Judy through Susan
"Mom! Mom! Where are our skates?" Candy and Jonathan burst through the door of Gull Cottage.
Carolyn glanced out the window to make sure it wasn't snowing, then uncurled herself from the chair by the fireplace where she had been reading. "Hi, Jonathan. Candy. Umm, which skates do you mean? Your roller skates are in the closet under the stairs."
"No, the ice skates! We're having a carnival!"
"Yeah, a real ice skating carnival with races on the bay, and we're going to do ice sculptures and everything!"
"Just like that place in Canada that has one every year. It'll be neat!"
"But we need our skates to start practicing!"
"When is this carnival?" Carolyn asked.
"It's only a couple of months away! They're going to have it in the middle of January."
"Well, your skates are somewhere here ... but I don't think they're going to fit you anymore. You haven't worn them since we came to Schooner Bay, and you've both grown quite a bit, remember."
"What are we going to DO?" wailed Candy.
Carolyn sighed. "I guess I'll have to take you in to Boston to see if we can find a pair for each of you in a second hand store. I'm afraid we don't have enough extra money to buy both of you a new pair. Skates are expensive ... and you'll probably only be wearing them for the one year, then outgrow them. I'll dig out your old pairs. Maybe we can find a store that will do a trade ... then it won't cost quite so much."
"And we can practice on the pond down the road between here and Schooner Bay! Can we go to Boston this weekend?" Jonathan begged.
"It's surely not cold enough for ice yet!" Carolyn exclaimed.
"It's supposed to get colder, Miss Stoddard said." Then Candy looked at Jonathan. "But I don't know about practicing on the pond. Did you hear any stories about the pond being haunted?"
"That's dumb. Why would anyone haunt a pond?"
"Well, Penelope said something about a ghost and that SHE wouldn't go near the pond."
"Yeah, well, Penelope's silly." Jonathan grimaced. "And she's still mad at you because Mark likes you better."
"He does not!"
"Does too!"
"Well, I don't care. I don't like him anymore."
"Do too! You guys LOVE each other!"
"That's enough." Carolyn broke in when she saw Candy's face getting red with anger.
"I'm going to ask the Captain. He'd know if the pond was haunted!" Jonathan turned to run out of the room.
"I'm right here, lad." and the Captain materialized by the fireplace.
"That pond down the road isn't haunted, is it, Captain? Are there any other ghosts in Schooner Bay?"
"Not that I'm aware of." The Captain's voice sounded normal, but Carolyn, looking closely at him, realized he had a grim, almost pained look in his eyes.
"We're going to get some skates and go skating on it!" Candy said.
The Captain's smile faded. "You can't skate on that pond!"
The others looked at him in astonishment.
"Why not?" Candy asked at last.
"I forbid it! It's not safe! The ice is not thick enough. "
Both children relaxed. "Oh well, we know THAT. It's not cold enough yet, anyway."
Just then, Martha came in. "Hot chocolate and fresh cookies, children?"
"Yay!" Jonathan yelled. Candy whooped as well, and the two hurried out to the kitchen.
"Mrs. Muir? Captain?" Martha looked at the other two.
"No, thank you, Martha." Carolyn sat back down and picked up her book. "I just have a couple of pages left, and I'll be finished this. I'll be fine until supper."
"Not for me, either." the Captain demurred. He was pacing, with a frown on his face.
Martha shrugged. "All right. If you change your mind, you know where to find us. We'll be the butterballs in the kitchen."
Laughing, Carolyn waved her off. She looked at her book for a second, then put it down and eyed the Captain. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He stopped his slow walking and stared at her. "Talk about what, Madam?"
"Whatever is bothering you."
"Nothing is bothering me, Mrs. Muir. I must get back to my work." he spoke abruptly. With a nod of his head, he disappeared.
Carolyn gazed at the empty spot by the fireplace for a moment, and shook her head. Maybe he would tell her some other time. She KNEW something was bothering him about the pond. Then she pushed the matter out of her mind, and went back to her reading.
* * * * * * * * *
The next weekend found the Muirs in Boston, searching out second- hand sports equipment stores. The first place they stopped had a pair that fit Jonathan at a reasonable price. Carolyn managed to trade off his old pair as well. But nothing fit Candy properly, so they moved on.
In the next store, Candy's eyes lit up. "Mom, look at THOSE skates!" she breathed, pointing to a pair hanging on the wall near the back of the store.
