A Life That Could Have Been
Chapter 1: Meeting the Captain
1855 Schooner Bay
"Mother, mother." Candy Muir yelled as she ran up the path to Gull Cottage. Her little brother Johnathan not far behind.
"Mother!" Jonathan mimicked his sister. The door to the cottage swung open and hit the nearby window with a bang! Running into the alcove, the children approached their mother.
"What is it Children?" Carolyn Muir glanced up from her sewing. Before her, stood her two children. Sighing she shook her head "Children, what on earth have you been doing?" Candy's red cherry dress was splattered with mud. Each of the six white buttons that ran up the front, were unrecognizable as were the girl's white tights and black marry janes. Not to mention her blond hair. It was a mess.
"Playing out in the yard with Scruffy mother." Jonathan answered with a toothless smile. His school clothing too was caked with mud. The black pants and dark blue dress shirt was covered in dirt. His blond hair had specs of dirt as well.
"Children, you know that you are to come home and change out of your school clothes, before you play with Scruffy." The children looked down at their feet. They sure were a sight. "What did you want to tell me?"
"There is a—" both children began with excitement.
"One at a time please."
"There is a ship on the horizon!" Candy exclaimed.
It's coming to Schooner Bay!" Jonathan followed with merriment.
"That's lovely children. Why don't you go take a look at the boat through the telescope upstairs?"
Running from the room, Candy and Jonathan raced up the staircase, down the hall and into their mother's room.
"I want to see first." Jonathan bellowed, as he tried to knock his sister from the platform that the object sat upon.
"No, a lady ALWAYS goes first." Sticking her tongue at her brother, Candy continued to look out at the sea. "I SEE IT!"
"You are not a lady. You are a mean older sister!" Smacking his sister with his hand, they began to fight. "I WANT TO SEE IT!"
"MOTHER! MARTHA!" Candy shrieked from the room.
"What is going on in here?" Martha demanded as she stood in the doorway with a basket of laundry on her hip.
"Martha, Jonathan-"
"What is all that noise?" Carolyn asked as she approached her bedroom door.
"Candy, won't let me go first." Jonathan whimpered as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"He hit me and told me I was not a lady." Candy turned the tables and began to blame her brother.
"Until you learn to take turns, there will be no looking through the telescope."
"Not even to play pirate and the princess?" Candy inquired with a look of concern on her face.
"Not even to play pirate and the princess." Carolyn responded as she brushed her long blond ringlet curls from her shoulder.
"That isn't fair." The children said in unison. They would never see the ship come into port and would never see who was upon it.
"Mrs. Muir!" a voice came through the house.
"Up here Claymore." Carolyn called from her bedroom. What could her landlord want now? He had been trying for weeks to rid them from the house.
"Children, I have your snack down in the kitchen." Martha told the two youngsters. Running out of the room, the children raced to the kitchen. "What could that skinny little crow want now?" she whispered to Mrs. Muir.
Doing her best to suppress a laugh, Carlyon covered her mouth with a hand. "Now Martha, I know that Claymore isn't the best of men, but he means well."
"Sure, when it comes to money he means well." Exiting the room, the woman carried the laundry down to the kitchen to fold.
Floor boards creaked and cracked as the man came upstairs two by two and entered the main cabin. The man panted for air as he wiped his brow with his handkerchief. He was tall, skinny with glasses. "Mrs. Muir, I must talk to you it's urgent."
"What is the problem Claymore?"
Panic began to riddle through Claymore's body. "Mrs. Muir, you have to leave this house immediately!" the man exclaimed.
"Why? We have lived here for the past six months, and I see no harm in staying where we are."
"Because!"
"Because why?" Carolyn crossed her arms over her lovely emerald green checkered dress.
"My-my-"
"Claymore!"
"My uncle Captain Daniel Gregg will be arriving shortly and he will want his house back or um ship as he calls it."
"Claymore, you told me that nobody lived here and that you were looking for someone to lease the house to."
"Aw well, you see -I-I- forgot to mention that he-he- shipped out over eight months ago, and he has no idea that you are here." The man's stuttering made his face heat from the humidity that lingered in the air.
Carolyn was appalled. How could he fail to mention such important information? "We can't leave. We spent all our money to move here from Philadelphia."
"I have some lovely other cottages down by the beach that you would just love."
"Claymore, I am not moving from this house. If your uncle is coming back, I insist that I talk with him."
"He isn't going to like this." Claymore mumbled. "Not one bit."
"Like it or not, I gave you the money to live here and that is that." Turning from the giant room, Carolyn made her way to the bedroom door.
"You are not going down to the port are you?" Claymore took his hat off and began messing with it. Oh good heavens he was in way over his head.
"Yes, I intend to meet this Captain Gregg the moment he enters port."
"Oh, but you can't do that, no, no, no."
"Claymore, I suggest you stop stalling me. After all your uncle cannot be all bad." Smiling her sweet smile, Carolyn departed from the room to assist the children in picking out fresh clean clothes.
"Oh you don't know the half of it Mrs. Muir." Looking up to the ceiling, he mumbled something and went downstairs.
…..
"Mother, why are we down here?" Jonathan wondered as his mother, sister, Martha and Claymore waited on something important.
