Here is a little pre-Halloween s

Here is a little pre-Halloween story. Thanks to Susan
G. (for editing and the title) and Kathy for their
help.

Halloween Revelation by Denise G.

Carolyn stood beside the front gate to Gull Cottage
and handed Ed
Peevey the new suitcase she had given to Martha just
an hour earlier.
Candy and Jonathan were busy giving Martha a few
last-minute hugs
before Ed could drive her to the airport to visit with
her mother,
sister and brother-in-law.
"This is a better kind off good-bye, huh, Martha?"
the boy beamed.
"Yeah, that's ‘cause we know you're coming back!"
added Candy.
Martha took out her handkerchief and dabbed at her
eyes. "That's
right. I'll be back in just a few days."
Martha turned to Carolyn next and gave her a tight
squeeze.
"Don't worry about a thing, Martha. We will be just
fine. Have a
good trip," Carolyn said as she patted Martha on the
back.
"Thank you, Mrs. Muir…for everything," she said,
then noticed the
Captain had materialized behind Carolyn. Martha was
slightly startled
at the sight of him but immediately relaxed. The
knowledge that she was
living with a ghost was certainly going to take some
getting used to.
Martha smiled at the Captain. "Yes …thank YOU for
everything," she
said, acknowledging his presence.
The Captain winked at Martha causing her to blush.
"I am glad to
have been of assistance, Martha. I bid you a safe
journey," the Captain
bowed slightly then disappeared.
"Martha … we'd better be moving along if you want
to make it to the
airport on time," Ed remarked as he stared at his
watch.
A few moments later Carolyn, Claymore and the
children waved
good-bye as the car quickly moved out of sight. As
they turned to go
back toward the house, Claymore, noting the time,
excused himself and
left for home. The children ran ahead of Carolyn into
the house.
As she climbed the steps onto the porch, Captain Gregg
appeared in
front of the door.
"Well, dear lady, I am pleased that all of members
of my crew now
know of my existence."
"I agree, Captain. It was such a relief to have
Martha learn the
truth about you. I never felt right about keeping your
existence a
secret from her. After all, Martha is my friend and
friends should not
keep secrets from one another."
"Yes, we did keep this a secret but considering our
unusual
circumstances perhaps it was best to wait before
making my presence
known to her." Captain Gregg tugged nervously on his
ear as he and
Carolyn entered the house. He felt a wave of guilt
wash over him when
he thought about the secret he was keeping from
Carolyn.
"I don't know, Captain. I have always felt it is
best to be honest
and upfront with people. I know I would be terribly
hurt if someone I
cared about kept something as important as that from
me."
Captain Gregg cleared his throat, wishing he could
change the
Subject when suddenly Jonathan called out from the
kitchen. "Mom… Can
I have another piece of cake before I go to bed?"
Carolyn rolled her eyes then looked at the Captain,
"If you will
excuse me," she said as she walked into the house.
"Jonathan, you may
NOT have another piece of cake!" Carolyn called out as
she walked
toward the kitchen.
The Captain stood on the porch for a few minutes,
just staring up at
the night sky. "I can not wait any longer to tell
Carolyn the truth
about myself. I only hope she will understand why I
could not tell her
sooner." Captain Gregg sighed deeply then disappeared
from sight.
*****
Carolyn was up early the next morning getting the
children's
breakfast ready when the Captain appeared in the
kitchen. "Good day to
you, Madam!"
Carolyn looked up from where she stood by the stove
and gave him a
lovely smile. "Same to you, Captain. Care for some
pancakes?"
"Thank you, M'Dear. I would love some," the Captain
replied as he
took a seat at the table.
Carolyn filled a plate and set it down on the table
in front of the
Captain. She thought of how nice it was to be having
breakfast with the
man, ghost, that is, she loved. Carolyn put her
thoughts aside when she
heard the children coming down the stairs. Jonathan
was the first to
burst into the kitchen.
