What happened after we left Gull Cottage on Christmas Day 1969?
The hectic morning was finally over, the baby safely back in his grateful mother's arms. Candy and Jonathan were playing with their new toys, even managing not to fight with each other. It was a very happy Christmas at Gull Cottage; indeed the happiest the house had ever seen.
Martha turned Claymore's gift of a Christmas turkey into the centerpiece of the feast and the whole family gathered around the dining room table; Carolyn at one end with Candy and Jonathan on her right, Martha and Claymore to her left. The chair on the opposite end of the table may have appeared empty to Martha's eyes, but from everyone else's point of view the Captain presided over the proceedings. The light of the season sparkled in the eyes of all those gathered around the table.
Jonathan would not stop talking about the Captain's gift of a Christmas dream. He eagerly repeated the details until his sister had had enough, "Jonathan, we know what presents you got; we know the Captain took us out to chop down a Christmas tree; I was there, remember?"
Jonathan ignored his sister and continued to ramble on earning himself various reactions around the table. Candy rolled her eyes; Martha smiled and laughed and Claymore continued his good (but not imbibed) spirits by joining Jonathan in remembering the dream. Carolyn was inwardly a jumble of emotions, but outwardly a mother full of Christmas joy. The Captain was pleased his gift was such a success with Jonathan; he only hoped his mother was equally pleased with her gift from him.
Candy had had enough of her brother's babbling and switched the conversation to a topic of greater interest to her. She turned and asked her mother, "wouldn't it be romantic if you can the Captain really got married, mom?"
This brought all conversation at the table to an abrupt end. The Captain leaned forward to see what Carolyn's reaction would be. It was shock; pure and simple.
Finally Martha stepped in to save her; "for goodness sakes child, the Captain has been dead for 100 years; how could he and your mother get married?"
Candy shrugged, "I don't know; but it would be romantic wouldn't it?"
Carolyn rubbed her temple to ward off a headache and smiled at her daughter.
Last night's dream had awakened a sense of whimsy in Martha and she decided to play along with Candy, she addressed Carolyn, "Mrs. Muir, maybe Captain Gregg's ghost does haunt the house and that was his way of telling you that you have a secret admirer."
"Et tu, Martha," flitted through Carolyn's mind. She looked around the table, studiously avoiding the opposite end. She was not at all sure how to answer this; the only thing she knew for certain was that the Captain's admiration for her had never been secret. She managed a very non-committal, "that seems a little far-fetched to me."
"Perhaps, but if he ever does declare his intentions, I say take him up on it."
"His being a ghost being irrelevant?"
Martha shrugged, "you could do far worse among the living. With the Captain you'd never have to worry about him being drunk or traveling on business trips; most importantly, you'd never have to pick his dirty socks up off the floor."
"Well, that's certainly something to keep in mind." This whole situation was veering out of control, although she did admit to herself that Martha had some very good points, including some she had never before considered. The Captain observed this conversation with pleasure; Martha was unwittingly helping his suit and Carolyn seemed to be contemplating her words.
"You were engaged in the dream Mrs. Muir. The Captain did ask me when I could have all the preparations ready."
"Really?" Carolyn asked with a wry grin and a raised eyebrow, the Captain had taken a few liberties in this dream world he'd created and she wasn't quite sure if she liked that or not.
"That's funny, I don't remember anyone proposing," Carolyn teased finally decided that playing along with this ridiculous conversation was a better way of deflecting the topic than a bullheaded denial would be.
Martha laughed, "Oh, Mrs. Muir you two were engaged before the Captain shipped out."
"How convenient," she answered, a pointed look at the other the end of the table was answered with a shrug and an oh so very innocent look in his eyes.
"By the way, I told him New Year's would work quite fine."
"Well, I hope all of you will be very happy," Carolyn declared as she took a sip of wine.
Candy didn't detect the sarcasm and plowed forward with great enthusiasm, "Mom, wouldn't that be great; maybe we will all have a dream on New Year's for the wedding!"
