Author's note: In the Series 2 episode, "Double Trouble", where Edward played both parts, Sean Callahan's original name in the script was Brady O'Flynn. I think it was Edward who may have rightly suggested the much-needed change of name. So, I decided to have a little fun…
Chapter Seventeen
The Arrival Of A Rival
The next morning dawned fine and sunny. Carolyn and the children got up early and dressed for their day out in town. Claymore arrived on time to drive them back into Schooner Bay, but his heart obviously wasn't in it.
"Good morning," Carolyn greeted him as they got into the car. "Thank you for doing this."
"Good morning…" Claymore frowned at his passengers and up at the house before he put the car into gear and drove away.
A pregnant silence hung inside the car for some miles. Claymore dramatically sighed several times and flexed his hands on the steering wheel.
"Is there something on your mind, Claymore?" Carolyn finally asked sweetly as they took the branch road that led out to the airport on the far side of town. "You don't look very happy."
"I've got better things to do than play chauffeur all the time, you know," her landlord grouched. "More important things. I'm cultivating a new client. Her patronage will open doors for me."
"Better things like trying to sell the house without the Captain's consent?" Carolyn inquired softly. "You keep thinking you can do that. You already know you can't. You better not have encouraged that awful Marcus Cornell. I heard all about him."
"Yes, well… Nothing's getting any cheaper, Mrs Muir," Claymore grouched. "I've still got bills to pay. Lots of bills and many drains on my purse."
"And you have the money to do so," Carolyn refused to sympathise with him. "You could buy this town twice over if you wanted to."
"Perhaps…" Claymore scowled through the windscreen. "But it must be said that I work hard for the money I put in the bank. No one can say I don't."
"And Christmas is coming," Candy commented from the back seat. "You'll be having your Christmas tree lot up again this year, Claymore. Just like last year."
"And just like last year, Miss Muir, you'll take your trade over to the Boy Scouts' lot. Obviously, there's no festive season loyalty among family and friends."
"All right, Claymore…" Carolyn turned to him. "If it will make you feel any better, we'll come over to your lot first this year. We'll see what sort of trees you have. I can't say any fairer than that."
"You will?" Claymore brightened. "Thank you, Mrs Muir. For you, I will make a special price on my very best tree!"
"Somehow, I doubt that…" Candy whispered in an aside to her brother as Claymore drove the car into the airport parking lot. "Bah humbug…"
"Yeah…" Jonathan replied, looking more than a little downcast. "Humbug…"
Claymore dropped them off and drove quickly away. Carolyn collected the car keys Martha had left at the airport desk and then they drove back into town. They treated themselves to a store-bought breakfast of blueberry pancakes, syrup and whipped cream before they visited the garden plant nursery in town. Carolyn bought a large tray of her favourite flowers.
After all the trauma and tears of the previous two days, she'd already decided to spend the morning working in the garden. It was becoming overgrown and neglected looking. And that wouldn't do to be seen by the assessing eyes of the Schooner Bay ladies of the P.T.A. Sadly, Captain Webster would just have to wait a little longer.
She gave the kids their list of chores before she changed her clothes and returned outside. She sat down on the edge of the front path behind the open gate to work with her plants. The strengthening sun was warm on her back and the early fall day clear and fresh. The physical work eased her mind.
"Good morning, Madam," the Captain greeted her as he appeared beside her. "You were up and gone very early. Nothing more dramatic, I trust."
"Good morning, Captain…" Carolyn sat back from her potting. "No, nothing more dramatic. Except Claymore's mood when he drove us out to the airport to collect the car. He said he had more important things to do than drive us around. It seems he's working on a new client. Someone with lots of money."
"How ungallant of him to slight your company. It seems my great-nephew will never change…" The Captain shook his head. "I will make a fulsome apology on his behalf."
"Thank you, Captain." Carolyn smiled up at him. "So, I thought I would enjoy the morning and do a little gardening before I have to go inside and begin baking. I'm afraid, there won't be any time for Captain Webster this weekend. I hope you don't mind."
"Of course not. If it will assist you, Madam," he agreed. "Webster has waited for over one hundred years. I don't think he will mind waiting a few more days for your return. I shall review our work in the meantime and endeavour to stay out of your way when the ladies descend upon you."
