another Cupid-induced "get-together" of sorts ... <G>  (with thanks to
Kathy and Denise G.!)

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

   The woman slapped at something on her hand, then opened the door of
his office after glancing at the neat, lettered sign saying "Open".  She
posed theatrically in the doorway.
   Claymore glanced up at her, then back at what he was writing. 
"Please.   Come in and shut the door.  You are letting in drafts and
letting out heat and believe me, I cannot afford to heat the entire
state of Maine!"  Then he looked up at her again, squinting against the
light from the open doorway.  "Who are you, anyway?"
   Harriet smiled coyly.  "Don't you remember me, Mr. Gregg?"
   "Give me a minute." Claymore stood up, frowning, then seeing the
expensive fur coat she was wearing, he decided it behooved him to be
nice.  That meant, of course, attempting to show he was the playboy
type.  He plastered a half-smile on his face, which he hoped made him
look mysterious, and added, "There are so many women, you know."
   "No doubt." she purred.  "But I'm here to put a stop to that."
   Startled, Claymore took a step back, then peered at her again.  "You
look so familiar ... I know!  Mrs. Muir's cousin!  Hilda!"
   "Harriet."
   "Whatever.  Now, how may I help you?"
   Harriet closed the door behind her, and flipped the sign to read
‘Closed'.  "I understand from Candy and Jonathan that Cupid has let
loose an epidemic of love."
   Claymore cleared his throat.  "Ye - yes, so we've been told."
   "It's Valentine's Day." Harriet purred.  "To be honest, I haven't
been able to forget you and the few hours we spent together last year."
   Claymore tugged at his tie, and stammered, "Well, I ..."
   Harriet sidled up to him.  "I suppose it won't do to say that I
particularly remember how amusing you were?  How much fun we had?"
   "Oh, say!  Say!  Be my guest!" he invited.  Not hearing many
compliments, he was prone to lap them up.   He rubbed his neck which was
suddenly stinging abominably.
   "First, how was your voyage?" Harriet smiled sweetly at him and put
her hand over his.
   "Voyage?" Claymore was dazzled by the fact that this
expensive-looking woman was in his office, obviously attracted to HIM. 
He forgot about his neck.
   "On your brother's ship," she prompted him, her fingers walking up
his arm.
   "Brother?" he parroted.
   Harriet laughed.  "Oh, you are more amusing than I remember!  I must
be more bewitching than I thought I was.  Of course, your brother!  The
one Carolyn is in love with.  The Captain."
   "The Captain?  She's in love with the Captain?" Claymore stared at
Harriet incredulously.  "But ... but, she CAN'T be in love with him!  I
mean, unless Cupid's been busy, of course, which wouldn't do her or him
any good anyway.  No, she just can't be in love with the Captain!  He's
DEAD!" he blurted out.
   Harriet's face changed dramatically.  "Dead?"  She swayed, and
Claymore caught her arms, enjoying luxurious feel of the fur.  "Dead?"
Harriet squawked again.  "Oh, my poor, dear Carolyn!  She must be
heartbroken!  When did he die?"
   "1872." Claymore muttered, wondering what type of fur she was
wearing, and mentally calculating the cost.
   "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch what you said." Harriet looked
puzzled. "He had the flu?"
   Claymore made a great effort to get back on track.  Now he remembered
the previous meeting with Harriet, and how he had pretended to be
Captain Gregg's twin brother.  Mrs. Muir's suggestion, of course.  She
had been as startled as he that Harriet had recognized him minus the
beard.  But Mrs. Muir's writer's imagination had supplied a ready
answer, and Harriet had bought into it, hook, line and anchor, he
recalled.  "No.  No.  He ... he was lost at sea.  In fact, the whole
ship was lost.  All hands on deck, and that sort of thing. Yes, he was
lost at sea.  Our family was devastated, as you can imagine."
   "When did this happen?" Harriet gasped.
   "Oh, umm, well, actually, it was that last voyage.  Let me see.  That
one he left on when you were here!"
   "But you were going with him." Harriet frowned, trying to remember.