Carolyn might have said something at this point, but no one really knew for sure as her elbows were on the table, her face was buried in her hands and her head was shaking from side to side.
Martha excused herself to get some more milk, laughing all the way to the kitchen.
Carolyn was more than a little taken aback. She had never examined her relationship with the Captain from an outside point of view before; she'd always seen it from her vantage point of one half of a couple. Not until now had she considered the way their friendship affected everyone else. She glanced down at the Captain, he looked rather too smug for her liking. He had caught how affected she was by Martha's words and was very pleased by her reaction.
"What?" she shot across the table.
"I have the Martha Grant seal of approval," even the words were smug. He leaned back and put his hands behind his head.
She smirked back.
Candy threw in an ebullient, "me too!"
Jonathan's, "me three!" was just as eager as his sister's words.
Even Claymore tossed in a, "me four!" to complete the set.
Carolyn looked to her left, "I'm surprised you have any opinion at all on this Claymore."
"Of course, do you know how much easier he's been to live with since you've been around?" He shuddered, remember how long he had had to put up with a terrifying ghost, he addressed said ghost, "and to think, you didn't even want her here at all."
This was true enough and the Captain had the grace to admit it, he then continued, "truly Claymore, I am touched; but your zeal may be tempered by the knowledge that should the fair lady and I be married you would sign Gull Cottage over to her." He leaned forward to press this point, "I will not permit my wife to live in my home and pay you rent."
Claymore looked rather ill from this thought, although no one was sure if it was because he feared the Captain's wrath should he not comply, the loss of income from Gull Cottage; or both.
Carolyn listened to the Captain's words, but didn't pay them much notice, she was too busy trying to pull herself together and thinking of a gentle way to get her children to stop wishing for things that could never be. She had a difficult time keeping her own daydreams in check; she didn't need to try and keep Candy and Jonathan focused in reality also.
Taking advantage of Martha's absence she looked around the table, and asked her daughter a very pointed question, "Candy, how would life be different in this household if the Captain and I were married?"
Candy fervently pounced on this; thinking that her answer would prompt her mother into making the obvious choice. However, the more she thought about it, the more she had to throw out every thought that came into her head. The Captain was already very paternal to both Jonathan and herself. She visibly deflated and acknowledged defeat, "I don't know."
"Exactly the point I was trying to make, Candy. Life at Gull Cottage would be very much the same as it is now."
She placed a finger under her daughter's chin to lift it up as Candy had become moody when she admitted defeat. "Candy, it's not the ring or the wedding that make a marriage. A marriage is built on trust, communication and commitment. There are people who have been married for years who have never had a wedding ceremony. On the other hand, there are couples with the rings and the license who live together as strangers in empty marriages. They've never been truly married to each other. Do you understand what I am saying?"
She nodded, but pouted; "I still think it would be fun to have a party."
Then Jonathan piped in, "So you and the Captain are already married!"
This was definitely not the response Carolyn was hoping for.
"Let's see you waltz around this one Mrs. Muir. Or should I say, Mrs. Gregg?" the Captain sat back to enjoy the show.
She glared at her 'husband'.
"Oh, does that mean we can call you Mrs. Gregg?" Candy's eyes were brighter than they were when she was opening presents.
"Absolutely not. Whatever happened to plain old 'mom'?"
"Aw, that's not as much fun,"
"Can you imagine trying to explain that away if you said that in the grocery store? They'd think the whole Muir family had gone around the bend. It would just add more fuel to the 'Gull Cottage ghost' fire. And that's enough out of both of you on the subject."
At this point Martha returned with the milk, "enough of what subject?"
"Mom won't let us call her Mrs. Gregg," Candy said sullenly.
"Well, I should hope not; it's rather difficult to be married to someone whom you can only see in your dreams. Pity that."
"What do you mean?" Carolyn wondered.
"It's just that in my part of the dream he was...fun. He was not what I expected. I'd always pictured him so dour and bullying. Oh, not so much bullying as commanding with no regard for others; he'd have to be if he was in charge of a ship. He was certainly crazy about you, though."
