Miranda was so wrapped up in her thoughts when she arrived home that she never noticed that she encountered not a single living soul as she took her bath and prepared for bed. It was only after she was in bed, and Robert turned to her and gently pulled her against his chest that she realized what had happened. Mimi had somehow known and had kept everyone away from her so as not to trigger the tears that now flowed down her cheeks.
Robert said not a single word. Rather he continued to hold her and gently stroked her head over and over with his right hand. Mimi hadn't told him anything other than that Miranda had had a "life-changing" shock, that she'd be the better for it, but that she was going to need comforting that only he could provide.
People tend to think that bankers are so focused on money that they don't attend to much of anything else. While that may apply to some, Robert was a product of his culture and his city. Such a crossroads of trade could be a dangerous place, even in broad daylight. No matter where in The City he was, he usually noticed everything that was going on around him. He'd been watching, and deriving great entertainment from, Miranda and Mimi dancing around each other the past few years. While he had no idea as to the details, he had deduced that they were playing some sort of convoluted game.
He had no intention of mentioning his conclusions to either of them. Knowing that they were being watched might take all the fun out of it for them. Therefore he was content to pick up the rare puzzle pieces that presented themselves and, in his own way, attempt to put them together.
Mimi had presented him with another tonight, which had confirmed what he'd long suspected. Whoever or whatever she was, she was at heart a gentle being who cared for others a great deal.
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Tuesday September 06, in The Year 724 AF
In the morning, Robert behaved exactly as he always did, which gave Miranda time to assess her feelings, and, more importantly, allowed her to turn her back while she carefully removed the dried tears from her face. Once she felt semi-presentable, she arose and, uncharacteristically, strode over to Robert and held him for a while. After that she kissed the top of his head then went about completing her morning preparations.
Somewhere during the night, as she had semi-awakened and then gone back to sleep over and over, her mind had figured out what she needed to do. Not only would it satisfy the strictures O'Malley had placed on her, but it would also serve as step one in her budding plan to further improve the safety of The City.
First though one of the things that was bothering her was paramount, and she knew that if that itch wasn't scratched, it would irritate her all day. Thus, as breakfast was almost done, and Mimi was finishing clearing away the plates, Miranda stopped her. "Ah, Mimi. Seeing as your father is Irish, and your mother lived there for several years before they married, perhaps you can help me with a question."
Mimi sketched a slight bow. "Of course Madame, if it is in my power."
"Thank you Mimi. It's really rather simple. It's about Irish names. Do you happen to know if Mckale is a boy's name or a girl's?"
The others at table had not really been paying attention as she began to speak, but the moment she'd finished, the heads of almost everyone snapped up and swiveled toward Mimi, like radar locking onto a target. Robert, who had no idea what was going on, found himself turning to Mimi as well, simply because everyone else was. Perhaps another puzzle piece was in the offing.
Mimi smiled, then responded, "Yes Madame I do."
Everyone leaned forward, as if to hear her answer more clearly. She smirked and replied, "It is what you would call here a 'unisex' name. It can be used for either a boy or a girl."
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Upon so saying, she finished gathering up the remaining tableware and flowed out the door to the kitchen, leaving everyone other than Robert severely frustrated. He, on the other hand, was delighted.
Every one of the others had a nearly overwhelming urge to know "everything" that was of interest to them. That of itself was most definitely not a bad thing. Anything but! However, sometimes when you want to know everything, you can fool yourself into thinking that you already do. Seeing all of them reminded that such was impossible, by whatever it was that Mimi had just told, or not told them, had likely punctured a few overly inflated egos.
Standing after pushing his chair back with a bit more vigor than was needed, he couldn't help but rub it in. "Well, that seems to have been educational. Perhaps later you can inform me as to what it was all about. However, as I need to get to the bank, explanations will have to wait. I'll see you all this evening." So saying he turned briskly and strode from the room, giving none of the others time to respond.
Mimi, who had stopped as soon as the door had swung shut behind her, removed her ear from the wood and smiled evilly. Playing with this family was SOOO much fun!
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An hour later Miranda was standing in the middle of her office wondering what to do. She was surprised, no, not that, she was shocked to see how many books she had crammed into the room. They weren't just on the shelves but also occupied ever nook and cranny where there was room to place them.
"Oh Gods! Where in the world should I begin?"
There was a chuckle behind her. She spun around and beheld Patricia Garibaldi. "That's why I'm here, isn't it? I see that Mimi wasn't exaggerating, at least not much, when she dropped by this morning and said that you needed help sorting things out before...let's see...how did she put it? Oh yes, 'Before an avalanche of books falls on her and buries her forever.'"
Patricia surveyed the room. "I thought she was kidding...."
She put her hands on her hips and looked around, more carefully this time. Miranda noticed that, as she did so, her fingers were twitching.
Patricia spread her hands and shrugged. "I see that I'm definitely going to earn what you'll be paying me today. Good thing that I'm usually closed on Tuesdays and was available, though I seriously doubt that we'll be able to get much more than half of these sorted out in a single day -- maybe not even that many.
"At any rate, Mimi told me that you need to divide these into groups. So there'll be at least, hmmm, four?
"1) Keep no matter what.
"2) Keep if there's room or someone else in the family may need them.
(We probably won't want to let them look them over till we're done, or they'll slow us down.)
"3) Donate to one of the libraries that could use them.
"4) Sell, which will be either:
A) Rare and/or valuable but the libraries already have copies.
B) Not rare here but probably in demand in other cities."
Patricia had been doing a quick, visual survey as she spoke. Turning to Miranda she finished with, "Does that pretty much cover it?"
Miranda nodded woodenly. Drat! Mimi had done it to her again. She...OH MY GOD! Miranda turned, as if to check something on her desk as her cheeks flamed. If Mimi knew what O'Malley had said to her, she'd never be able to face her again.
Mimi swirled into the room carrying a large pot of tea, two cups, and a substantial amount of snacks that wouldn't leave crumbs or stick to one's fingers, along with a number of napkins for "just in case."
As she set it down on Miranda's desk she murmured, "I was told that you would be needing Mrs. Garibaldi's help today. I was not told why."
Patricia nodded to herself as Mimi left the room. "Let's start by clearing that small bookshelf to the left of your desk. Then we can move it out of the office, and slide that table in the corner over, which will give us some space to start sorting.
"Ah, if it's OK, since it's wide enough, I'd suggest we put each shelf we empty on the balcony, to either side of your doors, and use them to temporarily store the things we sort. That'll keep the room from getting more cluttered than it already is. There should be plenty of room for others to walk by them."
She looked at Miranda a bit nervously. She was one of the most important women in The City, and Patricia was afraid that she might have overstepped herself.
Miranda thought a bit and then nodded. Yes, that would do. Since the balcony wrapping around the atrium was a multi-function area, using it temporarily to store books would be acceptable.
She turned to Patricia and smiled. "That will be fine. An excellent suggestion. Let's do it that way. Sven and Mario will easily be able to move the shelves as we empty them."
Smiling with relief, Patricia walked over to the first shelf. It was going to be a long day, but, if what she'd already seen was any indication, it was going to be both extremely interesting and fun.