   "I was?  Oh!  Oh, yes, I did.  Yes, I went with him on that voyage. 
He needed me, you see."
   "But you just said everyone was lost at sea ...  Yet you are here!"
   "Well, everyone except me, of course.  I managed to cling to a bit of
wood for days, drifting aimlessly on the water, my entire life passing
before my eyes, regretting so many things, thinking I would die of
thirst before ever tasting champagne again ..."
   "Oh, how terrible that must have been!" Harriet commiserated.
   "It was, my child, it was." he struck a pose, continuing
dramatically, "Knowing that my only family had denied me, kicked the
bucket, so to speak ..."
   "Your only family?  You said your family was devastated ..."
   "Well, my only CLOSE family.  I have a cousin or two.  And a great
uncle, much to my regret."
   "Oh," Harriet said softly, "Carolyn must be devastated as well.  Her
second true love to die.  Why hasn't she told anyone about his death?"
   "Well, you know Mrs. Muir ..." Claymore hedged.
   "Yes.  Poor, dear Carolyn.  So brave.  So stoic.  And you, struggling
to bear up well under such tragedy."  Admiringly, Harriet looked at him
again.
   Claymore preened a little.  If her coat was any indication, and the
amount of luggage he now recalled seeing on her last visit, Harriet must
have a fairly plump pocketbook, unlike her cousin!  "Oh, I'm getting
by.  But it's hard when you are alone, you know.  I get very lonely at
times, so I know how she is feeling."
   "Have you been seeing her?  Comforting each other in your mutual
loss?"  Suddenly Harriet looked stricken.  "Oh no!  Is it perhaps
growing ... SERIOUS ... between you two?"
   "Mrs. Muir and ME?" squeaked Claymore.  "ME?  No, of course not!  You
said yourself she loves the Captain!  Uh, yes, well ..."  He took a deep
breath and tried to become suave and sophisticated again.  "No, I am a
one woman man, as they say.  I am not a Casanova like the Captain."
   "Oh dear.  Poor Carolyn.  He was a true sailor, was he?  Many women?"

   "Oh, yes, a true sailor, indeed!  I'm sure that Mrs. Muir never knew
the half of it.  Girls in every port, you know.  Never the same one
once.  Such a shame, you know, that he died that way.  Certainly put a
crimp in his style.  Suicide is never a real drawing card for the women,
if you know what I mean."
   "Suicide?" Harriet looked confused again.  "I thought he was lost at
sea when his ship went down!"
   Claymore was now on a roll, and he ignored the question.  Suicide was
a much better way for the Captain to have died, he thought.  So much for
family honour and all that other stuff the Captain tried to spout all
the time!  "Mrs. Muir said that he kicked the gas heater on with his
foot in his sleep, but according to the report in the Schooner Bay
Beacon of the time, it was ruled as suicide.  Everyone thought that for
years.  Then Mrs. Muir uncovered what SHE said was new evidence, with my
inestimable help, of course, and she had the retraction printed in all
the papers across the country."
   "So he didn't die?" Harriet floundered, trying to find her bearings.
   "Oh, he's dead." Claymore said.  "Definitely dead."
   "How sad.  Dead and gone ..." her voice trailed away when Claymore
started shaking his head again.
   "Even sadder than that.  Dead ... but NOT gone."
   "NOT gone?"  Then Harriet's eyes grew wide, and she clutched at
Claymore's arm.  "You're talking about the Captain who built Gull
Cottage, aren't you?  The one who supposedly is still haunting the
place?  Not your twin brother the Captain, but that ... that magnificent
man whose portrait is over the fireplace!"
   "Magnificent?  Hardly.  Handsome is as handsome does, you know.  Yes,
that's him in the picture.  Captain Daniel Gregg."
   "Oh, I KNEW we should have taken poor Carolyn back to Philadelphia! 
I KNEW she was in love with that Captain!  The one she wrote the Memoirs
for?"
   "That's him."  Claymore nodded.  "But I can't really see her being in
LOVE with him ...  I mean, he's DEAD!"
   "Was your brother named for him?" Harriet pondered.
