Or was it her guilty conscience?
Mammy came to the door and knocked but Scarlett sent her away, saying she did not want any supper.
Time passed and finally she heard Rhett coming up the steps.
She held herself tensely as he reached the upper hall, gathered all her strength for a meeting but he passed into his room.
She breathed easier.
He hadn't heard.
Thank God, he still respected her icy request that he never put foot in her bedroom again, for if he saw her now, her face would give her away.
She must gather herself together enough to tell him that she felt too ill to go to the reception.
Well, there was time enough for her to calm herself.
Or was there time?
Since the awful moment that afternoon, life had seemed timeless.
She heard Rhett moving about in his room for a long time, speaking occasionally to Pork.
Still she could not find courage to call to him.
She lay still on the bed in the darkness, shaking.
After a long time, he knocked on her door and she said, trying to control her voice:
"Come in."
"Am I actually being invited into the sanctuary?" he questioned, opening the door.
It was dark and she could not see his face.
Nor could she make anything of his voice.
He entered and closed the door.
"Are you ready for the reception?"
"I'm so sorry but I have a headache."
How odd that her voice sounded natural!
Thank God for the dark!
"I don't believe I'll go.
You go, Rhett, and give Melanie my regrets."
There was a long pause and he spoke drawlingly, bitingly in the dark.
"What a white livered, cowardly little bitch you are."
He knew!
She lay shaking, unable to speak.
She heard him fumble in the dark, strike a match and the room sprang into light.
He walked over to the bed and looked down at her.
She saw that he was in evening clothes.
"Get up," he said and there was nothing in his voice.
"We are going to the reception.
You will have to hurry."
"Oh, Rhett, I can't.
You see--"
"I can see.
Get up."
"Rhett, did Archie dare--"
"Archie dared.
A very brave man, Archie."
"You should have killed him for telling lies--"
"I have a strange way of not killing people who tell the truth.
There's no time to argue now.
Get up."
She sat up, hugging her wrapper close to her, her eyes searching his face.
It was dark and impassive.
"I won't go, Rhett.