"We are waiting for the ship to doc dear and talk with the captain."
The children gasped with excitement. "We get to see the ship and meet the captain!?" the children danced about with cheerfulness.
"My uncle despises children." Claymore acknowledged. "That would explain why he never married or had children."
"What a shame, but I can assure you, that the children are going to be on their best behavior." Carolyn reassured the nervous man. Drawing her cream colored shall around her shoulders, Carolyn looked to her children.
They nodded in agreement "There is the ship!"
Hoisting anchor, the boat slowly came to ahead, as it nestled into the port. "Men get this deck looking shapeshift and bristle fashion." A man called out.
"aye, aye, captain." The crew hollered back.
Exiting the ship, a man that stood 6'2, thick with muscle approached the group. His curly hair was the color of chocolate with a mustache and beard to match. The captains attire was black trousers, black tailored jacket and a black undershirt.
"Uncle, it is good to see you."
"You call me that again you piece of seaweed and I will have you thrown overboard!"
"Um, captain." Claymore pointed towards the others around him.
Captain Gregg turned to see two women and two children. Blast! His mouth always got the better of him and so did – women. "Who is this charming creature?" the captain asked as he glanced at Carolyn. In all his years as a seaman, he had never seen such a beautiful creature before.
"I am Carolyn Muir sir, and these are my children, Candy and Jonathan . This is Martha my hired help."
"It is an honor to meet you-all of you." Addressed Captain Gregg.
"I am also the one who is renting your lovely cottage." Carolyn confessed as she looked the Captain square in the face.
Anger boiled throughout Captain Greggs body at hearing such news. His muscles became tight as veins began to bulge from his neck. "CLAYMORE YOU IDIOT! What gave you the right to rent out my ship?"
"Well, I knew you were going to be gone for a few months, so I figured why not make money while you were away." Claymore pulled at his shirt collar. Boy was he going to get it.
"Madam, I am sorry, but you will have to leave. I'm afraid there has been some kind of mix up."
"Captain, I do not intend on leaving. I am staying right where I am."
"Um, children come along, we will go take a walk while the grownups have a talk." Martha quickly ushered the children away.
Watching the older woman and the children head down the shore, Captain Gregg ventured onward. "You can't stay upon me blasted ship, I forbid it."
"Blast!"
"My lady, blast is not a lady's word." Captain Gregg quickly corrected the woman.
"Blast, Blast, Blast!" anger shot through Carolyn's eyes. She was not giving in without a fight. "Daniel-Captain Gregg, I told Claymore, that we cannot leave." Biting her lip, Carolyn did her best to hold back her anguish. "We spent all the money that we had to move here. I have no place else to go." In that instant, tears rushed to the surface of her green eyes, and spilled down her cheeks.
"Oh don't cry. I could never stand to see a poor lady cry."
"Mother, what's wrong?" Candy's voice filled her mother's ears.
"I thought Martha was taking the two of you on a walk?"
"She was, but we forgot Scruffy." Candy picked up the little grey and white dog.
"Mother, why are you crying?" Jonathan questioned glancing up at the adults.
"It's complicated children, but we are going to go back to the cottage and pack."
"PACK!. Why?"
"Well children, I realized that the cottage just is not big enough for us anymore, and since Captain Gregg is back, it is time that we move on."
"We love that place mother." Jonathan exclaimed. There were so many places to hide when he and his sister were playing fun games. "Especially the picture in the alcove—the picture of the Captain."
Captain Gregg smiled at this remark. Well at least the lad had good taste.
"Where will we go mother?" Candy inquired as she cocked her head to one side.
"I don't know, but Mr. Gregg-Claymore, said he would help us find another home."
"No, please don't do that. I'm sure there is plenty of room for everyone." Captain Gregg acknowledged.
"Yay!" the children ran down the beach back toward their home.
"Children, please come back here."
"Blast." Said Jonathan and ran back to his mother.
" Jonathan!" "That is not a word you should use." Carolyn corrected her young son.
"Yes, Mother."
…..
"I forbid it!" barked Captain Gregg, causing a nest of birds to flock from their home. "This is my cabin."
"Yes, but after all I was here first."
"Madam, that is where you are mistaken. I was here first. I have own this home for five years now."
"Yes, but as a gentleman, you should give me the master bedroom."
"Awe, but I am not a gentleman and I will not give you the main cabin. Blasted woman. I was generous enough to let you stay. The least you can do is give me back me cabin!"
"No," Carolyn replied with a smirk. "Besides, I have far too many things to be placed within the spare bedroom. You on the other hand." She quickly glanced around the room. "Should fit quit at home there."
"ME! In the spare bedroom. Madam, I hardly think a Captain should stay in a spare bedroom. Especially in his own home!"
"Temper, temper." Carolyn shook her head from side to side.
"Blast! Fine, but I am at least taking me telescope with me."
"Captain, it will not fit in that room and that window isn't even facing the sea."
"Women." Exiting the room Captain Gregg went to survey his new cabin.
A/N: Hi everyone! Recently I discovered the TV show of the Ghost and Mrs. Muir and I have wondered what life would have been like had Carolyn been born in Captain Gregg's time. Hope you liked the first chapter. Sorry if there are any mistakes, I haven't had a chance to get this to my beta reader.