Part 3

"More Uninvited Guests"

Author's Notes

I began this part of the story in November 2019, and a lot has happened since then. In these unprecedented times, I hope you and your families are safe and well.

As I've done in the past, I will be releasing the chapters of this storyline on Fridays. For those of you who have been waiting, I'm sorry it took so long to finish.

As always, I want to thank Mary for being my beta and providing feedback that is always helpful and often makes me laugh. I have a habit editing after she's reviewed my work, so any and all mistakes are mine.

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As the new week unfolded, the captain and Mrs. Muir fell into a comfortable routine. Daniel would arrive at his ship, the Kitty Keane, well before sunup, spend the morning taking care of business, then leave to meet Carolyn for lunch. By noon he'd be at the office of Marley and Ebenezer, and the couple would enjoy a meal prepared by Martha or go to a restaurant.

Claymore had resigned himself to his niece taking a longer lunch now that Captain Gregg was home, but it aggravated him when, instead of eating on the bench out front or in the back room, the couple would go to a restaurant. When they told him they would be going to the park, if the weather was especially nice, it bothered him even more, because they always took more time when they left the office. He felt Carolyn was intentionally leaving to avoid working and was convinced she was being encouraged to do so by the annoying seaman. The fact that she rarely took much time to eat when the captain wasn't in port, or that he had been away for six months, had no impact on his attitude toward them at all.

After lunch, Daniel would return to his ship and work until the end of the day. At half past five he was at the office again to escort Carolyn home, having already picked up Bonhomme and the jaunting cart at the livery. Splash made the trip to Gull Cottage with them, to serve as the seaman's transportation back to the Inn.

By Wednesday, though, it became necessary to suspend their routine for the rest of the week. Daniel had to go to Boston on business and would be leaving the next morning.

"How long will you be gone?" Carolyn asked as they sat together in the living room of Gull Cottage. The children had already been put to bed, and the adults were enjoying friendly conversation and the serenity provided when the children were sleeping.

"Hopefully Saturday, but it will be late; probably after eight."

Carolyn and Martha exchanged a look.

"I considered sending James or Mitch, but I don't want to take them away from their families any more than I want to be away from all of you," he smiled and kissed his lady's hand. "The other consideration, of course, is . . ."

"Ellie," Carolyn finished for him. "I saw her earlier this week. The poor thing looks like the baby could come any time."

"I have no experience with such things," he said, looking away uncomfortably and pulling his ear. "But the odds of a seaman being home for the birth of one of his children is not something that happens often. I hope the baby arrives before we set sail."

"They're both so young; it would be good for Mitch to be here to support Ellie, especially since it's their first."

"Madam, you can't possibly mean he should be present at the birth?" Daniel blustered.

"I know it's not the usual practice," she said, winking at Martha. "But I can appreciate how comforting it would be to have the man I love with me when our child entered the world. The births of Candy and Jonathan were the most miraculous experiences I've ever had, and . . ."

"Carolyn, you're not saying . . . if we were to have more children . . . you would want me to . . . to be in the room with you . . . while it's happening . . . Are you?!" he asked in disbelief; his eyes wide.

He was out of his element and knew it was showing. In an attempt to get his footing, he rose from his seat and wandered over to the side table for a glass of Madeira.

"Daniel, if you hadn't interrupted me, I would have finished by saying that each child's birth, in its own way, was the most incredible moment of my life. If we were to be blessed with another child," she said, looking at him boldly, "I would love for you to share that experience with me. I know you being there would make it even more memorable for both of us."

He didn't know what to say, so, lifting the decanter, he inquired if the ladies would like a glass without saying a word. Both thanked him but refused.

"Don't you think you're jumping ahead of yourselves?" Martha asked. "Captain, to my knowledge you haven't proposed to Mrs. Muir and, if you ask me, talking about having children together seems more than a little premature," she scolded.

Daniel was taking a sip of the wine, as he tried to sort through what Carolyn had suggested, when the older woman's comment allowed him to return to firmer ground. He looked at Carolyn and raised an eyebrow as if to say 'well?' but she wasn't going to let him off that easily and stayed on topic.

"Perhaps your right, Martha. Besides, I don't know too many men who have the fortitude to handle what a woman goes through while giving birth."

This got her a sharp look from the captain, and Martha started to chuckle.

"That's certainly true. I've seen more than one 'tough' man faint like a teenage girl at the sight of his child making his or her first appearance. You're right Mrs. Muir. If another child . . . or two . . ." she smiled, "Is in your future, it's probably best to just handle things as we always have and leave the father, whomever he may be, to do whatever fathers do at a time like that."

That comment earned Martha her own sharp look from the seaman. In addition to the obvious slight aimed at him, he was sure all men had been insulted. Since he didn't have anything remotely close to a defense, though, he didn't even try. Instead, he ignored the issue by changing the subject.

"My dear, have you given any more thought to my suggestion that you publish your stories?" he inquired, returning to his seat beside her.

Carolyn and Martha shared a satisfied smile. Both knew, the captain was uncomfortable with the conversation and wished nothing more than to leave it behind.

