“We did.” Garnett lit his cigar and asked her if she was ready for lunch. They walked out the front of the Capitol and took the carriage to a small restaurant nearby. Mirisa believed everything in Washington was masculine and designed strictly for high powered men. They were immediately seated near the front window and served whisky. She looked around the restaurant as it started to fill up with the same gentlemen who were on the Senate floor only now they were friendly and most were not ready to kill each other.
David and the Senators from Pennsylvania and New York walked up to the table and David introduced her before they sat down. The talk continued about the issues and though she looked like she was listening she was actually looking out the window day dreaming.
“Mirisa.”
She looked directly at David and waited because she had no idea if someone had said something to her or they just wanted her attention.
“Obviously we are not holding your attention very well. I asked what you thought of your first experience with politics.” David was very relaxed so obviously he was on the winning side of the vote. She knew he fell somewhere between Garnett and Dominic but a lot more personable than Dominic and not as polished as Garnett. David watched her face and realized Mirisa was trying to determine what answer he wanted.
“I think it is too many men in one room.”
“Is that a polite way to say that you found it boring?”
“No, it’s my way of saying that it was similar to being in a saloon but I’m not sure who gets the blonde.”
The Senators laughed so hard that the entire room turned to their direction. David had asked James again when they were at the club about her and it was obvious if she had been a player David would be interested but that didn’t surprise anyone.
David finally stood and told them he hoped that they would be able to get together again before they left town. He thanked Mirisa again for her company and told her he thought she was probably the best addition to the Unit that they had ever made. Dominic signed for lunch and as they left the restaurant. Mirisa asked her husband if they could walk back to the hotel. Dominic and Garnett had a meeting so they indicated they would meet up with them later. James decided to walk with them and they stopped at several shops along the way. She always enjoyed being with just her husband and James.
As the clerk was cutting the ribbons and wrapping them, Mirisa reached around James and thanked him for being so sweet. James laughed and told her he loved her. They left the shop and went into a book store where they spent over an hour before leaving with several good books by Henry Cabot Lodge, Oscar Wilde, a new children’s book and a lot of new sheet music.
Mirisa spent the afternoon with the children as the men spent the rest of the afternoon just talking and drinking. When they went back upstairs, James stopped in to see the children and found her sitting on the floor reading one of the new books. He sat down on the floor against the wall and listened to the story. Meeks stood at the door listening as Maggie would stop her and ask about something she had read. Jonathan had his head on her lap and you would have thought he was asleep but he would occasionally sit up and look at a picture before laying back down. Matthew was holding half the book and reading along with her. Maggie saw her father and threw him a kiss which he caught and put it in his pocket.
Mirisa closed the book and told the children to wash their hands as the server brought in dinner for them. They protested but she told them they would finish the story before bed. Maggie stood up and ran to her father and wrapped her little arms around his neck. James pulled Mirisa to her feet before he went in the other room with Meeks.
“What are you doing for dinner?”
“I think I’ll just have it sent up and stay in tonight if you want to join us.”
“I think I’ll join you. Last night was a little too much to repeat.” James poured a shot and sat back in the chair picking up the paper. Garnett knocked on the door before opening it
“Is there anything planned for tonight?”
“No, we’re all pretty worn out so I think we’re going to stay in and do nothing.”
“Care for company?”
“Since when did you need to ask?”
“I guess never but sometimes it’s just proper.”
“Where’s Dominic?”
“He’s having dinner with an old friend but I’m about talked out so I declined.” He got up and picked up the folder with the new music and went through it. “This is when I wish we were home. I really have gotten to where I hate hotels no matter how nice they are.”
“It used to be that we not only lived in but preferred hotels.”
“That’s before I found out how nice it was to have a family and a warm home.”
Mirisa smiled at him. “Thank you Garnett.”
“That was a sincere feeling. I don’t think I could express enough how much I love living with everyone especially the children.” Garnett put the folder on the table. “Since we won the vote today, we don’t really need to go to Richmond unless Mirisa wants to spend time with her family.”
“I’m going home with my father tomorrow afternoon for a few days and after that I think I want to go home.” She turned around and laid on the floor and put her feet up in Meeks lap. He slowly started massaging her toes then her arches.
“Which home?” He took off the rings and put them on the table and used deep pressured between her toes. “Mirisa?”
“It doesn’t matter as long as it’s one of them. I dislike hotels more than Garnett.”
Meeks climbed out of bed early, slipped on his jeans and got out his ledgers. He hadn’t done any work all week and decided to spend the day getting caught up. Garnett kept telling him to hire someone to handle his affairs but he preferred knowing the status of his life. Meeks had moved a lot of the earned income into a life trust for Maggie but his money was still earning at a rate that was faster than his spending. In fact, James had made such good investments with their money that they were fast moving up the list as serious money men and land owners though they were not in the rich category by any means.