   "Brother?" For a moment, Claymore had forgotten the story again.
   "You know!  Maybe she latched on to your brother because he had the
same name and the same profession and looked a little like the Captain
of her dreams?"
   Claymore looked dubious.  "I still don't think she could possibly
LOVE him!  Mrs. Muir and ... and HIM?"
   "Don't you see?  That poor girl has been hit with tragedy a second
time!  First Bobby died, now your brother!  She has hidden herself away
in Gull Cottage, and convinced herself that the spirit of the first
Captain Gregg is with her, and she has fallen in love with HIM!  He'd be
safe to love, you see, because HE won't die and leave her ... he's
already dead!"
   "Well, well, just assuming you're right, do we have to do anything? 
I mean, I wouldn't want to tangle with a ghost or anything."
   "Don't be silly.  There's no such thing as ghosts." Harriet was
thinking hard.  "Let me see ..."
   Claymore's mind wandered again.  Mrs. Muir's cousin seemed so perfect
for him.  Hadn't the Captain told him once that he should seriously
think about marrying and having children before the Gregg name died
out?  Who better than a rich, smart woman like this Harriet?  And so
practical.  It did appear to be an ideal match.  She had the money, he
could manage it for her.  Of course, there was the little matter of Mrs.
Muir and the Captain ... but he wouldn't think about that for now. 
"Harriet, my dear," he began to speak expansively, unaware that he was
cutting her off midsentence.  To be sure, he hadn't realized she was
even speaking.  "Don't you think we should discuss this over lunch?"  It
didn't matter that it was early in the morning ... the breakfast
specials were cheaper than the lunch ones, anyway.
   Instantly she simpered up at him.  "That's a wonderful idea, Mr.
Gregg."
   "Please, call me Claymore.  And if I may say so, Harriet, you are
looking marvellously weal ... uh, HEALTHY today.  Uh huh, yes, indeed,
charming, simply charming."
   "Oh, you ARE amusing." she hung on to his arm.  "Do we have to go out
to a restaurant, or do you have something at your place?  I mean, a
restaurant is all right, but it wouldn't be as ... cozy.  We wouldn't be
able to speak as freely to make plans."
   "Plans?"
   "For helping poor, dear Carolyn.  Don't you think she would be better
off in Philadelphia?  Back in the bosom of her loving family?"
   For a moment, Claymore considered that option.  Then, "No, no, I
don't."  That would mean he would be left without a tenant for Gull
Cottage, and having to deal with the Captain on his own again.  No, it
decidedly would NOT be a good plan!  "No, my dear, the way to deal with
her is to allow this ... this delusion to run its course.  She must stay
in Gull Cottage, for the time being at least."
   "I hadn't really considered that.  I suppose you are right.  Think
what damage it could do to her psyche." Harriet agreed, thoughtfully.
   "Her what?" Claymore stared at her.
   "Never mind, dear." Harriet patted his cheek.
   He melted, simply melted.  Yes, this HAD to be love!  Why had he ever
thought he wanted to remain a bachelor?  Why had any other woman ever
caused him to swerve from following his ideal?  Yes, his ideal woman was
Harriet.  Harriet ... hmm, he didn't even know her last name!  Oh well,
no matter.  He didn't even care if Cupid had a hand in this.  He,
Claymore Gregg would be with Harriet, she would help him get rid of
Captain Gregg, Mrs. Muir and the children would be real LIVE family to
him, and they would all live happily ever after!
         * * * * * *
    "Today, as you know, of course, is Valentine's Day." Harriet said,
thoughtfully.  "You know, dear, if we follow this mutual attraction we
are experiencing to its logical conclusion, we would spend a lot of time
and, face it, money.  Throughout the long engagement, one or the other
of us would have to stay in hotels in the other's place of residence. 
There would be meals.  Travel.  Gifts.  Then would come the wedding..." 
