A message to all my followers on Amazon. Lucie 2 has just been posted there so anyone who wishes to read the final chapters of the story, you know where to go. Lucie Of Greystone Cottage on Amazon US. Thanks again for reading and enjoying what I do for fun!

Chapter Twenty-Four

A Welcome Return

Claymore looked up with deep relief as his office door flew open. Then his expectation of help fell when he recognised the intruder.

He wiped a hand across his forehead. Could this day get any worse?

"I see you're back early, Cousin." He grimaced with dissatisfaction. "I'm afraid I'm… ah, rather busy at present. Can it wait?"

His frown deepened as both Carolyn and Lucius followed Daniel into the office. Claymore's day, which had begun so well, was fast becoming more and more doomed by the minute. He'd already decided against treating himself to a full lobster dinner down at Norrie's. He was beginning to doubt he would be able to afford it. The Countess was bent on driving such a hard bargain that it was heading toward leaving him seriously out of pocket.

Vanessa turned and her icily disdainful demeanour completely changed. "Daniel…" she purred, getting to her feet to hold out her hand toward him eagerly. "How wonderful to see you again. I have missed you so very much."

"Now, look here, you blasted—" Carolyn began to remonstrate, but Lucius placed a quick, restraining hand on her arm, holding her back from venting her simmering outrage.

"Leave it to Daniel," he murmured. "He has this well in hand, don't worry. Come and sit down and enjoy the show. Your man is safe from her feminine wiles."

"But, I…" Carolyn replied as her husband turned to her with a warning frown. "Oh, very well…" she agreed reluctantly. "But I still don't like it."

She allowed Lucius to lead her over to the nearby couch. They sat down together to watch the scene unfold before them.

"Vanessa…" Daniel inclined his head politely as he shook hands with her, but his tone was emotionless as he asked, "What could possibly bring you all this way to Schooner Bay?"

"Sadly, my husband died recently," the young woman replied, sighing as she indicated her black draperies with a sweep of her hand. "I'm now all alone in the world. Left to make my own way as best I can."

She pulled a lace-edged black handkerchief from her sleeve, dabbing at her eyes. Carolyn watched her performance with growing fascination.

"Brazen hussy," Lucius muttered, making Carolyn smile as she ducked her head to keep from laughing.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Daniel replied formally. "But my question remains answered. Why are you here?"

"You do not seem pleased to see me again," the young woman complained. Her dark eyes shifted to assess Carolyn's carefully neutral expression.

Claymore inhaled sharply as he stared at her, wondering where the hard-bargaining woman had suddenly gone. In the blink of an eye, the Countess had softened into someone he barely recognised as she simpered at his cousin.

He breathed a cautious sigh of relief. Maybe he could yet salvage the wreck of their negotiations to his advantage. He hated to lose money at any time, but especially to a woman.

The Countess waved a hand in his direction. "Your cousin here possesses something that is rightfully mine. I'm attempting to retrieve it. He seeks to haggle over the price. Perhaps you could help me to make him see reason, darling Daniel."

"If I assist you, Madame," Daniel replied grimly. "You will promise to leave this town and never return. You are not welcome here."

"I…" Vanessa stared at him, seeming to debate what outcome was to her best advantage. "Very well. If you will help me I would be most grateful." Again her gaze flicked to Carolyn, and her discontent showed in her expression.

Daniel folded his arms across his chest. "But before I do that, you will apologise to my wife for your earlier rudeness."

"I… of course," Vanessa nodded quickly, obviously confused by his brusque manner toward her. "If I caused any offence then I do apologise." She didn't look at Carolyn as she spoke, keeping her focus solely on Daniel.

"Sincerity was never one of your strong points, Madame," he pointed out crisply. "Nor fidelity."

Vanessa flushed, biting her bottom lip. Her sharp look at Carolyn spoke volumes. "Your help, Monsieur?" she replied with a discontented pout of her lips.

"Harpy," Lucius whispered, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Stop it…" Carolyn tried to suppress her laughter as she cast him a repressive look. "Please…"

"That's better," Lucius approved, smiling at her. "You're worth ten thousand of that harridan and your husband loves you deeply. Never forget that. He is not swayed by her feminine wiles."

