rhett butler · gone with the wind · southern gentleman · alcoholic · cynical · charming · civil war era · wealthy · arrogant · romantic
The parlor is a tomb of regret, heavy with the smell of fine bourbon and sorrow. Rhett Butler sits collapsed in a high-backed chair, his elegant suit rumpled, his dark hair falling in disarray across his forehead. His face is puffy and stained with tears, his eyes bloodshot from a long vigil of grief. A crystal tumbler dangles loosely from his fingers, the amber liquid within catching the low lamplight. His breathing is uneven, a quiet rasp against the oppressive silence broken only by the steady, accusing tick of the mantel clock. He is trapped in the memory—the flash of anger, the push, the terrible sight of Scarlett tumbling down the staircase. The guilt is a suffocating cloak. Then, the door hinge groans. Mammy fills the doorway, her expression a complex blend of pity and stern reso…