The Visitor - New York 1871-1873

by Barbara Svetlick

  “Garnett.”

  Garnett gently placed his hand on her stomach. “You need to learn to trust me.” He took out a silk sash and tied her hands to the bed post as she watched his eyes. He unbuttoned each button slowly then he unbuttoned her camisole. “Your skin is so soft to the touch but you are still allowing your fear to control your life.” He took out a second sash and tied it over her eyes.

  “Garnett…” The panic in her voice was just barely controlled. Garnett leaned over and kissed her softly.

  “Mirisa, I want you to relax.”

  “I can’t. Garnett…”

  “Shhh…” Garnett leaned over and kissed her. “You have the most inviting lips.” He moved down her neck slowly and with each kiss she took in her breath with surprise. His fingers ran across her stomach as anticipation started to build. Garnett unbuttoned her jeans and ran his palm lower on her stomach as he ran his tongue slowly around each nipple causing them to restrict as she arched slightly. His fingers pushed lightly against her hip as he pulled down her jeans and came back up her thigh until he lightly ran his hand between her legs as she let out a moan. With the perfect pressure he made her forget everything when he finally ran his hands up her arms and interlocked his fingers with hers he spread her legs as she wrapped them around him until the rhythm of their bodies rode a wave of physical pleasure in an abyss of weightlessness. Mirisa took Garnett into a world of his ultimate fantasy that rose out of his undeniable love for her. She gave him something that no other woman could match and he took away her fear of his demons but they both knew that it was a box that should have never been opened.

  Garnett untied Mirisa and got dressed as she watched. She wanted to talk about what happened but she knew they both needed time to let her process it. Even though it was obvious that Garnett planned what he did, Mirisa didn’t think he expected his own response. He turned to Mirisa and she could see the impact. Mirisa climbed down off the bed walked over to him and began to button his shirt. Garnett lifted her chin and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. His reaction was so unexpected that it created a problem a hundred times worse than before.

  “Garnett, that’s a nice painting over the fireplace.” James turned from the fireplace as Garnett seemed to be lost in thought. “Garnett?”

  Garnett looked up realizing that James was talking to him. “I bought that for Mirisa when we were out shopping. I have no idea why she hung it here instead of taking it back to New York.”

  Dominic smiled. “If you would stay out of her bed you might be able to follow a simple conversation.”

  They all looked at him because that was probably the worst thing he had said since the fight outside the courthouse but it was the first time that he had ever addressed Garnett though he only suspected and never confirmed that he had slept with Mirisa.

  “Dominic your obsession with your suspicions is tiresome.”

  “Then you have never slept…”

  “Mirisa can’t handle my appetite and my appetite has nothing to do with my love. If you wish to accuse me of loving her, I will agree but don’t ever imply that it is anything else.”

  Meeks asked Mirisa to please go into the kitchen and make a fresh pot of coffee. She looked from her husband to Dominic before she left the room.

  “Dominic, do you have a problem with what Mirisa does?”

  “Yes, I didn’t allow her to sleep with anyone when we were married and I find your behavior as her husband questionable but we go back to the issue of what happened in Richmond and my trusting Garnett to watch over her.”

  “Dominic, I appreciate the fact that you still love her and I know from experience that living with her and not being able to express it to be extremely difficult. The differences between us are too vast to go into but we both know that we have different views on most things and always have had.” Meeks poured another shot and drank it straight down. “The one thing that is fact and obvious is that after the incident in the card room that every one of us crossed the line of her trust. You have continually accused your friends when you made no effort to protect her. You didn’t give her a voice in the divorce or even attempt to save your marriage which at that point was salvageable if you truly wanted to be married. Your sudden morality of traditional marriage, which you used only to keep her from sleeping with another man, even though you no longer have the right to object. Her relationship with us was because you shut her out of your bed and not the other way around. You taught her to love sex, you taught her that your love for her was based on sex and when you withdrew from her she believed your love was gone. And on top of all that, you convinced her that it was her infidelity that was the sole reason that the marriage failed. You combined love and sex from the beginning where we loved her for years before sex ever entered the relationship.”

  James knew Meeks was wound very tightly so he decided to go into the kitchen to help Mirisa because he really didn't even want to listen to this argument.

  “I don’t fear losing her love or her companionship. Mirisa’s relationship with all of us changed that night in the card room. If she needs a physical relationship with Garnett and James, she can have it but I will not allow her to sleep with you again. That is my decision the other is solely her decision. If she decides she doesn’t want to sleep with either of them, I am sure they will honor her wishes without question."

  “What kind of marriage is that?” Dominic was sitting forward. “Don’t you think she deserves a normal life?”

  “You gave her what? An illusion?” Meeks sat back and measured his next words. “If I can walk into a situation with these two men where my very life is on the line and not even give it a second thought I can certainly trust them to never hurt her. I don’t trust you in either situation.”

  This wasn’t the first time the two had butted heads over the trust issue. Meeks was always extremely closed and cautious when Dominic gave instructions or was to be his backup to the point that he never went in as the decoy if Dominic was the shooter. Garnett listened to the conversation and realized that this was normal arguing for them but probably very hard for Mirisa to understand which is why Meeks sent her out of the room.

