I do not own these characters. I merely borrowed them for a short time from 20th Century Fox and the estate of Josephine Leslie.
Don't Forget To Write
Carolyn turned over the final page of the romance novel she had been reading and let out a sigh. She closed the book and tossed it aside on the bed. She rose from her chair, walked out the French doors and onto the balcony outside her room. It was a crisp, clear autumn night and the moon was shimmering on the calm bay.
Carolyn leaned against the ship's wheel and closed her eyes.
'Here I am,' she thought, 'with all the ingredients for my own romance novel; a moonlit night in a cottage by the sea...a handsome sea captain...' She opened her eyes and murmured, "Blast!"
"Such language, Madam!" the Captain's rich voice broke through the stillness of the evening.
Carolyn jumped slightly then turned to give the Captain a warm smile.
"You're up awfully late, M'Dear. Is anything the matter?"
Carolyn looked back out toward the bay, "No. Everything is fine. I just could not sleep, so I decided to do a little reading."
The Captain looked back into the room and noticed the book lying on the bed.
"I take it you finished reading your novel. Did you enjoy it?"
Carolyn still did not look at the Captain when she answered, "Hmm..."
Captain Gregg cleared his throat. "Madame, if I am disturbing you...?"
She quickly looked up at him, "I am sorry. I guess I am sort of distracted this evening."
"Is there anything I can do to help you, M'Dear?"
"No, Captain...there isn't anything you can do," she answered softly, as she thought of how Captain Gregg COULD help her. She needed some romance in her life. She wanted someone to love her, someone she could love back. But that seemed to be impossibility. Any time a man paid her the least amount of attention, the Captain did wonderful job of scaring him off. As for the Captain himself...Carolyn knew he cared for her, although he never came right out and said it. There were times when the Captain would look at her in a certain way and she felt as though she could not breathe. But then he would look away and the spell would be broken, no words of love exchanged.
All the while Carolyn was lost in thought over the hopelessness of their situation; the Captain stood quietly watching and wondering what was really going on in her mind. Rather than interrupt her thoughts, he wandered back into the bedroom and picked up Carolyn's book from the bed.
He randomly selected a page and began to read. Captain Gregg stopped reading and looked up at Carolyn standing out on the balcony.
'How can she stand to read this drivel?' he thought to himself. Suddenly, the Captain remembered Carolyn's reaction reading the love letters that were written to his former paramours. Then there was the poem he had 'inspired' that young man into setting to music...she had liked that very much.
"Ah, Madam…You are so typically female,' he spoke softly to himself, "needing to have everything spelled out for you."
He began to pace back and forth.
"Blast it all!" he grumbled.
"Captain! You complain about MY language," Carolyn teased as she walked back into the room.
Captain Gregg set the book back down upon the bed and smiled at Carolyn. He bowed to her and said, "True, Madam! My apologies... If you will excuse me, there is a matter of great importance, which needs my attention. I shall bid you a good night!"
Carolyn could not hide her disappointment that he was leaving so soon.
"Oh..." she murmured as the Captain disappeared from the room.
With a heavy sigh, Carolyn drew back the covers on the bed and shut the lights. She soon fell into a restless sleep.
Some time later, Captain Gregg reappeared by her bedside.
"M'Dear...I have wanted to tell you for so long just how much you mean to me. Dare I hope that you love me as much as I do you?" he whispered as he sat down beside her on the bed. Captain Gregg could not help feeling a bit bewildered. Never before had he been unable to tell a woman his feelings for her. This time however, it was different.
This time it was Carolyn. Given the impossibility of their present situation, would it be fair for the Captain to say these things to Carolyn when nothing could come of it in the present? What if she did not return his feelings? He shook his head in denial.
'No,' he thought to himself, 'I know she has feelings for me.'
He leaned over her, his face only inches away from Carolyn's.
"Perhaps the time has come for me to let you know what is in my heart. I shall tell you tomorrow...perhaps... in a letter. That is it! A letter will be just the thing."
Carolyn sighed in her sleep and the Captain smiled. Tomorrow would be the day.
Early the next morning, Carolyn set off for town to do a few errands, including a trip to the library to do research for her new article. While she was away, the Captain sat at the desk in 'his' cabin and began writing down his feelings for Carolyn. He paused and pictured her in his mind and made a mental note of all of her attributes; her beautiful green eyes, golden hair, enchanting smile. There was her warmth and grace.
"Ah, and let us not forget your spunk, M'Dear!" he chuckled to himself. The Captain felt he could easily write a book about her. Finally, he put pen to paper, determined to reveal his true feeling. He was barely able to write a few lines when he thought he heard the sound of a car door close out in front of the house.