"Morning, Mom!" he shouted then came to an abrupt
halt as he spotted
the Captain seated at the table. "Hey… you're going
to have breakfast
with us, Captain? This is so cool!" the boy smiled
broadly.
"'Cool' you say? Actually, my boy, the pancakes are
quite hot…" the
Captain looked a bit confused by the boy's remark.
Carolyn laughed then kissed her son on the top of
his head. "I
Think Jonathan means he thinks it's great that you
will be eating
breakfast with us."
Just then, Candy came around the corner. She walked
over to her
mother, gave her a hug, and wished everyone a ‘good
morning'. Candy
sat at the table and reached for the syrup. "I think
it's really
groovy that Martha knows about you, Captain. Now you
can have
breakfast with us every morning," she said, before
stuffing a forkful of
pancake into her mouth.
"Yeah, now I don't have to sneak down to the
kitchen anymore to get
some of Martha's cookies for you, Captain. You can
just ask Martha for
some yourself."
Carolyn tried hard to suppress a giggle when she
saw the Captain's
reaction to Jonathan's statement. She decided to let
him off the hook
and changed the subject. "Do you both have your
overnight bags packed
for tonight?"
"Tonight?" the Captain asked curiously.
"I thought I told you, Captain. Jonathan has an
overnight trip to
the zoo in Bangor."
"At night?" the Captain was intrigued.
"It's really neat! Our class is going to stay in
the main building
where they keep all the nocturnal animals. That way,
we can see how
they act at night. They're even going to let us hold
a Sugar Glider."
"What's that?" Candy asked.
"It's a flying squirrel," Jonathan answered
matter-of-factly, "that
comes from Australia. They are small creatures with
big, dark eyes. We
have a picture of one in the encyclopedia upstairs."
"Cool…" his sister, sounded impressed.
"Yeah, and in the morning we're supposed to help
set up the
jack-o-lantern trail all through the zoo to get ready
for the Halloween
festival this weekend."
"And what does one do at a Halloween Festival, may
I ask?" the
Captain was quite curious.
"Well, it's like a contest. Kids and adults carve a
pumpkin then
bring them to the zoo. All the jack-o-lanterns will be
set up along the
trails around the zoo. On Halloween night, you can go
for a tour and
see all them all lit up. They give prizes for scariest
and prettiest. It's a lot of fun."
"I see…well it sounds as though it will be quite an
experience, my
boy. I hope you enjoy yourself. What about you,
Candy?"
"Oh, I'm staying at my friend Phoebe's house for a
sleepover. We are
going to work on our Halloween costumes for school
dance. We get to eat
pizza and make popcorn, play records, and tell ghost
stories.
It's gonna be a blast!"
"Gee, Captain…maybe YOU should go to the sleepover.
Bet you have
better ghost stories than anybody!" Jonathan remarked
with a hint of
pride in his voice.
The Captain laughed but declined, sighting how it
might be a bit
difficult for the girls to sleep after hearing one of
HIS stories.
"Um, kids…sorry to interrupt but it's getting late.
If you're
finished eating, drink your milk then go upstairs and
make sure you
have everything you need for tonight."
"Yes, Mom!" they chimed in together then they put
their plates on
the counter and headed upstairs.
Carolyn was rinsing off the dishes in the sink when
she asked the
Captain if he was through with his breakfast.
"Yes, Madam, thank you. Here, let me help you."
The Captain rose from his seat and turned to hand
Carolyn his empty
plate. Carolyn turned to take it from him at the same
time and they
ended up bumping into each other causing the plate to
fall to the floor
and break.
"Excuse me, Cap…." Carolyn began to say but stopped
as she realized
she had actually ‘bumped' into Captain Gregg.
The Captain saw the look of fear and confusion in
Carolyn's eyes.
The color immediately drained from her face and he
thought she was in
danger of fainting. Instinctively, he reached out to
her, placing his
hands around her waist. "Steady there, M'Dear.
