Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, and I make no money from this work of fiction!
GAMM/NANNY CROSSOVER
September 1972
"Scruffy! Scruffy, come back here!" Jonathan and Candy yelled in unison as Scruffy tore down the beach, barking wildly at the big sheepdog frolicking in the waves.
Carolyn shook her head at the ferocious, somewhat misguided watchdog tendencies the little terrier exhibited, and followed her offspring towards the dogs. Three other children appeared by the sheepdog, shouting as well, and the figure of a woman joined them. Wondering idly who would be down on what Carolyn thought of as her private beach, she suddenly realized it had to be the Everett family who had come to Schooner Bay from California for a few months. Professor Harold Everett had been invited to teach for the fall term at the Schooner Bay College, and it was rumoured that the family planned to be in residence at least until Christmas. Claymore had been delighted to rent one of his summer cottages, since usually they were left vacant all winter, so the Everetts were housed next to Mr. Hampton. Both Jonathan and Candy had been anxiously awaiting the new family's arrival, since they would be new neighbours for the Muirs as well. Carolyn also had looked forward to meeting the newcomers, especially since she had been given the dubious pleasure of being the liaison between the PTA and Professor Everett, who had agreed to spend a portion of his time in Schooner Bay in both the grammar school and the high school promoting the higher study of mathematics.
As she drew closer, Carolyn studied the woman who was dressed in a dark blue cape and matching helmet-type hat and earnestly speaking. Then she realized with a start that it was the DOGS the stranger was addressing, not the children.
"Waldo, you behave now! We can all be friends, Scruffy. Waldo knows he is on your territory, but everyone needs a friend, as I'm sure you know." the woman was saying to the small animal. Scruffy sat in front of her, his head tilted to one side as if considering her words. The sheepdog sat, too, his tongue hanging out as he panted.
"How'd you know his name was Scruffy?" Jonathan asked, surprised.
"He couldn't be named anything else, could he now, Jonathan?" the woman smiled at Jonathan's astonishment at the use of his name, too. "Besides, he told Waldo his name, and I must confess, I just overheard it."
"Dogs don't talk." Candy said, slowly, as if testing the stranger's mood for an argument.
"They do to Nanny," the little girl said stubbornly.
"Or so she says," grinned the tallest boy. "And sometimes it seems as if she's right!" He shrugged off that strange phenomenon, and added, "I'm Hal Everett. This is my sister Prudence and my brother Butch. And Nanny."
"You call your mother Nanny?" Jonathan said.
"We don't have a mother." Prudence sighed.
"We don't have a father," returned Jonathan, in like manner.
Prudence gazed at Jonathan again, wide-eyed. Then she smiled and said rather shyly, "But we have a nanny, and she's MAGIC!"
"Prudence!" the woman remonstrated, but her smile took the sting out of the words.
"Gee! Well ... WE have a gh ..." Jonathan began, trying to top the little girl's comments.
"Jonathan!" Candy blurted, stopping him from saying anything more.
Then Carolyn was close enough to speak. "Hello! I'm Carolyn Muir, and these two rude youngsters belong to me." She held out her hand.
The other woman smiled warmly as she shook Carolyn's hand. "My name is Phoebe Figalilly, but generally everyone calls me Nanny. And Candy and Jonathan weren't really being rude. We just surprised them, and like all children, they have a healthy curiosity!"
"How did you know our names?" demanded Candy.
"Yeah, how? I bet Scruffy didn't tell you." Jonathan laughed.
"He probably did." Butch rolled his eyes. "Don't bother asking Nanny questions, cause she hardly ever answers. You'll see. Hey, if you're the Muirs, that means you live in the haunted house, right?"
"Oh, brother." Candy said, impatiently tossing her head. "That old story again?"
Hal snickered. "Everyone knows there's no such thing as ghosts."
"Everyone SAYS there is at Gull Cottage! They say old Gregg is still hanging around! Just because you can't test them scientifically doesn't mean ghosts don't exist, DOES it, Nanny?" Butch cried.
"Look at the dogs!" Nanny changed the subject and drew the children's attention to the dogs. "They've become fast friends. Maybe that can be a lesson for us as well."
With an inward smile of amusement, Carolyn noted that Nanny hadn't answered Butch's question, proving the boy's claim about how she tended to treat questions. Then she looked at the dogs. Scruffy and Waldo were chasing each other around, in and out of the waves, tails wagging happily. The children all ran after them, laughing at the antics of both dogs. Carolyn smiled again at Nanny, whose face was alight with friendliness. She had noted the other woman's precise English accent, fresh peaches and cream complexion and silky fall of blonde hair only slightly darker than Carolyn's. She wondered how old Nanny was. She appeared to be a few years younger than Carolyn was herself, yet something in Nanny's blue eyes suggested a certain "wisdom of the ages" which for some reason reminded Carolyn of Captain Gregg.
"That COULD be the British influence, you know." Nanny said, softly. "We come from a very old race."
Astonished, Carolyn said, "Excuse me?" She hadn't spoken out loud, had she? "What do you mean?"
Nanny didn't answer. Instead, with another inscrutable smile focussed over Carolyn's shoulder, she looked back, then said, "Oh, here comes the Professor. Children!" Turning, Nanny urged her three to come along.
Carolyn wondered what had made Nanny think they had to leave, but just then she heard the faint sound of a car door coming from the direction of the rental cottages. Then the car came along Bay Road, stopping opposite the people on the beach. A tall, dark-haired man leaned out the window and called, "Nanny! Are you ready to go to Schooner Bay to shop?"
"We're coming, Professor!" Nanny called back. She smiled again at Carolyn. "Come and meet the Professor, Mrs. Muir. It will be nice for you to meet him informally when you will be doing so much together in the next few months."
"You ... you know that already?"
"Well, of course. After all, being on the PTA and living so close ... and being a fellow outsider to the town, it's fairly obvious, isn't it? Who else could they get to work with him? It only makes sense!"
"I suppose it does." Carolyn couldn't shake her confused state. She followed everyone up to the road. When the Professor realized she was coming too, he climbed out of the car. Carolyn caught her breath for a moment. He was incredibly handsome! Not that it mattered, of course! She was not interested in anyone ... was she?
Nanny introduced them, and the Professor's face relaxed into a wide smile. "Mrs. Muir! I'm delighted to meet you. I was given your name, of course, and told you are to be the liaison between the PTA and myself. I must say, I've never seen a lovelier liaison!" his eyes revealed his admiration.
Carolyn smiled back at him, "Flatterer! How could you possibly see anything more lovelier than Miss Figalilly here?" Both Nanny and the Professor were startled by that comment, she could tell, and for a moment she felt as if she had put her foot in it. But why?
Then the Professor recovered, gallantly agreeing with Carolyn's assessment. "I must be blind, you're quite right. Tell me, Mrs. Muir, with all this loveliness to look at," he grinned as he waved his hand at the sea before them, "how do you get any work done?"
Carolyn laughed. "It takes quite a bit of effort, some days!"
"I'm sure of it. I do hope we won't be keeping you away from it TOO much! Well, it was delightful to meet you. Perhaps we can get the crew together for a meal soon?"
"Actually, Martha, my housekeeper, was hoping you could come tomorrow night," Carolyn said. The Captain had thundered for a few hours when hearing of the pending invitation, and she almost expected to hear more thunder now. She knew he was near, she could sense him. But he made no protest. That, in itself, was most unusual!
"Delightful!" Nanny smiled first beyond Carolyn, then right at her. "I'm so looking forward to getting to know you all."
"I am, too." Carolyn agreed. "Tomorrow at 5:30? We live just over there." and she pointed to Gull Cottage.
"Perfect! Nanny's car is arriving at the train station on the 5:00 train, so we can get it home then walk up to your place."
"Your car?"
"Yes. The Professor felt that the cross-country drive would be too much for Arabella, but I really couldn't be here without a car of my own, now could I? So he kindly had her shipped." Nanny explained.
"Arabella?"
"Just wait until you see her," the Professor laughed. "And now we'd better get in to town before the stores close. Until tomorrow, Mrs. Muir." the Professor turned and called for the children to hurry up from the beach.
Jonathan, Candy and Scruffy remained down on the beach, playing in the waves. As Carolyn waved goodbye to the Everett family, she realized the Captain had materialized beside her.
"Goodbye to our peace and quiet for a while," he said thoughtfully, gazing after the departing car.
"You seem resigned and not especially angry about it. May I ask why you have changed your mind about them?" Carolyn queried.
"She's a rare beauty," he said, his mind obviously not on what Carolyn was saying.
"Isn't she a little young for you?" Carolyn winced at the slightly waspish tone in her voice. Shades of Vanessa!
"I'm about the same age as HE is ... And we were born the same century." was the Captain's lofty response.
"You were born in the last century, and I doubt HE was! And I was talking about HER."
"So was I, Mrs. Muir. So was I." And with those quiet words, the Captain disappeared.
Carolyn stared out over the ocean. What had the Captain meant by that? That ... Nanny had been born in the last century? Absurd! Oh, she had been so confused by the entire last half hour. The Everett children obviously believed Nanny talked with animals. Ridiculous. Yet ... Nanny herself, the look in her eyes which reminded Carolyn of Captain Gregg, the way she seemed to KNOW things ... Then Carolyn shook herself. Nanny had seemed very pleasant, and Carolyn truly hoped she would find a good friend in the other woman. Schooner Bay definitely had its pluses, but she missed having a real woman friend close by. A friend her own age, she amended, knowing that Martha was a true friend indeed.
The month of September seemed to fly by with the starting of school, helping the Everetts adjust to small town life on the other side of the continent from their home, celebrating Prudence's seventh birthday and, of course, Carolyn's writing. She still wrote articles, but her book of the Captain's Memoirs had just recently been released, and seemed to be doing very well, so she could relax a bit in terms of finances.
The two families seemed to fit very well together: Hal was the oldest by almost three years, then Candy, Butch and Jonathan were all a year apart, and Prudence was three years behind them. Martha and Carolyn thoroughly enjoyed getting together with Nanny and the Professor, and Carolyn found she had a great deal in common with the Professor. They became very good friends.
The Professor had mentioned that he really enjoyed golfing, and Carolyn had arranged for him to join the Golf and Country Club at Keystone. She had gone with him the first time, but since she didn't particularly enjoy the game at the best of times, and because the Captain made such a fuss about her going, Carolyn had begged off further games.
The Muirs heard all about "back home in California" and the Fowlers next door, then the Everetts were introduced to Mrs. Shoemaker at the Seafarer's Games on the twenty-fifth. Martha had already bustled off with Ed when Mrs. Shoemaker came up and insisted on being introduced to Nanny. Mrs. Shoemaker made a big thing of Nanny's accent and her background, and Nanny was as sweet and polite and non-committal as ever. As Mrs. Shoemaker left, even the Professor conceded that the woman was very much like Mrs. Fowler.
"Thank goodness we've moved away from Francine at LAST!" young Hal muttered. "Maybe I'll be out of that mess when I get back. It's so awful when a girl hangs around wanting to be saved all the time, wanting to have a guy making eyes at her ..."
"Awful." agreed Candy, nodding emphatically. "I know a girl like that. Better stay away from Penelope Hassenhammer while you're here."
"And hope Candy doesn't fall in love with you, 'cause she can be REAL dopey, like she was with Mark Helmore!" Jonathan snickered. Candy punched him in the arm, and they tussled a bit before Jonathan gasped in defeat, "But Candy's not like that any more! She grew up!"
Butch and Hal laughed.
Prudence eyed the bigger children, then suddenly said, "When I grow up, I want to marry Jonathan." Everyone stared at her. She tossed her head, and smiled at her horrified chosen groom. "By then, you'll be grown up, too."
The three grownups had moved on a little further by now, Carolyn smiling to herself at the memory of her son's face when Prudence had made her announcement.
"Madam, women are starting earlier and earlier to make their choices known." the Captain's voice came to her. Carolyn looked around quickly to see if anyone else was paying attention. The Professor was pointing out something to Nanny, and the Captain was watching the two intently.
"Are you here for the day, Captain?" Carolyn asked.
"Perhaps." Then he smiled. "Listen to the children -- they're talking about what it means to be grown up!"
"Nanny is really 108 years old. We found her passport that said she was born Apr. 18, 1864. She doesn't look it, and tried to hide it, of course, and make us think we were wrong, but ..." Butch said in a loud whisper.
"1864? That's impossible." Candy scoffed.
"Nanny says nothing is impossible." Butch said. "I saw the passport first. I know what I saw!"
"She'd be close to the Captain, then. When he was alive. He was born a long time ago, too" Jonathan said.
"But Nanny's real." Hal said.
"So's the Captain!" insisted Jonathan. "Just because you haven't seen him doesn't mean he's not real!"
"Nanny's alive!" Butch said.
"Yeah, and your ghost ISN'T." said Hal.
There was no answer to that.
Then Prudence said, "Anyway, Nanny said that if she really WERE that old, she would probably not tell anyone, cause a lot of people would make a lot of fuss if she did, and Nanny doesn't like being fussed over."
"Just like Mom." said Candy.
Carolyn looked at the Captain. "A hundred and EIGHT? That can't be right!" And yet, the Captain HAD said something about being born in the same century. No, it couldn't be!
"I hardly think so. And yet ..."
"Oh, Captain, really ..." suddenly Carolyn realized that Nanny and the Professor were looking at her, and she broke off her words and tried to smile.
"Can we go off and watch the events by ourselves, Mom? We'll be careful, and won't fall off the pier." Candy begged.
"Yeah, Dad, can we go? Please, Nanny?"
"I suppose. Are you taking both dogs?" Carolyn asked, dubiously. "What if they get into another scrap?"
"Oh, Waldo and Scruffy are firm friends now, Mrs. Muir." Nanny smiled. "Waldo will listen to Scruffy. He had it on the best authority that it never pays to argue with a terrier, since they always insist on having the last word!"
"And Waldo told you that, I'm sure." the Professor grinned.
"Why, Professor, however did you know that?" Nanny looked at him, surprised at his insight.
"Oh ... just psychic." he smiled rather wickedly, then winked audaciously at Carolyn. Obviously he really didn't believe a word of it.
Carolyn laughed, and the three went on, Carolyn acutely conscious of the Captain at her side. It bothered her to realize that instead of having much of his attention focussed on her, as had been the norm for the last few years, he was watching Nanny. Tossing her head and telling herself she didn't care, Carolyn concentrated on the Professor, who was more than able and willing to pour soothing balm on her wounded feelings. He was such a nice man, she thoroughly enjoyed all the time she spent in his company. But still, in the back of her mind, she wondered why the Captain was not making his usual fuss about the Professor's obvious interest in her. Any time before when a man had come calling, the Captain had done his best to scuttle the relationship. Except when he had decided that she should marry Blair. THEN he had attempted to 'facilitate' a marriage against Carolyn's own desires! What could POSSIBLY be going on in Captain's Gregg's mind now?
After cheering on the contestants in the Games and playing some of the games in the arcade, the group decided to go back home. A day out in the open air was debilitating for all of them, no matter how in shape they felt they were! As they were sauntering back to the Muirs' station wagon, the Professor turned to Carolyn. "By the way, we finished your book last night, Mrs. Muir. Jonathan lent it to us. The one about Captain Gregg? Since we all wanted to read it, we've been reading it aloud at night. We ALL love it. And you write as though you knew him personally. You have a great gift." the Professor said.
"You do indeed! And you had a marvellous subject." Nanny added quickly. Again she seemed to be smiling warmly at someone else. Carolyn resisted the urge to turn to see if the Captain had materialized beside her.
"Yes." the Professor concurred. "He sounds like an incredible man. The true epitome of an able-bodied seaman! I was glad to hear the Master of Ceremonies give a brief history of him today. Imagine being acclaimed the Strongest Man in New England! Well, I suppose it was no wonder when he won these Seafarer's Games at the ripe old age of forty-plus ... and believe me, I KNOW how old that age feels! I DO wish I had had the opportunity to meet him in person. I'm so glad I met him through your book!"
"You DO sound like an astute man!" Somehow Carolyn had expected to hear the Captain's voice respond to the Professor's comments, and she wasn't disappointed. "You just might get your wish."