"No, I will not forget that. Thank you, Captain."

"My absolute pleasure." Lucius's smile widened.

"Very well." Daniel approached the desk. "Tell me exactly where the issues lie?" He took the notes from Jack's hands.

"Thank you, Captain." The boy nodded gratefully as he made good his escape back to his desk, keen to be out of the middle of the tense scene.

"The Countess insists I sell my own property to her at a deeply discounted price," Claymore complained.

"He's only returning what is rightfully mine," Vanessa retorted. "I do not see why I should pay him a single dime for any of it!"

Claymore plucked a document from his desk and waved it triumphantly. "I have a bill of sale, all signed and sealed! Her husband's heir sold it all to me for a fair price."

"I see." Daniel sighed as he read the notes and the bill of sale, forming his own opinion of the impasse. He looked from one to the other.

"My cousin bought the goods in good faith and has a clear right to claim them. If you wish to secure them, then you must pay him a fair price in return, Countess."

"But since my husband died, my fortune is very small," Vanessa pouted some more. "I have sunk everything I have into my new venture."

"No, she hasn't!" Claymore contested hotly. "You should see the diamond ring she's wearing." He stabbed one finger at Vanessa's gloved left hand.

She glared at him. "They are not good stones. A wedding gift from my late husband. They are of sentimental value, nothing more."

Daniel sighed as he hitched one hip onto the edge of the desk, turning his back on Claymore to face the Countess. "It seems to me there is more here than simple furniture. What do you really want, Vanessa? Why are you here instead of in Paris where you belong?"

"Paris no longer holds any appeal for me." Vanessa stared at him, before turning her head to frown at each of the others in turn. "Doors have been slammed in my face, no one will talk to me and I am now without a home. I decided to come back to America and start again."

Her eyes filled with tears and she sought refuge in her handkerchief again, crying quietly. Daniel waited, saying nothing. The clock on the wall ticked the minutes by.

Finally seeing her tears had no impact the Countess looked up, her lips twisting with dissatisfaction. She wiped her eyes as she seemed to be debating within herself for a long time. Finally, she shrugged in true gallic fashion.

"Very well. Among the other pieces in which I have only a faint interest, your cousin purchased the contents of my late husband's study. Among those items are a Louis the Fourteenth secretaire, a piano stool and a side table. In themselves, they are not valuable, but they do contain certain documents and some jewellery within secret compartments which makes them of great interest to me, personally."

"I knew it!" Claymore clapped his hands. "It's all been a smoke screen! I knew you weren't telling me the truth! You're afraid I'd find what you're after before you did!"

Daniel turned to frown at him. "You knew no such thing."

"Yes, well…" Claymore looked crestfallen. "I knew there had to be more to her story than she's been telling me. A fancy goods shop in Boston, indeed."

Vanessa tossed her head disdainfully. "Oh, it is very real. I was planning on financing it with the contents of the secret compartments until you stole them from me, forcing me to follow you here to this little backwater town in order to retrieve them!"

"Now look here!" Claymore bounced to his feet indignantly. "I didn't steal anything from you! They were all bought and paid for with my hard-earned monies! I am not a thief, Madame!"

"This is why I've always thought a man should stay single," Lucius observed dispassionately to Carolyn. "Too much emotion and a whole lot of shouting over nothing."

Carolyn shook her head at him. "But you love your Rebecca. You can't deny that."

"Aye, yes, that I do indeed." Lucius smiled wistfully.

Carolyn covered his hand with one of her own. "You must promise to bring her with you next time you visit us."

Lucius leaned close to kiss her cheek. "I promise."

"Where are these items now?" Daniel asked his cousin in a frustrated tone.

"In my warehouse," Claymore grumbled. "I was preparing them to catalogue for sale. I have buyers lined up who are very keen to purchase."

Daniel turned back to Vanessa. "If Claymore agrees to sell these items back to you for the price he paid for them, then a deal can be made?"

"If they still contain what I am seeking, yes, a deal can be made." Vanessa nodded quickly. "But he is being very stubborn."

"I won't be left out of pocket! What about my costs and overheads?" Claymore spluttered. He began to whimper. "I'm not made of money, you know."

