SECOND CHANCES
Part Eight
Carolyn woke first and managed to tear herself from the warmth of Daniel's arms, feeling that it would be inappropriate for the children to find them intertwined on the couch. She covered him with the afghan from the window seat and quietly made her way into the hall, closing the doors behind her. The strong smell of fresh-brewed coffee was in the air indicating that Martha was already awake. Realizing that she was still in the clothes she arrived home in the night before, Carolyn decided in favor of discretion and began to tiptoe up the stairs.
"Good morning, Mrs. Muir," came the cheerful voice from behind.
Startled, Carolyn whirled around. "Oh, Martha. I was just...coming down...for breakfast."
Martha nodded, of course you were. "Uh, huh. I think you need to get your compass fixed." She took Carolyn by the arm and led her to the kitchen. "The kitchen's this way. Come on, I'll get your coffee. The children will be down any minute."
Martha poured coffee for both of them and then set out to get breakfast started for the children. As she worked it occurred to her that she would be cooking for a man, no doubt a hearty eater, from now on. Her face radiated the pleasure she took at the recent turn of fortune in the house. One glance at her distracted employer and friend told Martha that Carolyn had not spent the night alone in the living room.
"Is the Captain still asleep?" Martha gestured toward the closed doors.
Carolyn considered pleading ignorance, but realized it was useless. She settled for a slightly bashful nod.
"And how is he?" Martha inquired.
Carolyn thought for a moment. "Eager," she pronounced.
Martha laughed, "Yes, well I noticed that myself yesterday. Can't say as I blame him though. Imagine what it must be like after all these years," she leaned in closer. "Talk about a sailor on shore leave!" She broke herself up laughing.
Carolyn's face flushed red. "Martha!" Of course, she failed to mention that she felt a bit like a sailor on leave herself.
As they both laughed, they heard a thunderous stampede on the stairs.
"Must be the elephant," offered Martha.
Jonathan and Candy tore around the corner of the kitchen.
"Mom! You're back!" cried Candy.
"Did you see Captain Gregg? Did you see him?" Jonathan asked. "Isn't it great?"
Carolyn took his hand in hers, as happy for him as she was for herself. "Yep. It is great. But keep it down, he's still asleep."
"I thought seamen got up early, to meet the tide," Jonathan said.
Carolyn looked at Martha, whose smile indicated that she would offer no assistance in explaining the sleepy seaman on the couch.
"Well, I guess they do, but... the Captain was up a bit late last night and..."
"Doing what?" Jonathan wondered.
"Breakfast is ready, kids. Dig in." Saved by the breakfast bell. Martha gave a wink to Carolyn, who nodded a silent 'thank you' in return.
Carolyn took the opportunity to fill the family in on their plans. Outside of Martha's feigned outrage at having so little time to prepare, the news was, to say the least, well received. Martha instantly took charge, phoning all necessary personnel at home, and turning the family kitchen into Wedding Central. Within an hour most of Schooner Bay was on full alert for the Muir-Gregg nuptials. Even Claymore checked in to say that somehow, quite mysteriously, a signed, pre-dated marriage license had appeared on his desk for one Carolyn Muir and Daniel Gregg.
A short time later, the Captain had awakened and set out to find his bride-to-be. Finding the downstairs deserted except for Claymore and Scruffy, who were both eating in the kitchen, he ventured upstairs. He was met just outside the bedroom door by Martha, who was helping Carolyn select her clothes and makeup.
"Good morning, Captain." Martha seemed especially cheerful.
"Good morning, Martha."
"Mrs. Muir said you're getting married today..Is that true?" She could barely conceal her excitement.
"Yes," he announced proudly.
"Well, congratulations!" Martha brought her hands together in front of her, a broad smile across her wide face. In an instant, her sweet demeanor vanished. "Now get lost!"
"I beg your pardon, Madam!" He was taken aback at being spoken to so harshly.
"You can't see her until the wedding. It's bad luck."
