W. W. Fosdick, music George R. Poulton - Released just at the outbreak of war, the song was adopted by soldiers on both sides. The actual phrase of the song is "Maid of golden hair", modified by Duncan to "blacken hair".
Youtube, "Aura Lea", Tom Roush - watch?v=VrzSRqOgCuA&list=LL&index=21
Youtube, (music from "Aura Lea") "Love Me Tender", Elvis Presley - October 28, 1956) on The Ed Sullivan Show - The Ed Sullivan Show - watch?v=qwlrUUyxg9c
(*4) "Silver Threads Among the Gold" - Words Eben E. Rexford, music Hart Pease Danks, 1873. Youtube, "Silver Threads Among the Gold" by Tom Roush - watch?v=WyMCs2_MFyw&list=LL&index=28
Youtube, "Silver threads among the Gold", Bing Crosby, 1947 - watch?v=8K1zI6UjdRQ
(*5) "Hard time come again no more", lyrics Stephen Foster, 1854: the song asks the rich to be sensitive to the plight of poor people.
Youtube, Stephen Foster's - "Hard Times Come Again No More" - Tom Roush - watch?v=_vIESvJ-KaU&list=LL&index=12
Youtube, "Hard times" - Johnny Cash - NevermoreStranger - watch?v=LH8T9IvgAOI