October 1869 (about four months after the separate rooms incident)

It was little Ella's third birthday. Scarlett had organized a small celebration with only her closest friends who had young children. No Southerner, except Melanie, had attended, of course—"the fools didn't know what they were missing." She spared no expense: she ordered flowers, sweets, and cakes from the best confectionery in town, along with the most elegant clothes for Ella, Bonnie, and Wade.

However, Ella was scared. She was a shy child. Scarlett was kneeling with her daughter in a corner, trying, without much success, to make her stop crying and enjoy her party. When the attention started to gather around her, she thought about looking for Rhett. He would be able to cheer the girl up.

Scarlett went in search of him. She knew he wasn't in the yard and went to his office, but he wasn't there. She continued to his bedroom and found the door open. He was on the balcony, sitting in a rocking chair, looking at the gardens.

"There you are!"

Rhett just looked at her.

"Why are you here, alone, in the middle of Ella's birthday celebration?"

"Because I don't care to maintain any kind of relationship with those scoundrels you bring into the house."

"Oh, how you speak! You were friends with all of them until the day before yesterday."

"Playing cards and going to balls with those people is one thing, but bringing them into our family circle..."

"Family circle, my foot! You want to humiliate me, you want everyone to know that you hate your wife."

"You should be grateful that I even allow this scum into my house."

"Oh, frankly! The only 'house' of yours that matters certainly isn't this one."

Suddenly, he stood up from the chair and faced her. A murderous look in his eyes.

"What did you say, Scarlett?"

She held his gaze and continued:

"Don't come pretending you care about who I invite. You're doing this on purpose to humiliate me in front of everyone. It's so ironic to hear you talk about 'family circle' and 'honoring this house' when you spend half your nights out!"

He laughed, as if she had bitten the bait, and she bit her lips, turning her face away.

"You throw me out of your bed and expect me to be a faithful puppy? You expect me to stay home every night, chaste, while you dream about Ashley Wilkes? To demand fidelity, my dear Mrs. Butler, you need to be a real wife."

"So you have the audacity to boast about your betrayals to me, your wife, the mother of your..."

"Oh, spare me that fake indignation. I told you that the day you kicked me out."

"I never kicked you out, you fool!"

He began to laugh.

"Are you losing your memory or your sanity?"

"I didn't kick you out, I just said I didn't want a baby every year."

"And what exactly did you mean by that statement?"

"I don't know, I thought maybe you knew some way to avoid babies. But you were quick to say you were tired of me and eager to get back to sharing your bed with whores!"

She felt her face burn. It must have been as red as a pepper, so great was the anger that overtook her. Then, she saw the slight look of surprise on his face. Could it be that he didn't know? Of course, she had thought about separate rooms when she brought the matter up, but in fact, she wasn't the one who brought it up or sent him out of the room—that was all his doing.

Now, she would play these cards. She wanted to make him feel guilty, tempted to come back and try for a reconciliation. She would show him! She would pretend to give in for a while and put him in line. She wanted the affectionate Rhett back, not this stranger she lived in a state of war with.

Rhett began to speak, but she interrupted him.

"Come now, Rhett. Our little girl won't calm down without you. Come for Ella, please." She turned and went downstairs without waiting for his response. Two minutes later, she saw him come down.

Ella's mood improved almost instantly when she saw her stepfather. Rhett was able to persuade the child to interact with the guests and even clap her hands to the birthday song.

It was a good celebration, Scarlett thought that night. They were sitting in the living room: she on the couch, Bonnie sitting on her lap, while Wade helped Ella open her presents, sitting on the carpet. Bonnie babbled and waved her arms toward her siblings, laughing, while Scarlett rocked her in her lap. They were on the penultimate present when Rhett entered the room. He walked and sat on the couch next to her, stretched his legs out, and leaned back, while extending a hand for Bonnie to grab.

"She can sit up without support now. She's much smarter than she should be," Scarlett said softly, staring at the baby's black head.

"She shouldn't already be able to do that?"

"No. Wade did it at seven months, and Ella only at eight. Bonnie hasn't even turned five months."

The child turned her head and looked at her mother, as if understanding the subject.

"You're so smart, my treasure," Scarlett said, looking into the girl's blue eyes and poking her nose.

Bonnie started to giggle. Scarlett knew she was rarely the reason for her daughter's laughter.

Bonnie turned her attention to her father, and Scarlett turned to face Rhett. She found that old look of expectation in his eyes. But as soon as he realized she had turned to him, his expression changed, and he simply smiled at the daughter. Bonnie raised her arms, trying to reach Rhett.

"Take her," Scarlett said, noticing Rhett's hesitant look.

He held the little girl upright on his knee. Bonnie swayed and laughed in her father's lap.

"How beautiful our little one is, isn't she, Rhett?" Scarlett said softly, in a tone only he could hear.

"She is. Couldn't be any different with you as her mother."

Scarlett blushed. It was the first compliment, the first kind word he had given her in months.

