Amy's Story

Chapter 8:

The bride, of course, was beautiful. When she appeared at the door of the church, there was a collective sigh as the congregation took in the bridal gown of satin that shimmered in the winter sunlight. There was lace and seed pearls and bows and ribbons enough to satisfy anyone. Phyllida's blush was evident even behind her lace and tulle veil.

It was a good thing that Amy was sitting near the front with Agnes Whitman while the occupants of the Seamen's Home were seated near the rear. She would have wound herself around Red's sturdy arm as she swooned over the bride, the groom, and the pageantry. She talked of nothing for days, until Red informed her in a not-overly-gentle way, that he was tired of the topic.

That evening Mrs. Muir dressed herself again in the ballgown that she had worn at New Year's. Martha had seen the exchange between her and Junius Porter and made sure to cinch Carolyn's whalebone corset extra tight. Dr. and Mrs. Everly would be stopping at Gull Cottage to take her to the Grover mansion in their sleigh as the snow came down again. Carolyn amused herself with the thought that even bundled up in blankets and firs in the open sleigh, she would arrive as blue and icy-looking as her gown.

Not surprisingly, Colonel Porter quickly approached her when she entered the ballroom. He was a handsome man with a lovely smile that served to draw her eyes upward to his bright blue eyes. Not the blue eyes of Daniel Gregg, mind you, but quite nice on their own.

The Captain was in attendance, but unseen by all. He hovered over the proceedings, floating along the ceiling. He was of two minds about the whole thing; he loved Carolyn Muir and he had no doubt that she was his soul-mate. But she deserved a man that she could share a life with, and Junius Porter was a person that he had no objections to. He was, after all, a military man like himself, was sober, well read and could support a wife well. Like Carolyn, he was a widower and was not unfamiliar with the give and take of marriage. It would be an excellent match, the seaman thought.

Junius danced with Carolyn as much as was polite and accompanied her to the buffet table as well. It was clear to anyone who had eyes in their head that he was fast falling in love with her. She was quite happy to be with him, liked him greatly, but she didn't share his infatuation. Nevertheless, she did invite him to dine with her and the rest of the inhabitants of the Seaman's Home the next afternoon after church, before he left again for Boston.

The night was getting late, and a few guests had already left when it happened; the large portrait of Horatio Figg that graced the wall opposite the ballroom's doors, came crashing down, nearly crushing the bride and her mother. While some murmured about it being an omen of bad luck, Carolyn immediately thought of Captain Gregg. It was something he would do; pull the portrait down and nearly decapitate Figg's sister in the process. She made a mental note to confront him the next day, although it was questionable whether he would admit to the action or not.

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As he often did in his nightly rounds, Daniel stood over Carolyn as she slept and watched her. He would insure that she got the rest she needed and guarded against nightmares when he caught them. Sometimes he sent her messages of reassurance or helped her keep her resolve when faced with a difficult situation. But most of the time he would just stand and watch her.

Tonight was no different, except that she had arrived home in the early morning hours and slept restlessly. He knew, between the champagne and the thoughts of Junius Porter, there was much that her mind was working on. Watching her there, her blonde hair swirling over the pillow and her lovely, sweet lips slightly open, the Captain's mind was also filled with thoughts. On this night, he took a chair and sat down close to her, staring at her beloved face until the sun was fully up.

He wanted her to be happy. She deserved so much, and Colonel Porter could give her even more than he could had he still been alive. While he had been a successful merchant seaman with a beautiful home and a good income, Porter had standing in a community much larger than Schooner Bay and would not need to leave his wife behind for months at a time on voyages. Of course, now that he was dead, Daniel could give her nothing until her own death, and that wait was unfair to ask of her. With the Colonel, she would not need to work, could have her own beautiful and large home, join the sophisticated Boston society, even have more children.

All he could give her was his soul.

And if she did decide to marry Junius Porter and leave the environs of Schooner Bay, he would never see her again, which all in all would be best for her, he thought.