"I haven't had time to give it any thought," she finally responded. "There's no hurry is there?"

"Not at all. I just thought, if you had decided it was something you wanted to investigate, I could make the initial contact for you. I have an acquaintance who is the 'Tacket' at the Tacket and Sproule Publishing House in Boston."

"What would you need from me, if I decided to make an inquiry?"

"One or two stories to give Henry an idea of what kind of tales you write and to see the quality of your writing. It should be something I could leave with him."

"I only have the original stories; I don't have any copies," she said, considering the requirement. "Daniel, I'd rather not send anything to him until I make duplicates . . . just in case we don't get them back."

"Of course, my dear. As I said, there's no rush. You can take your time deciding," he told her, taking her hand in his again. "If it helps persuade you, let me remind you again that I think your stories are very good, and I'm sure we can find a publisher interested in printing them."

"Thank you, Daniel. Knowing you feel that way means more to me than you know," she looked at him tenderly.

He patted her hand but looked distracted until he looked directly in her eyes and smiled.

"As a matter of fact, if you decide you do want to make inquiries, it might be a good idea for you to come with me to meet Henry personally. We could sail down on the Kitty Keane and make it a family outing. l did promise to take the children out on her," he said happily, as a plan began forming in his mind. "Martha, what would you think of sailing down to Boston? Have you ever been? It's a marvelous city! There's so much to do . . . so much to see . . . and it would be a wonderful opportunity for the children to see, firsthand, where so much of the country's history has taken place, instead of just reading about it in a book."

Carolyn smiled at his enthusiasm, and her mind instantly flashed to the daydream she'd had about being on his ship, his arms wrapped around her.

"Captain, may I remind you that, until last fall, the children lived in Philadelphia, where the founding of this country took place! They've walked the same streets John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and the rest of the founding fathers walked. They have seen 'firsthand' where history happened."

She was right, and he knew it. Before he could reply, she continued, to make her main point.

"You also seem to be getting ahead of yourself . . . again. You can't very well take Mrs. Muir to Boston, with or without the children, if you're not married!"

"Martha, you're perfectly correct about the children and Philadelphia, but, as to a trip to Boston, you would be with Carolyn to serve as her chaperone. I promise you, it would all be proper and above board," he insisted. "I would behave like the perfect gentleman I am."

She couldn't help herself; she snorted as she started to reply.

"I have a hard time keeping track of you two here at Gull Cottage, not to mention Schooner Bay. How do you expect me to do it in a city the size of Boston?"

"But Martha . . ."

"Daniel Gregg! I will not risk Mrs. Muir's reputation by agreeing to a trip out of town before you two are properly married, regardless of where it is!" she said, stopping his argument before he could get started.

She looked from one to the other and continued.

"You two need to stop dragging your feet and make a decision. At this point, I don't know what's causing the delay. Candy and Jonathan are certainly not going to suffer if you two get married," she said to both before turning her attention to Mrs. Muir. "You know as well as I do, they thrive on the attention the captain gives them. Even when he's away, all they do is talk about him and what they'll do when he comes home," she said, meeting her young friend's eyes.

Carolyn opened her mouth to reply, but Martha held up her hand to stop her.

"I have one more thing to add . . . and . . . I have no intention of getting into a debate with either one or both of you," she added firmly. "Mrs. Muir . . . Captain . . . it's obvious to me, and to everyone who sees you together, that you love each other deeply. I'd go so far as to say, what you have is something few people experience in their lifetime. I honestly don't know why you continue to put yourselves through this. You just need to get on with it and get married," she advised. "I'm worn out from trying to keep you two from doing something that would bring immense harm to this family."

The room was quiet as the truth of her words hit home.

"There, I've said my piece; it's time I went to bed," she said standing. "Captain, I don't have it in me to keep an eye on you tonight, so I hope you won't be staying too late."

He met her stare with a nod, and she left the room, calling 'goodnight' as she made her way down the hall.

Daniel and Carolyn looked at each other feeling ashamed. In a way, when Martha agreed to come to Schooner Bay with the family, she was responsible for them meeting, and she was the reason they were able to spend as much time together as they did. Instead of showing their appreciation, they'd been acting like a couple of lovesick youngsters, putting her in the difficult position of having to police their behavior.

"We had that coming, didn't we?" Daniel remarked.

"Yes, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I never once considered the responsibility she felt about protecting my reputation."

Daniel's arm went around Carolyn to comfort her.

"It's my fault. Just seeing you, makes me want to take you in my arms and love you the way you deserve to be loved."

"No, this is my responsibility, Daniel. When we first met, I knew I could lose myself with you, but I also recognized how important it was to protect my reputation . . . more for the sake of the children than myself," she said, placing her hand on his chest. "It seems my awareness of how important that is has lessened the longer I've known you, and the more deeply I've fallen in love with you."

He kissed her softly, and she rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh.

"So, now what?" he pondered. "You do know when you're ready to ask me to marry you . . ."

She interrupted him as she sat up, pushing against him to do so.

"You're really going to hold me to that?!"