Carolyn went closer. The antique pair of skates were silver with a long curled-up blade in front, much like a genie's slipper. They strapped on with a leather buckle. The heel cup was leather with a thin silver band around the leather edge and shiny brass rivets to hold the band in place.
"I want THOSE..." Candy was fascinated. "They're adorable! They look like magic! Real storybook skates!"
"They're probably very expensive, too." Carolyn said regretfully. "You know we don't have much money. And they don't have picks on the front. It would be hard learning to skate with them, I expect."
"Please, just ask, Mom?" Candy couldn't take her eyes off them.
"Well, I'll ask ... but don't hold your breath. Besides, we don't know if they'll even fit." Carolyn went to find the store owner.
"Those old things?" he laughed when Carolyn pointed out the skates Candy was interested in. "We've had them in here for quite a few years. Nobody wants the old kind anymore. That's why they're hanging back here."
"So, could you give us a price, then? With a trade?"
The man looked at Candy's eager face and sighed. Kids. He had heard the mother saying they couldn't afford much, and these skates really WERE expensive. But it was also true that no one had expressed an interest in them for a long time. Most young girls wanted the picks so they could do the fancy figure skating. Maybe he SHOULD let them go.
"I'll tell you what. If they fit, I'll let you have them with a trade for only five dollars. And the condition that when you've outgrown them and want to sell them or trade them, you trade them back to me. If you want to keep them, that's all right too ... but I would like them back if you're just going to get rid of them. Deal?"
Candy's eyes grew wide with delight. Carolyn flashed her radiant smile at the man. "Thank you SO much."
He coughed, then lifted the skates down carefully. "Here you are, my dear. Try them on."
Sitting down on a chair, Candy kicked off her boots and almost reverently pulled one of the skates on. She could hardly speak. "Mom." she whispered, "they FIT. They really do!" She put the other on, and stuck her feet out in front, admiring the flash of the band and rivets. The man brought out a thick rubber mat and put it on the floor in front of her.
"Here, try standing up. Your feet change sizes when you stand."
Candy got to her feet, and took a small step, wobbling just a little. "They feel great!"
"You're SURE you want these ones instead of regular skates?"
"Oh, YES, Mom!"
"These are well over a hundred years old. They haven't made this kind for quite a while. But they must have been stored in a safe place, and whoever had them took care of the leather and the blades, so they're in excellent shape." The man took the skates from Candy when she had reluctantly taken them off. He smoothed the leather with his rough hand. "Yes, indeed, a real good pair of ice skates. You'll have to take care of them, young lady. Keep the leather well oiled and the blades dry so they don't rust on you."
"I will, sir! Thank you very much!" Candy beamed at him.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Later that night, after the children were in bed, Carolyn sat at her desk absentmindedly chewing the end of her pencil. She was paying no attention to the papers in front of her. Instead, she was remembering the look on the Captain's face when Candy had displayed her skates enthusiastically after returning home from Boston. He could have turned to stone. Shutters had instantly covered his eyes. When Candy had handed the skates to him, he had turned them over gently in his hands, then thrust them back at her, muttered something about work, and disappeared. But not before Carolyn had caught what looked like the sheen of tears in his eyes. Surely not! Why would a pair of skates have done that? Carolyn ached for him, and she had no idea what was causing him such pain. If only he would talk to her! Yet there had been no sign of him in the last three hours.
She pushed back her chair and got up. "Captain?" she called softly. There was no answer. Opening the French doors, Carolyn looked out onto the balcony. "Captain, are you here?" Nothing. She hesitated for a moment, then tightened her lips, and climbed the stairs to the attic. Pushing open the door resolutely, words faltered on her lips as she realized the attic was dark and empty. Perhaps he was on the widow's walk? Again she made her way up stairs. But when she opened the door and slipped outside, there was no one there.
"Captain?" she called again. "Captain Gregg?" The wind blew with a melancholy sound, and the pounding of the waves on the shore added to the sense of desolation. Carolyn was confused at the feeling of grief welling up inside. She turned and went back inside.
Deciding to go downstairs and check the living room, Carolyn glanced in the children's room as she passed, and halted in surprise. The tall figure of the Captain stood as if on guard at the foot of Candy's bed. At Carolyn's approach, he turned to look at her. The anguish on his face made her catch her breath.
"What is it?" she whispered, fearfully, coming further into the room and looked at Jonathan and Candy. They were sleeping peacefully. Candy's arm was out of the blankets, and she had her hand resting on her new skates, as if loathe to release them even in sleep.
