Here is the explanation to my Valentine's story.
And I say thank you to Susan G. for her help.
Anne

Rating: K



  Reminder of  the Past

           It was a month after Valentine's Day. Nobody had mentioned the visit
 of the young lady named Helena since she had come. But Carolyn and
 Daniel were directly reminded of this visit again. Candy and Jonathan
 were coming home from their visit in town. The meeting with Claymore had
 ended in a disaster. Both were just in the house as Martha came out of
 the kitchen. She noticed that something was wrong with the kids so she
 asked. "What's the matter, children?"
        "Claymore!" was their only comment.
         "Claymore? I don't understand." Martha was curious. "What has he
 done this time? Would you please tell me what has happened?"
         "Oh yes, we'll tell you." Candy began. "We got into his office and
 were going to ask him something special but he didn't pay any attention
 to us. On the contrary, he began to curse TERRIBLY when he saw us."
 Candy would have continued but Martha interrupted her. "Claymore
 cursed when he saw you both? I don't understand. Why would he do that?"
 
          "I don't know why, but he did." Jonathan continued. "Okay, Martha,
 we'll tell you the whole story. Please, let's go into the living room
 where it's more comfortable." All three went in and made themselves
 comfortable and Jonathan continued. "A lot of papers were lying on Mr.
 Gregg's desk."
          "Papers! What papers?" Martha wanted to know.
         "We stood in front of his desk and could have a quick look at it."
 Jonathan continued. "We could only read the name Gregg on the top,
 something about an ancestor and the name Helena."
         Just as the boy mentioned that name, Captain Gregg appeared in the
 living room by the fireplace. "Jonathan, what was that? Did you say the
 name Helena was on one of the papers?"
         "Yes, Captain." now Candy continued because she was curious about the
 Captain's question. "Jonathan and I could only read that name. Why? Did
 you know her?"
         Daniel didn't give an answer to Candy's question. He simply
 vanished. Martha and the kids looked at each other astonished. Martha
 was now very curious and thought, 'What's going on with the Captain? And
 why he didn't he answer Candy's question? He must know something about
 that name. But what?" and to the children, she continued. "What happened
 next, after your look?"
         The boy continued. "Claymore looked up to us, saw our curious
 expression and began to curse. And then something strange happened after
 his curse."
         Martha interrupted again and wanted to know. "What happened that was
 strange?"
         Now Candy continued. "Mr. Gregg suddenly got white as chalk when he
 saw that all the papers which were in front of him suddenly disappeared
 into thin air, like they were grabbed by a magic hand, and then he
 fainted."
         "Claymore fainted. That's like him." Martha was still curious. "Don't
 tell me it was a ghost in his office. Maybe Captain Gregg?"
         "Yes, it was a ghost but not the Captain, Martha." Jonathan answered
 with a grinning face.
         At the same time in the master bedroom. Carolyn sat before her
 typewriter and thinking about her article when Daniel appeared beside
 her desk. She looked up and noticed an expression on the Captain's face
 she had seen only one time, so she asked. "What's the matter, Captain? I
 can tell something is wrong."
           "We have a problem, my dear." was his comment to her question.
          "Problem, Daniel? What?"
           "Claymore, that miserable excuse of a man."
          "I don't understand. What has he done this time? Please, tell me."
           "Of course, Carolyn. The children were in town and had visited him.
          On the desk in his office they noticed papers. Your children had a quick
 look at them."
           "They saw papers? What papers?" Carolyn was curious now.
           "I'll tell you, my dear. On one of these papers was the name Helena."
 