Carolyn's vanity was not going to let this one pass, "oh, is that so?"
"Of course! Anyone could see it in his actions. He did come home just to spend Christmas with you and the kids."
Carolyn couldn't argue that point.
Martha sighed and continued, "and don't overlook that spark in his eye. That's the kind of look a woman dreams of her whole life; like he couldn't wait to spend a long time under the mistletoe with you. Except there wasn't any mistletoe in the house.
"Blast! How could I have forgotten the mistletoe? Oh well, next year for certain."
Carolyn once again glared down the table.
Martha had a wonderful idea, "I'll go see if I can find anything that we can use for mistletoe."
"Whatever for?" Carolyn asked somewhat bewildered.
"Who knows, maybe Captain Gregg is just looking for an opportunity," and she was off to the kitchen again in search of any greenery that might work; broccoli, asparagus, discarded bows, she wasn't picky.
"I always did like the cut of her jib."
If Carolyn glared at the opposite end of the table any more it might be in danger of implosion.
"Captain Gregg why didn't you put any mistletoe in the house?" was Candy's plaintive question.
"I do apologize for my unfortunate oversight."
"You could have kissed under the mistletoe, with the candle light beaming around you; that would have been so romantic," Candy dreamed, her eyes wistful.
Carolyn gaped at her daughter; confounded. The child was far too lost in romance, "that's a very sophisticated notion for a ten year old."
Candy shrugged, "I just think it would have been pretty."
Carolyn had to cure her daughter's over-romanticism gently, "Candy, remember what I said this morning about some things being possible only in dreams?" Candy nodded although she was not happy about the situation. Her mother continued, trying not to break Candy's heart, "the way we live right now as a family is very much as it would be if the Captain and I were married."
And then she heard a whisper in her ear, "except that we miss the best part of a marriage."
Stunned, Carolyn was now stunned. She hadn't even noticed him disappearing from the other end of the table and standing by her chair.
"Momma, you're blushing."
"Could you excuse me, I think I'll see if Martha needs any help the kitchen."
"So you're going to look for mistletoe too?" Candy asked hopefully.
"No!"
The Captain was laughing behind her; slowly she rose from her chair and glowered at him,
"I can't believe you just said that."
"What did he say, mom?" Jonathan asked in complete innocence.
"Nothing dear, don't you have a dinner to eat?"
"Yes ma'am."
Carolyn stared at her son, the pain in her right temple starting to throb again. She rubbed it while trying to think of a way to stop this silliness. This was not the way she pictured Christmas at all.
Giving in, she decided the aggravation wasn't worth the long faces gathered around the table, "Perhaps while I am gone the four of you can plan this non-existent wedding."
"Really?" was Candy's delighted response.
"Oh sure, why not; but I still don't remember anyone proposing," she tossed out airily as went through the doorway.
The kitchen was a relief. She leaned against the sink and got herself a glass of water. How did Christmas dinner become a discussion of her love life?
"Mrs. Muir?" "Mrs. Muir, are you all right?" she heard in the vague background of her mind.
"Should I bring in dessert as long as we are here?" Carolyn cleared her head and agreed. She was starting to feel that the sooner dinner was over, the better.
In the dining room the Captain had made momentary use of Carolyn's chair, "ah, your mother; a delight day in and day out.
"Can we really plan the wedding, Captain?"
"Nothing would give me greater pleasure, Candy; but I am afraid I must agree with your mother on this. It does none of us any good to wish for things that can never be."
"But you could give us just one more dream; on New Year's Day. Please?"
"Please?" both children said in unison.
"Remember what I said earlier about too much of a good thing?"
"Yes," both children moped. Even Claymore looked a little saddened by the turn of events. The Captain felt things had taken a turn for the worse and didn't know how to fix it. Carolyn and Martha entered the room to find two saddened children picking at their food.
"Perk up kids, it's time for pie!" Martha announced. Carolyn called the Captain out of the room with a flick of her head and told Martha she had to check on something in the kitchen. She met him there, "what happened?"
"Unintended consequences of my actions."
"Could you explain?"