Claymore jumped and his face paled slightly.  Harriet continued as if
she hadn't seen his sudden movement.   "I'm sure you know how expensive
weddings can be.  Engagement ring, clothes, reception, attendants,
etc."  Claymore winced as he nodded.  Harriet kept on talking, not
really looking at him.  "On the other hand, there's a way to get around
most of the cost, and still reap the benefits such as the wedding
gifts.  A way, moreover, which is already a precedent in my family. 
Carolyn, in fact, eloped when she married Bobby."
   "Mrs. Muir eloped?" Claymore's jaw dropped at this revelation.  "I
can't believe it!  Not of her.  She seems so ... so ... moral!"
   "Moral?  What does that have to do with it?" Now it was Harriet's
turn to stare at him.
   "Well, you know, having to elope ... I just assumed she was ... you
know ... in the family way already, if you know what I mean." Claymore
stammered.
   Harriet laughed.  "Oh, no.  No!  Carolyn just doesn't like having
anyone fuss over her.  She didn't want a big party, with her the centre
of attraction.  So she and Bobby eloped before anyone could start making
plans.  They didn't start their family for a few years.  Sad, in a way,
you know.  Bobby loved children, and had only a few years with them. 
Sad for the children, too.  They need a man's influence."
   "They're all under HIS influence in Gull Cottage!" Claymore muttered.

   Harriet raised her eyebrows.  "His?  Oh, you mean, the Captain's? 
Why, how ROMANTIC!"
   "Romantic?  He's DEAD.  And he's a blasted nuisance!" Claymore burst
out.  "We just HAVE to find a way to get rid of him!  Then I can
demolish the house, which is probably full of dry rot, and the taxes on
the property would drop drastically!"
   Looking thoughtful, Harriet pondered the problem.  "As I see it,
Carolyn must be made to see that by believing the Captain is still
haunting Gull Cottage, she is perpetuating the myth of ghosts in
Schooner Bay.  To be living in a haunted house certainly can't be
healthy for the children ..."
   "I'd say it's very UNHEALTHY for everyone!" Claymore insisted.
   "You could be right." Harriet agreed.  "She's building this Captain
up in her mind, falling in love with him, and heading for a horrible
breakdown if she isn't careful!  How could she possibly think that just
because he's already dead, a ghost would be a safe person to love?  Why,
he could do ANYTHING to her!  And what if he ever harmed the children? 
No, she MUST leave Gull Cottage.  I know Carolyn would do anything for
the children.  That's why she left Philadelphia, she said.  Don't you
have any other houses she could rent, just supposing we can get her out
of Gull Cottage and she still refuses to leave Schooner Bay?"
   "Well, yes.  Just down the road.  Mr. Hampton has one of my houses,
but there's one vacant next door to his at the moment."
   "So, tell her she has to move.  You can no longer rent Gull Cottage
to her."
   "I can't tell her that.  She'll just remind me that she has a lease."

   "When does it expire?"
   "She signs a new one in three months."
   "Perfect." Harriet smiled.
   "Perfect?"
   "Of course.  You just refuse to extend it."
   "I do?"  Claymore looked puzzled, then elated.  "Yes, of course!  I
DO!  Once she can't hold the lease over my head, there surely is nothing
he can do when I tell her she can move into another house!"
   "Who he?"
   "The Ca... the gh... never mind." Claymore stammered.  Then he smiled
at Harriet.  "You know, you are very intelligent.  I do believe we were
meant to be a couple, don't you?"
   "Of course."  She put her hand over his, and her thumb moved in
circles over his skin.  "But tell me, what will the other women in
Schooner Bay think of me, simply waltzing in and making off with the
most eligible bachelor?" Harriet spoke coyly again.
   "What does that matter?" Claymore chuckled, putting his arm around
her.  "Let's get on with the waltz!  I'll thank Cupid for THIS
Valentine's Day for the rest of my life!  Shall we head over to the
judge's chambers?  I'm sure he would take us on short notice, after all,
I've worked with him before.  I graduated from law school, you know."
   "You did?  I'm impressed." Harriet clasped her hands together in awe.

   "You should be." Claymore boasted.  "I even got Mrs. Muir off when
she was arrested for interfering with government property."