Perhaps you should sit
down…"
Carolyn slowly shook her head ‘No' and looked down
where his hands
rested above her hips. She tried to back away but
found herself pressed
against the edge of the sink. The sound of the
children running down
the stairs caught their attention. The Captain
released his hold on
Carolyn and stepped back. Carolyn turned to face the
sink and leaned against it for support.
"What happened, Mom? We heard a crash…" Candy
asked, then saw the
broken plate on the floor.
"Just a little accident, Candy," the Captain
answered for Carolyn.
"Not to worry, children. You should get your bags out
on the porch.
Your mother will join you in a moment."
"Okay, Captain," Jonathan, replied. The children
left the room,
picked up their overnight bags and headed out the
front door.
The Captain turned back to Carolyn who was still
standing at the
sink, staring out of the window. "Are you all right,
M'Dear?"
He moved close beside Carolyn and reached out to
place his hand on
top of hers where it rested on the counter. "Don't!"
Carolyn cried, as
she quickly drew her hand away as though burned.
Captain Gregg felt his
heart sink at her reaction to his touch.
Without a moment's hesitation, Carolyn made her way
around the
Captain and started toward the door.
"We need to speak about this, Madam…"
Carolyn stopped walking away but refused to look
him in the eyes.
She merely glanced over her shoulder and spoke to him
with a shaky
voice. "You're wrong, Captain. There is no need to
speak about this at
all. It is obvious you felt it was best to keep me
uninformed of your
TRUE existence. In a way, I guess it is a sort of
payback for my hiding
the truth from Martha all this time."
"Payback?" the Captain was astonished.
"Yes, a punishment of sorts," she stopped and
leaned against the
doorframe.
The Captain opened his mouth to speak but just
then, Carolyn looked
up into his eyes, her own brimming with unshed tears.
"I suppose the
thing which hurts the most is I thought we shared
something special. A
love…I mean, when two people truly… care for one
another they do not
keep secrets, especially something as important as
this. Obviously, I
misjudged our relationship…"
Carolyn paused for a moment then turned to leave.
"If you will just give me the opportunity to
explain…"
"No!" she was firm but calmly added, "No, Captain.
You have had
nearly two years to explain…I have to go. The
children are waiting."
She opened the front door.
"Wait!" he pleaded, "please tell me that you will
at least consider
listening to what I have to say…"
"I don't see the point, Captain. It will not change
the fact that
you did not trust me enough to tell me the truth," and
with that remark,
Carolyn closed the door behind her.
The Captain walked back into the kitchen and began
to pick up the
pieces of broken dish scattered on the floor. He
paused for a moment,
remembering the look of pain in Carolyn's eyes and
wondered if she
would ever forgive his deception.
*****
Carolyn managed to keep her emotions in check until
after Jonathan
and Candy were on their way. As she watched the dust
settle on the
road after the car disappeared from sight, Carolyn
felt the tears fill
her eyes again but she fought to keep them from
flowing. She was too
angry to allow herself cry…angry with the Captain for
keeping the
truth from her…angry at herself for falling in love
with him.
Carolyn decided it would be best not to go back
into the house. She
needed time to think before she could face the Captain
again. Glancing
up at the widow's walk for a moment, she decided to go
for a drive, not
knowing where she was going or caring where she would
end up.
An hour later, Carolyn found herself standing
beside a meadow
covered in tall grass about three miles or so from
Gull Cottage. The area
was just beyond the boundaries of Schooner Bay.
Carolyn rarely
traveled this particular stretch of road, always
preferring to do her
shopping and such in Schooner Bay. However, today, as
she drove through
the area, Carolyn found herself mesmerized by the
tranquility of it
all. With the onset of the colder weather, the grass
had turned to a deep
golden color. The meadow looked so beautiful against
the clear blue sky.
To top it off, there were patches of lovely purple
Jolly-Jump-Ups scattered
throughout the grass. She decided to stop and sit for
a while upon the old
wall of stone, which bordered the property.