"Apparently the children are quite taken with the thought of us being married and are not happy that it is not to be."
"Is that all? They are children, it's natural for them to want to be in a traditional family setting. But if there is one thing I learned about Gull Cottage immediately; it's very non-traditional."
"Are you angry with me?"
"Angry, why?"
"For putting such an idea into their heads."
"Although she has never come out and said so, I think Candy has had that idea for quite some time. And Jonathan, well, us being married wouldn't really make a difference in the way you two interact. You are so good with him. He may not see the contribution you make to his life right now, but I do."
"Madam, now you are making me blush."
"Good, and I'm still shocked by your comment."
He grinned, delighted he had rattled her so, "I'd love to do more research on other ways to shock you."
She held his gaze for a moment, deciding whether this was something to delve into at this moment or not. She decided not; she broke away, shook her head and laughed as she started back to the party. Back in the dining room the mood seemed to have improved; pie having the necessary charm to cure all ills. Carolyn sat back down at the head of the table.
Martha was now contemplative, "Mrs. Muir, it's really too bad the Captain is nothing but a dream, he certainly seemed crazy about you."
"Well, isn't that nice." Carolyn answered. Determined to put an end to discussion about the Captain, she tried to change the subject. "Jonathan, how did you enjoy your Christmas?"
"It was the best Christmas ever!" he meant every word.
"That's another thing Mrs. Muir, the Captain doted on the kids. You can't go wrong with a man, or ghost who cares about your kids." This was another point in the Captain's favor; he and Jonathan had formed an unbreakable bond from almost the moment the Muirs walked into the house. If Carolyn tried to bring another step-father into their lives now, Jonathan would be upset; with good reason.
So much for changing the subject.
"Martha, is there some sort of point to this?"
"I wonder if he has any friends for me."
"Who?"
"The Captain, of course; who else?"
"You want a ghost to introduce you to some of his ghost friends?" Carolyn was trying to comprehend Martha's jumping on to the ghost bandwagon.
"Why not? Inter-racial romances are all the rage, why not inter-dimensional?"
Carolyn had never thought of their situation in inter-dimensional terms before. She was doing her best to avoid looking at the other end of the table as she knew someone would be sitting there somehow managing to look even more smug than he had earlier.
"Isn't that a nice idea, mom? Inter-dimensional." Candy said inter-dimensional as though it was the magic word that unlocked the secrets of the Universe.
"I think it's about time for you to get your head out of the clouds and your feet on the ground, young lady."
"But mom…"
"But nothing. You are letting yourself get caught up in a fantasy and it's going to come crashing down. Now that's enough. Finish your dessert."
Candy was disappointed, but obeyed. Realizing she was a little harsh, Carolyn, touched her daughter's cheek, "I'm sorry honey, you just have to remember what I said this morning about some things being possible only in dreams."
"Better a dream than not at all, and you were engaged in the dream."
Oh, she just had to bring that up again.
At this point Carolyn just gave up, closed her eyes and started to massage that throbbing pain in her forehead. Martha and Candy continued to discuss wedding plans; but Carolyn heard a distinct voice saying, "who knew Martha would be such a staunch ally; I should have brought her in on this sooner."
Carolyn opened her eyes and glared at him. He grinned back. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Have you two finished planning the wedding yet? Can we continue with Christmas?"
"Oh but this is so much more fun!" Candy's spirits rose again.
"Something more fun than Christmas?" Jonathan was having none of that and shook his head at his sister.
"Mom, can I be a flower girl?"
"Of course, Candy, why not," Carolyn was now gazing longingly at the wine bottle situated near Claymore.
All was right in Candy's world, "and Jonathan can be ring bearer!"
"Sure, fine, why not?" Carolyn muttered.
"I don't want to be a ring bearer."
"Hush Jonathan, of course you do," his sister was going to get her way on this no matter what.
Jonathan appealed to a higher power, "Mom, do I have to be a ring bearer?"
