Chapter 2

Carolyn growled in frustration. She had reached another dead-end trying to locate Daniel's place of burial. She had been gathering information from public records for his biography. She was shocked to learn that because he had supposedly committed suicide, his body was prohibited from being buried in the town cemetery. Claymore's records indicated that Daniel was buried somewhere on the Gregg estate, but unlike Captain Figg's gravesite, there was no marker in the back yard. The only clue was that the estate had once been larger. The family had divided the property and built several more cottages, all of which Claymore now owned. Claymore had kept Gull Cottage separate from the rest of the estate in the hopes that he might be able to sell it, and rid himself of the pesky ghost of Captain Gregg. The remaining cottages yielded too much rental income to tempt him to sell.

I suppose I'm just going to have to ask Daniel where he is buried, she thought to herself. She thought it peculiar to ask a man where he was buried. Her trip to the library had yielded some useful information, however. She had discovered Claymore's ancestry, and how he fit into the Gregg family tree. Daniel had been telling the truth when he claimed to be the only son of an only son. However, he had sisters. His youngest sister had apparently had a son out of wedlock a few years after Daniel's death. Claymore was indeed Daniel's nephew, and not a direct descendant, as it had been rumored. She wondered how Daniel would react when she worked up the courage to share this bit of news with him.

She waited for him in "their" bedroom while he finished saying goodnight to the children. While she was waiting, she recalled last night's dream. They had met on the porch of Gull Cottage, he in his dress uniform, and she in a long, pale green ball gown. As soon as they saw one another, they ran into each other's arms. He held her, then kissed her, lifting her off her feet. She felt weightless in his embrace. An unseen orchestra began playing, and Daniel led her down the flagstone path to begin their waltz. As they danced, they floated higher and higher into the air, finally coming to rest on the beach, where they walked arm in arm, stopping occasionally to kiss. She sighed, remembering how lovely the dream had been.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Daniel said as he materialized. "The children insisted that I tell them a story."

"And, of course, you couldn't refuse them, Captain Cupcake," she said humorously.

"Would you rather I withhold my fascinating tales and years of wisdom from them?"

"No, and I'm pleased that you are also generous with your obvious affection for them as well," she said gazing up at him appreciatively. Daniel ran his finger down the outside of his left ear, a sign of his uneasiness with her remark. Carolyn smiled with amusement. She knew being considered "sweet" embarrassed him, but he truly was sweet, especially with her children.

"I must admit, I have grown quite fond of the children. I never thought I liked children until yours boarded my ship. Of course, they are extraordinary children. They take after their mother," he said with his blue eyes twinkling.

"Why Daniel, thank you!" she replied. "You seem to be in a good mood this evening."

"Of course, Carolyn. I have been looking forward to our time to collaborate on my memoirs. Was your search through the public records fruitful?"

"Not really, and I'm afraid what I found may change your mood." She looked up at him worriedly.

"Out with it, then. The sooner we deal with unpleasant news, the sooner we can be done with it." he said gruffly.

"I didn't realize you hadn't been buried in the town cemetery, because of your alleged suicide," she said, watching his blue eyes go dark and lines deepen in his face. "That seems barbaric to me! What difference does it make whether someone dies accidentally, or by suicide? Either way, it's a tragedy!" She felt a lump forming in her throat, and tears threatening to spill. Daniel's countenance softened.

"It's alright. I admit, I still feel angry about that, but in a way, I am grateful to have been buried near my home," he said gently.

"Where were your buried exactly? Is there a marker?" she asked quietly.

"On the hill overlooking Gull Cottage. Yes, there is a marker. Unfortunately, my grave is on property that is now separate from the house, although I understand it is in the hands of that slimy bilge rat."

"Yes, I did discover that Gull Cottage was once part of a fairly substantial estate, and it was carved up and redistributed to your heirs."

"They were not my heirs! They were pretenders to the Gregg name!"

"I discovered something about that too. I should probably close the windows before telling you about it." She got up from the sofa by the fireplace and closed the French doors to keep out the inevitable temper squall. Daniel stared at her with a look that made it all the more difficult to relate the news she dreaded to tell him. "Claymore really is your nephew."

"Impossible! I've told you many times, Madam, I am the only son of an only son!" Thunder rumbled in the distance.

"But not the only child of an only son. You had sisters."