"Thank you. Then we'll start again on Monday before we meet in the wheelhouse for our leisurely glass of Madeira," Carolyn promised. "I want to get the manuscript completed, sooner rather than later. I want to see how Captain Webster makes it through that storm. And Bridget doesn't say so, but I know she's getting impatient for the ending."
"Then I shall hold myself entirely at your disposal when you are ready, Madam. May your torment with the P.T.A women be blessedly short…" The Captain bowed formally before he disappeared.
"Hi, Mrs Muir!" a young boy's voice called from further down the road behind Carolyn.
"Hi, kids!" She turned to see three of Candy's school friends walking up the road.
She turned to look up at the house. "Candy! The gang's here!"
"I'll be right down!" Candy called back.
Carolyn turned back to smile at the three boys standing in the open gateway. "What's the program today, guys?"
"I don't know," one boy replied.
"Me, neither," the second boy commented.
"Oh, swimming? Baseball, or maybe hiking?" Carolyn asked.
"Candy'll tell us," the third boy assured her. "She knows everything. It was her idea we got into a gang. She's got cool ideas."
"Oh?" Carolyn dusted the soil from her hands.
"Sure, she always thinks of things," the first boy said. "She's the boss. She said so."
"I see…" Carolyn looked amused as Candy came running from the house, followed by an excited Scruffy and a rather forlorn-looking Jonathan.
Candy ran up to the boys. "How about volleyball down on the beach?"
"Okay," they agreed in unison.
"Cool…" Candy set off as leader of the pack and they all followed. "See you at lunch, Mum," she called back over her shoulder.
"Okay…" Carolyn looked after them. "Have fun. But I want you back and washed up in time to help me to tidy up the house. You and Jonathan will have to help me serve the refreshments tomorrow since Martha isn't here."
"All right, Mum…" Candy tossed back as they ran off.
It was only after Carolyn got up from her work to carry two pots to the front steps that she noticed Jonathan was still standing on the porch looking forlorn. He watched the gang of kids walk away, followed by the dog.
Carolyn smiled at him. "Hey. Aren't you going to go with them? They're going down to the beach to play volleyball."
"They don't want me," Jonathan replied, scuffing the toe of his shoe at a stone. "They told me to stay on my own side of the generation gap from now on. They got better things to do."
Carolyn frowned. "Oh, they did, did they? Well, you just come along with me and we'll bridge that gap together."
Jonathan shook his head. "No, thanks. They said someone always gets stuck with looking after me. Like I'm still only five or something. I can take care of myself."
"What?"
The boy shrugged. "I'm sick of being Candy's little brother. It's not fun anymore."
Carolyn ruffled his hair. "Well, I'm sure she doesn't really feel that way."
"Yes, she does. She's a big wheel now. She said that her and her new gang have secret signs and everything. Scruffy gets to go with them now too. Even he doesn't want to hang out with me anymore."
"Well, I'm sorry, Jonathan…" Carolyn put a hand on his shoulder. "How about you help me get tidied up out here instead? Then we'll go inside and see about the baking I have to do for the P.T.A. meeting tomorrow. I know I'm going to need your help. You've made more cakes with Martha than I have."
"Yeah, I guess I ain't got anything else better to do today than hang out in the kitchen and bake…" The boy hung his head and sighed.
※※※※※
The following afternoon, Carolyn stepped up to answer the sharp knocking on her front door at the stroke of three o'clock. "Here we go…"
She checked herself and patted her hair one final time before she opened the door. She dared not leave anything to chance. She and the children had done their very best with all the cleaning and baking.
The house gleamed and was filled with the scents of late summer flowers. She prayed it would be good enough to pass scrutiny and leave Martha's highly valued reputation intact.
Both children stood by ready to help. They were dressed in their good clothes and were wearing their best smiles.
"Good afternoon," Carolyn greeted Virginia Post with a handshake.
"Oh, my dear, Mrs Muir. Good afternoon. And before we begin, I must extend my sincerest apologies for this unexpectedly late addition to our meeting," Mrs Post said as soon as she stepped into the house. "But I assured him you wouldn't mind."