Mirisa found him concentrating on the numbers as she kissed his cheek and told him she would order them breakfast so he could keep working. He put his pencil down and sat back. “What is it I can do for you this morning?”
“Decide to come to Virginia with me because as much as I think you need to concentrate on work, I truly miss you when we’re apart.” Mirisa left the room barefoot and walked down to the restaurant and ordered breakfast to be brought up.
“Mirisa.”
Mirisa turned to find them sitting in the corner table eating breakfast. She walked over sitting on James’s lap and took Garnett’s biscuit thanking him. David was sitting next to Garnett.
“Good morning, Mirsia.” David nodded to her. “What are you doing running around barefoot?”
“Alexander’s workings on ledgers so I came down to order breakfast then I am going to talk him into going to Virginia with me and the children.” Mirisa had one arm wrapped around James and the butter on the biscuit was dripping down her other hand. She started to lick it off when Garnett bent her arm back and wiped the butter off with his napkin. David looked from Mirisa to Garnett not knowing that this was not unusual for them. She kissed Garnett and told them she had to go back upstairs. She kissed James as she went around the table.
“Mirisa, will you go to Georgetown with us this morning?”
“Sure, do we get to ride?”
“Yep.”
“Do I need to change?”
“No, but you might want to put on boots and I much prefer the low cut silk blouses to flannel.”
“But flannel is so soft against my bare skin.” She went up the stairs half running.
“Well, I can certainly see why you live with her if that’s the way she is at breakfast.”
Dominic sighed. “Actually, that is unusual since she is not social before breakfast. Are you going over to look at the townhouse?”
<
br /> “Yes, I want to look it over to see if it’s large enough before I make a decision.”
“Well, you can definitely just come live with me if you bring Mirisa with you.”
“Trust me David; you do not want to make the mistake of letting her into your house.”
After breakfast James went upstairs to see if they were ready and Meeks told him that he was going to finish his work but they could take Mirisa since she was restless. She was sitting on the edge of the bed lacing up her boots. Mirisa walked over and knelt down next to his chair and he leaned over and kissed her sweetly. “Try to behave yourself.”
They were waiting outside when Mirisa came out with James. The streets were pretty crowded with streetcars and wagons until they reached the streets of Georgetown. They tied the horses up in the back of the house and entered through the kitchen. It was similar to the brownstone with the kitchen was across the entire back of the house and a large table on one end. Both Mirisa and James immediately stopped in the kitchen. It was pretty modern and completely furnished with all the utensils but no dishes or personal things.
When you left the kitchen you entered a long hallway with the stair case on one side and the formal dining room and great room on the other side. The great room was huge with a big bay window looking out over the street. She climbed up on the window seat and looked out. James stood in the door way wishing he could just touch her. Dominic stopped next to him. “Always was my favorite view.” The second floor had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The largest was in the back over the kitchen with the smaller ones in front of it with great views of the tree lined street. She looked down at the small little gardens behind black iron gates. The top floor was a large room with a bathroom and sitting area.
She walked to the large glass windows and looked out toward the river. Unlike the crystal azure rivers of the West, the Potomac was grey and cold looking in the winter. The trees were still bare and the sky was overcast which gave it an even bleaker look.
Garnett walked in with David and Dominic. Neither Mirisa nor James gave any indication that they were aware they were in the room. “Garnett, the view is nice but I think when summer is here the trees will block most of it.”
“Mirisa, I don’t think I am going to be looking out the window much.” She turned to look at him and acknowledged the meaning of his statement. “I think it will make a very nice home.”
“Then I think I need to negotiate a good price.”
“I think it’s perfect if you are going to work here. I love the neighborhood.” She had her hands wrapped around James’ wrist and gave no indication that she was going to move. She closed her eyes which James could see in the reflection of the window. After a few moments, she opened her eyes.
“Someone very happy lived here before something sad happened.”
David lit his cigar. “She died after a short illness.”
Mirisa turned to look at him and James released her. “Your girlfriend?”
“My fiancé.”
“She was very happy with you. I’m sorry.” She turned back around. “You know I think need to go shopping for a new jacket and boots.”
Garnett laughed at her. “Well, I just got the bill from our last shopping trip so I think you need to take someone else.”
“Dominic, I don’t think you have taken me shopping in a really long time.”
“I don’t think you have slept with me in a really long time.”
“Do I need to do one to get the other?”
“No, but I think you should.”
“You know I have trouble being in your arms.”
He pulled her over in front of him and kissed her. She responded so naturally as they both knew she would. “I’m going to pay forever for letting you go. Probably the worse decision I made.”
