Chapter Four

The Captain Takes Charge

"Good evening, Mrs Muir…" Captain Gregg raised his sea cap cordially the moment Carolyn stepped from her uncle's office into the early dusk.

"Captain…" Carolyn regarded him warily as she turned to close and lock the door behind her.

She looked back at him over her shoulder. "Can I help you with something?"

"You can indeed. I am here to ask if I may have the honour of escorting you home this evening?"

"Thank you, but no." Carolyn shook her head. "I prefer my own company and I know the way well enough, by now." She stepped around him and began to walk away. "Good evening."

"I wanted to say that your reticence over the difficulties of your present circumstances did you credit this afternoon, Madam," Captain Gregg acknowledged, as he turned to walk beside her.

"How so?" Carolyn longed to tell him to leave her alone, but a small part of her rejoiced in his strong, masculine escort.

"You fully know that Claymore has taken unfair advantage of your femininity yet you do not complain. You work tirelessly on his ungrateful behalf."

"As I see it, what would be the point in complaining about my lot?" Carolyn shrugged. "He is family and also my employer. If I chose to make a fuss, he would only send me home in disgrace and I couldn't bear the humiliation."

The Captain regarded her with sympathy mixed with approval. "You are aware by now that he is also a man who full well knows the value of a dollar and will not part with a single penny willingly. But you have well-fattened his coffers from what I am told. Your diligence and fairness have not gone unnoticed by the townsfolk. They all speak well of you and your care for them."

"Thank you. I am doing my best. Uncle Claymore did take your suggestion of my raise rather hard." Carolyn tried not to smile. "He didn't speak to me for the rest of the afternoon and he left early to collect the rents."

"There…" the Captain replied with warm approval. "Was that so difficult to admit you enjoyed seeing him squirm just a little?"

"No, it was not. But you have not made him any easier to work for. He will be like a bear with a sore head, snapping at all around him. It is his way if things do not go as he desires."

"Sadly, it's like moving mountains, Madam. Some things take time. He will adjust. He knows my eye is upon him now. You will soon find your employment becoming easier and your hours more acceptable."

"He dislikes you." Carolyn shook her head.

"Oh, heartily. It's a long-standing family feud that he happily nurtures. It usually kept me at arms-length." The Captain shrugged. "But I also dislike him and his penny-pinching ways. He has always been the same, even as a small child he was mean and acquisitive."

He smiled. "It has made him into a regular Scrooge."

"That explains a lot," Carolyn replied. "But, at times, he also does seem to be rather lonely."

"Oh, do not allow him to worm his way into your sympathies, Madam," the Captain advised quickly. "He does not deserve such feminine sweetness."

"Perhaps…" Carolyn grimaced, suddenly feeling an odd need to confide in this man she had only just met. "I… have looked for a letter from my father summoning me home, but it has yet to arrive. It worries me."

"Then, for your sake, we must hope something will arrive soon." The Captain placed a detaining hand on her arm. "Excuse me, Madam. If you will allow me…"

"I think I can find my own way home from here, Captain…" Carolyn made to pull away from his grasp.

Captain Gregg's gentle clasp tightened on her forearm. "Ah, but I'm afraid I have been rather busy on your behalf and this path is no longer the way home."

"Oh…" Carolyn subsided to stare up at him in astonishment, forgetting he had hold of her. "How so?"

This close she could see his amused regard as he watched her feminine confusion with satisfaction. He knew he'd flustered her and caught her off guard.

His intent to confuse shone in the depths of his blue eyes like twin flames. She jerked her own gaze away, turning to frown into the distance. It would be too easy to become lost in his gaze. She had never felt so small and helpless beside any man. She put it down to his size and commanding height.

"When I left Claymore's office I went in search of young Malcolm and his cart," he told her smoothly. "I employed him at twice his normal rate to move all your belongings to your new accommodation. I must say your woman servant and the children were most helpful. They delighted in flouting Claymore's parsimony."

Carolyn gasped with indignation as she pulled her arm from his clasp. "You moved everything without even consulting me?"

The Captain's eyebrows rose. "I believe you were a party to the discussion in Cousin Claymore's office this afternoon? That you were to be relocated to Rose Cottage until the spring."

