Chapter Eight

Their First Christmas

Overnight, a new snowfall had clothed everything in and around Schooner Bay with a fresh blanket of white. It muffled every sound, adding a serene layer of silence to the already hushed landscape.

With the dawn of Christmas Eve came a hardy group of carol singers from the town, dressed in layers of warm clothing as they went from house to house. They walked slowly along Bay Road, stopping at the open front gate of Gull Cottage, holding up lanterns as they began to sing, 'Oh, Come All Ye Faithful…'

Their beautiful sound drifted gently on the still early morning air. As they neared the end of the final chorus, they smiled as they turned and walked further down the road.

Captain Gregg came striding along the same road toward the front gate, his seabag slung at his shoulder over a short black winter cape to keep out the cold. He was dressed in his usual informal uniform with the black stock at his throat and his jaunty sea cap on his head.

As he passed the singers, he acknowledged them with a wave and a nod as they walked away down the road. He turned back briefly to look after them. He came to a stop at the open gate, gazing up at the cottage before walking up the front path, taking the steps to the front door with ease.

He sighed with relief. "It's good to finally be home."

As he raised his black-gloved hand to knock, the sun began to rise slowly out of the ocean behind him, illuminating the vast fall of snow and the encroaching sea ice with sparkles of light.

Up in her bedroom, Carolyn stirred, turning over sleepily. Her long hair fell back from her shoulders as she came awake, frowning at the sudden noise of someone knocking on the bedroom door.

Pushing back the bedclothes, she sat up and called, "Come in…"

Martha opened the door and hurried into the room. "He's here, he's truly here! His ship arrived last night!" she declared excitedly. "I just knew he'd come back in time!"

"Who?" Carolyn asked in confusion, pushing herself up in the bed.

"The Captain!" Martha exclaimed breathlessly. "He kept his word. He's here for Christmas! I prayed to God to make it so and he did!"

"He's here? Where is he?" Carolyn hurried out of bed, grabbing up her dressing gown and pulling it on.

"Downstairs waiting for you. You'd better hurry on down to greet him. He looks rather hungry and I doubt it's for my food." Martha chuckled. "I'll stay here and take care of the baby."

She pulled a full baby's bottle from the pocket of her apron as she turned to peer into the beautiful covered cradle the two women had brought down from the attic the previous evening. "I've warmed a bottle. I'll have him right as rain in a trice. He'll be changed and fed before you know it."

"Thank you, Martha…" Carolyn didn't need telling twice. She quickly buttoned her dressing gown as she flew out of the room and hurried along the hallway to the head of the stairs.

Daniel was waiting impatiently, pacing back and forth in the foyer. He'd removed his winter cape and cap after dropping his seabag beside the front door. He looked up as his love came running down the stairs toward him.

The sight of her, freshly risen and tousled from her bed made him sigh with intense longing. He wished he'd been the one to awaken her. He knew Carolyn would not have risen so quickly. He would have savoured the moment to the fullest, drawing it out to their mutual satisfaction.

"You're here! At last, you're really here!" Carolyn cried happily. "I'm so glad! I was so worried!"

"Yes, of course! I promised you I would return in time! I have never broken my word!"

Daniel took her outstretched hands, kissing the back of one, before bending down with the delicious intention of kissing her on the lips as was his right. In the lonely darkness of his cabin, he'd dreamed of this very moment. He'd been away at sea far too long and he'd missed the warm innocence of her winsome beauty.

But their longed-for moment of shared intimacy was interrupted by the advent of the children, hurrying headlong down the stairs toward him followed by their pet. They'd been on watch for his arrival and were impatient for his attention.

"Captain Gregg! Captain Gregg!" Jonathan shouted. "You're here. You made it! I said you would!"

"Yes, we knew you'd come!" Candy danced on the spot. "You always keep your word!"

"I just knew you wouldn't break a promise," Jonathan added excitedly. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

Daniel smiled. "No, I would never break my word. And certainly, never an engagement to spend Christmas with the family I love…"

"We heard there was a terrible storm at sea…" Carolyn swallowed tightly, wishing they could be alone. "We were so worried you'd be delayed by it. Or worse. That your ship had foundered and you'd been lost."

"Oh, it wasn't too bad." Daniel shrugged. "A bit of a blow, that's all. Of course, the cook got washed overboard."

"Oh, that's so awful," Carolyn looked horrified.

"Yes, it's awful," Daniel managed to maintain a straight face. "But, you see, he wasn't a very good cook and, it seems, not very tasty. The sharks soon threw him back again. He was washed back aboard on the next wave."

