Chapter 6

"Captain?" Carolyn walked around the living room and stared at his portrait. "Captain?! Daniel?!" she yelled. "Where are you?!"

"What on earth's going on in here?" Martha exclaimed coming into the room holding a feather duster and wearing an apron. "Why, you're making enough noise to wake the dead!" she declared.

"If only that were the case," Carolyn replied, dryly. "I haven't seen the Captain since last night and he won't answer me when I call him. I've no idea where he is," she shrugged. "The kids have been looking for him for an hour, he was going to take them to the beach and they're getting worried."

"Maybe he's just hiding up in the attic," Martha said, quickly. She of course knew fully well why the resident ghost was absent. He was recharging his powers after taxing them too much. But she'd promised not to tell her employer that.

"We've already checked," Carolyn said. "He hasn't disappeared like this for a long time and only ever after we've had some kind of stupid argument. But we haven't," she exclaimed. "Everything was fine…more than fine…it was…well, I don't know why he'd choose now of all times to just disappear."

"Maybe someone moved his precious sea charts around. You know how he gets when that happens! I don't even dare dust those things anymore, he threw such a hissy fit last time I tried to tidy them up, anyone'd think he was five years old."

"I haven't touched them and the kids wouldn't, so I don't think that could be it," Carolyn mused. "And Jonathan says that he and Candy even threatened to move the ships' log out of the wheel house and even that didn't make the captain show up. And that works every time."

"Who knows with ghosts?" Martha shrugged. "I'm sure he's fine, wherever he is," she assured Carolyn. "There's a thought, maybe the other ghosts called him away, you said that's why he vanished the other day, didn't you?"

"That's true," Carolyn said.

"Well, mystery solved," Martha smiled. "I'll get back to my dusting," she waved the duster at Carolyn and left.

"Hmmm," Carolyn hummed, looking back up at the portrait.

Several hours later, Carolyn was sitting across the the sofa with her feet up reading a book with quiet music playing on the radio.

"Good afternoon, madam," the captains' voice startled her.

"Captain," Carolyn exclaimed and sat up, turning to him.

She breathed a sigh of relief but then stopped when she got a good look at him. He looked pale and haggard, and usually he looked perfectly healthy and pristine which was saying something since he was a ghost. But he never actually looked like a ghost, he looked so alive usually. "Is something wrong? Are you alright?" she asked, quickly.

"Of course. I am perfectly well," he replied, standing straight and clasping his hands behind his back. What she didn't see, was that he was digging the nails of one hand into his other palm to try and focus himself so that he didn't fade in and out of existence. His powers were returning,'certainly but he was by means back to normal yet.

"You don't look it," she retorted.

"How charming you are today," he drawled.

"We were worried about you," Carolyn said. "You've been gone all day."

"Yes, about that…"

"The children were looking for you, they were excited about going to the beach," she told him.

"And I'm sorry to have upset them. I shall endeavour to make amends," he said. "However, you must believe me when I say that my disappearance was entirely unavoidable," he added.

"Did they call you away again? The other ghosts?"

"Hmmm?" he blinked. "Oh, yes, yes they did, rather abruptly again, I'm afraid," he said.

"Well…if…or when it happens again, can you at least let us know so that we don't worry?"

"Of course," he inclined his head. "Oh, my dear, I had no intention of causing any of you distress. I'm afraid, perhaps that after century alone, I'm rather too accustomed to leaving whenever and to go wherever I wish. Do forgive me."

"Well, alright, this time," she gave him a small smile. It wasn't often than he apologised and even then he only did it if he had no choice and he was genuinely sincere. Although, because of that she couldn't help but feel that there was something she was missing. Most of the time even if he was in the wrong, he usually apologised without using the words 'sorry' or forgive' but the intention was always there.

"Most generous of you."

"But try not to make a habit of it. Twice enough enough for now," she said and he nodded in agreement.

"Mrs. Muir, I brought you some tea and…" Martha said, walking into the room holding a tray of tea and fruit. "Well, look what the cat dragged in," she said when she saw the captain.

"And a very good evening to you as well, Martha," he replied raising an eyebrow.

"I could've used your help earlier. Why do you always conveniently disappear when there's cleaning to be done?"

"Martha, you are always cleaning," he replied, sounding unimpressed.

"Not always," she said, dryly, "Sometimes I'm cooking. You could always help with that if you prefer."

"Now, see here, I am not at your beck and call when it comes to the upkeep of my ship."

"Right, it's your ship, isn't it? It wouldn't hurt for you to lend a hand now and then when it's your ship, after all, would it?"

"Oh," he rolled his eyes and looked up in frustration. "Women," he grumbled and Martha laughed.

"Right then. Tomorrow you can help me clean out the gutters," Martha declared. "It should go a lot faster with a ghost around," she said and walked away.

"Blast it all you infernal harridan! I am not a deck hand!" he yelled after her.

"You are now! And on this ship, it's all hands on deck!" Martha yelled back from the kitchen.

Carolyn hid her smile behind her book but it didn't go unnoticed.

"You are laughing at my plight, madam, it is most unfeminine," he drawled.

"I would never laugh at you, captain," she replied, sarcastically and he pursed his lip. "And I am glad that you're back," she assured him.

"I'm rather relieved to be back," the captain replied, warmly as he looked at her. "And I give you my word, that should I be called away in the future, I shall do my utmost to forewarn you and the children. The only other alternative would be to have my spectral peers here and some of them are rather unsavoury characters. Not at all suitable company for women and children," he said.

"This is definitely a one ghost ship," she said.

"Quite right, madam."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Carolyn asked again after a moment. "You look pale…and I know you're a ghost but…"

"Spirit, please, allow me that at least."

"Fine, a spirit, but you look as white a sheet," she finished. "Can you get sick?" she asked.