Carolyn sat thinking about the Captain, wondering
how things could
ever go back to being the same between them. The more
she thought about
him, the more upset she became until the tears she had
been holding
back began to flow.
"Pardon me, Ma'am, but are you alright?" an
unfamiliar voice broke
the silence.
Carolyn jumped slightly, startled by the intrusion.
She was
surprised to find an elderly man standing beside her,
leaning upon his
cane, holding a small bouquet of wildflowers in his
other hand.
Embarrassed by her tears, Carolyn turned away and
quickly wiped
her cheeks.
"Forgive me, Ma'am. I did not mean to intrude," he
bowed slightly
then started to walk away.
"Wait…It's alright. You just surprised me," Carolyn
admitted, then
sniffled slightly.
"I am sorry, Ma'am. It is just that when I saw you
sitting here
crying I thought perhaps you were hurt or something,"
he gave her a
sympathetic look.
"Thank you for your concern, but I'm not hurt…"
Carolyn stopped and
bit her bottom lip, attempting to fight back her
emotions. She was
indeed hurting in her heart.
"I see…do you mind if I sit here for a while? I am
afraid these old
legs of mine tend to get very tired."
Carolyn slowly shook her head, "No, I don't mind."
In reality, she
wanted nothing more than for the man to go away and
leave her alone.
"By the way, I should introduce myself. I am
Winston Armstrong," he
bowed formally. He reminded her very much of the
Captain with his
old-fashioned ways. Carolyn smiled to herself.
"How do you do? I am Carolyn Muir."
"It is indeed a pleasure to make your
acquaintance," he replied,
then took her hand and kissed the top of it. Noticing
her wedding
band,
he continued, "Mrs. Muir."
Carolyn withdrew her hand and stared at the place
where he had
kissed her then looked into his eyes. They were dark
brown, almost
black with a hint of mischief there that told Carolyn
this man was
probably once quite the ‘ladies man'.
Mr. Armstrong took a seat beside Carolyn then
turned to face her. He
smiled broadly and asked, "So, have you and Mr. Muir
lived in this area
long?"
"No, actually… I am a widow. My husband died four
years ago. I moved
to Schooner Bay just about two years ago with the
children and
housekeeper. We live in Gull Cottage."
"YOU live in Gull Cottage?" he asked somewhat
astonished.
Carolyn almost laughed at the expression on the
man's face. "Yes, I
do."
"You are indeed a brave soul. I have heard stories
about Gull
Cottage being haunted."
Carolyn just shrugged her shoulders and refused to
comment. They
sat in silence for a few moments then Mr. Armstrong
took a deep
breath.
"Beautiful meadow, is it not? I remember when I was
younger, I used to
come here and pick wildflowers for my sweetheart. I
still come here,
even when the flowers are gone just to sit and think."
Carolyn looked at him a bit incredulously. She
found it hard to
believe that a man his age would have a sweetheart.
Mr. Armstrong laughed. "I know what you are
thinking…of course, I
meant we were sweethearts in our younger years.
Fortunately, I was
smart enough to make her my wife. I brought her
flowers whenever I
could all through the years. Even now, though she has
been gone for a
long time, I still occasionally bring her flowers…"
his voice trailed off
as he stared out over the meadow, clutching the small
bouquet of
flowers in his hand.
Carolyn's heart filled with an overwhelming
sadness, understanding
his loss. Though the circumstances were different, she
somehow felt it
was about to happen to her all over again.
"Say now, it was not my intent to make you cry
more. You still miss
your husband a great deal?"
Carolyn did not know how to answer. "Yes…that is
part of it, I
guess. It is just that now, I…I mean…there is someone
else…"
"I see. Did you just meet this "someone"?"
"No, I met him the day I moved into Gull Cottage."
"Hmm…have you and your gentleman friend had some
sort of
disagreement?"
Carolyn took a shaky breath. "No, I can't say it
was what you would
call a disagreement. You see, I found out today that
he has been
keeping something a secret from me; something very
important."
Mr. Armstrong scowled, "The cad is not already
married, is he?"
