The usual disclaimer applies, GWTW and all the characters are the property of Margaret Mitchell and her heirs. Many thanks to Skyebugs for beta-ing, and to SJ for prodding.

Springtime in Savannah

Late March 1880

Part I – Ashley Wilkes

Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;

--William Wordsworth

When the train from Atlanta arrived in Savannah, Ashley Wilkes disembarked with a light heart and a spring in his step. Tomorrow would be his wedding day. The joy he felt filled him, and spilled over to every person he met as he moved through the crowded terminal. After instructing a porter to send his luggage to the Marshall House Hotel, he exited the station and headed up West Broad toward Bay Street. He walked quickly, purposefully, toward his destination, a tobacconist's shop. His fiancée awaited him at a downtown tearoom, but she had asked him to complete this errand first, the purchase of cigars for the gentlemen wedding guests.

As he walked, Ashley considered the turn of events that brought him to this juncture in life. Melanie would always be enshrined in his heart as the embodiment of his dreams of the past, and his longing for the life they never shared at Twelve Oaks. Yet, here in Savannah he found a last vestige of the old days. His fiancée lived in an elegant mansion on Lafayette Square, built before the war by her grandfather as a wedding gift for her parents. Her father, a French physician, filled his home with the evidence of his predilection for culture and intellectual pursuits. The library contained books, floor-to-ceiling, in English, French, German, Latin and even some in Greek. The centerpiece of the music room was a grand piano, surrounded by lesser instruments: a violin, a flute, a cello, and a classical guitar. Fine oil paintings brought from Paris lined the walls. The feeling elicited upon entering this home for the first time instantly transported Ashley back to those years before the war when he had been a guest in gracious mansions such as this. That feeling answered the cry of the deepest yearning of his heart for a return to that place in time where he felt himself to be master of his own destiny, capable of passion unfettered by his inadequacies in the face of harsh reality. So, by some mysterious alchemy of the spirit, a miracle occurred in the home on Lafayette Square, and late in life he fell in love with Evangeline Desormeaux.

While the thought of this marriage pleased him, it also held an edge of uncertainty. He decided to take a gamble on this new union, despite his family's skepticism about the prospective bride. After all, they pointed out, she was not a cousin of the Wilkes. He understood their misgivings, he knew Melanie like he knew himself they were so alike. Evangeline was different--a passionate, elegant, educated lady who had travelled and was unafraid to speak her mind. Just when he thought he knew what to expect from her, she would surprise him, and he would find himself more tightly ensnared by her charm. Evangeline brought him out of the realm of death and darkness, into a world ripe with possibilities and blossoming with new life, into the beauty of springtime in Savannah.

In the months after Melanie's death, in the depths of his grief, Ashley had gotten into the habit of drinking in the evening. Not to excess, just a glass or two of sherry to make himself feel comfortably numb, and blur the edges of reality. He wondered why he hadn't taken up the habit long ago; he found it such a pleasant way to escape the pain of living in a world that was too harsh, too sharp, and too cold, a world in which he was not equipped to live. Then, he would think of Melanie. A great stab of pain would lance through him as he envisioned her endearing heart-shaped face, and hear her telling him how she disliked men who imbibed. That's why he never drank before.

Once the liquor took hold and sufficiently softened reality, it was easy for Ashley to slip the surly bonds of the present, and dream of the past. He constantly turned over the events of the summer and early autumn of 1873. "What ifs" consumed him, and he felt profound guilt. The death of Bonnie Butler had shattered their quiet existence. Ashley and Melanie grieved for their lost niece, and watched helplessly as her parents fell apart. Scarlett became withdrawn and silent, while Rhett drank to wretched excess. Melanie's heart went out to them both, and sometimes, she would weep disconsolately, for the child as well as her grief-stricken parents. Seeking affirmation of the power of life and love, she reached out to Ashley, and he was incapable of turning her away, so starved was he for physical touch.

The two months before Melanie died were preserved in Ashley's memory like a jewel of incomparable worth. It was the sweetest time of their marriage. Melanie was with child making precautions to prevent conception unnecessary, consequently, they began sharing a bed. Ashley cherished those nights, taking his wife in his arms and holding her close, seeing her face, first thing in the morning, and last thing at night.

