First, a personal note to Margaret, my lovely, happily verbose Guest reviewer:

I was so happy to see your return. I did miss you and your great comments. Don't worry about verbosity, as you can see I like to use quite a few words, as well.

Thank you for your lovely compliments, I appreciate them deeply and say that you are a wonderfully thoughtful reviewer who cares about encouraging and inspiring us writers. That matters to me, else I would be talking to myself in a vacuum.

My two universes of GaMM and Beauty and the Beast are very important to me. I was very happy in my tunnel world until one day, a couple of years ago, a great Aussie mate took my hand and said, "Come with me. We're going on a journey into the beloved past." (Thunderhoof, you know I mean you! HUGS)

She walked me right to the door of Gull Cottage, opened it, and my eyes, to a world I thought had long gone. Imagine my total surprise and delight when I discovered that GaMM had been filmed in colour! My memories were and still are, of black and white (what our TV was back then) and Claymore's car steaming up the hill in the opening shot. The Captain looking down on everyone leaving and The Medicine Ball. Those are my cherished mementoes of a simpler time *When the fashions were feminine, the manners gracious and the parties…* Oh, the elegant parties...

An extra note from me, if you are enjoying my offerings in here, please visit my YouTube channel, under the same handle of TunnelsOfTheSouth. I also create music videos, so you are in for a treat. If you're already aware of it, I thank you for watching.

And, as always, in FFN, I will look forward to your next instalment of insightful reviews. How else will I know if I am on the right track, or if I've suddenly veered off into the weeds?!

Always,

Judith

※※※※※

Chapter Four

I Am Alive…

"Your vivid imagination always did outstrip your ability to truly hurt me." Turner shrugged. "I well remember that time off Tenerife when you actually thought you'd bested me."

"I did best you, demon. You just wouldn't admit defeat and retire gracefully to lick your wounds. You always had to make a fuss and a show, before you'd leave the field of battle."

"I truly am going to miss our little sparring sessions. You were a worthy opponent." Turner sighed. "Of course, if you decide your new lady love should join you down below…" He looked hopeful. "I'm sure I could make a suitable amendment to our contract."

Daniel leaned close to glare into the demon's smug face. "What Carolyn is to me, is none of your concern! And her soul is not for bartering. Not now, not ever! Be very careful how and where you tread, demon!"

"The boss set the terms, not me. I was simply looking for us to make a little side deal. For your benefit." Turner seemed unconcerned over Daniel's outburst. "When your soul is finally mine, at the end of this humdrum human life you've chosen to live, I will look forward to visiting you in your swinging penthouse with its eleven fireplaces and bevvy of beautiful young ladies all vying for your attentions. We'll have eternity to get to know each other really, really well."

He paused thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "Despite your outrage, I am still willing to offer you an alternative arrangement. A two-for-one deal? I mean, your Carolyn Muir is a very beautiful young woman. Perhaps she could even out-shine all the rest."

He smirked. "You see, I allowed myself the pleasure of dropping in on her earlier this morning just to see what attracts you so. I do admire your taste. Her skin is very soft and a man could drown in her lovely green eyes."

"Have a care, demon…" Daniel warned, his hands clenching.

Turner looked unconcerned as he sat back, surveying him closely. "I must ask what more would you be prepared to give to have her by your side forever? As I passed through, I happened to notice that she has a pair of delightfully innocent children and I—"

He squawked in fright when Daniel leapt to his feet and seized him by the throat, dragging him upright. "You will leave my family out of any deal between you and me! You will not go near them again!" he commanded grimly, shaking his adversary like a rag doll. "Or your eternity will end. Depart, demon, before I do something you will regret!"

He threw the entity away from him in disgust, sending Turner staggering backwards across the sand. He managed to regain his footing and stood watching Daniel warily.

