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Chapter Fifty-Two

And Two Make Four

"I will try…" Carolyn answered the medium's instruction through taut lips. "I really will…"

"Good girl…" Madame Tibaldi patted her hand and then kissed her flushed cheek before leaving the bed to consult in quiet tones with Dr Ferguson.

"Everything's in order…" Martha bustled about the room, preparing and tidying and then started again for something to occupy her hands and mind.

All was made ready for the new arrivals. The bassinette that had held Slugger that Christmas night, as well as Daniel and his father before him, had been brought back down from the attic, cleaned and set up in the corner of the room.

Their bed had been carefully remade around Carolyn with the bulky delivery bundle the doctor had brought with him. Everything was set in place by flickering candlelight as they all settled in to watch and wait.

Martha brought them all coffee and plates of sandwiches. She took the coffee pot away and refilled it countless times as time telescoped into the long hours of waiting and watching.

"This part always seems to take forever," Madame Tibaldi commented to Carolyn as she bathed her face and neck with a cool flannel. "But life has always set its own rhythm."

"Thank you, Madame Tibaldi," Carolyn replied.

"Olivia…" the medium corrected her with a small shake of her head.

"Olivia…" Carolyn breathed. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome…" Olivia nodded as she glanced up at Daniel who was watching her silently. "Life goes on abundantly in the most incredible of ways at times." She smiled as she stepped away, leaving the expectant parents in their own small world.

Outside the house, the storm still muttered in the distance. Lightning flashed across the walls now and then, adding its own elemental drama to the events unfolding inside the room. Thunder roiled its displeasure.

"Life truly does go on…" Carlyn commented with a sigh.

Lying back in her husband's close embrace, she rode the waves of pain with her eyes tightly closed. The world had telescoped down to each high and low. To the solid assurance of Daniel's ongoing presence behind her.

She sucked her breath every time the rolling pain returned to ripple through her in waves. Her small hand closed tight around Daniel's as he sat behind her against the headboard, nearly squeezing the blood from his fingers.

He groaned inwardly but did not flinch. He'd known worse pain. It was the least he could do. He had never felt so helpless or unable to do anything but be there for his wife. Every fear, doubt and haunting spectre rose before him, taunting him with the possibilities of what if?

He pushed aside his own trepidation and hung onto the belief all would be well. It simply had to be…

The hours ticked steadily by on the bedside clock. Daniel turned his head to concentrate on the slow traverse of the hands across the face. He measured them again and again in bells and Greenwich time. It didn't help.

He glanced at the other three players in the room. They were talking quietly among themselves, as they waited and watched. There was little else to do but wait.

Dawn had come and gone. The sun climbed higher into the sky, reaching toward the zenith. The children had been confined to the living room downstairs. They waited and listened in whispers. Martha carried in food and any news to them she could, as they sat pretending to play their games and watching the door.

Of the five adults upstairs, three of them circulated in and out of the bedroom, going about their appointed duties with quiet efficiency, taking rest and sustenance where they could. Olivia and Martha talked together softly, keeping watch over their charge. Dr Ferguson consulted with Dr Morgan by telephone, which was thankfully still working.

It was only Daniel and his beloved who did not leave the wide bed. He sat at Carolyn's back, supporting her as she rode the highs and lows of every pain she was enduring. It seemed as if they were both adrift on the endless peaks and troughs that were slowly drawing closer together and becoming more urgent.

"I love you…" Daniel sighed as he felt the pain decreasing as Carolyn dropped back to rest against him once more, her breathing racing and shallow.

He rubbed his hand up and down her back as he bent down to her ear, kissing it gently as he whispered, "Beloved, I am bound to you, for now, for all eternity. I can chart no other course, but homeward to your arms. I must return to you as surely as the sea birds flying with my ship return every season to the distant land. Your loving arms are my harbour, my shore, and my anchor in a storm-tossed world. I fly to you as truly as an arrow flies into the sun, to be lost in the brilliance of your smile, the warmth of your greeting and the certainty of your endless love…"

"I love you, too…" Carolyn whispered between hitched breaths. "Please, don't stop. Keep talking…"

Daniel drew her closer, massaging his fingers against the certain arrival of the next new pain. "I would die for you, Beloved. I would willingly sink to the bottom of the sea if that must be my fate. I would do so if such sacrifice would spare you one moment of pain, one instant of regret. I cannot bear to see you cry. But I would rather live for you, dance with you, love with you. You are my beginning and my end. There is no other path I may tread, that does not always lead me back to you. You have shot down my masts, torn my sails, and spiked my guns. You have taken me as your prize. I surrender myself gladly, asking no other quarter, nor favour, than to be with you. In this life and the next, your hand clasped eternally in mine. Always, my Beloved, always…"

"Always…" Carolyn's breath hissed between her clenched teeth as she stiffened once more and nothing else mattered but riding out the roiling storm that appeared to be trapped within her straining body.

