Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Eighteen

Rhett had ridden out to Ashley's mills. He had been wondering how he could shame or frighten the man. Frightening him was not hard. Rhett really wanted to shame the man. The man that had been having an unnatural relationship with Scarlett. The man that had kept Scarlett holding on. Rhett knew better than most people how stubborn Scarlett could be, but despite her extreme stubbornness she had to have a reason to continue holding on, small as it may be.

Rhett got to Ashley's mill and got off his horse. He tied up his steed and took the ledger out of his saddle bag. He strutted into the little office. As he walked in, he saw Ashley sitting at a desk. He held out the book to Ashley and said, "Scarlett got the ledger straightened out yesterday afternoon. She worked on it for several hours. She probably did more than she should have considering her critical condition. I let her do it because if I hadn't, I knew she would get upset. Nothing can upset her right now. It isn't good for her health or my baby's health." Rhett had said the last part so Ashley had no doubts Rhett had known Scarlett intimately. He continued, "Although you not having made a profit in the last three months did upset her. Until she gets back on her feet, I will be coming out here every week to be sure the ledger is balanced. She asked me to ask you why you haven't made more of a profit."

Rhett gave Ashley a cold stare which had a lot of contempt in it. He could tell he had unsettled the man. Which truly hadn't been hard. He didn't think the man had stood up to anyone. Rhett had faced down thieves and murderers with nothing more than his stare, his cold dead stare, and his facial expressions.

After a few minutes of silence, Rhett said, "Well?"

"As I have told Scarlett many times, I think I could do better with using Freedman than the prisoners?"

"How?"

"What do you mean?"

"How could you do better?"

"I think Freedman would have a better attitude those work harder thus we would produce more lumber."

"Ashley, is your mill at full capacity?"

"Well, no."

"What capacity is it at?"

"I don't know."

"Then how do you know it isn't at full capacity."

"I figure it isn't because the men have a lot of time to rest."

"Do you know how to figure capacity?"

"I have never been asked that question. I don't understand why you want to know."

Rhett who had been leaning against the wall straightened up. He said, "You cannot make that outlandish statement that you could do better with Freedman if you don't even know how well you are doing with the prisoners. I am going to simply explain the principle of making a business profitable. A person takes in more money than they spend. You are doing that, but just barely. Scarlett pays the state so much per month for the use of the prisoners."

"Those men are sick and hurt. They shouldn't be made to work as hard as we are working them."

"Ashley, that is another topic all together. I am explaining the principles of economics. You have to sell so much lumber to just cover expenses. When one starts selling more lumber than the expenses that is when a profit is made. As to your argument that you could do better with Freemen. It doesn't matter who your laborers are until you take in more money than you spend. Now I can agree with your thought process that more energetic men would produce more lumber. The problem is that it doesn't matter how much lumber this mill produces if you aren't selling it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

Rhett suspected the man really didn't, but he couldn't prove it, so he went on. He said, "Once you are making a large profit then you might be able to convince Scarlett to hire Freeman, but for now she won't go for it because the prisoners are so much cheaper than Freedmen. If you were using Freedmen, you wouldn't even be covering expenses." He got up to leave and he said, "My advice to you is to get out there and sell. I will talk with some men I know to figure out the capacity of this sawmill exactly. I, too, know you are not at full capacity because you have too many men sitting around doing nothing."

"They aren't doing nothing. They are resting."

"Ashley, I never took you for such a bleeding hearted fool. If Scarlett is going to own this mill, she needs to make a big profit."

"Rhett, where is your empathy?"

"I lost it years ago."

"I know. I told Scarlett you had brutalized her and forced her to walk in the same cold, hard path you were walking in."

"What else did you tell my wife about me?"

With more strength than Rhett had thought the man had, Ashley looked him straight in the eye and said, "That you are a hard, brutal, and a man who should not be welcome at any proper person's home. I wish any other man had saved my life."

"And your wife and son's too."

"Although you didn't do such a good job of that by abandoning Scarlett at Rough and Ready."

"When did you tell her all this?"

Ashley looked startled and said, "I don't remember exactly."

"Do you criticize me to my wife so often that you don't remember when you do it?"

"I remember. The day she came out to the mill after she had ended her confinement for Bonnie."

Rhett smiled. The other shoe dropped. He knew what had happened that day. His childish, naïve, star-struck wife had not seen what had happened. In a menacing voice, he said, "Did you suggest she keep her distance from me? No, that would be ungentlemanly. Instead, you played on her hero worship of you and somehow implied you didn't like to think of her being intimate with me."

Ashley blushed and blurted out, "I would never do something like that!"

"Of course, you wouldn't. You are too honorable to do something like that. Forget it. Go out and sell lumber."

"No one is buying."

"The Yankees are."

"They are the enemy."

"No, Ashley, they are the ones with the money."

"That is what Scarlett says."

