Author's Note
This story take place in an alternate universe (AU) of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (GAMM) television series, which aired from 1968 to 1970. When I was writing my first story, "A Day in a Dream", I wanted to include how Carolyn Muir and Daniel Gregg would have met in the Captain's lifetime – specifically 1868, and what led up to the events of the "The Ghost of Christmas Past." I started what I thought would be a good chapter for that story, but the more I wrote, the more I realized it would be better suited as a standalone. Since then, it has taken on a life of its own. For GAMM purists, I have fudged some ages/dates (slightly) to make the story work the way I wanted, please forgive the liberties taken.
This story is quite long and has multiple parts. I had hoped to have it ready by the 50th anniversary of the show, which first aired September 21, 1968, but life got in the way. I would say it's 95% finished. So, I decided to start the release on the 50th anniversary. My goal is to upload a part every week, in the hopes that will give me enough time to finish it. Call me an optimist.
I do not own the characters from the Ghost and Mrs. Muir. They are the property of the estate of Josephine Leslie – aka R.A. Dick – and 20th Century Fox. I make no profit from this story. Any non-canon characters (Seaman James Horan, his wife Marguerite, Sarah Farley, etc. are mine.) I hope you enjoy this 'what if' scenario. As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Part 1
"Life Before Schooner Bay"
When twenty year old Carolyn Williams married in October of 1858, she had what she thought was the perfect life ahead of her. Her new husband, Robert Muir, was the handsome, charming, only child of the Philadelphia Muirs. His family's steam power business had grown rapidly, due to recent advances in what was being called 'the industrial age,' and their status in society had risen accordingly. Her own family, on her father's side, had been in banking for generations and was already well-established in Philadelphia society.
The two young people met at a ball at the Assembly Building in Philadelphia, the spring of that same year. Robert Muir saw the petite young woman dancing across the ballroom and was impressed by her grace and beauty. He wasted no time making inquiries about her and her family. Upon learning her father was Bradford Williams, of the banking Williams', he promptly asked the hostess to present him to the young woman.
They were formally introduced by Mrs. Samuels, the wife of industrialist, Jacob Samuels. The young Williams girl was chatting with several friends, her chaperone not far away, when the hostess brought over young Mr. Muir. Carolyn and her friends were intrigued by the young man. He was in his early to mid-twenties, just under six feet tall, with sandy blond hair, and was very good looking. After introductions were made and greetings exchanged, the group chatted together for a few minutes and discovered they had a few acquaintances in common. After a short time, Mr. Muir offered to get refreshments for everyone. Mrs. Samuels declined and excused herself to attend the other guests. When the young man returned with punch for the young ladies, he made his inquiry.
"Miss Williams, may I have the honor of a dance this evening?"
"You may, Mr. Muir," the young woman smiled as she handed him her card.
He added his name and returned it, but before they could talk further, her next partner arrived. It turned out, the young man and Robert Muir were old acquaintances.
"Blair Thompson! How are you?" Robert Muir asked.
"I'm well, Richard. And you? I haven't seen you in years," he replied with a cocky smile, and the two young men laughed. Carolyn stood by, slightly confused.
"Excuse me, but didn't Mrs. Samuels say your name was 'Robert' Muir?" she asked.
The two men laughed again before the young man explained.
"Miss Williams, my first name really is Robert, but when Blair and I were introduced at school he wasn't paying attention and heard it wrong. He called me 'Richard' for quite a while. I thought it was funny so didn't bother to correct him and, when he was around, my friends went along with it. It got to be quite a joke. He'd still be calling me Richard today, if someone, not in on the joke, hadn't heard him and asked what was going on," he finished with a chuckle.
"I can see that happening," she smiled, looking at them both.
Carolyn had grown up with Blair Thompson, knew him well, and wasn't the least bit surprised he got a name wrong. He could be very self-absorbed at times. Their families had known each other for years, and the two had spent time together several years ago, but the courtship was short-lived. Despite their failed romance, Blair continued to ask her to marry him whenever he saw her. She would laugh and turn him down, but because he only wanted what he couldn't have, he wasn't put off by her refusals and continued to propose, at every opportunity.