"Him?" Carolyn's brows rose. "Well, I—"
"It was a chance meeting…" Mrs Post turned to indicate the tall, fair-haired man standing behind her. "You see, Mr O'Flynn and his little daughter are quite new in town. I told him, if he had nothing else to do, that he must join us today."
"Of course, I don't mind," Carolyn said automatically, frowning at the new addition.
"There, then. It's all settled." Mrs Post smiled at O'Flynn. "I told you Mrs Muir is very accommodating. Ever the gracious hostess."
The other nine members of the Schooner Bay P.T.A. nodded and smiled. They were also looking up at the late addition to their group with intently feminine approval as they whispered among themselves.
"Good afternoon, Mrs Muir…" O'Flynn walked into the house and held out his hand to Carolyn. "Look, I'm really sorry for the intrusion. And my name is Brady. When anyone calls me Mr O'Flynn, it makes me feel as old as my father."
He smiled. "My daughter, Bonnie, is staying at her grandparent's house. Mrs Post found me in town quite by chance…" He raised one apologetic shoulder.
"Oh, call me Virginia, please…" Mrs Post replied in a playful tone.
"Then, you're very welcome to join us, Mr… um, Brady…" Carolyn glanced up into his thoughtful blue eyes. "Please, come in everyone, and make yourselves comfortable. Candy and Jonathan will take your coats and hang them up."
She tried to keep her attention away from the long length of the man. He was dressed in black jeans and a well-tailored open-necked white shirt. She didn't want to notice the amused warmth of his voice. He spoke in a mid-Atlantic accent with slight overtones of New York. He seemed rather exotic for a sleepy little backwater like Schooner Bay.
The group of chattering women all handed their coats to the children as they surrounded the handsome addition to their ranks and ushered him into the living room on a wave of giggles and perfume. The kids were soon swamped in the discarded garments that they struggled to hang them up on the hall stand.
The ladies fluttered around O'Flynn as they sorted out their places on the couch and the available chairs. There was an intense amount of last-minute manoeuvring until the pecking order was sorted out and Virginia Post claimed the prime position next to Brady at the far end of the couch. She sat as close to him as decency allowed and smiled triumphantly at the other members of the group.
"This will soon be over…" Carolyn shook her head as she took her place beneath the Captain's portrait and waited for the chatter to die down.
She cast a quick eye over the plates of refreshments laid out on the coffee table in front of the couch. She breathed a cautious sigh of relief. Nothing appeared to have died yet. There were enough sandwiches and slices of cake for all. She prayed everything would last until the end of the meeting.
As she sat down, Amelia Jenkins looked nervously around the room. "Oh, my. I've always said, this is such a quaint and curious little house. I do remember the last time we were here. The thumps and bumps. It was very odd. I get chills thinking about it."
She turned to her leader. "Don't you, Mrs Ghost… I mean, Post! Oh, my…" She subsided into quivering silence and pressed a hand to her lips.
"Please, come to order, ladies…" Virginia Post rose to her feet. "As president of the Schooner Bay P.T.A., I must thank Mrs Muir for allowing us the use of her cosy little house."
The assembled ladies all clapped and nodded. They added their fulsome approbations.
The Captain appeared beside Carolyn. "It's not cosy, Madam. It's trim! How many times need I say that? These women are clueless and bothersome to my peace! I was editing our manuscript when their inane chattering broke in on my need for silence."
"Thank you all for coming…" Carolyn ignored him as she smiled at everyone.
The Captain stabbed a forefinger at the unexpected, masculine addition to their group. "And just who is this preening peacock among all these gabbling hens? I thought your P.T.A. members were all women. They were the last time they invaded my ship."
Carolyn couldn't look at him. "I'm so glad Mr… um, Brady could join us this afternoon. We always need new faces in our school."
Brady nodded. "Well, I'm a freelance journalist and photographer. I doubt I'll be staying for very long. I never know when the next assignment will come along."
He waved an apologetic hand. "We've come up from our apartment in New York. Bonnie asked if she could spend the winter with her grandparents here in Schooner Bay. I thought that was an excellent idea for her to get out of the city for a while and enjoy some country living while I'm away working, overseas."