Carolyn threw him a startled glance, but he merely smiled, then disappeared again. Carolyn just couldn't figure out what the Captain's thoughts were, these days. She was not too pleased with his interest in Nanny, although she tried to talk herself out of feeling jealousy, reminding herself rather constantly of Vanessa. As for the Captain's seemingly easy dismissal of the Professor as a suitor for Carolyn, she wondered whether he just didn't care anymore, or whether having the Professor court Carolyn was not even a possibility in the Captain's mind!
As they walked through the town square, Nanny stopped at the foot of the statue of Captain Gregg. It had been erected just a few months before, and the Captain had been pleased to see he had been placed as if at the wheel of a ship. He was not quite so pleased with the fact that a telescope, sextant, harpoon, sword and book had been placed at his feet, grumbling that anyone might think he cluttered his deck with that sort of thing all the time.
Jonathan and Candy were eager to tell the story of the statue, and how originally it was supposed to be of a Captain Figg, who turned out to be "a real cowardly poltroon, just like the Captain said!"
"How come you keep quoting the Captain like he's real, Jonathan?" Butch asked. "Even Candy does it a little bit, but nothing like you!"
"No doubt he's been Jonathan's imaginary friend," the Professor smiled at him.
Jonathan opened his mouth to disagree, but caught Carolyn's eye and subsided rather mutinously.
Then Nanny spoke up, saying softly, "Captain Gregg's physical presence may be gone, but the thoughts and dreams of a strong man don't die with him. So his spirit lives on."
"That's what Mom said!" Candy exclaimed, and Carolyn's eyes flew to Nanny's. How had she known?
"See?" Jonathan challenged both Butch and Hal. "His spirit IS here!"
"But he isn't!" Hal folded his arms defiantly. "Except in this statue! Which is pretty neat, I must say." his conciliatory tone made Jonathan willing to give up the fight for now about the ghost of Captain Gregg.
"I think you're so brave to talk to a ghost and have him as a friend." Prudence looked adoringly at Jonathan, who shifted uncomfortably again.
Hal couldn't keep back a big grin as he informed Jonathan that now the younger boy knew JUST how he felt when Francine Fowler kept coming around and bugging him.
"Well, Prudence doesn't really bug me ..." Jonathan admitted, not wanting to hurt the little girl. She beamed up at him.
"She'd bug me. ANY girl would, who did that." Butch said. Carolyn heard a note in his voice, however, that made her think perhaps he was protesting too much. After all, no girl had ever fallen for HIM ... just Hal and Jonathan, it seemed!
"You know, I should like to meet Captain Gregg, sometime. I think his story is fascinating." Nanny said, dreamily staring up at the Captain's statue.
"Not possible, I'm afraid, Nanny!" the Professor grinned. "Even for you!"
"Now, Professor, you KNOW that nothing is impossible! Not if you have enough faith." Nanny said serenely.
"Or love!" piped up Prudence.
Nothing impossible with enough faith and love, thought Carolyn. She hoped that was true. She sincerely hoped it was true!
October 1972
Carolyn and Nanny became very good friends, as did the children. Soon all of the Everetts were quite at home in Gull Cottage, and the Muirs thought nothing of running down the road past Mr. Hampton's house to the cottage Professor Everett had rented. Carolyn had, of course, cautioned the children to avoid speaking of the Captain to the others, but she couldn't stop the school children from regaling the newcomers with tales of the haunted house. Nanny had occasionally mentioned to a non-committal Carolyn that she so wished she could meet the Captain, and she often spent her time in Gull Cottage staring dreamily at the portrait over the fireplace.
One morning, Nanny stopped by Gull Cottage to talk with Martha about arranging Hallowe'en costumes for the children. They had decided to go as a fierce band of pirates, who had captured a child. Prudence was the only one who had no interest in being a pirate, so the others thought it would be fun if they dressed her in the finery of a by-gone age, then put her in ropes and pretend she had been kidnapped. Prudence had agreed, as long as Jonathan was the one to be in charge of her. Hal had just rolled his eyes, then grinned at Jonathan. "Now you know how I feel about Francine."
"Well," Jonathan had eyed the little girl gazing trustfully up at him, "I guess I don't mind too much."
Carolyn had gone in to Schooner Bay to get some groceries, then she was meeting the Professor for lunch at Norrie's. Nanny sat at the kitchen table while Martha bustled about making a pot of tea.
"Being here in Schooner Bay has been wonderful for the Professor's children. They fit in so well with Jonathan and Candy, and it is good for them to experience something different. They have never lived so close to the ocean before. Where I come from, it was much like this. A small village by the sea ..." Nanny's voice grew wistful as she thought back. "Silly, but even after all these years, I still miss all the little shops ... especially the one where we'd get chocolate biscuits. However," she tried to shake the mood off, "one's home is where the heart is, isn't it? This is my family right now. And my job is to make it home for them, wherever the physical building is. But oh, those chocolate biscuits!" She sighed briefly, then smiled and thanked Martha who handed her a cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table with her. When she spoke of her childhood, it seemed as if it had happened decades ago, yet Nanny couldn't be much more than 30, Martha thought briefly.
"So you miss the cookies more than the people?" Martha asked dryly. Not for one second would she believe that Nanny cared more for food than loved ones. And Nanny had as good as said she loved the Everetts!
Nanny shrugged a little and sipped, saying nothing. Martha studied the attractive younger woman for a moment. Nanny reminded her slightly of Mrs. Muir, but she wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was because both were rather private people, keeping their deepest thoughts to themselves. Perhaps the resemblance lay in both of the women being interested in men who seemingly reciprocated their interest, but for one reason or another couldn't or wouldn't act on it. She decided to do a little digging. Slyly, she said, "The Professor is certainly a handsome, forceful man, isn't he? I was there when Mrs. Shoemaker accosted him about living in that small house with you, and did he really think three children were chaperone enough? He soon put her straight!"
Nanny laughed. "She has only one child, so I suppose she may not realize that children are EXCELLENT chaperones! Besides, the Professor has never thought of me in that way!"
"He's a man, isn't he? All men are alike, believe ME! But I must say, I think he's very nice, and you are in a rather enviable position. Of course, you're the right age, too, something I'm not. He's quite eligible, I'd say!"
Nanny's expression was bemused as she studied Martha. "My aunt Agatha said much the same thing about it, if I recall. I thought it amusing then, and I ..."
"Don't say it!" Martha put up her hand. "I know, you think it amusing now! Interesting that your aunt thought like me. He IS handsome and eligible, and I've seen how he looks at you."
Nanny blushed. "Martha, he doesn't see me as anything but a Nanny, and that's how it should be!" she protested. "Now," she continued, brightly, changing the subject, "tell me all about your cherry pie. I've heard it has done wonders for your romance with Mr. Peavey!"
It was Martha's turn to change colour. "That ridiculous man can't keep his mouth shut, can he? Imagine ... a beau at MY age!"
"He really loves you, Martha, but he still thinks he has all the time in the world to get married. He doesn't want to rush into anything that might seem rash."
"Hmmph. I'll have to rash him ..." Martha muttered, not realizing Nanny had skilfully maneuvered the conversation away from herself. She got up to fetch more tea.
Nanny looked up suddenly. "It's in the alcove."
"What is?" Martha turned to her in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
Just then the Captain appeared in the kitchen. "Martha, Jonathan had my sextant last and ... ah, forgive my intrusion. I did not realize you were occupied ..."
Nanny looked down at her cup as if studying the contents, a little smile curling her lips. Martha looked from the Captain to Nanny with a puzzled expression. Nanny couldn't see him, could she? The Captain prompted Martha quietly for the sextant, and she shrugged.
"Jonathan was showing me the Captain's sextant the other day. It's a fine instrument. He left it in the alcove, so perhaps you should fetch it and put it in its place." Nanny spoke quickly, looking at Martha. "Well, I must be off. Thank you for the tea, Martha."
"Any time!" Martha showed her to the door, then stood in the living room doorway and watched the Captain pick up his sextant from the chair in the alcove. "You know, Captain, I'm wondering if Mrs. Muir is right. Nanny does seem to have special powers!"
"Hmm." he was non-committal. "If you will excuse me, Martha, now that I have found what I have been searching for ..." and he disappeared.
"Well, I AM wondering!" Martha muttered as she went back to the kitchen. "About a lot of things. Not that anyone else seems inclined to be curious!"
As Nanny left the gate of Gull Cottage, she paused for a moment, then said quietly, "Good morning, Captain Gregg."
"Miss Figalilly," he acknowledged, appearing at her side.
"Please, call me Phoebe. So few people do."
"I would be honoured, Phoebe."
"I will be walking on the beach after lunch ... if you would care to join me." Nanny shot a quick glance at him, and smiled slowly.
"It would be my pleasure." he gave a little bow. "Until later."
Carolyn tried to ignore the thrill that ran over her at the touch of the Professor's hand on her back as he directed her to a booth at Norrie's. His touch put her on alert. What was she thinking? She was acting as if she were starved for physical love -- the love between men and women. This was ridiculous. She was here merely as the Professor's friend, and she wanted to keep it that way!
After they had ordered, the Professor said quietly, "I'm so glad you and Nanny have become such good friends. To tell the truth, I've been afraid that she will be leaving us soon. She appears to be friendly with everyone, but has no real CLOSE friends her age."
"People could probably say the same about me." Carolyn sipped at her coffee. She hesitated briefly, thinking it was none of her business, but decided to ask anyway. "What about dating? Nanny, I mean."
"She hasn't ... well, once she went out a couple of times with a colleague of mine. That was the strangest thing. I could have sworn she was serious about him and vice versa, but next thing I knew, he was off marrying his other sweetheart -- they'd been estranged for almost a year. How about you? Do you date?"
Carolyn hesitated. "I have ... a few times." she finally said, vaguely.
The Professor leaned closer. "But no one ... significant ... in the picture? Right now, I mean?"
Forcing a laugh, Carolyn looked away for a moment, then back. "How did we get off the topic of Nanny? And why just ME? How about you? I've heard you're considered somewhat of a Casanova!"
"I hardly think my reputation is that bad, Mrs. Muir!" He leaned back. "Very well, I must admit you're right. I really wanted to talk about Nanny. You know, she's engaged."
"What? And she still came across the country with you?"
"Well, I THINK she's engaged. Sort of. But they've postponed it for a while. I found out almost a year ago now."
"I think you've lost me. What do you mean?"
"I tried asking for the details, but, well, have you ever tried to ask Nanny ANYTHING and gotten a serious answer?"
"Oh, Professor Everett!" Carolyn laughed. "Yet after a year you still remember hearing about this mythical man?"
"He was no myth! I didn't just hear about him. I met him. We all did. To be honest, I've never forgotten him. He came asking ME for Nanny's hand in marriage, saying I was like her father in this country. Her FATHER!" Carolyn had to smile at the Professor's ire. "Then he said their marriage was fore-ordained. Predestined. Written in the stars!"
"Sounds poetic." Carolyn said, carefully.
"I simply tried, as any decent human being would, to make sure he would take care of her properly."
"In other words, you acted like her father." Carolyn couldn't resist the jibe.
"No! The man was impossible! He was putting words in my mouth, answering questions before I even figured out what I wanted to ask! And when I tried to ask about his home, the security he offered for a rainy day, and he only replied that his heart would be her home, his undying devotion her security, and he promised her a thousand umbrellas for a rainy day!" the Professor sounded disgusted.
"That's very romantic, I think." Carolyn said, softly. "And you remembered it."
"Rubbish." was his short answer, making her think of the Captain.
"You know, Professor, it sounds to ME as if you are still jealous of the man."
"Jealous! Me?"
Now he REALLY sounded like the Captain, thought Carolyn. Why was it so many men hated to have a woman think he might have emotions and feelings for another? Yet as far as Carolyn was concerned, Nanny and the Professor would be a good match! "But she didn't marry him?"
"No. Fortunately her parents sent her a note saying that she was to make up her own mind."
"And she chose to stay with you rather than be married and have her own family."
"We ARE her family!" Then he stopped for a moment and looked thoughtful. "She DID give up rather a lot for us, didn't she?"
"Yet the marriage was only postponed? Or cancelled?"
"I don't know." Now the Professor looked grim. "I should find out, I suppose."
"Tell him to mind his own blasted business! Phoebe knows perfectly well what she is doing!" the Captain interrupted their tete-a-tete with a blistering comment that made Carolyn jump.
She shot him a glare, then said hesitantly to the Professor, "I'd think twice about interfering, myself." She twisted her coffee cup and found herself wondering why the Captain was so quick to jump to Nanny's defence. When had he started referring to her as Phoebe? And how did he know what Nanny was thinking, anyway? Had he shown himself to her? Had Nanny gotten her wish to meet the Captain?
Carolyn got the answer to one of her questions that very afternoon.
"I'm so glad you agreed to meet me, Captain Gregg." Nanny said, before turning to see the spirit who had materialized behind her.
"The pleasure is all mine, Phoebe," he returned gallantly.
The two smiled at each other in perfect agreement. What need of small talk between them? It was as though they knew each other, and had always known each other.
"It is my understanding that you are betrothed, Phoebe, and have been since your birth." the Captain said, revealing his knowledge of her people. "Yet you have been with the Everetts for a number of years. That is longer than usual, might I assume?"
"That's right."
"So we both know what it is like to genuinely love the one to whom we are betrothed, then suddenly meet the one we know has been destined for us and realize that love has many different aspects."
Nanny bent her head in agreement. She did not ask about the Captain's betrothed, it was not necessary. She knew he had met Carolyn Muir long after his death, and was now faced with a dilemma even worse than her own with the Professor. Were there a master plan for everyone's destiny written in stone, the Professor and Mrs. Muir logically should marry and live happily ever after. She herself would move on to another family. The Captain ... the Captain would remain alone in Gull Cottage. He had lived his life, and reasonably could not expect any more.
She found that, not surprisingly, she did not want to talk of herself or the situations in which both she and the Captain found themselves. It was too painful. Instead, Nanny encouraged him to tell her about his travels as the Captain of a ship. He complied willingly, striding along by her side. His subtly accented voice was smooth and rich, quiet and sensual. It drew her in, held her in a sort of spell, turned her inside out with nameless longings. Perhaps, instead of being a nanny, she was destined to remain with him? However, his descriptions of some of his voyages made her ache with wanderlust. She longed to travel again. Yet she was happy working for Professor Everett! She loved him ... THEM. She loved the children. She ADMIRED him. But he needed a proper wife, not just a nanny. Perhaps Mrs. Muir was the one. The children all got on well together. As a writer, there would be no problem job-wise with the Muirs relocating to the west coast ...
Then a pause in the Captain's soft murmur drew her attention back to him. "My dear woman, I do think you are mistaken."
For a moment she was still, then her lips tightened. "I can't be, can I? You understand that I ..."
"Yes, yes, I understand THAT. You are who you were born to be," he said impatiently. "But, Phoebe, you have failed to take ME into account when it comes to Mrs. Muir. And do let me say that there is a very strong possibility I might be forced to challenge your Professor at some point in the future. That information is just between us, of course."
"I won't say a word." Nanny wasn't even sure what he meant, a most unusual occurrence for her. Challenge the Professor for Mrs. Muir? Surely he didn't mean for herself?
"I did not for one moment think you would. You are a true lady, my dear." He smiled at her, and she felt a strange warmth rush over her, one she had not felt for a long time with any man other than the Professor and most definitely one she should not even be feeling for HIM! She could not help but think it was a very pleasant feeling indeed.
"You might want to check in on them, Captain Gregg." Nanny said softly. He stared at her, puzzled. She looked out over the ocean, then back to him. "I would appreciate it."
"Very well. For you." and he disappeared.
Seconds later, he was back. "How did you know?"
She merely looked at him inquiringly, as if to say she quite understood his forgetfulness. The Captain grinned reluctantly at her. "I did what I could."
"Thank you."
Nothing more was said about the discussion between the Professor and Mrs. Muir, nor what the Captain had accomplished on his brief mission. The time for confidences was passed, and neither felt the need to continue their conversation in the same vein. Instead, as the Captain and Nanny made their way back to Gull Cottage, they spoke of the sea and the weather, avoiding all things too personal to continue.