"Curb your righteous ire, my friend. I have no claim on any of their souls… yet. I was merely curious as to the depth of your attachment. I have my answer." He gathered his shattered dignity as he straightened his rumpled clothing with unsteady hands. "You always get all het up and forget it's just business between us. Always only business. And I deal in collecting souls for my master."

He frowned knowingly. "Of course, I'm sure I won't find you here, tomorrow, because you'll be too occupied enjoying all that beautiful, warm, silky, feminine flesh…"

"Begone, you treacherous conniver!" Daniel roared, stabbing a finger toward the shoreline as he advanced toward him.

"Temper, temper…" Turner chided as he vapourised, looking smugly pleased that he'd managed to expose the depth of Daniel's vulnerability so easily.

"Blast him!" Daniel sat down hard on the rock, glaring at the tide washing in and out, whispering across the sand as it reached toward his boots, but never quite touching them.

He studied his body, seeking any proof the demon had honoured his end of the deal. But he still didn't feel any different. Nothing appeared to have changed and he felt cheated.

"Confound him!" He kicked his boot across the sand, splattering the particles in all directions.

This had been his last and only option to keep his entire existence on an even keel. His mind began to churn with disquiet. What more can I do now?

Overhead, a group of gulls began to circle him, watching his every move, seeking scraps of food. When they saw his hands were empty they screeched their displeasure. Daniel ignored them.

Rising slowly toward its zenith, the sun shone down warmly on his slumped shoulders. Too warm for his dark naval jacket and roll-neck sweater. He straightened, disliking the sudden stickiness of his skin.

He grimaced, reaching to unbutton the jacket, thinking he should take it off. His hand stilled as stark reality suddenly struck him.

He looked up and then down, frowning. The wheeling gulls could see him and he'd kicked at the sand, covering his boots with the coarse grains. If he was still a ghost neither of these things would have been possible.

"I don't believe it…" He frowned, shifting his shoulders beneath his clothing.

He could feel the cloth moving across his skin, the slight scratchiness of the wool. A sensation he hadn't felt in over a hundred years.

He raised his eyes from watching the tide run in and out to stare at the far horizon of the glistening ocean. The ripe, rich smell of the salty air filled his nostrils, making him hungry for more. He drew in a deep, satisfying breath, releasing it slowly and with relish.

How long has it been since I've done that? He couldn't remember. He inhaled again, savouring the brassy taste of sea brine on the back of his tongue.

At the same moment, a single bead of sweat ran from his hairline and down the curve of his cheek. He raised the back of one index finger to gather the droplet of moisture, bringing it before his eyes to stare at it disbelievingly.

"I can feel the sun on my shoulders and I'm hot…"His confused expression settled into a look of wonder. "The blasted demon kept his word. I am alive…"

He jumped to his feet, raising his clenched fists to the sky. "I'm alive! Alive, I tell you!"

He threw his arms wide, shouting and laughing his joy. Startled by his sudden movements, the gulls screeched in alarm, their cries mingling with the echoes of his shouted statement.

He drew a ragged sigh. "I am alive..."

He stared at the line of surf rolling into the sandy shore. Turner might think he'd won this round, but the demon was very much mistaken. He had given his old adversary much more than he thought he'd taken away.

"We shall see who wins this battle, in the end…" Daniel turned from the ocean, finding his footing in the sand and rocks that hemmed in the beach.

The going was more difficult than he remembered. He almost fell as he began to climb the rocks. He bruised his palm against a sharp rock that impeded his progress upwards.

"Being a ghost did have its advantages…" he muttered as he made his way slowly, and not without difficulty, up the rocky slope to the headland.

At the top, he turned back to stare at the restless ocean. It called to him as it had always done, stirring a renewed restlessness within him. There lay his first true love, waiting for him.

She had been his mistress long before he'd discovered the delights of women. He couldn't wait to go sailing again, to feel the deck of a vessel heaving beneath his feet.

He stripped off his jacket, sighing with relief. He tossed it over his shoulder before rolling up the sleeves of his sweater beyond his elbows. It was a relief to feel the cool breeze drifting over his hot skin. He wiped his damp brow with the back of one hand.

