Chapter Text
Saturday, April 15, 1871
Belle walked into Rhett’s room a few hours after his arrival. Belle had given him his own room at her saloon for whenever he wanted or needed to be away from Scarlett and that monstrosity of a house. After Rhett had informed her about Scarlett not wanting any more children, Belle thoughtfully gave Rhett a private room. Rhett could do as he pleased in the room, and he could stay there as long as he wanted since Belle knew he would be coming and going for quite some time, knowing the circumstances surrounding his need to get away from his wife.
When she entered the room, it was dark, with the heavy drapes drawn over the windows to block out any light that might penetrate through the panes of glass during night or day. There was just a kerosene lamp lit with the wick low on the desk in one of the corners casting an orange glow around the room. When the door opened, the dim orange glow danced on the walls and furnishings as the wind of fresh air reached the burning flame. There was a strong musky smell of whiskey and sweat that breezed past Belle when she opened the door, causing her to crinkle her nose and squint her eyes as she took a moment to adjust to the aroma of a drunken man's room. After becoming acquainted with the change of atmosphere, Belle's eyes scanned the room slowly, as if she were savoring this sight forever, like it would be the last time she would ever see the room and witness Rhett Butler in a state of drunken remorse. There, on the double bed, laid Rhett's large form, causing the large bed to look dwarfed. His eyes glued to the half canopy adorned with tassels above him, his hands resting underneath his head on the pillow, and his right leg crossed over his left leg. If Belle did not know better, it looked as though he were a teenager daydreaming of the girl he would someday marry.
Rhett knew Belle was standing in the doorway, but he did not say anything. Honestly, Rhett did not want to be bothered by anyone or anything. Truth be told, it would be better for him to talk to someone about what was troubling his restless mind than it was to wish all his problems would disappear into thin air. Disappear! Oh no, this was one thing that would never disappear as long as he lived.
As drunk as Rhett was, he could still remember all the events that had occurred the previous night. The question that ate at his mind was, 'how can I forget?' For the first time, there had been fear present in Scarlett's normally fearless, fiery eyes and written so clearly on her normally hard face when he started to carry her up the stairs, then her fear evaporated into the humid night air as he refused to let her retreat to her room alone.
He had forced hard, demanding kisses upon her lips and throat until she began to respond with equal demands to his kisses. The normally hurtful words that were exchanged breathlessly between gasps of air were ignored, but hearing one another's raspy voices set off a desire that neither of them had ever felt before for one another. All the passion that was locked up with in Scarlett, the passion that he knew was there, revealed itself that night, not just for her but for him as well.
Not being able to stand Belle's burning stare any longer he said; “Leave me be for the time being, Belle.” Rhett's voice held no emotion in it whatsoever as the soundwaves came to Belle's ears. It was said in a flat melancholy tone that was just loud enough for her to hear the words. Without a word, Belle left the room and carefully shut the door behind her. Belle was not mad about Rhett not wanting her company at the moment.
The company he sought Belle out for was not what the good towns' people of Atlanta thought it to be; in fact, it was far from it. Belle Watling was Rhett Butler's mistress -- no, it was nothing of the sort. Belle was far from his mistress. He had not considered her his mistress for a little more than five years. Their relationship was merely a strong friendship as though they were kin. Rhett would go to her for advice about Scarlett, Bonnie, gossip, and sometimes business or they would talk about the saloon, the working girls, and whatever was on each other’s mind at the time. It was satisfying to have someone to talk to and not be judged cruelly, as Scarlett would do or anyone else in Atlanta.
Days before he and Scarlet had married, Rhett ceased all intimacy between Belle and any of her girls. Rhett knew that after his wedding night with Scarlett it would not feel right to have another woman in bed with him. Scarlett was the only one that would be able satisfy any of his desires, if only she would come to accept her own desires. Even after Scarlett had banned him from her room, he stayed true to her and lived in celibacy just as she had. It had been hard for him not to go straight to Belle's and get one of the girls that had little experience, and pretend it was Scarlett.
Once in a while Rhett would begin to feel as though Belle would be a good companion to be with or he would picture Belle as being Scarlett, wishing that he and Scarlett could have a relationship like Belle and he shared but only better since they were husband and wife. All the topics he and Belle talked about were things that a husband and wife normally talked about not a mistress and client. But why should he talk to Scarlett when she was always heedlessly throwing herself at the honorable Ashley Wilkes'? At times like this Belle seemed to be a better wife than Scarlett was or could ever be.