   "Really?  Carolyn never mentioned that!  Arrested?"
   "Without my wonderful rhetoric and unfailing support, she'd probably
STILL be doing time for trying to smash that bulldozer." Claymore puffed
his chest out even more as he ushered Harriet outside and down the
street toward the courthouse.  He was on his way to be married!  And
with Harriet by his side, he was INVINCIBLE!  Even the Captain would
never be able to touch him after this!  Cupid deserved some of the
credit, certainly, but if it hadn't been for his own charm, Harriet
wouldn't have returned to Schooner Bay.  Oh, happy day!
        * * * * * * *
   By the time they reached the courthouse, Claymore was having second
thoughts.  Oh, not about the marriage!  No, no, no!  But, well, he
thought he would rather like to have someone he knew be a witness.  And
he thought it would be nice for Harriet to have her cousin stand up with
her.  As a surprise.  To both of them.  Yes, that is what he would do. 
He would just call Mrs. Muir and ask her to come on down to the
courthouse, but not tell her the bride's name.  That reminded him, he
would have to find out what Harriet's full name WAS.  Maybe if he paid
attention during the short ceremony ...
   Making up his mind, he turned to Harriet.  "Would you excuse me for a
minute, please?  I just have to, uh, wash my hands."
   "Of course, but .." Harriet looked after him with a puzzled
expression.
   Claymore hastened to a pay phone then looked around and spied an open
door leading to one of the offices.  "Please, may I use the phone? 
It'll just take a minute -- it's a matter of life and death ... MINE!"
   Without waiting for an answer from the astonished clerk, he grabbed
the phone and dialed.  "Mrs. Muir?  Oh, Martha, please, I need to speak
to Mrs. Muir, it's urgent ...  Mrs. Muir?  I ... I just thought you
should know ... umm, this is Claymore Gregg calling, by the way ... you
know?  I'm flattered ... oh.  Well, actually, I'm, ah, at the courthouse
... NO, I'm not in jail!  Certainly not!  I said at the courthouse, not
the jail!  I just thought I'd tell you that I'll soon be committed to a
life sentence." he gave a short, nervous laugh.  "Life sentence, yes,
that's what I said.  Is Old Spookface around?  I'd like him to be the
first to know ... yes, put him on, please .... ohhh, I hate it when you
call me that, Captain!  Listen, can Mrs. Muir still hear?  Hold the
phone and get close so you can both hear what I'm going to say ... I'm
getting married, and Mrs. Muir, I'd like you to be one of the witnesses
...  Mrs. Muir?  Mrs. Muir?" He looked around and sure enough, the
Captain was standing behind him, glowering at him.  Dropping the phone,
he gave a sickly smile to the clerk and sidled out of the office.  The
Captain paced after him slowly and menacingly.
               * * * * * * * * *
   It seemed forever to Claymore until Mrs. Muir was running up the
steps of the courthouse, yet when he glanced at his watch, he realized
it had only been ten minutes.  He had been trying to keep that horrible
great-uncle of his at bay, and wondering what Harriet would think of him
having deserted her to all intents and purposes.
   "Oh, Mrs. Muir, thank you for coming!  You don't know what this means
to me!" he darted out of the brightly-lit supply closet he had been
hiding in, and snagged Mrs. Muir, pulling her into the closet and
shutting the door behind them.
   "Claymore, what are you doing?  Where is the Captain?"
   "I don't know, and I hope he's not here.  Listen, Mrs. Muir, we have
to go find her, my beloved.  I had to leave her to phone you, and that
GHOST has been floating around here, with murder on his brain.  My poor,
dear, sweet Harriet will be frantic!"
   "Harriet?  Claymore, let me out of this closet!"
   "Please, Mrs. Muir, just give me a minute to explain.  Yes, Harriet."

   "She's your ... bride-to-be?"
   "Yes."
   "Harriet who?"
   "Mrs. Muir, I wished you hadn't asked that.  Harriet ... ummm ...
It's, well, it's your own cousin, Harriet, that's who."
   "My cousin Harriet!" Carolyn clutched Claymore's arms.  "What do you
mean, MY COUSIN Harriet?  You can't marry her!"
