Chapter 4
Following a visit with the Thorntons and a tour of the house, including all the rooms the seamstress "Mrs. King" hadn't been allowed to see, Matthew and Amanda returned to her house for the rest of the day and the early evening. They didn't do anything exciting - she worked on needlecraft projects while he read the newspapers, or they just sat and talked - but it was the best Sunday afternoon Amanda could remember in a very long time.
Matthew finally said good night at eight on Sunday evening, saying that he was still catching up on his sleep. Before he left, he kissed her on both cheeks, pulled back, looked at her, said "No, not yet," and left the house without an explanation of this rather cryptic comment.
On Monday, the morning's mail brought a letter from Dorothea, confirming her plans to go to Boston with Captain Daniel West. "Daniel suggests that I stay at least until the end of this month," she wrote, "and I think I shall, unless you need me to come back there. I am feeling much better, and Daniel feels that the sea air is doing me a great deal of good, so he is reluctant to see me go back to Washington."
"The sea air, or the sea captain?" Amanda commented with a smile. "Mother, you are so transparent. Of course, stay with your sea captain as long as you like; it sounds like the friendship is doing both of you 'a great deal of good', to quote the captain."
That morning, she was wearing another of her half-mourning gowns, this one a two-piece ensemble in midnight blue bombazine accented with black braid down the front and around the finished edges of the bodice, which fit over a skirt made of the same fabric. Another black lace collar like the one she'd worn the previous day completed the look.
She'd dressed to go out because she had some shopping to do for Molly, but she also planned to go by the Sanitary Commission offices on F Street to see what nursing assignments might be available.
Since she planned to walk to the streetcar stop and ride in the open cars into Washington, she'd put on her cape, a dark gray woolen garment with black braid around the edges. She tied on her black bonnet, found her purse, and left the house.
She was almost to the streetcar stop when she saw the carriage that had once been Harriet Rosemont's approaching with Curtis Hollis on the box. She smiled and waved a gloved hand before she realized that he'd never seen her as Amanda Bishop, only as "Amelia King". He waved back politely and was about to drive past her when Molly Thornton saw her and told him to stop.
"Amanda, dear, I was just on my way to call on you! Were you on your way to call on me?"
"No, Mrs. Thornton; I was on my way to the streetcar stop. I have some shopping to do for my maid, Molly."
"Your maid is named Molly too?"
"Molly McGuire, yes, ma'am. She's been with us since my late husband and I moved to Georgetown early last year. She takes very good care of me."
"A good Irish maid is a treasure indeed, but Harry and I are very fortunate in the people Mrs. Rosemont left behind as well."
"Yes, you are. Good morning, Curtis."
He looked puzzled, but he touched the brim of his hat in salute and said, "Morning, ma'am."
"When you drove me home a few weeks ago, Curtis, I looked much older, but it just a disguise. I'm Mrs. Bishop."
"Is you really? Well, what do you know about that? Thank you for all you done to help us coloreds, ma'am."
"I was helping catch a smuggler who was aiding the secesh, but I'm glad you and your fellow workers benefitted. How is Lucy?"
"She just fine, ma'am."
"That's good."
"Amanda, where did you need to go? Curtis can drive us."
"Just some shopping in Washington, Mrs. Thornton."
Molly shook an admonitory finger at her, "Now, now, didn't we agree that you were going to call me 'Molly'?"
"Yes, we did. Old habits, I guess you could say."
"Of course. Better to err on the side of formality than to be thought impertinent, but I specifically asked you to call me Molly, so you have to do it."
"Yes, ma'am."
Molly laughed. "Come and ride with me. I love going shopping. You can show me all the best places. I've heard that if one wants a really nice frock, one goes to Madame Dumont."
"Yes, one does. I know her; I'll take you there."
"Lovely."
The two ladies spent the morning shopping, to their mutual enjoyment; at noon, Molly said, "We're going to the War Department and order our gentlemen to take us to dinner at Willard's Hotel."
"We are?"
"Yes, we are."
"What if they're in a meeting with Mr. Stanton, or even Mr. Lincoln?"
"Then we won't, but they probably aren't, and they have to eat."
"Where are they going to sit?" Amanda said, looking at the stack of parcels that now took up the rear-facing seat.
"Oh, we'll walk from the War Department. Curtis can go back to Georgetown, drop off our parcels at my house, and come back for us, and then after we're finished shopping, he'll drive us both back and drive you home. That way, he can have his dinner too, since Willard's is bound to be crowded and it will take some time for us to have our meal."
"It sounds wonderful, and won't they be surprised!"