The Visitor 1862

by Barbara Svetlick

  Garnett and Dominic talked about business though none of it seemed very important before he attempted to engage the girls in a conversation about the ball on Saturday night. Suzanna ignored Garnett and Dominic raised his eyebrows wondering what happened in his absence to bring her wrath from being directed on Mirisa to Garnett.

  Suzanna had attempted several times to break up Garnett’s marriage not realizing that his scruples were darker than anything she could handle. The result of Garnett’s harsh rebuffs to her was disastrous when she had insinuated to her father that he, as a married man, had made unwanted advances toward her. Her father had reacted with such anger that she was sure he would deny her allegations but Garnett had merely listened and then broke off his relationship with her father’s business. The riverboat accident that took the life of Garnett’s wife derailed any conversations regarding the rumors and Dominic never felt it was worth pursuing. Suzanna knew if he or her father ever told her uncle that his reaction would be very harsh since Garnett was considered his closest friend and everyone except her father knew she had been relentless in pursuing him.

  Dominic finally took the list out of his pocket. “Mirisa I have to finish some business with Garnett but would appreciate your giving this shopping list to Mr. Greiser at the General Store. Also, if you wish to send anything to your father for Christmas have your purchases put on my account and I’ll make sure they are delivered.”

  Mirisa put her napkin on the table and took the folded piece of paper. Dominic and Garnett both stood but only Dominic offered his hand to Mirisa as she stood. Garnett’s lack of etiquette was obvious to everyone as Suzanna stood and stormed out of the tavern.

  “Obviously this town is lacking in manners.” Suzanna lifted her skirts and left them standing on the veranda. Mirisa nodded to Dominic and Garnett then walked down the steps. When she reached the store she turned to find Garnett was watching her and nodded ever so slightly when their eyes met. She didn’t know which one was more attractive. They both had a very rugged, dangerous look and she thought about her life wondering what it would be like to be kissed by someone so attractive. She touched her lips with her fingertips as Garnett smiled knowing she would be so easy to pursue.

  Suzanna was not in the mood to shop or spend more time with Mirisa. When she had learned that he was coming into town to see Garnett, she had hoped that he had gotten over the incident and was open to a relationship with her but obviously she had been wrong. The night that her father had confronted Garnett in his study would be a night she would never forget. Garnett stood there listening to the lies as her father’s anger could be heard throughout the house then he calmly picked up his hat and left without saying a word.

  She didn’t want to settle for some stupid boy picked out by her parents. She stomped her foot which caused the store clerk to look up as she left the store. She put on her gloves as she looked up and down the street. Her uncle was still in conversation with Garnett on the steps and when she approached he told her he had things to finish but instructed his coachman to deliver her home and return.

  Mirisa finished most of her shopping and was browsing for something for her father when Dominic and Garnett walked up behind her.

  “I believe the knife in the front would be a better choice.” The clerk pulled it out and handed it to Dominic.

  “I don’t know Dominic. I would think the folding knife would be better since he’s going to be on the battlefield for a while.” The clerk nodded and put several smaller knives on the counter.

  They continued to debate the knives, their uses and the quality. Mirisa listened taking in their voices and how mature and intelligent their arguments even if she knew nothing about knives. Her younger brothers were never that serious but she would always listen to her father in conversation with her older brothers. She missed them all and after the drawings on the newsprint of a depiction of a battle she knew that they were truly in danger. Mirisa looked from one to the other then at the clerk.

  “May I have four of the smaller one?”

  Dominic and Garnett looked at her realizing that they had been vying for her attention. She stepped back from the counter as Dominic signed for the purchases and Garnett moved to open the door. He followed her to the carriage and helped her settle in as the coachman lit the lanterns.

  “I hope you will save a dance for me tomorrow night.” He kissed her hand then stepped back as Dominic smiled. Mirisa smiled but had an overwhelming desire to kiss him. Garnett knew the look on her face as did Dominic.

  “Dominic.” They shook hands and Dominic put on his gloves. “It has been too long my friend.”

  “Indeed. These are unusual times.”

  Dominic leaned back and lit a cigar. Mirisa thought he was even more intriguing in the soft flicker of the lanterns. She wondered why he had no wife when he was more than attentive and extremely generous. What would her father say if he only knew how very attractive she found the very person he entrusted with the safety and virtue of his only daughter?

  The house was quiet when they arrived home. Mrs. Chauvin advised Dominic that his niece was staying at the Ross Plantation and she would be gone the rest of the week to visit her sister. Mirisa excused herself and went up to her chambers slowly removing her day dress and wrapping herself in her favorite duster. There were so many emotions that she just didn’t know how to deal with everything. Was she so sheltered and so naïve that she didn’t know that these men existed? Jasmine brought in a tray of afternoon tea and turned down the coverlet on the bed. Mirisa walked over and picked up her shawl.

  “Jasmine, who found my shawl?”

  “Which one?”