The Captain looked away again without answering. Carolyn stepped right up to him, wishing fervently she could touch him in comfort. "Captain Gregg? What is the matter? Won't you tell me what is wrong? Please?" her voice was low so as not to wake the children.
Since he wouldn't look at her, she walked around until she was facing him. Twisting her hands together, she whispered again, "Something is tearing you apart, and I can feel your pain. What IS it?"
"Madam, there is nothing to concern yourself with. I am not in any danger, nor are you. I regret that you have been so bothered. I will contrive to make myself more agreeable in the future." and he disappeared.
Sighing in frustration, Carolyn tucked the covers more firmly around Jonathan, and gently removed the skates from Candy's grasp, putting them on the window seat by the head of the bed where she would see them first thing in the morning.
* * * * * * * * * *
The following week the children came home from school in high spirits.
"Guess what?" Jonathan began speaking as soon as he walked in the door. "The Schooner Bay rink is set up in the town square! They're flooding it tonight, and then tomorrow morning, and we should be able to skate on it by tomorrow night! Mr. Hampton said it has been so cold lately, and the forecast is for MORE cold, so they decided to make the rink now instead of waiting until December!"
"That means I can try out my skates soon!" Candy added, beaming.
"I trust you will be going with them while they skate, Madam?" the Captain said.
"Well, I'll go watch the first time, I suppose. Just to see how Candy manages those antique skates." Carolyn shrugged.
"They must never be allowed to skate without supervision at any time! Too many accidents happen!" The Captain's voice got louder.
"On a rink? If they have thick enough pants and hats for when they fall, they should be all right. Captain, what is the matter?" now Carolyn looked worriedly at him.
Instantly his face closed up. "Nothing, Madam." and he vanished.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Just before supper, Carolyn was out on the front porch looking at the pillars. Martha had mentioned she thought that the wood was beginning to rot. Sure enough, now that the ivy had dried and the leaves had fallen off, some spots could been seen on all of the pillars. Going back into the house, Carolyn went to the kitchen and said to Martha, "You were right about the pillars. We'll have to cut down the ivy and sand and repaint the pillars, or we'll lose them."
"You may NOT cut the ivy, Mrs. Muir!" came the Captain's thunderous roar, making both women jump.
"But, Captain ..."
"You already destroyed my monkey puzzle tree, at least have the decency to leave my ivy! Is that clearly understood?"
Carolyn looked around, but couldn't see him. "But, Captain..."
"THE IVY STAYS!! I FORBID you to cut it down!"
Sighing, Carolyn acquiesced. "Very well, Captain. But if the porch pillars rot and the balcony crashes to the ground, don't blame me."
"Nonsense! A little paint will work wonders ... just tell Claymore." Now that he had won the battle, the Captain appeared. Martha turned away and went back to making supper, shaking her head.
"Claymore? What would he do?" Carolyn spoke wonderingly.
"Anyway, it's too cold to paint now. We'll have to leave it until spring."
"Well, then!" the Captain nodded smugly. "I bid you goodnight." and once more they were alone in the kitchen.
"I guess he's attached to the ivy, Mrs. Muir." Martha said.
"Obviously. I just wish he'd tell me WHY instead of giving orders all the time."
"From what I've read, sea captains tend to be the ordering kind, not the asking. And Captain Gregg is a larger-than-life version of a sea captain." Martha spoke dryly.
"You can say that again!" Carolyn sighed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After supper the next night, Carolyn drove Candy and Jonathan into Schooner Bay to try out the new skates on the new rink. Quite a few other children were there, too. Carolyn huddled on one of the benches and watched, her breath causing steam in the cold night air.
"They do look as if they're enjoying themselves, don't they?" the Captain was suddenly beside her, his eyes on both children.
Carolyn jumped a little, and for some strange reason noted that no steam came from the Captain. She smiled inwardly. Of course not. He wasn't breathing. "Yes. I'm anxious to see how Candy manages with those skates. She's used to pushing off with her toes, and can't with these."
Sure enough, Candy did seem to be having problems. At one point, she threw her arms up in despair. The Captain disappeared from the bench and Carolyn saw him beside Candy. He seemed to be explaining something to the young girl, whose chin came up with determination as she tried harder, obviously following the Captain's instructions.
Then the Captain was beside Carolyn again.
She smiled, her eyes on her daughter. "Thank you for helping her, Captain. You're a good teacher."
