The Visitor_New York 1871_1873

by Barbara Svetlick

  “He’s lost a lot of blood but it doesn’t appear to have hit anything vital. You need to watch for infection in the next few days and make sure the area surrounding both wounds is kept dry and clean.” The doctor closed his bag and told them he should be taken to the hospital which they told him it wasn’t an option so he told them to keep him off his feet and he’d be back later in the afternoon to check him again.

  Dominic had the bottle of whisky next to him but he was still incoherent. The doctor was standing in the hallway talking to them when Mirisa got up and went into the living room. They all watched her but Mirisa didn’t acknowledge any of them.

  Mirisa sat down on the table next to the couch and gently took his hand in hers. Dominic automatically closed his fingers around hers and opened his eyes. Dominic pulled her hand up to his lips but he had very little strength. He closed his eyes and Mirisa just sat there with her eyes closed and her hand on his heart as she reached out for the people. The drums filled Dominic’s head as he fell into a deep sleep.

  Meeks watched her for a moment then sat down next to her. Mirisa looked at Meeks and told him that she loved him so much that it just hurt. The tears slowly rolled down her cheeks and Meeks put his arms around her and held her as she cried. She reached up and put her arm around him as he pulled her closer.

  “Please don’t ever leave me.”

  “Sweetheart, I plan to be by your side forever.” He rocked her as she buried herself in his chest. After a few moments, Mirisa stood up and said she needed to wash her face. She went upstairs and put a cold washcloth on her face and held it there.

  When Mirisa came back down she stopped and checked on Dominic who was still sleeping. She took the bottle from between him and the couch putting it on the table where he could reach it. He touched her hand and she smiled.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “No, it hurts too much to be anything except drunk. Unless of course you have decided you want to sleep with me, I could probably tolerate the pain.”

  “I don’t think alcohol is probably good for healing but I can’t think of what else would help the pain. The whisky is on the table if you want it and I believe sex would probably kill you though it would be a very appropriate way for you to die.”

  “I think I want to sleep but I also want a rain check.” She leaned over and kissed Dominic pulling the blanket up around his chest trying not to touch his side. “Mirisa, I love you.”

  “I know.”

  Mirisa went into the kitchen to fix a cup of tea. She listened to them talking but she didn’t hear anything they said.

  “Mirisa.”

  She looked up but didn’t respond.

  “Would you like breakfast? The children will probably be down soon.” She looked out the window and realized that the sun had risen. She was exhausted and could only imagine how they felt.

  “No, I think I’m going to go to bed.” She kissed her husband then went back upstairs and crawled under the blanket. Meeks came up, undressed and crawled under the blanket with her. They both slept for hours as though nothing in the world mattered.

  James walked into the room and sat down on the end of the bed. “What are you doing?”

  Mirisa was sitting on the floor folding clothes and putting them in the trunk. “I would think that would be obvious but I am packing.”

  “Are you going somewhere?”

  “We’re going back to New York. Hasn’t Alexander talked to you?”

  “No.” James sat there for a moment as Mirisa looked up at him. “Does this mean he wants to go home without the rest of us?”

  “No James, I just haven’t had a chance to tell you we were leaving. I told Mirisa before we left last night that we were going back on Sunday.” Meeks moved the clothes off the chair and sat down. “I just can’t continue to take the chances we are asked to take when I have children to raise. As long as we're available, the temptation is too great for all of us.”

  Garnett was standing at the door listening to the conversation. He walked in and sat down in front of the fire.

  Mirisa looked at him and smiled. “Are you staying here or coming back to New York?”

  “I didn’t realize you were leaving.” Garnett lit a cigar and looked at Meeks. “Are you riding or taking the train?”

  “We’re taking the train.”

  “I don’t think Dominic will be able to move for a few weeks but I’m thinking it will be better to put him on the train back to Natchez so he can be cared for while he’s there.” Garnett poured a shot and took it down. “I think it’s time I stop taking assignments. This is the third time things have gone wrong.”

  “Have you talked to Dominic?”

  “No, I’ll just hope that we leave for Colorado before the subject has to come up."

  James picked up the clothes on the bed and sat down on the floor with her and helped fold them. Mirisa reached over and put her arms around James. He put his hand on her stomach and told her he loved the babies.

  “I’m all for walking away.” James picked up a wrapped package and undid it to find a soft pink blanket. “You’re expecting another girl?”

  “Alexander bought it for me when he found out so I guess it’s his way of saying he doesn’t mind another daughter or he believes me when I said I was only having girls.”

  James wrapped it back up and handed it to her. “When do expect to have the baby?”

  She smiled because it was so unlike him not to remember conversations. “Late summer while we’re in Colorado. Are you going to be there with me?”

  “You know I will.” James folded another shirt handing it to her she took his hand and he pulled her into his arms. James emotions when around her were so high anymore that you would think he was the one who was pregnant and she went to great lengths to always soothe of his feelings.

  “Then I won’t have to worry about anything. Thank you for always caring so much.” Mirisa kissed him and picked up another pile of clothes on the bed. Meeks sat and watched her.