※※※※※

It was late morning by the time Harriet finally plucked up the courage to follow the instructions in that mysterious note that had been left on her pillow the previous evening. She approached the small jeweller's shop situated on a quiet side street.

Her heart was firmly jammed in her throat. Beneath the concealment of her left glove, she wore the ring she'd brought to be appraised.

She walked up to the discreet-looking front door slowly, with steadily lagging steps. The closer she got, the more her courage and conviction she was doing the right thing began to fail her. With her hand half-raised to push the glass door open, she hesitated.

"No…" she decided on a rush of pent-up breath. "No, I don't need to know. I don't want to know…"

She took a step backwards. "I'm a married woman. I'm married to the man I love with all my heart and soul. And he loves me back. I just know he does. He just doesn't know how to show it. He's been so busy lately with his work."

She tossed her head. "And my sister's only jealous of me. I won't listen to her anymore. She's probably the one who left that note on my pillow."

How that heartless act had been carried out, Harriet had no real idea. Maybe Hazel had bribed one of the servants to place it there. It would be just like her.

"Anyway, I do not believe a word of it…" She twisted the ring with the fingers of her other hand. "Owen is mine."

It gave her sure comfort to handle the large stone and made her feel better as she took another step backwards. Then a third. As the door retreated before her, she felt buoyed and justified in her defiance.

"I'm going home to my husband and you can't stop me," she said to no one in particular. "Owen chose to be with me. He loves me!"

Out of a clear, warm summer's day, a cold wind suddenly blew up all around her, seemingly trying to propel her back to the door of the shop with a firm nudge in the small of her back. She resisted, digging in her heels and backing away further down the street.

The wind persisted, swirling and tugging. Now it almost felt like two strong hands on her waist, trying to force her forward and into the shop.

'Blasted females…' a man's voice, hidden within the wind, seemed to mutter in disgust.

"No!" Harriet stood firm, now truly scared about what was happening.

She turned and hurried away from the shop door, clutching at her hat, handbag and clothing as the wind rose to a near scream all around her. Tottering to the edge of the street she waved her hand frantically for a passing taxi which pulled up in front of her almost immediately.

"Thank heavens…" she gasped as she wrenched the rear door open and almost fell into the back seat before the driver could make any attempt to get out to assist her.

"Safe…" Harriet sagged back against the worn leather upholstery, trying to catch her breath. The whole experience had left her unnerved and on edge.

The odd, swirling wind gave the taxi one final solid buffet before it subsided as if it had never been. Harriet was left to stare into her driver's wide-eyed gaze in his rear vision mirror. They looked at each other for several seconds. Then the driver recovered himself.

"You sure know how to make an entrance," he remarked with a puzzled frown. "Where to, lady?"

"Home…" Harriet replied with a breathy sigh before giving her address. "Please, just take me home…"

She sagged back, watching the side street and the jeweller's shop pass from view. She went back to twisting her diamond ring around her finger. She knew she needed to make plans. Make her husband pay more attention to her. Then all would be well. All would be as it was always meant to be.

"Maybe I just need the right advice. I wonder if I should telephone Carolyn…" she mused with a sigh. "You know, I really do think I should."

The thought made her sit up and smile. "Hers is a successful marriage, after all. And to such a handsome and commanding man! And my dear cousin always has the best advice. She knows I would never intrude and I would not dream of imposing upon her and hers."

Harriet was aware her husband was leaving in the next few days on one of his many trips away to do things and go to places he never confided to her. She'd recently sneaked a look at an aeroplane ticket stub he'd left on his office desk. She hadn't meant to snoop, but it caught her eye. Owen had recently returned from a business trip to the Caribbean. Harriet knew a quick stab of jealousy that he had not taken her along. Sun, sea and long walks along the beach at night were the very stuff of romance.

