Absent

Chapter Ten

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Melanie had always been a person of very few words, it was one of the reasons that, when she did speak, people listened. But she had never in her life felt so completely lost for something to say as she did at this moment.

Scarlett, her darling Scarlett had finally broken down. Melanie had watched from the sidelines as time and time again Scarlett had, by sheer force of her own will, pulled herself up out of countless situations that would have left another person bereft and destitute. And not once, during any of those occasions, had Scarlett shown any sign of weakness. Until now. It was a frightening sight, seeing one so usually composed and fearless suddenly sobbing and vulnerable. If Melanie had not been such a loving, nurturing person by nature she would have recoiled in terror, in fact she very nearly did. But Melanie's bravery, of a kind very different than Scarlett's yet no less valid, a bravery powered by complete and all consuming love was what kept her rooted to the spot, her heart swelling with unnameable feeling for her sister in law.

"Oh my darling" cried Melanie throwing herself onto the floor next to Scarlett and snaking her arms around the trembling body in an attempt to calm the racking sobs which were shaking with such intensity that they seemed to be coming from within the very depths of her bones.

They remained like that for some time. Scarlett was beginning to feel an onslaught of embarrassment from having so shamelessly revealed herself, her situation and her feelings.

"Melly I…" Scarlett began. But how to continue. 'Oh if only I could take back these last few moments' she thought to herself. She had thought it would be cathartic to share what she was feeling with somebody, that some of the weightful burden would be lifted off her shoulders but it was not like that at all. Now that same burden was simply coupled with the knowledge that she had just created the beginning of her own undoing. Soon everyone in town would know her shame. They would judge her mercilessly, she would be an even bigger outcast than she was at present.

But Melanie merely stroked Scarlett's bowed head and smiled kindly her eyes exuding compassion.

"Hush darling, you've had a very trying day. Do not attempt to explain yourself now. I think what you need is a nice long sleep. We'll deal with everything else tomorrow."

"No." said Scarlett, fiercely defiant. "I've far too often put things off until tomorrow. Well not anymore. But first I must ask you, actually I must beg you Melly, please don't tell anyone anything of what I have told you today. It must be kept an absolute secret. I can trust you, can't I Melly?" Scarlett looked up at her imploringly and Melanie felt her heart swell with sympathy. Poor proud Scarlett, how she cannot bear other people feeling sorry for her, even when the pity is well founded.

"Of course you can trust me dearest. You're my own sister and I would never think of betraying you. Think of all you have done for me and mine. It will give me great pleasure to at last be able to do something for you only…" Melanie trailed off slightly. She didn't want to say what she was about to but it seemed necessary, prudent. It had to be said.

"Only, don't you think it would be best if you wrote to Captain Butler and told him of your… your condition?"

The look that alighted Scarlett's face caused Melanie to speak more quickly now and her face to flush.

"You know how much he cares about babies, one need only look at the way he is with sweet Bonnie to know that he would be thrilled to discover you were to give him another child."

"Oh yes." said Scarlett suddenly sharp, all vestibules of vulnerability that had marked her face up until this point wiped clear. "Yes he cares about babies. And yes he loves Bonnie. Loves her so much that he took her away without telling me and I haven't seen him or her for more than three months. Yes he's want to know about this baby, and yes he'd care for it but he doesn't care for me. This is my baby and I will love it and it will love me and Rhett Butler will never be able to take it from me. Never."

Scarlett was breathing heavily now her eyes shining maliciously as though she was drawing pleasure from the thought of depriving Rhett of his child, of making it hers and hers alone and indeed she was. Scarlett was sick of the confusing signals she received from Rhett. Biting, sarcastic comments, vindictive, drawling remarks and danger or alcohol fuelled declarations of love. How was one to decipher any truth from that man, her husband who was still such an enigma to her?

"But darling…"

"Enough Melly" said Scarlett cutting across her. "You'll be wasting your breath because I won't change my mind. But I will make you a deal to smooth your conscious only because it was the plan I had already decided upon when I first found out about the baby and was feeling a little more charitable towards my husband. I'm three months along now, in another two I'll start to show properly and it will be impossible to hide my condition." she ignored Melanie's painful blush and continued "I intend to stay in Atlanta for the next two months before I go home to Tara where I hope you will accompany me, to have my baby. If Rhett comes home within the next two months then I will be forced to tell him everything. But I won't write to him to tell him and I forbid you to do so in any case I don't even know where he is to reach him. However, if he doesn't come home, and I assure you it's unlikely that he will, then I will have my baby at Tara and the next day file for a divorce."

Melanie was scandalised. No one in her circle would ever dream of doing something so completely reprehensible. "Surely my dear you don't mean to…"

"He has abandoned me Melly, he took my daughter and left without even telling me where he would be going or how long for. They could be in China for all I know. Do you really think I deserve such treatment?"