The Captain could not imagine that, after all he had been through to get to this point, he would be denied contact with Carolyn under any circumstances. "That's utterly ridiculous! Surely you don't believe that superstitious poppycock..."
Martha folded her arms across her apron, a formidable presence blocking the door to the bedroom. "Oh and I suppose there's no such thing as a superstitious sailor right?"
"That's seaman, blast it! And that is completely different. I command you to stand aside!"
Martha laughed. "Well, I'm the skipper of the good ship Wedding Day and I'm ordering you to beat it." She grabbed his shoulders, not failing to notice their firmness, and turned him around, giving him a gentle shove. "It's going to be a lovely day, why don't you take Claymore out and find a nice spot outside to hold the ceremony. We'll take care of things in here.."
The Captain could not have seen Carolyn, smiling on the other side of the bedroom door, having heard the entire exchange. And he did not see her as she carefully slipped off the gold band on her finger and placed it in the jewelry box and firmly closed the lid.
"By the powers, this is what I've come to? Ordered about like a cabin boy on my own ship!" He looked back at the closed bedroom door as he spoke, anxious for a time when he would never be denied Carolyn's company again. Before going back downstairs, he stopped off in the attic to locate one of his family heirlooms, a gold Claddagh ring, from Ireland, which had once belonged to his mother.
The Captain and Claymore made their way across the Cottage property along the footpath heading to the bluff overlooking the beach. The Captain was, of course, leading the way as Claymore lagged behind, refusing to even stand upright when near the edge of the small cliff.
"Where are we going, Captain? This looks dangerous. You know, I really don't like heights." He crept along clutching rocks and testing his footing with every step.
"Heights? Why you spineless coward! You're a disgrace to the Gregg line! How would you have done standing on a mast unfurling a sail a hundred feet above a rolling ocean?"
"Not very well! And do you have to mention rolling? The last thing I need right now is to get dizzy..."
"Here! This is the perfect spot!" The Captain clapped his hands in front of him in a gesture of satisfied elation.
Claymore looked around, unimpressed.
They were at a small clearing overlooking the beach. Below them was the spot where the Captain first appeared with Digby, the same stretch of beach where he proposed to Carolyn. At one time, the clearing appeared to have been used as a patio of sorts, surrounded by stone walls and benches. The Captain remembered that it was here that he surrendered his ego to Jonathan in return for First Prize in the essay competition at school.
"The perfect spot for what, Captain?" Claymore looked down at the waves crashing on the rocky coastline below him. "You're not thinking of, you know,..." He clasped his hands in front of him and made a diving motion, pantomiming jumping off the cliff. "...again? Are you?"
The Captain drew very near the cowering Claymore. "No, you dolt. But as you are no longer the last surviving Gregg how about we do the living world a favor and let our guests find your broken body on the rocks? Now, that would be a wedding gift to remember!"
Pulling away, Claymore said, "Ummm, couldn't I just get you a toaster?"
"Cheapskate." The Captain shook his head in disgust.
"Well, I took a beating on the house, you know Captain." He drew in closer, as if to avoid anyone else hearing. "It was worth twice what they gave me, especially since it's no longer haunted!" He pointed upward at the term 'they', covering his index finger with the open palm of his other hand.
"Well, when you finally meet them may I suggest you present them with a bill? Ask for Digby, tell him I sent you." He placed his hand on the back of Claymore's neck, pulling him closer to the edge. "Of course, if you'd like I can arrange an introduction right now..."
"No! I can wait." Claymore quickly scampered from the edge. "But I'm compounding interest."
"Delivery for you, Mrs. Muir!" Martha called up the stairs as she placed he package on the table in the hall. "Don't worry, the coast is clear!"
Returning to the kitchen, she said, "Oh, this is the last day I'll call your mother that." She took a handkerchief from her apron pocket and dabbed her eyes.
"What does she mean?" asked Jonathan as he looked up from the freshly prepared plate of cookies and desserts before him on the kitchen table.
