Thanks to Chantal and Mary for their encouragment so I did wrote this story.
Anne

Rating: K+


The Way to an Man's Heart

More then a year had passed since Martha Grant had used that special
cookbook and had made that special dinner for two.  Since the day she
had told Carolyn and the Captain the truth about that book, Martha had
never used it again and wasn't at all sure she ever should!  She was
absolutely certain that she had hidden it very safely so no one in the
family would find it, but she hadn't counted on the Captain's persistence.

Daniel found the book after an intensive search and showed it to
Carolyn. Now both began reading it together because they wanted to find
out for themselves if what Martha had told them about the contents
really were there. After both had read it, they knew that Martha had
told them the truth.

"My dear, no wonder Martha has had such erotic imaginings about us."
Daniel said mischievously.

"You can say that again. And no wonder she felt guilty." Carolyn
answered with a blush on her face, continuing, "Daniel, I think you
should put it in your sea chest with all the other things of yours. Who
knows, maybe we will get the opportunity to give something back by
cooking up something for Martha and..." she didn't finish but she had a
smile on her lips.

"Excellent idea, Carolyn." Daniel was completely enthusiastic about this
idea. And inwardly he was grinning because at the same moment he thought
about a special elixir one of his crew members had given  him. He knew
he had that little bottle still somewhere in the wheelhouse. "And I
think I knew of whom you think by that other person. I must say, now
your imagination is running away with you."

"Daniel!" She wanted to give a fierce answer back but stopped when
seeing his mischievous face. "Oh, you!" And both were heartily laughing
together.

Martha was just upstairs putting some of the children's washed clothing
back into their room when she heard intense laughter coming from the
direction of Mrs. Muir's bedroom. Curious, she made her way to Carolyn's
room to find out what was so funny. The door was open so she stepped up
and found Carolyn and Daniel laughing together.

Both stopped when seeing Martha standing in the doorway. "Martha did you
want something?" Carolyn, with a giggling voice, still thinking of
Daniel's last remark.

"No! I heard laughing, that's all and I wanted to know who was laughing
and why. Maybe I can laugh with you two, so that my mood would brighten
up. It seemed it isn't my day today." Martha looked a little depressed.

Daniel and Carolyn looked at each other and then at Martha. "What's the
matter, Martha?" the Captain wanted to know. 
 
"You both look so happy, I don't want to bother you with my problems. I
think no one can help in this case. I think I must fight it out alone
and by myself." Ms Grant was definitely depressed.

"Martha!" Carolyn got up from her chair, walked up to Martha and hugged
her to show her that she wasn't alone with her problems. "Come on, let
out what's still bothering you and you will feel much better, believe me."

"Mrs. Muir!" Martha was close to tears. "You are right, I know I can
tell you and the Captain everything."

"Well then, let's all three make ourselves comfortable and then let out
what's bothering you, Martha." Captain Gregg suggested, and they did.

After all three had taken their places, the housekeeper began. "First,
once again I had a fight with Claymore about some repairs."  Immediately
noticing the anger in the Captain's face, she stopped him before his
rage burst out. "NO, no, Captain, Claymore wasn't the one who put me in
this mood. I got from him what I wanted."

"Then WHO?" Daniel and Carolyn asked at the same.

"ED PEEVEY!" Ms Grant burst out.

"MR. PEEVEY!" this time Daniel burst out. "What has this man done to
you? If he hurt you, I'll personally drop him overboard the next time he
comes here."  He wanted to say more but stopped after he saw Carolyn's
warning glance.

"Oh, Captain, no, he doesn't hurt me in the way you are thinking. But he
has hurt me to my soul, this....." but couldn't continue because she was
too moved when thinking of Ed the lady-killer.

"Captain, I think I know what Martha is trying to tell us." Mrs. Muir
suddenly had the exact idea of what Ed Peevey had done to Martha and why
she was so depressed.

When Daniel looked into the green eyes of Carolyn, he could see what she
was thinking right now. And he looked back at the housekeeper and said:
"My dear, Martha, you had better tell us the whole story  -- exactly
what MR. PEEVEY has done. Maybe I can gave you some advice as to what
you can do in this case."

"Oh, Captain, that's very sweet of you." Ms Grant couldn't help but call
him that.

Daniel felt really uncomfortable in his skin now and corrected the
housekeeper. "Martha, there is one thing I am not, and that is sweet. 
You had better use your words carefully." And Carolyn had to laugh
terribly because Daniel's face was a study.  This was too much for the
Captain. "Alright, ladies, I think I'll better leave you two alone with
your female problems. I already see my experience in love matters isn't
wished."