"I…" Carolyn frowned. "Well, yes. But I did not expect you to act so swiftly without consulting me."

Captain Gregg took her hand gently. "Would you have preferred to spend another night trying to block out the cold drafts in the Palmer house?"

"I… well… No, I wouldn't." Carolyn sighed brusquely, looking down at the link of his gloved fingers with hers.

She wanted to argue, stand her ground and assert her rights. But she knew full well when she was beaten by an expert.

She looked up in exasperation. "You don't, perchance, happen to play at chess, Captain?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Her companion gazed down into her mutinous face with amusement. "It passes the time aboard ship when we are becalmed for days."

He let her go and stood back, extending one arm to indicate the way. "Rose Cottage awaits you, Madam."

Following his direction, Carolyn knew she was only a few steps from her new abode. An elegant, two-storied cottage that overlooked the ocean and was set in a neatly trimmed rose garden. She'd visited it on Claymore's behalf to collect the weekly rents from the wealthier summer tenants more than once and had loved its charm and aspect. A pity she and her little family only had until the arrival of spring to enjoy it.

She arrived outside the picket gate, pushing it open. Lanterns burned at each side of the front door, which opened immediately as she walked up the front path.

"Oh, Mrs Muir, look!" Martha declared excitedly. "Your Captain Gregg is such a miracle worker! I never expected to be able to move into a house like this. It's almost as if we're right back in Philadelphia!"

"My Captain Gregg…?" Carolyn cast her silent companion a dismissive look. "I have no claim upon him. And I'm afraid he took it upon himself to change our circumstances without consultation."

"Oh, now, don't go and pout." Martha chuckled as she hurried forward to take Carolyn's arm. "Come on inside and see for yourself. The children are already in bed, but I'm sure they're still awake. They're so excited to be here."

She looked back over her shoulder. "Would you care to come inside and share a glass of sherry with us, Captain?"

"I'm sure the Captain has better things to do than talking to a pair of women and two small children," Carolyn said repressively.

"Sadly, I do have another, rather pressing engagement," Captain Gregg replied evenly. "Take your mistress inside, Martha. She looks worn out from battling so hard against me and my supposedly high-minded opinions."

He smiled as he bowed his head, touching the brim of his cap. "Good evening, ladies." He didn't wait for their reply as he turned and walked away through the open gate, shutting it behind him before disappearing into the gathering darkness.

"Well, I never…" Carolyn stared after him. "He certainly likes to have his own way in all things."

"The Captain certainly is a man's man," Martha approved on a sigh. "He had us all stepping smartly to his seaman's tune and we were shifted into this house in a jiffy." She frowned. "He said you knew all about it."

"I did. But he still took a lot on himself…" Carolyn allowed herself to be drawn inside the house.

The warmth of the house immediately enveloped them. A fire burned cheerily in the small reception room. It was snug and tight with no sign of any drafts.

"Oh, how lovely…" Carolyn stripped off her bonnet and cape, handing them to Martha before she hurried into the parlour to warm her hands at the flames. The heat drove the chill from her face and feet.

"I told you…" Martha reappeared from the kitchen carrying a covered tray with her mistress's supper on it. "That Captain Gregg is certainly some kind of miracle worker."

"He's a sailor," Carolyn replied repressively, seating herself on a nearby couch to receive the tray. "No doubt he has a wife and children waiting in vain for him to come home to them while he reorders my life to suit himself."

"Well, you'd be well wrong there." Martha sat down beside her and picked up her knitting. "He's a bachelor. Lives all alone in a big house he built for himself outside of town. It's called Gull Cottage. That thin woman, the one who was on the coach with us when we arrived, is his housekeeper."

"And how did you come by all this information?" Carolyn was forced to ask as she slowly ate her supper.

"Oh, that boy, Malcolm knows everything about everyone in this town." Martha chuckled. "He became quite the little tattle once he got over his shyness. He worships the Captain. He wants to sail with him as soon as he's old enough. He was also quick to tell him that you're a widow."

The older woman raised her brows. "The good captain seemed very interested in that little piece of information."

"You've certainly revived your opinion of the men in Schooner Bay." Carolyn compressed her lips as she finished her meal.