However, Rhett could not judge Belle's mothering skills since her son had been in New Orleans for years. She sent him gifts now and again, but she always sent the gifts saying they were from Rhett, so as to not embarrass the boy and make him an outcast because his mother was a madam of a whorehouse. By now, the boy most likely did not even remember her ever being there for him when he was small.
“Belle, you know what your reputation will do to Benjamin if you keep him around.” Rhett said to Belle as she sat by the fire in his hotel room.
“Yes, I know. But he is my son, after all. It’s not as if I can just leave him on the side of the road and forget him. If my parents were still alive, I could leave Benjamin there and let them raise him to be proper. My other relations refuse to have anything to do with me. I have no other option but to keep with me.”
“But there is another option. You could put him in an orphanage an...”
“No, Rhett. That’s not an option. Nobody wants an orphan. And if I did, he would feel unwanted, and he's not an unwanted child.” Belle was uneasy over this subject. She had known from when she found out that she was pregnant that this decision would have to take place. For the past few years, she had known how she would not be able to keep him locked away within her home as her son growing bigger and was eager to go outside like all the other children. The hardest decision of her life had to take place now. There was no other choice.
Rhett was silent for a while after Belle spoke, contemplating on another decision, one where Belle could still keep her son, but have him at a distance.
“He's at an age where you can put him in school,” Rhett offered as he nursed a glass of scotch. “You can give me custody of him and leave town. I have enough money to support him. I'll put him in school here in New Orleans.”
“Yes, that sounds reasonable, but I don't want you to feel obligated to do this, he's not your child.” It was bewildering to her as to exactly why Rhett had just volunteered himself to be the guardian of her son. Never in Belle's life since she has known Rhett would she think he would be so generous and noble.
“It doesn't matter Belle, you are my friend, and you are in need of help.”
“But where would I go then? I don't know any other place but New Orleans.”
“How about Savannah? You could find a job there.” Belle had an enchanted look upon her face when he suggested that she become a girl at another brothel. “Or I could give you the money to open your own house for girls. Be madam of the house. Would you like that? On the plus side Georgia isn't too far and not to close.”
“True, but not Savannah. A city smaller than Savannah, but not too small. Like a place that is growing.”
“Atlanta? It's quite important to the Confederacy at the moment so there will be a lot of people wanting to live there and start businesses.”
“Where would you go? Surely after you get Benjamin settled in a school and me in business you will want to get away.”
“I'll be around, go to Europe, up north. I will be back to see you and update you on Benjamin's progress. I will treat him just as I would my own son. If you would like I could bring him to see you when he's on break,” Rhett asked with his signature grin as he poured himself another drink, motioning with his glass asking if Belle would like one herself.
“No, thank you, Rhett. Anyway, that would not be necessary for you to bring him on visit. Soon he will be old enough to know what I actually am, and when he finds out, he will want nothing to do with me. It will be better this way. Maybe when he's much older you can bring him to me.” Belle was very grateful to Rhett for taking charge of her son, there was no way she could think of to show him of her appreciation no words seemed suitable to her, but she decided to give it a shot. “Rhett, I don't know how to thank you enough for doing this for me. How will I ever repay you?”
“You don't need to repay me, Belle, I'm quite happy to do this for you. Besides it’s not like I'll be having any children of my own.”
Once Belle left the confine of Rhett's room, Rhett remembered some things that happened last night. Well, most of the things that happened before he got too intoxicated.
First off Rhett did not want to be anywhere near Scarlett, well, not right now at least. Rhett forced Scarlett to go to that party to protect his daughter's reputation, and something of the family name. Last night, while Scarlett was facing the old cats at Ashley's birthday party, he had gone to the depot to buy train tickets for just him and Bonnie.
Rhett had decided to take Bonnie on a long trip to Europe when he first heard what had happened at the mills. His anger clouded his mind, for if he really thought about his own actions of leaving town, he would realize the damage he was causing. By fleeing with his daughter, Rhett was telling everyone he believed his wife to be an adulteress. The damage would be done to make Scarlett look worse, and him a victim.