This said, Carolyn was aghast. Now she was sure that Daniel must have
had more love affairs in his lifetime than he had told her about. And
now, once again, jealousy germinated within her.

Martha was flabbergasted.  She looked from Captain Gregg to Mrs. Muir
and saw in her eyes that his last remark had hit her to the mark. She
had, under no circumstances, had the intention to cause disputes to
arise between Daniel and Carolyn so she said: "Wait a minute, Captain. I
can't allow you both to argue because of my problems. You both looked so
happy when I came in but now.... If you both will excuse me, I'd better
get back to my work."

Martha was about to leave but was stopped by Mrs. Muir. "Martha, wait!
We will help you as best we can."  She turned in the direction of Daniel.

Captain Gregg couldn't resist her imploring look, so he said. "Martha,
don't go. Now, tell us what Mr. Peevey has really done. And I'll give
you advice as to what you should do about him."

"Oh, Captain, I'll tell you both what Ed has done to me. When I was in
town this morning, I overheard Mrs. Hassenhammer and Mrs. Post talking
about Ed. What I got to hear there wasn't very nice."  Now Martha had
tears in her eyes.

"Please don't cry, Martha, you know I can't stand it." Daniel said with
concern in his voice. He had an idea what would come next. "What did
they say about Mr. Peevey?"

"Well, Mrs. Hassenhammer said that she had seen Ed Peevey in Boston with
a younger female.  And they both made a very amorous impression on her. 
Supposedly Ed had been fire and flame for this female. Then I heard Mrs.
Post ask: 'Where did you hear that, Mrs. Hassenhammer'. And Penelope's
mother answered: 'I saw them both last week in Boston when I was there
with my daughter'. And then came Mrs. Post's voice again, saying: 'Poor
Ms Grant, I always thought Mr. Peevey was only interested in her.' When
they both saw me, they stopped their talking and greeted me very
friendly-like."

"Oh Martha, did you really believe that what this too snoopy female said
is true?" Carolyn asked with concern in her voice too.

"Yes, I do, because it's true. When I later met Ed, I could see the
guilt in his eyes. He was friendly to me, yes, but he evaded me when I
wanted to ask him why he didn't take me to Boston with him last week. He
answered that he had been there for business and wouldn't have had time
for me. And then he had the impudence to say: 'I didn't want that you to
be bored alone in the big city'. After he said that, I gave him a slap
on his face and got away.  So I know that Mrs. Hassemhammer had told the
truth about him. I could kill him!" Martha was fully jealous.

"That's terrible, Martha. I know how you feel now. How could he do this
to you after all the cherry pies he has gotten from you?" Carolyn was
angry with Mr. Peevey for doing this to her beloved housekeeper.

"I agree, my dear Carolyn." And then it hit Daniel. "Martha, you should
pay him back." he suggested.

"Captain, that's an excellent idea. What hasn't come to me is an idea.
But who in this town is good enough for me so I could make a revenge on Ed?"

All three thought very intensively about who was available and could
play the part of Martha's lover. And then it hit Mrs. Muir. "Martha, I
have it."

"You have, Mrs. Muir, really? Who have you in mind?" Ms Grant was very
interested.

"Mr. Hampton!" now it was out.

"Mr. Hampton!" Martha cried. "Why do you think he would be interested in
me?  I always thought....?" and she stopped when she looked at the
Captain and saw in his eyes that this thought didn't please him at all.

Daniel's jealous facial expression didn't escape Carolyn when the name
'Mr. Hampton' was mentioned. "Because," she began, "last week when I
talked with him about school, he showed very much interest in you,
Martha. He asked if he could come by and ask you a special question and
I said, yes, why not? I had the feeling that he wanted to ask you if you
go out for dinner with him."

"Mrs. Muir, he really wants to speak with me?"

"Yes, Martha, really!"

Martha was so happy about the news and all her depression was gone. "If
you'll both excuse me, I will speak with Mr. Hampton right away."  With
that, she was in a hurry out of the room.

"Daniel, before you say a word about Mr. Hampton, believe me, you are
the only one for me."  To show him how earnestly she meant it, she got
to her feet, walked to Daniel, who was standing by the telescope now,
put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He wanted to protest but couldn't resist her offer and kissed her back
fiercely. Then he released her and Carolyn got back to her work. While
sitting down on her chair, she again caught sight of that special
cookbook which was still lying on top of her typewriter. And then it hit
her again. "Daniel!" she called.

"Yes, my dear?" he answered, standing beside her desk.

"I've a better idea to resolve the trouble between Martha and Mr. Peevey."

"You have?"

"Yes, I have."  Now holding the book in her hands again, Carolyn
continued, "Remember, before Martha came in, we talked about how we
could give something back to her?"

