At the office of Marley and Ebenezer, the morning passed quietly. Carolyn went about her normal routine, albeit at a slower pace than usual. The activity of the last two days finally caught up with her, and the tossing and turning she did last night only added to her exhaustion. Thoughts of Daniel Gregg ran through her mind unabated – from replaying their conversation on the beach, to the kisses they shared, and finally, to her own erotic thoughts of him. The images she conjured up made her blush just thinking about them.

Watching the hands of the clock inch toward the lunch hour, she couldn't help looking forward to seeing him. Yesterday was a perfect day. It brought her an inner peace she'd never experienced before. She still had concerns about how she, Candy and Jonathan would handle the Captain being away for long periods of time, but for the first time in a very long time, she was looking forward to what the future could hold.

XXXXX

Daniel opened the door to the office at precisely twelve o'clock. His eyes went instantly to the beautiful woman sitting on a stool with her back to him. He stood in the doorway studying her, but with him came the cool autumn air. The chill got Claymore's attention, and he turned toward the source of the cold air.

"For heaven's sake, shut the door. I have no interest in heating the whole town!"

Carolyn turned and tried to keep her composure, but seeing Daniel standing there, looking at her with his usual intensity, nearly took her breath away.

"I am sorry Claymore, I'm afraid I don't know where my mind went," the Captain said, closing the door without taking his eyes away from his lady. "Hello, my dear."

"Good afternoon, Daniel."

Their eyes said everything they couldn't say in front of her uncle, but even he wasn't blind to the change in the room.

"I suppose you're here to have lunch with my niece?"

"As I said I would be," the Captain said, looking at him with annoyance. "Surely you haven't forgotten the arrangements we discussed yesterday?"

"No, of course not, but there is work to be done, and you tend to be a distraction."

"Do I?" Daniel asked raising an eyebrow. "Claymore, I didn't realize you felt that way."

The startled man looked at him quizzically, and Carolyn quickly put her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing.

"Not me!"

"I do beg your pardon. You must mean your lovely niece then," he replied and walked over to her, took her hand, and kissed it. "It is I who am distracted by her unparalleled beauty,"

"Oh, brother," Claymore said, turning back to his work.

Daniel helped Carolyn from her stool, and they shared a smile.

"Shall we?"

She nodded in agreement, and he retrieved her cape. Putting it over her shoulders, he saw the lunch pail next to the desk and scooped it up, which earned him a radiant smile from his lady. Finally, leaving the annoying man behind, they went out to the porch.

"I don't think Uncle knows what to make of you most of the time," Carolyn chuckled.

"Good! One should always keep an adversary unsure of what you'll do next."

"Adversary?"

"Anyone who purposely tries to interfere with our time together is most certainly my adversary," he replied sternly.

She gave him her own fierce look, but the humor in her eyes gave her away, and he couldn't help teasing her.

"Carolyn, you're going to have to improve your 'look' if you expect it to intimidate me."

She couldn't help herself, she laughed, and he joined her.

"I'll work on that. Do you anticipate I'll have need to give you the 'look' very often?"

"I will do my utmost to keep those occasions to a minimum, but I'm not making any promises," he finished, holding her gaze.

"Good afternoon, Captain," Kathleen Worth's father greeted him.

The interruption startled the couple, but Daniel recovered quickly and stood to greet the man.

"Mr. Worth, it's nice to see you," he said, shaking his hand. "May I introduce Mrs. Carolyn Muir? Mrs. Muir, this is Mr. George Worth, president of the Schooner Bay Bank."

The two exchanged polite greetings, and as they chatted, Carolyn mentioned her father was in banking in Philadelphia.

"Oh, what bank is he with?"

"He's with First Pennsylvania Bank."

Mr. Worth paused for a moment.

"Is your father Bradford Williams?"

"Yes. Do you know him?" she asked smiling.

"No, but I know of him. Mrs. Muir, your father is very well known and respected in the business community; not just in Philadelphia, but throughout the country. Most businessmen are familiar with the president of the First Pennsylvania Bank."

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Worth."

"I wouldn't say it, if it weren't true."

A brilliant smile spread across her face, and he couldn't help but match it with his own.

"I'm afraid I must be getting back to the bank," he said looking from Daniel to Carolyn. "Mrs. Muir it's been a pleasure meeting you. Captain, as always, it's good to see you."

