Disclaimer: I didn't own The Ghost and Mrs. Muir characters. I only borrowed them. But the story line and the character of Susan Leevey belong to me.

A little different Birthday Present

The wonderful portrait which Carolyn had gotten for her birthday last year hung now in the master bedroom. Every time she looked at it, she thought how wonderful it would be if she really was married to her beloved Captain.

With the Captain's upcoming birthday, she was dreaming again. Now she was thinking again about the nice chat she had had with Candy's art teacher Susan Leevey two weeks ago. Ms Leevey had asked if Carolyn would consider being a model for her.

Carolyn had asked her, 'For what?'

Susan had then answered, 'For a bust or for a small sculpture of you, perhaps.'

At that time, Carolyn's answer had been 'No.'

The response of Ms Leevey that had followed had been, 'Too bad! But, Mrs. Muir, if you think it over and change your mind, I can be reached any time.'

Now Carolyn was finding the idea of being a model for Ms Leevey no longer so bad. She had to smile at that thought. 'Mhm, a bust of me would make a  very great surprise birthday present for Daniel this year. Well then, let's make the phone call and tell Ms Leevey that you will come to be a model for her.' Thoughts at an end, Carolyn made the call.  "Hello, Ms Leevey, Carolyn Muir here."

"Hello, Mrs. Muir. Why you are calling? Have you changed your mind about being a model for me?" Susan asked.

"Oh, yes, I have." Carolyn answered.

"Oh, great! Well then, let's make a date for the first meeting. We could start this weekend if that would be okay for you, Mrs. Muir."

"This weekend would be perfect."

"Till the weekend! Oh, before I forget, what have you decided it should be, a bust or a small sculpture?"

"I would love to have a bust." came Carolyn's prompt answer.

"Mhm, bust.  Well, if that's what you want, then I will make it. But a small sculpture would be more interesting to do for me, you know!" Susan answered with a smug voice.

"Oh yes, I know what do you mean!" Carolyn giggled because she exactly knew which kind of sculpture Ms Leevey was thinking about. "But a bust is really all what I want, believe me."

"Alright, a bust!  See you this Saturday. Goodbye, Mrs. Muir."

"Goodbye, Ms Leevey." With that, Carolyn hung up.

She had hardly hung up when Daniel suddenly appeared in the master bedroom. "What do you mean by saying a bust is what you really want, my dear?"

Carolyn jumped a little bit at the sudden voice of the captain. "Oh that.  Nothing.  Really, nothing, Captain."

"So, you really want me to tell the word bust didn't mean anything?  Come on, I know you are up to something and I wanted to know what it is.  Who was on the phone?" Daniel asked in a suspicious voice.

"Well, to be exact, Ms Leevey was on the phone. And she asked me if I would be interested in making an art object myself. She would like to teach me to make a bust."

"I didn't know you would be interested in making an art object yourself." Daniel was astonished.

"Oh yes, I am. Believe me, that was the reason why I mentioned the word bust on the phone, Captain." Carolyn tried to answer with a very serious voice but she was sure the captain didn't believe a single word.

"Alright, I'll believe you, my dear." But inwardly he was thinking something else. 'There was something in Carolyn's voice that tells me she won't tell me the real truth. I know she is up to something and I'll find out what it is.'

***********************************                                        
 Saturday 1 p.m.
Carolyn made herself ready  for the first meeting at Ms Leevey's house. Candy and Jonathan were with their friends and Martha had the intention to go out with Ed. Both women were ready to leave. Martha asked curiously while opening the front door, "Mrs. Muir, don't you want tell me what's the reason for your renewed meeting with Ms Leevy? Has it something to do with the Captain's upcoming birthday and a special present you have thought of?"
 
"Martha, please, stop that. It's only a normal meeting. That's all you have to know." Carolyn was a little bit indignant. But soon she regretted her rather harsh words when looking in to Martha's insulted face. "Sorry, Martha, I didn't mean to be harsh. I will explain everything later to you, alright?  Not now!"
 
"Alright, Mrs. Muir. I won't ask again." Ms Grant answered, still insulted. "And now we should go, it's high time."
 
Martha went by car to town and Carolyn walked to Susan Leevey's house, which wasn't too far away from her own home. On her way to that other cottage, she had the feeling that Daniel was invisible beside her. She knew she had to stop him before they reached Ms Leevey's house and he finally found out what she was really going to do. So Carolyn stopped her walk and called in to the air.  "Captain, I know you're here with me. And I know why. You know we made a agreement because of my meeting with Ms Leevey. You said you wouldn't follow me and I hope you stand by it. Please go home. And I promise I'll be back not later then 6 p.m."
 