Carolyn gave out with a weak laugh when she thought
of the Captain's
reaction to someone calling him a cad. "No, he is not
married."
"Well, then…is he some sort of crook?"
"No!" she shook her head vehemently.
"Has he treated you or the children badly?"
"NO! He has been wonderful to me and he treats the
children as
though they were his own."
Mr. Armstrong shook his head. "I am sorry, Mrs.
Muir, but I do not
understand what the problem could be."
Carolyn sighed deeply. The whole situation was
difficult to explain
without revealing the truth about the Captain. "You
see, the day we
met, he assured me that a certain aspect of a
relationship with him was
not possible. The truth was and IS that he lied."
"Hmm…perhaps you need to think back to that first
day… you know…
think about how your relationship would be different
TODAY if he had
been honest with you."
Carolyn thought back to that first night at Gull
Cottage when she
And the Captain met. The thought of ‘living' in the
same house with a
Ghost had overwhelmed her and she had asked him to
leave. When the
Captain had refused; she had packed up the children
and left instead.
Carolyn remembered how the Captain had forced her to
drive back to the
house and almost dared her to remain. That was when he
had made the
remark about the bedroom being ‘their' room. Though
she had never
admitted it before, the thought of sharing a bedroom
with the Captain
frightened her more that the fact he was a ghost.
The Captain must have sensed her fear and had told
her that he was
"merely an illusion". He had wanted to make her feel
comfortable and
safe so she would want to remain at Gull Cottage with
him. She
suddenly realized that by ‘lying' to her, the Captain
had in fact eased
all her fears and opened the way for their
relationship to grow.
While Carolyn wrestled with her thoughts, Mr.
Armstrong sat quietly
staring out at the meadow. He knew she had a decision
to make and
decided to help her make it. "I have only one more
question for you,
Mrs. Muir," he hesitated a moment. "Do you love this
man?"
Without a moment's hesitation, she replied, "Yes,
oh, yes. I love
him with all my heart."
Mr. Armstrong smiled and then wiggled down from the
wall. He
stretched a bit, surveying the area one more time
before turning to
look at Carolyn.
"Well, my dear lady…it is getting rather late and I
must be on my
way.
I hope things will work out for you and your gentleman
friend." He
gently patted her hand where it rested on the wall.
"Thank you, Mr. Armstrong. I think I understand now
and I believe
everything will be all right."
"I am so happy to hear it!" he bowed slightly and
started to walk
away. He hesitated for a moment then turned back in
Carolyn's
direction. "Mrs. Muir, just remember that Eternity is
a lonely place
when there is no one to share it with you. Daniel
deserves some
happiness. I believe YOU are the one who can bring it
to him.
Good-bye."
Carolyn jumped down from the wall and started after
Mr. Armstrong.
"Wait! How did you know…?" she shouted but it was
too late. As
Carolyn stared in amazement, Mr. Armstrong faded from
view.
Carolyn stood silently for a moment, wondering if
she had imagined
the whole experience. Had she just encountered another
ghost? She
looked toward the setting sun and decided to go back
to the car. As she
made her way back, she noticed something peeking out
of the tall grass
on the side of the meadow. It seemed to be a marker of
some sort.
Carolyn approached it then came to an abrupt stop
when she found the
marker was actually an old gravestone and there on the
ground in front
of the marker was the bouquet of wildflowers Mr.
Armstrong had been
carrying earlier.
She crouched down in front of the stone and pushed
away the dried
grass to reveal the names engraved on the stone.
Carolyn dropped
down to her knees on the ground with a look of shock
on her face. That
look quickly changed to one of sympathy. She reached
out her hand and
brushed her fingertips along the words carved in
stone, ‘Here lies
Vanessa Armstrong, beloved wife and mother. Born April
29, 1836…Died
October 30, 1881,' and below there was an additional
carving, ‘Winston
Armstrong, beloved husband and father. Born January
31, 1831…Died
October 30, 1881. Eternally Together...Sweethearts
Forever'
Carolyn wept softly for the couple buried there in
the meadow, a
couple who lived together and died together.