"Candy is not the first girl I've taught to ice skate with skates like those, Madam."
"Oh?" Carolyn turned to him in surprise, but he vanished again without a word. Then Mrs. Shoemaker sat down beside her, and Carolyn had no chance to even think about the Captain any more. She was too busy defending Candy's choice of ice skates. It was a relief when both Candy and Jonathan decided they had had enough skating for the evening, and Carolyn could take them back to Gull Cottage.
Martha had hot chocolate and cookies waiting for them, and the children were excited while telling her about the rink.
"The only thing wrong with it," Candy sighed, "is that it's in Schooner Bay, and that's two miles away. We can't just walk there when we want to skate. Good thing the pond is close..."
"There will be no skating on the pond, is that clear?" the Captain appeared again. "Perhaps after Christmas I will allow you to go, as long as I can be there with you. Do you understand, Candy and Jonathan?"
Carolyn wondered uneasily what it was about the pond that was agitating him so much. It hadn't seemed to bother him when the children played there in the summer. It was just something about skating and that place.
"Captain..." Candy started to whine, but under his stern glare, she wilted. Sinking back in her chair, she stuck out her lower lip in a pout.
"Remember," Carolyn said, gently, "we said the ice wasn't thick enough yet. It could be dangerous."
"Not if it's cold like it has been. Mr. Hampton said this is a record cold snap for this time of year. It's not normal for before Thanksgiving." Jonathan piped up.
"I can't wait for Thanksgiving." Candy said, perking up and changing the topic. "A long weekend off school! It seems like next Thursday will never come!"
"If you don't hurry up and finish your chocolate and get to bed, school will come awfully fast tomorrow morning!" Martha reminded her.
* * * * * * * * * * *
After 4 more days of driving the children in to Schooner Bay in the evenings to skate, Carolyn was getting tired of it. "Remember, we don't live IN Schooner Bay. We can't go every day to skate. You will have to start skating right after school a couple of days a week, and that will be it. No more now until the weekend."
"But we have to practice for the race!" Candy wailed.
"The race isn't until February." Carolyn reminded her. "It's Tuesday now, so we can miss today and tomorrow, Thursday is Thanksgiving and there won't be time to skate any way, Friday I HAVE to work on an article ... then I'll take you back to the rink Saturday. All right?"
"Yes, ma'am." Jonathan sighed unhappily. Candy said nothing.
"Candy?" Carolyn prompted.
"Yes, ma'am." the girl muttered. Carolyn gave her a sharp look, then stood up.
"All right ... get your homework finished now, then we can watch something on T.V."
* * * * * * * * * *
Thanksgiving Day dawned cold and clear again. In the morning, Candy and Jonathan again begged Carolyn to take them in to Schooner Bay to the rink, but she refused.
"I have to help Martha with supper. You'll have to go and play outside with Scruffy for a while to get some exercise if you want to be out in the cold that much."
Candy and Jonathan looked at each other, then disappeared. Carolyn heard them dressing up to go out, and called out, "Make sure you're dressed warmly enough!"
"We are, Mom!" they called back, then the door slammed.
"Kids." Martha shook her head. "Why would they want to go out in the cold? It's beyond me."
"I know." Carolyn grinned. "I had to be PUSHED out when I was little. I just wanted to curl up with a good book."
"I guess they're healthier than we were. All that physical exercise the schools are touting."
"Hmm." Carolyn sounded a little absent-minded now. "Have you seen the Captain this morning?"
"No. He wasn't in the living room. Or the alcove."
"Or the bedroom." Carolyn mused, then blushed faintly and added quickly, "He must be up in the attic."
"Or out on the widow's walk. I don't understand how he can stand that cold wind!"
"You know the cold doesn't bother him."
"True enough. It shouldn't bother me either, for all the built-in insulation I have!" Martha chuckled. "There, the stuffing is done, now we can get the bird in the oven..."
Meanwhile, Candy and Jonathan played noisily in the front yard for about 15 minutes, then sat with their backs against the wall on the side of the road by the gate. When Carolyn checked on them out the kitchen window, she could see Candy's mitt waving in the gap of the gate.
Reporting to Martha, she said, "Those two are watching the ocean from the gate ... they must not notice the wind."
"Sooner them than me out there."
Thinking the children would enjoy the warmth when they came in, Carolyn went in to the living room to light the fire. Then she picked up a book from the end table, and started reading, losing herself to a completely different world.,
Suddenly she heard the Captain's voice, coming from a long way off. "Mrs. Muir! Martha! Quickly! Bring the station wagon and some blankets. Hurry! To the pond!"