Even back then, she knew he was a poor choice for a husband. Blair was always looking for the next shiny object, be it a toy, girl, or anything else that struck his fancy. It never took long for him to get bored and move on to the next thing that caught his eye. If she had accepted his proposal, she was sure he'd have been stunned and done everything in his power to get out of it.
"So, how do you two know each other?" Blair asked.
"We were introduced a few minutes ago. Miss Williams has honored me by agreeing to a dance."
"Robert, old man, don't get any ideas," Blair said jokingly, but his eyes weren't smiling. "She's mine."
Robert Muir laughed, but Carolyn was a bit put off by Blair's remark, and the look on her face let him know she was not happy with him.
"Miss Williams, I do believe this is our dance," he remarked bowing to her, ignoring her irritation.
"So it is, Mr. Thompson."
Blair took Carolyn's hand to escort her to the dance floor and looked at the young Mr. Muir.
"I'll see you later, 'Richard'" he called over his shoulder, and swept his partner away.
XXXXX
Carolyn was having a wonderful time. She was a carefree young woman who loved dancing and spending time with her friends. Tonight was no different. Her card was full, with only an occasional break to rest, and she delighted in dancing with the varied array of young men. Some, like Blair, she had known for years; others she knew slightly, or had just met, but she welcomed the opportunity to broaden her circle of acquaintances.
When it was time for her dance with Robert Muir, he arrived promptly, bowed grandly to her, and claimed his turn.
"Miss Williams, may I?" he asked holding out his hand.
She nodded her assent, and he led her to the floor with the others. He was a good dancer, and they talked about mutual friends, as much as they could. Carolyn enjoyed his company and, when the music stopped, he returned her to her party.
Her mother's oldest sister was her chaperone that evening. Mrs. Rotenbury, with several friends, accompanied her twin daughters, Hazel and Harriet, along with Carolyn, to the ball. Her cousins and their mother, were sitting together as the couple approached.
Carolyn introduced her Aunt Hortense and cousins to Mr. Muir. The twins were atwitter with excitement as they met the young man. After the usual small talk, Robert asked Miss Williams if he could call on her the following week. Deferring to her aunt, and obtaining her permission with a nod, the young woman agreed.
XXXXX
Robert Muir's first call on Carolyn Williams, and her family, was the beginning of the young man's crusade to sweep the banker's daughter off her feet. Over the next three months, he showered her with his attentions – walks in the park, flowers, gifts – anything he could think of to win her over and gain the approval of her family.
He presented himself to her parents as the ideal suitor, complimenting Mrs. Williams at every turn and stroking Mr. Williams' ego whenever he could. The object of his pursuit didn't stand a chance against his onslaught. It didn't take long before Carolyn – and her parents – were won over.
The reality was, Robert's father decided it was time for his son to settle down. He was being groomed to eventually take over the family business, and as Ralph Muir's only heir, and future president of the Muir Company, he was expected to marry well and start a family. His father believed marriage was essential to making his son appear honest, upright, and trustworthy to their existing and potential clients.
The son and heir had no interest in getting married. He was far too busy enjoying himself with any woman he could talk into bed. The last thing he wanted was a wife and children. Robert couldn't imagine having to come home to the same woman every night or having to deal with the mess and annoyance of babies. If it weren't for his father's insistence, he would have done his best to bed Carolyn Williams and moved on, but he knew better than to go against Ralph Muir's wishes.
His parents didn't think much of the Williams girl. His father did think she was a "pretty little thing" but didn't like the independent streak he noticed in her on occasion. Her father's banking connections and the family's social standing are what tipped the scale for him. Ralph Muir put his doubts aside because he knew his family's personal and business connections would be greatly improved by the marriage. He believed a Muir/Williams union would provide his company with the backing of one of the largest banks in the state – thanks to Bradford Williams – and the expansion he was planning would be helped immensely. Robert's mother, Marjorie, didn't care about any of that. She simply believed the Williams girl was not good enough for her 'Bobby.'
After discussing the situation with his father one last time, Robert finally gave in. He agreed that with her grace, beauty, and father's connections – especially those connections – Carolyn Williams would make the perfect wife for a man of his stature. The elder Muir strongly advised his son to stop wasting time and propose to the girl as soon as possible.