  “The one I lost in the rain. It was on…” She was watching her in the mirror and was struck by such a familiarity. “Never mind. I think I will take a nap before dinner. Will you wake me in an hour?”

  “Of course.” She curtsied and closed the doors behind her. The room was so quiet and yet it seemed to be full of life.

  DOMINIC was pouring wine in their glasses when he noticed her standing in the doorway. “I have picked out a lighter wine for dinner tonight. It was put up only two years ago but you should find the palette more to your liking.” He pulled out her chair and as he watched her walk through the room he could outline her figure without much imagination but it was the poutiness of her lips that held him. The server filled their plates, waited for instructions then excused himself.

  Dominic kept her glass filled and encouraged her by not injecting a lot into the conversation. Her views were very naïve and simple but it was enjoyable to not think about the war. He finally stood and put out his hand as she placed her napkin on the table and rose. She felt warm and light but more than anything she felt unrestricted. She stumbled over the hem of her dress and he reached around her waist to hold her up. She turned and found herself in his arms and his gaze. She could feel his heartbeat as he pressed against her. His kiss was long and hers in return was so passionate that he believed the wine must be the best vintage to ever have been produced. He realized at that moment the relationship was hanging in the balance but he also knew that in the broadest sense of definitions she was so inexperienced and completely drunk.

  “Mirisa?” He whispered her name into her hair. She bent back and looked at him causing what could only be described as the most passionate kiss he had ever placed upon a woman’s lips. “You have had too much to drink and I am too much of a gentleman to take advantage of you.” She started to protest but he put his finger on her lips and then kissed her again. “If this is meant to be then it will be but tonight you must lock your door because I have very little will power to resist your charms.”

  She looked crushed but he knew his limits. He picked her up and walked up the stairs kissing her as they climbed. Setting her down before her chamber door, he whispered softly. “You are way too innocent to be in my arms.” She hung onto the doorknob as he descended the stairs then let herself into the room where she passed out across the bed. Her sleep was
restless and her dreams were dark and ominous.

  Mirisa sat up and the room began to spin as she rolled off the bed and hit the floor with a thump. Simone’ was laying on the edge looking down on her as she held her head. “Don’t say a word!” She struggled to get into a sitting position and leaned back when the cat licked her hair then bit her ear.

  “Stop you horrid cat!” He purred then licked her hair again. Mirisa tried to stand but slipped again so she struggled out of her dress while sitting on the floor thankful that the buttons were down the front. Her mouth was dry and her eyes were blurred but the pounding in her head was horrendous. She reached up to hold onto the table and when she did it tipped and the book fell on top of her. A small lock of hair fell in her lap so she opened the book and found the page with the stain mark from the lock.

  Rachel Sara Lanfear – died October 12, 1834

  Written in the border of the page in a different handwriting was a story that seemed to tie together her dreams.

  This lock of hair from the birth by the river was given to Sara and Jake by his brother Conrad in a small leather pouch believed to be made by his Natchez Indian woman. It is said that the birth and also the life of mother and daughter were at the hands of this Indian woman following the great fire of the Plantation. Conrad Lanfear soon left the area never to be heard from again though they tell stories of their spirits haunting the Plantation grounds. Rachel spent her last years living in the small cottage and trying to communicate with them and many in the family believe she had lost all touch with reality. Her journal was so disturbing in nature that it was locked away after her death.

  Mirisa knew she had to find the journal if it still existed but where would they have put it. The morning air was crisp and you could smell the smoke from the burning of the fields. Jasmine found Mirisa sitting on the floor in her petticoats reading the book. The room was littered with clothes but she seemed to take no notice. “Ms. Mirisa, are you alright?”

  “Yes. I didn’t sleep well last night and today my head hurts something awful.” She replaced the lock of hair and closed the book. She tried to stand again before collapsing on the edge of the bed. “Will you ask Miss Minnie to send up something for my head?”

  Jasmine smiled but turned away. “I will bring you something with your morning tea.”

  “Jasmine, where would you hide a book?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “If you had to hide a book in this house, where would you hide it?”

  “In the light of day.”

  After she left, Mirisa walked over to the bookcase and began to read the spines but it caused her head to ache more so she decided to do it later. She managed to get dressed and tie back her hair before gathering up the small book on herbs that she had been reading. Usually she just left them on the foyer table for Mrs. Chauvin but the library door was open. She looked in and when she found it empty she walked over to the empty space in the book shelves. Stepping up on a small stool she stretched trying to put the book back when his hand covered hers and slid it in place. She turned to face him as the smell of his horse combined with tobacco surrounded her. He took her hand and helped her off the stool.

  “Herbs?”

  “I have been helping Miss Minnie prepare herbs and putting up preserves. Mrs. Chauvin gave me the book to read. I hope you don’t mind.”

  He looked back up at the binding of the book. “I believe that was written by my aunt Rachelle. Some say her potions had powers and some say she was just very eccentric.”

