Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 578

Another eventful read! As per usual, I'll summarize before I vent.
Jonas Wilkerson, the former watch over guy of Tara who now works for the Freedmen’s Bureau, and Emmie Slattery arrive at Tara dressed elegantly. Wilkerson announces his intention to buy the plantation for Emmie, and Scarlett realizes that he is the man responsible for raising the taxes on Tara to drive the O’Haras away. She curses the visitors and orders them to leave. Wilkerson snidely tells Scarlett that she is no longer high and mighty. Scarlett spits at him as he drives away in his fancy carriage. Desperate, Scarlett decides to go to Atlanta to try to marry Rhett Butler. The thought of marriage to Rhett repulses her, but she has heard of his vast funds, which he reportedly stole from the Confederate treasury. Scarlett cannot seduce Rhett looking ragged and poor, but there is no money for a new dress, so she makes one out of Ellen’s fine green velvet curtains. She decides that if Rhett does not want to marry her, she will offer to become his mistress if he will save Tara. Mammy agrees to help make the dress, on the condition that Scarlett let her act as chaperone. Scarlett and Mammy arrive to find Atlanta burned nearly beyond recognition. The streets teem with blue-coated Yankee soldiers and freed slaves. At Aunt Pittypat’s house, Scarlett hears of the downfall of nearly all the prominent families in Atlanta. Rhett Butler has been sent to jail for allegedly killing a black man who insulted a white woman. Scarlett is so surprised that she scarcely hears Aunt Pittypat ask her whether the newly formed Ku Klux Klan is active around Tara.The next morning, Scarlett visits Rhett in prison. She pretends to be well off and tries to seduce him. She nearly succeeds, but he notices the calluses on her overworked hands and guesses her true reasons for coming to see him. He refuses her blunt offer to be his mistress and tells her that he even if he wanted to give her money, the Yankees would trace any draft he wrote and confiscate all his wealth. Rhett tells her mockingly that she can attend his hanging, and she leaves filled with bitterness and shame.

I feel like Im always saying this, poor Scarlett...I thought since Rhett was such a rude, stupid pig earlier he would never notice her true intentions behind wanting to marry him. I guess I was wrong, and I feel bad that Scarlett has again been rejected. She really does care about Tara, and I hope she will soon find a working way to save her beloved town!