   "Please, Mrs. Muir, you're bending the material, and this is the suit
I have to get married in, to say nothing of the Valentine's Dance
tonight!"  He brushed her off, fastidiously straightening the sleeves of
his jacket.
   "Claymore!"
   "Oh, very well.  Yes, it's Harriet.  You know we hit it off when she
was here before.  I guess my charm and natural wonderfulness just sort
of, you know, insinuated itself into her brain, and, well, she came up
to see me.  When I saw her again this afternoon, I just knew she was the
one."
   "Cupid!" Carolyn groaned.
   "No, not Cupid.  Harriet.  And me, Claymore Gregg, late playboy of
Schooner Bay.  Oh, not late like the Captain, of course, but, well, you
know what I mean.  From now on, I serve another goddess.  Harriet!"
   "Claymore, are you SURE?  You know that Cupid ... Not that I'm saying
anything against Harriet, of course, but ..."
   "It's not that, Mrs. Muir." Claymore suddenly sounded very serious. 
"Really, it's not Cupid.  No, I just realized that, well, the Captain
was right all these years.  He has called me spineless and a ninny and
... and just about every name under the sun.  And, well, I've probably
deserved them all, but I know I deserve this, too.  Mrs. Muir, I deserve
a chance to be happy.  To be part of a family.  And I know I've bugged
you ever since you came to Gull Cottage, but you were so kind to me when
I stayed there ... well, I'd like to call you cousin.  And I can, you
know, sort of defend you against the rest of the family when they come
howling down trying to get you to leave Gull Cottage because it's
haunted.  Because I know you love him.  You two ... well, you fit.  The
way I hope that Harriet and I will fit.  I love her, Mrs. Muir.  Strange
as it may seem, I really DO love her.  It has nothing to do with Cupid,
and everything to do with Harriet.  And, well, she loves me.  That's
even stranger, I know.  I know I'm not suave, sophisticated like the
Captain.  I'm fairly handsome, I must say, but I'm not him.  You've
never looked at me the way you look at HIM.  Not many women have.  But
that doesn't matter anymore, because Harriet has.  She has looked at
that portrait, the one you looked at that very first day when you called
him magnificent and handsome, and she was more impressed with the live,
flesh and blood Gregg.  Me."
   "Oh, Claymore ..." Carolyn sighed.  He was very convincing.  "But it
makes things rather ... difficult, you realize.  I mean, the Captain
..."
   "Yes, I know.  And, well, Mrs. Muir, I feel I must warn you ...
Harriet knows you're in love with the Captain, and she knows he's a
ghost.  And she knows WHY you love him."
   "Harriet knows ... Claymore!" Carolyn was dazed for a moment. 
"Claymore, how can ... I mean, she can't know that I ... WHAT makes you
think I love the Captain?  That's ... crazy!"  She fervently hoped she
was having a nightmare and that this interview was not really happening.

   "Please, Mrs. Muir, can we leave this discussion?  I really must find
Harriet!  I was just going to wash my hands!  Well, that's what I told
her.  You know, I couldn't tell her ..."
   "GET OUT OF THERE, YOU MINDLESS, WITLESS EXCUSE FOR A WINDBAG!" the
Captain's voice came booming through the closet and the door swung open
to crash against the wall.
   Claymore squealed and was propelled out into the hallway by an
invisible hand.  He came face to face with Harriet.  "Oh, oh, Harriet,
I'm so glad to see you!  You'll save me from him, won't you?  I mean ...
look who I found just, you know, hanging around the courthouse!  Your
cousin!"
   "Harriet?" Only Carolyn heard the Captain's incredulous whisper. 
"Old Snoopy??"
   Harriet smiled at Claymore, then her hands went out to Carolyn, "Oh,
my dear, DEAR Carolyn!  I don't know how you heard, but I am so glad you
came to be with us!  If my own dear twin sister can't be with me, our
dearest cousin is a good substitute.  But I'm forgetting your sorrow in
the midst of my own joy!  Carolyn, please, tell me, dear, how are you
holding up under this second tragedy?  Oh, I know, you're being brave
and stoic as usual, but never fear.  I, Harriet, am here now to help you
through this terrible, TERRIBLE pain you've been forced to bear once
again!"