"Oh, how sweet…" Marion Vogel enthused. "And Mrs O'Flynn?" She raised her brows. "Where is she? Is she going to be joining our merry little band soon?"
"My… wife died in a car accident three years ago," O'Flynn replied evenly. "I'm a widower."
"Oh, I'm so sorry…" Mrs Vogel put a shocked hand to her lips. "I… we didn't know." Her eyes darted to Carolyn.
"There's no need to apologise. It's all right." O'Flynn shook his head. "You weren't to know. I didn't tell anyone when we came here."
He glanced up at Carolyn. She shifted beneath the intensity of his blue eyes.
"Ah, shall we get back to our meeting?" she asked quickly before the embarrassment could grow to become more uncomfortable. "If you would care to bring us to order, Mrs Post? We really do need to discuss the final details for the school play. It's going to be performed in three weeks."
The Captain stroked his chin. "So, he is a man adrift at sea, with a child to care for and without an anchor."
He turned to frown at Carolyn. "He should take care about exactly where he casts his pirate's roving eye. There is nothing for him, here…"
"Oh, don't be silly…" Carolyn muttered as she subsided into the chair beside the fireplace. "I'm not at all interested in Mr O'Flynn…"
She braved his disbelieving frown. "And he's not interested in me. For a start, he's not even my type."
"I see…" The Captain looked around at the gathered women who were all still mooning over the masculine addition to their company as Mrs Post waved a quietening hand to open the meeting. "Well, from where I'm standing, it seems he's the 'type' for every other woman in this room," he replied hardly.
"I shall be keeping a weather eye on him," he added before he disappeared.
※※※※※
Carolyn was never gladder for any meeting to finally come to an end. She'd done her best to keep to the agenda moving along. The final plans for the children's school play were almost completed. There were still purchases to be made, which Carolyn had agreed she would attend to, simply for expedience.
The last cups of coffee had been drunk and the final slice of chocolate cake consumed. Now, there was nothing left to do but to thank them all for coming and then usher them from the house as quickly as possible without seeming rude.
"We'll get them their coats," Candy said, from the open doorway to the living room.
"Ah, huh…" Jonathan nodded as he went to help.
"Thank you," Carolyn said with relief as she began to shepherd the chattering women from their comfortable positions in the room and into the foyer.
None seemed too eager to leave. The meeting had been productive and convivial. Brady O'Flynn appeared content being the centre of their fawning attention. But many times, his eyes settled thoughtfully on Carolyn as if she was a puzzle he was intending to solve.
"Well, done…" he bent closer to whisper to her after he rose to his feet.
"I… Thank you…" Carolyn stood up and tried to appear unconcerned. "I'm glad you could come today. Someone new to our school is always welcome."
He arched his brows at her. "Are you?" His eyes held hers. "Glad, I mean…"
"Of course," Carolyn managed to reply as she walked around him.
"You know…" he said then. "I have the most curious feeling that we've met somewhere, somehow, before. Have we? Or are we finally meeting, at last?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Carolyn replied.
His strange words echoed those of Sean Callahan when he'd showed up some months ago. Hearing them again made Carolyn shiver. She hadn't been interested in Sean, then, and she wasn't interested in this man, either. But there was something familiar about him that made her hesitate.
Maybe it was his blue eyes. She noticed that wry amusement danced in those same eyes now.
"Perhaps it's simply my imagination, Mrs Muir. A pity. I may not have a lot of time left before I take another assignment. I would have enjoyed getting to know you better." He touched two fingers to his temple in an ironic salute.
"My… husband might have something to say about that," Carolyn replied quickly, casting a glance up at the Captain's portrait behind her.
"Ah, but Mrs Post has already informed me that you're a widow of some years," he said solemnly. "And the good Captain there…" He pointed to the painting "… has been dead for over a hundred years."
He studied Carolyn's look of consternation. "She also said you have two small children to support and no man on the horizon. She seemed very keen to impart the information when she insisted, I join you here, today. She is aware I am a widower. It seems we have become a cause for her."
"What I am, or who I see, is none of Virginia Post's business," Carolyn retorted quickly as she stepped away from him. "Or yours…"
She walked away toward the doors to the living room. The P.T.A women were already gathered there, collecting their coats from Jonathan and Candy.