"Thank you for meeting with me, Captain Gregg," Nanny smiled up at him as she stopped at the gate. "I thoroughly enjoyed the visit."
"No more than I, my dear," he smiled gallantly back at her. The wind blew a lock of her hair across her face, and he gently reached up and tugged it. "You are most enchanting." Then he winked audaciously at her.
Nanny laughed and shook her head, "You are a devil, sir!"
"I trust you are joking." was his smug reply. "Until the next time we meet ..."
"Mrs. Muir! Mrs. Muir!" Martha hurried into Carolyn's bedroom without stopping to knock, calling her name in a hoarse whisper. "Quick ... take a look outside! I didn't even know she could SEE the Captain!"
Carolyn got up and obediently peered out the window, only to see Nanny and the Captain talking at the gate to Gull Cottage. They were standing very close together, and Nanny was smiling up at him. It was obvious the two already meant a great deal to one another. When the Captain's hand reached up and gently tugged a lock of Nanny's hair which hung over her shoulder, Carolyn's throat closed and she shut her eyes for a moment as she struggled to keep her emotions from exploding. How was it possible for the Captain to TOUCH Nanny? In the four years the Muirs had been at Gull Cottage, the Captain had only brushed by Carolyn a handful of times. Their relationship consisted of words and looks, not physical touches. She had thought that, since he was a spirit and therefore an illusion, touches were not possible. Yet here he was, touching Nanny! Carolyn liked Nanny, but she LOVED the Captain, and it hurt her horribly to be a witness to this scene.
November 1972
On November 12th, there was a combined birthday party to celebrate Jonathan's tenth birthday on November 6 and Candy's twelfth on November 9. The children were there for lunch and the afternoon, then Martha, Carolyn and Nanny thankfully waved them off. The Everetts stayed for supper after the others had gone. Carolyn realized anew how very much she liked Nanny AND the Professor, but she didn't miss the fact that the Captain materialized near Nanny in a secluded spot and spoke with her for a moment, causing a lovely smile to break out over the other woman's face.
After everyone had left and the children were in bed, Carolyn entered her room and stopped short at the sight of the Captain looking out the open French doors.
"It's rather chilly in here, Captain," she commented, her voice echoing the cold.
"So it seems. And not just from the windows." He waved his hand and the windows shut. After a moment, he continued, "Do let me say that I am glad to see that you obviously enjoy the Professor's company, Mrs. Muir. It goes without saying that he enjoys yours." The Captain did not look at Carolyn as he spoke. His telescope occupied most of his attention, or so it seemed, although Carolyn wondered what he could possibly see since it was dark outside with no moon.
She felt like stamping her foot. "I don't want to talk about the Professor right now, Captain. I'd like some answers about you and Nanny!" Even as she spoke, Carolyn realized how petty she was sounding, and she deliberately tried to make herself calm down.
"Why do you link us together? You know I am not of this world." the Captain said mildly. "What makes you think she even knows I exist?"
"She knows you are here, you have talked with her!" Carolyn insisted. "Captain, you have ... I saw you touching her, and I saw you talking with her tonight!"
The Captain merely looked bored. "Mrs. Muir, I fear you are allowing your imagination to run away with you again. As a writer, I should think you would know that there is more than one way to make magic. Now, leaving Phoebe and I out of the equation because our relationship is of little importance, I do believe you can appreciate that I am correct when it comes to dealing with the Professor's emotions for you, and yours for him. You make a lovely couple, my dear, I must say. I heartily approve."
Carolyn eyed him skeptically. No thunderbolts? No jealous fits of rage? WHAT was happening in Schooner Bay? Had the advent of Nanny and the Professor changed everything? The Captain APPROVED of her seeing a real, live man? He thought she and the Professor made a lovely couple? Just what did he have up his sleeve, anyway? SOMETHING was amiss!
"Do you doubt me?" he asked arrogantly, seeing her look.
"On the contrary. There is not a doubt in my mind."
"What do you mean?" his voice showed his puzzlement and incomprehension.
"I am certain of it."
"Madam?" he questioned yet again.
"I DEFINITELY do not believe you!"
"Mrs. Muir!" the Captain exclaimed.
Carolyn had had enough of his evasive tactics. She realized that the Professor certainly never goaded her like this, and before she could analyse all her emotions, she picked up the phone and called him. "Professor Everett? Oh, Hal. You sound a lot like your father! It's Carolyn Muir. I was wondering ..."
"Hi, Mrs. Muir. Nanny said to tell you that Dad has hidden depths, too, whatever that means!" the boy sounded a little disgusted. "But she's putting Prudence to bed, and Dad and Butch are out looking at the stars from the point. I can have Dad call you back if you like."
"No, that's all right." Carolyn paused a moment, wondering again how Nanny could have known that she might phone and what she would want. Not wanting the Captain to know she was calling to speak to the Professor, she said, "Could you ask Nanny to call me sometime?"
"Sure, Mrs. Muir. Bye." and Hal was gone.
The Captain bowed and vanished. Putting down the phone, Carolyn wrapped herself in a shawl and stepped out onto the balcony to stand by the railing, her eyes on the gently-rolling ocean waves. What was it about Nanny? She seemed to have special powers ... they reminded Carolyn a little of the Captain. When had the Captain first shown himself to the other woman? Was Nanny a ghost, too? No, that was ridiculous. She was quite obviously human. She just seemed to, well, to KNOW more than most people. Maybe she was a true psychic, unlike Madam Tibaldi! At any rate, the Captain certainly seemed taken by her. Carolyn pulled the shawl around herself more closely and stepped back to lean against the ship's wheel. The Captain seemed to be pushing Carolyn into the Professor's arms, much the way he had attempted to 'facilitate' Blair's courtship a few years ago. Was he subtly trying to get her out of Gull Cottage? Did he want Nanny to move in, instead? If Carolyn were to marry the Professor, Nanny would no longer be needed in the Everett household. The children all got along very well together. Carolyn could do her writing anywhere, she supposed, even California. It sounded ideal.
Sighing, Carolyn realized the wind was picking up and the clouds were beginning to gather on the horizon. It looked as if a change in the lovely weather was in the wind. She hoped it didn't herald a major change in her life as well. Shaking off her pensive mood, Carolyn retreated inside and went to say good night to the children.
"Mrs. Muir? I'm sorry I didn't return your call last night, but I thought you needed to do some thinking. And to be honest, I'm beginning to feel a little under the weather. The wind, you know."
The children had gone off to school, and Nanny had just phoned.
Carolyn looked out at the stormy sea and agreed. "The wind is coming up. I do hope you're feeling better, Nanny."
"Well, you know how things are ... I'm afraid that ..." Nanny broke off and coughed.
"I was going to ask if I could come down for tea, but ..."
"No, please, come!" Nanny broke in. "I've got some muffins in the oven, and I'd love the company. November is such a bleak month, isn't it? And today, especially ... "
"If you're sure ..." Carolyn hesitated.
"I'll see you in a few minutes." Nanny said brightly, and hung up.
In no time, Carolyn was ensconced in the kitchen of the little cottage down the road. The muffins smelled delicious, and she waited as Nanny put out plates, knives and the butter. Nanny appeared more flustered than Carolyn had ever seen her, dropping a knife once and almost burning her hand on the burner when she put the kettle on.
"Even BEFORE I read my horoscope, I knew things were topsy-turvy today! Not just the change in the wind, but Mars is passing though Aquarius again and throwing everything into a tizzy. If the signs are to be believed, I am to have no control over my destiny for the next several days! The last time my stars were in this position, Chumley Fenshaw arrived to marry me! We have been betrothed since I was born, you see. It is a contract arranged by our parents, but I really wasn't expecting him last year. Nor any year in the near future! So I know everything is at sixs and sevens. You should beware, too."
"I am not contemplating marriage." Carolyn didn't even want to ask about the marriage contract. This must have been the fiancé the Professor had mentioned.
"Most often, I've found, the question simply comes right out of the blue."
"I'll watch out for the blue, then." Carolyn had to laugh.
"That's what the professor said!" was Nanny's response as she busied herself making the tea.
"Oh? Is he contemplating marriage?" Carolyn tried to sound casual.
"He SAYS he isn't, but one never knows, does one?" Nanny's voice sounded a little strained. "It would be for the best, I do think. The children need a mother, don't you agree?"
"I think YOU are wonderful with them, Nanny." Carolyn said, softly.
Nanny sat down abruptly in her chair, and stared at Carolyn. "Mrs. Muir, you ..."
"Please, call me Carolyn."
"Thank you. It's a lovely name. Carolyn, you must realize, it's, well, different for me ..."
"Because of your fiancé? Nanny, that's what engagements are for, aren't they? To see if you are really suited to one another?"
Nanny looked away, "Sometimes one can be suited, and yet not love ..." she shook herself. "Look at me! I was trying to cheer you up, and reassure you, and I've just been making things worse! It's the wrong day to be doing this! I should have known!" At that moment, she sneezed. "Oh! Oh, dear! NOW what has the wind done?"
"I beg your pardon?" Carolyn looked at Nanny, bewildered. The other woman suddenly seemed to shrink in her chair, her face flushed and her eyes glittering. "Nanny, you're sick!"
"It's nothing, Carolyn," Nanny waved her hand feebly. "It's a Figalilly ailment, I'm afraid. The north wind is blowing from the south ... achoo! And today of all days!"
Carolyn stood up. "Is there anything I can do?"
"No, thank you. I can manage. You will have enough to deal with at Gull Cottage with this wind!"
"I don't understand."
"The Captain ... achoo! ... the ghost ship ... achoo! ACHOO! Oh dear, excuse me, please." Nanny stood poised to leave the room. "I'm truly sorry our visit ended like ... achoo!"
"I can see myself out." Carolyn said quickly. "You take care of yourself! I'll call later to see how you are."
"Thank you, Carolyn ..."
On her way home, Carolyn's eyes scanned the stormy horizon of the sea. The ghost ship, the one which blew in and took away the Captain's powers for a time, was back? Would Nanny really know if it was? The significance of the date was not lost on Carolyn either. How strange that the ghost ship should come on the 103rd anniversary of the Captain's death! And what had Nanny meant by the north wind blowing from the south and causing her to get sick? Carolyn hurried upstairs to her room as soon as she was in Gull Cottage, but there was no sign of Captain Gregg. He wasn't in the attic nor on the widow's walk. She hoped that the fact that she couldn't find him anywhere, and that Nanny had mentioned the ghost ship, had no connection to this being November 13. She was just glad it was a Monday, not a Friday!
The Captain did not appear for the rest of the day. At the supper table, Jonathan casually announced that the Captain wasn't feeling that great. Carolyn looked up in surprise.
"He said he'd be better when the wind changed, and that the blasted wind had better change soon. He was real mad," Jonathan said.
"I didn't think the Captain could get sick!" Candy said. "Is he throwing up?"
Jonathan shook his head. "Not THAT kind of sick, silly. He's just weak. He's lying down."
"Lying down?" Martha stared at him. "Captain Gregg?"
"Yeah. He said he didn't want to be disturbed."
"Maybe you should check on him, Mrs. Muir," Martha said.
"Jonathan said he didn't want to be disturbed!" Candy said, before Carolyn could shake her head. "Hurry up and finish, Jonathan! Hal and Butch and Prudence are coming over for a bit. Nanny's not feeling good either. Mom, can they come for Thanksgiving so Nanny doesn't have to worry about cooking?"
"That's still ten days away, but it's fine as far as I'm concerned. Still, it's really up to Martha. She's the one who has to do the work."
"I'd be happy to have the Everett family come. You know I enjoy cooking for a large crew. And those boys and the Professor are real good eaters!"
"We'll all help!" Candy assured them.
"Help eat?" chuckled Martha.
Candy rolled her eyes, and ignored the grownups. "Come on, Jonathan! I hear them at the gate." and the children ran out.
"I hope Nanny isn't feeling too poorly," Martha sounded worried. "I wonder if it's the same thing the Captain has?"
Carolyn forced a laugh. "Hardly. He's a spirit, remember? He says he was never been sick a day in his life."
"Well, SOMETHING seems to have caused it. Does he ever drink?"
"Just his special Madeira, as far as I know."
Martha raised her eyebrows. "Madeira? So THAT'S where the Madeira goes! I didn't peg him for a closet drinker."
"Don't be silly." Carolyn was sorry she had mentioned this. "He wouldn't really be drunk. We only share a glass once a week."
"You share a glass?"
"I mean, we each have a glass, and ..." Carolyn became flustered under Martha's speculative gaze.
"That's what you've been doing all this time on Tuesday afternoons? Drinking?"
"It's not like that, Martha! We talk, we visit, we ..."
"Drink."
"It's only one glass!" Carolyn protested. Then she saw the twinkle in Martha's eyes. "Oh, you!"
Martha chuckled. Then she said, "You know, for all the Captain seems so self-sufficient, I'd say he needed someone like you to come along."
"ME?" Carolyn dropped her spoon.
"You. He needed a woman."
Picking up her spoon and licking the ice cream off the handle, Carolyn assiduously applied herself to the treat. "Note the past tense that you used, Martha. Needed. He no longer has needs, remember?"
"Hmm, so he'd like us to believe. He certainly projects strength and virility, doesn't he? No need to worry about a thing with him around. I actually feel safe here in Gull Cottage, for all its isolation. Our Captain's quite a man for an old goat. You know, now that I think about it, maybe Nanny is the one for him. After all, if you married the Professor, she wouldn't be needed for his children anymore ..."
Carolyn dropped her spoon again. "MARTHA! What makes you even THINK I might be marrying the Professor?"
Shrugging, Martha offered a sly, "Scuttlebutt. And I still think the Captain needs a woman," and she began clearing the table.
Carolyn fled upstairs before hearing any more such nonsense. She dismissed any thought of the Professor, but couldn't get Martha's image of the Captain's strength and virility out of her mind. She was willing to admit, if only to herself, that she had wondered what it would feel like to be held in his arms, sheltered and protected. But the thought of him in need of a woman put images in her head that had nothing to do with protection and brought up a few buried needs of her own. And the thought of that woman being Nanny sent a pang deep through her. Well, maybe scuttlebutt was right. Maybe she SHOULD start considering the Professor as potential husband material. Everyone seemed to be pushing her in that direction. It couldn't hurt to, well, test the waters, so to speak, could it? He had invited her out for dinner the next night, so it would be a good time to discover for herself whether or not she and the Professor were compatible in more ways than mere friendship!
Nanny sneezed again, then reassured Prudence. "I'll be over this in no time! No need to fret."
"But how can I help?" the little girl asked.
Nanny bent over the steam bath again, breathing in the moist air. She coughed a bit, then managed to croak, "Check to see if the wind is going to change."
"Okay." But Prudence didn't leave. Nanny peered up at her from under the towel she was holding over her head as a makeshift tent. Prudence smiled tentatively, "If the wind changes, you'll get your powers back? Like the Captain will?"
"The Captain?"
"Jonathan said the Captain has lost his powers until the wind changes. You both got sick at the same time. I thought the Dreaded Lurgy was just something you got."
Nanny's head went down again as she sneezed, and tried to think frantically through the fog in her brain. Oh dear. The ghost ship HAD blown in to harbour, and the Captain had lost his powers!
"Maybe you're twins or something." Prudence said. Then she frowned. "But you're not dead, ARE you, Nanny? You're not ever going to be dead."
"Prudence, I will be here for you as long as you need me," Nanny assured her. She coughed again, then realized the Professor was about to tap on her bedroom door. "Come in, Professor." she called huskily.
He entered, a concerned expression on his face. "Nanny, how are you feeling? Hal said you were sick."
"She has the Dreaded Lurgy again," Prudence said, wisely. "She's sick like the Captain, until the wind changes."
"Prudence ..." Nanny saw the confused look on the professor's face and spoke quickly, "the wind?"
"All right, Nanny, I'll go check and be right back. I want you to get your magic powers back right away!" and the girl was gone in a flash.
Butch crept into the room behind his father. "Is it really the Dreaded Lurgy again?" he asked. "Prudence said it was. Jonathan said the wind blew the ghost ship back into town, and now the Captain has no powers either."
