The Visitor 1862

by Barbara Svetlick

  “You knew my grandmother?”

  “Oh yes. Quit well indeed.” She had a far off look in her eyes then she blinked and looked at Mirisa. “You resemble her.”

  “Do I? My father never told me that.”

  “Your father never knew what she looked like or he would have. She married well and never have I seen anyone so happy when she found out she was pregnant but her husband drowned before he was born. Such tragedy your family bore.” She sat back and pulled out a handkerchief and patted at her face. “Your grandmother died suddenly leaving your father to be raised by Lattie. Lattie was so proud of him and very influential of his becoming a doctor. He was her only hope to fulfill the…”

  Mirisa watched as she seemed to drift off again. “Was she a healer as well?”

  “Lattie was and very well respected but she couldn’t save her only daughter. She tried very hard but couldn’t.” She sighed. “Turn to page 23 and there you will find your father.”

  Mirisa turned the pages until she found her father. “Thank you for sharing this with me. I have been searching for answers and none seem to want to come.”

  “You will find the answers when you need them.”

  “Mirisa?”

  Mirisa turned to the door then turned back to say goodbye. “Do you need me to help you to your carriage?”

  “No my child. I shall sit here a while and remember.”

  Mirisa returned the book then stepped out into the garden to find Mrs. Chauvin picking up her empty basket and watching her. “I believe we should get back before a storm catches us on the road.” Mirisa nodded as she headed back to the gate. She paused with her hand on the gate and turned back as a moment of déjà’ swept over her.

  “Do you know that woman?”

  “Which woman?”

  “The elderly lady in the cemetery?”

  Mrs. Chauvin looked back as Mirisa climbed into the carriage. “I’m afraid I didn’t see the woman.”

  “She said she knew my family.”

  “There are a lot of long time families in this area.”

  Mirisa nodded as the carriage pulled away. She would like to talk to the woman again and should have asked her her name. Maybe she would see her in town or at the church. As she stepped out of the carriage, a small gold key fell out of her pocket landing on the rocks. She bent over and picked it up wondering why it was in her pocket. Mrs. Chauvin instructed the houseboy to take the packages into the house but said nothing about the key in Mirisa’s palm as she went up the steps.

  MIRISA woke the next morning to the sound of thunder in the distance which meant she would have to find something to do inside. After a few hours in the kitchen helping to bake molasses cakes, Mirisa decided to work on her large needlepoint. She pushed the needle through the last petal of a flower when a large black carriage pulled up in front of the house. Mirisa put aside her hoop and walked to the window as a young woman was being helped from the carriage.

  “Oui, Mrs. Chauvin!” Her voice carried through the entire house as she swept into the foyer where she came face to face with Mirisa. Mirisa felt as plain at that very moment as she had ever felt in her life as she took in her perfect stature, the dark blue taffeta dress, and her black hair that curled around a porcelain completion then cascaded down her shoulder. The girl immediately swirled as though dismissing her and returned to the foyer as Mrs. Chauvin was coming down the stairs.

  “Suzanna.” Her voice was very formal and almost hard. “I was unaware that you were arriving for a visit.”

  “Oui, it was not planned. I was merely bored. Please tell Uncle Dominic that I am here will you.” She slowly began to pull off her gloves as she walked toward the library door.

  Mrs. Chauvin stepped in front of the doors. “He’s not expected until the holidays.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Can you have my trunks taken upstairs and have a tray of tea and pastries brought up. It was a very long and hot journey.” Suzanna swirled away, lifted her skirts and started for the stairs when Simone hissed from behind Mirisa before moving across the foyer. Suzanna shrieked and stepped back as he slid across the floor, hit the wall and after getting traction raced up the steps. Mirisa smiled because she didn’t know he could move that fast but more because he apparently had the same impression of this overly dressed girl bouncing around the foyer as she did.

  “Wretch’d animal. I don’t know why he hasn’t died yet.” She looked at Mirisa then slowly smiled. “I am Suzanna Lanfear. I don’t believe we have met. So you work for my Uncle?” Mirisa was mesmerized by her exaggerated expressions.

  “No. I am Mirisa Eppes.”

  “I don’t believe I have ever heard of you. Should I have?” Suzanna gave her head a slight cock which was an unspoken way of dismissing her as inconsequential.

  Mrs. Chauvin coughed and stepped toward the girls. “Miss Eppes is visiting us from the East. Her parents are old friends of Mr. Lanfear.”

  “I don’t believe I have ever heard of the family but then I am not often allowed to travel east am I? And now with this horrid war, I can’t travel anywhere. I am only here because Papa is away on business and Momma was tired of my complaints.” She swirled away as the taffeta of her dress drown out anything else she may have said. Mirisa just raised her eyebrows as Mrs. Chauvin bit her lip in an apologetic way. Suzanna turned at the top of the landing and looked down to see what was keeping her coachmen. “I will need a good handmaid and I don’t want that last girl that ruined my favorite dress.” She puckered her face as if she had eaten something unagreeable. “And send word that I am in town and accepting invitations.”