"It means that Mother's name won't be Muir anymore. It will be Gregg, like the Captain's. When a lady gets married she takes the husbands last name." Candy patiently explained.
"What about us?" asked Jonathan.
"What about you?" asked Carolyn as she entered the kitchen. Her hair was beautifully done, but she was still dressed in a robe.
"When your name is Gregg, what will our name be?"
"Well, Jonathan, it will still be Muir..."
"But I thought we were all getting married! You said we were going to be a real family, all of us together!" Jonathan was genuinely upset.
"Oh, we will be. A real family, I promise." Carolyn reassured the boy.
"Then we should all have the same name!"
Carolyn couldn't help but smile at his desire to be a Gregg. She played along, "Well, if you're sure that's what you want..."
"It is! We're sure!" Jonathan and Candy interrupted.
"...then I suppose the Captain could...adopt you."
"What's adopt?" asked Jonathan.
"It just means that he would really become your father and you could both take his name."
The children exchanged excited looks.
'What do we have to do?" Candy took charge.
"Why not ask the Captain," Carolyn suggested. "After all, it's his name!"
"Let's go find him!"
"You'll find him outside somewhere with Claymore. Just follow the arguing..." Martha barely got the words out before she was nearly run over as the children bolted for the front door.
Carolyn felt herself warm all over. A real family. She would have the husband of her dreams and the children would have the father they already adored. She rubbed the pale spot on her left ring finger, where she had removed her wedding band. It was hard to believe that not twenty-four hours before she was contemplating a life without even Daniel's spiritual presence, and now she could contemplate spending the coming night wrapped tightly in his arms and his love.
"Mrs. Muir?" Martha was pouring coffee for both, offering one to Carolyn.
Carolyn was only vaguely aware that Martha was talking to her. She returned her attention to the woman before her in the kitchen. "I'm sorry, Martha. I'm afraid I'm a bit distracted this morning." She accepted the coffee with a shy grin.
"Well, I think I can manage to forgive you under the circumstances," Martha teased. "After all, it's not every day a girl gets married to a man who died a hundred years ago."
"It's kind of unbelievable, isn't it?" Carolyn couldn't believe they were having this conversation. As much as the Captain had been like a member of the family, their personal relationship was always a private affair. Even Martha, obviously aware of their hopeless situation, had always given them a wide berth. The two women had never really discussed the Captain before, except in the most general terms.
"A miracle, Mrs. Muir. A miracle." Martha was suddenly serious. "I can't tell you how happy I am for you. I'm still not sure I understand it myself, but I am sure that I've never seen a man more in love." She looked up over the brim of her raised cup of coffee. "Or a woman."
As they walked down to the beach, Candy turned to her brother.
"What do you think he'll say?"
"I think he'll say it's a great idea!"
"Maybe he wouldn't want us to be Greggs."
"Why not?" Jonathan was outraged at the mere thought.
"Well, he doesn't want Claymore to be one and he really is a Gregg."
"That's different, the Captain likes us!"
"I don't know, Jonathan, the Captain seems awfully picky about the Gregg name."
The children found the Captain surveying the bluff and trying to convince Claymore that his aversion to heights was further proof of the absence of Gregg blood in the latter's flabby body. While they usually found the Captain's dialogues with Claymore entertaining, they had more serious business at hand.
"Captain," Candy began, "Can we talk to you?"
Happy to be interrupted, the Captain turned to them. "Of course, children, sit down." He gestured to the stone benches behind him. Obediently, they sat, but were obviously reluctant to continue.
Candy glanced at Claymore, who was mopping his sweaty brow with a handkerchief, still uncomfortable with his close proximity to the cliff and to his uncle.
"Well, it's kind of private," she said softly.
"Oh, I see." The Captain rubbed his chin, curious as to the reason for the private chat. "Claymore, would you excuse us?"
"Yes, gladly,"said Claymore, the relief very evident on his pale face. "I have to go and lie down..." He staggered off, in the general direction of the house.
