[Gone with the Wind] Back to the beginning

"Can you wait for me, Captain Butler?"

Rhett turned his head when he heard the words, and Ashley Wilkes' faded blond hair appeared in sight.The other party looked polite, with sincerity in his gray eyes, Rhett had to admit that he was more pleasing to the eye than before the war.

"Ah," he returned languidly, swirling the red juice in his glass, "that was unexpected, Mr. Wilkes."

"I thought you'd like to talk to me," Ashley said softly, "about Scarlett." He looked serious, and Rhett straightened up after he said the name.

"I thought you rejected her ignorance many years ago?" Rhett's half-smile was not a smile, but his eyes wandered over Ashley's face vigilantly, and Ashley couldn't help laughing.

"It's not that." He said with certainty, "It's just something else about her, I think I should tell you." He glanced at him, knowing that the black-haired man had made up his mind, so he looked in the direction of the garden. He waved his hand and said, "Please."

It was a tea party held at Melanie and Ashley's new home, and there were many guests from the south.Rhett has recently softened his relationship with the south, and Meili has always protected him, so he came to this place.Of course, the other reason is tacit - now that Scarlett O'Hara and Tommy Welburne are getting closer and alienating Rhett Butler, he really has to find some more for himself. An opportunity came before her eyes.The new house of the Wilkes family is only separated by a fence from Aunt Pete's house where Scarlett lives.

Rhett was waiting for her.

The garden in July is the best view.Although it hasn't been long since we moved in and the hostess hasn't had time to take care of it, the plants are growing freely enough to be wild and interesting.On the green grass, the roses are delicate and tender, and the myrtle is white and fragrant. Ashley and Rhett came here one after another. They stood beside an abandoned swing set.

"Can we talk now, oh?" Rhett said a little impatiently, his real patience was far more than he showed, but he held an unlit cigar between his fingers, "Do you mind this?"

"I don't mind." Ashley said, but Rhett didn't really point it up, "I think I have to thank you for helping Meili find out about me during the war, and taking care of them in Atlanta. I really appreciate this ..."

"Forget it." Rhett interrupted him, "Miss Mei Li is worthy of respect, and it's not like you don't know who I'm for."

Ashley smiled slightly: "We all know that." He added, "But I have to thank you anyway."

Rhett accepted this solemn thanks, and in order to listen to the part about Scarlett, he could neither pretend to be crazy, nor walk away with disdain, which was a little embarrassing.Fortunately, he has always been thick-skinned, and before Ashley saw anything, he said nonchalantly: "Okay—I remember you thanked Fanny Elsing and Tony Fontaine at the wedding, how many Needless to say. If you really want to, you might as well finish talking sooner."

Ashley also knew he was impatient with this, and couldn't help smiling.He said: "It was at Mr. Fontaine's wedding that I saw you and Scarlett, and then I heard what Meili said, so I realized that I must tell you about it."

Rhett remembered that too, when he held Beau for a while.He asked, "What exactly is that?"

Ashley was not in a hurry to answer at this moment, he asked Rhett: "You and Scarlett broke up because you didn't mention marriage for a long time, right?"

Rhett made a lump in his throat.

Ashley saw that Rhett's expression became stiff, and said, "Scarlett and Melanie often talk privately, I can know some, but it's mainly guesswork." He smiled slightly, "You can tell what I mean by your expression. bingo."

Ritter is furious.

"Yeah." He finally admitted, and he lit his cigar irritably, even the wafting aroma couldn't relieve his emotions, "We have a little difference in concept...I know I can't force her, but I didn't think it through at the time-no Thinking about whether I should give up my own ideas for her, I didn't expect—"

"Didn't think she would really break up with you?" Ashley smiled slightly. "Rett, sometimes we underestimate Scarlett too much. She is a very outstanding girl."

"You don't need to say it." Rhett glared at him, and the two looked at each other for a moment—in the aroma of cigars, Rhett must admit that talking about this kind of emotional topic created a brief and rapid establishment between him and Wilkes. There is a delicate friendship.He said darkly: "I still love her, and I will get her back."

"I'm afraid not." Ashley protested, but as long as you look into those gray eyes, you will know that he is actually calm.Wilkes said: "Rett, I don't think you have thought it through until now? About whether to marry her."

Rhett was silent.

But Ashley had already gone on in one breath of his own:

"I'm not interested in inquiring about your personal affairs and past, and I don't know if you have any complex ideas about marriage. But Scarlett is my sister and friend, and I can't allow her to be hurt like this. I think—" He took a deep breath and looked directly into Rhett's dark eyes, "I have something here that might change your perspective."

"Scarlett once told me unconsciously that she was going to kill Jonathan." Ashley said softly, but it was like thunder in Rhett's ears.

"What did you say?!" Rhett said in surprise and anger.

"To be honest." Ashley looked at him calmly, "and I can see that Scarlett has had this idea for a day or two. When she said this, her expression was cold and determined--I would use reckless behavior." Involving the family convinced her, but I'm not sure I'll be right next to her next time."