"Very well, I'll keep my word. But if you aren't home by 6 p.m. then I'll come after you. And believe me when I get to see something I don't like then I'll spoil your whole fun." Daniel's deep voice came out the middle of the air. But before completely leaving the compact area, a very angry 'BLAST' followed and then he was gone.
 
Carolyn knew he was gone, but she was also sure that he would come if she wasn't already home by 6 p.m. Finally she reached the other cottage, where Susan was already waiting for her. "Hi, Mrs. Muir!" she was greeted by Susan. "Nice to see you."
 
"Hi, Ms Leevey!" Carolyn greeted back. "Nice to see you, too."
 
With that, both females made their way in to the house. After closing the door and Carolyn had taken off her coat, both women went in to the room which Susan had changed to a studio. Carolyn was enthusiastic about all the works of art which were in the room. "Ms Leevey, did you really make all these things yourself?" Then her special attention fell on a small male sculpture. She only noticed that figure because it was the only one which was formed like an act. 'Wonder who her male model was?  Surely no one from Schooner Bay.'
 
"Oh yes, I made all these things. Some of them are already sold." Of course, Susan noticed Carolyn's special attention and what her thoughts maybe were, so she continued hastily and a little bit nervously, "But enough of talking about my other works for now. We are here to make a bust of you, right?  Well, then, let's get started."  She had no intentions of explaining that male sculpture to Mrs. Muir, not yet.
 
"Right! Where should I take my place?"  Carolyn gathered her thoughts together because she had noticed that her look at that special sculpture made Ms Leevey obviously very nervous.
 
"Well, let's see. Oh yes, right over here, please." Susan said, while pointing at a place on the right side of the room.  Carolyn made herself comfortable. "Perfect! Remain in this position."  Susan took the gypsum, placed it on the table and then began to form the first outlines of Carolyn's head.
 
After one and a half hours, they took a break. "I must say you are really the most perfect female model for me I have ever had, Mrs. Muir."
 
"Why, thank you, Ms. Leevey."
 
"Oh, really, we both should call each other by our first names right now." Susan suggested.
 
"Why not?  Susan." Carolyn  agreed with that.
 
"Then it's settled, Carolyn. Well then, let's go into my kitchen and have something to eat.  We'll have a nice chat while enjoying our meal. We can get to know each other better, and I'll tell you how Candy is doing in my class."
 
"That's sounds great. And I'm really hungry after this first meeting." and both females made their way to the kitchen.
 
*******************************
Gull Cottage
 
Daniel tried to take himself to other thoughts by working on his sea charts, but he didn't succeed. Constantly he thought of the strange phone call Carolyn had made. He had to find out what she was trying to conceal from him.  Looking at his watch, he saw it was almost 6 p.m. and Carolyn wasn't home yet. Just when he was about to leave, the front door was opened and Carolyn stepped in. When finally facing Daniel, she said with an extremely cheerful voice. "I'm home as I promised, Captain." And out of the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of the figure at the bottom of the stairs and was thinking. 'Susan is right. High time to remove that old thing and replace it with a better one. And I think I'll tell her at our next meeting that she can also make a small sculpture of me besides the bust.'
 
"Oh yes, I see, my dear. By the look on your face, I can tell that this meeting seems to have been really amusing.  Seems you had fun your first try forming a bust?" Daniel said with sarcasm in his voice because he didn't really believe that Ms Leevey was teaching Carolyn to make a bust herself. However, he didn't trust artists, even if they taught at a school.
 
Carolyn noticed it but couldn't be provoked. "Oh, yes, it was. Ms Leevey said I'm very talented to make such art objects." Then she thought of that nude male sculpture she had seen.  Finally Susan had told her who the male model had been. She hoped Daniel didn't notice her easily blushed face.
 
In his anger, he didn't notice it.  'BLAST!' Daniel thought  and tried to control his temper.  'Hasn't worked. She cannot be provoked. I must try something else to elicit her the secret.'
 
The rest of the evening went without further incidents.
******************************
For the next two weeks, Carolyn was frequently absent from home.  Daniel got more and more mistrustful because this was the third Saturday afternoon his beloved wasn't at home.  He had thought that maybe Carolyn's interest in arts was only a momentary caprice. But it seemed that wasn't the case.  He missed her and the hours where they both were alone and shared a glass of Madeira with each other. "Blast!" he called very loudly.
 