"Mr. Worth, may I have a moment of your time?" Daniel asked.

"Of course."

"Mrs. Muir, if you will excuse me for just a moment. I'll be right back."

The two men walked to the end of the porch and spoke quietly.

"I wanted to let you know Sean Callahan was spotted in town Saturday."

Unease showed in the eyes of the older man.

"I was hoping we'd seen the last of him."

"Unfortunately not," Daniel said, shaking his head. "I wanted you to be aware so you could take proper precautions for your daughter and Mrs. Worth. You should also advise the rest of your family and friends to use caution, especially those who were at the Seafarers' Ball."

"Thank you for letting me know. I'll share the information with everyone and make sure the ladies don't wander around town unaccompanied."

"I think that's wise. Please give my regards to your family."

"I will."

As Daniel turned to leave, George Worth touched his arm.

"Captain . . . your . . . ah . . . friend . . . Mrs. Muir . . . is quite something. I wish you both every happiness."

The seaman's face softened.

"Thank you, George."

As he walked away, the banker could easily understand what Daniel Gregg saw in the young widow. She was well spoken, intelligent, and truly lovely. He made a mental note not to mention his opinion of Mrs. Muir to his wife. While Kathleen seemed to be getting over the Captain, Mrs. Worth was still put out by the seaman's failure to propose to their daughter, and she blamed the newcomer. In this case, he had to agree with her. Carolyn Muir was the very reason Daniel Gregg had no interest in any other woman. His feelings for the young widow were as plain as the nose on his face.

XXXXX

"Mr. Worth seems like a nice man," Carolyn said, when Daniel rejoined her on the bench.

"He is, and he's a good man. I've done business with him for years. He's always been fair and honest."

"Miss Worth is his daughter?"

Daniel was surprised by her question. In all the conversations they'd had, Kathleen Worth's name had never come up.

"Yes."

"She's a very attractive young woman, and the green dress she wore to the ball was stunning."

"Aye, she is, and it was a beautiful dress."

"The color of her eyes, no doubt," she said with a touch of jealousy.

Daniel paused and looked at her, but she avoided his eyes and concentrated on the contents of the lunch pail.

"No, my dear. The color of your eyes," he replied, leaving no doubt as to his feelings for her.

Her heart skipped a beat when she looked at him. She didn't know why she brought up Kathleen Worth. Daniel hadn't given her any reason to believe he wanted to be with anyone else since the moment they'd met. He'd never spoken of the beautiful young woman and, after yesterday, she knew better. She was suddenly afraid she'd overstepped.

He saw the confusion, and then concern, in her eyes.

"Carolyn, there is no reason for you to be jealous of Miss Worth, or any other woman. From the moment my eyes met yours . . . before we'd spoken a single word to one another . . . you stole my heart. No one could ever take your place, now, or years from now when we are in our dotage."

"I'm sorry, Daniel. I shouldn't have brought her up. I honestly don't know why I did."

"You don't need to apologize. Never be afraid to talk with me about anything . . . especially something that causes you concern. I will always do whatever I can to ease your mind," he said tenderly, discreetly putting his hand over hers.

She turned her hand over and held his.

"I'm afraid the past has a way of rearing its ugly head when I least expect it. I hope you can be patient with me while I work through it."

"We shall work through it together. You're not alone anymore, Carolyn, and I promise you, we will make the pain from your past a distant memory."

"Oh, Daniel. I hope we can," she said. "I know you will be there for me, but what will happen when we are on opposite sides of an issue?"

"My dear, you being a woman naturally means we will disagree at times," he smiled mischievously. "But you do raise an interesting question."

His remark caused her to get her back up, and she wondered if this turn in the conversation would lead to their first argument.

"You see, I've been on my best behavior since we met. You haven't seen the side of me that is less than flattering . . . at least I hope you haven't. I suppose now is as good a time as any to have this conversation," he said seriously. "Carolyn, there's something you should know about me."

She couldn't imagine what he was going to say.

"I enjoy a good debate . . . discussion . . . argument . . . whatever you want to call it. When it is with an able opponent, I quite enjoy the verbal exchange," he said pulling his ear. "When we find ourselves on opposing sides of an issue, I have no doubt you will be more than able to hold your own against me, or anyone else, for that matter."