First, he would take Bonnie to London, and then the rest of Europe would be theirs for the taking, the last place they would go would be Dublin, and then back to Atlanta to face Scarlett. When he got back, Rhett went to the playroom to tell Bonnie about their trip to Europe. Even though it was late, he knew Bonnie was still awake. Bonnie hardly went to sleep without a story being read to her or having him tell her a tale of his golden days as a bachelor. Bonnie was so excited to hear about going to Europe, that she started to ramble on about all the different things they could do there, much of it going to the park and riding, and of course shopping. In reality, the child knew nothing of Europe, and thought it would be like any other day with her father. It had been difficult in putting the young child to sleep for the night.
After Bonnie was soundly, asleep Rhett had left the house, not wanting to be around when Scarlett returned. For an hour or so, he rode around town on his horse to kill time, and then he ended up at Belle's saloon. None of the men from the Old Guard were there, thankfully, only scalawags and Yankees. It was obvious that the men of Atlanta's Old Guard were at the Wilkes'. All of the fine, decent people of Atlanta went to the Wilkes', subtracting Scarlett from the fine and decent crowd. Rhett had taken a seat at the far end of the bar, were no one would notice him easily, and ordered a bottle of Belle's finest whiskey, the same kind he kept at home. He kept drinking for a while until there was enough alcohol to make his whole body feel numb.
Much later that night, in the dining room at the Peachtree Street house, Rhett had the large club shaped crystal decanter of whiskey in hand with a matching glass that sparkled in the dim candle light, casting off colorful prisms onto the nearby walls and furnishings. It was quiet throughout the house, though he could hear the pacing Scarlett was doing upstairs in her room, as though she were a caged animal wanting to escape. Soon she would be coming down to find the brandy that she so desperately desired.
Late at night, when Scarlett thought everyone to be asleep, she would quietly sneak down to the dining room or, most of the time to the wine cellar to get a bottle of liquor, then like she came go back to her room quietly with the bottle in hand. After she would leave for the store or mills in the mornings and before Mammy went into Scarlett's sleeping chamber to make the bed and get her mistress' washings, Rhett would find the bottle of brandy she would take, hidden in a place that she thought no one would look. There was usually a fourth to half the amber liquid gone. This night it seemed that she forgot to get her drink, or else she would not be pacing the floor so nervously.
All of Rhett's thoughts started to clash as one to where he could not recall what happened when and where or with whom. The throbbing in Rhett's skull became more intense as the memories and regrets piled amongst them. Before he could delve, further of the previous night's events, Rhett fell into an unpleasant dreamless slumber.
When Rhett awoke, the next morning there was a tray of steaming hot food on the nightstand next to the bed. Belle must have put it there when he was still sleeping. She has always thoughtful in that kind of way. It is almost as though she were a real lady, though not in the same category as Melanie, his mother, or another lady part of high society, but Belle held much of the same qualities as a lady, the basic qualities being: kind, caring, understanding, and generous. However, through her profession and her uneducated sense of grammar she could not be defined as a lady.
Rhett finished the tray with an unsettled stomach and a pounding in his head causing him to squint at the little sunlight that entered the room through a slit in the heavy drapes. Then began to think more into married life with Scarlett, all the good and bad that their marriage was made up of, even their friendship before they were married.
They had been married for five years now. The first two years of marriage were wonderful, almost perfect; Rhett thought Scarlett would finally begin to love him and not his money. They would talk freely and openly on more or less every topic, and go on short trips together around Georgia. It was as if they were a real newly wedded couple in love, instead of friends in a marriage of convenience. Sure, they were in love, but not the same way most couples were, he loved her for being herself, and she loved him for his money and nothing else.
As soon as their house was finished being built and decorated the way Scarlett wanted, she became bored around the house. With a house full of servants, there was not much of anything to do since the house practically ran itself. All callers were a different matter, none of them were interested in being friends with the Butlers, they were only curious as to what the interior of the biggest house in Atlanta looked like and they came to pay respects to the newly married couple out of respect for Melanie Wilkes.
When Rhett was home, Scarlett would demand that his full attention be on her and her only. As much as he loved it, it soon became irritating. The work that Rhett would bring home would not be accomplished due to her needy personality, so he would stay later at the bank in hopes to get work done, which in return upset Scarlett to no ends and she began to accuse him of adultery.
Dinner that night was lonely. Scarlett had expected Rhett to be home to dine with her. Supper was held back for a few minutes, then hours. The ticking of the large grandfather clock that had been imported in from the Black Forest of Germany became louder and slower as Scarlett watched it intensely counting the minutes Rhett was late.