"Of course not dearest but…"

"And you'll promise me you won't tell anyone about the baby?"

"I do but…"

"And you'll come with me to Tara?"

I…I will. I'm sure Ashley will be fine here alone for a few months and I know you need me now and I dearly wish to be able to help you."

"That's settled then." said Scarlett in a definitive tone standing herself up and smoothing her dress. "We'll leave two months from today then I'll start making arrangements."

"But darling, Captain Butler might come home by that time and that wouldn't be necessary."

Scarlett's mouth was set in a grim line. "You may believe that if you want Melly. But I don't."

--

Rhett looked down at this latest letter perplexed. It was the third he'd received in the past six weeks. Always the same, redirected by his lawyer, the original sender, Melanie Wilkes.

This one was to invite him to Mrs Merriwether's musical evening to take place a week from today. The first had been to invite him to Raoul Picard's birthday party and the second had been to extend an invitation to him to attend a small supper hosted by the Sewing Circle for the Widows and Orphans of the Confederacy. Despite the fact that the letters were all addressed singularly to him each one always ended in the same way; 'I am sure everyone will be very pleased to see you and Scarlett in attendance.' as though she was stressing the point that he and Scarlett had not been seen 'in attendance' together in society for nearly five months.

But what puzzled Rhett the most was why he was receiving these letters at all. Certainly he'd made a point since Bonnie had been born of attending all the various functions and galas that the old guard put on as a means of getting himself and his daughter in to everybody's social good graces but why on earth would she go to the immense trouble of sourcing out his lawyer and having him forward on letters to invite him to tea evenings and children's birthday parties?

He had informed his colleagues at the bank that he was going on an extended business trip and he was sure that would have laid out the foundations so that the whole town would know that was where he was even if Scarlett did choose to spread some evil story about him. Not, he thought, that anyone would believe her now. She had lowered her own standing so much and he was a paragon to everyone in Atlanta. His word would unmistakeably hold up against hers. So why would Mrs Wilkes, with the knowledge that he was on a business trip, deem it necessary to send him these absurd invitations? Even common courtesy did not demand it. If he was not in town it would not be considered impolite not to invite him and surely she didn't expect him to rush home for such unappealing activities.

And those veiled hints at the end of each letter 'you and Scarlett'. Perhaps Melanie had sensed something about the nature of his prolonged absence. Or perhaps Scarlett had said something. Rhett doubted both possibilities. For the first, while Rhett admired Melanie beyond perhaps all ladies save his own mother, she was far too good a person to ever assume wrong doing in anyone she held in esteem and Rhett knew that she thought well of him so he had no reason to imagine that she had guessed what his disappearance truly meant. And for the second, if Rhett knew his wife's character, and he prided himself on the fact that he did, then she would be far to proud to ever reveal any less than satisfactory elements of their marriage.

'So all I can presume then' thought Rhett as he poured himself another large brandy, it was late and Bonnie had long since gone to bed, this was proving to be one of those increasingly frequent evenings that he spent alone with his thoughts and his bottle 'All I can presume is that Mrs Wilkes is merely being outrageously courteous in extending these invitations to me'

But he was not convinced with his own conclusion. Frustrated he drained his glass in one shuddering mouthful and reached again for the decanter.

--

It was the day before they were due to leave and Melanie had to admit to herself that the hope she'd nurtured these past two months looked as though it was indeed going to prove fruitless.

She had promised Scarlett that she wouldn't tell Captain Butler about the baby despite her own misgivings about doing so, and she'd kept that hateful promise devising instead what she had considered a cunning plan. But it seemed Captain Butler either could not or was not inclined to take her subtle hints that he should come home.

Melanie had put off packing despite the insistence of Scarlett, who now came to visit daily, that she should begin doing so because she'd been so sure that Captain Butler would soon understand her hidden meaning. But now it seemed as though she must begin.

Melanie sighed as she pulled down her trunk and opened it's creaking lid. She couldn't bear to imagine what might now happen to her sister in the future.

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So here is chapter ten. I apologise that it is a little shorter than last time but the coming events require a chapter all to themselves. I am nearly on holiday so hopefully updates will be much more frequent. Note to Franny; I have every intention of writing a sequel to 'Mutual' I just wanted to get a bit more of this story out there first. Thank you so much to all those who reviewed the last chapter, it really does make my day. Please be so kind as to leave your thoughts, feelings and opinions about this chapter or anything else that strikes you in the form of a review. It would mean so much to me. There will also be more on Rhett next chapter, he really was just a cameo here, also some Scarlett musings on how the last two months have been. Thank you for reading. Oh and also, I apoloise if the writing seems a bit more 'Pride and Prejudice' than 'Gone with the Wind' but I just watched the entire six part BBC series in one go and it's hard to get that style out of ones head.