She suddenly shook her head. "No, I won't telephone ahead. I really want it to be a surprise. Oh, dear, dear, Carolyn. She has always been my rock. I will drive down to see her soon. All she has to do is tell me I'm not welcome."

She tittered comfortably. "Which I know she never will…"

Mentally she made plans to visit Gull Cottage as soon as her husband left on his next trip. She was sure Carolyn would welcome her help and support at this delicate time in her advanced pregnancy.

"Who better than family to take care of her?" Harriet nodded, buoyed by her plans.

※※※※※

Seaman Elroy Applegate materialised in the wide hallway outside Gull Cottage's main bedroom. His frowning expression was worried and taut. He dragged off his knit cap and held it against his lips as if trying to stifle a cry. His striped sock sagged, unnoticed, down over his right ankle as he stood anxiously listening to the voices within the bedroom.

The storm outside the house continued to rattle and flash. It lashed the windows with rain, rattling to get inside.

Yawning widely, Mr Peabody appeared at his master's feet, looking more than a little put-out and confused as to why they were here at all. He stretched and grumbled.

"Because we do need to be here," Elroy answered his pet's questioning look. "My Captain's pretty lady needs all the support she can get. These are perilous times. I know my Captain needs me, too. I can feel it."

Mr Peabody expressed his considered opinion on that. Then he yawned again as he settled down impatiently, staring at the closed bedroom door with resigned eyes.

Elroy ignored him as he began to pace back and forth along the hallway still with his head cocked toward the door. He had his hands clasped in the small of his back and his lips were moving, as if he was reciting a prayer. Time ticked slowly by on leaden feet as he kept pacing up and down.

Mr Peabody watched him. He'd been dragged from the comfort of a perfectly good fireside slumber back at the camp for this sunless hallway and endless waiting. The storm continued to rage and batter the house.

Again, the animal mewed his discontent, but his master was no longer listening as he suddenly cocked his ear toward the new sounds coming from within the bedroom. Life had finally asserted itself in the most timeless way.

※※※※※

What had been painfully slow going over the long, intervening hours suddenly all happened in a headlong rush. Above Carolyn's stifled cries of pain and all the words of encouragement, a single cry was heard that instantly hushed everything.

A small, neatly-made baby had arrived on the thick linens of the bed, blinking in the light and waving its tiny fists. Then a second, more indignant shout of defiance sounded in the hushed world of candles and thankfulness.

"It's a boy…" Dr Ferguson announced in a fractured voice that had been strained through the long, fraught hours of attendance and encouragement.

He checked the wriggling infant over quickly, nodding his approval at everything he saw. His ministrations earned him a quick look from the baby's dark blue eyes for his efforts and a furious scowl that made him smile. "Everything is good. Very good, indeed."

"Here you go, little man…" Olivia swooped in as soon as she was allowed, carrying away her precious prize in a bundle of clean linen.

"One more time…" Dr Ferguson encouraged an exhausted Carolyn with a tired smile. "You can do this…"

"Yes…" Carolyn was still clinging tightly to her husband's hand. "I love you…" she whispered, looking up at him.

"Always…" Daniel bent to kiss her moist brow, not caring if his crushed hand now felt like a lump of lead.

No more than two minutes had ticked by on the bedside clock before Carolyn stiffened once more and her second baby was born. Her three attendants all looked at each other in grateful satisfaction as Dr Ferguson bent over the bed once more.

"And this one's a girl…" he murmured, watching the baby's rapid breathing and small movements for any signs of distress.

She hadn't cried out. But she too fixed the doctor with a frowning look that spoke volumes about her discontent at being ejected from her warm and comfortable world.

"There you go…" Dr Ferguson laughed softly as he attended to the infant as he had her brother, checking that all was well.

Martha scooped up her small prize as soon as she could, carrying the little girl away to join her more vocal sibling. Time telescoped again as nature took its course before everything was settled to the doctor's satisfaction.

He sat back on the end of the bed as his two attendants saw to the clean-up. "Well, then. It seems you have a second pigeon pair. Congratulations."

He lifted Carolyn's free hand from the covers and kissed the backs of her fingers. He then checked her pulse and patted her hand before laying it back on the bed.