"We happen to be right. Go sell. With the new baby, I am going to try to convince Scarlett to sell at least this mill if not both of them. She can no longer come out to this mill even with your wife or me to chaperon her because of your actions."

"But… But… But what will I do if she sells her part in the mills? I am not trained to do anything else."

"I don't give a damn."

With those words Rhett walked out of the office. He was smiling. He knew that Scarlett was not innocent in the interaction with Ashley, but he was beginning to see her relationship with Ashley in a new light.

Rhett was really happy. He knew what Ashley had done that day after Bonnie was born. He had poisoned Scarlett towards him and in her besottedness she had taken the bait hook, line, and sinker. No, Scarlett was not innocent, but Ashley had manipulated her. Manipulated her into worshipping him again. Manipulated her into letting him keep his job when it was clear to any reasonable person that the man was failing at the job. Ashley probably didn't think Scarlett would go home and demand separate bedrooms because no lady would do such a thing, but Ashley knew Scarlett no better than Scarlett knew Ashley.

Scarlett was not innocent in the encounter with Ashley at the sawmill, but he was beginning to truly understand how damn innocent she was. As Rhett was beginning to ride home, he decided to check on Johnny's mill also. He had decided to take on the challenge of figuring out how the man was stealing from Scarlett. After talking to Johnny for a while, Rhett took the books home. As he was leaving, he said, "I'm taking the ledger home so Scarlett can go over the accounts. Come by the mansion on Sunday evening and pick up the ledger. That way if Scarlett has any questions, she will be able to ask them of you."

"Yes, Sir."

As Johnny watched Rhett ride away. He thought, 'I will be in big trouble if Rhett starts looking at the books.'

Ashley was still sitting in the office of the sawmill. He wondered what had changed. Rhett had never been so hostile and threatening of him before. Ashley guessed that upon almost losing Scarlett, Rhett had decided not to hide his feelings. Ashley had always known that Rhett cared a lot more for Scarlett than he had ever let on. Ashley also knew that Scarlett cared a lot more for Rhett than even she knew.

Ashley had been stunned when Rhett had called him on his dastardly deed in regard to separating Scarlett from her husband. He had known what he was doing at the time. Scarlett had been drifting away from him. She had been so busy building her house and having fun with her Scallawag friends that she had only come out to the mill twice a week at most. He had to draw her back into worshipping him. Her worshipping him had been the only true joy in his life. He admitted to himself that it had not been an honorable thing to do.

With Rhett taking a much more involved role in Scarlett's life and the scandal, Ashley was pretty sure those days were gone forever.

Ashley had always known that Scarlett was not seeing him as he really was. She saw him as a hero. He was nobody's hero. He wished the war hadn't come. He could have continued to live in his shadow puppet world for the rest of his life. He told himself he would have freed the slaves full well knowing he never would have. Freeing the slaves would have meant him giving up his soft life.

Ashley went over to his desk and got a book out. He would read a couple of chapters. Reading would calm him down. After dinner he would go out and sell. Knowing that he wouldn't do that. Selling meant talking to people he didn't want to talk to. Besides, even if he tried to sell to Yankees he couldn't sell. He probably couldn't sell ice even though it was extremely hot out there.

As Ashley tried to read his book thoughts of Scarlett, Melanie, and India kept creeping into his mind. How had he gotten himself in this situation? He knew how. He had stupidly put his arm around Scarlett. Not to comfort her, but to feel her voluptuous body pressed against him. It had been so long since he had felt anyone's body pressed against him. Not since that day in the orchard. If he had been any kind of a man, he would never have told Scarlett he loved her. He knew it had just kept her holding on. If he had been any kind of a man, he would have moved to New York no matter what. If he had been any kind of a man, he would have managed to convince India not to tell everyone in town what she had seen. He knew if he had shut India down, Mrs. Elsing wouldn't have said anything. Nobody would have believed Archie.

The worst part was looking in India's face and knowing that she knew the truth of his feelings for Scarlett. Ashley sighed. Melly was right. India needed to go back to Macon. He could send Honey's husband a check for India's room and board. He knew the man would take it. After all, the man wasn't a gentleman.

Ashley's problem was that he truly didn't know how he felt about Scarlett. He loved her in his own way. He loved her passionately, but Melly was his whole world. He enjoyed spending time with Scarlett, but living with her would be tedious. It had been while they were at Tara. Yet, she was the only excitement he had in his life. Melly was his best friend, but she was no more exciting than he was. He would be lost if something happened to Melly.

Ashely should tell Scarlett once and for all they had to end their secret relationship. He promised himself he would the next time they were alone, knowing full well he wouldn't. He wasn't strong enough to stand up to Scarlett. If he had been he would be in New York right now.

As Rhett rode back to the mansion he was whistling a song. He had a particularly good day so far. He had made Ashley feel shame, he had scared Johnny when he insisted on taking the books home, and he had made Hugh nervous. All in all, a good day. He would go home and aggravate his wife in a gentle way. He couldn't afford for her to get mad right now. She had to stay calm.