   "Harriet ..." Carolyn submitted to being hugged tightly and kissed,
then she pushed back a bit.  "What tragedy?"
   "Oh, Claymore here has told me the tragic tale of your Captain's
death.  My dear, why haven't you told anyone?  You should not have to
bear a second tragedy like this alone!  It is too much to ask of anyone,
and you KNOW you have family willing and eager to help you!"
   Carolyn glared at Claymore before saying to Harriet, "The ... the
Captain's death?"
   "Yes.  It must be so hard on you, to have seen TWO men you love die
so needlessly.  Oh, but I must say it's surprising how WELL you look for
being under such stress and strain!  You must have gained a little more
weight!   Perhaps that's eating to drown your sorrow.  Really, my dear,
you look SO much better than you did in Philadelphia after Bobby's
death.  Well, I suppose that answers my question, doesn't it?  Obviously
living in Schooner Bay and being in love yet again does something for
you."
   Carolyn flushed.  "Be - being in love?  Harriet, you know ..."
   "Madam, may I ask who you are supposedly in love with NOW?" the
Captain growled.
   "Oh, Claymore couldn't keep it a secret from ME." Harriet simpered at
Claymore again, wagging her finger playfully.  "He told me all about the
Captain.  Not his brother, the Captain.  The other one.  The illusion."
   This was too much for Captain Gregg.  He materialized in the hallway
behind Harriet, and growled, "There is, and always has been, only ONE
Captain Gregg, Madam!"
   Harriet jumped and swung around.  Claymore dodged behind Mrs. Muir,
earning him another glare.  Harriet stared at the Captain for a moment,
then gasped,  "You're Claymore's brother!"
   "I most certainly am NOT!"
   She ignored him.  "You didn't die after all!"
   "I did, and I have a death certificate to prove it!"
   "You mean, you really ARE a ... a ..."  Harriet's eyes were huge.
   "The word is ghost, madam."
   "But ... but there's no such THING as ghosts!" she almost whimpered. 
"They're not REAL!  Ghosts are just illusions!"
   "Don't I wish," grumbled Claymore.  Seeing the glare the Captain shot
at him, Claymore stiffened.  "Well, I DO wish ghosts didn't exist!" he
cried petulantly.  "Specifically YOU!"
   The Captain's jaw clenched, but he spoke rather mildly, "I could wish
that YOU did not exist, but I do not have that option either."
   "Oh, please, must we have this needless bickering?" Carolyn
interrupted.
   Harriet drew in a ragged breath, then swallowed and straightened her
shoulders.  "You're right, of course, Carolyn.  It IS needless.  We are
simply going to have to pretend that Captain Gregg is not here.  After
all, as an illusion, he ISN'T really here!  Maybe ignoring him will make
him angry enough that he will leave."
   "Leave?" Claymore's voice was hopeful.
   "No." Carolyn and the Captain both spoke at once, very quietly and
very sure of themselves.
   "I don't want him to leave." Carolyn continued.
   "But, my dear, really, you must see how this looks!  I mean, you
obviously love him because he's safe.  HE won't die like the others and
leave you alone.  But what will the family say?  The community?  They'll
think you are going crazy, loving and living with a ghost!  Carolyn,
dear, you really MUST think of your reputation ... as a mother ... as a
writer ... as a living WOMAN!" Harriet spoke passionately.
   "Harriet," Carolyn took a deep breath, then said, "You must know that
I am not going crazy.  If you told anyone about this, you KNOW they
would think you were making it up.  I don't even think Hazel would
believe you, but I'm sure you'll tell her.  If you want to be Harriet
Gregg, and live here in Schooner Bay with Claymore, you certainly have
my blessing, but ...."
   "Well, she does not have MINE!" growled the Captain.