She was thinking about what to reply when the children spared her that, involving the adults in the conversation, now that all the packages were opened.

"Look, Mommy, the doll has blonde hair, just like Ella," said Ella to Scarlett.

"Uncle Rhett, do you know how to build a dollhouse?" asked Wade almost simultaneously.

Rhett passed Bonnie to his left arm and sat on the carpet next to Wade.

"Let me see, son."

Wade handed him the box with the instructions. Scarlett sat next to Ella.

"Can Ella's doll go in the house?"

Scarlett still hadn't understood the question when Wade answered:

"No, sis. This one is too big. Those over there might fit." He pointed to a box with three small dolls.

Ella looked sad.

"Alright, alright, don't be sad. Mommy will let you take this doll to bed, so you can sleep together. How about that?"

That put the smile back on the girl's face.

"Now, it's time for you to go to sleep, little ones."

"Oh, Mom! I was going to help build the house!"

"Then I'll take your sisters upstairs, and then I'll come for you, Wade."

The boy was happy to stay with the adults longer than his younger sisters.

"Now give me Bonnie, Rhett. She hasn't had her bath or her milk yet."

Taking the baby in her arms and holding Ella by the hand, Scarlett went toward the nursery. She rocked her eldest daughter while nursing Bonnie, and Ella slept peacefully beside her new doll.

After Scarlett bathed Bonnie and finally got her to sleep, she went to the living room to get Wade but found only Rhett.

He was focused on fitting the wooden pieces according to the instructions, but upon noticing her, he said:

"I took Wade to bed a little while ago. He just fell asleep."

Scarlett nodded in silence.

"Who gave the dollhouse to Ella?"

"You," she replied, smiling.

He smiled too.

"It's a gift of good taste. I suspected it didn't come from the Yankees who frequent this house."

"Oh, here we go again! Besides, I ordered the dollhouse from New York!"

"I'm not saying that Yankees don't know how to make things of good taste. And there certainly are decent Yankees. I'm specifically referring to those opportunists you call friends."

"Stop it right now, Rhett Butler."

Before he could respond, she added:

"Do you want help finishing it?"

She silently pleaded with him not to try resuming the previous argument. She found it tedious and pointless.

"No, just need this here…" he said, as he fitted the roof onto the house that previously seemed only half-built.

"Lovely! Thanks, Rhett."

"Tomorrow, I'll take her up to the nursery. I don't want to wake the children now," he said, standing up.

"And now, I want to talk to you, Mrs. Butler."

He guided her into the office next to the living room. The room was dark, with no candles lit, but the open curtains let light in. She heard the click of the door closing behind her and stood still, staring at the large window behind his desk. Rhett turned, faced her, leaned against the desk, crossed his arms, and sighed.

"I want to pick up our conversation from this afternoon."

Great. Now would come another sermon about who should or shouldn't enter the Butler house. She couldn't take it!

"So you want me to stop going out at night," he said calmly, observing her confused expression.

She nodded, lowering her eyes to her own feet.

"And you know what your part is in solving this, don't you?"
She nodded again.

"Scarlett, look at me."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer, and with his right hand, he lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"What do you want?"

"I... I don't know, Rhett."

"I think you do."

"I don't want you with other women! It's torture sleeping alone at night, knowing you're with creatures like... that... that woman, Belle," she said angrily, trying to pull away from him.

"So you're jealous?"

"Jealous of you? Don't be so arrogant! I just don't like the idea that my husband prefers the bed of many to mine."

"Have you ever thought that this might be because the 'bitches' aren't thinking of another man while lying next to me?"

She stared at him, confused.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't think I don't know you've been with me thinking of Ashley. Don't think I don't know the reason I was kicked out. The only thing that intrigues me is why you tried to deny that this afternoon."

"You think you understand everything in the world, don't you? That's your problem! You're smart, yes, but not as smart as you think you are!"

"Then explain it to me, Mrs. What did I get wrong?"

"You... you wouldn't understand."

"Oh, wouldn't I? Try. You might be surprised by how much I would understand."

"You're a fool. I had just had a baby, I was fat, and I was afraid my body wouldn't go back to what it was before. You even said, on our honeymoon, that you would divorce me if I got too fat. So, of course, I thought of Ashley. He would never leave Melanie, even if she had a burned body, even if he didn't love her, even if she couldn't give him children...
But the mere mention of not having a baby every year made you threaten me with divorce. I was furious. How could you be so low?"

"And it's fine for you to break your part of the bargain? Kick me out of the marital bed?"

"I didn't want to kick you out, you fool!"

"Then why did you do it?"

"I was confused, my mind and my body were strange, and you said outright that you didn't care. Why should I care?"

"What do you want, Scarlett?"

"What do I want?"

"Yes, tell me. Is that what you want? For us to continue living separate lives?"