The urgency in the voice sent Carolyn to her feet in a flash, the book falling from her hands. She grabbed an afghan off the couch and ran for the foyer, Martha meeting her there from the kitchen. They both pulled on their coats and were out the door before they even spoke to each other.
"It's the children." Carolyn's heart sank, but she jammed the key in the ignition and turned it. "Hurry, hurry, come on, car!"
As soon as the car started, she threw it in to gear, and was off.
"They must have decided to skate." Martha spoke in a worried voice. "Good thing the Captain was watching."
"If he was there in time..." Carolyn immediately blocked those thoughts out of her mind. "Which, of course, he was, or he wouldn't have been able to call us like that."
The car sped up to the pond, and the second it was in park, Carolyn was out and running across to the bank. She heard Jonathan screaming and crying, and finally saw him huddled on the edge of the pond. A long tree branch was across the ice to a jagged black hole in the centre. There was no sign of Candy or the Captain.
Carolyn fought to keep control as she slid down the bank and gathered Jonathan in her arms. Martha was right behind her. "Where's Candy?" she asked, dreading the answer which she knew she would get.
"She's under there! The Captain's trying to find her. Oh, Mom, I'm sorry! We thought it would be thick enough, and Candy wanted to skate so badly, and what if the Captain can't find her or can't get her out?" Jonathan gulped.
Raising terrified eyes to Martha, Carolyn gave her son a quick squeeze, then passed him to Martha, and carefully made her way on to the ice, crawling along the tree that had been placed there. "Please, please, please," she found herself chanting as she edged closer, hearing the creaks and groans of the ice under her weight. Just as she reached the hole, there was a flurry in the water, and Candy appeared, as if pushed up. Her eyes were closed and her face icy white. Carolyn snatched at her daughter before she slid back under, and strained to pull her out. The ice continued breaking at the edges, but by edging back and pulling, Carolyn finally managed to get Candy out. The Captain appeared on the girl's other side, and helped Carolyn get Candy to the edge of the pond.
"Is she dead?" Jonathan cried.
Carolyn swallowed hard, and tried frantically to feel for a pulse, or to see if Candy was breathing, but her hands were too cold and shaky and her thoughts too scattered.
"She's alive, Jonathan." the Captain spoke in a quiet voice.
"We have to get her to the hospital." Martha spoke up. "I'll drive. Mrs. Muir, you hold her, we'll get her wrapped in these blankets... Jonathan, come along."
In a surprisingly short time, they were in the car. Carolyn held Candy close, and was relieved to see that she WAS breathing. But her eyes never opened. "How long was she under, Jonathan?"
The boy's voice was full of anguish. "Not very long. She fell in, and was hanging on the side screaming, and I got the branch out, and she was reaching for it, then seemed to get too tired and cold to bother any more...and she just sank in. Then the Captain was here, then you came. She just went down, Mom. She's gonna live, isn't she?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine." Martha interrupted, briskly. "Look, we're at the hospital already."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Dr. Feeney kept Candy in the hospital overnight for observation, even though he assured Carolyn that she would be fine by morning. "She'll just be a little more careful than she was before around thin ice." he grinned. Carolyn found it hard to smile back.
Martha packed up their Thanksgiving supper, and they all went in to Schooner Bay to eat in Candy's hospital room. Candy didn't feel like eating too much, but was content to lie back in the bed and watch them.
"We have a lot to be thankful for THIS year, don't we?" Carolyn said, bending over and kissing Candy's cheek while her hand smoothed the hair out of Candy's eyes.
"We sure do. My skates, especially." Candy looked at the skates by her bed.
"I was THINKING of your life, young lady." Carolyn pretended to be stern.
"I know, Mom." Candy smiled. Then her smile faded. "Mom, why didn't the Captain come here to see me?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen him since we left the pond." Carolyn was puzzled too.
"He didn't want us to go to the pond." Jonathan spoke up, not looking at anyone. "He didn't tell me why, but he said something bad happened there a long time ago."
Candy sat up straight. "Like that story? They said in school that the pond was haunted, but no one could remember why."
"He doesn't want to talk about it to me." Jonathan said, rather sadly. "I think he thinks I'm too little." Then he looked up at Carolyn. "Maybe he'll tell YOU. Can you ask him?"