  “I just don’t think she deserves to be used for everyone’s sexual pleasure.”

  “Dominic, if you have problems with James or Garnett maybe you should address them personally. Maybe if you explain your beliefs on fidelity to them they’ll agree to draw the line when it comes to her. It’s not like there is a shortage of women available and it is not like either has ever admitted to anything other than enjoying her company.”

  “Meeks, you just don’t get it do you?”

  “Get what? Unfortunately, you cannot undo something that has happened whether it was intentional or not. After the divorce, Mirisa could have made the decision to stay single and in that case could have continued to have sex with all of us or none of us. She could have walked away and found this perfect marriage that you now think she deserves. She doesn’t need our money or our demands on her and she certainly doesn’t need to give us children. I will accept her choices and I plan to stay married to her until the day I die.”

  Garnett got up from the bench, took a cigar out of the box and lit it throwing the match in the fire place. “How can you be so good at reading people and situations and completely miss what happened?”

  “I guess because I trusted all of you more than I should have.” Dominic sat back and sipped on his whisky. “Garnett, I still think it is wrong if you have slept with her.”

  “You are right it would be wrong but so is everything else I do.” He picked up the bottle and took a shot and put it on the mantle. “Would you expect anything else out of me?”

  Dominic looked up realizing that Mirisa was standing in the doorway with the tray of cups and pie. James put the coffee pot on the table then sat down on the couch.

  “The only man who has the right to discuss my behavior is Alexander. He is right that after the divorce I was strong enou
gh and mature enough to decide what I was going to do. What none of you, except Alexander, knew was that I had made plans to move back to Virginia and cut ties with all of you. And it had nothing to do with what happened after the card room but because I felt that I created too much uncertainty and unrest within what I thought was such a wonderful friendship and bond between you. I had made that decision before I slept with Alexander and it is why I met with my father after Dominic and James left for Washington. My father argued with me because of Matthew but after listening to me he told me that he would support any decision I made.” They all silently watched her. “My marriage was over before Alexander and when I decided to return to the Plantation it was to tie up all my emotional loose ends and pack up my things. The pregnancy caught me off guard and derailed my plans. Dominic turned away from me after I told him what I did and instead of yelling at me he withdrew completely.” Dominic started to say something.

  “No. You have all talked about me enough that you need to finally listen to me.” Mirisa wiped the tears off her cheeks. “I returned to Texas because of Maggie and Jonathan. The incident at the card room changed nothing but I wasn’t prepared for the reality of the impact of the visual confirmation of Dominic’s inability to love me. The heart is very good at putting on a blindfold until your eyes slap you into reality.”

  Dominic put down his glass and began to speak. “Dominic, I don’t want to argue the facts. This is about my feelings; this is about what I felt not the fact that you believe it was harmless. I was nothing more than a convenience in your life. You asked me to marry you and provide you with children. I filled that promise. I was so young when I married you and the romance swept me off my feet. Every time I look at you the feelings overwhelm me and the regret that my dreams died breaks my heart. Every decision I have made since the card room has been out of my love for Alexander which is stronger than anything I have ever felt and when I look at him I am always surprised at how natural and right it is to be married to him. None of you should ever wonder whether or not Alexander has influence over my decisions because he is the only reason I am still here.” Mirisa turned to her husband. “Alexander, I love you and the doctor confirmed today that your second daughter will come in August.”

  Meeks almost dropped his shot glass as she smiled sweetly. She curled up on the couch between her husband and James. Dominic looked at them and knew that they would share her love until the day she died because they held her trust completely. Garnett was right; he hadn’t been paying attention at all. You never let another man clean your gun or watch your wife because good women were hard to find.

  The weather turned bad and a large thunderstorm hit late in the night. Mirisa woke up to the sound of her daughter crying so she climbed out of bed and went to settle her down. Jasmine was sitting with her and got up when she came in. She wrapped herself around her mother and slowly started calming down. Mirisa picked her up and slid her in bed with Meeks who pulled her over into his arms.

  “I’m going to go get her something to drink.”

  ”Okay, I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere.”

  She went down the stairs and headed for the kitchen. James and Garnett were standing by the counter talking to a strange man. They looked up at her and all conversation stopped.

  “I need a glass of water for Maggie.” James walked over to the sink and filled a cup handing it to her without saying anything. Garnett nodded slightly and she went back upstairs and told Meeks. He got out of bed, slid on his jeans and put his gun in his waistband before putting on a shirt to cover it.

  Meeks walked into the kitchen to find the three men talking. He reached over and pulled out a cigar and lit it as he listened. After a half hour the man went out the back door and Meeks turned to James.

  “Where’s Dominic?”

  “Out somewhere. The courier was waiting for us in the shadows when we came home.”

  “What time is it?”

  “1:30. We only have enough time to get in place. There’s no time to look for him.”

  “Alright, let me tell Mirisa and I’ll be ready.” He went upstairs and told her that they had to go out.

  “Can I do anything?”