Melanie glowed with incandescent happiness. Yet, Ashley was anxious. He felt a growing sense of unease as her slight figure thickened imperceptibly. Dr. Meade's words reverberated in his head. "She should never have gotten pregnant again! What were you thinking?" Melanie believed if she could safely make it through the first three months, all would be well. Each new day was ticked off as movement toward that elusive goal.

On a beautiful October afternoon, as shafts of sunlight slanted through golden leaves and made the whole of Atlanta appear gilded, their world came crashing down. India sent word to the mill that Melanie was sick, and that Ashley should come home immediately. The persistent knot of worry in his gut tightened. Melanie had been feeling bilious in the morning, but it didn't seem to be anything serious. When Ashley opened the front door and saw Dr. Meade, he knew in his heart their period of grace was over. The doctor announced that Melanie was hemorrhaging badly. The baby was lost, and, if the bleeding could not be stanched, Melanie would die as well. For the next two days, Ashley watched helplessly as the life drained out of her. She grew pale, and then paler still, until his gentle wife left him.

The darkness of pain and guilt covered him like a shroud; he felt as dead as Melanie, yet, he still breathed. It took time for Ashley to rouse from the torpor of his grief. A year and a half later, after listening to Reverend Wallace preach his Easter sermon, a fragile sliver of light pierced Ashley's gloom. If he had faith, he would see her again on the glorious day of Resurrection. A modicum of peace descended on his soul.

By an ironic twist of fate, Ashley owed his present happiness to Scarlett. He long suspected that she had made some sort of deathbed pact with Melanie because she was such a constant presence in his life for a time as he grieved most deeply. Initially he thought it was because Scarlett still loved him, but he learned the truth one evening when he stopped by her house for a visit. He caught her off-guard, after she had consumed more than her usual evening portion of brandy, and in that moment of weakness, she blurted out her love for her absent husband, bitterly repeating Rhett's words condemning her for the mistakes of the past. Never one to confront ugly realities head on, Ashley attempted to sweep the encounter under the rug and ignore it, but then realized his selfishness. Scarlett was hurt and isolated. Just as she had given him support in the depths of his grieving, she now needed his friendship.

Later, after Rhett divorced Scarlett, Ashley proposed to her, out of a sense of obligation for all she'd done for him. He felt Rhett had wronged her, and he wanted to atone for his own shameful behavior. Her reaction shook him to the core.

Scarlett laughed so hard she almost cried. In her bitingly forthright manner she told him: "I shall never remarry. No man will ever have the power to hurt me again, not you, not Rhett. Especially not you!"

Ashley winced at the emphasis she placed on those last words. He was forced to acknowledge that in years gone by he was at fault for confusing her with his talk of honor, although his words reflected his own confusion. Her elemental nature and physical charms stirred his frustrated sexual needs. At times he felt irresistibly drawn to her, but could never allow himself to act on those impulses. Scarlett's inability to grasp subtleties blinded her to the fact that in his eyes she was merely the beautiful object of his desire, a woman for whom he had a sentimental, almost brotherly, fondness.

Scarlett suffered her husband's rejection, and ultimately the brutal blow of divorce with her usual grit and fierce determination to survive. She continued about her business with her head held high, despite the fact that she had become a social pariah. All Atlanta sympathized with Rhett. They said the divorce was Scarlett's comeuppance for her coldness toward the man as he mourned the death of his only child. Yet, Ashley witnessed firsthand the grievous effects of Rhett's defection. He saw it almost daily in the way Scarlett treated her children. She became a martinet, demanding obedience and conformity to all the requisite social dictates and proscriptions in an effort to regain acceptance by the society that shunned her. Under Rhett's tutelage, Scarlett had defied the rules and suffered as a consequence, so Ashley assumed she wanted her children to avoid her fate. He tried to act as a father to them, and became a welcome refuge from their mother's strict discipline.

When Scarlett took Ella to Savannah to enroll her in the St. Vincent de Paul Academy, Ashley accompanied them. The Desormeaux home on Lafayette Square was near the recently completed Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and the adjoining convent and school. Scarlett and her cousin, Marie-Ange, decided that Ella should live with the Desormeaux' while attending the convent school. During that visit he had the pleasure of meeting Evangeline, charming daughter of Louis and Marie-Ange Desormeaux, for the first time.

After supper, while the women sat in the parlor chatting, Dr. Desormeaux took Ashley into the library for an after-dinner libation. He opened his liquor cabinet, and turned to Ashley, smiling warmly. "What is your preference, Mr. Wilkes?"