  “Mirisa, thank you for decorating the townhouse for me.”

  She looked at Garnett and nodded as Meeks put out his hand making her sit in the chair. “You’re doing too much. Why don’t you let me finish the packing?”

  “I’m fine. I know none of you realize this but I can do normal things.”

  “I’ll let you do normal things when you can get through the day without a nap and not before.”

  They packed up the children and took the Sunday morning train to New York. Dominic would be leaving at the end of the month and Garnett would stay in Washington until April and take the train to Colorado with them.

  It was nice to be back in the brownstone. Meeks went through the calendar and the mail that was sitting on the desk. There were several concerts and plays coming up but no dances that sounded interesting.

  Mirisa bathed the children and put them to bed before she took a bath. She sat down on the couch and Meeks put both his hands on her stomach.

  “I don’t feel anything?”

  “The baby’s too little for you to feel anything.”

  “I guess I never paid attention to time when you were pregnant before but I think it takes too long to have a baby.”

  “You just have no patience.” He moved his hands up and cupped her breasts which were starting to get more sensitive to the touch.

  “I think I have a tremendous amount of patience. I waited seven years for you.”

  “You did.”

  Mirisa put on a long dress in light green with off the shoulder sleeves and a nice neckline though not low. It was one of the dresses that Garnett had picked out in Washington. She pulled her hair back at the temples but left it hanging loose down her back. Meeks bent over and buckled her shoes for her running his hand up her leg.

  “You know you will have to do that all the time when I am too round to bend over.”

  “I don’t remember you ever being too round.” He put his hand out and helped her stand. “But I do remember y
our breasts getting bigger. And I remember how beautiful you were when you gave birth.”

  “I think all of you have gotten too sentimental this time.” Mirisa kissed him lightly before she took his arm as they headed downstairs.

  James opened the door as they entered the restaurant. It was a lot larger than it appeared from the outside and had a large open patio with a small orchestra playing. Mirisa stopped on the way to the table and listened to the music.

  Meeks had ordered Mirisa something simple since she was still dealing with sickness. The waiter brought her hot tea and toast while they waited for dinner to be served.

  “Mirisa, are you still getting sick?”

  She looked at James across the table. “Some but not as bad as when I carried the twins.”

  “Isn’t there something you can do?”

  “I could always not get pregnant or alternatively not throw up.” She smiled at James. “I actually have a doctor’s appointment at the end of the week if you want to come along.”

  The dinner was extremely good after which James said he was heading out. Meeks asked Mirisa if she wanted to stay and dance. He took her out on the floor and James stopped and watched them. Never had he met a woman with so much natural grace.

  James headed to the apartment and waited on the stoop until Catherine’s carriage pulled up. He opened the carriage door and put out his hand as she descended onto the walkway. She was still dressed in dark colors and was determined to follow protocol of mourning despite the fact that her husband had no close family. Her place in society was obviously important and her affair with James was something he couldn’t figure out. Garnett had given him the full background report but for some reason he had not opened it.

  James had learned that public display of any sort was completely rejected by Catherine even when they were in San Antonio and yet when the door closed she became everything he loved in a woman. He had started pulling back with their meetings because she had such a hold on him when they were together. The rumor of her involvement with James was already spreading but it was more a curiosity about his becoming involved then anything improper that she might be doing.

  James left early telling her that he had an important morning appointment. The house was quiet when he got home so he poured a shot and opened the envelope which had a very thick report which he knew meant it was bad. He sat drinking and weighing whether to read it or just go to bed. He finally put his shot glass on the table and picked up the report.

  Catherine was the adoptive daughter of John Randell Tyler who was a widower whose money came from a large sugar cane plantation that his family had owned for generations in the Islands. He was a ruthless man who played high stakes in business and was known to bankroll the illegal trades along the southern coastlines and throughout the Gulf Coast. His wife was a mulatto girl who was rumored to be a high princess in the dark arts. Her mysterious death lead to his fleeing to New York where he stayed until he was killed one dark night leaving his office along the wharf. When they found his body, the only mark on it was a red cross on his forehead, no visible injuries had been found though his eyes were bulging at the time of his death. Chicken feathers were scattered around the area but no other sign indicating how he died.

  Catherine’s birth was undocumented and the reason she was adopted by John Tyler was equally unknown. There was no information on where she was born, who her natural parents were or even her age. She lived in the Tyler home until he married her off to his partner, Jacob Manning. Mr. Manning died in his sleep a month after the marriage and his estate as well as his portion of the business was left in trust to be managed by John Tyler. She was not seen in public for six months after Mr. Manning’s death based on being in mourning. It is believed during this time she was with child and it is believed that that child was Mr. Tyler’s.

  The baby was born with a severe birth defect and immediately sent to the Islands to be cared for by the house staff. It is unknown at this time if the child is alive but there is a small grave in the family graveyard that is unmarked and appeared about the time that Ms. Tyler returned to the plantation. She remained there for six months before returning married to a man named Russell Bellows.