While the Williams' liked Robert, they thought things were moving too fast and discussed their concerns with Carolyn. They felt there were other very nice young men, whose families they knew well, she should consider before settling down. They even mentioned giving Blair Thompson another chance. After all, the young man was always asking her to marry him. Carolyn was not interested in their suggestion to slow down. She was adamant that she loved Robert and couldn't possibly consider anyone else. So, despite their doubts, they gave their consent. Brad and Emily consoled themselves by reasoning the traditional year-long engagement would give the young couple plenty of time to get to know each other properly before taking their vows.
After conferring with both sets of parents, Robert and Carolyn set the wedding date for August 21, 1859. The ceremony would take place at the First Presbyterian Church on Washington Square, and the wedding and reception would be the social event of the season. Both mothers were determined to make it so.
XXXXX
Preparations began immediately, but it was not an easy process. The bride's mother, Emily, and the groom's mother, Marjorie, had their own ideas of what the wedding and reception should be like. The two women agreed on very little and didn't consider what Carolyn and Robert might want, at all. Each, in their own way, wanted to make the wedding an extravaganza that would be the benchmark for all society weddings.
As the plans progressed, Carolyn began to dread the spectacle their wedding was becoming, not to mention the drama it was creating. There was nothing but tension at home because of the conflicts between her mother and Robert's. In addition to that challenge, the young woman never liked drawing attention to herself, and this 'event' was going to do just that – in a very big way.
Robert had never been opposed to free publicity, or being the center of attention. He loved basking in the limelight – he felt he deserved it. He was Robert Muir after all.
A few weeks after the families agreed on the date, he discovered it wasn't in his best interest to draw that kind of attention to himself. He received word that an indiscretion he'd had, with the sister of one of the company's employees, resulted in an unexpected complication. It was the last thing he wanted to hear. If word got out, he knew it would negatively impact him personally, socially and, most importantly, professionally. A long engagement, and headline making society wedding, no longer appealed to him. If Carolyn's 'prim and proper' parents found out, they would never allow her marry him, and other 'society' families would feel the same way. All the plans he and his father had would fall apart, and he did not want to face Ralph Muir if that happened.
When the elder Muir learned of his son's dalliance, Robert received a severe reprimand for being so careless, and playing too close to home. Having had a similar experiences himself, his father advised his son on the best way to make the whole issue disappear; getting rid of the baby was the quick and easy way out. He gave his son an address, not in the best section of Philadelphia, and told him to take the girl there to have it taken care of.
When the young woman rejected the idea, both men were livid. Robert tried to change her mind, but she absolutely refused. She'd heard the horror stories about girls who found themselves in her situation, and she didn't want to have anything to do with their solution. When her brother found out what the Muirs were trying to do, he threatened to expose the family's dirty little secret.
The elder Muir reluctantly agreed to pay off the girl, straight away, to stay ahead of the gossip. The possibility of the situation becoming public knowledge was too risky. He promoted her brother, with a hefty pay increase, and quickly moved him, and the rest of his family, to the Muir Company's operations in Newark, New Jersey. He didn't want anything to get in the way of his careless son's marriage to the Williams girl, deciding the boy needed to get married - and quickly. He ordered Robert to convince the silly girl to elope. Following his father's command, he promptly initiated a campaign to do just that.
Carolyn was confused by her fiancé's sudden change of heart and, although the idea held some appeal, she put him off. She knew how much the traditional engagement period, and society wedding, meant to her parents – especially her mother – and wanted to honor their wishes, but Robert didn't relent. He continued to push his agenda and, when he thought he saw a crack in her resolve, he became even more tenacious.
Unwittingly, both mothers played into his hands. The wedding plans continued to get bigger and more extravagant, and Carolyn realized they were getting completely out of hand. When an appeal to her mother to scale things back failed, she finally gave in to Robert's persistent pressure and agreed to an elopement. She just wanted to get the wedding over with and avoid the show their mothers were planning.
Robert Muir and Carolyn Williams, with two witnesses, went to a judge outside of the city and were quietly married October 14, 1858.