*****
By the time Carolyn brought the car to a stop in
front of Gull
Cottage, the sun had already set and the windows were
void of light.
Carolyn pushed open the old gate and glanced up at the
widow's walk,
hoping that the Captain might be up there watching for
her return. From
what Carolyn could see in the pale moonlight, the
Captain was not
there.

She entered the house, expecting the Captain to
appear before her
but the only greeting she received was from Scruffy
who came bounding
into the foyer. She patted little dog on the head then
headed directly
into the living room. She stood in front of the
fireplace looking up at
the painting over the mantle; staring at the image of
the face she knew
so well.
"Captain...I need to speak to you. Are you here?"
Carolyn spoke
softly and looked about the room. She called to him
again. When she
did not get a response, her head dropped forward and
her hands came
up to cover her eyes.
"Oh, Captain…please...at least let me know you are
still here. You have not left me, have you? I could
not bear it if you
left me."
The silence in the room was deafening. Carolyn
felt as though her
heart was breaking. She did not know what to do or how
to find the
Captain. Carolyn looked up at the portrait once again
then turned to
leave the room. She ran right into the Captain. His
hands reached out
to steady her from the impact. Her heart leapt with
joy at the sight
of him. Her senses tingled from the feel of his hands
where they
rested on her arms.
"Madam, I…" he spoke softly. Captain Gregg looked
lovingly into
Carolyn's eyes, ashamed of the tears he saw there,
knowing he was the
cause of them. "I am sorry. I have no right…," he
said as he released
his hold on her.
Carolyn felt the Captain start to back away from
her. A sense of
panic filled her when she thought he was about to
disappear. Carolyn
reached out, grabbed hold of the front of the
Captain's jacket and then
pulled him against her. "Yes, you do. THIS is right."
Without a
second thought, she reached up, kissed him then
quickly broke away
and looked into his eyes.
"Tell me I am not too late. Tell me you forgive me
for the way I
acted this morning…"
Captain Gregg answered her with a warm and tender
kiss. His arms
encircled her and he drew her close. He trailed soft
kisses along her
cheek and whispered softly into her ear, "Oh, my dear
Carolyn, I am the
one who should be asking your forgiveness for my
deception. My existence
was so cold without the warmth of your presence,
M'Dear. Do you
remember that first night when you drove away,
determined to leave
Gull Cottage and me behind?"
She nodded and a stray tear slid down her cheek.
The Captain
brushed it aside with the back of his hand then he
lifted her chin so that
he could look deeply into her eyes. "I can never
describe the emptiness
I felt as I watched you leave that night, perhaps
never to return. Then
today, when you left, the emptiness returned and I was
afraid I lost
you forever."
Carolyn raised her hand and caressed the side of
his face. "I
remember that I was angry at first because you had
brought us back but
in truth, I knew this was where I wanted to be."
"And I knew that this is where you belonged. I was
determined to do
whatever I could to make you wish to remain here.
Although you tried
so hard to be strong, I saw the fear in your eyes and
I knew I was the
cause. You needed time and time was all I had to
give."
"Daniel…it's true that I was afraid, but you were
not the cause of
my fear. I was afraid of the attraction I immediately
felt toward you.
I was very much in love once and I thought I would
never feel that way
again. Then I took one look into your eyes and I lost
my heart again.
That is what scared me the most."
"When you left today, I was afraid you were not
coming back."
"I needed time to think so I decided to go for a
drive. I was sitting
by myself when a very nice man happened by. We started
talking and
I lost track of the time."
The Captain released her from his embrace and
stepped back. "I see.
So you passed the time with a complete stranger…a
strange MAN
and had a conversation?" the Captain could not hide
the jealousy in
his voice.
Carolyn turned her head so the Captain would not
see her smile.
"Yes, Captain. We talked and he helped me see what was
in my
heart… that YOU are in my heart."
