The Schooner Bay Home for Invalid and Indigent Seamen:

Fortuna Figg Grover

Chapter 4:

The next morning nearly as soon as breakfast had been cleared away, there came another knock at the door of Gull Cottage. Again, Carolyn announced that she would greet their visitor. She had a very strong suspicion who it would be.

Appearing this time in her older, mustard-colored "visiting" ensemble, Fortuna was somewhat out of breath. She had walked from her family's mansion on the other side of town rather than have her coachman drive her in their landau. She had wanted the time to work out what she wanted to say to Captain Gregg and perhaps she would also have the opportunity to finally get some guidance on resolving her issues with her daughter.

Once again, Mrs. Muir invited her into the parlor where they sat in the same spots as the day before.

"It is nice to see you again, Mrs. Grover. May I assume that you've returned to have that conversation with me about Phyllida?"

"Yes, Mrs. Muir. But I would like to speak with Captain Gregg first, if it can be arranged?"

Carolyn felt her stomach knot.

"I'm afraid that I am unable to promise that he will make an appearance. The Captain comes and goes as he pleases, and he doesn't always make his presence known. Sometimes only some of the people in the room are aware of him, depending on his wishes. He could be observing us right this moment without our knowledge."

Fortuna tuned white and then red. "Do you mean to say that he could spy on you without your knowledge when you are…unclothed?"

"Well, yes," Carolyn replied uneasily, "but he has promised me that he is a gentleman and would never think of doing such a thing. As a lady, I take him at his word."

Fortuna wasn't sure that she would apply the terms "lady" and "gentleman" to Mrs. Muir or Daniel Gregg. They could both be considered "tradespeople", after all. But that was irrelevant at the moment. The ghost had clearly not appeared, and Fortuna realized that he would show himself to her on his terms, not hers.

She sighed. "I suppose then, we might as well talk about the situation between my daughter, son-in-law and myself. I won't go into the history of our falling out. My concern at this moment is how to make a rapprochement with them before the baby arrives. So many women in Schooner Bay have taken to speaking with you about women's matters. I am sure that you must have some ideas on how to speak with Phyllida. Perhaps you could even intervene with her on my behalf?"

The Captain stood invisibly by the fireplace under his portrait, watching and listening closely. He had no intention of speaking to Fortuna and he had no interest in her family's drama. His only concern was to keep himself from causing Carolyn any hurt.

Carolyn smiled gently at her guest. "I am afraid that I was as unaware as you about the coming child. Phyllida and A.A. have only been back home for a few days, and she has not approached me. Under the circumstances, I don't think it would be best for me to initiate a conversation with them about something that is a family matter. Don't you agree?"

Before Fortuna could answer, there was another knock at the heavy front door. This time Martha went to answer it and found the object of their discussion in front of her.

"Hello, Martha. Would it be possible for me to speak with Mrs. Muir?"

"Welcome, Phyllida! Or should I say, 'Mrs. Cooper'? I'll see if she's free."

Hearing her daughter's voice, Fortuna eagerly rose from her seat and opened the parlor doors to great her, with Carolyn bringing up the rear.

"Mother?! What are you doing here?" Phyllida asked as Fortuna eagerly rushed to her saying over her, "Darling, I'm so glad to run into you!"

Phyllida took a step away from her mother and adopted a chill manner. "I am here to talk with Mrs. Muir about the baby and my confinement. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't mind allowing me to speak with her privately."

It was all Fortuna could do not to burst into tears. "Alright, if that is your wish." She turned to Carolyn. "Thank you, Mrs. Muir. I am sorry to impose on you. And on your 'household'." She took a deep breath, seated her hat upon her head and with her straight and regal posture exited Gull Cottage. She made it to the seawall before her tears began to spill and she had to lean on the wall to keep herself crumpling into the dirt of the lane.

Carolyn ushered the younger woman into her office/bedroom for privacy. In the past dozen years or so, there had been no midwife in Schooner Bay and Dr. Everly had delivered all the children born in the neighborhood. Often his wife Sara would assist, and if she was not available for some reason, then Agnes Whitman could be counted on for help. Still, he was getting older and while delivering babies was not a daily or even weekly occurrence, being roused out of bed in the early hours of the morning was better left to someone younger. Since Mrs. Muir's original training had been in the Philadelphia Nurses Society baby and infant courses, she was a trained midwife as well as general nurse. The Seamen's Home board had been asked to allow her to attend to the women of the town in that capacity, as long as it did not interfere with her duties as Matron. They generously agreed, and also allowed her to see the women in her office in Gull Cottage and charge for her services. Their only restriction was that no woman would be allowed to lie-in at the house. At the time, Carolyn laughed to herself at the thought of Captain Gregg's apoplexy at the idea of using his beloved home as a lying-in hospital! Still, in the past year, she had successfully delivered half a dozen infants and enjoyed this variation in her duties. The men of the Home had supported her and happily drove her to homes where the impending births would happen, no matter the time of day or night. They also began to make items for the coming babies and their families and considered themselves honorary grandfathers to the children, which added much to everyone's lives. And Carolyn made a little additional money for a luxury now and then.