"I'm not sure I like your inference that because I am a woman we will disagree from time to time. It is just as likely we will be at odds because you are a man," she countered, crossing her arms.

"But, Carolyn, you are a woman, and for that, I am eternally grateful."

The look he gave her, the caress his thumb was giving the back of her hand, and the intimate tone he used, took the wind right out of her sails, and she couldn't hide her blush.

"Daniel, you don't fight fair."

"Madam, we both know you wouldn't hesitate to use your feminine wiles on me, so to keep things balanced, I will use whatever charm I have at my disposal, in my defense," he said as he squeezed her hand. "Now, can we call a truce for the time being? I'm hungry."

"Truce," she said and handed him his sandwich.

Their conversation was light and playful, and as they finished lunch with Martha's delicious cookies, he noticed she was getting cold.

"Carolyn, we need to get you inside. I don't want you catching a chill."

"Daniel, I'm fine . . . really. I don't want our time together to end any sooner than it has to."

"Nor do I, but I'll not have you getting sick because propriety stipulates we can only be alone together if we're in public view. With the weather turning colder, we're going to have to start staying inside. I'm not looking forward to sharing our time together with that uncle of yours, but it can't be helped."

As the words came out of his mouth, an idea came to him.

"I think I'll have a talk with Claymore."

"About what?"

"I'm going to request he give you more time for lunch so I can take you to Norrie's or the Inn on occasion. That way, we can get a break from him once in a while."

"He won't like it. You know how he is about the amount of time I take away from work to eat."

"No, he won't . . . the old skinflint. So, what can we do?"

He pondered his question by looking toward the ceiling and rubbing the whiskers on his chin.

"The way I see it, we have three choices. I can ask him politely if I can take you away from the office for lunch, I can bully him into agreeing to my plan or, when we have lunch in the office, we can be ridiculously loud and happy, to the point of being annoying. He'd be relieved to get rid of us. What approach would you like to attempt first?"

She laughed at his ideas, and was particularly interested in seeing her uncle's reaction to them being loud and happy.

"I suppose we should start with asking him politely. You never know, he might surprise us."

"Claymore, surprise us? He is as predictable as the sun rising in the east. He'll say no when we ask politely, so what should we try next?"

"I would rather you not bully him into agreeing. He's already a nervous wreck when you're around."

"Loud, happy, and annoying it is then!" he said rubbing his hands together. "I hope he does say no. I would quite enjoy seeing his reaction to our frivolity," he grinned in anticipation. "For today, we'll just go back inside to get out of the cold, and I'll only stay a few minutes before leaving. When I'm ready to go, I'll ask him about taking you out for lunch. If he says no, tomorrow we implement 'Operation Loud, Happy, and Annoying,'" he said, presenting his arm. "Mrs. Muir, allow me to escort you inside."

She was happily shaking her head at him, as he led her through the door.

XXXXX

Daniel was smiling to himself as he walked over to Norrie's. He had been right; Claymore refused his request to take Carolyn away from the office for lunch occasionally. Uncharacteristically, the Captain took the refusal calmly, and then politely asked if he had any objection to them eating inside since the weather was getting cold. Having refused the first request, the miser agreed to his second, reasoning he would get more work out of Carolyn if she remained at the office. Unbeknownst to him, "Operation Loud, Happy, and Annoying' would commence the next day.

XXXXX

The conversation with the constable was brief, and the result exactly what the Captain expected. Even though Norrie was aware of Callahan's past history in Schooner Bay, there was nothing he could do until the man did something.

The criminal justice system was again proving to be worthless when it came to men who preyed on women. Norrie told the Captain he would enlist Ed Peevey's assistance and, if Callahan turned up, they would try to keep an eye on him. Beyond that, there was little they could do.

Daniel's anger simmered near the surface and, although the constable was clearly intimidated, he stood his ground and explained again that his hands were tied. Nothing could be done about Sean Callahan unless he broke the law.

XXXXX

After escorting Carolyn home that evening, Daniel stopped at the Horan's to fill them in on the arrangements he made with Seamus and Colm. James was delayed answering the door, and when he did, the Captain couldn't help giving him a big smile.

"What?" James asked, running his hands through his hair and wiping his face.