She smiled. “Probably but I really, really want a new jacket in a lighter color.”
“I told you that you can’t have everything you want.”
“And I told you that I don’t believe that. Well, is anyone going to at least take me to lunch?”
Meeks walked through the door and she turned. “See, not only do I get lunch but he’ll buy me a new jacket.” He walked up and kissed her. “Will you take me to lunch somewhere with really good chocolate desserts?”
“I will take you anywhere you want to go, buy you anything you want and I will let you be as bad as you want for the rest of the day but first I want to see the house.”
“Meeks you spoil her.”
“Every chance I get.”
“Did you come to rescue them or because you missed me very, very much?”
“I came to rescue them because you got out of bed wanting to irritate someone and when you want to play no one is safe but mostly I came because I love you and miss you when you are out of my sight. Your father will be by with the coach at five.”
“Will you go with me?”
“I will.”
David didn’t understand them at all nor understood how she could juggle all of them under one roof but it was obvious that they loved her. They had a light lunch and discussed buying the townhouse and the legislative schedules.
"So, are you just going to buy someplace everywhere you go?" She picked up a small roll and handed it to Garnett to butter for her. David watched as he did it without even thinking. "Why did you decide to sell the ranch?"
Dominic looked up surprised. “It was time."
"I’m obviously the only one who is sentimental about things since I just don’t understand why you work so hard on something then sell it to go work on something new."
“It was only a business, nothing more.”
“It was a lot more.”
Dominic sat back wondering why she was so sensitive. “Mirisa men rarely become attached to anything except their horse and money.” He watched as she struggled with responding when he knew that his words always cut so deep into her emotions.
“I would like all the children’s things in Richmond shipped to New York if it is alright.” James listened to her. “I’ve also decided to sell everything in Texas so you won’t have to pay for the upkeep anymore.” Mirisa put her hand on Meeks wrist as Dominic decided that to continue the conversation would just lead to her falling apart. She sipped on her tea as they changed the subject knowing that Dominic had again told her she was insignificant in his life.
Their trip to her father’s plantation was so good for Mirisa and helped her to detach from the intense world of being around nothing but men. They stayed at the house but with all three brothers living on the property with their families and children, it was nice to be around so much family and constant activities. Mirisa found the house to be so much quieter without her mother and it was obvious that her father had made numerous changes. They cooked out, went fishing, took the children on hay rides and played lawn games. In the evening after the children were in bed, they taught Mirisa how to play pool. Meeks thought she thrived being surrounded by happy people.
When they were getting ready to climb on the train for the short ride into Washington, Mirisa promised her father that she would bring her family to visit as often as they could. She handed him the key to the apartment thanking him for the generous gift and told him that she would much rather he gave it to Jes who had made the decision to get into State politics. She told him that she was removing her personal things. She thought it would be a perfect bachelor’s apartment. Richard told her that she was a thoughtful daughter and pocketed the key.
Mirisa spent the rest of the week working with a decorator at the townhouse and making sure that the furniture was placed in the right rooms. The piano was delivered on Wednesday and the tuner showed up to set it up and tune it. She had them set it near the bay window as far away from the fireplace as she could. She thought Garnett would enjoy the townhouse if he settled down in the area.
Mirisa brought the water color that Garnett had bought for her and had it hung over the fireplace. After all the workers left for the day, sh
e laid down on the floor and was looking at it when Garnett walked in.
"Did you pull your back out again?"
Mirisa laughed and told him if she hadn’t she could certainly fake it. Garnett stood over her and reached down, took her hands and pulled her up. He knew everyone was tied up for at least the next few hours but he wanted to see how the decorating was coming along.
Garnett looked at the painting above the fireplace. “Why did you hang it here?”
“So you would always think of me.”
“I don’t need help to do that. In fact, I need help to stop from doing that.” He turned back to her. “When did the piano arrive?”
“This morning.” He walked over, lifted the lid and played a few keys.
“It is a beautiful piano.” He closed it and turned back to her. “Do we have fresh coffee?”
“Sure but I would much rather have hot cocoa.” They went in the kitchen and she made cocoa while he took out a tin of cookies she had bought and opened the lid and sat on the counter with her. He asked her what was left to be done before they moved in and she said that everything he needed was already there and only a few odds and ends were missing.
Garnett brought in more firewood and built up all the fireplaces before he helped her put linen on the beds. She pulled the sheets tight on the large bed and tucked them in as Garnett handed her the pillow. She turned to get the other pillow when Garnett pulled her across the bed and rolled her over kissing her. “You really need to avoid putting yourself in danger.”
The Visitor - New York 1871-1873 Page 13