Right now, there was something he had to do that was far more important than going sailing again. Far more important than anything he'd ever done in his previous earthly life or his ghostly one.

Beyond the headland, he faced the long walk back to Gull Cottage. Back to his future. He set his feet impatiently on the well-worn path, his stride increasing in pace and length as he became more sure of his footing.

"Carolyn…" he whispered to the salty breeze ruffling his hair and cooling his hot brow. "I'm coming home to you, my love. Wait for me, please…"

※※※※※

Carolyn sat at her desk worrying over the wording of the letter she intended to read to her parents on their return. She wanted all her thoughts and feelings written down, so she would not forget a single word of what she wanted to say.

The house was quiet, the children were at school and Martha had gone shopping in town. She'd taken the finished article with her to post to Feminine View, leaving Carolyn alone with her troubled thoughts.

She wanted to let her parents down gently. She had no wish to hurt their feelings but hurt them she must if she was ever to live the life she'd chosen for herself. Free to make her own decisions and her own mistakes.

Two years ago, she'd made the difficult decision to leave her family's home and drive all the way out to the isolated coast of Maine, with her children and Martha. That had been a very unpopular decision amongst her wider family and in-laws.

She was acutely aware there had been much discussion on how to get her and the children back to civilisation. Back to where they all belonged so she could be safely married off and live happily ever after.

"But, I don't want to live inside someone else's fairy tale…" Carolyn's lips compressed. "I want my own…"

Of course, the moment Cousin Harriet had left Gull Cottage, she'd done her best to stir up controversy. Her breathless gossiping to her twin sister, about Carolyn's supposed relationship with Daniel, had set off a chain of events that had ultimately led to Carolyn's parents renewing their vows instead of attending the wedding of their daughter to the somewhat dubious Captain Daniel Gregg.

"Poor Claymore…" Carolyn frowned at the words she'd just typed. "He truly did his best."

She glanced at the telephone on the desk. "I need to phone him again, soon…"

The extension of her lease had to be watertight and unbreakable. The battle needed to be fought all over again to be allowed to remain in Gull Cottage, the only home she wanted to live in. Nothing could be left to chance or false interpretation this time.

"Of course, I can't tell them anything about the real Daniel Gregg…" Her mouth compressed with dissatisfaction as she looked around the room, seeking any sign of him. "Where are you, you stubborn, aggravating ghost?"

She'd ceased to expect an answer, knowing he would reappear only when he was ready to face her. She returned her attention to her letter. She shook her head as she read what she'd written, finding it inadequate.

"Blast…" she muttered, pulling the page from the typewriter carriage and balling it up before tossing it into the waste paper bin beside the desk.

"'Blast' is not a lady's word," a familiar voice commented from the bedroom's open door.

"Thank you, Captain," Carolyn replied, without looking up. "A fine time for you to show up. I needed you hours ago. Claymore is refusing to discuss the end of my lease and I'm fast running out of time to get everything in order before my parents return."

She rolled another sheet of paper into the carriage. "Are you here to help, or do you still have somewhere more important to be?" She tried not to sound upset, but her voice quavered a little. "I thought you, of all people, would be on my side. I could really use a friend, right now."

"I am eternally on your side, my dear…" Daniel walked forward to stand in front of the desk. "I would do battle with the devil himself if it would save you a single moment of pain or sorrow."

"A fine sentiment, indeed…" Carolyn frowned at the blank sheet of paper. "But it's not the devil I have to contend with. It's my own parents who wish the best for me, as they see it. They're already lining up new suitors and planning my next wedding without my consent. I can't fight them on my own."

"Will you not look at me… Carolyn?"

"If you promise to stay and help this time…" Carolyn sighed as she sat back in her chair, her eyes slowly lifting from the paper to his beloved face.