  Mrs. Chauvin had the feeling that it was going to be a long day. Suzanna was as close to wild as a child could be for one who had been offered every opportunity available to young women born of great wealth. Despite her parent’s attempts to see her wed, she had managed to scare off most of the young men they felt would make an appropriate husband.

  Mirisa finally had a dreamless night and woke to a beautiful morning. She slipped out to the veranda and headed for the garden. She collected as many seeds as she could carry and took them into the kitchen to be sorted and stored away. The kitchen had become her favorite part of the house. In the months since she had arrived, she had learned how to plant and prepare not only food but many herbs and flowers. Miss Minnie talked in a dialect that was half French and half English but she always sang in a strange dialect while creating the elixirs. She loved the smell of the outdoor pots rendering down the sweet fruit as much as the taste of the dried fruits. After enjoying the whirlwind of the summer months, she was surprised how quiet it had become with fall setting in.

  “Mirisa?” Mrs. Chauvin stood in the kitchen doorway holding an envelope. Everyone in the kitchen stopped and watched the two women. Mrs. Chauvin walked across the kitchen and handed it to Mirisa, who looked at the writing on the envelope as her bottom lip began to quiver.

  “Thank you.” Her voice was so soft that she didn’t know if she actually said it or just thought it. She put it on the table, walked to the basin to wash her hands, picked up the letter and ran up to her room closing the door behind her.

  My dearest daughter – my heart is so empty without you but I feel that God is watching over you until I can secure travel to Philadelphia. I have been beside myself worrying about where your father had hidden you and just this week received a visitor with a letter from him. Your father is now serving as a surgeon in battle and I am wrought to understand his mind.

  Please fear not your grandmother, once she is well again, will find you safe passage and your father will not be able to interfere with proper plans for your future. I shall not rest until you are in Philadelphia and I do not have to worry about your fate.

  Mirisa stopped on the word ‘fate’ and thought back to the little woman in the church. She seemed so familiar.

  I must warn you with utmost urgency to stay unto yourself and take no comfort in your surroundings or in the assurances of your host who is an inappro
priate host for a young woman from a respectable family. Guard yourself and allow none to take advantages of your delicate age. I shall never forgive your father for his misplaced trust after all that has happened nor his misguided belief that Natchez would offer you any more than it did him.

  Keep yourself secure in your thoughts and deeds.

  My deepest love – Your Mother.

  Mirisa read the letter over several times. She felt better knowing her mother was in Philadelphia and it was a relief to know her father was still alive but why was there nothing about her other three brothers? What did her mother mean and what did her mother know of this household? She had so many more questions about her father and his connection to this town. She folded it and slipped it in her journal. She had waited so long, so very long for word but it only made her sadder. As she placed the journal on the shelf, her foot stubbed against a small leather box sitting on the bottom shelf. She squatted down and picked it up. Her finger ran over the keyhole. She set the box on the table before walking over to the drawer and taking out the strange little key. She kneeled down and put the key in the lock turning it slowly as she heard the tumbler click. The box opened to reveal what appeared to be papers rolled together and tied with a ribbon. Under the papers were three journals and a small very worn Bible. She placed them all on the floor and lifted out a little gold box. She pushed the pin and it opened. Inside was a lock of baby hair and a locket. She struggled with the locket and finally opened it. On one side was a etching of a man who looked so much like her father and on the other side was a baby. She turned it over and read the back. “My love is endless.”

  Jasmine knocked on the door before slipping in. “I am to tell you that Misses Charlotte and Catherine Ross will be calling on Suzanna this afternoon.” She fidgeted and then continued. “Shall I set out an afternoon dress so you may join them?”

  Mirisa nodded knowing that it was time to remember her upbringing for society here could not be much different then home. She tried to remember what she had been taught but decided it didn’t matter since the months were the best of her life and she didn’t want to give them up. She combed out her hair until it glistened then tied it back loosely. The dress was a soft blue with dark blue ribbons under the breast. She had become so lean that wearing a corset was unnecessary so she slipped on a cotton slip and stood in the mirror comparing herself to Suzanna. She finally slipped on the dress then sat down and put on white stockings and matching slippers.

  LISTENING to the laughter coming out of the parlor, she realized that she was jealous of Suzanna and resentful that she could just come into the home disrupting the peace and quiet. She ran her hands down her dress to make sure it was perfect before entering the parlor.

  “Why Mirisa, I was just telling Charlotte and Catherine all about you.” Suzanna was smiling from ear to ear as she took a delicate sip of her tea. Mirisa addressed both girls before she sat down in the only empty chair in the parlor. Suzanna made no attempt to offer her tea despite being the hostess, so Mirisa poured tea into her cup with a small dollop of honey before stirring it. She took a sip and realized that it was not the normal afternoon blend from the gardens.

  “I brought my own tea which is from France, isn’t it just lovely? I never travel without it for the country tea is just so boring.”

  “ My mother was very fond of English tea but I believe I prefer the tea grown in the gardens.” Suzanna sat back with contempt for this snippet.

  “Mirisa, Suzanna tells us that your family is fighting in the war.” Catherine batted her eyes and pouted in sympathy. “It must be just dreadful to have been sent alone to a strange place. I don’t think my father would ever send me away in the midst of such danger. Do you ever hear from them?”