"Oh, there's still pirates in these parts, nothing surer," Martha countered. "But I'm sure a man as handsome as the Captain would not be involved in such underhanded dealings."

"You're incorrigible…" Carolyn shook her head, smiling despite her chagrin. "But I suspect we've seen the last of Captain Gregg. Now that he's had his own way of reorganising our lives to suit his own desires. I'm sure he only did it to make a point and to spite Uncle Claymore. What more could a sea captain possibly want with two women and a pair of small children?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Martha concentrated on her knitting, but her smile said she knew more than she was telling.

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Of course, Carolyn couldn't have been more wrong. As she turned from locking her uncle's office door the following evening, a familiar figure appeared at her side.

"Good evening, Madam." Captain Gregg touched two fingers to the brim of his cap in his usual courteous gesture.

"Good evening, Captain," Carolyn replied warily. "I did not expect to see you again. Now that you have us all safely stowed away to your satisfaction. I would have thought you have better things to do."

"Then your faith in me seems to have been seriously misplaced," he teased lightly.

"Let's just say I do not put my faith in any man," Carolyn replied repressively, walking around him once more and setting off down the sidewalk, not caring if he followed.

The Captain's long legs made it easy for him to catch up. "Not even your own father?"

Carolyn sighed gustily. "I had thought he cared. But he neither writes nor makes any move to retrieve me as he promised. It seems I am mired in this place without hope of escape."

She grimaced, biting her lip at the unwise words. What is it about this man that prompts me to confide in him so?

"Mayhap, you are being too hard on him," Captain Gregg counselled. "There could be any number of reasons why he does not communicate."

"Perhaps…" Carolyn shook her head. "I shall write to him again as soon as time permits. I thank you for your escort, Captain, but I think I know my own way home."

"My given name is Daniel…" he replied softly. "I would be pleased to hear it on your lips."

Carolyn stared up at him, seeing the concern written on his face by the flickering light of a nearby street lantern. "Thank you, Captain. But we are not that familiar with each other. I will bid you good night."

She turned and walked on. To her annoyance, he kept pace with her.

"But, may I think that there is hope we could become more familiar?"

Carolyn's temper began to simmer. She could see he was not going to be so easily dissuaded from accompanying her. "You have a great advantage over me, Sir. You may do as you please with your life and your choices, without so much as a by-your-leave. You are very lucky to have been born a man."

The Captain reached to place a detaining hand on her arm. "And I am so very glad you were not…" he replied softly.

Carolyn allowed him to bring her to a halt. She did not shake off his hand as she knew she should. Instead, she stood still, looking up into his shadowed face.

"Your meaning, Sir?" she asked shakily.

"If you were a man it would be extremely odd for us to be having this conversation at all…" he replied, with the ghost of a smile. "And I would have no interest in seeing you safely home each evening."

Carolyn stared up at him. "As I have already told you, your escort is not needed. I can manage perfectly well on my own. I always have."

"And yet, I can feel that you are lonely…"

"I beg your pardon?" Carolyn pulled her arm from his slackened grasp. "You presume too much, Sir!"

She turned and walked quickly away, holding her head high. Again, her unwanted companion kept an easy pace with her.

"I too, am lonely and heartily sick of my own company. Winter is a blasted inconvenience that keeps me bound shoreside for weeks on end. I ask for nothing more than the ongoing pleasure of your company," he attempted to reassure her. "Is that such a crime?"

Carolyn kept her gaze averted. "Uncle Claymore said you will be gone back to the sea with the first hint of spring. In a matter of weeks, you will leave again. Who will escort me, then?"

"I have given that a great deal of thought," he countered evenly. "Before that happens I would see you safely stowed in a suitable house that cannot be taken from you by any perverse whim of Claymore's. A place where I know you and your children will be safe."

Carolyn reached to open the gate of her rented house. "You presume to know what is best for us. I do not believe I gave you such permission."

"I presume only to be your friend and have a care for your welfare," the Captain replied quietly, resisting her attempts to lock him on the wrong side of the gate by following her through before she could properly secure the latch. "It seems no one else is prepared to do so."