"Do you have any sherry?"

"Ah, an aficionado of the Spanish wines. Do you prefer oloroso or amontillado?"

"Oloroso, please."

Ashley took the offered glass, swirled the dark wine around, and savored its bouquet before drinking. "A very fine vintage. Thank you, sir."

Dr. Desormeaux poured a glass for himself, settled comfortably into a chair, and they spent the next few hours deep in conversation, mostly about literature and philosophy. Ashley was in his element.

"Voltaire or Rousseau?"

"I've read both."

Louis Desormeaux chuckled. "No, Mr. Wilkes, you misunderstand me. I'm French, yes? It is a question of philosophical preference: Voltaire or Rousseau. As a man of medicine, a scientist, I prefer Voltaire." He shook his head. "Rousseau is too emotional for my taste, although his ideas about government have some appeal."

Ashley smiled in understanding. "I share Rousseau's sensibilities."

"Ah, a romantic! I debate this with my daughter. You see she studied biology and chemistry at the women's college in Macon. If she were a man, she would make a fine physician. Though she is a budding scientist, she also finds appeal in the writings of Rousseau."

Ashley mulled over this comment, and asked out of polite curiosity: "Do you object to women doctors?"

"Do you approve of them?" Louis countered, equally curious.

As if on cue, Evangeline appeared at the library door. "Papa, Mama is going to play. She would like you and Mr. Wilkes to join us in the music room."

It was a heady mixture, the stimulating intellectual discussion, the wine, the music, and a lovely and educated woman, nearly young enough to be his daughter sitting next to him. Something inside Ashley was starting to awaken, although it would take a few years for him to fully recognize it.

Within the next year, Louis Desormeaux died of yellow fever during the epidemic of August 1876. In her season of mourning, Evangeline found comfort in spending time with Ashley whenever their paths crossed. He was gentle and gentlemanly; he listened. She wanted to attend a women's medical college in Philadelphia. She had tolerated her father's opposition to the idea, but now that he was gone, she was more convinced than ever that this was her path in life, following in the footsteps of her adored Papa. Ashley fought for control of his wayward feelings; he admired her determination, but didn't want to see her go away. He advocated for Evangeline's choice anyway, and eventually Mrs. Desormeaux gave her blessing to her daughter. When Evangeline returned from Philadelphia after two years of study, a newly graduated doctor, Ashley proposed.

**(snip)**

Scarlett sat at her desk poring over the books for her stores. As her social world contracted in the aftermath of her divorce, she devoted herself to business, and business had been very good. Years ago, Louis Desormeaux had encouraged her to capitalize on Savannah's growing prosperity, and thriving shipping industry to develop a line of imported goods among the wares she offered for sale. Scarlett took his advice and expanded her inventory, as well as the scope of her operation. She opened three branches of Kennedy's store, along the railroad lines from Atlanta to Savannah and Augusta, one in Macon, one in Augusta, and then, one in Savannah. The Savannah store had formerly been owned by her uncles Andrew and James. Scarlett joined forces with her O'Hara cousins to enlarge it, and make it part of her chain.

Since her daughter was in school there, and she had her business interests to tend to, Scarlett spent a lot of time in Savannah. The elite of Savannah society accepted her as part of the Desormeaux family circle. Marie-Ange told anyone who had the audacity to inquire about her marital status that Scarlett was a woman wronged by a bad man, one who abandoned her. Those who met her accepted the explanation without question, though the taint of divorce still clung to her. Atlantans perceived things differently. Consequently, though Scarlett had detested Savannah when she visited in her young widowhood, she found a more congenial society in the city as a middle-aged divorcée.

On this particular evening, she was in her Savannah office, finishing her work. She and Ashley had travelled from Atlanta together. She didn't understand his eagerness to come to Savannah with her, but Scarlett had given up long ago trying to understand much of anything about Ashley Wilkes. The man lived with his head in the clouds as far as she was concerned.

Scarlett heard a soft knock at the office door. "Come in," she called out distractedly. She was engrossed in the task at hand and did not welcome this interruption.

Ashley entered her office, smiling shyly. "Good evening, Scarlett. I've come straight here to tell you. You're the first to know."

"Know what? What are you talking about?" she snapped impatiently.

"I've asked for Evangeline's hand, and she has accepted me. We are going to be married!"