Captain Gregg looked out over the balcony and was surprised to see Carolyn walking toward the house.
"Blast!" he murmured.
The Captain took the paper he had been writing on, crumpled it up and shoved it into the bottom drawer of the desk.
He slammed the drawer shut and disappeared just as Carolyn entered the room.
She removed her coat and hung it in the closet. Martha happened to be walking by in the hallway and spotted Carolyn.
"I thought you were going to the library?" she asked.
Carolyn turned to her and said," Well, I was going to, but I forgot my notes here. I'll just go later today."
Martha nodded and said, "I'll go and get lunch started then."
"Thanks, Martha!"
Carolyn sat in the chair behind her desk. As she turned to move her legs beneath the desk, she bumped her shin against the bottom drawer, which was slightly ajar.
"Ooh, bet that will leave a bruise," she whispered to herself.
Carolyn rubbed her shin then tried to close the drawer but it would not close all the way. She tried opening the drawer, but it was stuck. She knelt down on the floor beside the desk and jostled the drawer back and forth. It still would not cooperate.
Carolyn managed to slip her hand inside the drawer and maneuvered the contents enough that she was finally able to slide the drawer open. She then removed it from its track and examined the space inside the desk. She reached deep inside and first removed a long thin knife housed in a leather sheath. Carolyn slowly removed the knife from its covering and examined the intricately carved blade.
"AH! This must be the dirk the Captain has been missing!"
She quickly slid it back inside the leather and then placed it on the desk. She checked to see if anything else might be in the opening. Carolyn next pulled out a crumbled up piece of paper and an envelope that had been crushed between the drawer and the frame. She placed the items on top of the desk, and then sat down to look at them.
Carolyn first picked up the envelope. From its yellowed appearance, she assumed it was very old. She turned it over and saw that it was addressed to Captain Gregg. The return address was hard to read, since the words were smudged, but from what Carolyn could decipher, the letter had come from England.
'Could be... Dover?' she thought.
Carolyn looked around the room, wondering if the Captain was about. She knew she should not read the letter. After all, it was addressed to the Captain. But her curiosity got the best of her and she slowly opened the envelope, slid out the contents, and began to read the letter within.
"Dearest Daniel..." Carolyn let out a groan. 'Oh, great...it's ANOTHER love letter,' she thought, but she continued on.
"I just wanted to thank you for all you did for me when I was aboard your ship. Words cannot express the gratitude which I feel for your risking harm in order to protect me from the crew after I was discovered."
'This must be from the woman the Captain saved; the one in "Maiden Voyage",' Carolyn thought to herself. She continued to read...
"I just wanted to let you know that Andrew and I were married a short time ago. And, although I will never forget our time together, I just wanted to let you know how happy I am. I shall never forget you, Daniel. I will always cherish my memories of you; the dashing Captain, coming to my rescue..."
Carolyn stopped there and looked at the signature, "All my Love, Careen."
Carolyn could feel her jealousy rising to the surface. She threw the letter onto the desk, stood up, and began to pace, her arms folded across her chest.
"This is ridiculous! Why am I jealous of a woman who lived over a hundred years ago?" she said aloud.
Carolyn sat back down at the desk and stared at the crumpled up paper as she fought back tears. She realized the paper was as yellowed as the envelope and letter.
After a few minutes, took a deep breath and decided to examine the paper more closely. Carolyn immediately recognized the hand writing as Captain Gregg's.
She took a deep breath then began to read,
"My Dear,
I know our being together is impossibility at the present time, but I cannot let another moment pass without telling you what is in my heart..."
Carolyn felt a stray tear slide down her cheek.
'Why are you doing this to yourself, Carolyn?' she wondered. "This must be the letter he was sending back to her," she said aloud.
Just then, the Captain appeared before her to welcome her home. He was surprised to see that she was crying.
"M'Dear...what's wrong?" Captain Gregg asked as he leaned forward, placing his hands on the desktop.
"Why the tears?" he looked deeply concerned.
Carolyn quickly wiped her cheek with the back of her hand as she looked up at him.
"THIS is what's wrong! THIS is why I am crying!" she shouted at him; too upset to hide her feelings.
He took the wrinkled paper from her outstretched hand and realized it was the letter he had begun to write to her.
"This? Oh, you see, Madam. I can explain this..." he began gently, but she did not let him finish speaking.
"No, Captain. There isn't anything to explain. It's just another one of your many love letters that you started to write years ago. This time it's to, oh, let's see..." she picked up the other letter.