Daniel raised his eyes to heaven, before looking at Carolyn with resignation. He shook his head, obviously regretting becoming involved in the whole affair which seemed to have become stalemated again.

Carolyn got to her feet and walked slowly to her husband's side. "Claymore," she said gently. "You would be doing us all a very great favour by agreeing to do this out of the goodness of your heart."

"I don't have a heart," Claymore grumbled as he stared at her, torn between the two halves of his nature. "And why should I?"

"Because I am asking you to," Carolyn replied evenly. "Do it for me and for Henry. He would be very proud of you for putting your family first."

"I… Oh, very well…" Claymore sighed roughly. "But none of this gets out to anyone. People will begin to think I've become a soft touch. And I'm not, I tell you! I do have a solid reputation in this town."

"Yes, you do. Thank you, Claymore…" Carolyn leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"Oh, blast…" Claymore's cheeks coloured with embarrassment. "Don't make me regret it now. This is a one-off, never to be repeated, favour for you and Henry."

"I know and we love you for it." Carolyn straightened to slide her arms around her husband's waist. "I must go and fetch the children. Please, don't be late home, darling. We have some unfinished business I'm keen to get back to…" She reached up to kiss him on the lips, taking her time to savour him fully.

Finally, she drew back, giving Vanessa Beauvoir a long, challenging look of wifely satisfaction. "Countess…" she murmured. "I doubt we will ever have the need to meet again." She left the office with her head held high, closing the door quietly behind her.

※※※※※

"Did everything work out well in the end?" Carolyn asked, when her husband finally walked into the living room later that afternoon.

"Yes, indeed." Daniel leaned down to kiss her. "Though I doubt Claymore will recover any time soon. We left him counting his losses and eating from a dish of gruel."

"You would think his best dog had just died," Lucius remarked, following his friend into the room. He walked over to warm his hands before the fire. "Is he always that miserable when it comes to parting with a dollar?"

"You'll hear him squeal if you ask him to part with even a single dime." Daniel laughed, seating himself on the couch close to his wife. "But he has a good heart when he chooses to listen to it."

"And you saw the Countess on her way?" Carolyn wanted to know. "I dislike that woman intensely. She had the cheek to look down on me. I would have happily boxed her ears."

"Yes, she had no need to linger once she'd secured what she came for. I doubt any of it was legal, but there was no other way of shifting her except to give her what she wanted. Claymore did that hard, as well. I suspect there was quite a tidy sum secreted in those pieces of furniture. She wouldn't let any of us watch her retrieve it all."

"Well, I'm glad that's over. That woman is a menace." Carolyn turned to Lucius. "You will stay to take supper with us, Captain?"

"Gladly…" Lucius turned before the fire to warm his backside. "It will be good to have a homecooked meal for a change. I'm becalmed in port until the wind rises again. Then I'm bound for Boston and home. I've been away too long from my wife and it seeks to be a long, cold winter."

Martha came into the room carrying a tray with the coffee pot and cups. She placed it on the table in front of the couch. Candy and Jonathan came running in to throw themselves at their step-father, happy he was home and safe once more.

Ellen walked in behind them carrying Henry on her hip. "Welcome home, Captain," she said shyly. "It's good to see you again."

"Thank you, Ellen," Daniel replied over the heads of the two children who were vying for his undivided attention. "It's good to be home."

"This came for you while you were out in town." Martha pulled an envelope from her apron pocket and held it out. "Old Pertwee, the telegraph boy, delivered it."

"Thank you. I wonder who it's from," Carolyn mused, accepting it before turning it over to slit open the sealed flap.

"Well, old Pertwee said it wasn't bad news." Martha shrugged as she poured the coffee and handed around the filled cups. "Whatever that means."

Carolyn unfolded the telegram and frowned at it. "It seems my parents are asking if they can come and visit us again for Christmas. Hazel and Harriet have decided to take an extended trip to Florida to escape the winter snows."

Martha grimaced with a sigh. "I suspicioned as much. They've been far too quiet. At least then it'll only be the two of them."

"Yes…" Carolyn nodded as she handed the telegram to Daniel. "We can't say no. And they do need to see their grandchildren again."