Phyllida sat down in the guest chair next to the desk while Carolyn went to draw the shade and the drapes on the window which faced Gregg Road and the seawall. She was surprised to see not only Fortuna sobbing over the stone wall, but Daniel Gregg by her side. At the moment, she couldn't confront them, but later she would give at least one of them an angry piece of her mind. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to her new patient and began to prepare for their initial interview.

Outside, Fortuna was inconsolable. The strength of character that she had prided herself on all her life seemed to have shattered into a million shards of glass that pierced through every corner of her being. Her daughter withdrawn from her, the one man she should have been married to was now an angry wraith and nothing – nothing! – in her life meant anything at all to her. Her head slowly swiveled to take in the sea below. It would be simple to just walk into the cold and gray water and be done with everything. She felt so cold inside that she probably wouldn't even notice the water enveloping her. Then the mess she had made of her life would be over and she would feel nothing and be nothing.

"I am afraid Fortuna, that it doesn't work like that," intoned the deep voice of Daniel Gregg. "And it will be worse for you. Your death would be intentional, unlike mine and the Powers that Be will know that. I have some recourse when I wish to take it, and I have been allowed to develop special spectral talents. You, on the other hand, would never have the opportunity to change your status and your ability to interact with the living would, at best, be limited to those few humans who are truly clairvoyant."

She looked up at him, regret flowing out of every pore of her being. Unknowingly, she raised her arms to him, looking to him to embrace and comfort her. He could not help but gently enfold her as she wished. "Fortuna, you also need to understand that we would not be together on this plane. Part of your punishment for taking your own life, you see. The Powers give you what you need, not what you want."

"Oh, Daniel! I don't know what to do, what to say…I've been wrong about absolutely everything, everything! And it's too late to make it right! You were the one I should have married and yet I turned you away, looked down on you, taunted you. I was so stupid, such a silly girl! It's too late, far too late to make things right. What am I going to do?"

Daniel had known after speaking with her the day before, that Fortuna also still harbored feelings for him, but he hadn't realized the depth of those feelings and her admission (and the tight grip she held on to him with) startled him. Of course, it pleased his ego to hear her admit to those feelings. If Carolyn hadn't been part of his afterlife, perhaps something would have taken place between them. But her admission came more than 25 years too late. He could forgive her girlish prejudices and the cold and dismissive manner she had abused him with as adults. But the tides had taken her in one direction and he in another and that was all there was to it.

"You are going to go back home. You are going to start by asking your husband to forgive your treatment of him and learn to be supportive of him. If you cannot, in your heart of hearts, come to love him, you will at least be kind and gentle to him. Then you will write to your daughter and son-in-law, begging their forgiveness and pledging that you will not interfere in their lives and will not expect the infant to be first and foremost your grandchild and their child a distant second. You will let them know, clearly and explicitly, that you are happy that they are happy. You will learn to avoid tantrums, (something you should have learned by age three) and develop the habit of kindness to others. I suggest that joining one of the women's charitable groups would be very helpful there, as well as giving you the opportunity to develop true friendships. Lastly, and most difficult for you, will be to develop humility. I know that I am not one to claim to be any sort of example in that arena, but I must say that I have learned quite a lot about being humble and thankful from the men of the Schooner Bay Seamen's Home and from Amy and Red Secor. I suggest that you spend some time with them. You will find them excellent and entertaining companions who would enjoy your attention as well."

He gently pushed her out of his arms and took a further step away from her. Fortuna took a shuddering breath and then a more calm one as her stream of tears finally dried. She looked up at Daniel Gregg and nodded. It was hard to contemplate learning to be a different person with different attitudes, but if she were to have any chance at all at some semblance of happiness she couldn't go on as she had. She looked up at the ghost of the sea captain. His eyes were still the same blue as they had been when they were children. She nodded her head in acquiescence to his directions. "I'll try Daniel. It probably won't work. I want to be loved, but I don't know if I have it in me to really reform. Old dogs, and all that…"

"At least you are willing to try."

"Will I ever see you again, Daniel?" she asked.

"Perhaps, Fortuna. Perhaps."