"The Captain?" the Professor questioned, but again Nanny broke in.
"Oh, Butch, I'll be fine in no time, you'll see. No need to worry, Professor, I shan't let you down." She sneezed again and moaned a little as the pain in her throat grew. "Butch, could you help Prudence check the wind?" she whispered.
As soon as the boy was gone, Nanny looked up at the professor again. "I'm sorry, Professor, this is no time for me to be sick, I know, but it really IS just until the wind changes. Perhaps Carolyn can help you out."
"Carolyn?"
"You know she'd do anything for you," Nanny coughed again, then sneezed as if in emphasis.
"Carolyn Muir?"
"Come, now, Professor, you've been calling her Carolyn for days now. I've seen how you look at each other ..."
"Oh, really?" He sounded mildly interested now, and crouched down so he could look her in the eye. "And how is that, Nanny?"
"Professor, you know ..." her voice trailed away into coughing, and she tried to look away.
Grinning boyishly, the Professor put his hand on her chin and turned her to face him again. "How does she look at me, Nanny? The way I am looking at YOU right now?"
Nanny swallowed convulsively, her blue eyes huge in her face. The Professor was looking at her with a great deal of interest, a great deal of concern, and a touch of ... love?
"Nanny! Nanny! The wind is the same!" Prudence and Butch were back.
Nanny sneezed. The moment was over, and it should never have been allowed to happen in any case. Had she been well, it certainly would never have occurred.
The Professor stood up. "Come, Prudence, Butch, we'll leave Nanny to her privacy. I'm taking Carolyn out to dinner tonight, but I can cancel if ..."
"No, we'll be fine here, Professor." She tried to speak firmly.
After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "Call the children if you need anything. Hal will have the number of the restaurant."
"Thank you." she whispered, and threw the towel back over her head, bending over the steam bath she had created. She knew the Professor was going to question the children about the Captain, but she knew, too, that he really wouldn't accept the answers. How could he? The Professor did not really believe the Captain existed. But she knew, and she thrilled to the knowledge. She sneezed again, and fervently hoped the Captain was faring better than she was. It should only be another day before the wind changed, surely just one more day ...
Carolyn liked Professor Harold Everett. She liked him immensely. He was very handsome, and he paid her many compliments as well. It was a rather heady experience. Last night he had taken her out for supper, and when he brought her home again after a wonderful evening, he had kissed her. He had whispered her name with a groan, looked deeply into her eyes, pulled her close, and kissed her. She was sure that the only hesitations in her heart came from a reluctance to admit the eagerness in her soul. The future could take of itself, she told herself, for once she was going to live for the moment! She had kissed him back, and it had been very pleasant indeed. Yet even as they kissed, part of her remained mindful of the fact that it was not thundering. Had the wind not changed yet? Was the ghost ship still in the harbour? Did the Captain not even CARE that she was kissing someone else? When Carolyn had snuggled into bed late last night, even while the Professor's kisses were still fresh on her lips, it was the Captain's face she thought about, the Captain's smile that warmed her, the Captain's confident hands she imagined holding her. The Captain, who had shown himself to Nanny, and had spoken to Carolyn of the other woman's beauty and strength of character. The Captain, who had seemingly turned Carolyn over to the Professor without a qualm, in spite of subtly declaring his love for her just two years before. Was he really as fickle as he seemed? Was SHE? Carolyn had not slept well.
It seemed as if the wind had changed in the early hours of the morning, and the ghost ship was gone. Jonathan had run up to check on the Captain before breakfast, and had announced that he was fine now. Candy wanted to phone to see if Nanny was all right, too, but Carolyn had assured her she could ask the Everett children on the school bus, which would be coming any minute. The children ran out the door, Martha at their heels with the lunch boxes they had forgotten. When the Captain appeared as Carolyn left the breakfast table, she couldn't look directly at him, concentrating instead on putting her dirty dishes in the sink.
"Should I apologize for my half of the human race, madam? For what happened last night?" he asked.
Carolyn looked at him then. "For what happened last night? What are you talking about?"
The women of his day would never have had to ask such an inane question. "The Professor! He took liberties, madam! Anyone could have been watching!"
She sighed and looked away. "But only YOU were watching, Captain. And he did not take anything that I was not willing to give."
The Captain's face darkened imperceptibly.
"Besides," Carolyn added, "I thought you approved of him. Of us."
"I did. I do. It's just ... Blast it, you took advantage of my momentary weakness! I did not expect that on my own doorstep!"
"I see." Carolyn looked out the window. Martha was picking up some of the children's toys before coming in. "I wonder how Nanny is today?" she mused, her mind only partially on what she was saying.
"She will be bursting with health, as usual, Madam. The wind has changed. She is fine."
"Is that an educated guess, Captain?" Carolyn's face reflected her troubled thoughts, and she spoke almost absent-mindedly.
"Madam, I do not choose to GUESS at something like this." his voice was haughty.
"Oh?" she both looked and sounded skeptical.
"On the contrary. I have elected to extrapolate from intuition."
Carolyn stared at him blankly for a moment, then she laughed. He eyed her lovely, smiling face with satisfaction, then disappeared as Martha returned.
After a delicious Thanksgiving supper, everyone withdrew to the living room while Martha cleaned up the kitchen. Nanny hung back to help, but Martha shooed her out. As she hesitated in the entryway at the partially open door to the living room, Nanny was joined by the Captain.
"They all look happy, do they not?" the Captain murmured.
Nanny nodded, her heart full. Carolyn and the Professor were engrossed in their conversation, heads bent close together on the sofa. The children were already in the midst of a wild game on the floor in front of the fireplace, having first moved the coffee table out of the way.
"And you, my dear Phoebe?" his voice was tender.
"This is what I have been hoping for," her voice was barely audible and she couldn't look at him.
"I, too," For a moment there was silence, then the Captain spoke forcefully, "so I am forced to wonder why in the blue blazes we are both feeling so glum!"
December 1972
The first Saturday of December always saw the town's Santa Claus parade, followed by decorating a huge Christmas tree in the town square then a Christmas party in the town hall. Claymore, knowing that as Santa he would be able to get out of doing the actual decorating since Santa ensconced himself in the hall to have his picture taken with children as they came to sit on his knee, was visibly disappointed when Ollie Wilkins from the general store was chosen at the town council meeting three days before.
"Santa is supposed to have SOME hair, you know," he had muttered rather ungraciously.
"True," Ed Peevey had conceded, glancing briefly but significantly at Claymore's own thinning pate. "But we won't need to use padding with Ollie."
"There is that." Claymore had brightened somewhat. "Well, then, I'll be an elf. Santa needs a helper, to organize the little horrors, er, children, to sit on his knee." Naturally the elf would be unable to remain outside in the cold, decorating a silly tree!
"Claymore ..." Norrie had begun, but Claymore had refused to listen.
Scowling as he overheard Ed mutter, "Scrooge would be more in character!", Claymore had continued with the business meeting. "I guess we need candy canes and oranges for the lucky ones who come to see Santa. Surely that's all that's necessary. Schooner Bay isn't made of money, you know. Maybe we could ask the parents to pay for the privilege of getting an audience with Santa. Along with the picture." Already calculating the number of children and whether or not he could convince Ollie to donate the candy and oranges free of charge, Claymore was beginning to think maybe he could make something on this Christmas party after all.
"I don't think so, Claymore." Norrie had said, Ed nodding agreement. Claymore had sighed, and revised his mental numbers. Norrie had added, "I'd say a couple of candy canes, and some of that hard candy, and maybe some chocolate."
"Oh, very well." Claymore had said, crossly. "Let's just get on with this planning!"
That first Saturday, as they entered the hall after finishing the tree, Carolyn, Nanny and the Professor watched as the children all raced up to the front where a line was forming to sit on Santa's knee. The crowd was tremendous this year, it seemed. The din in the large room was incredible. Carolyn wondered when she was going to be able to get home to the sanctuary of Gull Cottage.
"How can you stand the noise, madam?" the Captain appeared at her side, his distaste plain. "I could hear it from our home!"
Carolyn smiled rather weakly at him and shrugged.
"Here comes Claymore. WHAT has he got on his head?" the Professor's mouth fell open.
After she stood on tiptoes to see around the crush of people, Carolyn almost giggled. "An elf hat." she said.
Then Claymore was beside them. He latched on to Professor Everett's hand, pumped it like the handle of a tire jack, then did the same with Nanny's while the bell on the tail of his green hat bobbed between his eyebrows, occasionally hitting the lens of his glasses. He turned to Carolyn and enthusiastically reached out to her too, until catching sight of the glowering Captain beside her. With a yelp, he scrambled backwards and disappeared into the crowd. Another group of people surged into the hall, and Nanny was separated from the others momentarily.
"That man is a menace to Schooner Bay." the Professor said, shaking his hand to loosen the joints, then putting his arm loosely around Carolyn's shoulders and leaning closer to be heard over the buzz of conversation.
Carolyn couldn't help but smile up at the Professor. It was an instinctive sharing of a moment, natural and sweet. His eyes met hers, and a moment of silent laughter passed between them. It shouldn't have been any more than that. But even more than his touch, his gaze ignited needs in her heart which had been simmering since meeting the Captain, needs that until her move to Gull Cottage she had thought long dead. Longing, hopes, and impossible dreams suddenly sizzled between Mrs. Muir and the Professor, charged with the belief that all things were possible. Carolyn tore her eyes away from his, vaguely astonished at the surging of her emotions, yet realizing that at such a time she could not be held accountable for all her feelings. It was simply transferring her impossible desire for the Captain onto a more possible subject! At the same time, just a few feet away, Nanny's eyes met the Captain's. The anguish she was feeling at the sight of the other two was reflected in his eyes, as well as the stoic determination to do what was best for the other.
The Captain spoke quietly to her, unnoticed by anyone else. "Remember, Phoebe, there's more than one way to make magic."
"Perhaps that is an ideal for which we should strive, Captain."
"Perhaps. Or perhaps we are blinded by what we think is right?"
"Do you really think so?"
"I am beginning to believe it."
"Or is it merely wishful thinking?"
Carolyn and the Professor had, by this time, moved over to a wall to avoid the crush. Nanny and the Captain watched them as they spoke earnestly, and Nanny's heart twisted as she saw the Professor kiss Carolyn's cheek, and the other woman smile enchantingly up at him.
"I don't think I can stay with them much longer," Nanny admitted softly. "And yet, something is telling me that I'm still needed here. For once, I am unsure, in a turmoil ..." she then looked wryly at the Captain and said, "at sea. Yet I have to believe that all will work out in the end, as it is meant to be."
Although Carolyn accepted the Professor's gentle salute with a smile, she was achingly aware of Nanny and the Captain watching them. Taking a deep breath, she tried to put her concerns for her future at Gull Cottage out of her mind, at least for the rest of this day! "Have you finally made up your mind about continuing here in the new year?" she asked.
"I am definitely tending towards the possibility." the Professor said. He glanced over to see Claymore accosting Nanny once again, pressing a drink into her hands, and his face darkened. Carolyn looked too, and wondered at the vague sense of relief she felt that the Captain had disappeared. The Professor talked to Carolyn while keeping his eyes on the other couple. "I have to go back to California to clear some things up, and although I WAS going to leave the others here, I think I'll take them with me. We all have a few loose ends to deal with there. After all, when we left, it was just for four months. Another five months or so is a major adjustment. I think we'll head home for Christmas, and return the second week of January." He hesitated, then lowered his voice and said, "Tell me, Carolyn, just what IS it with Claymore Gregg, anyway? He seems to think he is the Casanova of Schooner Bay ..."
"And you want that title?" she teased him gently.
"No! But I admit I worry about Nanny ..."
"She's a grown woman, you know I've told you that. I'm sure she can look out for herself. I doubt she'd thank you for worrying about her."
The Professor continued to scowl at Nanny and Claymore, and the other man seemed to sense the anger simmering in the looks cast his way. Laughing somewhat nervously, Claymore made his excuses and pranced away. Carolyn and the Professor rejoined Nanny and the three made their way to the refreshment table where Martha and Ed were already helping themselves to the rather bewildering array of Christmas dainties.
Martha waved her filled plate at Carolyn and chuckled, "Forget the health food -- I need all the preservatives I can get!"
"Oh, Martha!" Carolyn smiled.
Ed merely looked adoringly at Martha and trailed after her when she turned away. The three others looked at each other and exploded into laughter.
Two weeks later, Jonathan and Candy were involved in a deep conversation with Hal, Butch and Prudence as they walked home from school.
"Do you think they'll get married? Your Dad and our Mom?" Candy asked. "It would be so neat if we all were brothers and sisters. I'd like your Dad to be my Dad."
Butch nodded enthusiastically. "I LOVE your Mom!"
"Yeah, she's pretty cool," Hal agreed.
Prudence eyed Jonathan who said nothing, but kicked a bit of ice out of the way. "I think it would be nice to be brothers and sisters in the same house, don't you, Jonathan?"
He shrugged, non-committal.
"Didja see how they acted the night of the Christmas party?" Butch said.
"I saw your Dad kiss Mom's cheek." Candy nodded.
Butch made a face. "Yuck."
"Oh, Butch!" Hal sounded disgusted. "Kissing comes with getting married. Don't you know anything!"
"And Mom smiled at your Dad as if she really loved him," Candy continued.
"Nanny was smiling with her mouth, but her eyes were sad." Prudence said thoughtfully. The others looked at her as if she was crazy and she pouted slightly then subsided.
"Where would we live if they get married? California or Maine?" Butch asked suddenly.
"California, I hope. It's warm there in the winter." Candy grimaced at the traces of snow and ice on the ground and pulled her hood closer about her face.
At that, Jonathan burst out, "We CAN'T leave Schooner Bay and the Captain! I like your Dad, but I love the Captain and besides, I know Mom does, too! And I can prove it, too!"
"Oh, really?" Hal sounded rather condescending, the way he often did when Jonathan mentioned the ghost. "And just HOW can you prove that?"
"I overheard them talking just the other night. I was just outside the bedroom, waiting to talk to Mom. The Captain said that if he were alive, my dear, you know you would want for nothing. And Mom said she still believed what she had already told him, that if he were alive, she would have everything she could ever want and more. The Captain looked grumpy and said, But I'm NOT alive. When Mom looked up at him, I could see that her eyes were wet, but I still remember what she said perfectly. She said, 'You are alive in my heart, and that is enough for me. Truly it is. I do wish you would accept that, once and for all.' That's when I left. But that's how I KNOW Mom loves him! So there!"
"But what about your Mom and our Dad?" Butch asked. "We could probably live in Maine, but I'd rather go back to California. Still, if your mom loves your old ghost instead of Dad, will she still marry Dad so we can share your mother and you can share our Dad? She can't marry a GHOST!"
Hal hooted derisively, and Jonathan bit his lip but didn't say anything. Then Candy suddenly said, "Maybe NANNY will marry your Dad and be your mother!"
"Nanny?" the three Everetts sounded incredulous.
"Sure, why not? Like in the movie The Sound of Music, where the governess marries the Captain. Nanny's just as pretty as Maria. And she loves you three and probably your Dad, too. So that would be PERFECT!" Candy grew more and more enthusiastic as she thought about it. "You all would live happily ever after!"
Hal rolled his eyes and said nothing.
"But you wouldn't, 'cause you still wouldn't have a Dad!" said Butch.
"We've got the Captain," Jonathan said simply, as if that was more than enough. "And Mom loves him. She said so. She said he was alive in her heart and that was enough for her. Me, too."
"You sure she wasn't talking about your real Dad? HE must be a ghost, too. Hey, I wonder if our Mom is a ghost?" Butch wondered aloud.
"No!" Prudence piped up. "I don't WANT her to be a ghost! I want a real, LIVE Mommy. I want Nanny to be my Mommy." She smiled at Jonathan, "I don't mind if YOU have a ghost for a Dad, 'cause you love him anyway, but I don't want a ghost for a Mommy."
"I wish you weren't going to California for Christmas," Candy grumbled. "We could have a lot of fun here over the holidays."