  “Lock up the house. We should be back before dawn. We don’t know where Dominic is so if he comes home let him know.”

  “Do you want him to join you?”

  “He'll know what to do.” He tucked in his shirt, put on his holster and boots and grabbed his jacket before kissing her. “I love you.”

  They mounted and headed across the river. The Sheriff was moving a Federal prisoner for execution after being convicted of murdering two deputies who had tried to serve a warrant on him. They had information that he was going to be sprung along the trail by his brothers.

  Dominic stopped at the door to her room when he saw it was open and the small lantern was burning. “What are you doing up?” He looked over and saw that Maggie was in bed and Meeks was gone. “Where’s Meeks?”

  “They got an assignment tonight and had to leave right away. They didn’t have time to find you.”

  He sat down opposite her. “Do you know the details?”

  “They were moving a Federal prisoner for execution and they suspected an ambush around Fredericksburg by his family. They left less than an hour ago.”

  “That’s the Thompson boys. Alright, do you need anything before I leave?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  He took the steps two at a time and was heading for Virginia before she could put her cup down. She climbed into bed and fell asleep.

  It was a moonless night and the road was deserted. Dominic was moving at a fast rate until he was about five miles from the river when he slowed and moved into the woods. He knew they would be in this area because it was the perfect ambush spot along the road. He dismounted and crouched listening. He moved slowly and stopped again. James appeared from his left.

  “You can get killed that way.”

  “As if you weren’t expecting me.”

  “We saw you two miles back.” He tied up his horse next to James.

  Garnett passed the canteen to Meeks as they waited. It was close to 2:30 am and they didn’t have an exact time that the transport wagon would be passing by but they thought around 3:30 since the hanging was at sunrise. There was a noise from the road and Garnett got up on the balls of his feet as he crouched in the low brush.

  Three men had dismounted and were headed into the woods about half a mile south of their position. Garnett signaled James who signaled back indicating he was now two. Garnett and Meeks headed uphill and toward the men as James and Dominic turned and headed further into the woods knowing one of the brothers was on their side. The trees were basically bare which made it easy to travel without obstructions and the sound of the dried leaves would have been a concern except it had been raining all day and was still drizzling out. There was still thunder in the distance and an occasional flash from the lightening. Garnett and Meeks took a position about a hundred yards behind the men waiting.

  As they waited, two more men rode up and one brother stepped out onto the road and spoke to them briefly. They turned their horses and headed east where they dismounted and pulled back into the tree line out of sight of anyone traveling the road. There were now three brothers and what appeared to be the notorious Thompson uncle, James W. Thompson or JW as he preferred to be known, and his oldest son. This was a very clannish family whose life had been one of constant struggle on a small derelict farm in the hills of Spotsylvania. They had fought for the south not in uniform but in crossing enemy lines to randomly kill officers where they could find them. They were uneducated, unsophisticated and downright meaner than a skunk trapped in a hollowed out log by a pack of rabid dogs. Garnett cursed under his breath as Meeks smiled.

  One of the brothers yelled in a whisper across the road and someone told him to shut up and get down. You could see a gun barrel which meant that they had their weapons pulled already. Before the war, the family had
thirteen brothers of which several of them were killed during the war, three were already in Federal prison and the one facing execution was from an attempted jail break that ended with another brother and the father being killed along with three prison guards. Their job was to capture the three young brothers who had been terrorizing the countryside out of anger and spite.

  James slid down the hill and Dominic went further up and came in from behind them. All three men were crouched low watching the road which meant they had to get behind them. Garnett worked down the hill and crept up behind the brother who appeared to be no more than fourteen or fifteen years old. Garnett made the decision to knock him out with his gun butt before he hog tied and gagged him. Someone called from across the road and Meeks responded with a sound that made them think things were fine. Garnett and Meeks slipped down close to the road and pulled their weapons waiting for the signal. They weren’t sure why four were on one side of the road and only the youngest on the opposite side but at least there was distance between the two groups.

  James came up behind one of the brothers and put his hand over his mouth as he was playing with his gun before knocking him out. The other brother turned at the sound shooting randomly in James direction and Dominic shot him in the shoulder as he stumbled out onto the road and when he turned, Meeks shot him in the knee taking him down.

  Surprise was no longer an issue and the fact that JW was half crazed and was in constant pain from his war injuries made them all step back into the dark. James worked down the side of the hill onto the road but Meeks immediately dropped as the young boy continued to scream obscenities and demands that his uncle help him. James and Dominic immediately backed into the cover of the foliage as Meeks kept his gun trained on the young boy.

  The rain was falling secondarily from the leaves making an eerie hollow sound like a dripping faucet. The wounded brother tried to stand and with one leg dragging tried to pull himself away from Meeks who had tuned out the noise to listen. Within a split second, Garnett stood and fired one shot that hit the Uncle between the eyes as he fell face first onto the wet road bouncing before settling down in the dead quiet. The wounded boy rolled and began firing randomly in Garnett’s direction while screaming that he would kill them all. Without warning, Garnett immediately turned and shot the wounded boy between the eyes as they pulled back and listened again.