How It All Goes Down
- Scarlett marries Frank two weeks later.
- She gets the money from him directly and all is well, except that Suellen is very angry, which one might expect. She sends Scarlett a nasty letter, which is too true for Scarlett to ever forgive.
- Scarlett realizes after the marriage that she'll have to stay in Atlanta and won't live in Tara anymore.
- She's grateful to Frank, though, and determines to make him happy.
- Frank's already upset as he dimly realizes that Scarlett, who once seemed so helpless, understands his business better than he does.
- And he also eventually figures out that she lied to him about Suellen wanting out of the marriage.
- He's happy enough, though… as long as he lets Scarlett do what she wants.
- After Frank gets a minor illness, Scarlett goes and checks on the store, which she finds is in disarray.
- The accounts are especially bad; he lets people buy on credit, even though he knows they'll never pay.
- Rhett comes and visits her. Guess what they do? Duh—they banter. It's their thing.
- Rhett explains he got out of jail using blackmail and connections, though he was in fact guilty of murdering a black man.
- He also says he really is rich and has tons of money; Scarlett is pained because she could have married him and gotten lots of money rather than marrying Frank and getting less.
- She asks him for money in order to buy the mill and he says he'll give it to her, unless the money is to support Ashley Wilkes.
- He says Ashley is useless at farming and at everything else, and he's right. Which makes Rhett's jealousy of him all the more pitiful.
- He sneers at the purity of Ashley's love, and points out to Scarlett that Ashley desires her body.
- He also sneers at Ashley for letting Scarlett come to Atlanta to sell herself when he should have known that's what she was going to do. Because, you know, Scarlett can't possibly make her own decisions.
- Anyway, Rhett agrees to give her the money, and she buys the mill, much to Frank's chagrin.
- He feels she's behaving in an unwomanly manner. Aw, poor guy.