"Thank you, Doctor. We're just glad everything is well with them," Daniel replied. He'd finally regained possession of his abused hand and was surreptitiously shaking the feeling back into its leadenness.

"Both have good lungs and all ten fingers and toes," the good doctor replied. "I can attest to that. See for yourselves…" He stood up from the bed and stretched out his weary body.

He made way for Olivia and Martha who were bringing forward two small, wriggling bundles. Daniel took possession of his son while the little girl was laid gently in her mother's arms.

Daniel stared down into the baby's dark blue eyes. Everything they had endured and overcome had crystalised in this single moment. He was now a father. Something he'd never expected to be. It made him feel very humble and incredibly lucky.

"Ahoy, there…" He shook his head in slow wonderment as his son continued to stare up at him.

"I know it's a bit soon. But have you two thought about any names yet?" Martha asked quietly.

Carolyn glanced up at her husband. "We have talked about it," she allowed. "But we haven't made any firm decisions. They do have to be right."

"That they do…" Olivia smiled. "The spirits have offered a few ideas if you'd care to hear them."

"Thank you, for everything…" Daniel shook his head as he continued to look down into the pair of dark blue eyes looking so solemnly back at him. "But the decision will be ours to make."

"Not Hyram, Mortimer or Bigham, then?" The medium smiled. "Nor Daisy, Mirabelle or Constance? They will be disappointed."

"Thank you, but no…" Carolyn laughed softly as she reached out a hand to take the older woman's.

"Oh, well…" The medium shrugged.

"Well, you two stay right there and be comfortable while we get things sorted and then you both need to sleep," Martha instructed. "I'll go and fetch Candy and Jonathan to meet their new brother and sister. They're just about bursting downstairs, waiting for the good news."

She left the room to find both children were now sitting on the top step of the landing with Elroy seated next to them. They all looked up eagerly as soon as the housekeeper appeared.

"Do I have two new sisters now, Martha?" Candy asked quickly. "I hope I do."

"No, they'll both be our brothers," Jonathan insisted, hanging onto his wish. "We've got enough women in this house already."

Martha smiled at them. "Well, you're both going to be disappointed. You have a new sister and a new brother."

"One of each?" Candy shrugged as she glanced at her brother.

"I guess that's fair." Jonathan nodded. "I bet the Captain's pleased."

"I think we're all pleased it's over and with such an excellent result," Martha told them, turning aside to indicate they could enter the room. "Come along in now and meet them. But be very quiet. This house will be full of babies crying out to be fed or changed soon enough."

"We remember what Slugger was like," Candy replied as the children jumped up and followed her lead.

Elroy also stood, but hung back, looking forlorn. The cat sat at his feet.

"Come on, Elroy…" Martha waved him forward as she shook her head. "You can come in too."

"Oh, thank you!" Elroy hurried to catch up.

Then he stopped to frown doubtfully down at his pet. "Mr Peabody too?"

"Why not?" Martha sighed. "But you three better be sure to mind your Ps and Qs in there. Dr Ferguson doesn't know anything about ghosts or the Captain's true identity. We don't want to go scaring the man, now do we?"

Elroy zipped one thumb and forefinger across his lips. "I'll be as quiet as the grave."

"Yeah, we know," Jonathan added as the housekeeper opened the door to allow them all to enter the room.

"Hi…" Candy ran to the bed to flop down against the side, peering intently into the bundle in her mother's arms. "Hi, there…"

"We know we've got one of each and that's okay by us," Jonathan announced. "Fair's fair."

"I'm glad to hear that," Carolyn smiled tiredly at her young son as he walked around the bed to peer into the face of his younger brother.

"Well, from now on I'm not the youngest," he announced. He pointed to the baby in Daniel's arms. "He is. And I think that's neat too."

"It seems we have a consensus all around," Daniel commented drily. "We've got the balance just right."

He nodded toward Elroy who was hovering beside the door, trying to look invisible and unobtrusive. Mr Peabody sat at his feet, surveying the room with long looks. He sighed when he saw the gas fire was not alight.

Elroy snapped to rigid attention and saluted, a huge smile on his face. Then he reached down to pull up his striped sock and grinned even more. "All ship-shape and Bristol-fashioned, Sir! The crew offer their best wishes to you and yours and your pretty lady. It's surely a red letter day, Sir!"