"Yeah," Butch sighed. Then he grinned at Hal, "But Francine'll be REAL happy we're going back!"
"Forget it, pipsqueak," Hal lifted his chin haughtily. "You can't make me mad today. Only two more days of school before the holidays!"
The other children cheered and the conversation was dropped, although not forgotten by any of them.
The Professor rubbed his head wearily. Supper had been a difficult meal again, with Butch and Prudence whining that they wanted to stay in Maine for Christmas. Hal had merely volunteered that he'd be happy if they stayed, too, then had averted his eyes and dug into his food. Nanny had tried to divert the children by talking brightly about seeing their old friends and being warm, and the Professor had added that with his brother joining them for Christmas, they would be too busy to miss Schooner Bay.
Prudence had looked at him with her big, sad eyes and said, "Won't you miss Mrs. Muir, Daddy?"
The Professor had almost choked on his coffee, but Nanny had deftly changed the subject again before he had to answer, reminding them all that they had to finish packing in order to be at the airport early in the morning. He sighed now, wondering what he would have said anyway. What had Prudence wanted to hear? That he would miss Carolyn? Obviously the children had heard the gossip about the two of them. It WAS only gossip, however. He liked Carolyn a great deal, and flattered himself that she liked him as well, but that's as far as it went. Surely Prudence wasn't hoping he would MARRY Carolyn! He wished he had a good, stiff drink.
"Don't worry, Professor, it will all work out in the end." Nanny came into the room and spoke gently to him as she handed him a steaming cup. "And tea is MUCH better to calm your nerves."
"How did you ...? Never mind." He obediently sipped the sweet tea, then put the cup down and began to pace the small room. "Maybe I shouldn't be dragging them home for such a short time. I'm not a very good father, am I?"
"You are a wonderful father." her eyes met his.
"Am I?" He reached out, hardly aware of his actions as his fingers caught a lock of her lovely hair. If he kissed her, he would be lost ... but isn't that what he wanted? To lose himself and his worries in her? Where had THAT thought come from? Never mind. He liked it. Over the last few years, Nanny had managed to entwine herself in their lives ... and he was wondering just how he had missed thinking of her romantically. If Carolyn hadn't been teasing him about being jealous, he may NEVER have thought of Nanny in that way! Now he certainly was having a difficult time ignoring his emotions. "Just a wonderful father? I don't want to be considered in the light of a father just now. I have another role in mind, actually."
He slid his hands around her back and drew her closer. Almost without volition, Nanny's hands slipped upward to his shoulders. Her body fit against his as if made to be there. It was inevitable. Nanny made a soft sound as her lips parted under his. She tasted of everything yet nothing. Femininity, passion, warmth, strength and softness all lay in the sweetness of her kiss. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. It was magical.
MAGICAL. The word stayed in his mind, echoing softly, and his hands loosened slowly. MAGICAL. Her fingers drifted down to rest on his chest, then he broke the kiss slowly and reluctantly. MAGICAL. Their eyes met and Nanny saw the question in his. Her fingers touched his mouth lightly.
"No, Professor. What is between us is not of magic." A small smile crossed her face. "It is more of ... well, of dreams, if you will. But not magic. Never magic."
The Professor stared at her, reluctant to release her fully from his embrace. But he had to be logical. That was his job, wasn't it? He was logical. He HAD to be logical. She could not possibly have known what he was thinking about the kiss being magical. He should not be loving her like this, needing her presence in his life to make it worthwhile. Yet, what was it about Schooner Bay that made being here like this seem right? What was it about Nanny? About PHOEBE? His thumb brushed across her lips, feeling them quiver at his touch. "Phoebe, you know you have taken my upside down life and turned it right again, don't you? You've made me believe in the impossible. And you've made me believe in dreams again ..."
"Pro ..." she began, but he pressed his fingertips to her mouth, stopping her words.
"No, don't say anything. For now, let's pretend that this is a dream ... this is all that matters, this here and now ... there is no yesterday and no tomorrow ... only today ... and us ..." he was pressing featherlight kisses over her face as if to punctuate his murmured words.
"But, Hal ..." her breathless protest didn't match the need in her eyes.
Then his mouth was on hers again, ignoring the fact that she had called him by name for the first time. He felt as if he had wanted her forever, and needed her always. Not just for the children, as he had tried to convince himself before, but for him. He needed her with a desperate need that burned deep inside him. Somehow he knew that she was the only one who could satisfy that need. Her lips softened under his, then she responded passionately, as if throwing caution to the wind and abandoning herself to him.
"Dad, do you think Mrs. Muir is in love with the ghost of Gull ...?" Hal's voice broke off with a squawk. "Nanny! DAD!"
The two sprang apart guiltily. Collecting himself more quickly than Nanny did, the Professor murmured wryly to her, "You tried to tell me he was coming, and I didn't listen ..."
Butch and Prudence came running at Hal's shout. Nanny bit her lip and peeked up at the Professor. If things were at all normal, she would know what he was going to do and say, but that kiss had knocked her for a loop. Hal was still staring at them. "You were KISSING!"
"Hal, it's really none of your business ..." the Professor began.
But a smile was spreading over Hal's face. "You were kissing," he repeated. "So Candy was right!"
"Candy? What are you talking about?" Butch looked puzzled.
"She said it was like the Sound of Music, remember? And she bet that Dad would marry Nanny and we'd live happily ever after." Hal sounded ecstatic.
Prudence's face was alight with excitement. "Really? You're really going to marry? And Nanny will be our MOTHER?" She threw herself into a surprised Nanny's arms, then wriggled free and hugged her father as well.
Butch's grin almost split his face. "Wow! This is really groovy! Wait until I tell Jonathan and Candy!" He ran out of the room before either adult could catch him.
The Professor finally reacted. "BENTLEY EVERETT! GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"
Butch sidled back into the room. Nanny sank down on the sofa, still shaken, and Prudence put her arms around her neck. "I love you, Nanny ... can I call you Mommy now?"
"Prudence! Butch and Hal ... please listen to me." the Professor's voice was serious.
"Is this good or bad?" Prudence asked.
"Yeah, I don't want to hear it if it's bad." Hal murmured.
"One kiss does NOT mean that Nanny and I are going to be married."
"Don't you LOVE her, Dad?" Prudence asked plaintively.
"Of course I do," the Professor said impatiently. "That's not the point!" Nanny stared at him, incredulously. He returned her wide-eyed gaze, then said, "Well, maybe it IS the point. You know, I hadn't planned to do this in front of an audience, especially an audience of you three, but I guess you're as involved in this as I find I am."
"Professor ..." Nanny began in a soft voice.
He raised his hand to stop her. "Please, let me finish. I know you already know what I'm going to say, and I know you'll have the last word as usual, but please, let me announce that I have discovered that I really do love you, and I would be honoured if you would marry me."
Before Nanny could say anything more, Prudence again piped up. "What about Mr. Feathers?"
"Well, I guess Nanny will have to make her choice. What was it your parents said, Phoebe? You have to follow your heart? I'm asking if you can find room for me ... for US ... in your heart on a more permanent basis."
"Oh, Professor ..." her face was flushed and she hesitated only a moment before raising shining blue eyes to his. He read in them her answer.
"Okay, kids, time to bail out of here and leave us alone for a few minutes ..." he managed to say as he drew Nanny up and into his arms again.
"I'm going to call Candy and Jonathan!" Butch bolted, and Hal and Prudence were right behind, clamouring that they wanted to tell, too, so couldn't they run over to Gull Cottage? After all, they were leaving early in the morning for California, and they couldn't POSSIBLY go without sharing this wonderful news!
Suddenly Hal stopped in the doorway. "Dad, you don't love Mrs. Muir?"
"No, Hal. I like her very much, and I'm sorry if you thought I loved her, but ..."
"That's okay. That's why I came in ... to tell you that we found out she's in love with the ghost of Captain Gregg."
The Professor's jaw sagged. "In love with the gho ...? Don't be ridiculous! There ARE no ghosts! That's completely impossible!"
Nanny snuggled a little closer to him, and murmured, "Have you ever heard me say that the impossible CAN happen? All you need is a little bit of faith ... and a lot of love!"
Hal grinned as he turned away, calling over his shoulder, "What IS this magic thing about Nanny? Is it love? Or is it magic?"
As her lips met the Professor's again, Nanny spoke in her mind to Captain Gregg, 'All you need is a little bit of faith and a lot of love, and you can make the impossible happen!' Then the Professor managed to drive all other thoughts out of her mind as she surrendered to her own destiny.
Martha, Carolyn and the children were up early the next morning, hurrying down the road to say good-bye to Nanny and the Everetts. Carolyn hugged a radiant Nanny and whispered how happy she was for the other two. Nanny hugged her back.
"It will all work out, you'll see, for you and the Captain," Nanny promised, then turned into Martha's embrace before a startled Carolyn could question her.
"Keep warm, Carolyn," the Professor smiled, giving her a quick hug.
In a flurry of good-byes and urgent messages, the Professor's car was finally able to ease its way down to Schooner Bay, then on to Boston and the airport for the flight back to California. As they walked back to Gull Cottage, with the children racing ahead to reach the warmth and the promised hot chocolate, Martha eyed the silent Carolyn consideringly before saying abruptly, "He's a good man. Nanny is the right woman for him."
Carolyn's head came up, and her eyes met Martha's. "I think so, too." she said.
"I was hoping you would. Gossip had you pining for him, you know."
A faint smile crossed Carolyn's face. "You know gossip, Martha. You shouldn't listen to it!"
Martha snorted inelegantly. "As if I do. You've already been romantically linked with the ghost of Captain Gregg, and we all know how impossible THAT would be!" Carolyn's eyes dropped, but Martha kept on, not noticing her employer's expression. "I knew you were just good friends with the Professor, for all he's so handsome and has all the young women of Schooner Bay swooning over him. We should have an engagement party for them when they return."
"That would be nice," Carolyn was non-committal. As they turned in the gate at Gull Cottage, she looked up, hoping to see the Captain's tall figure -- but he was nowhere in sight. She was sure he had heard about Nanny and the Professor, and was curious as to his reaction. She hoped she saw him soon. In spite of his absence, however, she felt the warmth and love which pervaded Gull Cottage envelop her the moment she stepped through the front door, and soon she was caught up in the children's excitement about the coming holiday.
It was near midnight on Christmas Eve. Carolyn wrapped her shawl around herself and stepped out on to the balcony, looking at the stars twinkling in the cold, clear night. The Captain found her there, standing by the ship's wheel. She turned to face him, her back against the wheel. He put his hands on either side of her shoulders, holding the wheel firmly, so she was enclosed in the circle of his arms. She smiled up at him mistily. "I haven't seen you around for a few days. Are you ... upset?"
"Upset? Why would I be upset, Madam?" he seemed genuinely puzzled.
"About ... Nanny and the Professor." she blurted. "You haven't appeared since the children said they were getting married. I just assumed ..."
"On the contrary, I could not be happier for Phoebe. But I must confess to a lingering doubt as to YOUR feelings for the professor! Dare I hope you are not disappointed by the news?"
"I like him." Carolyn spoke softly, teasing the Captain. "I like him very much."
"Ah." the Captain's face darkened. "So, YOU are upset by their news."
"No." She leaned back against the wheel and studied his face in the starlight. "I like him tremendously. You should know by now the difference between like and love."
His face softened. "So, you like the professor."
"Yes." Then Carolyn chuckled. "I remember the first night we came to Gull Cottage. You said then that you thought it was impossible to LIKE women! 'Love 'em, yes. Like 'em, no' were your exact words, I think."
He said slowly, "I have discovered in recent years that perhaps it IS possible to like women. You are a prime example, my dear."
"Oh? You like me?" Strangely enough, a quiver of excitement was running through her.
"Aye. And Martha, most of the time. She can be somewhat jovially irritating, I find. I like Phoebe, too, of course."
Carolyn's eyes clouded slightly. "Captain, how do you REALLY feel about Nanny marrying the Professor?"
"If that is what she wishes," he shrugged. "It is rather ... unusual ..."
"What do you mean?"
"Just ... oh, not a thing. Further to liking, I must say that it is purely due to my association with you that I learned to like women. SOME women, of course!" he added hastily. She smiled. "First, however, I had to overcome certain ... prejudices ... and knowledge that I had gained in my lifetime. Perhaps women are different these days. Once I realized that I actually liked having you in my house, that I enjoyed your company as well as vainly desiring you ..."
"What?" Carolyn stared at him. "VAINLY desiring?"
"I merely meant that it is impossible to have a real relationship between us. You know that." his eyes were on the distant horizon.
"Not really." Carolyn said, looking away again. In a small voice, she added, "I thought we DID have a real relationship."
"We do! Confound it, madam, you know what I am trying to say!"
Smiling faintly, Carolyn conceded that she did. "For a while this fall, I thought you were pushing for ME to marry the Professor," she murmured. "You seem to have changed your mind about that ... about us ... about many things." Then she added bravely, "The children say that Nanny is magic ... and she can make the impossible happen."
"Aye. ... Nanny told me I need a little bit of faith and a lot of love and I, too, can make the impossible happen."
"Oh?"
"Shall we put that to the test, my dear?" his eyes were on hers mesmerizingly now, and he bent closer still.
Carolyn closed her eyes as he brushed his lips over hers -- the faintest whisper of a touch. Although she could not feel the rest of him, his mouth became more and more tangible. She thought of a magic that could take them both to places she had only dreamed about when she had had nothing left but dreams. When the pressure on her lips lessened, her eyes opened again to see love brimming in his vivid blue gaze. "There's more than one way to make magic ..." she managed to say, clenching the wheel tightly behind her and knowing she could not wrap her arms around him as she longed to do.
He nodded as he drew even closer to her.
"I love you," they both said together ... and the pressure of their lips increased.
As always, the miracle of love at Christmas spread its magic. Their lips spoke of hope and dreams of tomorrow, their hearts spoke of joys beyond belief. Love's magical powers took over, and all storms grew distant and unimportant. In the magical world they had created with their love, they had all the time they would ever need. The past with all its shadows and the future with all its worries were both left behind. The present was all that mattered.
When the distant bell from Schooner Bay chimed out midnight, the Captain once more became ethereal. With a sigh and a longing, loving look almost as fervent as a kiss, he disappeared. Yet Carolyn snuggled into her bed, allowing herself to dream that she belonged to him now, forever. Part of her mind knew that he remained a separate being, come from a distant past and not destined for a future in this world. But for now, her rapt imagination clung to a firm conviction that this calm closeness she felt to Captain Daniel Gregg was something that would last forever.
The hushed rhythm of the surf conspired with the comfort and warmth of the bed that cradled her in the darkness. Strong and sure, as eternal as the waves, was the time which opened before her now. The Captain had insisted that he was THEN, and could not become part of her NOW. She knew better. He was NOW, as well as THEN ... that was his essence and her agony, for she knew miracles were not for everyday. It would take another miracle for her to feel his touch other than in a dream. She mused sleepily that Captain Gregg might be NOW or THEN, it didn't really matter. Tonight he had claimed her. NOW was forever, an eternity with her love.
January 1973
After getting Butch and Prudence to bed on New Year's night, Nanny went out to the backyard to check on the animals. They were leaving for Maine early the day after next, and she needed to talk with Myrtle and Michael. The two guinea pigs were still fighting occasionally and ending up in separate corners of their cage. Nanny chided them yet again, then turned to the rooster.
"I've missed your wake up call, Sebastian, now that you've finally learned to crow at daybreak instead of all hours," she spoke softly, "but I also know how you felt once we got you paired up. It's such a lovely feeling, being part of a couple, isn't it?"
"Talking to the animals again, I see?" the Professor was suddenly by her side.
Nanny smiled up at him. It was a lovely, clear night, and the moon made it almost as bright as day. "They've been lonely for the last few months, Professor, although Francine Fowler has been good to them. I'm sure they'll be glad when we're home for good."
"How about you? Are you sorry we're going back to Schooner Bay? I never really asked you before."
"Oh, no, I'm glad to be going back. I have more friends there than here, to be honest."
"Carolyn Muir being one, I hope."