She frowned, noticing for the first time she'd known him, he was not wearing his naval jacket. He was carrying it tossed over his shoulder, hooked onto one upraised thumb. And the sleeves of his sweater were rolled up beyond his elbows, exposing his well-muscled, sun-tanned forearms.

He looked tired and out of sorts, not at all like the commanding, ship-shape and Bristol fashion sea captain she'd become accustomed to seeing. But he also looked far more desirable than she'd ever imagined. There was something more earthy about him, something almost tangible…

"I…" She swallowed tightly. Her heartbeat picked up and she caught her breath, trying not to stare, but she couldn't help it. "Captain? What's happened to you? I mean, you look… somehow… I don't know… different."

"I feel different…" Daniel tossed his jacket over the arm of a nearby chair before walking around the desk to her side. "I feel…" He shook his head, unable to put it into words.

"And you called me Carolyn…"

"You said you liked it…"

"I do, but…"

"But…?" Daniel reached out one hand, almost but not quite, touching hers where it rested on the desktop. He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. "But…?"

"I'm confused…" Carolyn shook her head, staring up at him. "Why do you look so different? You look almost… I mean, you appear almost… alive…" she stammered over the last word, not wishing to offend him, but she couldn't help it.

Her heartbeat accelerated further, tripping over itself in confusion. She desperately wanted to move her hand to touch his. To see if he was as real as he appeared. She hesitated, now totally unsure of what was happening.

With him standing so close she could see his tanned face was glistening, almost as if he'd been over-exerting himself in the summer heat. And he'd brought the warm, salty scents of ocean spray and the clean, open air in with him.

She knew none of it could be possible. The Captain Gregg she was used to seeing possessed none of those things for obvious reasons. He was a ghost, a spirit, devoid of all such essentially human traits.

"I don't understand…" Her bewildered gaze dropped to his boots, noticing that they were covered in sand and the tiny particles also clung to the cuffs of his trousers. The mica they contained sparkled in the sunlight.

"Am I dreaming…?" Her gaze rose from his clothing to the sweet glory of his blue eyes, watching her with an expression that seemed to plead for both her understanding and acceptance.

Within them burned a flame she had also never seen before. The vital spark of undeniable life.

"I've been walking on the beach," Daniel answered the bewildered look in her eyes. "I'd forgotten how damnably hard the rocks can be to climb. I've bruised my hands."

He raised one shoulder. "I also had no memory of how hot the sun can be. I have forgotten many things…" He leaned even closer, his warm breath brushing her cheek. "But I could never forget you. Not even if all eternity burned away…"

As Carolyn stared into his blue eyes, her hand left the desk, rising slowly to her lips. "Oh, no… What have you done…?"

"I made a pact..." Daniel reached out to take her hand between his own, carrying it to his lips. "And I would do it again and not count the cost…"

He pressed a kiss to the back of her fingers, as he'd once done within her fevered dream before they had waltzed so beautifully together. "I did it for you… for us… for our love…"

"Oh, Daniel… What kind of pact could do this?" Carolyn stared up at him, feeling numb in every limb. "I would never have asked it of you…"

"I know… and I love you for it."

Despite her turmoil, she didn't resist as he drew her slowly to her feet and into the warm security of his close embrace. She sighed, laying her cheek against the firm muscles of his chest, where she could hear his heart beating in accelerated concert with her own.

This was where she had always longed to be. Where all her dreams and wishes always led. But at what price? What penalty had her beloved paid for the right to hold her so close? And just who had he made this incredible, impossible pact with?

The unanswered questions swirled in her mind. "Daniel…?"

"Please, my dear, do not question it… Not yet…" He moved, drawing back slightly to tip up her beautiful face with the ball of his thumb beneath her chin. "Just believe…" He stared down into the green beauty of her eyes.

Turner was right, a man could truly drown in them. With a ragged sigh, he dismissed the demon from his mind. He had no earthly place, here.