"Ohh…" Carolyn laughed up at him. "You're joking."

"Yes… I have truly missed your sweet smile…" Daniel confided softly before he turned to Jonathan and Candy. "Well, children, you've been as good as gold, haven't you? Or is Saint Nicholas going to arrive with a birch switch to teach you both a lesson?"

"We've both been good as gold," Candy was quick to reassure him.

"Well, maybe as good as silver," Jonathan qualified, not quite meeting his hero's gaze. "It's been hard to be good all the time…"

"Do you have something to confess?" Daniel asked him.

"Oh, no, sir!" Jonathan shook his head vigorously. "Nothing at all. I was just thinking out loud. Everything's rightly ship-shape and Bristol-fashion, Sir! Honest!" He saluted smartly.

"Very well…" Daniel looked around, smiling as he sniffed the air with appreciation. "My, how the house smells wonderfully of Christmas…"

"Martha's making some gingerbread men for us to hang on the tree," Jonathan told him. "And there's going to be mince pies and Christmas pudding!"

"Only we don't have a tree yet." Candy sighed. "Mother said we can't afford one because they're too expensive. Great-uncle Claymore has even set up a lot selling trees, but he's refused to give us one."

"Well, after breakfast, we'll go out and cut down the very best tree from the hill," Daniel reassured her. "That's where my father always got ours. It's a Gregg family tradition.0 He winked. "And since you'll soon both be Greggs..."

"Oh, thank you, Captain Gregg!" Jonathan's eyes shone with happiness.

"And we can bring it all the way home on our sledge!" Candy clapped her hands.

Suddenly the baby cried, the sound carrying down the stairs. The captain looked up in surprise. "What was that?"

"A baby," Candy replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Baby?" Daniel turned back to Carolyn in confusion. "What baby is this?"

"Yesterday, Uncle Claymore found him on the seat of his carriage. No one's claimed him yet and he wanted to give the baby up to the Orphanage. I couldn't possibly allow that to happen to such a precious little mite."

"Yes, of course. Typical!" Daniel exclaimed, frowning. "There was no profit in it for Claymore. That man has a dollar bill for a heart."

"Well, I persuaded him to allow me to bring the baby here," Carolyn told him. "I said we would be happy to take care of him. He's a very good baby. He hardly cries at all."

"Typical…" Daniel replied softly, smiling down at her. "Your heart is always so good."

He wished again he could kiss her. But, with an interested audience of two small children, he didn't dare. The need burned like a slow fire within him. He couldn't wait until their wedding day dawned and they had no further need for such stolen moments of privacy.

Carolyn leaned closer. "I know…" she whispered. "I feel the same."

"Yes…" Daniel put out a hand toward her, taking her fingers between his again.

The clock in the foyer suddenly struck the hour. Carolyn turned to stare at it in dismay. "Oh dear, I must go, or I'll be late," she declared, starting toward the stairs. "Uncle Claymore hates it whenever I'm tardy. He always has his lecture all prepared."

Daniel looked after her. "Don't tell me he's making you work during Christmas?"

"Yes…" Carolyn looked back apologetically. "But he needs me. We're so behind on the books. He has just put all the rents up and he wants me to account for every penny."

"Oh, don't make excuses for him!" Daniel replied severely. "The man can afford to hire a dozen secretaries if he wanted to do so. You're too good-hearted."

Carolyn shrugged. "Well, I need him. I'm behind on the bills…"

"He takes advantage of you every chance he gets…" Daniel fumed. "I've got a good mind to go down there and tell him what I think of his parsimonious ways!"

"Oh, please don't be cross," Carolyn begged. "He did allow me to bring the baby home. He's been trying to be good but it will take time. He has so little and we have so much. And I promise I won't be long."

"You're not working tomorrow," Daniel told her, raising a warning finger. "I won't allow it."

"No. I told him I won't work on Christmas Day," Carolyn reassured him. She smiled. "He said, 'Very well. But I'll be at my desk as usual.'"

"The cold, penurious, penny-pincher." Daniel sighed. "I am sorry, at times, that I am related to him." He smiled at his intended. "And that you soon will be…"

"Oh, I think I can make the best of it," Carolyn teased lightly. "I've learned I can handle Claymore."

"Great-uncle Claymore says Christmas is humbug," Jonathan offered helpfully.

"He says it's bah humbug," Candy declared, deepening her voice and giggling. "He never smiles. And he's always so grumpy. I don't think he likes children or babies."