"Oh yes. And all the others in Gull Cottage. Especially, of course, the ..." she broke off suddenly and coughed. "I rather expected to see Mrs. Fowler over here today when they got home. Perhaps tomorrow."
"I wasn't even aware they were gone." he smiled wryly. "Mrs. Fowler isn't one of your favourite people, is she?"
"She's ... different ..." Nanny tried to think of something positive to say, then changed the subject quickly. "Yes, I enjoy Maine, but California has nicer weather, doesn't it, Professor?"
"I DO wish you would learn to call me Harold!" he complained lightly. "But then, I call you Nanny, so ... As to the weather, the winter is a lot warmer in California! And we can be out here in the moonlight. Just the two of us ..." The Professor drew her closer.
"Mom, come and see!" Francine called softly. "I'm going over to see Hal, but I just saw Nanny and the Professor out in the backyard ... quick! Come!"
Joining her daughter at the window, Mrs. Fowler's avid gaze roved over the two figures standing close together in the moonlight by the animal cages in the next yard. "What on earth? What are they ...?" As Nanny and the Professor kissed, Mrs. Fowler clapped her hand over Francine's eyes. "Oh, MY! Don't look, dear ...!"
Francine pulled her mother's hand away impatiently. "Don't be silly! This is just so romantic, isn't it? Oh, I can't WAIT to see Hal now! I wonder if he's ever seen them kiss."
"You can't go over NOW!" Mrs. Fowler said. "I just can't BELIEVE it! Nanny and the Professor! Out in public like that, and them not married, nor even thinking of it, last I heard! I always thought she was a hussy! And to be corrupting my innocent little girl with such goings on! I declare, I don't know if you should interrupt them or not, Francine."
"I won't. I'll go to the front door. It's just Hal I want to see anyway. I thought you'd like to see Nanny and the Professor." Francine sighed again, a beatific smile on her face. "It's SO romantic. Maybe Hal will ..." She broke off, then continued, "It seems like forever since he was here. I wish we'd been HERE for Christmas and not in San Francisco with your family! What if they're going back tomorrow and I only get to see him tonight?" Ignoring her mother's feeble protests, Francine ran next door.
The next afternoon, Butch was teasing Hal about Francine's visit. He had gotten up for a drink of water and found the girl in the living room talking coyly to a reticent Hal.
"Francine is just a dopey girl," said Hal now in disgust.
"That's not very sporting of you, Hal," Nanny said quietly.
"Well, she's not cool like Candy Muir." Hal muttered.
"Perhaps not, but she means well," Nanny's voice was even more quiet.
"You might not say that if you heard what she said her mother said about you and Dad!" Butch commented as he shoved another cookie into his mouth. Nanny had told them they could take time for a snack before finishing their packing, and Butch meant to make the most of it.
"Butch! Mind your manners!" Nanny scolded him. "Butch? Hal? Would one of you please tell me what is going on?"
The two boys looked at each other. Nanny turned to Prudence, who put on a bright smile and said in a sing-song voice, "Nothing, Mom!"
Nanny caught her breath for a moment at the sweetness of the name, then the three children burst into laughter. "That's what Candy and Jonathan always say to their Mom, and they say it drives Mrs. Muir crazy," Butch chortled.
"I can see why," Nanny murmured. She paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, you may all have one more cookie, and eat it SLOWLY!" just as Butch started to say something.
The boy grinned and took his cookie. "I bet Francine'll miss Hal when we go back to Schooner Bay," he said.
"Not as much as Mrs. Fowler will miss spying on Nanny and Dad," Hal retorted, giving Butch a shove. "I wish we could stay in Schooner Bay FOREVER!"
Nanny sat as if turned to stone. So that was it. They had been seen last night in the backyard, in the moonlight. She supposed she should have known, but being with the Professor seemed to shrink her entire world to just the two of them. It had been such a lovely tryst, and now it seemed sullied. She pulled herself together and said briskly, "If wishes were gold, we'd all be rich! No more wishing! Schooner Bay has its ups and downs, just the same as California, remember!"
"Yeah," Butch sighed. "Mrs. Shoemaker is there."
"And Penelope Hassenhammer," Hal also sighed.
"But so is Jonathan," Prudence piped up, satisfaction in the thought of the boy who was kind to her.
Hal rolled his eyes. "Oh, brother!"
"Hal, that's not very nice of you," Nanny chided him. "Now, if you're finished, run up and finish packing, please. We're leaving early in the morning, and you must be ready."
"Where's Dad?"
"He's at the college picking up some papers he needs to take to Schooner Bay with him. Oh dear ..." she paused for a moment, as if lost in thought, and her forehead puckered, "but what is SHE doing there?"
"She?" Hal perked up. "An old girlfriend or something?"
"A FORMER girlfriend. She's certainly not old ..." Nanny spoke absently.
"How do you know ANY girlfriend is with Dad?" Hal demanded. "When he's there and you're here?"
"Yeah, I thought YOU were his girlfriend now." added Butch.
"You're not Dad's GIRLFRIEND, are you?" Prudence asked. "I thought you were going to be our Mom."
"I hope I will be," Nanny got up and cleared the table, her lips tightened.
Hal shrugged, deciding not to pursue the conversation. "Come on, guys, let's go find Butch's telescope. Candy and Jonathan want to see if ours are as powerful as the Captain's." The children ran out of the kitchen.
Nanny only vaguely noticed their departure, wondering how the Professor was going to get away from Marrijane Finley, assuming he even wanted to! Back in college, the Professor had given Marrijane his fraternity pin and had had every intention of turning it into a ring, until meeting his late wife in graduate school. When Nanny had pushed him to meet with her after fifteen years, she hadn't expected that shortly she herself would be marrying him! And now Marrijane was back in the picture. Why had the Professor accepted a long, fervent kiss without kicking up a fuss? Why had he not even informed the woman that he was now engaged? And how COULD he invite her to visit in Schooner Bay when she was up for a symposium in Boston in April! Nanny's frown deepened and she scrubbed the dishes hard, trying to shove down the little demon of jealousy that was rearing its ugly head.
"Why are you against the Ice Festival, Captain? It's the middle of winter, and this will be something fun to break the monotony of January. Not unlike the Seafarer's Games we hold in September. And I KNOW you enjoy those! Just because these are more land activities ..." Carolyn stared at the Captain as he paced the room in front of her desk.
"Precisely, Madam! I never did enjoy winter, I must say. Also, I do not want all those tourists crawling all over my town, clogging my streets and my air with their dirty cars. I do not want to see my town crowded with their slobbery children. I do not want to see you having to fight through a noisy horde simply to buy a stamp to post the article you have been slaving over recently. I do not want to find them tramping across our lawn taking pictures of the haunted house. Our PRIVATE house!"
Carolyn knew it was a legitimate argument. They had had it before, when Claymore had brought in Joshua Albertson to "clean up the town" for the tourists, and when Claymore had agreed to having the Captain featured on the cans of Yankee Skipper clam chowder. With its reputation as a haunted house, Gull Cottage quite often received more than its fair share of curious visitors. The Captain still repelled all 'boarders', cherishing his privacy as he did, and he especially disliked the idea of Schooner Bay changing and growing with the times. It wasn't even an argument confined to Gull Cottage, but rather one which persisted throughout the town. Should Schooner Bay leaders go looking for growth and prosperity, or should they concentrate on keeping Schooner Bay safe and clean ... and SMALL? The argument had been going on for over one hundred years, and would not be solved today. Carolyn got up. "Well, it's happening, and I think it should be fun. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go down to see if Martha needs any help. The children will be home from school any minute, and we're having company for supper, remember?"
The Captain's face cleared, and he smiled. "Ah, yes, Phoebe and her family are back today!"
"An interesting way to word it, Captain. I would have said the Professor and HIS family!" In spite of what had transpired Christmas Eve, Carolyn still found herself wondering why the Captain generally referred to Nanny by her first name, yet so rarely used her own. She would love to hear him call her Carolyn as often as he used the term, 'Madam'! Now the Captain merely smiled again at her before disappearing.
Carolyn took a deep breath, then went to find Martha. They had a supper to prepare for, and an Ice Festival in the offing! She had no time for foolish, pointless ponderings.
Supper that night in Gull Cottage was more riotous than usual. The Everett children were full of stories about California and the Fowlers spying on Nanny and their father, and the Muir children countered with stories of the holidays in Schooner Bay and Claymore's announcement that Schooner Bay was going to hold an Ice Festival the last weekend of January to fundraise for the Seaman's Home which was already needing some repair due to the haste in which it had been readied for the elderly gentlemen whose former home had burnt. All of Schooner Bay, or as many as were willing, were to gather on the preceding Thursday and Friday to help build an Ice Palace which would be the centre for many of the activities over the weekend. Claymore had decreed that along with various contests like speed skating on the pond, old-fashioned sleigh rides, ice fishing, dog sled races, snow sculpting, snowball fights, tug 'o wars on ice, and ice surfing, a Snow Queen would be elected at the Snow Ball on the Saturday night, as well as her courtiers. He himself planned to take on the task of the Bonhomme Carnaval from the Quebec Carnival -- the jolly snowman who was the mascot of the winter games in the big festival in Canada. He thought that would make him important and very popular with all the ladies on that special weekend.
The adults all were rather quiet throughout the meal, and it was almost a relief when the children asked to be excused from the table and ran into the living room to continue their eager conversations. Carolyn smiled at Nanny and the Professor. "Was it good to go home for the holiday? Are you sorry to be back?"
"Not at all." the Professor said gallantly. Then he continued wryly, "Actually, as you heard the children say, it was getting a little uncomfortable with Mrs. Fowler. I got an earful from her about the scandalous goings-on she sighted in our backyard, and that I should really have known better than to act like that where young, innocent eyes could see."
"Sounds kinky," Martha commented, filling the coffee cups. "What exactly did she see, or is that too nosy to ask?"
"It was just a kiss," Nanny said hastily, her face flushing.
"Well, there are kisses, and then there are KISSES!" Martha said. "Or so I've been led to believe. Not that I've ever really experienced the phenomenon." and she sighed.
"Don't be silly, Professor! I know it wasn't your fault she kissed you!" Nanny said, keeping her eyes on the coffee in her cup as she stirred in the sugar.
"She?" Martha picked up on that immediately.
The Professor had the grace to look discomfited and a little puzzled. "How did you know I was thinking about her?"
"Her? She?" asked Carolyn when it became obvious that Nanny was not going to say anything.
"An old girlfriend of the Professor's." Nanny said before the Professor could speak.
"From college," the man said. "You may get to meet her ..."
"In April." Nanny almost sighed.
The Professor eyed her warily. "I still don't know who saw or heard us at the college, though. I didn't see Mrs. Fowler anywhere to tell on us. How DID you find out, Nanny?"
"The Professor is very popular with the ladies, you know," Nanny explained, ignoring his question.
"I can see why," Martha nodded. She grinned. "Not like that old goat who persists in hanging around here! I never did like scruffy beards. Give me a clean-shaven man like you, Professor. Please!"
"Martha ..." Carolyn spoke in a low, warning tone even as thunder rumbled.
Martha bit her lip, her eyes apologetic as she looked at Carolyn. She had forgotten the Professor didn't know about the Captain! She rushed in to speech again. "I've always been a sucker for tall, dark and handsome men. Too bad they never seem to reciprocate the interest! I mean, I'm the complete opposite. Short, fat and white-haired." she sighed heavily.
"Oh, Martha!" the other three protested immediately.
"Your time will come, Martha," Carolyn said. "Just wait and see."
"I've BEEN waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting ..."
"I think this is my cue to leave. I'll check on the children." the Professor made his escape from the woman-talk he sensed was coming.
Nanny got up to refill her coffee cup, and she lightly touched Martha's shoulder as she passed. "Just a sleigh ride, a dance, and a few more cherry pies will do it, I should think."
Carolyn chuckled. "Yes, Ed Peevey certainly enjoys your baking! And after your performance a few years ago, there are a number of men dreaming about the 'red hot mama with the big voice'!"
"Oh, no doubt!" Martha said sarcastically.
"I wasn't referring to Mr. Peevey. Mr. Hampton is hooked," Nanny said.
Carolyn and Martha both looked at her incredulously. "Mr. HAMPTON?"
"I figured him to be more interested in Mrs. Muir, if anyone," Martha said slowly.
Making a slight face, Carolyn said, "I don't think he's much interested in me anymore either. Not after I made such a fool of myself the day he moved in next door."
"Well, he DID like you, Carolyn," Nanny nodded, "and it wasn't anything you did that caused his interest to stray, but living next door, he got to know Martha better and better, and now, well ... as I said, a few more cherry pies will do it!"
Flabbergasted, Martha sat back in her chair. "Cleveland Hampton! Well, I never did ..." she mused. Then a smile spread over her face, and she looked at the other two women. "He needs someone to look after him, and I know just the someone who can do it. You know," she confessed almost shyly, "He's, well, kind of cute."
"CUTE!" the Captain appeared, spitting out the word with disdain. "No man should be termed cute! It is almost as bad as SWEET!"
"Hello, Captain Gregg," Nanny smiled. Carolyn and Martha ignored his outburst, having heard it before many times.
"Phoebe, my dear, I am glad to see you back. You are looking lovelier than ever." he gave her a deep bow.
Carolyn felt a painful twist inside at the sound of Nanny's name on his lips, and she looked down momentarily, fighting to maintain her composure. Martha looked askance at Carolyn, then back at the other couple. Then she threw up her hands in defeat. "I don't know if I'll EVER know just what is going on around here!" Rising, she carried the cups over to the sink and began to noisily wash the dishes.
The entire town of Schooner Bay soon found itself enveloped in preparations for the Ice Festival, and fortunately the weather co-operated. It remained crisp, sunny and cold for the final two weeks before the big event ... cold enough to keep the ice and snow which had already accumulated frozen, but not too cold to prevent everyone from dressing warmly and being outdoors. Carolyn had worked extra hard to finish her article so that she could join the others in town to help. As she dodged the crowds to get to the post office, she grinned to herself, thinking of the Captain's annoyed comment a few weeks before. His first prediction had come to pass! She hoped it was the only one, as she valued the privacy at Gull Cottage almost as much as HE did!
Carolyn joined Martha and the Professor who were already setting up booths and dragging blocks of ice as directed. "Where's Nanny?" she asked the Professor.
"She'll be along after a while, I expect. Actually, I thought she said she was going to Gull Cottage, but with you all here, she wouldn't be going there. I must have been mistaken." he shrugged.
Nanny didn't show up for a few more hours. She came up to the Professor. "I'm sorry, Professor! I was visiting at Gull Cottage and lost track of the time!" she exclaimed.
He straightened and looked at her in surprise. "Visiting? Who were you visiting?"
"Why, the ... oh, there's Carolyn and Martha. Have you seen them?" she evaded his question as she waved at the other two women.
"Yes, I have, Nanny. They've been working here with me all morning." he said, a little grimly. "Which makes me wonder just where YOU have been ..."
Carolyn and Martha came up at that point. Martha smiled broadly at Nanny. "You look warm and ready to work!"
"Yes. I should have been here earlier, but I ..."
"She says she was visiting at Gull Cottage." the Professor interrupted her.
"Why are you saying it like that, Professor? Don't you believe me?" Nanny put her hands on her hips and frowned at him.
Carolyn realized quickly that Nanny had been visiting with the Captain. She wondered what exactly was between them. Why had the Captain shown himself to Nanny in the beginning, and why had he seemed so taken with her ever since? Not wanting to dwell on the unwanted jealousy that was mounting inside, Carolyn spoke quickly, "Now that you're here, Nanny, I think we should find Abner and find out what to do next."
By Friday night, the Ice Palace had been built, directed by Abner and his cousin from Keystone, who turned out to be marvellous designers as well as builders for this enterprise. Large blocks had been frozen then carefully fitted together, along with turrets and a long, winding tunnel reaching the large centre room. Coloured Christmas lights had been strung along and frozen into some of the blocks, which created a fairy-tale effect in the ice. It was truly a masterpiece to behold, even in the bright sun of the next morning.
A dog sled race had been scheduled early Saturday morning -- pets were hooked to toboggans and cheered down the course. Both Scruffy and Waldo had been entered, of course, but neither was particularly interested in pulling the extra weight. After Nanny had a little talk with them, they consented to try, but did not put much effort into it.