"Your buttons, man."

His first mate looked down and realized his shirt buttons were askew and off by at least two. He gave his friend a lopsided grin and let him in the house while he unbuttoned his shirt and then buttoned it again. Marguerite was coming out of the kitchen tidying her hair when she saw Daniel and welcomed him.

"It seems I've interrupted you," he said smiling.

"You're not interrupting us at all. Come in," she said casually, until she saw James buttoning his shirt.

Even in the candlelit room, Daniel could see the blush rise on her face.

The newlyweds exchanged a guilty smile.

"I won't stay long," he winked. "Marguerite, I just wanted to let you know Seamus, Colm, or both will be stopping by every morning to see if you need an escort to run your errands."

"They were here this morning and told us the plan," James said, putting his arm around his wife.

"Ah, then I'll just add that the Farleys are aware of the situation, as is Norrie. Although, we shouldn't expect much from our constable."

"Thank you, Captain," Marguerite said, smiling at her husband.

"Yes, thank you, sir," James said, not taking his eyes off his bride.

Daniel was tempted to make an excuse to stay longer, but opted to let them get back what they were doing."

"I'd better be going. I'm sure you two have important matters to attend to."

His friends were busy gazing into each other's eyes. The Captain shook his head and smiled.

"I'll let myself out. Goodnight."

As he mounted his horse to go home, the candle burning in the Horan's front window was blown out.

XXXXX

Arriving home, Daniel was surprised to see light coming from the galley as he walked from the barn. When he came through the back door, he was met by Mrs. Westfield.

"Good evenin', Captain," she greeted him.

"Hello, Mrs. Westfield. I didn't expect to find you here this late, but I'm glad you are. I wanted to thank you again for yesterday."

"I was happy to do it, sir. Mrs. Muir and her family seem very nice. I hope everyone had a good time," she smiled at him. "Thank you for the generous bonus you left for me. It's appreciated."

"You deserve it. Everything was perfect, and I'm grateful for all the work you did."

"Thank you," she replied looking distracted.

"Mrs. Westfield, is something wrong?"

"No, sir, nothin's wrong, but I waited for you to come home, because I need to talk to you."

"Oh? Then, let's go to the living room. We can talk there."

He steered her from the galley, into the front room and was pleased to find the gas lights lit and a small fire burning. They took the two chairs by the fire.

"Now, how can I help you?"

"Well sir, you remember I told you my youngest girl is expectin' again? Well, she's having a difficult time, and I need to go to Bangor to help her with her other little ones."

"Oh, I'll miss you. How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"That's just it, sir. I won't be returnin'. She's asked me to come live with her and help with the children. This baby will be number eight, ya know, and Mary has her hands full. She keeps askin' me how I did it with my ten," she chuckled. "My other daughter lives not too far from Bangor, so I'll be close to both my girls up there."

"Mrs. Westfield, you know I'll be sorry to see you go. You've taken care of Gull Cottage since it was built," he said. "I'll miss you and your friendship, as well as everything you've done to help me maintain the house, but I understand that your family has to come first."

"Thank you. I'll miss you too, sir. It's been a real pleasure takin' care of such a fine house. I, ah, hope you don't mind, but when I knew I would be going to Bangor, I didn't want to leave you without help. I've arranged for Mrs. Fleetwood to clean for you until you find someone more permanent. I told her it would only be temporary, unless you decided to keep her."

"Mrs. Fleetwood? I don't believe I know her."

"She moved to town after you left on your last voyage. She's older than me but has been a charwoman before."

"Thank you for arranging that, but I'm sure she won't be able to live up to your high standards," he smiled. "When do you have to leave?"

"I'm takin' the train Friday morning. Before I go, I'd like to bring her up to meet you and show her what she'll be needin' to know about the house. Is that all right with you, sir?"

"Of course. When would you like to come?"

"Wednesday. We could come any time that's good for you."

"Bring her up first thing. When I leave for the day, you can show her what she needs to know."

"Thank you, sir. I'll bring her then."

Daniel nodded.

"Now, let me get the carriage, and I'll take you home."

"Captain, you don't have to do that. It's an easy walk for me."

"That may be, Mrs. Westfield, but I insist. You will not be walking home tonight," he stated forcefully. "I'll bring the rig around and meet you at the gate."