"Yes, my love, I am. That's when I'll know for sure that you have no doubts about my career, and the life it will mean for you and the children," he said sincerely. "So, to continue . . . when you do finally ask, you know that I'll say 'yes,' don't you?"

"Of course, I do. Daniel, I want nothing more than to be your wife, but . . ."

"But?" he looked at her in surprise.

"I need a little more time. Not a lot of time . . . only a few weeks."

"Will this be resolved before I sail?"

"Yes. I promise, by the time you set sail our future together will be laid out in front of us. In the meantime, I'm afraid we'll have to be less of a bother to Martha and behave ourselves."

"I agree completely," he replied tugging his ear. "My love, that doesn't mean we have to go back to me just kissing your hand . . . does it?"

"No; it certainly does not," she said, pulling him toward her to claim his lips. When they broke the kiss, her head took its place back on his shoulder. "What time is you train tomorrow morning?"

"Eight o'clock."

"And you think you'll be home Saturday?"

"Yes. I'll be meeting with the owners of the shipping line Friday. The last time I returned home by train it left Boston around seven in the morning. It's less than 200 miles, but it's a ten to twelve-hour trip because of all the stops along the way."

"I'll miss you. Do you think you'll be home early enough to come up to the house?"

"If you want me to be here, nothing could keep me away. I don't want to lose any more time with you than I have to," he said, lifting her chin so he could kiss her again.

"Plan on it then. You know we want you here as much as possible."

"As Martha so directly pointed out, there is an easy way to remedy that," he smiled.

"I know, but as much as I want that, there is no way I can marry you without my parents being present."

"My love, I was teasing. I know having them here when you marry is important, and I wouldn't dream of trying to talk you out of it. When that day finally arrives, I will make sure the wedding ceremony, and the marriage, are all you've ever dreamed of. I'll even agree to Claymore attending . . . but . . . only if you really want him to."

"Oh, Daniel," she chuckled and hugged him closer as they laughed.

They settled into a contented silence, but Carolyn felt the need to revisit the earlier topic he had so deftly side-stepped.

"Considering I haven't asked you to marry me yet . . . and that this question could be considered a bit premature . . . how do you feel about the possibility of having more children?"

He looked at her seriously.

"I used to think it didn't matter if I never married or had children but now, assuming you are going to ask me to marry you, I will be content with or without more children. I will have you, Candy, and Jonathan, and my life will be complete. My love, I believe the greatest gift a husband and wife can give one other, after their respect, love, and fidelity, is a child, whether it's their own or, in our case, another man's. You know I couldn't love those two more if they were my own."

"I know you do, and that's only one of the many reasons I love you so much."

"Carolyn, you are doing a wonderful job raising Candy and Jonathan. They are kind, thoughtful, polite, and more interesting than most adults I know, and I'll always be interested in what they have to say, what excites them, and how they feel about things."

"Are you sure you've never been a parent before? You sound like an expert," she said, content in his arms.

"I learned from my parents and, in a different way, from Eliza when she was very young," he said seriously. "You should always listen carefully to what children want to tell you, whatever it is, whether you think it's important or not, because to a child . . . it's all important." He looked down at her, kissed her softly and smiled. "Now, if God were to bless us with more children, I would be a very happy man . . . because you would be their mother," he said, pulling her closer and kissing her hair. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Earlier, you said that both child's birth was the most incredible moment of your life . . ."

"You want to know how both could be the most incredible?"

"I think I know but would you care to tell me?"

"I'm sure most mothers would say the same thing, but I think my reasons are slightly different," she said, resting her hand on his chest and forcing herself to leave his buttons alone. "When Candy was born, I believed my life was perfect. So, the arrival of our first child . . . our little girl . . . was the beginning of what I thought would be a large happy family with Robert."

"In her case, it is because she was your first?"

"Yes. I thought she was going to be the first of many. Then, by the time I knew I was expecting Jonathan, I was already having strong doubts about my husband and our marriage," she explained. "I think I told you before, he really didn't want to have anything to do with Candy . . . and didn't. I naively thought it was because she wasn't a boy and, if the second baby were a boy, I believed that would fix everything . . . our marriage, his attitude toward Candy, his attitude toward me . . . everything. I couldn't help worrying, though, how he would react if the baby turned out to be another girl."

"So, Jonathan's birth was special because he was a boy?"

"No. His birth was special because he was born healthy. By then, I had seen who the real Robert Muir was and knew it wouldn't matter if the baby was a boy or not," she explained. "Daniel, I spent the last three months of my confinement in bed and was so relieved when Jonathan was born, I cried longer and harder than I ever had before, or since, from relief . . . and pure joy."

"My love, having had an experience like that, are you sure you want to have more children?"

"Oh, Daniel. I would love to have more children . . . with the right father . . ." she teased. "And if I were to be blessed again, I have a feeling that, whether the baby is a boy or a girl, he or she would be a handful."

"What makes you think that?"

"I just have a feeling."

"Oh, you do, do you?" he asked pulling her closer.

"Most definitely," she answered as their lips came together.