Oh well, he had said he wouldn't follow her again but hadn't made any promises. Before trying to snoop again, he had a chat with Martha about Mrs. Muir's seemingly permanent absence.
 
"Captain, if you want to ask me why Mrs. Muir  is together with Candy's art teacher this weekend again, that I didn't know." Martha said.
 
"Oh, I had thought that maybe she had told you the real reason for her meetings." Daniel had thought Martha would have known more about these mysterious meetings, but it wasn't the case.
 
"No, she hasn't. I asked her today again, only to get the answer, 'It shouldn't be your concern.'  I'm curious like you. And I would like to find out what big secrets Mrs. Muir tries to hide from us."
*******************************
At the same time, at Susan Leevey's house, the bust was almost ready.  Only the finer contours had yet to be made. Mouth, nose and Carolyn's beautiful eyes. Susan was very busy and Carolyn tried not to move. But it wasn't very easy because her eyes had caught sight again of that male figure. Before her mental eyes, she saw not the contour of the male who had stood model for that figure, but Daniel himself. Now she had to grin at this idea. And she got a easily blushed face when thinking Daniel would really stand nude model for her. Very privately, of course. Susan noticed it and said. "Perfect! This becomes the best bust I have ever formed. And it would be the best object for my next exhibition." Immediately she noticed how Carolyn's facial expression changed. Now she was looking more angry. To calm her, Susan said appeasingly, "Oh come on, Carolyn, believe me, I never really thought of that. This is made only for you. But you can't blame me for having that thought. Oh, Carolyn, please. You have such a lovely smile. We both really don't want to ruin the bust, or do we?"
 
"Of course not, Susan. And I really can't blame you for thinking to have my bust for your next exhibition." And Carolyn began to smile again because the imagination of the captain's naked body was back again.
 
"So, that's much better." Susan said while forming Carolyn's lips with that lovely smile on it.
 
The time passed and it was almost getting dark as Carolyn said goodbye. But before she left, she told Susan that she would love to have a small sculpture of her too. "I knew it, you would change your mind about the sculpture. Well, I think we could start right now." Susan suggested.
 
Carolyn looked a little nervously at her watch and said. "I think it's very late, Susan.  I should go home now."
 
"Mhm, you are right, Carolyn, it's late. I promise it will not last long, believe me. I only have to make some outlines of your body.  That's all I need to make the sculpture. Your face I already have. Oh come on, only a few minutes more to be here at my house! Please, Carolyn!" Susan pleaded.
 
"Alright, Susan. If all you need are some outlines of my body, then I'm staying. But only a few minutes, no more." Carolyn agreed.
 
"Great. And I promise it will last only a few minutes."
 
Finally the work was done and Carolyn really said good bye. But before she definitely left, Susan said. "Well, Carolyn, I'll call when the bust and the sculpture are completely ready. I think that will be by next week Saturday."
 
"That would be great." Inwardly she thought, 'Just in time for Daniel's birthday.'
 
When she finally came home and entered her room, she was greeted by Daniel who was waiting for her. And he was very sarcastic. "The meeting must have been particularly entertaining this time that you didn't find your way home earlier then 9 o'clock."
 
Carolyn knew exactly what the Captain meant with his sarcasm but she didn't allow him to provoke her this time either. She was in a really cheerful mood and she wouldn't let it be ruined through Daniel's sarcastic remark.  "Oh come, Captain, be nice. Please don't let the day end with a fight between us. Believe me, when the time comes, you'll really know what I have been doing all the time with Ms Leevey."
 
Daniel had the intention to explore but couldn't because Carolyn's lovely smile held him back. "Oh blast, you have such a lovely smile which I cannot simply resist." And he did something he had wanted to do all the time, since he had only kissed her once before her birthday last year. He took her in his arms and both shared a kiss. Then he released her.
 
"Oh, Daniel, I should have known we could touch since you have kissed me last year when I had crept up to the attic and tried to snoop." Carolyn was in the seventh heaven.
 
Daniel noticed it with satisfaction. He was sure she would now finally betray her little secret but he felt deceived. Then Carolyn had seen through the whole thing. 'Blast!' he thought again.
 