"Oh, yes! This one is written to Careen. You remember Careen, don't you? She was the stowaway on your ship that you so gallantly rescued from the crew."
A low rumble of thunder could be heard overhead as the Captain's anger began to flair.
"Where did you find this? And more importantly, why did you read it? I thought we had an agreement to honor each other's privacy?" he began to shout at her.
"I'm sorry, I know it was the wrong thing to do, but I was not thinking of that," she confessed.
"Really, Madame? And just what were you thinking...if you EVER think at all!" he lashed back at her.
Carolyn swallowed deeply trying to control the flood of emotion coursing through her. It was now or never. She needed to get things out in the open.
"I was thinking about how you wrote and said words of ...of love to other women...yet you have never...I mean I had hoped that you felt the same as I..." she could not continue.
Captain Gregg was too angry to answer her. He simply looked away, refusing to admit his true feelings for her. He did not feel he could do it now.
Carolyn walked up to within inches of him, daring the Captain to look at her. When he refused to do so, she lost all control.
"I realize now, CAPTAIN!" she said his title with a great deal of sarcasm, "that the first night here in Gull Cottage, I was right to have called you a coward; because that is what you are...a coward who is afraid to admit your feelings. Or maybe Jonathan was right. Ghosts don't have any feelings..."
The sound of thunder crashed all around Gull Cottage. Carolyn had gone too far. Her words stung him to the core.
"I knew it was a mistake to let you stay here!" he growled at her.
"What did you say?" Carolyn could not believe what she heard.
"You know very well what I said. It was a mistake to let you stay here. I should have sent you packing when I had the chance. I also remember telling YOU that no one has ever put me by the fireside like some pet poodle and I am not about to start now. I refuse to act like one of those love-sick barnacles out of those ridiculous romance novels you are so fond of reading!"
Carolyn felt as though all the air had been knocked from her lungs.
She took a step backward then turned toward the door, wanting to get away from him as soon as she could. That's when she noticed the dirk lying on top of the desk. She went over, picked it up and held it out for the Captain to take. She looked at him, her eyes filled with pain.
Carolyn whispered, "I forgot to give this to you. I found it in the desk. It's a shame..." she paused to take a deep breath, and then placed her empty hand over her heart. "You could have used this and just struck me here...it probably...would have hurt... less..." she could not go on.
Carolyn let the dirk fall to the floor and then left the room, not bothering to close the door behind her. As she made her way down the hall she began to walk faster, until she reached the stairs and began to run. She ran by Martha and out of the front door before her housekeeper could ask what was wrong. Carolyn did not stop running until she reached the beach, and then fell to her knees in the sand.
Carolyn tried desperately to hold back her tears, but the effort had only produced a terrible ache in her throat. She felt an incredible emptiness inside, as though part of her died.
'How could I have been so wrong? Why did I let myself think he cared for me?' she asked herself over and over.
Meanwhile, the Captain stood on the balcony beside the ship's wheel and watched as Carolyn ran down the road. He knew he should go after her, but his pride kept him at bay.
Carolyn spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening alone on the beach, allowing all her tears and frustrations come to the surface. It was already dark by the time she returned home. Tired and emotionally drained, she quietly entered the house by the back door, hoping to avoid Martha's questions and any further confrontation with the Captain. Carolyn paused as she entered the foyer and heard the sounds of the television coming from the living room.
'Good,' she thought to herself, 'I should be able to slip by.'
Ever so slowly, Carolyn crept up the stairs. She paused momentarily outside the children's room, grateful that they were away visiting their grandparents for the time being.
Carolyn opened the door to her bedroom and entered, silently praying the Captain would not be there. She was too exhausted from their earlier argument and from the crying she had done while alone on the beach. She looked around and saw that everything was just as she had left it. The letter and envelope were still on the desk and the dirk was on the floor where she had dropped it. Carolyn felt tears fill her eyes again, but she shook them off and readied herself for bed.
Despite her exhaustion Carolyn could not manage to fall asleep. Frustrated, she turned on the light, reached for a book, and sat on the couch hoping that a little reading would make her sleepy.
Carolyn soon found the room to be quite chilly. She closed the French doors and decided she should light the gas heater for warmth. After turning on the heater, she sat down on the sofa, tucked her legs up beneath her and began to read.
It did not take long before her eyes became heavy. Her head fell gently back against the sofa as sleep finally overtook her.
Outside, the wind changed direction and began to blow against the French doors that led to the balcony. When Carolyn had closed the doors earlier, one of the latches did not catch properly. The door began to move back and forth from the force of the wind, as did the flame in the heater. A large gust caused the door to slam shut, which in turn extinguished the flame.