"Yes, but they would not have carried on the Gregg name."

"One of them did. She never married, but had a son out of wedlock after you died. He carried on the Gregg name, and is Claymore's great-grandfather." Daniel looked stricken.

"Annabelle?" he asked softly, apparently in disbelief. "She was the only one unmarried at the time of my death. She was my baby sister." Pacing the floor, his voice thundered, "I can't imagine her allowing a man to use her in such a way! Is there any record of the lout who sired this 'nephew' of mine?" he spat.

"No, nothing," Carolyn replied. "There are very few records pertaining to this son, until much later in his life."

"It was probably one of those blasted lumberjacks. They were worse than pirates." Captain Gregg sat down on the sofa, leaning down with his face in his hands. "I couldn't protect her."

"So you never knew any of this?" Carolyn asked.

"No. I was only able to venture a short distance from Gull Cottage for many years after my death. There are no instructions provided for existing as a spirit. It took a long time for me to learn to do what comes easily now. Annabelle must have remained in my parents' house. She had inherited it after they died, and was living alone there. After I built Gull Cottage, I tried to convince her to live with me, but she refused. She had an independent streak and thought I was too protective."

You probably were too protective, she thought, recalling the many times he had interfered in her personal life.

"In many ways, you remind me of Annabelle," he said, brightening. "She had your fire and your spunk. Her eyes were green, as well. She was charming and witty, and oh my, what a temper! I enjoyed provoking her, just to watch the fireworks." He paused, apparently watching for a response. Carolyn knew he liked to provoke her as well. Now she understood why. She smiled, and Daniel continued his story.

"Unlike you, she had bright, wavy auburn hair that Mother kept braided. It went to her knees when she washed it. I was six years her senior, but we were the best of friends as children. I adored her, and she me. The hardest part of going off to sea was having to leave her behind. I always felt as if she never forgave me for that. Our relationship was cordial once I settled down in Schooner Bay, but we had lost the camaraderie we had as children."

"Did you have other sisters? I ran out of time and didn't have the chance to look for more sisters. I was lucky I had time to trace back that one line before school let out."

"Yes, I had five sisters in all. Abigail, Melanie, Prudence, Kathleen, and Annabelle."

"Wait a minute, you told me you escorted Kathleen to the seafarer's costume ball. She was your sister? Why you rat!" The sparkle had returned to Daniel's eyes.

"I enjoyed the jealousy I saw in your eyes," he said, laughing.

"Jealousy? Do you really want to talk about jealousy? Let's see, there was Blair, Ryan, George, Harry…."

"Alright, please don't remind me!" he interrupted. "I'll admit it, I get jealous when other men come calling. It pains me to know they can give you what I cannot, and the thought of loosing you is excruciating."

"You once told me you thought it would be best for me and the children if I found a husband."

"That's true, but it's not what I want."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to stay here with me, for the rest of your life. If I were alive, I would ask you to marry me. I know it's selfish of me. I can't provide for you. I can't even truly touch you!" His blue eyes grew moist. "It's unfair of me to expect you to devote yourself to a dead man, but that's how I feel."

"What if I said 'yes'?" she asked, knowing it was pointless to attempt a relationship with anyone else. Living or dead, Daniel was her soulmate. His eyes registered surprise, then threatened to spill over as a look of joy radiated from his face.

"Do you mean that seriously?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Then I would ask you to wear this," he said, pulling a box from the breast pocket of his pea coat. "It was my mother's. My father purchased the emerald in Columbia and had the ring made in London." He opened the box to reveal a gold ring with a large emerald surrounded by a halo of rose-cut diamonds.

"It's beautiful," she said softly. She removed her wedding band, got up and placed it in a jewelry box on her dresser, then returned to sit next to Daniel on the sofa next to the fireplace. He removed the ring from its box.

"May I?" he asked, holding the ring near her left hand. She extended it, and he placed the ring on her finger. "I love you, Carolyn, forever". He vanished, and she felt a ping against the back of her hand as he kissed it, and then her cheek. He reappeared, gazing intently into her eyes.

"I love you too, Daniel, for always," she replied, blowing a kiss in his direction. They sat and talked for the rest of the evening, until Carolyn could barely stay awake. Finally in bed, she fell asleep and dreamed of being in Daniel's arms.