Scarlett hadn't been paying him much mind, but the word 'married' got her attention, and she looked up from her ledgers, and frowned. "Who's getting married?"

"I am. I proposed to Evangeline and she accepted!"

"Great balls of fire! Ashley Wilkes, you can't be serious! Why she's… You're… What did Marie-Ange say? Surely, she didn't…" Scarlett was so dumbfounded by the announcement she couldn't quite complete a coherent thought or raise a logical objection, but object she did. Who did he think he was, marrying such a young woman?

Scarlett's sputtering reaction was risible, and Ashley laughed. "You think I'm too old to marry her? Mrs. Desormeaux is quite pleased, as is Evangeline. I wanted to share our happiness with you first."

It was nice to know someone was happy, Scarlett thought bitterly. Happiness had eluded her for years. When had she last been happy? With a start she realized that the last glimmer of happiness left her life at about the same time Rhett did. Damn the man!

Scarlett put down her pencil. "What about…?"

What about Melanie? Her unspoken thought hovered in the room like a ghostly presence. She never put much credence in that nonsense about a widow's heart being in the grave. Lord knew, hers hadn't been, but Ashley certainly seemed to have acted that way for a few years after Melanie died. But then, hadn't they all? It seemed vaguely disloyal to contemplate Ashley married to another woman, especially one so young. Yet, on the practical side, Evangeline was something of a bluestocking, and an old maid to boot. She was trained as a doctor and wouldn't need to rely on Ashley to support them both. Maybe it was just as well; somebody else could take care of him for a change.

Sensing what she was trying to put into words, Ashley gave Scarlett a thoughtful look. "I've been alone for too long. You've taken such good care of Beau and me, but I don't want to be a constant burden to you. I've missed… I need… Well, it's lonely without... without someone there." He averted his gaze. "I know you know what I mean."

Unfortunately, she did. Loneliness was something Scarlett could readily understand. During the last few years of their marriage, she looked forward to each of Rhett's visits, no matter how distant he seemed, or how coolly he treated her. She truly tried everything she could think of to make him love her again, to no avail. Her transparency had always amused him, so he effortlessly repelled her feminine wiles, and rebuffed her affectionate overtures. Instead, he was true to his word. He promised her a show of togetherness in order to quell gossip, and made sure they were seen in public. During his brief visits, whenever they attended concerts, plays, or went out to dine and dance, he was polite, but maintained his distance. In the privacy of their home, he was quiet and aloof. Scarlett had never been so frustrated with the behavior of any man of her acquaintance. He'd always had that effect on her, but now he drove her to distraction with his indifference, rather than his impudence. Despite it all, when the visits stopped, and he made his intentions known, she felt bereft.

Ashley looked at Scarlett, and she could see it in his face before he said the words. "Besides, I love her."

"Well," she said slowly, "my best to you both." Scarlett rose and embraced him. At least, she thought wryly, I've got you off my back now.

**(snip)**

Ashley arrived at the tobacconist's shop to retrieve the cigars that Evangeline had ordered. As he pushed open the door, a little bell attached to the frame, rang in welcome, and the pungent, spicy fragrance of tobacco wafted out. He happily made small talk with the shopkeeper as the man wrapped the cigars in a neat package.

"Old Doc Desormeaux used to smoke these," he remarked as he handed the package over to Ashley with a flourish. "He was one of my best customers, God rest him."

Ashley smiled appreciatively; he, too, remembered Louis Desormeaux with fondness. His absence tomorrow evening at the wedding would be keenly felt. He paid the shopkeeper, thanked him, and then, moved quickly toward the door, eager to be on his way. He glanced up at the clock on the wall; it was quarter of three. It had been a month since he had last seen Evangeline, and her most recent letter instructed him to meet her at three o'clock at the tearoom four blocks away from the tobacconist. The little bell on the door again rang, signaling the arrival of a new customer, but Ashley didn't notice it. The tobacconist called out to wish him and Evangeline much happiness. Ashley, looked over his shoulder, and smiled at the shopkeeper, acknowledging his well wishes with a wave. His attention thus diverted, he moved to cross the threshold, and walked squarely into a tall, broad-shouldered patron about to enter the shop.

"Oh, pardon me. I'm so sorry," he said, offering a flustered apology. He then looked squarely into the man's face, and blinked, momentarily stunned, when he realized he had blundered into Rhett Butler.