"I love hearing you say my given name…" He lowered his lips toward hers with infinite slowness. "And I love you more than life, itself…"

"I love you, too…" Carolyn watched him all the way, her eyes only closing with his in the same breathless moment. "I should have told you, long before now…"

Then his lips met hers in the incredible kiss they'd both been dreaming about for the last two years. The time for words had passed.

The silence in the room was almost total, beyond the ticking of the bedside clock. Daniel lifted his fingers from her lovely face, brushing against the hectic pulse in her neck as he lowered his hands to her shoulders, before running them down her back to the slenderness of her waist. He drew her close against him, from hip to breast, caressing her closer into full awareness of how much she was affecting him.

She seems so small against him, so soft. He gloried in the sensual connection, even as he yearned to be closer, still. A wish that seemed doomed to be unfulfilled if she rejected the frightening enormity of what he'd done for the sake of their love.

Have I gambled and lost? Or have I won more than I could ever have imagined? He didn't know, but nothing had ever felt sweeter than this moment.

With the world seeming to spin away beneath her feet, Carolyn needed to cling to the broad width of Daniel's shoulders to prevent herself from falling even as the solid strength of his arms drew her closer still. His embrace steadied her.

She shifted her stance, regaining her footing as she began to caress down his upper arms, glorying in the warm feel of him. Her hands came to rest at his waist, her fingers questing and seeking to affirm his solidness. A small tug at the back of his sweater gave her access to the solid, warm muscles of his back. Her fingers explored eagerly beneath, tracing the curve of his spine, making Daniel groan, deep in his throat.

He lifted his lips fractionally away from hers. "What I wouldn't give to be able to love you as you deserve..." he admitted unsteadily. "If only we were handfasted and properly wed…"

"I know…" Carolyn's hands settled on his hips beneath his sweater, her thumbs moving against his skin as her fingers probed under his belt. "If only we could think of a way to make what we most desire, possible…"

She loved him even more at that moment for his courtly care of her virtue. She wouldn't have stopped him if he'd wanted to take advantage of the wide bed behind them while they were alone in the house. She was no simpering maiden and her whole body ached with pent-up desire and sharp, physical pain.

But she knew his deep moral code would not allow them to love in that way and she would not dishonour his care of her by giving voice to her burning need to have him closer still. No matter how much such denial hurt.

"Yes…" Daniel didn't have to look to know there were twin tracks of tears on her cheeks. He tasted them against his lips as he kissed each of her closed eyelids in turn. "Sweet, there is nothing left to say but this, that love is never lost…" he whispered.

"I'm guessing that's another Oscar Wilde quote?" Carolyn asked shakily, resting her cheek into the curve of his shoulder.

Daniel drifted his lips across her hair. "I'll admit the man certainly knew a thing or two about life. I wish I'd known him."

"Maybe we should ask him for a solution…" Carolyn shook her head as she drew back from his embrace slowly, regretfully. "We need to talk. How did this incredible transformation happen? And what price have you paid? You must tell me everything and we don't have a lot of time."

"I will tell you everything." Daniel nodded, watching her struggle to regather her composure.

He felt as shattered as she looked. He could see the deep pain of regret in her eyes. They'd taken a far greater step within the last ten glorious minutes than they had in the two years they'd lived together in this house as widow and ghost.

Together… Daniel shook his head. It had a ring of permanence that he knew now could only ever be an illusion. A sweet, elusive dream.

His troubled gaze shifted to the wide bed behind them. In a weak moment of elemental need, he knew his love would not have resisted if he'd picked her up and carried her to its deep softness. Their shared pleasure would have been deep and incredible. He'd felt and heard the sensual eagerness in both her body and voice and it had taken every ounce of his iron willpower to resist dishonouring her.

But the personal cost of his innate chivalry was great. His newly restored body ached with unfulfilled need. He'd forgotten how much it could hurt to desire the unattainable. And how much such wanting could make both his heart and head ache.

"Yes…" he agreed slowly, taking Carolyn's hand and carrying it to his lips. "We must talk..."

※※※※※