           Carolyn started as Daniel said that name. She suddenly remembered the
 visit of the young lady on Valentine's Day. Daniel saw her expression
 and he knew exactly what her thoughts were in this moment. "I know what
 you are thinking, Carolyn. It reminds me, too, on the visit of that
 young lady. How the devil did Claymore get these blasted papers? I'll
 kill him." he got very angry at the thought of this ninny.
          Carolyn noticed his angry face and said. "I know, Daniel, but I think
 everything will end well."
          She would have continued, but a knock came at the door and Martha's
 voice sounded from outside. "Mrs. Muir, I have something for you. May I
 come in?" Ms. Grant knew that Mrs. Muir didn't want to be disturbed
 while she was working.
          "Yes Martha, please come in." the Captain had vanished onto the
 balcony.
          Martha opened the door and came in. "Sorry to disturb you, but I
 thought this letter was very important to you." and she handed the
 envelope to Mrs. Muir.
           "Thanks, Martha. Where'd you get this?"
          "A young man was at the door, just five minutes ago and he gave me
 that envelope with the request to give this immediately to you. He
 didn't want to tell me who had given it to him. He simply vanished. If
 you ask me, I think it's very mysterious."
          "You are right, Martha, very mysterious." Carolyn looked at the
 envelope and saw her name on it. Curiously, she opened the envelope and
 took the letter out of it.
          The expression on Mrs. Muir's face told Martha that something special
 was written in that letter. She wanted to ask her but then decided she
 shouldn't. Martha simply got out of the room without saying another word
 and closed the door behind her. Now Carolyn was alone for a moment, but
 only for a moment. Then Daniel was by her side again. "What have you
 there, my dear?" he indicated on the letter in her hand.
           "I'll tell you, Daniel. It's a letter from the young lady, Helena."
          "What did she tell you? Would you read it to me, Carolyn?" the
 Captain was very curious.
         "Of course, Daniel." Carolyn said with a smile on her lips. And she
 began to read.
*****************
                                                            Dear Carolyn
                     I'm writing this letter to you and the Captain, because I think I owe you both an explanation for
 my visit in Gull Cottage on Valentine's Day and for my sudden disappearance after that. I now live alone in a
 cottage in California which was once the home of my  great-grandmother, her husband and her son. She is the
 one from whom I got the two lockets which I left with you, Carolyn. Before you and the Captain call and ask
 how that's possible, I'll tell you.
                    My great-grandmother's spirit still lives here with me. That's how I know about the spirit of Captain
 Daniel Gregg. After I moved into this house and met her, she told me the whole story of her past and about her
 real parents.
                    Carolyn, your great-great-grandfather's twin sister, her name was Helena, too, had stayed for the
 summer in Wales with her close girlfriend Mrs. Summers. Mrs. Summers had given a ball to which she had
 invited Daniel's father who was in port for a short time. She had an ulterior motive doing that, as she wanted
 her friend to get married. She knew the young Captain Gregg very well and knew that he had an irresistible effect
 on women. And she was right.
                    A short time after she had introduced Helena to the Captain, both spent their time together as
 frequently as possible. Five weeks later, Helena discovered that she was pregnant. She told the Captain and
 he immediately set a date for their wedding because he wasn't a man who would leave a woman in this state alone.
                   The pictures in the lockets were made on their wedding day. The honeymoon was short because the
 Captain was called back to sea. He said goodbye to his highly pregnant wife. He didn't know at this time that he
 would never seen his first wife again. She died in the childbirth of her daughter. While Captain Gregg was in
 Boston,  he was informed that his wife had died after she had given birth to his daughter. For a while he was
 very dejected but then he remembered his daughter. He wrote Mrs. Summers a letter asking her to raise his
 daughter and she did it with dedication.
                   My great-grandmother found out somehow on her twelfth birthday that the Summers weren't her
 physical parents. She did ask them many question about her real parents but didn't get any answers. Shortly
 before her death, she learned who were her physical parents and that she had a half-brother.
                    I know I should have told you that when I was in Gull Cottage but I couldn't. I wanted to tell the
 whole story at another visit, but adverse circumstances forced me to do it in this way.
                    A evil person, who hates me, stole my most private documents. He sent them to this blockhead,
 Claynore Gregg. But don't worry, I have all documents back and they are safe now. But please don't ask me
 how I got them. I think you both know how I got them back. <G> The whole affair will become forever a secret
 between us four. I think we will meet again sometime later this year.
                                          God bless you both
                                               Your friend
                                                  Helena
 P.S. I saw Mr. Gregg on Valentine's Day, and that's how I knew he is a 'blockhead'. I can't believe that he
 is related to me. <Brrr> Don't worry he hasn't met me.
 ********************
           For a while there was silence in the room after Carolyn had finished
 her reading. Both had the same expression on their face, now that both knew
 the connection between them and Helena.
           Carolyn got to her feet and went to the telescope and Daniel joined her.
 Both knew that they were closer together then before. Just as Daniel was about
 to pull her into his arms, footsteps were heard outside the door. Both could
 tell from the sound of that it was Jonathan.
           Daniel was very angry about the interruption so he began to curse.
 "Blast! Your son has always the habit of appearing at the most unsuitable
 moment, my dear!"
           "I know, Daniel." Carolyn agreed. Daniel noticed by the look on her
 face that she was just as unhappy about the interruption as he.
           Jonathan called from outside. "Mom, you are in there? May I come?
 I've something important to tell you."
           Before Carolyn answered her son, she, too, let out an angrily whispered,
 "Blast!" and the Captain grinned. "Yes, Jonathan, you may come in."
           The boy opened the door and came into the room. Noticing that the
 Captain was also present, he felt a little uncomfortable. "Sorry Mom, Captain.
 I think it can wait until tomorrow." He would have turned and vanished from
 the room, but he was called back by his mother.
            "Wait, Jonathan! Since you are here, you should tell what is so important."
           "Well, okay. I had a curious meeting on Valentine's Day at school.
 I spoke with that young lady that Candy and I saw outside of Gull Cottage."
           The lad would have continued, but his mother interrupted him. "You what?"
            "I said I had a chat with that lady at school. She asked me about Gull
 Cottage. She wanted to know all about the house and the people living here. I
 asked her why she wanted to know that, but she wouldn't tell me. I had the feeling
 that I could trust her so I answered her questions. Mom, now there I think about it,
 she looked like you! How is that possible? Is she related to us?"
           Carolyn sent an imploring look to the Captain and he gave her the help.    "Jonathan, we'll talk about later, okay?" Daniel said with a penetrating voice.
           Jonathan knew that the discussion was over for now. "Okay!" and with
 that he was out of the room and had closed the door behind him.
           The door was hardly shut when Daniel did what he wanted to do before the  interruption. He pulled Carolyn into his arms and kissed her with passion. And she
 returned his kiss.


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