“I don’t know, but we should stick close together just in case. You can never predict what a desperate person might do.”

“Well, I want to find me a man. And this will certainly be the place to do it. Rhett Butler has to be around here somewhere and I aim to find him.” Nana said in her best Scarlett voice. She took her fan from her reticule and fanned herself. I didn’t know if it was for show or because she thought about Rhett. I’d have to keep my eye on her.

As we approached the country club, cars lined both sides of the road. “Wow, look at the crowd. We’ll never find a place to park.” I frantically scoured my surroundings for a space.

“Look! They have valet parking.” Dee Dee thrust her arm beside my face to make her point. She barely missed my nose.

A young valet, who scarcely gave us time to disembark, jumped in my Jeep and drove away. We stood behind several people waiting to enter. I noticed the attendees handed cards to the gentleman at the front door. Panic struck as I realized they were invitations.

I poked Dee Dee. “Look, they have invitations. Did Doc mention invitations?”

She poked me back. “No. He didn’t. What are we going to do?” We were next in line.

“Hi ladies.” The doorman gazed at Nana and smiled. “Ms. Scarlett, how are you tonight?”

“Just fine thank you,” Nana answered.

A mountain of a man, with baseball mitt sized hands, shoved a palm toward us. “Could I see your invitations, please?”

“Uh, yeah. You could if we had any. Doc Pennington invited us, but he didn’t say we needed an invitation.”

Dee Dee nodded her head in agreement.

“Sorry ladies. I’d love to let you in, but I can’t without that piece of paper.”

I panicked. My lungs tightened and my cheeks warmed with embarrassment. Here we were, standing around dressed like Scarlett wannabes without a way in the party.

Everyone gave us questioning stares as they moved passed us, presenting their embossed invitations. Dee Dee pushed me out of the way.

“Look, just go find Doc Pennington. He’ll vouch for us.” She no sooner had the words out of her mouth than the man himself walked up.

“Hi, Jerry. These ladies are friends of mine and are here at my invitation, please let them through.” Doc looked at Nana. “And who is this charming young lady? I don’t think we’ve met.” Nana actually batted her eyes at him.

“Why, I’m Scarlett, of course,” she said without missing a beat. Oh, puleease. Nana and Dee Dee were taking this way too seriously.

“This is my great-aunt, but everyone calls her Nana.”

He kissed her gloved hand. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. Why don’t you ladies follow me and we’ll go and find Penny. She’ll be so glad to see you.” We gathered up our skirts and dutifully followed.

The room glowed, ablaze with color. The ladies were dressed in the most beautiful array of hues: green, blue, yellow, red, and every color in between. The men wore fine pants and coats with many of them wearing period military uniforms. Music filled the air and swirled around the room. A young man danced and sashayed his partner from one end of the dance floor to the other, keeping in time with the Blue Danube.

I noticed Penny, standing alone, across the room. She stood by the refreshment table kneading her hands. Face pinched, she didn’t look any more relaxed than the first time I’d met her. I suppose I wouldn’t be either, if my husband was a suspect in a murder case. We zigzagged through the maze of partygoers to where she stood.

“Oh, Trixie and Dee Dee. I’m so happy to see y’all. Doc told me you’re helping him clear his name.” She grabbed ahold of Doc’s arm like she’d never let go. “I’m so grateful to you both.” She turned toward Nana. “And this must be Scarlett O’Hara.” Nana grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

Doc pried Penny’s death grip loose and pulled me aside. “Is there anyone in particular you haven’t met on your suspect list I could introduce you to?”

“I haven’t met Jeffrey yet, or Gloria Hamilton’s son.” I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone might be listening.

“Right. He seems like a nice kid. Gloria’s pushing for him to have my position. He’ll be here tonight.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?” As if on cue, Gloria was standing at the podium. “Thank you all for coming tonight. Rest assured this fund raiser is for a great cause. Let me give a little background on the Marietta History Museum for those of you who are not familiar with its history.

“The building that houses the Marietta History Museum was built in 1845 as a cotton warehouse. Dix and Louisa Fletcher, from up North, purchased it in 1855, remodeled, and opened it as the Fletcher House Hotel.

“During the early years of the war, the hotel was used as a Confederate hospital and morgue. In addition, Andrews’ Raiders stayed in a second floor room on the evening prior to their theft of the steam engine, “The General.”

A smattering of oh’s and ah’s filtered through the rapt crowd.

“The Union Army eventually requisitioned it, and when General Sherman came through town on his “March to the Sea,” Fletcher House did not burn down, however, the roof did catch fire from cinders blown over from nearby buildings, and the fourth floor was never rebuilt.”

I looked around to see if a young man who looked like Gloria might be watching his mother’s speech, but no one jumped out at me as her son.

“After repairs were completed in 1867,” Gloria continued, “Dix Fletcher reopened the hotel, and renamed it the Kennesaw House. It remained a hotel until the 1920’s, when the first floor was converted to retail shops, leaving the hotel on the second and third floors.

“In 1979, the building was converted to an office complex. It would be 14 years until the building was turned into the Marietta History Museum, and has remained much as you see it still today. As you can tell, it behooves all of us for future generations, to keep this building with such a rich history, financially sound.”

A round of polite applause agreed with Gloria’s appeal.

She held out a hand. “I would like to take this time to thank the Board for all of their hard work. Let’s also give them a big round of applause.”

The history of the museum would greatly enhance my article, but not once did she mention Doc or Penny for their time and effort given to the museum, and her pointed glare at him drove home my suspicion. This lady obviously had it in for Doc.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Now, everyone, please enjoy the rest of the evening.” Gloria stepped down from the podium. Nodding acknowledgements, she headed straight for our little group. “Well, hello Doc. Penny. I see you’ve brought some guests with you tonight. I don’t remember them on the invitation list.”

“I invited them,” Doc bowed low, his confederate general’s suit made him especially dapper. “Trixie is doing everything she can to help us with publicity for the museum.”

“Yes. I’ve met Trixie.” She spewed my name like it was a disease. “She claims to work for “Georgia by the Way.” And who might these ladies be?” Her gaze lingered on Dee Dee and Nana, raking them over from head to toe.

“I introduced you to my friend Dee Dee this afternoon, and this is my great-aunt Nana.”

“That’s Scarlett to you, Missy.” Oh great, just what I needed in front of the Gloria Hamilton. Nana acting like she believed she was Scarlett. Then I noticed Gloria’s dress. It was very similar to Nana’s except it was purple velvet with a lavender underskirt. The strange color reminded me of grape Kool-Aid. With the magic of the night, maybe all the ladies believed they were Scarlett.

I didn’t exactly picture myself as Scarlett, but I did feel pretty. I wished Beau could see me. Feeling pretty didn’t happen often for me. Low self-esteem is something all women struggle with at times. The models on television and magazines have made it impossible for normal women to meet unreal standards. I try to remember that the fantasy world of television celebrities doesn’t represent normal. God loves what is on the inside much more than what’s on the outside. I stood a bit taller in my period costume.