Carolyn stood looking up at him by the fitful light of the moon. She was lonely and feeling unreasonably out of sorts. Something weak and womanly inside her desired to lean on his obvious strength of mind and body. It would be so easy and she was aware he would welcome closer contact. Her heartbeat picked up as she contemplated the heady idea.

Apart from her father, no other man had shown such care and consideration for her wellbeing. And it seemed her beloved parent had forgotten about her, as well.

She caught herself just in time, stiffening her spine. "You seek a closeness with me that can never be. You will soon find my woman's heart has long ago frozen to ice. I have made peace with that and understand my limitations."

"You wrong yourself," Daniel replied quietly. "I think it's that your woman's heart has never been touched by the man who is right for you. Whenever I come near I can almost feel it beating faster…"

Carolyn gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. She looked away in confusion.

Daniel leaned closer. "I would be that man if you would only let down your guard long enough to understand I mean you no harm. I would stand guard over you for eternity if needed."

Carolyn looked back to stare up at him, lost in the beauty of his face. Could it really be that easy? She could admit to herself that she was becoming tired of fighting against his relaxed charm.

Before she could reply, the cottage door opened and Scruffy pushed his way out past Martha to run up and sniff around the Captain's boots. But he offered no growl. He sat down to accept a welcome pat on the head as if it was his due. He panted happily and his stubby tail wagged.

"That dog is a very good judge of any man's character." Martha chuckled as she followed the animal out onto the porch. "He detests Claymore."

Seeing Daniel patting their pet brought a look of deep approval to her eyes. "Good evening, Captain," she said, invitingly. "The coffee's hot if you're desirous of taking a cup with us before you continue on your way."

"I would like nothing better," Captain Gregg replied, looking down at Carolyn's face. "But I believe your mistress is somewhat averse to my continued company."

"Oh, fiddle-faddle," Martha declared stoutly. "Come away in and warm yourself by the fire. You two cannot go on arguing out here in the cold. It's not seemly."

She grinned. "Besides, what would the neighbours think?" She glanced at the darkened houses on either side, now vacant in the winter cold.

"Well, Mrs Muir…?" The Captain's dark brows rose in mock inquiry.

"Oh, please, do come inside, Captain," she replied in a driven tone, knowing she'd been outmanoeuvred by an expert chess player.

"Then I would be pleased to accept your kind invitation of refreshment…" The smile on his lips grew and he looked very pleased with himself as he followed the two women into the house, closing the door behind him.

Carolyn removed her bonnet and hung it up before untying the bow holding her winter cape around her shoulders. She was surprised when the Captain took it from her to hang it on the hook beside the door.

"Thank you…" she acknowledged, turning to him, only to drop her eyes before his deeply speculative gaze.

"You are most welcome," he replied, removing his gloves and cap before pushing them into the pocket of his heavy navy jacket before removing it to hang up beside Carolyn's.

"Captain Gregg!" Jonathan called from the top of the staircase. "You came back! I said you would!"

Clad in their nightwear beneath thick dressing gowns, Carolyn's two children came tumbling down the stairs, both eager to be the first to reach the bottom. Scruffy bounded down to dance in happy circles.

"I said you'd come back!" Candy declared, running up to him. "And I was right!"

"I promised you I would escort your mother safely home each evening." The Captain reached to ruffle Jonathan's hair. "And I always keep my promises."

"May we please have some milk and cookies?" Candy begged of Martha.

"It's well past your bedtime…" The housekeeper shook her head. "You should be asleep."

"Oh, but we want to hear another of the Captain's stories," the boy wheedled hopefully. "He tells such jolly ones. Just one more, please…"

"I think that is up to your mother…" Captain Gregg replied.

All eyes turned expectantly toward Carolyn. She felt trapped by the unexpected events of the evening and the seeming ease with which the Captain interacted with her children. A man they didn't even know a day before.

"As long as it's only one story…" She gave in to the inevitable.

"Thank you!" her children cried in unison, hurrying into the parlour before she could change her mind.

They seated themselves expectantly on the couch, watching their mother and the Captain walk into the room with impatient eyes. Martha hurried to collect the tray of coffee, milk and cookies. She was not about to miss out on the promised story.

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