Carolyn jumped slightly at the sound, but did not awaken. Outside, the wind howled eerily blocking out the soft hiss of the gas seeping from the heater.
Captain Gregg stood on the widow's walk looking out over the waters of the bay. He had been standing there when Carolyn returned from the beach. He could not get the image of Carolyn's face out of his mind. He knew she had been crying and he cursed himself for being the cause of her anguish.
'I must talk to her...' he told himself,' tonight. This cannot wait.'
The Captain materialized by the telescope and immediately saw Carolyn on the sofa. He could tell by the way her head rested against the cushion that she had fallen asleep. He walked over and sat down beside her, his face full of concern. Captain Gregg knew that he should probably let her rest, but he could not let the day end this way.
Captain Gregg leaned closer to Carolyn and spoke softly to her, "Wake up, Madame. I need to speak to you."
She did not respond. The Captain reached over and tried to remove the opened book from her lap as he said, "Madam...Please wake up."
As he slid the book from her grasp, her hand fell limply at her side. Panic filled the Captain's mind. Something was not right.
This time he shouted, "CAROLYN!"
Suddenly the Captain sensed another presence in the room. He turned and saw an ethereal being standing beside the telescope. He recognized the being at once. A chill ran through his ghostly body. The Angel of Death was looming over Gull Cottage.
"What is going on here? Why are you here?" he demanded, knowing full well the nature of the unwelcome visitor.
Captain Gregg turned back to Carolyn and tried in vain to awaken her. That was when he heard the subtle hiss of the gas heater. A look of intense fear showed on his face.
"NO!" he screamed. He waved his hand in the direction of the heater, turning the shut-off valve quickly turned to an "off" position. He then motioned toward the French doors and they flew open, allowing fresh air to pour into the room.
Captain Gregg knelt down on the floor beside Carolyn, begging her to open her eyes, but she did not respond. He searched desperately for any sign that she was still breathing.
"Come now, Carolyn. You can do this. You MUST do this!"
He tried to ignore Death but found he could not.
"Did I arrive in time to save her?" Captain Gregg asked not being able to take his eyes from Carolyn's pale features.
When Death did not respond, the Captain looked over his shoulder to face it.
"Then you are taking her from me?" the Captain whispered, finding it difficult to speak.
Death nodded.
The Captain let out a deep sigh. "I had thought that we would spend eternity together."
Captain Gregg turned back to look at Carolyn.
"Please tell me why this is happening? Why is she leaving me?" he pleaded.
The voice Captain Gregg heard seemed to come from every direction at once, yet the Angel of Death never moved its lips.
"Love is the reason."
"Love? I don't understand..."
"She does not believe you love her. Her soul is seeking a place where it knows that unconditional love exists."
"But she loves me, I know she does...she told me so..." the Captain argued.
"Yes...but her heart has been broken too many times. It has lost its will to go on. It seeks peace."
"But what of the children? Why would she leave them?"
"She knows in her heart the children will be loved and well cared for by their grandparents."
Death turned to Carolyn and held out its hand. "Come, it is time."
"NO! Carolyn, please stay with me. PLEASE don't leave me!" the Captain pleaded.
"It is over," Death replied.
"BILGE!" he shouted, his voice filled with anguish, "I don't believe it is over!"
"Listen to me, M'Dear. You must not let this celestial pirate take you. You have to fight this. You have to fight for US! Blast it all, Woman! I LOVE you! You have to know that. I have loved you from the moment I first saw you."
The Angel of Death stared at the Captain as if waiting to hear what more he had to say. In turn, Captain Gregg looked desperately for any sign that he was getting through to Carolyn.
The Captain continued," You were right. I WAS acting like a coward. For the first time in my life or afterlife, I was afraid of my feelings. Afraid of letting them be known, and most of all, afraid those feelings would not be returned. The paper you found crumbled in the desk drawer was a letter I had started to write to YOU. Not any woman from my past. Of course the paper was old; I have had the blasted stuff in the wheelhouse for over a hundred years. But the words on them were meant for you, no one else.
I was writing it when I heard you return today. Knowing your inherent female curiosity would be peaked; I decided to hide the letter from you. So I just pushed everything into the drawer intent on retrieving them later."
Captain Gregg leaned over, his face only a few inches from Carolyn's.
"Carolyn...If it were within my power, I would show you just how much I DO love you..."
He was about to back away when he heard Carolyn's slight gasp for breath.