"Or dogs…" Jonathan added, leaning down to pat his pet standing beside him.

"Well, it's upstairs with you two and get warmly dressed if you are going tree hunting with the Captain," their mother instructed. "And I had better take my own advice before I'm so late my loving uncle will send me packing."

She turned back to kiss Daniel's cheek quickly before picking up the skirts of her dressing gown to follow her children just as Martha appeared at the top of the stairs carrying the baby. The housekeeper made way for the three Muirs to ascend to their bedrooms.

She descended to the ground floor, eyeing the Captain speculatively. "It seems we're on our own for now," she commented. "My willing helpers are all upstairs and I have breakfast to prepare for everyone."

She held out her small burden. "He's already been fed and changed so he won't give you any trouble. I guess it's time you two got to know each other since you'll soon be living together if no one comes to claim him. His name is Slugger and please do not me ask why. It's one of your Cousin Claymore's more eccentric whims."

"But, I…" Before he could say he had no knowledge of how to handle or care for a baby, Daniel found his arms full of a gurgling, thickly swaddled infant.

"He's been a very good baby. Just treat him as you would any member of your crew and you'll get along just fine," Martha offered with a smile as she headed into the kitchen, leaving him to make the best of it.

"But none of my crew has ever gurgled or dribbled on me," Daniel looked after her with deepening consternation. "And they are well able to follow all my commands without question."

When he received no answer, he dropped his frustrated gaze to the small human being in his arms. Wide, innocent dark eyes met frowning blue and they both considered each other solemnly for some moments.

"All right, seaman Slugger. This is how it's going to be from this moment on," Daniel commanded gruffly, settling the baby more securely into the crook of his arm. "I am in full command of this ship. If I hear so much as one squall out of you about anything, I will have you keel-hauled and then tied to the main mast for the gulls to peck at."

He waved a warning finger with his free hand. "Is that clear?"

Slugger gurgled as he stared up at his new companion, considering the ominous threat with wide eyes and an open mouth. Finally deciding it was nothing but bluster and bluff he giggled happily as he reached up one tiny hand and patted Daniel's bearded cheek, much to the Captain's discombobulated surprise.

※※※※※

Claymore sat at his desk, hunched over his account books, working on them with a freshly sharpened turkey feather quill. He took no notice of the snow falling past the windows or the beauty of the Christmas scene outside. None of it had meaning for him.

But then, nothing gave him greater pleasure than adding up rows of fat figures for his benefit. He loved the sense of order they gave him. Too often in his life, people had let him down.

The door to his office opened with a flurry of snow and a blast of cold air. He looked up sourly. Carolyn walked in, looking lovely in a red coat and bonnet powdered with snowflakes, her cheeks glowing from the brisk sleigh ride into town.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle!" She smiled, as she closed the door against the cold and shook the snow from her muff.

"Bah, humbug!" Claymore pulled out his large pocket watch and opened it, frowning at the dial. "You're four and a half minutes late! You know time is money! I've lost count of the times I've tried to teach you that valuable lesson."

"Well, I'm truly sorry," Carolyn apologised sweetly. "But Daniel finally came home in time for Christmas. We are all so grateful he arrived safely."

"Ah ha…" Claymore nodded with a scowl. "Yes, I heard he'd finally sailed back into the harbour. Well, that is good news, I suppose. But it's no excuse for your tardiness."

"Yes, Uncle…" Carolyn tried not to smile as she removed her wrap and bonnet to hang them on the coat rack behind the door. "But, it's so festive outside. The streets are crowded. Everyone is so excited it's almost Christmas. Aren't you even a little bit excited?"

"Five minutes here, five minutes there," Claymore tut-tutted, waving his quill pen in agitation. "And all out of my pocket! People are always so careless with their time. I'll say it again. Time is money, Niece, time is money. We will see who's smiling soon enough when the bills start rolling in with the new year."

"Very well, I'll try and do better from now on." Carolyn walked over to his desk. "But there is such merriment outside—"

"What right do you have to be merry?" her uncle demanded to know. "You're poor enough…"

"What right have you to be gloomy? You're rich enough." She bent down and kissed his cheek.

"Bah! Humbug!" Claymore exclaimed, jumping back. He detested all forms of affection. There was no profit in it.

Carolyn smiled. "Thank goodness Christmas doesn't depend on you for survival! We would all go hungry."

She gathered up her paper cuffs and pulled them on, before crossing to her desk in the corner. Jumping up onto her high stool, she opened a ledger, picked up a feather pen and began to work.