Carolyn opened the front door. "Thank you all for coming," she said briskly. "It's been a delightful afternoon."
"Yes, it has. And we shall do it again soon," Mrs Post predicted, looking all around. "I think we can safely say that any foolish rumours about this house have finally been dispelled. Haunted, indeed."
"Haunted?" Brady O'Flynn looked startled. "As in by a ghost? How interesting. I'm always curious about a good story." He raised his brows. "Care to share?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Carolyn lied briskly. "It's just some old rumours started by townspeople who should know better. I've never once seen a ghost around here."
"But do you believe in ghosts?" he persisted.
"Oh, Mr O'Flynn…" Carolyn smiled. "Do I look like a woman who would believe in ghosts?"
O'Flynn shook his head. "I suppose not…"
In the living room, the Captain's portrait about the fireplace began to rattle slightly. No one seemed to be paying it any attention except Amelia Jenkins.
She put her hand to her lips and moaned softly. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Mrs Post asked impatiently as she put on her coat.
"I… thought I heard a strange creaking sound. Just like the last time we were here. And that painting in there…" Mrs Jenkins pointed back into the living room. "I'm sure I saw it move just now…"
"Oh, we have lots of creaks and groans," Carolyn covered quickly. "This is an old house and if things don't work quite right, they sometimes creak or move…"
"That's very good to know," Amelia Jenkins replied unsteadily as she edged backwards toward the open doorway.
"What's been going on here without me?" Martha asked as she stepped inside and dropped her suitcase to the floor behind the nervous woman.
"Oh!" Amelia Jenkins jumped and quivered.
Carolyn gasped. "Oh, you're back!" She frowned. "But why are you back so soon?"
Martha shrugged. "To celebrate not being sent off to Alaska, Evelyn and Harry had already booked an extended trip with Mother down to the Florida Keys. They've taken a suite at a beachfront motel for six weeks of sun, sea and sand. I told them I couldn't possibly be away from here for that long. So, I spent the day with them before they left, and I caught the next flight home."
She nodded to the assembled group of women. "Frank Tobias drove me back in his taxi. And it looks like I'm needed here more than down in Florida. No one told me there was a meeting going on."
"Oh, we've just finished with the P.T.A.'s, A.G.M," Carolyn told her. "It was last minute."
"I see…" Martha's eyes ran over Brady O'Flynn with keen speculation. "Seems I've been missing out on all the juicy stuff too while I've been away for one day. Since when were men allowed into the Schooner Bay P.T.A?"
She smiled inquiringly at him. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"
"This is Mr… I mean, Brady O'Flynn," Carolyn introduced them quickly. "He's a new member of the P.T.A. He has a young daughter at the school."
"I see. Well, I'm very pleased to meet you." Martha shook hands with O'Flynn as she looked from one to the other. Her eyebrows rose at Carolyn in keen speculation.
"Welcome home, Martha!" Candy said.
"Yeah, it's neat to see you back," Jonathan added.
"Welcome home, Martha," the Captain added from the doorway to the living room where he stood with his arms folded. His expression was closed and mutinous as he glared at O'Flynn.
"Thanks. It's really good to be back home where I belong," Martha replied to them all.
※※※※※
Carolyn turned out the lights as she left the kitchen. It was late and Martha had already turned in. She was tired after the events of the last few days and had gone to bed with a cup of tea and the latest copy of the manuscript Carolyn had worked on without much success. She'd made little progress, and something always seemed to get in the way.
She was about to climb the stairs when the telephone rang. "Now what?" She shook her head as she walked to the foyer's side table to answer it.
She prayed it wasn't anyone like Virginia Post wishing to organise another meeting at short notice. She simply did not have any more time to waste.
She picked up the telephone. "Gull Cottage…" she said cautiously into the mouthpiece. "Carolyn Muir speaking…"
"Ah, Carolyn…" Brady O'Flynn replied. "I do hope you don't mind but Mrs Post gave me your telephone number."
"What can I do for you, Mr O'Flynn?" Carolyn asked warily. "It's rather late and I was just going to bed."