"Nonsense. Sickness is a mortal affliction," he said with a scoff.

"Well, you're doing a very good impression of it."

"It is quite impossible, I assure you," the captain reiterated. "Perhaps it was the extensive distance that I was forced to travel to meet with the other spectres. That can occasionally take its toll," he said, sounding dismissive.

"Well…if you're sure you're alright," Carolyn said, not completely convinced.

"Perfectly sure."

"And you'd tell me if you weren't?"

"Very likely not. But in this instance…"

"Captain!"

"Please cease this utterly useless line of conversation. There is nothing to 'tell'. I am not mortal therefore I cannot contract mortal afflictions. Therefore, I am perfectly well," he said, frustrated. He took one look at her concerned expression, and his frustration faded easily. "However, I must add, that your concern for my welfare really is most touching. Had I a beating heart, I would even call it heartwarming," he added much more calmly.

"Of course I'm concerned…if you vanished for good, Claymore would kick us out of this house and tear the place down and we'd be homeless," she said, petulantly, lying through her teeth.

"Of course," he said, not at all convinced.

"Just so we're clear," Carolyn nodded.

"As crystal, my dear," he said.

Their eyes met for a silent moment and as usual, more words were said in silence than could ever be said aloud. And it was a while before he let out a quit cough and looked away.

"I believe that that is my book," he stated, finally noticing the old book she still held.

"Coleridge," Carolyn confirmed. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"Of course I don't. What was mine is yours," he said. "Any particular reason why you wished to read Coleridge?"

"Well, I know it's your favourite but I realised that I've never actually read the 'Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner' all the way through, so…"

"Never read…" he blinked, "Madam, that is a shameful admission."

"For some reason it was never classed as compulsory reading for girls when I was at school," she said, dryly.

"What rot," the captain scowled. He reached out a hand and the book floated towards him. He picked it out of the air and sat on the sofa by her feet. "Really, madam the state of modern education…" he tutted, "Deplorable."

"Well, my 'deplorable' education didn't do me any harm. But as soon as you give me the book, I can get back to my reading and…"

"I shall read it for you," the captain said. "And correct the inadequacies of your education," he said and looked down at the book.

"Well, thank you," Carolyn rolled her eyes. She leaned forward and poured herself a cup of tea and then settled back on the sofa with her feet tucked beneath her.

When she was settled, he began to read to her. Truth be told, he had little experience in reading aloud to people before the Muir family had moved into the house. When he began to read stories to the children at night, he'd felt a little out of his depth. But after a few nights, the Captain had come to love reading to the children. Reading to Carolyn though was different. He was aware of her eyes fixed on him as well as the fact that she was sat only a small distance away from him. It was an intimate setting and as the tale of the Mainer who, for no rhyme or reason, killed an albatross at sea unfolded, Carolyn listened in a trance. The mariner, whose guilt at his senseless act of violence, finds himself alone at sea after his crew mates die one by one, is wracked with guilt and travels the globe in search of redemption.

The Captain chanced to look over the book at her for a moment when he was almost finished.

"Why did he kill the albatross?" she asked when he looked at her.

"No one can say," the captain replied. "It was a senseless crime which even he cannot justify and initially he feels no remorse. Yet, fate conspires against him to teach him the error of his ways and he is left forever seeking atonement. It leaves one with an appreciation for the life of all creatures and to consider the consequences our actions, no matter how trivial we initially perceive them to have," he said then he turned back to the book and continued to read.

If read in his cultured, deep voice, Carolyn supposed that even the contents of a phone book would sound interesting. But this beautiful, sombre poem, read in his voice, had her transfixed and she hardly moved a muscle as he continued through the long poem.

When he was finished, he closed the book and turned to her.

"That was beautiful," Carolyn remarked.

"Yes," the captain said. "Beautiful and yet, tragic," he added.

"I can see why you like it. It might be one of my favourites now, too," she said.

"As I have always said, you are a lady of exquisite taste and fine judgement."

"Even when I wear trousers or try and fix the plumbing?" she said smiling. He hadn't been too approving of her 'femininity' when the plumbing had been broken and she'd tried to fix it.

"I suppose…that certain…allowances can be made given that your time is vastly different to my…"

"Alright, now I know there's something wrong," she exclaimed.

"Madam?"

"Two apologies in one week! Usually I'm lucky if I hear one apology every six months! And now you're 'making allowances' for women in the modern age?" Carolyn said.

"So you tally my apologies, do you? How very petulant of you," the captain remarked.

"That wasn't my point."

"And yet, how very feminine," he couldn't help but smirk.

"You're hiding something," Carolyn insisted.

"I am hiding nothing," he replied.

"Captain."

"Mrs. Muir," the caption said and she sighed and glared at him.

"I don't believe you," she said.

"Then we are at an impasse. I am simply trying to be cordial," the captain said. "I have no wish to quarrel with you."

"Then you could just tell me what's wrong."

"There is nothing 'wrong'," he insisted with a sigh. "Now might we continue with what only moments ago, was shaping up to be a rather pleasant evening? Or should I remove myself from the firing line before the war breaks out?"

"Alright," Carolyn said, biting her lip. "I don't want to fight, either. It doesn't mean I'm just going to let it drop, but I don't want a 'war'," she said.

As much as she still believed that he was hiding something, Carolyn really had no wish to fight about it, at least not until she had more proof. So, she decided to let it lie, at least for now.

"Splendid," the captain said. "Then back into calm seas we shall sail with the admirable Samuel Taylor Coleridge as our literary companion. Have you any preferences?" he asked as he picked up the book again and opened it.

"You choose," Carolyn said with a smile and together they sat there undisturbed until the children found them there some time later when it was as time for them to go to bed.