  “Do you know anything about her journals? I understand she talked to the ghosts.”

  He laughed and walked back toward the door. “I guess leaving you alone with my staff for almost a year would open you to their stories and beliefs. There are many stories in the Lanfear family but I have yet to meet any of their ghosts. If you will excuse me, I need to clean up for lunch.”

  Mirisa met Simone in the hallway leading to the kitchen and reached down scratching between his ears before she stepped out onto the veranda. There was a slight chill to the air but she had grown to love listening to the river as she drank her tea. It was so different from her home for here she knew everyone, she knew their children and their lives and she felt safe and secure. The year had brought many changes to Mirisa and many hours of reflection on those around her.

  Dominic watched her as she absently scratched Simone’s ears and rocked slowly. She was a very quiet and serious young woman who he knew was well educated but still very young. He walked out lighting his cigar and staring out across the gardens to the river.

  “When did you see my father?”

  He didn’t turn as he thought about her question. “I talked to him a few weeks before I returned home.”

  “Is he well?”

  Dominic turned and leaned up against the banister then blew a smoke ring. “He seems tired but his unit is in the midst of the heaviest skirmishes. Right now he’s near your brothers so he seems less concerned.”

  “Why did you not tell me that he is…?” He heard the emotion catch in her throat as she looked down.

  “He doesn’t want you exposed to the details of these matters.”

  “I’m not a child.”

  “I believe his words were that you were his only daughter, the only soft spot in his heart and he wants you spared from the cruelty of life.”

  “And you agree?”

  He laughed easily. “I don’t know you well enough to agree or disagree but I know your father very well and I would say that like most fathers he is very protective of his children.”

  “I miss them all and not knowing makes it worst…” She looked back up at him. “I feel like I have lived here all my life and yet it is your home. I owe you an apology for my distrust since your return for I know that you are not responsible for my father’s decision.”

  “Lunch is being served.” He reached out and she took his hand as she rose. The server filled their bowls as he cut the fresh baked bread.

  “Mr. Lanfear?”

  “Could you call me Dominic?”

  “Dominic.” She cleared her throat and hesitated as he patiently waited. “Why does my father trust you and my mother warns me against you?”

  He picked up his glass of wine and leaned forward. “Your father trusts me because I owe him and your mother knows better than to trust me with affairs of the heart. Your parents moved to Natchez after the town lost its doctor but your mother never warmed up to living here or to any of the citizens. I didn’t see them again until I graduated from the academy with your brother.”

  “You have never married?”

  “No.” He watched as she played with her food. “Between running the Plantation and being in the Army, I haven’t had time to think about a family.”

  “Are you in the war? I know that Mississippi joined the south and that the North has occupied most of this area.”

  “I gave up my commission when the war broke out and decided after being out West that I would just consult and concentrate on my business here.”

  “And yet you have not been here. My parents never allowed me to learn anything useful because I am supposed to only learn things needed to be a well kept wife but in the last year I have been able to learn so much that I don’t know why any woman would want to be just another possession with no purpose.”

  He laughed at her then apologized. “I have been told that you spend enormous amounts of time working with my employees. You have the ability to make me think you are far older then you actually are but I would prefer my staff would not allow you so much leeway.”

  “One can only read so much poetry or point so many flowers before boredom sets in. I think my new knowledge will do me well no matter what I decide to do in life.”

  “And what is it you wish to do?”

  Her smile reached her eyes. “I thought I wanted to get married and prove to myself that marriage could be good and that children should have a loving mother. But after spending so much time alone, I don’t
know. You said you saw my father which means you must have been able to get to wherever he is without harm. How do you do that?”

  The server came in and removed their plates placing a plate of sweets on the table and offering her coffee. “I believe there are better subjects for us to discuss then the war.”

  “You believe I am too young to understand.” She folded her napkin then looked at him. “Then tell me about the ghosts?”

  “You are insatiable. Would you like to take your coffee in the library?”

  “Thank you but I believe I should retire to my chambers for I have to get ready for the ball tonight.”

  “Very well. We will leave at eight and I shall look forward to introducing you to Natchez society, whatever that may be.”

  She thanked him again then went up to her room to lay down so that she would be refreshed for the ball. Tonight would be her first large ball and she was excited and scared. She always imagined that her first ball would be thrown by her parents and everyone attending would be lifetime friends and neighbors.

  GARNETT came out of the Tavern with James as three Union Officers were climbing the steps. They both tipped their hats and Colonel Jacob Smith stopped as his companions continued into the Tavern.

  “Gentlemen, what business brings you to Natchez during the holidays?” His voice sounded casual but pure military clipped every word. They had all attended the Virginia Military Institute together and were not surprised that he had continued his career in the Army nor that he wore the Union uniform despite coming from a large Virginia family. Colonel Smith had been an extremely overzealous cadet who frequently turned in his classmates for infractions of the rules.