“He said he would be home for supper,” Scarlett thought, losing the gay gleam in her pea green eyes. “Where could he be?”
After a few more minutes of hopelessly waiting, Scarlett told the cook to clean up and to take the supper home to her family if she wanted, and then headed up to bed having Lou accompany her.
The lamps were extinguished after Lou left her mistress's room. Scarlett now did not care if Rhett came home for supper or not. Three days in a row being late for supper and each day becoming later and later. Always the same excuse he would give, “I'm working, Scarlett, I want to be home with you but I need to get my work done for the end of the night.”
Much later into the night, Rhett ventured up to his and Scarlett's room, knowing she would there ready to strike an argument. However, to his surprise, Scarlett was already asleep in bed with her back turned to him. Scarlett's early departure to bed was most out of character for her. Normally Scarlett would stay up with Rhett while he read the paper or read different books to her while they had a nightcap.
“Scarlett,” Rhett whispered into her ear as he sat on the bed next to her. “I'm home. Are you not going to say 'hello'?”
With no response from her part, Rhett rose from the bed to get himself ready for bed himself. Another thing out of the ordinary was that Scarlett did not have Pork set out his nightshirt and dressing robe as normal.
“Nice of you to even come home at all,” Scarlett said in an icy voice as she glared daggers into him. Scarlett hadn't been sleeping soundly when Rhett entered the room, but she did not want to let Rhett know she was awake until he was on the other side of the room.
“What are you talking about, Scarlett? I told you I was working late.” Confusion was written clearly in voice, but his face remained void of any sort of emotion known to man.
“Yes, you did say that. And you also said you would be home for supper.”
“I'm sorry, things became hectic at the office, and you know I would have come if I could.”
“Are you tired of me?” Scarlett asked bowing her head to hide any tears that might appear from his answer. Just from that one question, her whole composure changed from a vivacious angry wife to that of a frail innocent girl.
“What are you getting at, my dear?”
“You seem to never want to be around me anymore. Was the reason you married me because I would not become your... mistress, and you thought by marrying me I would be? And now that you've got what you want, you don't want it, do you?” Scarlett was now trying to control her hot temper and hold back her tears. Before Rhett could speak again, Scarlett quickly asked in a mild tone, “Is there someone else?”
Rhett was awestricken. Scarlett's jealousy was present to him prior to their marriage when they were still friends, but never had he known her to think he would have an affair. “How could she even think there was someone else? Did she really think I didn't want her?” Rhett thought gathering his thoughts carefully choosing his words so he would not upset Scarlett even more.
“Honestly Scarlett, I've been working in my office all day. When I am through with my paperwork, I come straight home. I'm sorry about having to work late, but it’s part of a job. There is no one else, my pet. Why would you assume such a thing? And as for me marrying you, I did it because I care for you.” There he had said it, he cared for her, not exactly his true feelings but close enough without actually saying he was in love with her.
“I don't see why you work. You have plenty of money to where you wouldn't need to work.”
“You are so naïve, pet. I work to regain the money you spent on this house. Besides I thought you would want me to work to show up the ol' pea hens.” Rhett laughed as Scarlett huffed and lay back down irritated by the way, the conversation ended.
Weeks after their argument Scarlett was sitting in Rhett's lap as he was working on paper work his lawyer had sent him, Scarlett was watching him as he added the long columns of figures together making sure they all matched up. After their unpleasant argument, Rhett had proven to Scarlett there was no one else but her, by arriving home some days earlier than was expected, and bringing her fine pieces of jewelry.
Soon Scarlett became bored of Rhett sitting quietly adding the figures and asked when he would be done. She was quite disappointed by the answer he gave her. Then after a few moments of silence, Scarlett asked if he could get this work done in half the time if he would let her work on some of the papers. Wanting to include Scarlett, Rhett thought that it might keep her busy for a few moments until she was frustrated and left to spend more of his money. However, to his surprise, Scarlett had a pretty head for figures and it got him thinking. If Scarlett enjoyed helping him with the figures, then maybe she would enjoy owning a business. If she agreed to it then it would keep her busy all day until he came home or picked her up.