"Carolyn?" he whispered, praying she would respond.
Once again she took a shaky breath. Carolyn's eyelids fluttered as she fought to open them, trying to focus on his face.
"Captain?" she asked as she tried to lift her head. A wave of dizziness came over her and she closed her eyes again waiting for the feeling to pass.
"Yes, my darling…keep breathing...nice and steady," he encouraged.
Carolyn eyes opened immediately. She could not possibly have heard him correctly. Did Captain Gregg just call her "darling"?
"What happened?" she questioned, completely confused.
"Let us just say we avoided having that blasted gas heater claim yet another victim."
"We, I mean, you did…Captain...thank you...for saving me and...and…I'm...sorry..." she started to ramble.
Captain Gregg shook his head at her.
"No, M'Dear...it is I who should be apologizing to you. I am truly sorry for losing my temper, for not going after you when you ran off, and most of all, for not telling you how I truly feel about you."
The Captain reached out his hand to touch her cheek but pulled back, realizing it was impossible.
Suddenly, he "felt" something on his shoulder. The Captain turned and saw the Angel's hand resting there. He looked up in amazement.
The Angel smiled and said to the Captain, "You may have this moment... use it well." Then Death simply faded away.
Captain Gregg looked back down at Carolyn. This time, he reached out his hand to caress her cheek, the Captain actually made contact with her flesh.
Her eyes opened wide in surprise. She immediately placed her hand over his and asked, "How is this possible?"
"Love," he whispered back, "love is making this possible."
He carefully lowered his head and their lips met. His kiss was warm, passionate and left little doubt in Carolyn's mind as to the Captain's feelings for her. Rather reluctantly, he broke away to look into her eyes.
"I feel like… I died...and went to heaven," she spoke softly as she reached up to caress his face.
"No, M'Dear. Not yet…not without me," he gently teased.
Captain Gregg helped her to sit up on the couch then took his place beside her, pulling her into a tight embrace. When Carolyn let out with a small cough, he loosened his grip.
"Sorry, a little too tight?" he smiled sheepishly.
Carolyn snuggled against his chest, "No, not tight enough," she giggled.
Carolyn took the Captain's hand in her own and they both stared in amazement at their intertwined fingers.
''You should be seen by a doctor. Just to make sure you are all right. A REAL doctor, not the Peep!" he added.
"I will be just fine, Captain. Everything is fine...now."
Captain Gregg cleared his throat and said, "Madam...I mean...Carolyn...There are some things which need to be said and I feel I have already wasted too much time in not saying them before..."
"You don't have to say anything. Really, I can see in your eyes that you have feelings for me and it was foolish of me to expect more."
"No, M'Dear. It was wrong of me NOT to give you more."
He paused and looked at her with total adoration in his eyes.
"Carolyn Muir...until the day you walked through my door I never knew a woman like you existed outside of my dreams. I knew no matter how far and wide I searched; I would never find another who would measure up to all that you are. You have brought such joy to my existence and for this I am eternally grateful. You, my dear, dear Carolyn, are my true love and my destiny and I swear to you that from this moment on you shall always know what is in my heart. You shall never again have cause to question my love for you."
Carolyn's heart was filled with rapture over his words.
"Oh, Daniel... I have loved you too, since that first day. I..."
She did not get to finish her sentence. The Captain drew her into his arms and they shared another kiss, which expressed their love without words.
Neither wanted the moment to end, but they knew it must.
With one last embrace, the couple pulled away from each just as the Captain began to return to his ghostly form.
"At least we had a moment..." Carolyn whispered.
"A sweet taste of what is yet to come..."
The Captain raised his face skyward and mouthed the words, "Thank you."
After once again insisting Carolyn see a doctor to be sure she was all right, the Captain awakened Martha so she could escort Carolyn to the hospital. Early the next morning, Captain Gregg visited the 'miserable skin-flint' Claymore. By day's end, the gas heater had been removed from Gull Cottage, replaced by a brand new model with a safety switch, thereby preventing any future accidents.
Later that evening, Carolyn stood on the balcony looking out over the moonlit bay, her robe closed tightly against the chilly air.
"You should be resting, M'Dear." the Captain's chided softly behind her. She turned and smiled at him.
"Aye, aye Sir!" she teased.
As she entered the bedroom she saw an envelope on the desk with a single red rose lying across it. Carolyn turned to say something to the Captain, but he was nowhere to be seen.
She picked up the envelope and the rose then climbed into bed to read the letter.
It began,
"My Darling Carolyn,
I cannot let this day go by without telling you how much I love you..."
The End...
But not really...