"Good thing Francine isn't here ... that silly poodle would probably have won," commented Butch as he disentangled Waldo from the knotted ropes.
It seemed that Claymore was everywhere that morning, dressed all in white except for a red hat and a red belt. Carolyn, having come a little later than the others, commented on the outfit when she met him while searching for Martha, the Professor and Nanny.
Claymore grimaced. "Well, it's a little chilly, Mrs. Muir, but I have my longjohns on, of course. You know, they actually wanted me to dress up as a real SNOWMAN? Can you imagine? With all that extra padding and a mask? I'd have looked ridiculous!"
Hiding her smile, Carolyn said, "Well, Claymore, Bonhomme IS a snowman, you know. And you're wearing his traditional red hat and belt."
"Well, those traditional touches will just have to do. Fortunately my cousin's husband was willing to lend me this white woolen tuxedo he wore for his wedding. I certainly wasn't about to BUY anything, you know."
"Yes ... I know." Carolyn nodded.
"At least in this I'm the right colour, and I can retain my long, lean, youthful good looks," and he leered suggestively at her.
Carolyn could find nothing to say in response to THAT.
"Have you tried a cup of Caribou, Mrs. Muir?" Claymore asked, changing the subject abruptly.
"Caribou?"
"Yes, it's another tradition from Quebec that we borrowed for this occasion. Fortunately the Tuttles have been to the Carnaval there, so they're running the booth. It was to open at eleven. You really should try this drink. I'll even let you buy ME one as well. Quite warming, really, from what I understand. Come along ..." he took her hand and tugged her around the side of the Ice Palace.
Carolyn looked around for help, but none was forthcoming. No one else she knew was in sight. Giving up, she followed Claymore. Big signs were up all over that adults only were allowed to purchase the drink. The booth was doing a brisk business for all it was only 11:30 in the morning.
"Three dollars a cup!" Carolyn gasped when she saw the price. "Claymore ...!"
"It'll be worth it, I'm sure."
"But ..."
"Oh, very well, we'll share one. Give me the money and I'll even fetch it for you."
Sighing, Carolyn capitulated and handed over the three dollars. Claymore was back quickly with a paper cup in his hand. "Mrs. Muir, you look very festive for this occasion too. A new coat?"
Carolyn looked down at her old tan jacket with the cream-coloured fur trim. Then she looked up at Claymore again. "You've seen this every winter since we came here, Claymore."
"Well, it just looks lovely on you. Yes, lovely!" he took a quick sip of the drink. "Oh my!" For a moment he looked rather blank, then coughed and cleared his throat. "Yes indeed, this ... umm ... Caribou is quite something." He took another sip, then another. Carolyn waited for him to offer it to her. "What an interesting flavour," he continued sipping. "I'm not sure what it is I taste! I wonder if they tell you anywhere exactly what is in it? My, but it is delicious!" He upended the cup, pouring the last of it down his throat. Carolyn stood open-mouthed in shock as he sputtered on it, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Well, it is warming indeed. I feel like a new man! Wasn't it lovely?"
"I wouldn't know," she gritted out. "You drank it all."
"What? Oh, Mrs. Muir, I AM sorry. Shall I fetch you another?" He held out his hand for the money.
"Maybe later." Carolyn eyed him curiously. "When you find out what's in it."
"I DO know some of the ingredients, Mrs. Muir," he confided, in a loud voice that made others turn and look at them. "But they're supposed to be SECRET! A typical drink of Caribou, I was told, contains brandy, vodka, sherry and port... Wow! WHAT a drink! You really should try it, you know. I'm very warm now."
"With all that alcohol in it, no wonder." she said, wryly. "I think I'll pass. You should get something to eat with that."
"Oh, are you offering to take me for lunch? How thoughtful of you! I thought you would never ask!" Claymore beamed fatuously at her.
Obviously the drink had gone right to his head, she thought in disgust. Gladly she turned when she heard her name called. Nanny and the Professor were coming up. Nanny looked gorgeous in a long ice-blue cape with a fur trim around the hood. Carolyn tried to keep from staring. It was almost the same cape as the one the Captain had offered HER for this evening's festivities! But the one she was planning to wear was a pale green. Carolyn wondered if Nanny ever wore pants, noting the glimpse of shapely legs in woolen leotards under a blue-striped dress. No wonder the Captain was so captivated by her, or at the very least, her fashion sense! Carolyn sighed inwardly. It was almost a shame that Nanny was so nice and so very likeable. Carolyn would have loved to hate the other woman for the occasional jabs of jealousy she still felt.
"Carolyn, you're missing the ice surfing exhibition," the Professor said. "We came back for you."
"It's really marvellous." Nanny said.
"Besides, Nanny said you needed rescuing, whatever that means." the Professor added.
"Thank you!" Carolyn smiled. She turned back to Claymore, "Good bye. Maybe we'll see you later." Before he could respond, she turned and walked away with her two friends, heading for the breakwater. The harbour ice had frozen there, and crowds were gathered to watch with the possibility of participating in the new sport.
"By the powers, Madam, I had quite forgotten about ice boating!" suddenly the Captain was by Carolyn's side. "I saw it first in Holland where ice boats have been used to transport goods over the ice for many years. By the mid 1800's, the activity had spread to the States, and I did it numerous times in Schooner Bay! Of course, we did not have the breakwater in the harbour then, so never had ice down here, but we DID go ice boating on the pond. I remember one time ..."
Carolyn flashed him an apologetic look as the Professor took her arm. "Carolyn, look, Candy and Hal are trying the ice surfing! I do think if the children are out there, we should attempt it as well."
"It would certainly never do to have them trying something YOU are afraid to do!" Nanny smiled.
"Well, let's try it! Coming?" Carolyn pressed forward, after glancing at the Captain inquiringly. He smiled and joined her.
"I don't think this is the sport for me," Nanny said quickly. "It looks like only one at a time can go. I'm not sure I'm interested. I'll just watch you, Professor. But Carolyn, you should try it, too. With help," and her glance took in the Captain's keen expression, "I'm sure you'd enjoy it."
"Well, the help would, I'm sure," Carolyn muttered. But she couldn't hesitate long with the excitement almost palpable on the Captain's face.
Two surfboards came free at the same time, so Carolyn and the Professor walked out on to the ice and listened as they were given a crash course in how to manoeuver the small craft by leaning forward or backward while standing sideways on the board mounted on runners. Soon the Professor was on and rather clumsily and slowly making his way to the other side of the harbour, tacking one way and then the other as instructed.
"Sheet in, man!" roared the Captain to him. "You will not get going unless you pull the boom closer!"
Nanny immediately relayed the Captain's instructions to the Professor, calling, "Pull the bar in closer to your body, Professor! You'll go faster!"
"I'm not sure I WANT to go faster!" came the response, but he did as he had been told.
Then Carolyn stepped on the board, teetering rather uneasily. "Coming?" she asked the Captain.
"No, Mrs. Muir, I'm not coming. You have to go by yourself," answered the boy who was holding the ice surfer for her.
"Yes, of course," Carolyn murmured. Then the Captain took up his position at her side, his hands also gripping the boom which encircled the bottom of the brightly-coloured sail. "Power up and sheet in, Madam! Let us be off!"
In no time, Carolyn felt as if she were soaring across the ice, the cold wind at her back. She sensed the Captain's movements and followed as best she could as he leaned forward and back, pulling the sail closer to go faster then letting the boom out to slow down. A huge smile lit her face and she looked up at him as they
skimmed along. "This is marvellous, Captain!" His admiring gaze made her swallow and look down at their hands so close together on the boom. Then she blurted out, "Captain, did you give Nanny her cape? It's like the one you are letting me wear tonight!"
"Yes, it is similar. I noticed that, too. But hers is blue to match her eyes, and yours is green to match your lovely eyes." He skilfully evaded answering the question directly. Then he pulled the boom even closer. It was the Captain's strength which held the sail and indeed the board steady as they went faster and faster. "I understand that if we can trim the sail at the correct angle, it is possible to go three times faster than the wind itself!" he cried out exultantly.
Carolyn closed her eyes for a moment, and tightened her grip on the boom. She had thought she was going fast before, but now she felt as if she were flying! She promptly forgot about the capes. What would happen if she were to fall off now? She would be killed! Carolyn wished she could scream, but sheer terror seemed to have closed her throat.
At last the Captain glanced down at her and realized something was not right. "Madam? Is something wrong?"
She licked her lips, then managed to whisper, "Please, Captain ... slow down ... or stop ..."
Immediately and obediently he slowed down and steered around to the area where the Professor was waiting for Carolyn, a huge grin on his face.
"Carolyn, you were MARVELLOUS!" he exclaimed, coming up to her.
Carolyn still couldn't respond normally. She deliberately and rather painfully uncurled her fingers from the boom and stepped back, trying to smile at the boys in charge of the ice surfers. Her legs felt wobbly, and she gratefully accepted the Professor's support as they made their way back to the other side.
"Forgive me, my dear," the Captain's distressed voice sounded in her ear. "I should have realized ... but I was enjoying it so much ..."
"I'm fine, really," Carolyn said, gathering all her strength and realizing that indeed she WAS fine. "It was fun until I realized just how fast we ... I ... was going!"
Nanny rushed up to them at this point. "I expect you are hungry now, Carolyn!" she said, "After that harrowing ride ..."
"I could eat a horse." Carolyn admitted.
"How about some sugar to get your energy level up?" suggested the Professor.
"Sugar?"
He gestured to a booth not far away. "The Sugar Shack. As in maple sugar. 100 pure Maine maple sugar."
"What are the children eating?" Nanny suddenly said. "And before lunch, too!"
As the adults came up to the booth, they saw their children chewing happily while they watched a man drizzling something hot onto a cookie sheet of snow.
"Hey, Mom!" Jonathan waved when he caught sight of them. "Maple taffy! You HAVE to try it!"
"Maybe after lunch." Carolyn said.
"They have maple-flavoured sausages on a stick," Nanny said. "Covered in some kind of dough."
"That'll do." the Professor and Carolyn said together.
That afternoon, Claymore found the others and urged them to come to watch the big Snow Bath, saying it would be a perfect demonstration of goosebumps and shivers ! Everyone was gathering to cheer on the few courageous snow bathers, mostly foolhardy teenagers, he confided.
"Aren't you going to join them?" teased Carolyn.
"Bite your tongue, Mrs. Muir!" Claymore huffed. Then he eyed both Carolyn and Nanny. "But if you two were going to participate, I will certainly be on hand to watch and cheer you on!"
"I don't think so." both women shook their heads.
"I've heard that in the Scandinavian countries, they tend to do this kind of thing very often." the Professor said. "It's actually very healthy. Their bodies are generally first heated in saunas or very warm water, though. Now, if a portable hot tub were brought to Schooner Bay where people could sit, then run out into the snow, I expect there would be many more participants in this event!"
"A portable hot tub? I've never heard of such a thing!" Carolyn raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, hot tubs became very popular in California in the 1960's." the Professor grinned. "Mainly because the industry promoted two things: fun and romance." He smiled at Nanny suggestively. "Perhaps we should consider investing in one?"
Just as Carolyn was about to comment that she wasn't sure fun OR romance could be associated with sitting in hot water, then rolling in the snow, the Captain was beside her, saying, "Why is that lily-livered coward not participating in this snow bath instead of blathering about fun and romance?"
"Claymore?" Carolyn asked, unable to believe that the Captain had turned so against the Professor.
"No, Mrs. Muir, I said I'm not going. I'm the perfect colour now, see my ruddy complexion? I don't look good in grey, the colour of death by freezing!" Claymore reiterated his refusal, thinking Carolyn was still urging him to join the shivering snowbathers.
"Well, at least you women are showing a proper sense of decorum!" the Captain approvingly eyed Carolyn and Nanny, both bundled up warmly. "It is not seemly to show so much of yourselves in public ... in low-cut handkerchiefs!" and he looked meaningfully at Carolyn who still enjoyed the occasional summer sunbathing on the front lawn of Gull Cottage.
"Some men DO believe their bodies are not fit to be seen," Nanny whispered to Carolyn, a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.
"It DOES sound as though he's afraid, doesn't it?" Carolyn's green eyes were dancing as she whispered her reply. Both women pretended to ignore the Captain.
Immediately a clap of thunder sounded, and the Captain growled, "I will show YOU who is afraid to be seen!" Instantly he was lounging in the snowbank beside the unsuspecting snowbathers, clad only in bikini briefs and a wicked grin.
As the other snowbathers shiveringly broke for their first of three breaks in the warmth before rushing back to the snowbank, the Captain merely leaned back, his hands beneath his head and his ankles crossed.
"What are you two staring at?" the Professor said, looking from the empty snowbank to the two wide-eyed women.
Neither paid him any attention. Both were focussed on the Captain who preened himself under their regard. The others, giggling and shivering, came back to their places, staying as long as they could stand the cold on their bare skin before racing back to the hut and the heater. When he was alone the second time, the Captain stretched lazily. Carolyn and Nanny followed every movement with their eyes, unable to say anything. Carolyn dazedly thought that if she had thought him magnificent before, she would have to find another word to describe him now. Splendid, perhaps?
"Rather grand, I would say." Nanny breathed.
Carolyn tore her eyes away from the Captain for a split second. Had she spoken aloud? Surely not!
"You'd want to do that?" the Professor questioned incredulously.
"They're just ogling the sights." Claymore grumbled, edging out of the Captain's view warily.
"Well, Madam, I would say I have fairly won this game. None of the others could stay this long and still have no ill effects from the experience." The Captain lazily got to his feet, thoroughly enjoying the attention of two very attractive women. "Your mouth is still open, my dear."
Carolyn snapped her mouth shut and flushed deeply, turning away. When she unwillingly looked back, the Captain was dressed again in his usual outfit.
He winked at her outrageously before turning to Nanny with a bow. "If you would like to try the ice surfing, I would be delighted to take you out, my dear Phoebe." Nanny smiled brilliantly at him and nodded.
"Shall we go watch the ice surfing again?" the Professor asked. "The children were planning to try again."
Walking down to the harbour again, Carolyn still struggled to get her emotions under control. What was wrong with her? You'd think she'd never seen a nearly naked man before!
"I'd be willing to bet you haven't seen a specimen like THAT before," Nanny said to her in an undertone.
Carolyn stumbled a little. "I beg your pardon?" How could Nanny possibly have known what she was thinking? And how did the Captain know that the Professor was going to mention the ice surfing again? Or had the Professor somehow heard the Captain?
Nanny merely smiled serenely at her, then said to the Professor, "You know, Professor, I do believe I have changed my mind about the ice surfing. I think I should like to try it."
The Professor eyed her outfit rather doubtfully but said nothing. He and Carolyn watched as Nanny stood on the board and received her bit of instruction with a nod and a wide smile. Only Carolyn saw the Captain standing beside the diminutive figure as the surfboard sailed briskly and gracefully back and forth on the frozen breakwater. She couldn't help but wonder what was between the two, especially when she heard Nanny's laughter floating back to them.
"Mrs. Muir, what is HE doing out there with her?" Claymore came up at that moment, astounded at seeing the pair on the ice. "I didn't know she could see him!"
The Professor turned to him. "Who and what are you talking about, Claymore?"
"Why, Na ... uh, that is, the Ca ... er, um ..." Claymore floundered.
"Claymore suffers from delusions, it seems." Carolyn said dryly. "Or is that ILLUSIONS?"
"I suffer from HIM, that's for sure!" muttered the hapless man. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that they're offering sleigh rides around Schooner Bay, for a decent price. Are any of you interested?"
In no time, Nanny and the Captain were gliding back to the bank where Carolyn and the Professor were discussing with Claymore the merits of a sleigh ride. As Nanny, glowing from her chilly ride, reached them, she said gaily, "I should think that a sleigh ride would put the cap on this day, Professor, and be most relaxing before the Snow ball tonight. Don't you agree, Carolyn?"
"How did you know about the sleigh rides?" Claymore's mouth hung open as he stared at Nanny.