"Then I wouldn't wish to keep you," he replied smoothly. "It's just that my Bonnie is having her eleventh birthday party in two weeks, and I wondered if you and Candy would like to come along."
He paused. "She doesn't know many girls at school yet. But she said she has met Candy and liked her."
He hesitated. "You're the main reason I agreed to attend your P.T.A. meeting today. Bonnie pointed you out last week when you came to pick up Jonathan and Candy after school. I… liked what I saw."
"Well… I…" Carolyn glanced around, not sure if the Captain was listening in to their conversation. "I can ask Candy if she would like to come."
"Good enough for me," O'Flynn replied promptly. "We're staying out at the Anderson's farm. They're my late wife's parents."
Carolyn nodded quickly. "Yes, I know the place."
"Great," O'Flynn replied. "Phone me with your decision when you're ready."
"I will…" Carolyn sighed. "Good night, Mr O'Flynn."
"Brady," he replied patiently. "Remember? Mr O'Flynn was my father."
"Good night…" Carolyn said repressively before she hung up the receiver and made her way up to bed.
The Captain materialised at the foot of the stairs. He watched her ascend with thoughtful eyes. He raised one hand to the line of his jaw as he pursed his lips.
"Not interested, eh?" he muttered. "It seems the man was very quick to come about and has now set his sights on a safe harbour that will never be his."
※※※※※
The following afternoon, Carolyn drove up to the main entrance of the Schooner Bay Elementary School. She stopped and waited for Candy, who was standing in the playground, swinging her books by the leather strap holding them together.
Carolyn frowned when she saw that her daughter only seemed to belatedly notice her mother had arrived. And she didn't appear to notice that her brother was not with her as he usually was.
"Hello, Mrs Muir…" a passing child called out and waved.
"Hi, dear…" Carolyn replied as she watched her daughter walk toward her.
She leaned over and opened the passenger door as Candy reached the car. "Hi, honey," she said. "Did you have a good day at school?"
"Did you see him?" Candy asked as she got into the car. "Isn't he divine…"
"See who?" Carolyn asked in puzzlement.
"Mark Helmore…" Candy replied dreamily. "You must have seen him. He walked right by the car just now. You could have reached out and touched him." She leaned back in her seat.
"Aw, shucks and I blew it…" Carolyn smiled ruefully.
"He's from London, England," Candy enthused, returning to her previously dreamy look. "All the way from the other side of the Atlantic."
"Lovely…" Carolyn nodded. "Look, Candy… I want to talk to you about what happened with Jonathan on Saturday. You and your gang left him behind when you went down to the beach. That was not a nice thing to do to your brother."
"Jonathan, who?" Candy asked with a long sigh.
"Jonathan, your brother, that's who," Carolyn replied with concern. "He told me you're tired of being stuck with looking after him. That you and your gang have secret signs and everything. You don't want him tagging along in your games. But you took his dog with you."
"He has the biggest, brownest eyes…" her daughter continued dreamily. "They're soulful. Just like Scruffy's…"
Her mother stared at her. "Jonathan?" she asked in a confused tone. "Look, he came home earlier today. The school called me to pick him up. He said he had a sore stomach, and he felt sick. He looked very unhappy."
"He's such a dreamboat…" Candy sighed. "So thoughtful and sweet…"
"I see…" Carolyn leaned closer to wave her hand in front of Candy's eyes. The girl continued to stare through the windscreen with the same dreamy, out-of-this-world, expression.
"Oh oh…" Carolyn leaned back to smile at her. "Testing…" She leaned closer again. "How would you like…" She thought for a moment "… a double fudge sundae?"
But Candy obviously wasn't listening. She began to shake her head. "He's really something else… I've never seen anyone like him…"
"Okay. I guess we're in for a siege," Carolyn observed with a rueful smile as she straightened up and turned the key in the car's ignition. "I've been wondering when this would finally happen."
※※※※※
Martha was working in the kitchen when she heard the front door open. She smiled as she picked up a dish of baking from the kitchen table. She carried it into the foyer and offered the contents to Candy as she and her mother entered the house.
"Fresh baked cookies," the housekeeper said, as she held the dish out.