  Mr. Bellows has a very checkered history in the black market and it is believed he has as well murdered several men who crossed his path. He has a serious gambling addiction as well as drug use. He remained in New York with Ms. Tyler for only four months before he got into a brawl killing two men. It is believed that he is in the islands but does not live at the Plantation. This marriage has never been dissolved if in fact it is a legal marriage. He was seen in New York around the time that John Tyler died and it is as well believed he was in New Orleans with her step-brother, Samuel Tyler, and a young blonde named Julie.

  After John Tyler died, Samuel threw Catherine out of the family home and took control of the trust doling out small allowances to his sister. She took up employment as a nurse companion of Leonardo Candlier eventually marrying him.

  A year after John Tyler’s death, Samuel Tyler took up with the blonde, Julie, and they headed south to hit the gambling circuits where they crossed paths again with Mr. Bellows. Right before Samuel Tyler left New Orleans, Catherine Tyler was seen in New Orleans with Mr. Bellows and Julie. She took a boat north and the train to New York City unaccompanied.

  The death of Mr. Candlier is currently under an inquest as his death is mysterious despite his age. His physical problems were due to a horse accident putting him in a wheelchair but otherwise he was healthy and sharp. He had contacted his solicitor days before his death to change his will but had passed away before the solicitor was able to speak with him. This inquest has created a question as to not only Mr. Candlier’s death but the legality of the marriage and her being able to inherit his estate. There is also an inquest into Mr. Manning’s death though there would be little evidence.

  Catherine Tyler has been under surveillance and her late night visits with Mr. Alcorn are noted. It is believed that she may be involved and/or responsible for the death of Mr. Manning and Mr. Candlier as well as Mr. Tyler and Samuel though the records on Samuel’s death are known by you.

  The reports that you provided us on the incident in San Antonio as well as the name of the solicitor were forged which means that Catherine Tyler used your team to make her brother’s death legally acceptable. We have supporting documentation should you require to review same. We also assume that you will be sharing this investigation with Mr. Alcorn though his life would not be in danger unless or until he marries Ms. Tyler.

  Ms. Tyler has set the perfect background in New York City and has as well been seen entering an apartment building on H Street regularly. The apartment is leased under her name and paid through the trust. The address is below and if you wish us to continue to watch her please let us know. We will await your response.

  James put the report back in the envelope and laid it on the table picking up his whisky. He had been taken in by a lot of women but this one had set the perfect stage and he walked out and took a bow as she had her hand on the final curtain. James stood up dropping the envelope on Meeks desk before he headed to the club to take his mind off of a very disappointing evening.

  Mirisa walked into the doctor’s office with her husband and James. The doctor told her to take a seat and he’d be right with her. He was sitting behind a large desk and the room was surrounded by bookcases with papers in teetering piles and books open everywhere. He was a little younger than her father and finally put down his pen and looked up at her.

  “You’re Dr. Eppes daughter then?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you are here because you believe you are pregnant.” His glasses were on the end of his nose and he was looking over them at her.

  “No, I know I am pregnant. I am here because my husband thinks I need to talk to you about what I can do for the sickness I get when I am first pregnant. But the real reason they are both here is because they think I need to be handled during
my pregnancy and they want me to hear your opinion so I’ll behave myself and not spend the next six months arguing with them.”

  He looked at Meeks and James. “Which one is your husband?”

  “Alexander is my husband and James delivers my babies.” He looked at them both again.

  “I’m confused.”

  “All of my children have been born out west so James had to learn how to deliver my babies.” Having been raised by a doctor she found absolutely no intimidation in dealing with them. “I have had two births, one single birth six years ago and one set of twins two years ago, I miscarried twice the last time was last winter around six weeks and now I am pregnant.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty four. How old are you?” He took off his glasses and laughed.

  “You are very much your father’s child.” He stood up and asked her to go into the other room, remove her cloths and put on the robe. Mirisa looked at the doctor before she asked James to unbutton her dress for her. She took off her clothes and put a robe around her that was hanging on the wall.

  “It seems both of these gentlemen wish to be in the room when I examine you, however, it is your choice if you don’t want them in.”

  “Why would I mind? One’s my husband and the other delivers my babies.” James thought it was very fortunate only two of them came since explaining everyone would have been hard.

  “I keep forgetting that part.” He had her lay down and he felt all over her stomach and breasts. Meeks wasn’t real pleased with this but James was right there at his side talking to him in detail. Meeks picked up her hand and kissed it. The doctor told Mirisa she could get dressed. When she slid her legs over the table, Meeks lifted her down and helped her button up her dress as James continued talking to the doctor. They went back into the office and Mirisa sat down.

  “You are definitely pregnant and everything seems to be fine. I would say that you are due sometime in August so you are around three or three and a half months pregnant.” He was writing something on a pad. “I’m going to give you some things to take for the sickness but it should be subsiding on its own soon. Mr. Alcorn tells me that your pregnancies were uneventful and the deliveries very easy. I can’t tell you why you would miscarry but those things just seem to happen. The only warning I will give you is that this baby may come early so you need to make sure you are ready. What are your children?”