Chapter Sixty Eight
Nick had encouraged Maris to redecorate the untouched second floor of the mansion. The news of the baby and the wedding happened quicker than they planned of course so they began immediately. She wanted Victoria to be part of the remodeling and decoration since she and Tom had built the home for their family.
"It was your Mother's home before mine." She had told him. He was filled with so much appreciation for her kindness and consideration.
Every day for a week, Victoria had come to the second floor via the arms of Fritz, a burly ranch hand.
Maris picked a yellow flocked stripe wallpaper from San Francisco for the nursery and commissioned new white panels from the seamstress with gold velvet drapes to pull for evenings. Victoria loved her choices. She wrote Vincent and asked him to paint a landscape of the seashore with hints of yellow. He had told her just to let him know her desire.
They moved Peg's sentimental rocking chair to Victoria's suite and traded out several chest of drawers among the rooms.
Rosa and Rosita packed up the last of Peg's clothing. It went to the mission. Maris filled a small trunk with her correspondence, jewelry, shawls, books, wedding dress, and trinkets.
"For Chip one day and his wife."
Nick couldn't even speak at her thoughtfulness with the lump in his throat. He just held her tight for a long time.
"Leave the crib in the attic eaves until closer to the time. I don't want the boys to know about the baby just yet. Audra already sent a new outfit over. I have it in my chifferobe. Sally has been so helpful as well as your brothers. I know Elisabeth is so overwhelmed with her new pregnancy I haven't seen her much."
Nick wondered about Elisabeth too. She had been standoffish the last few family meals and did not make the normal banter they usually did. He decided he would pop by their house soon and check in on her.
"Make sure I haven't done anything wrong."
"Leave Chip's rocking horse out. I like it in the room. Nick, can you repair the window seat? There are gashes in the top lid."
Nick sheepishly shrugged his shoulders, "Welllllll—" and he hesitated.
She walked over to him and looked at him for an explanation.
"Those are Chip's first spur marks. Hated to cover them up. He was so proud of his first pair. He'd climb up in the window seat with them boots on and let me read to him. Lots of reading. Lots of scratches."
"I want them to stay too, Nicholas. Time passes too quickly as it is. Those memories are precious. I love you, Nick Barkley."
He grinned relieved that she didn't insist on sanding down the top of the seat, "Same too Miz Barkley."
Maris cleaned off the unused balcony and discarded the worn and dilapidated chairs.
"Audra has an extra wicker set she said I could have. I will purchase some urns in the spring for flowers. I need to get Nick a cigar stand for his ashes so he can relax out here."
Nick sent the buck to the taxidermist as a surprise for James David's new room along with a new quilt Maris ordered from a widow at church. She had a desk of Tom's brought to the room and she ordered a new hobnail lamp for reading and studies.
Nick measured out the water closet window for the stained glass from Monterey and knocked out a wall for her dressing room and closet. The maid scrubbed and polished the big copper tub. A hand changed out a faucet. Victoria added new towels to the list for the mercantile.
"It's not necessary Nicholas. I just have ten dresses and there is plenty of room."
"Nope honey, I saw your face talking with Ruthie. I want you to have all the space you need to get ready. Get ya a fancy vanity too when you make an order."
Victoria thanked Maris for allowing her to help in the transition, "Maris, you will never know until you are older what a gift you have given me. I am seventy now and I am very happy in my quarters and as a grandmother. But you made me feel useful again, To work by your side in the home Tom built for me has brought back so many memories. He made that mantle himself in Nick's room. That used to be our room. See the corner on the hearth that is sanded down? Eugene caught the corner when he was learning to walk and got a deep cut. Tom took off the whole edge with a plane."
"The rug from the attic we brought down? My sister in Boston bought it. James David is now using Jarrod's chest on drawers and Tom's first study desk. The peg rack shelf? It held Audra's hair bows."
Maris kissed her on the cheek, "I never did these things with anyone. It was all done for me and my Mother left us with servants. I am honored to be your daughter and your opinion matters so much to me."
"Maris? Let's make some new pillows for the nursery window seat at least. A yellow floral? Even if it's a boy, we can get by with them for a year."
"Perfect. We can have more fabric samples sent out too."
And Victoria sighed in contentment, "Thank you, Lord."
—-&—-
Nick lay in bed looking at his lovely wife, flush from their lovemaking. Maris had been particularly amorous and he was delighted to please her.
"Love ya honey" he kissed her on top of the head.
"I love you, Nicholas." she yawned.
He rubbed her belly and patted the pooch, "The baby is growing quickly."
"Yes, I let out the first waistline yesterday. I just don't remember it happening so quickly with James David. But it was almost sixteen years ago."
He pulled her closer to him and she purred in contentment.
"Nick, do you think I am wanton?"
He roared in a peal of surprise laughter, "Oh Mare, of course not. We just enjoy bedsport as the good Lord intended."
"I just—oh never mind, let's get some sleep."
"No, you gotta tell me now."
She blushed, "I think about you a lot during the day and look forward to this—-"
He grinned and embraced her, "Mare, this is the way it's supposed to be. It's like carrots and Coco, my first real horse."
"Carrots?" she frowned.
"Well, horses are supposed to like carrots. Coco never would take a carrot from me. She would always choose plain old hay. She was a stubborn girl. One day, I finally coaxed her to try one. She loved it. Couldn't get enough carrots. Every day of her life looked to me for carrots. She would nuzzle in every day and check my pockets. We both looked forward to that part of the day."
Maris giggled, "So carrots?"
"Yep. Once you have let old Nick convince you to try carrots, you won't be able to quit."
—-&—
Nick took Maris to town a few days later. They ate lunch at the Cattleman's; they had a shared laugh over carrots on the menu.
"I want a double portion," Nick told the waiter.
After lunch, Nick made an order with his old friend at the sawmill for two new pieces of oak furniture, a vanity and a new rocker for Maris.
They stopped at the mercantile and then the post office to send for the rest of the items: fabric, Cheval mirror, towels, several lamps, and the wallpaper.
They stopped by Jarrod's office on the way back to the ranch.
"No court date. And no sign they have heard about the wedding two weeks ago. Nothing at all. Nate is frustrated too."
Nick shook his head in anger.
"I got some correspondence that two depositions were submitted to the case. One is the Headmaster's statement blaming Peterson. and the second is something Branch. I asked for copies of both."
"What are you thinking?"
"I have some ideas. The Headmaster has to go. I am taking his statement to the Head of the School Board, the chairman himself."
"Good. That's some justice for Maris. Anything else?"
"Not yet, brother Nick."
"Blasted. I would like to get this settled out."
"I know brother Nick, I know. Been shopping?"
"Yep. House stuff. Mother and Maris really had a good week. Told me stuff about the house I didn't even remember. Told Maris stories of us growing up—-and of Father too, Every day, Fritz would take Mother upstairs. Thick as thieves, her and Maris. Measuring, making lists, looking through the attic, moving furniture around—it was good for both of them. Real good. "
"Congratulations again Nick. You seem ten years younger since the wedding."
"I feel it too."