To Rhett's satisfaction, Scarlett was more than thrilled at the thought of running a business. Scarlett knew some of the reasoning behind Rhett offering to buy her a business. In a matter of days, Rhett had purchased a small lot near the center of Five Points, and signed it over to Scarlett. Scarlett had decided to make it a general store, knowing that everybody needed washboards, soap, pots, thread, needles, baskets, and many more items for a common household. The store began to flourish with the new comers of Atlanta, most of them carpetbaggers and scalawags. The Old Guard on the other hand, were not impressed at the scandal Scarlett had brought on by not just owning a business but running it single handed with little or no help from her husband.
With the profits of the store coming in, Scarlett felt she could do better and earn even more money with a lumber mill. She knew there was one for sale out on the old Decatur Road; just why it was for sale in the middle of a lumber boom puzzled her. Scarlett had asked Rhett's advice on her buying it, and he supported her fully on this new avenue of business for his wife. It pleased him that Scarlett would even come to him and ask if for advice on risky business. Little did Rhett know that the lumber mill was to employ the honorable Ashley Wilkes' until it was too late to convince Scarlett that the mill was a bad investment. Not wanting to quarrel with Scarlett about her employing Ashley, Rhett held his tongue for the time being, knowing he could use it against her in later arguments.
After two years of marriage, and one of those years of being criticized by the Old Guard about a woman owning a business, Scarlett went to Rhett and told him the joyous news that he was going to be a father for the first time. Rhett was delighted about the news, though Scarlett was not. She was in fact furious, thinking he got her pregnant on purpose. Scarlett was perfectly happy running her businesses without any sort of inconveniences; like a child. In fact, she did not want any children period, and made it a point to let Rhett know after they were married.
With the birth of Bonnie, their marriage went downhill. All of Rhett's undivided attention and spare time went to Bonnie, leaving Scarlett a common bystander as father and daughter bonded. Days after the child's birth Rhett began to hire one nurse after another firing them nearly as soon as they approached the baby. Soon series of nurses were being hired and fired because none of them were good enough to satisfy the exacting requirements that Rhett laid down.
Thereafter witnessing firsthand, the adoration Rhett held for his daughter, Scarlett felt there was no place for her in his life now that he had something that he could manipulate to love him better than he could try to manipulate Scarlett into loving him. Citizens of Atlanta found it strange Rhett would dote after his daughter as he did. Never in the history of Atlanta did they ever see a father love a child as much as Rhett his daughter. Most men wanted to have a boy as their first child, but not Rhett, he did not care if it was a boy or girl. Though he would not have minded on having a son, he preferred girls.
Scarlett then decided that she did not want to share her bed with Rhett anymore, claiming she did not want any more children. Rhett knew she went to the mill that day for the first time in months, and Ashley put the thought in her head, or else she would not have suggested having separate sleeping chambers. Rhett could have opposed the idea, but he did not. If that was what Scarlett wanted then he would let her have it. She would have to be the one to ask for him back in her bed or go to him in his room. After being dismissed there was no way, Rhett was going to make a fool of himself to her by crawling back to her.
Being refused his marital rights, Rhett spent his time around Bonnie, the bank, political meetings, and mending his reputation with the 'old cats' for Bonnie's sake. Most nights Rhett would go to Belle's and stay out most of the night to agitate Scarlett even more. Rarely did he and Scarlett talk anymore, if words did happen to pass between them it would always be the beginning of a short argument that hit hard in unprotected areas. Most of the time Scarlett was the one that got hurt the most in the arguments. For Rhett they were just small cat scratches that grazed the skin. If he could not make Scarlett love him, he could always have Bonnie love him unconditionally.
Rhett's marriage by now seemed to be beyond repair. Even if they did try to fix it, there would still be visible pieces missing, like trying to repair a broken vase, no matter how well it was put back together you will always see small chips and cracks that can’t be fixed no matter how hard you try. Who was he kidding? Scarlett would be reluctant to have their marriage survive; she would rather have a divorce than work things out with Rhett and agree to his stipulations.
For the rest of the day Rhett stayed hiding in his room trying to figure out what to do about Scarlett. Should he just tell her that it was over before he took Bonnie to Europe or after? Did he really want to get a divorce or be legally separated? Would he still live in the eyesore he called a home or live somewhere else? No matter what he chose, he knew one thing was a definite, he that would have full custody of their daughter -- there was no doubt in that. Any judge in Atlanta would grant Rhett custody of Bonnie and not Scarlett. They all knew Scarlett did not care for her own child. Only a fool would let Scarlett have custody of a child, even her own child.