If Carolyn had any thoughts of sleeping in that morning, no one in Gull Cottage would have let her. Church was an important social event as well as good for the soul and over the course of the months in Schooner Bay, the men of the Seamen's Home had become completely part of the community and looked forward to seeing their friends and acquaintances at Reverend Whitman's church. With the winter weather limiting their ability to walk into town, seeing and greeting others in the warmth of the stone building was an event they looked forward to even more eagerly.

Feeling much the worse for wear, even after several cups of strong coffee, Carolyn did her best to look animated as the group made their way down the wide isle of the church. As they settled into their seats, Colonel Porter sat down next to her. If he was tired after the night before, he didn't show it. He blue eyes were sparkling, and his smile was wide. After he greeted the group, he leaned in to whisper in Carolyn's ear.

"I regret to inform you that Fortuna has a large lump on her head courtesy of her brother's portrait and won't be joining us this morning, and I overheard one of the maids saying that Phyllida excused herself from doing her wifely duties due to the shock of the event!"

"Colonel Porter! You should not be talking about such intimate things, especially in church!" But Carolyn's retort was framed by her laughing eyes.

"Come, come, Mrs. Muir. We are not innocent children, are we?" he responded jovially. "We both know that someone like Phyllida is much more likely to enjoyed the married state than the marriage bed. You know, close your eyes and think of your duty…"

"Colonel! I do think that is quite enough of this talk. Besides, here comes Reverend Whitman to start the service."

Martha and the seamen all took note of this stranger and his familiarity with Carolyn. After services, she introduced him and apologized for the short notice in asking him to join their Sunday afternoon dinner. Over a solid meal of roast beef with full tankards of ale, the men found Junius Porter to be good company and Martha approved of his manners and his good looks. He was refined and deferential to Mrs. Muir, and if there was some concern that he was courting their Nurse-in-Charge and could potentially lure her away from their side, the inhabitants of Gull Cottage were satisfied that, at first glance, at least, the Colonel would be an excellent companion and husband for her.

After eating, the men went to their rooms for naps, with the exception of Red, who walked back into town to spend the rest of the afternoon with Amy. Martha also retreated to her room, ostensibly to do some knitting, but before long, she too had settled onto her bed for a nap. Carolyn and Junius seated themselves in the parlor by the fire with Captain Gregg's portrait looking down on them. He of course, was aware of their presence, but kept himself hidden from them and did his best not to listen in on their conversation. They seemed to be getting on well, which was as much as he needed to know for the moment. While they were learning about each other, he would have to learn to put Carolyn Muir out of his mind…and heart.

The two mortal humans chatted for several hours, enjoying their developing friendship. As dusk began to gather, Junius stood to take his leave and Carolyn escorted him to the front door of Gull Cottage. "I must go down to Boston when the weather is a bit better to do some shopping for the Home," Carolyn informed him. "I hope that we can perhaps attend a concert or lecture while I am there."

"Absolutely, Mrs. Muir! I would no less think of you visiting my lovely city without showing it to you than I would think of visiting my relations here without calling on you. I hope that I may write to you in the interim?"

"I would like that very much," she said, a blush spreading lightly across her cheeks.

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Carolyn brought a fresh cup of coffee to her desk after Junius left. It had been her intention to write in her Day Book, but as she sat down and began to think about the day, she recalled what he had told her about Fortuna Grover's injuries from her brother's portrait, and that brought to mind Captain Gregg. She hadn't heard or seen him for a long time before he had whispered in her ear at the wedding ceremony the day before and he hadn't been back to her since. However, the portrait falling when and where it did was a sure sign for her that he hadn't disappeared…or forgotten his intense dislike of all things Figg.

"Captain!" When there was no response she tried again. "Captain Gregg! I know you're there and we must talk." Again, she was met with silence. "Alright. If you are ashamed to show your face, fine. I know you can hear me, and I want to tell you that throwing that painting off the wall was a childish thing to do. Not only that, but you could have seriously hurt someone. And all that you've got to show for your jealousy is a ruined picture. Happy now?"

He didn't reply, but she thought she heard a bit of ghostly laughter in the far distance.