Naturally she did not respond to that. Instead, as Martha approached them, Nanny said to the older woman, "You ARE coming with us, aren't you?"
"Where?" Martha asked, bewildered. "I just got here!"
"For a sleigh ride. He's looking for you to go with him." Nanny assured her.
"He?" both Claymore and Martha said at the same time, Claymore looking fearfully around for Captain.
"Miss Grant!" Everyone turned at the call, to see Mr. Hampton hurry up. "I've been looking for you. I, uh ... could we talk in private for a moment, maybe?"
"Certainly," Martha smiled coyly, after a quick look at both Nanny and Carolyn.
Mr. Hampton offered his arm, and Martha tucked hers into it, and they walked away without another word to anyone. Claymore rubbed his eyes. "Did I just see what I THOUGHT I saw? Martha and Cleveland Hampton? What happened to Ed Peevey?"
"Nothing." Carolyn said. "Which was perhaps the trouble. Now, about the sleigh rides ..."
"Over this way!" Claymore ushered them all in the right direction. "They're quite reasonably priced, if I do say so myself, and after all, the money is going for a good cause, isn't it? What do you say, Mrs. Muir? Do you feel like riding with me? They have about eight sleighs which hold more people, and three that only hold two ..."
"Martha and Mr. Hampton will take one two-seater." Nanny mused.
"You and I another?" the Professor arched his eyebrows in question at her, and she nodded, laughing.
"And you will enjoy the ride with Ca ..Mr. Gregg." Nanny spoke to Carolyn, her eyes dancing.
Enjoy a sleigh ride with CLAYMORE? Carolyn had her doubts. Now, if it was the Captain with her ...
As they stood in line for their turn, Carolyn realized the children were just ahead of them. The five of them piled into one big sleigh gleefully, waving as they were off. Then Mr. Hampton paid for himself and Martha, and they climbed into a small sleigh. The Professor paid for Nanny and himself, and they got in the second last small sleigh.
When the ticket seller came up to Claymore, he waved regally to Carolyn. "Mrs. Muir is treating."
"Claymore!" Carolyn exclaimed. "I already bought you a drink ..."
"Oh, very well, I suppose I can pay for my own ride. After all, it's not too expensive." he muttered.
"And for such a good cause!" Carolyn said sarcastically, realizing he had no intentions of paying for HER. Sighing, she dug into her pocket for money for the fare.
They settled into the last small sleigh and the driver began to move. As they drove to the first corner and turned by the trees, Claymore was still making a big show of squirming around, claiming it was almost too tiny for two. His arm began to snake around Carolyn's shoulders when a sudden crash of thunder came and he was flung out of the sleigh and into the snowbank under the trees.
"Wait a minute!" he roared, struggled to his feet. "I PAID for this trip! It's not FAIR!"
The driver began to slow down and turn, but the Captain, appearing at Carolyn's side, snapped out, "Drive on!"
"Very well, Mrs. Muir, but Claymore ain't going to be too happy with me!" the driver grinned, and swept on.
Carolyn looked back to see a load of snow slide off the branch above onto Claymore's head, and his words cut off abruptly as he spluttered and fumed while wiping away the cold mass. She turned and smiled up at the Captain. "Not very sporting of you, Captain," she said quietly, "but thank you for rescuing me."
"Not at all, my dear. I wanted to share this experience with you."
Sighing happily, Carolyn snuggled into the sleigh beside her Captain. This truly was a ride worth the money she had paid for it!
"I do hope we don't freeze in that Ice Palace tonight!" Martha muttered as she pulled on her coat.
"Claymore said if it was too cold, we could use the hall." Candy assured her.
"Yah, and Mom said if there's enough people at the Snow Ball, it should be real warm in there." Jonathan added.
Then Carolyn started down the stairs. The three at the bottom looked up.
"WOW, Mom! You look gorgeous!" Candy breathed.
"This reminds me of the Centennial Ball we had. You outshone everyone then, too." Martha sighed, and plucked at her silver-grey dress and coat set.
Last week, the Captain had gone through Vanessa's trousseau in the sea chest in the attic and had presented Carolyn with an Irish cape which fell to her ankles. It was a pale green shot with glittery silver threads, and the hood which draped over her shoulders was trimmed with pale silver-grey fur. Underneath, she wore her favourite green sweater and a long silver skirt.
"Thank you, Candy and Martha," she smiled. Then her gaze turned to the Captain who was silently standing in the entryway. "And thank you, Captain, for the loan of the cape."
"It could have been made for you," he replied, his voice a little husky. He cleared his throat, then looked away and tugged on his right ear. "I trust you will all have a fun time tonight."
"Aren't you coming, Captain?" Jonathan asked in dismay. "Can I stay home, then, too? I hate dancing."
"Jonathan ..." Carolyn began, shaking her head. Then she looked pleadingly at the Captain. "You ARE coming with us, aren't you?"
Uncharacteristically unsure of himself, the Captain said nothing.
"You might need to keep an eye on your great-nephew, the way Mrs. Muir is looking tonight." Martha commented slyly.
"That tadpole is no relation to ME!" the Captain drew himself up stiffly, his eyes flashing.
"So you say." Martha sniffed.
"So I KNOW! Madam," he turned to Carolyn, "I will see you later." and he vanished.
"Mrs. Muir?" Martha said hesitantly as they headed for the car. "That cape is very much like the one Nanny was wearing earlier. You said the Captain lent you yours?"
"Yes."
"So is it co-incidence that Nanny's is the same? Or did the Captain have TWO?"
There was a long pause while they got in and Carolyn started the car. After negotiated her way around the first few curves in the road, Carolyn glanced over at Martha, her eyes troubled. "I don't know." she admitted. "And when I tried to ask, he never really answered."
Again there was silence. Then Martha said, "I thought Nanny and the Professor are going to get married."
"They are."
"So what does the Captain have to do with them?"
"They're friends?" Carolyn suggested.
"I rather thought that you and the Captain were ... well, MORE than friends. And yet he possibly gave Nanny the same cape?"
"I don't want to talk about it." said Carolyn flatly, not having a plausible answer for Martha's questions, OR her own!
She pulled up in the parking area designated for the Ice Palace. They all piled out and stared in awe at the place. It was lovely at night, with all the coloured lights reflecting off the ice and snow and glowing brightly. Tealights had been placed in chunks of ice lining the walkway from the parking lot to the archway leading inside.
"Wow!" Candy breathed.
"Wow, indeed!" Martha echoed.
"Come on, let's go in!" Jonathan said. "I wanna see if the Everetts are here yet."
Walking through the passageway which was softly glowing in rich colours, they came into the centre area which was already crowded. Carolyn saw Mrs. Post dance past, and smiled to herself when the phrase 'dripping with diamonds' popped into her mind. Clearly many people thought of diamonds when the word 'ice' came up, if the amount of the glittering gems she could see in the crowd was any indication!
Nanny met them shortly after they entered, looking exquisite to Carolyn's mind. She was wearing a long ice blue dress with silver accessories. "The others are over at a table we have been saving," she said. "I knew you would be along shortly. Carolyn, you look exquisite," she added, smiling at her friend.
"Thank you. I was just thinking the same about YOU." Carolyn smiled back. How was it Nanny so often seemed to know what was in her mind?
"Thank you!"
Nanny led the way, but as they neared, the children ran first to see their friends.
Claymore, still dressed in the now rather dingy-looking white tuxedo, met them before they could reach the Professor who had already stood in anticipation of their arrival. "Mrs. Muir! Miss Figalilly! Two such lovely ladies!" Claymore grinned. "I was hoping to catch up with you tonight."
"Claymore, I'm sorry about the sleigh ride this afternoon." Carolyn said quickly.
"Oh, don't worry about it." he waved his hand. "I know it wasn't you. It was ... well, never mind." He continued beaming at them. Carolyn began to wonder if perhaps he had had a few too many drinks of Caribou.
"Nanny, let me tell you, I have never seen such beauty ... well, present company excepted, of course," he spoke quickly to Mrs. Muir, then turned back to Nanny, seizing her hands. "I would love to ask you to dance, Nanny, but, well, I really don't like exerting myself too much. Not with such old-fashioned kind of music, you understand. I'm a swinger at heart, you know! Oh ho, yes, indeed! A real hot one! Just ask Mrs. Muir. Later. Right now, how be you and I find a dark corner somewhere where I can ply you with drink? No, I mean, where we can get to know each other better, if you know what I mean! Then maybe I can show you all the sights of Schooner Bay at night. You remember, of course, that I AM the head of the Town Council, and the Justice of the Peace, and the owner of the only Real Estate Agency in town, and ..."
"That's very nice of you, Mr. Gregg," Nanny replied politely, "but I'm afraid I'm already spoken for."
He didn't seem to hear her. "You know, when I was younger, before reaching the prime I'm in now, they used to call me Killer. Oh, but I didn't REALLY kill anyone. It was just that the ladies were prone to swoon when they laid eyes on me. Oh, ho, those were the days!" he chuckled. When they made a move to turn away, he tightened his grip on Nanny's hands and spoke quickly. "Actually, that was a stupid name. Now the one I am REALLY famous for is Tiger. RARRHH!" he growled. "I'm a tiger, and I'm ready for YOU, baby! Just say the word and ..."
"Goodbye, Mr. Gregg." Nanny said.
"No, no, no! You are teasing me! Ah, cruel beauty!" he clutched his heart dramatically. "You obviously misunderstood my motives ..."
"Claymore, perhaps you haven't heard the latest news? Nanny and the Professor are to be married." Carolyn said quickly.
"Well, really, how could I hear things when no one will talk with me? I mean ... WHAT?" he swung around to Carolyn and stared at her incredulously. Then he swung back to Nanny and the Professor who had come up to them to find out what was keeping them. "YOU are going to be married? To each other?"
"That's right." the Professor put his arm around Nanny and she smiled up at him.
"Where's your ring?" Claymore grabbed Nanny's bare left hand. "See? No ring. You're just trying to put me off or tease me. I can tell. I can sniff out the truth. Tigers are good at that, you know."
The Professor looked shocked. He had completely forgotten about a ring! Well, he would certainly have to remedy that as soon as possible! He knew just the type of ring he wanted to buy for his Phoebe, too! Then Claymore was called away, to no one's dismay, for the crowning of Snow Queen Nancy.
"Hey, Nancy's our old babysitter!" Candy exclaimed. "From a long time ago, of course, when we still needed a babysitter," she added. "Let's get closer to see the crowning!"
She and the other children ran off. The adults sat down at the table and watched the pageantry unfold. Then the music started again. The Professor offered to go for drinks for everyone, and disappeared. Almost immediately after he was gone, Martha was asked to dance by a diffident Cleveland Hampton. She beamed at him and followed him on to the dance floor.
Watching the couples swirling past, Carolyn vividly remembered her dream of dancing with the Captain in the front yard of Gull Cottage. Oh, it had been wonderful! Almost as wonderful had been the dance in the living room when the Captain had taken over Claymore's body for a waltz. Of course, she had still been dancing with Claymore, but when she had closed her eyes, and the Captain had talked to her, it had been a little easier to pretend she was with him ...
"Carolyn? You enjoy dancing, I see." Nanny said.
"Most of the time," Carolyn admitted. Then she grimaced and mentioned the Centennial Ball and having to dance once with Claymore at the hall. "He almost crippled me, stepping on my toes. If only I could dance again with the Ca ..." she broke off, rather embarrassed at admitting her folly when it came to Captain Gregg.
Nanny smiled a peculiar smile, and Carolyn heard the Captain's voice, "Mrs. Muir, may I have the honour of this dance?"
She turned and looked up to see Captain, resplendent in his uniform, standing over her, holding out his hand in invitation.
"Who can see you?" she demanded in a rather fierce whisper, her longing to dance with him overcoming her usual reticence in public.
"Everyone. I wish it." he said simply.
Carolyn started to put her hand in his, then hesitated.
Nanny leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. "With a little bit of love, many magical things can happen, Carolyn. Believe in your love."
Carolyn's hand lightly touched his, energy glowing around them, and she was up in a moment. She felt his other hand at her back, was aware of the palpable energy of his hand on hers, and sensed rather than felt his body moving perfectly with hers in time to the waltz music. Her eyes were locked on his, the smile on her face reflected on his. He was solid, yet not. Real, yet an illusion. Still, she was alone with him in an enchanted dreamworld. Nothing and no one else mattered save the sheer joy of being in his arms, however it had come about.
Meanwhile the Professor had returned with the drinks. "Where's Carolyn?"
"Dancing." Nanny indicated the couple just getting to the dance floor.
"Handsome chap." the Professor commented, frowning a little. "I don't believe I remember seeing him around before. Yet, for some reason, he looks familiar. I wonder why?"
Again a mysterious smile played around Nanny's lips, but she said nothing.
"Well, since we've obviously been abandoned, shall we dance, then?" the Professor smiled at her, his heart showing in his eyes, and Nanny's own dreamworld overwhelmed her as they moved together to the strains of music. She believed in her love as well, and the rest of the evening was sheer magic.
The next day passed in a blur, from the pancake breakfast, to the two hours wandering around looking at the snow sculptures as the contestants worked on them. Candy and Prudence did a mermaid, Butch and Hal made a launching pad and rocket that was supposed to really work. Hal had concocted a chemical formula he was sure could lift off a rocket made of snow, based on a certain density. However, it blew up in their faces when put to the test. As they blinked through the snow on their faces, gales of laughter from the crowd of onlookers greeted their exploits. Jonathan made a wonderful three-masted schooner, and admitted he had help, but wouldn't say who had helped him. Nanny laughed and said his mother had used a ghost writer on occasion, so maybe he had a ghost sculptor! Carolyn stared at Nanny, wondering how she knew, while Jonathan laughed and agreed.
The Professor lifted his eyebrows. "A ghost sculptor? As in, the ghost of Captain Daniel Gregg who supposedly haunts Gull Cottage?" He sounded skeptical. "Surely no one in this day and age actually believe in GHOSTS! Tell me, Carolyn, have you ever seen him?"
Before Carolyn could answer, Nanny rushed into speech. "Now, Professor, you KNOW I always say what I mean and mean what I say! A ghost sculptor doesn't necessarily have to be a ghost. And you should realize by now that Captain Gregg is a tradition in Schooner Bay! We've all heard the stories. Carolyn couldn't possibly discount them in public. Why, what would Gull Cottage or Schooner Bay BE without the ghost of Captain Gregg? Tell me THAT if you can!"
The Professor rolled his eyes. "Nanny, you've been reading too many fairy tales or something. You've been talking about this Captain Gregg since we arrived. I'm beginning to wonder just what your fixation IS about him!"
"Oh, no fixation, Professor. I just find myself drawn to him." Nanny said cheerfully.
"I had hoped you felt drawn to ME."
Nanny laughed merrily. "Oh, Professor, surely you know by now how I feel about you!"
"Well, I thought I did ... maybe I need more tangible evidence?" he wheedled.
Blushing, Nanny replied, "Later, Professor!" Then she cocked her head. "Listen!"
Soft strains of a waltz drifted through the air. Carolyn was immediately drawn back to the previous evening, and memories of dancing with the Captain erased all her doubts and disturbed thoughts. She took a deep breath, then said, "I think the sleigh rides are still going if anyone is as interested as I am in having another ride."
"Only if I may go with you." the Captain was suddenly at her side. She smiled up at him and he murmured, "With such an enchanting invitation as your smile, my dear, I accept your offer with exceeding great joy!"
"We'll be there in a minute, Carolyn," Nanny said, tightening her hand on the Professor's arm as he opened his mouth.
When Carolyn had walked away, the Professor looked at Nanny. "Why didn't you want me to say we could get the big sleigh and all go together? Unless Claymore is around, Carolyn will get quite chilly on her own! The children are busy here, Martha is off somewhere with Mr. Hampton ..."
"Carolyn prefers it this way, Professor. She'll be warm enough, believe me."
As the sleighs wound their way around the town, more magic appeared to be scattered through the streets. Love seemed to peek around every corner and fill the air. The Ice Festival may be over, but so many enchanting memories had been made and so many magical moments enjoyed. It was a weekend to be savoured for a long, long time to come.