"What's Christmas but a time for running up bills without the money to pay them?" Claymore demanded to know, still waving his quill. "If I had my way, every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips would be boiled in his own pudding!" He nodded decisively, looking very pleased with his wit.

"Uncle!" Carolyn declared, reproachfully. "If you could only see it as it is."

"What is it, pray tell?" Claymore demanded to know in a resigned tone.

"It's a time for warmth, a time for giving. A time when families can come together in peace and harmony. Even if all they can give each other is a smile and be of good cheer."

"A smile won't keep the fools warm at night nor pay the rent on time." Claymore pulled a face. "You keep Christmas in your way and let me keep it in mine. It has served me very well over the years. I am happy enough with my own company."

"But you don't keep it…" Carolyn pointed out. "You ignore it like everything else in your life that you don't like. Rows of cold, hard figures won't keep you warm at night, either. Or feed you. Or clothe your baby."

"Slugger is not my baby!" Claymore frowned at her, feeling uncomfortable with the reminder of his odd sense of weakness toward the child. "If you don't get back to work, you'll celebrate Christmas by losing your situation," he snapped. "Niece or no niece, time is money. I can't afford these emotional extravagances."

He checked his watch again. "Mmm, now you're five minutes late!"

"I'll work fifteen minutes later, tonight, to make up for it," Carolyn cajoled beguilingly. "Oh, don't be cross. And you did such a lovely thing for little Slugger. It shows you do have a heart, no matter how hard you try to hide it."

She grimaced. "If the constable can't find the baby's parents, we are going to have to get him a proper name."

She jumped down from her stool and approached him sweetly. "Come and see him. Come and dine with us tomorrow at Gull Cottage. Share Christmas with us. We can all be together for the first time in months. It will be such a joyful day. You are my only uncle, after all."

"Tomorrow I shall be at this desk as always," Claymore replied severely. "I do not have time to take time off. How else can I make more money? Family only wants more of your hard-earned money."

"Yes, sir…" Carolyn shook her head in despair.

Claymore went back to waving his quill to emphasise his point. "And don't expect me to contribute to your upcoming wedding plans. I live on a strict budget that doesn't allow for such unnecessary extravagances. You'd do well to follow my excellent example and keep it frugal. A civil service before the required number of witnesses. Best way to go."

"Yes, Uncle…" Carolyn sighed.

Claymore turned back to his ledger. "And you should have turned the infant over to the Orphanage by now. I told you it would be the just and right place for him. If you've decided to keep him, don't expect me to pay for his keep."

Carolyn looked contrite. "Oh, but I just couldn't. He's just so adorable."

"He's another mouth for you to feed!" her uncle reprimanded her. "You'll never manage. You and your family will starve. Well, don't come begging at my door. Nowhere on my shingle will you find that dreadful word, charity." He shuddered.

"We'll manage." Carolyn tried not to smile at his vehemence. "We always have."

"The way you carry on, you'll never have two farthings to rub together!" Claymore shook his head. "Taking in all manner of waifs and strays…"

"It doesn't matter. I am a rich, rich woman, Uncle Ebenezer." She bent down to tap the point of his chin with the tip of her finger. "Bah humbug…"

※※※※※

Claymore's office was quiet, except for the almost continuous scratching of two turkey feather quill pens. Carolyn knew better than annoy her uncle when he was hunched so intently over his figuring.

He'd always insisted that idle chatter gave him an upset stomach. That was also why he eschewed rich foods like turkey or a fat goose. He maintained that he was far better off with a bowl of nice, hot gruel. That excellent dish didn't give him dyspeptic indigestion.

Carolyn glanced his way. She suspected it was more that her miserly uncle didn't wish to pay the price for more expensive Christmas fare offerings. She was well aware that he could well afford the very best of everything.

"Ah-ha!" Claymore suddenly cried, making Carolyn jump.

"What is it, Uncle?" she asked, worriedly.

"Someone is interfering with my property!" Claymore exclaimed, throwing down his pen and jumping to his feet. "I'm being robbed! I can feel it in my bones! I'll not allow it!"

He hurried to the coat rack, grabbing up his heavy green winter cloak and tying it at his neck with a thick golden cord. "I shall return, Niece, when I have evicted the trespassers! No one steals from Claymore Gregg!"

He jammed his grey felt hat on his head before he swept out of the office, leaving Carolyn to shake her head as she looked after him in complete bemusement.

"Bah humbug…" she whispered.

※※※※※