   Ignoring him, Carolyn went on, "but you will never, NEVER, do you
hear?, do anything to jeopardize my reputation in Schooner Bay or
anywhere else by making remarks about me living with Captain Gregg. 
Yes, I love him.  But, as has been pointed out ad nauseam today, he is
merely an illusion.  What is more, he will now be part of your family."
   "Are you REALLY an illusion, Captain?"  Suddenly Harriet turned coy,
and peeped up at the Captain.  "After all, Carolyn is protesting an
awful lot about this.  And you're rather ... solid-looking for a
supposed gho ..." she poked the Captain in the chest, and her hand went
right through him.  Without another word, her eyes rolled back in her
head, and she keeled over.  Claymore caught her before she hit the
floor.
   Looking up wildly, Claymore cried out, "You've done enough to ruin my
wedding day!  Please, Captain Gregg, can't you leave?"
   "My dear boy," suddenly the Captain was expansive and helpful.  "I
certainly cannot leave!  Why, you need TWO witnesses for the wedding, do
you not?  I could do nothing less for you than to stand beside you at
such a time as this."
   "Captain..." Carolyn and Claymore spoke together, Carolyn with a
warning note in her voice, and Claymore with a frantic terror evident in
HIS.
   "No, no, I insist, my boy." the Captain waved his hand regally.  "No
need to thank me."
   Carolyn put her face in her hands and moaned.  Why did such things
have to happen to HER!  Then she heard Martha's voice behind her.  "What
is going on here?  Mrs. Muir?  Is anything the matter?  You ran out of
Gull Cottage in a fearful hurry, I just had to follow to see if there
was anything I could do to help."
   Carolyn raised a rather pale face.  "No, nothing's wrong.  Much." she
said.
   "I'm getting married," Claymore said, importantly.  "If Harriet
recovers from this faint in time.  Our appointment is in four minutes. 
And yes, you can do something to help.  You can be a witness with Mrs.
Muir.  I don't think HIS signature would count for a hill of beans! 
Besides, I don't want anything to  spoil this day for me!"
   "Claymore?" Harriet's voice was weak.  "Claymore, he's really a ... a
ghost!"
   Claymore grimaced.  "I know.  But Harriet, together we can conquer
anything.  Even him."
   "Do not count on it." the Captain muttered.
   Claymore paid no attention to him for once.  "Harriet, how are you
feeling?  Can you get up now?  We have to hurry, or we'll lose our time
slot.  The judge said he's so busy today that he won't re-book us if we
miss it."
   "Last chance to change your mind and not join this happy family." the
Captain's voice was jovial.
   Harriet took a deep breath, then averted her eyes from him and looked
at Claymore and Carolyn.  "Hazel and I were just talking the other day,
about how we were afraid love was passing us by.  We decided that we
would have to, well, DO something about it this Valentine's Day.  She
has been seeing someone in Philadelphia, and she was going to see him
today and be as bold as I was and suggest eloping.  I realize that it
sounds like I'd take just anyone, but really, you know, I, well, I DO
love you, Claymore."
   "And I love you." he responded gallantly.
   "Well, then, what are we waiting far?  Oh, but we have to celebrate
this occasion ... a supper ... a dance ... I promised Hazel that even if
she couldn't be with us, we would do something and tell her about it
later.  She's going to do the same thing in Philadelphia.  Twins do
that, you know.  Plan things together.  When you're as sensitive and as
romantic as Hazel and I are.  So really, we MUST celebrate our wedding
properly, don't you agree?  I mean, it IS the festival of love today!"
   "I have that covered, my dear." Claymore grinned.  "There's a
Valentine Dance in town tonight, with a wonderful feast.  What more
could we ask to start our married life than a free party hosted by the
entire town of Schooner Bay?"
   Carolyn caught Martha's eye and both smothered a smile.  It was not
going to be an easy future for the next while, but it would certainly
not be dull!
   "Shall we?" Claymore held out his arm to Harriet and she took it,
clinging to him happily.
   The two made their way into the judge's chambers and, in the presence
of Martha, Carolyn and Captain Gregg, they pledged their troth, each to
the other.  Schooner Bay would never be the same.