Aware of the children sitting close beside her, listening to their conversation with interest she said, "Martha, Captain Beaumont is staying with us for supper."

"Excellent," Martha approved, taking the hint. "I'll go and set another place at the table. Come along, children, you can help me. You too, Ellen. It's about time for Henry's bottle." She hustled them from the room, shutting the doors behind her.

"At least your mother should know by now to keep her opinions to herself," Daniel said as he refolded the telegram. "I won't allow her to overset you again with her need to run our lives to suit her. And I will hear none of her foolish talk about ships foundering in any storm."

"God, no!" Lucius declared involuntarily, jumping into the conversation. He held up one hand in apology. "Sorry, but such loose talk will surely bring down a curse down on any voyage and I am still from home. Even the blasted landlubbers know that. Does the woman have no sense at all?"

"I'm afraid my mother's not a seafaring woman," Carolyn replied. "But I am sure it will be better this time. At least they asked instead of barging in uninvited."

She sighed her frustration. Never had she felt more like agreeing to Daniel's wonderful idea of running away to sea and leaving all her familial duties far behind them. It sounded like heaven.

"After dinner, Lucius and I have some important things we need to discuss," Daniel said. "We'll go up to the wheelhouse and leave you in peace. It's naval talk, so it would only bore you, my love. Please don't wait up for me. Lucius may yet need to stay the night if we end up working late."

"Very well. I won't wait up for you, but I won't be able to sleep either…" Carolyn frowned at him, not sure what the two men has to discuss that was so secretive they couldn't do it in front of her.

※※※※※

Winter arrived early in Schooner Bay before anyone was truly prepared for it. Lucius had caught a favourable wind in time to sail from the harbour for Boston before the ice finally closed the bay and the whole town settled in to endure the coldest months of the year.

As the days crept inexorably toward Christmas, Carolyn kept a look out for her parents' imminent arrival before the roads became impassable. She was relieved to finally see a carriage pull up outside the front gate and heard her father's commands to the driver.

She hurried from the fragrant warmth of the kitchen where she'd been helping Martha prepare their Christmas treats. "Children, your grandparents are here," she called into the living room as she opened the front door to greet them.

"Carolyn!" Emily Williams walked up the front steps, kicking the snow from her boots before she greeted her daughter with a hug. "It's so wonderful to see you again. And you're looking so well. Why, you're positively blooming."

"Hello, Mother…" Carolyn kissed her cold cheek. "It's lovely to see you again. We've missed you too."

The children crowded in for their greetings as their grandfather came up the steps carrying their luggage in both hands, followed by the carriage driver bringing yet more bags.

"Hello, my dear," Bradford greeted his daughter with a hug and a kiss. "It's been too long since we last saw you. I have missed you."

He smiled at her before kissing her cheek again. Carolyn wondered why he looked so worried but now was not the time to ask. She knew her mother had been doing or saying something to concern him.

Daniel came down the stairs, raising his brows at the mountain of luggage now piled in the foyer. Emily Williams left her daughter and walked to the bottom of the stairs looking up at her son-in-law uncertainly.

"I'm happy to see you again, Captain," she said stiffly, obviously unsure of her welcome.

"You're very welcome in our house," Daniel replied, shaking the hand she held out to him.

"Thank you." Emily nodded, grateful for his welcome, as Daniel moved on the greet his father-in-law and help him with the luggage.

Carolyn shut the door behind the departing carriage driver. She turned to smile at her parents as they sorted out their possessions before the whole family helped them carry their bags upstairs. It looked as if they intended to stay for a while.

"It's just as well you got that third manuscript written and mailed off in time before they arrived," Martha murmured to her as she came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on her apron. "They look like they're planning on staying until the spring comes."

"Yes…" Carolyn nodded, gathering up two handfuls of bags as her parents went ahead of them up the staircase. "I can only hope Hazel didn't go telling them any wild rumours about that day she stumbled into our bedroom and caught us in the middle of some of our work."

Martha shrugged. "If she did I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. I doubt your mother will keep her opinions to herself for very long. And she's had enough time to stew on it."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Carolyn whispered as she followed her husband and parents up the staircase to the guest room next to theirs.

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