She thought. She should push him away and run out of there. But the grip on her waist, the warmth of his body, the interest he was showing… all of it sounded louder. Before she realized it, she was shaking her head. Suddenly, his lips were on hers. A hungry kiss, but slow. She raised her hands and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He placed one hand on her backside, pressing her even more against him. She could feel his stiffness against her belly.

"He wants me," she thought. Rhett couldn't fake that.

He began kissing her neck, moving down to her chest. With his hands, he pushed her robe off, unbuttoned her chemise, and, holding her breasts, brought both to his mouth.
She was shocked, but ecstatic.

"Rhett!" she said, trying to protest. But the moan that escaped her own lips right after dissipated any chance of her objection being taken seriously.
He smiled and kissed her again on the lips, his hands going lower and lower. Her fingers were now tangled in his hair. He lifted her and spun her, so she was now sitting on the desk, with him between her legs, kissing her neck.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps outside—probably the servants picking up the toy mess and wrapping paper—and she froze.

"Rhett, there's someone out there!"

He didn't stop kissing her neck, only whispered in her ear:

"And what does that matter to us?"

"What if they come in here?"

"I locked the door."

"You locked the door? You knew this was going to happen, that we were going to kiss?"

"No, but I didn't want us to be interrupted, no matter what the outcome of the conversation was."

And he kissed her again on the lips, a kiss she returned for a minute before speaking again.

"What if they know we're in here?"

"They don't know. And if they do, what does it matter? We're married, Mrs. Butler."

"Oh, Rhett, but they'll suspect we're doing SOMETHING."

"Then let's not let their suspicions be unfounded, darling."

And he went back to taking her breasts into his mouth. She grabbed his hair, and he arched toward her. His hand went down between her legs, and a moan escaped her lips. She was startled by herself.

"Rhett, they can hear! They'll know what we're doing!"

He sighed and, for the first time since they started, stopped his caresses. Looking into her eyes, he said:
"And would you be ashamed? Ashamed to lie with your HUSBAND? What we're doing is exactly what's expected of you. What's expected of a young couple like us. You should be ashamed, but for what you did four months ago, when you kicked me out. When you broke our agreement. You should be ashamed for not fulfilling your duties as a wife!"
And with a fierceness she'd never seen before, he kissed her again. He left her completely naked while she tried to take his shirt off. In an unprecedented surge of courage for both of them, she started kissing his bare chest. He ran his hand through her hair and moaned. She stared directly into his eyes.

"Say you want me, Scarlett."

She only smiled and kissed his lips.

"Say it, I want to hear you say it at least once, you damn..." he murmured, squeezing her head gently between his hands.

She pulled away and whispered in his ear: "I want you, Rhett."

Then, she lightly bit his earlobe and kissed her way down his neck. He moaned again and started undressing. As if waking from a trance, she said, louder than she intended:
"Rhett, for God's sake, let's go to the bed!"

"Why? There's a very comfortable couch right here."

And Rhett, now completely naked, picked her up in his arms and sat down on the couch, leaving her sitting scandalously on his lap.

Scarlett felt her face flush.

"Rhett, we can't. Not here, in the middle of your office…"

"Oh, but we can. And why not? I paid for this house, for every piece of furniture in this room, for every employee who walks through here. We can do whatever we want."
He kissed her.

"You paid for me too, didn't you?"

"Yes, I paid a very high price for you."

And that was the last straw. In a jump, she stood up and slapped him hard across the face.
He closed his eyes and sighed with anger.

"I'm not your prostitute, you bastard. You can't do whatever you want with me just because you bought a bunch of things. I'm your wife, in case you forgot. The mother of your child!"
With that, she threw the robe over her naked body and grabbed the chemise in her hands.

"Scarlett, is this how you think I see you? For God's sake, woman, how foolish you are!"

"Why should I think differently, if that's exactly how you treat me? Like a pet, something to entertain you. And now you say you bought me! I'm not one of your bitches, you scoundrel!"
And she ran toward the door.

"Do you think I would have married you if that's what I thought? Do you think I would have accepted being kicked out for months if I saw you as an object?"

"Don't care what you think or don't think!"

And, slamming the door open, she ran to her room. She ran because she wanted to hide under the covers and cry herself to sleep. She knew he wouldn't follow her, but part of her wanted him to. She wanted him to seek her out, swear fidelity to her, tell her that it was her—only her—he wanted, that she was the one he loved...
Loved? Why was she thinking about that? It didn't matter if he loved her or not... It didn't matter, right? But, at that moment, it seemed to matter. But why did she care? Why did it matter that he desired her? Why did it matter if he loved her or not? Everything was so confusing, so unclearAnd so, she curled up under the covers in the quiet, dark room, and cried. She cried until her tears ran dry.
She remembered the ecstasy that had happened downstairs. Well, at least he should care about her... He had to, at the very least, desire her...

"My God, how forward I was. I should have stopped him much earlier! No wonder he treats me like a prostitute when I behave like one! I even rubbed myself against him! My God, how could I! Mom would roll in her grave if she knew about this!" And then, she laughed at her own foolishness and finally managed to sleep.