"Jonathan, you're getting too mixed up in your sister's delusions. The wedding is not taking place, so no; you do not have to be a ring bearer." She gave Candy and 'knock it off' look. Candy went back to eating her dessert, not at all deterred by her mother's continual attempts to smother her flights of fancy.
Jonathan looked relieved. The Captain, who had been enjoying all of this immensely started to realize perhaps Candy was carrying this all a bit too far and that was going to land him in hot water with Carolyn.
The dinner table was quiet for a few moments. "I didn't mean to bring conversation to a complete halt. So, who's looking forward to the Schooner Bay Christmas Ball tomorrow night? Dancing, desserts, new dresses; should be a lot of fun; don't you think so, Candy?"
"Yes, but I don't think it will be as fun as last night."
Carolyn thought this whole conversation was becoming intolerable.
"Mrs. Muir if the Captain does admire you he'll certainly wish himself mortal again tomorrow night."
"How did we get back to him?" Carolyn wondered to herself, but only managed a wan, "why?" to Martha.
"Why? Because your gown is enough to attract any man's attention – living or dead."
Carolyn acknowledged this with horror. When she had tried on the gown she liked it because it transported her to another time, only now was she seeing what a mistake that was. The dress was made of dark red velvet; the skirt was perfect for dancing with a flare and a small train. The neckline of the bodice was cut lower than her usual dresses. There were off the shoulder straps which created a lovely frame for her shoulders and face. It had never crossed her mind that this gown could be enticing to the Captain. Of course it had never occurred to her before last night that there could be any reason to entice.
She was going to have to do something about it tomorrow; because there was no way she was going to wear that dress now. She thought sadly that that was too bad because she really liked the dress. The more she thought about it, the more she could draw parallels between it and the robe she wore on the porch last night. Yes, the decision was made; the dress was staying the closet tomorrow night.
The Captain was very intrigued by this conversation, but he noticed that Carolyn's mood had changed.
"It is a really pretty dress mom, pretty velvet; I can't wait to see you in it." Candy said with some excitement returning to her mood.
"Velvet?" the Captain teased from across the table, "I have developed a sudden fondness for you in velvet."
The Captain was safe from a look that could kill, but that didn't mean Carolyn didn't shoot one in his direction anyway.
"Judging from the way he was kissing you on the porch last night, I think he would definitely wish himself alive again."
Carolyn's fork clattered to her plate as her head whipped around in surprise at Martha's words. "What are you talking about, Martha?" Carolyn asked with great trepidation.
Martha shrugged, "well, I just happened to peek through the window to see if it was still snowing and I saw you and the Captain kissing on the porch."
Carolyn was shocked, all of a sudden things got a little hazy. Martha couldn't have said that she saw them kissing last night, could she? Judging from Candy's squeal of delight and her jumping out of the chair to dance around the room, she had to conclude that Martha had indeed let that secret slip.
"Surely, you remember that; don't you Mrs. Muir? You could have set off an atomic bomb and you two wouldn't have noticed."
Claymore leaned over to the Captain and whispered, "you sly dog, you." which earned him a 'stow it, Claymore" from the Captain in response.
Carolyn really needed to calm Candy down, but Martha took the lead, "for goodness sakes child, it was just a dream. Such a shame too. It's a pity we can't live in dreams, sometimes they are so much better than reality." This was a thought that had been running through Carolyn's head all day. She knew there was a conversation that was going to have to happen between the Captain and herself and she wasn't looking forward to it.
But for now she needed to calm down her lost in a fairy tale romance daughter,
"Candy, listen to Martha; it was just a dream. Now sit down."
"But it really happened."
"Listen to me closely; It. Was. A. Dream. There will be no more talk of dreams, weddings, dresses, dances, ghosts; and especially not kissing, at all tonight. Do I make myself clear?"
Candy nodded, sat down and morosely picked at her dessert.
It was once again quiet in the room and Carolyn felt like she had ruined everyone's Christmas. Exasperated, she addressed the one person who could make her feel better, "Claymore, is there anymore wine?"
Claymore hurried to refill Carolyn's glass and Christmas dinner concluded with two disappointed children and their mother at her wit's end.