"Thank you…" Daniel replied quietly, mindful of the doctor who was standing at the desk, packing his bag.

"You're very welcome," Dr Ferguson replied, obviously thinking the comment was for him. "Well, I can do no more here, today. I'm going home for a bath and eight hours sleep. But, call me if you have any concerns."

He walked to the bed, bag in hand. "I suggest you do the same, my dear. Sleep will soon be a precious commodity, as you well know."

He took Carolyn's hand to check her pulse as he gazed intently into her eyes. "I would say we had a splendid outcome. A very splendid outcome, indeed. You both are to be congratulated."

"Thank you, Doctor…" Carolyn caught his hand as he made to draw back. "For everything. I am so glad you could be here."

"It has been quite the experience…" Dr Ferguson commented with a nod, looking around the room before he turned back to stare at Daniel. "I wonder what the old Captain in the painting downstairs would make of all this. It was his house, after all. It must have been like this in his time. No electricity, all candles and lanterns. It certainly adds atmosphere. I have to wonder how many other children have been born here."

"As far as we are aware, only these two," Daniel replied with a shrug. "The Captain was a bachelor, you see. And he built the house for himself."

He looked down at Carolyn. "He never had any thought of taking a wife or having children. He was a man who truly enjoyed his own company. He was very set in his ways."

"A bachelor, eh?" The good doctor's eyebrows rose. "A pity. He looked like a man who had a lot to offer some lucky woman."

Olivia came forward to take his arm. "Just as you will, Doctor. One day, soon enough…" She turned and ushered him toward the open door. "My spirits tell me so."

"Yes, you mentioned them before. Just who and what are these spirits of yours?" Ferguson queried. "How do they know anything? I am a man of science, you know. I don't hold with any hocus-pocus or the idea of things that go bump in the night. I know people say this old house is haunted, but—"

"Oh, a man of science, are you?" The medium's laughter was bright. "But, didn't I tell you?" she cooed as they walked away down the hall arm in arm. "I wasn't always an excellent nurse. In my other life, I'm a medium. My spirits know everything. They tell me everything…"

"Madam…" Ferguson replied in a warning tone.

Olivia cheerfully ignored his note of caution. "Now, did I tell you that I've already seen into your future, young man? She is very pretty. And she's waiting for you…"

Carolyn laughed softly as she watched the pair leave the room. "The poor man. He'll think he's stumbled into the twilight zone if she keeps that up."

"It'll do him good," Martha replied, leaning down to scoop the baby from her arms. "He's far too serious for a man of his age. He needs to lighten up a bit."

"But he's no longer a peep, is he?" Carolyn looked up at Daniel as he slid off the bed to carry his sleeping son to the bassinet.

"I would say he's finally graduated to being a fully-fledged quack," her husband admitted with a smile as he laid his son next to his sleeping sister, tucking them in with a gentle hand.

He stretched his tall body upwards. He ached in every sinew and muscle and his hand was still to regain all its feeling. But it was a good ache, telling him he was alive and this was not a dream. He glanced back at the bed, seeing his wife's eyelids drifting shut as she struggled to stay awake.

He would leave her to sleep and recover. He knew he was tired enough to sleep for a week. They would move the bassinet into the guest room next door. He'd be close enough if she or their babies needed him. He stretched again, easing the width of his shoulders.

"Well, that's that…" Olivia declared as she reappeared in the open doorway. "I've given the good doctor a great deal to think about. Now I think it's about time those of us who can should wet the babies' heads in the best tradition."

"A glass of Madeira all around will do very nicely," Martha agreed. "Lemonade for the children and their mother."

"That would be very welcome…" Carolyn leaned back against her pillows and surveyed her family.

Even the little medium now could be considered family, since she knew all their secrets. Carolyn smiled as she closed her eyes, snuggling deeper into the bed's softness. She ached in every muscle and sinew, but it was a good ache.

"Sleep, my love. All is well…"

She felt her husband's hand brush lightly across her forehead and then his soft kiss against her lips. She sighed. She had no energy to open her eyes, but she welcomed the sensation of his gentle administrations as he washed and dried her face before leaving her to rest.

Outside the storm continued to mutter and grumble, still making itself known. The rumble and crash followed her into her exhausted slumbers…

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