"Then perhaps you should introduce us so I may thank
him for
guiding you back to me."
"That is the strange part. You see, I do not think I
need to introduce
you because…well, he was…I believe …an acquaintance of
yours."
"An acquaintance of mine, you say? He would have
been over one
hundred years old!"
"Captain, he was a spirit…like you. I did not
realize it at first.
I mean, when he kissed my hand, I felt…"
"He kissed your hand?" the Captain fumed.
"He was just being nice."
"Nice! A strange man makes advances on you and you
think it is nice?"
"Captain, you are missing the point. Winston was
only trying to help me."
"Oh, I am sure he was only trying to … did you say,
‘Winston'?"
"Yes, Captain…his name was Winston Armstrong. Did
you know
anyone by that name?"
"I should say so! He was the man who married my
Vanessa!"
"You mean it was the same Vanessa?" Now it was
Carolyn's
turn to feel jealous.
"Well, she was ‘my' Vanessa at one time. You see,
we were supposed
to be married but as it turned out, I discovered
although she was quite
fond of me, she was in love with Winston and he with
her. Vanessa only
agreed to marry me because her father wished it. He
wanted his daughter
to have status in the community and marrying a sea
captain would ensure
that."
"Oh, I see…but what happened to change her father's
mind?"
"Well, about a month before the wedding, Vanessa and
Winston came
to me and confessed their true feelings for one
another. Of course, I was
greatly disappointed. After all, I cared a great deal
for Vanessa.
Although… looking back I cannot help but feel perhaps
that it may have
been my pride and not my heart, which received the
most injury. As for
Vanessa and Winston, I could see that the two were
very much in love
And therefore should be together."
"So you just stepped aside and let Winston marry
Vanessa?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, I was the one who
married them."
Carolyn's eyes grew wide. "YOU married them?"
"Yes, I did. It happened about a week before the
date of ‘our' scheduled
wedding. We originally planned to be married the
second weekend in
November. However, if I remember correctly, it was the
thirtieth of
October; I boarded my ship, which sat anchored in the
harbor."
Carolyn interrupted him briefly, "Did you say they
were married on the
thirtieth? That is the same date carved on their
tombstone. It was the day
they died," she added softly.
"Yes, unfortunately, they died in a carriage
accident years later on the
way to an anniversary dinner being held at their
daughter's home."
"I see…please go on Captain…"
"Well, as I said I waited aboard my ship. Shortly
after nightfall,
Winston and Vanessa arrived and I gave the order to
set sail. Once the
ship was out of the harbor, we dropped anchor and I
performed the ceremony."
"That is the kindest, sweetest thing I have ever
heard," she said as she
placed her hand over her heart.
"Madam, do I need to remind you yet AGAIN that I am
not now nor have
I EVER been sweet?"
"I know better," she teased. Carolyn could tell he
was about to put up a
protest so she decided to silence him with another
kiss. It worked well, leaving
them both too breathless to speak.
Carolyn snuggled against the Captain's broad chest.
It felt so wonderful to
be in his arms at last. She sighed deeply and the
Captain chuckled.
"What are you thinking, M'Dear?"
"I'm thinking about the last thing Winston said to
me before he disappeared."
"Oh, and what was that?"
"He said, "Daniel deserves some happiness."
"M'Dear…I shall be as long as you are here with
me," he held her close and
placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead.
"Do you want to know what I am thinking now?" she
smiled sheepishly at him.
"Yes, I do."
Carolyn stepped from his embrace and took him by
the hand.
"I am thinking that the children are away… and
Martha is away…" she
began to guide him toward the stairway. "And after
all… you deserve
some happiness, remember?" Carolyn smiled seductively.
The Captain hesitated for a moment. "Are you
certain this is what you
want, M'Dear?"
Carolyn walked down a few steps until she was eye
to eye with the
Captain. She placed her hands behind his neck, drew
him to her then kissed
him, leaving no doubt in his mind that she was
certain.