"Oh, honey, I tried before. He wouldn't tell me either." Carolyn's voice was soft.
"Try again, please, Mom? Tell him I really want to know, now. And I want to know how he knew where to come and how to find me. Please?" Candy begged.
And Carolyn assented. Yet it wasn't until much later that night, after Jonathan and Martha had both gone to bed, that Carolyn made her way up to the attic and found the Captain sitting on the loveseat, his face stern and forbidding. She took a deep breath as she opened the door just enough to slide in, then took a couple of paces into the room.
"Captain?"
When he looked at her finally, his face relaxed somewhat. Her smile of relief lit up the room. "I want to thank you. So does Candy."
"Come in, my dear." he waved her in. "Would you care for a drink?"
Carolyn noticed he had a glass of wine in his hand. She hesitated, then nodded. "Thank you. But not very much."
The Captain rose and got her a glass, then motioned for her to be seated. He took his place at her side.
"I suppose you want to hear everything now, like a typical woman?" the Captain broke the silence.
"I'd like to, yes." Carolyn assented, softly.
"Very well. Though it's something I have not talked about for a hundred and twenty-seven years." He took a gulp of wine, then eyed the remaining liquid. "The autumn I was twelve, a peddler came around past our house one day. He had a cart full of pots and pans, tin horns and whistles, dolls, well, just about anything you could imagine. And he had a pair of ice skates."
Carolyn caught her breath before she could help it. The Captain looked at her gravely for a moment, then nodded. "Exactly like the ones Candy has. They sparkled in the sun, the way everything else did in that cart." He was quiet for a moment. Carolyn said nothing, hardly daring to breathe. "My sister fell in love with them, and begged our father to buy them."
"Your sister?" Carolyn couldn't help herself. "I thought you were an only child! You said you were the only son of an only son."
"I was the only SON. But I had a sister. Victoria Ivy was her name." his face grew sad at the memory.
Carolyn murmured, "And she is the reason you have ivy growing on Gull Cottage and won't have it pulled down?"
"Yes. You DO understand, my dear!" the Captain's smile was warm.
Carolyn returend the smile then whispered, "Please continue."
"Ivy, we called her that, kept looking at the skates. Even though Papa offered to buy her anything else, she wouldn't even look at a doll or tin dishes. So he bought them for her. We never could resist giving her what she wanted. Ivy was such a sweet little girl. Mama had died when Ivy was five, and even though she was only a child, Ivy started trying to take her place, keeping the house clean and cooking for Papa and I. The peddler came on her ninth birthday, so Papa bought her the skates as her present. It wasn't winter, so she couldn't try them out right away. The first frost, she started pleading for us to take her to the pond to skate. We tried to tell her that it wouldn't be frozen for a long time, but she wouldn't believe us." The Captain's voice trailed off.
Carolyn's throat thickened. She had an idea of where this story was heading now. The Captain continued.
"Then, in November, there was an accident with a horse, and Papa was thrown ... he never regained consciousness. Ivy and I were on our own. She was nine, I was twelve. Our aunt was supposed to come to look after us, but it was taking her a few days to get her home closed up ... Ivy decided to go skating on the pond the day after Papa was buried. She had said something about wanting Papa to see her use the skates he had bought for her. I went with her to show her how to skate. Then, when she was able to make it around the edge of the pond where the ice was thickest, I had to go. I told her to stay near the edge, because the middle didn't look safe." he stopped speaking again, and took another sip, his eyes dark with the pain of his memories.
Carolyn ached with wanting to take him in her arms and comfort him. Instead, she sipped at her wine and kept her eyes on his.
"I'll never know why she went out into the middle, but she did. The ice was not thick enough. Ivy went through. Unlike Candy, she had no one to help her. We didn't find her body for a day." his voice was low and broken.
"Oh, Captain ..." Tears were sliding down Carolyn's cheeks, but she ignored them.
"To this day, Mrs. Muir, I know it would have been different had I stayed with her. I could have kept her safe, I'm sure of it!"
"The way you kept Candy safe today." Carolyn choked out.
"I heard them screaming from the widow's walk. It took but a second to get there, and I could contact you at the same time."
"Thank you, Captain." she smiled through her tears. "Thank you so much ... especially for Candy, of course, but also for telling me your story, and sharing something of yourself with me tonight."
"I would only do it for someone I love." he spoke huskily, then his eyes met hers.
"I know." she said gently, her own love for him written all over her expressive face. "Thank you again, Captain."