  “Thank you for your concern but my family is fine. I received a letter from my mother just this morning. She is taking care of my grandmother in Philadelphia and has her hands full.” She batted her eyes in return.

  Charlotte picked up a small cake taking a bite before agreeing with Mirisa about the preference of tea. “I love these little cakes. I must ask Mother to get the recipe for our cook.”

  “I shall write it down for you before you leave. It is actually a family recipe that I brought with me.”

  Suzanna knew that this was going to take all the cunning she possessed to keep Mirisa from upstaging her in the social circles of Natchez. New comers always had the upper hand and this one was not only beautiful, from an affluent family as well as extremely smart.

  Catherine tapped her spoon on the saucer catching Mirisa’s attention. “Then you have not heard that Northern Virginia is under siege and they are arresting everyone who is disobedient and pillaging all the property. They have probably already burnt down your house and taken all the silver and valuables. So sad.”

  “I know little of the problems since I have been here but I am sure that it will be over soon. I was under the impression that both Mississippi and Louisiana are supporting the South and yet there is no fighting here that I have seen even thought there seems to be few young men.”

  The girls laughed. “Father said that the war will not bother Natchez for it offers nothing strategic but the lack of suitable young men is distressing.” Catherine turned to Suzanna. “Oh, and remember Joseph from last season? Well, he was in military school and when there was a call for arms he signed up for the North. Can you imagine how his father took that and now his brother is in Jackson signing up to fight for Mississippi. My mother says it’s a miracle that all her sons are still babies and Father said that she needed to quit having babies or he’ll have to build a larger house.” They all tittered except Mirisa who was thinking about the mean things that had been said about her home.

  “Was Dr. Ross your ancestor?”

  Charlotte nodded. “Well, he wasn’t a close relative but he never had children so the house passed through cousins until it fell in disrepair and Father bought it. Mother was oh so upset to learn he wanted to move to Mississippi. She said she didn’t want to live with those country people but he rebuilt the house and here we are. Mother still won’t admit that the people here are far wealthier then back home. We were all born in the house except our oldest sister who died from the croup in her first winter up north. Father decided that he shant lose any more children to the cold winters so they moved.”

  “How do you know about Dr. Ross?”

  “I read about him in a book.”

  Suzanna sighed then turned the conversation to the upcoming season of dances and holiday parties, the newest fashions. Mirisa finally stood and picked up the tea tray. Suzanna made a face for no one raised with wealth would dare pick up a tray like a common servant. Maybe she was just full of airs even though Mrs. Chauvin treated her like she was the mistress of the house.

  “Does not Mr. Lanfear have help to serve his guests?”

  “He does but I try not to impose too much on them.” She left the room but paused outside the door long enough to hear Suzanna begin to talk about her again.

  “Oh, Suzanna you are just jealous because she is so much prettier then you and we all know you hate competition even though you have no intention of ever having a beau from Natchez.” Catherine laughed but Charlotte was appalled that they would be so cruel to someone they barely knew.

  “Suzanna, how come you know nothing about her other then what you have squeezed out of the help? We overheard Momma say she was the daughter of a very old friend and that her mother was from a very wealthy family in Philadelphia. I believe her father was born here and was raised by his grandmother who was rumored to be part Indian but she married very well and died extremely wealthy. I wish I could remember her name.”

  Suzanna lowered her voice. “I have never even heard the name before, in fact, I am not sure she’s not a special friend of my Uncle’s. You know he fancies his women and you told me yourself that she has not been introduced to any of the families here. Frankly, I think she is far too plain for his liking but if she has Indian blood in h
er family then she would not be accepted in the highest circles even here in the country.” The girls gasped and Mirisa almost dropped the tray. She had never been so insulted and decided she didn’t like this family at all and would tell her father so.

  She returned with fresh tea and pastries putting them on the table before handing the recipe to Charlotte. When the carriage came to pick up the sisters, they both graciously told Mirisa they were looking forward to her attending the winter balls. Suzanna stood on the stoop as their carriage pulled away then picked up her skirts turning back into the house. Mirisa watched her and thought that her wardrobe was designed to show off her natural beauty but the number of petticoats she wore was more than necessary. They were both about the same height and weight but Suzanna definitely had more curves then Mirisa. Mirisa picked up the tea tray heading for the kitchen when Suzanna stopped, turned and looked at her.

  “Don’t you think he is far too old for you?” Mirisa would have found it an unusual question but after overhearing her hateful remarks earlier maybe Suzanna really believed the things she said. She started to respond that it would be hard to be involved with someone you had never met but instead continued on to the kitchen.

  SUZANNA turned and continued up to her room slamming the door. When Mirisa retired to her room, the fire was lit and Simone’ was asleep at the hearth. Mirisa pulled down the large family book which was partially written in French and seemed to be in multiple handwritings. She turned through the book until she came to a list of names and dates of the family along with where they were christened and married.

  Nathan Dominic Lanfear born Burgundy France the 9th day of Oct, 1716 – died New Orleans 1777.