"Rhett." Ashley stared into his black eyes, and his voice seemed to come from far away, "You know how sad I was to hear her say that, how scared I was? How sad I was for her to be killed by Jonathan at home. When threatened, the first reaction is to pick up a gun and kill people, as if this is the only way left in the way of thinking—how much despair can cause this? When we were fighting, what kind of life did our family members live? Look at that As much as I am afraid that Scarlett will become cruel, I feel so sorry for her."

Rhett stared at him blankly.

"I don't know." It took him a while to find his voice, and the weak excuses couldn't even convince himself, "I don't know...she has experienced this." He said softly, "I don't know...she would Desperate to the point of that.”

"How much power does it take for a girl who has been pampered since she was a child to seriously consider a murder?" Ashley asked him calmly, "She is more worried about the consequences than the killing itself. That kind of cold and decisive look... ...I never thought it would be on Scarlett's face."

"Rhett." Ashley called his Christian name again, and dropped a bomb again, "Jonathan Wilkerson wasn't the first person Scarlett killed."

"I know," Rhett said in a weak voice. "She mentioned it to me once—she looked calm, but her hands kept shaking."

"But that was the first person she planned to kill." Ashley said coldly, "And she fired that shot for you in the end."

No, it's different.Rhett knew clearly in his heart that it was different.If Scarlett O'Hara had never really had the idea of ​​killing Jonathan Wilkerson before—even if a lady raised in the south is rebellious, her first reaction when she is bullied should not be to kill her— The shot she fired in an emergency was just one shot.However, Scarlett really wanted Jonathan's life. Although the shot was fired in an emergency, it cannot conceal the fact that she had considered the murder subjectively and calmly.This is the most important.

"I—" Rhett said me, and shook his head again. He had nothing to excuse, "It's my fault, I failed to take good care of her."

"I can't blame you during the war." Ashley comforted, although his attitude was still cold.After all, he was Scarlett's friend, not Rhett's. "but now--"

"I know what to do." Rhett said decisively.His lips were almost trembling, and the unspeakable emotion surged up, almost conquering his whole soul, "I want to marry her."

Ashley smiled at him.

"Then today's matter is our secret." He said, "I'll go back first, maybe you want to stay alone for a while."

Rhett nodded to him, Ashley's figure disappeared behind the door, and Rhett leaned limply against the wall almost at the same time.

Scarlett!

His breathing was so fast, mixed with the crazy desire to see her immediately, every knife cut his heart sorely.

"Scarlett..." he muttered the name, the pain made him tremble, "what have I missed..."

The infinite love and distress turned into self-blame, piercing densely into his heart.

Scarlett was even more insecure than he'd thought.When she met Jonathan, she didn't think about asking anyone for help—she just made the decision to kill so resolutely and coldly, relying on herself instead of anyone.Rhett didn't know what life had done to her--so much he didn't know, just as he dared not think at the moment that Scarlett would have been better off if Ashley Wilkes hadn't happened to know what was on Scarlett's mind. Will she really do such a crazy move? God, just letting her have this idea is enough to make him feel guilty and painful.

He didn't protect her well.

Even in a sense, Scarlett's insecurity is largely due to him-his disengagement, laughter and self-righteousness.She can only rely on herself, with a heart as hard as ice and a heart of stone.Scarlett has always been very strong and capable, so Rhett believed that she was really strong. After all, he didn't know... how desperate she was driven to, and the injuries she suffered...

Therefore, from the moment he learned from Ashley that Scarlett had intended to kill someone, Rhett made up his mind almost immediately: he wanted to marry her, he had to marry her.

He had thought that if one day he married a woman, there must be no way to get her except by marriage.Scarlett, you won.Because after knowing that she had been hurt so badly in a place he didn't know, how could he remain indifferent, how could he not feel infinitely distressed?He had to marry her, he understood immediately, because he had to protect her, he loved her, and he couldn't tolerate her being hurt like that any longer.Scarlett O'Hara shouldn't have blood on her hands for Jonathan Wilkerson and the like—he was going to marry her.

He wants to marry her, so that she can be happy every day, no longer have to be tense and insecure, and forget all terrible thoughts.Rhett thought so, a smile appeared on his lips.He had a reason to marry her, because now he knew how badly he wanted to love her, protect her, take care of her, let her do whatever she wanted, have fun...not counting It was too late, and he couldn't stand by and watch Scarlett hurt even more.Apart from getting married, there was no way for him to truly protect her.He really felt sorry for this green-eyed girl.

So, find a good time to propose, Rhett thought, opened his dark eyes that suddenly lit up, and strode into the room.He owed Ashley Wilkes a favor, which he remembered.

———In the cool breeze of Charleston, the dark-haired man slowly opened his eyes.

Rhett Butler, who had just proposed but was rejected for dumbfounding reasons, was lying in a rocking chair outside with a cigar in his hand, and the bright moonlight shone on his face.Rhett rubbed his eyes, recalling the scene in the afternoon, his face softened more and more.

He is really happy that he has made such a decision.

The author has something to say: This chapter is also known as "The Real Reason Why the Captain Proposes Marriage", "How Many Pushers Are Behind the Scenes", "Ashley Wilkes May Become the Biggest Assist" 23333

So Ashley's words are the turning point of the captain's determination. XD The foreshadowing has been buried for a long time and finally it can be used. I am happy!