Around Midnight
All was silent in Gull Cottage.  Daniel made his final rounds through the house before vanishing and reappearing at Susan Leevey's house.  The cottage was dark and silent. Daniel found the room which looked like an atelier. He made himself visible and looked around the room. The only things he got to see were some paintings and the small male sculpture on the table.
 
He had thought to find the one which Carolyn was trying to make. But there was no sight of any bust. Now he was definite mistrustful. "So I was right, Carolyn wasn't here to learn to make a bust herself. I must find out what she was really doing here all this time." Then he caught sight of that male figure again and took it to get a closer look at it. Daniel exploded when he saw what kind of figure he was holding in his hand. In his rage, he caused outside thunder and lightning because he really thought Carolyn had met a man here at Ms Leevey's house without him suspecting it. But he didn't realize at this time that the sculpture had already been made two months ago.
********************************
It was exactly one day before the Captain's birthday when Susan called and told Carolyn that the bust and the small sculpture were ready.

"Oh great, Susan. I'm coming this evening and will collect the things."
 
"Okay, Carolyn. See you this evening. Oh, but before I forget, last week after our last meeting I had the strange feeling there was someone in my house at midnight. I heard some noises coming from the direction of my studio. I thought that maybe a burglar had broken into my house. So I called for the police and was still in my bedroom when I made that call.  When constable Peevey arrived,  there was no sight of a burglar. And what made the whole thing more mysterious was that no burglary traces were available but clear footprints could be seen in the studio. When Mr. Peevey saw the footprint, he got a fright and babbled something like, nobody else could have done the burglary apart from a ghost. And he hurried away as fast as he could.  Carolyn, this is ridiculous!  Why should a ghost pay me a visit and to what end?  There isn't such a thing as a ghost or is there?" Now she remembered again the chilly feeling she had had when she had tried to take Captain Gregg's portrait of the hook.
 
Carolyn was giggling because she knew exactly who that burglar had been. "Susan, you have nothing to fear. Whoever was in your house will not come back, believe me." She tried to calm Susan and succeeded.
 
"I think you're right, Carolyn. See you this evening, bye." Susan was very much relieved because she believed her friend and hung up.
 
'No wonder there was so much thunder and lightning that night. He must have found something at Susan's house that he didn't liked and there he lost his temper again. And I know perfectly well why. He was acting jealous again because he thought I had met another man without him knowing it. That lovable devil!  How much I love him.'
*********************************************
The Captain's birthday
 
When the captain appeared in the living room he was very much surprised to find a wonderful birthday cake  with his name on it on the table. But there was no sign of the family. Where was everybody? he thought. And then suddenly Carolyn, the kids and Martha rushed out of the alcove and all called together, "Happy, Happy Birthday, Captain."
 
"Oh, thanks so much. Martha, your cake looks delicious."  Daniel said.
 
Candy had a small wrapped painting in her hand. "Captain, this is from Jonathan and me. We made it together." and she handed it to the captain.
 
Daniel took it, unwrapped it and was taken aback because he saw his ship, the 'Mary Anne', was on the painting. "Oh Candy, Jonathan, this painting is just beautiful. You are both very talented."
 
"Glad you like it, Captain." Candy and Jonathan were happy.
 
"Of course, children." He would hug them but he couldn't do it.
 
Now it was Carolyn's turn. "And here, Captain, is my very special present for you." She held the wrapped bust in her hands.
 
Daniel took the present out of Carolyn's hands. While unwrapping it, he suddenly knew what it could be. He was very much surprised when he finally held the bust of Carolyn in his hands. "Oh my dear, I never have gotten such a wonderful personal gift. This bust is just as beautiful as you are." He was really touched.
 
"Well, I thought it should be something very special for your birthday." Carolyn was very happy that Daniel liked her very personal present. "But there is still another present I want to give you but only when we're both alone." This time Carolyn whispered so only Daniel could hear it.
 
"Still a present! What is it?" Daniel whispered back, very curious.
 
"Well, you have to wait because we are not alone yet. But soon we will be."
 
Much later that evening, Daniel got his other presents too. "Oh what lovely sculptures of you, too, Carolyn.  Especially the act sculpture.  I will particularly treasure this one. This one will get a very special place in my wheelhouse. And don't worry, neither Martha nor the children will get the opportunity to see this one."
 
"However, this one in my left hand I'll place at the bottom of the stairs. It shall take the place of the figure which is already there." Then he took Carolyn in his arms and both shared a very long-lasting kiss.