The Captain placed his foot on the bench where the children were seated and leaned on his knee, staring into two slightly nervous faces. "Now, what can I do for you? It looks quite serious."
"It is," they answered together. They exchanged looks, trying to decide who would speak first. Finally, Candy spoke up.
"We want to be a family."
"Yeah, a real family," added Jonathan quickly, "with the same name and everything!"
"Yes, it's no fun if we have one name and you and Mom have another. I mean think how confusing it would be."
The Captain listened intently, trying not to smile as he realized where they were headed. He took his took his attention from one to another and back again as they described the hardship on everyone from their teachers to the town postman. When they finished, he decided to let them off the hook.
"Hmmm, I see where that would be a problem," he agreed. "I wonder what could be done to alleviate the situation?"
"Well, you could...adopt us?" Candy said hopefully.
"...and be our real father and everything!!" Jonathan could barely contain his excitement at the prospect.
The Captain gave them a very level look and he spoke softly. "Is that what you both want?"
They nodded enthusiastically.
"Well then, if it is all right with your mother..."
"She suggested it," Candy offered, beaming with the prospect of having a date with her father to attend the school dance.
"Oh she did, did she?" He took his foot off the bench and squatted in front of them. "In that case, I can think of none more worthy of bearing the Gregg name than the two of you."
"Does that mean yes?" asked Jonathan, just to be sure.
The Captain laughed. "It does."
They both jumped into his arms.
Jonathan looked up. "Captain, when we're married can we call you 'Dad'?"
"Of course," the Captain replied softly. "I would like that very much."
"Do you like the Red Sox?"
"Like them? Why lad, I made it rain for weeks when they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees."
"Does that mean yes?"
Later that afternoon, the clearing on the bluff was bathed in fresh flowers and a white trellised arch. The few guests that were last minute invitees had assembled facing the ocean. Three strolling violinists quietly tuned their instruments. Carolyn's surprised parents had arrived as requested. Her mother was up front, getting to know her future son-in-law, and was obviously enchanted with his charming company. Jonathan was, of course, glued to the Captain's side fiddling with the antique ring box in his pocket. Claymore was standing at one end of the arch talking to the minister, his arms clutching the frame. He was trying to be nonchalant, but was unable to keep himself from constantly glancing at the nearby edge of the cliff.
The buffet table was set with catering courtesy of Norrie's Lobster House and desserts courtesy of Martha Grant. Martha, leaning on the arm of Ed Peevey, was wiping away tears of joy, perhaps the only guest fully aware of the miracle unfolding before them.
"Gee, Martha. Must have been quite a whirlwind romance between Mrs. Muir and that Gregg fella." Ed loosened his necktie, which was chafing his throat.
"Oh Ed, they've known each other for years."
"Funny, never seen him around here before." Ed narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "And Claymore never mentioned any relative. You ever hear of any Gregg relative, Norrie?"
"Not me, Ed. Must say, though, that fella looks a mite familiar." They all eyed the tall, handsome stranger at the front of the gathering.
"Must be a family resemblance," Martha chuckled between sobs.
The Reverend officiating at the small service gave the Captain a nod, indicating that they were ready to begin.
"Ready, lad?"
"Ready, sir!" After a stiff salute, Daniel Gregg took his place under the arch with young Jonathan at his side. They both looked straight ahead toward the beach.
"Captain," the boy looked up at his hero, then corrected himself. "I mean, Dad...look!" Jonathan whispered and pointed to a small, tall-masted schooner on the horizon.
The Captain smiled and placed his arm across the boy's shoulders as the three violins started to play, announcing the entry of Candy, followed by Carolyn and her father. With his son at his side, Daniel Gregg turned his back to his mistress, the sea, and looked up the makeshift aisle. With the greatest peace his heart had ever known, he faced the rest of his family and friends, his house, his eternal mate, and his future. He faced his second chance.