"Ah, huh…" Candy didn't seem to notice as she dropped her lunch box onto the nearby chair. She walked past the plate and up the stairs as if she was in a dream.
"But they're your favourite," Martha complained as the girl walked away.
Jonathan came slowly down the stairs. Candy walked past him too, as if she didn't even see him.
"Do you want to play checkers?" he asked.
But Candy kept on climbing and didn't answer. The boy looked confused as he stepped down into the foyer.
"Geez, what did I do wrong this time?" he asked his mother. "Why won't she talk to me? All I asked was did she want to play a game."
"Why won't she eat my cookies?" Martha demanded to know. "It was like she didn't even see them."
"I'm afraid, she's in a world of her own right now," Carolyn explained, which pleased neither of them. "It's best we leave her alone. I doubt she has food or games on her mind."
"Okay…" Martha sighed. "Then I guess I'll eat my own cookies." She turned back into the kitchen.
"I'll help!" Jonathan offered, reaching to take a cookie as they went back into the kitchen.
"That's your tenth!" Martha accused. "And I thought you came home because you said you were sick."
The boy pulled a face. "I was, but I'm feeling much better now. And you said it wasn't polite to count."
"Well, after nine, it could be vital to the state of your health," Martha replied.
They both smiled as they entered the kitchen together, each eating a warm cookie.
Carolyn looked after them and smiled. She began to sort through the mail she was holding in her hand.
The Captain materialised beside her. "What's wrong with Candy?" he demanded crossly. "She doesn't seem to see me." He looked back up the stairs.
Carolyn shrugged. "It seems she doesn't see anyone at the moment."
The Captain looked very displeased. "Well, I materialised to welcome her home, and she looked right through me as if I wasn't even there. I don't appreciate being ignored by a member of my crew."
His scowl deepened. "By any member of my crew."
"Well, I'm afraid we're just going to have to put up with it," Carolyn replied, walking toward the foyer table as she continued to sort the mail. "We can't escape."
"Oh, really? Why?" the Captain demanded. "It's unsupportable."
"Oh, she has something deeply absorbing on her mind." Carolyn smiled.
The Captain shifted uncomfortably. "I see. Ah, can I help?"
"No, thanks. It's totally my problem." Carolyn looked back at him.
"Ah, does your problem have a name?" The Captain folded his arms as if he was preparing for battle.
He was still seething over last night's telephone call. He was keen to get to the bottom of what exactly the interloper, Brady O'Flynn, could come to mean to her if he was allowed to come aboard again.
"It certainly does," Carolyn replied, walking up the stairs. "Its name is love…" she added as she went on her way.
The Captain stared after her. He pushed aside the abandoned lunchbox on the foyer chair before he subsided onto the seat in confusion. "Love?" he asked of no one, still staring up the stairs. "Blast!"
Jonathan walked out of the kitchen with a whole cookie in one hand and the last bite of a second one in the other. "Hi, Captain."
"Your mother's in love?" His ghostly friend frowned at him.
Jonathan shrugged his honest bewilderment. "I don't know…"
The Captain grimaced as he tried another tack. "You're with her every day of the week, morning and afternoon. Has she been seeing someone away from the house? Someone I don't know? Without my knowledge."
"I don't know," the boy continued, looking deeply confused.
"Why is it that no one around here tells me anything!" the Captain exploded.
"No one tells me anything, either!" Jonathan complained. "And no one listens to me! I might as well be wallpaper!"
Scruffy ran from the kitchen to snatch away the boy's whole cookie and ate it.
"Hey! You give that back!" Jonathan demanded, but he was already far too late.
The Captain shook his head. "It seems we're both adrift on the same trackless ocean, lad. Without a star to guide us or a welcoming shore in sight. We must fend for ourselves and see off any unwanted boarders like that O'Flynn fellow. I did not like the cut of his jib."
"Yeah…" Jonathan agreed morosely. "No one cares about you or me. We're just men."
"I do think that's a little harsh, lad," his ghostly friend sympathised. "But I catch the drift of your meaning. And it's a bitter pill to swallow and no mistake. We are beset from every side."
Jonathan sighed gustily. "Girls…"
"Females… We are forever at the mercy of their feminine whims…" The Captain nodded slowly as he faded out.
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