Seeing the cookbook in Carolyn's hand, Daniel knew exactly what her
thoughts were. "Brilliant!" he said. "Let's cook up something for Martha
and Mr. Peevey. Well, let's see what we could make for them for
dinner."  Together they looked at the recipes and found a suitable
concoction.
***********************

Mrs. Muir convinced her housekeeper that she should spent a couple of
days with her sister in Florida, to prevent Martha learning too early
that a special dinner was planned for her. Of course, Ms Grant was
mistrustful but after Carolyn had told her that Mrs. Caroline Bradford
wanted to speak with her personally, she had agreed.  The family took
her to the airport and said goodbye but they knew Martha would be back
soon.

Daniel and Carolyn were very busy with the preparations for this dinner.
Mrs. Muir got the ingredients for the dinner and meanwhile the Captain
looked for his special little bottle and found it. Now he was thinking.
'Oh Daniel, Carolyn will never forgive you for this but it must be. This
time Mr. Peevey needs a little more then only erotic foods. But I must
be very careful with this elixir.  Too much of it could bring him into
full erotic power and I can't do this to Martha. One or two drops should
suffice for Mr. Peevey.  If that doesn't help, I can give him more. Oh
boy!'

Daniel was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice at first that
Candy was suddenly in the attic. "Captain!" she called.

The captain winced when he heard Candy's voice and turned around, hiding
the little bottle behind his back. "Candy, what brings you up to my
attic?"  He wasn't quite sure if Candace had seen the bottle or not.

"Oh, Mom, said she wants to see you in the kitchen.  It's very
important.  Wonder what she wants from you?  Captain, could you tell me
what's going on here?  I've asked Mom, but she wouldn't tell me
anything.  She says I'm too young for that."

"Candy, my dear, I can't tell you either.  Maybe later I'll explain
everything to you, alright? And tell your mother I'll be right down."

"Okay, Captain. And I'll tell Mom you are coming."  With that, the girl
left the attic.

After the girl had left, Daniel put the little bottle in his coat
pocket. He vanished and reappeared a short time later in the kitchen.
"Here I am, my dear. What's the matter?"  He could tell by the look on
her face that something wasn't going according to plan.

"Yes, there is something. When I was in Boston to buy the things for
this dinner, this time I saw Mr. Peevey with this young female Mrs.
Hassenhammer had spoken of, and both seemed very much in love with each
other. I think that woman must have bewitched him. No wonder he has
completely forgotten Martha. I think we need a great miracle to get him
here."

"My dear Carolyn, leave Mr. Peevey to me and I'll promise he will be
here, with Martha and nobody else."

Looking into Daniel's deep blue eyes, she could see the gleam in them. 
She knew he had planned something and she knew she should stop him, but
she didn't do it. Martha's luck was more important to her. A further
depressed Martha would be hard to bear. "Very well, Captain. But don't
do anything that could cause Martha ...." she didn't finish. "You know
what I mean?"

"Of course I do. And don't worry, my dear, I won't bring our dear Martha
into that situation we both think of right now."

Carolyn knew exactly what he spoke of. With a flushed face, she
remembered again Daniel's birthday last year and in which situation
Martha had seen them together.

Just as both were about to kiss each other,  Jonathan rushed into the
kitchen door.  He saw them and said. "Sorry, Mom, Captain, I don't want
to disturb your conversation but I need the Captain's help. It's very
important, please!"

"Of course.  When you need me, I'll come with you, lad." Inwardly
yelling 'BLAST!', he continued in his thoughts. 'Why does the boy always
have to appear at the most unsuitable moment?' By the look on Carolyn's
face, he saw she was thinking the same. The romantic moment had passed.


Later that evening in the master bedroom, after the children were in
bed, Daniel and Carolyn shared a glass of Madeira and enjoyed the
silence around them. "Daniel, Martha will be back tomorrow. Are you sure
Mr. Peevey will be here when she comes home?"

"He will, believe me, Carolyn, he will." The Captain sounded extremely
convincing. "Everything is running according to plan. Don't worry. What
about you?  Will you be ready with the dinner when Martha gets back?"

"Everything will be perfect.  With the help of that cookbook, nothing
will go wrong. And don't worry about the children, they won't be here
when Martha gets back. I told them they could spend this weekend with
their friends and both were happy."


"What about their mother, any conscience biting while playing matchmaker
to Martha and Mr. Peevey?"

"NO!" Both looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking.
There was longing in their eyes. And it came how it had to come and the
whole situation ended in a very fiery kiss and then.....

*******************

The "everything-deciding" Saturday was there. Carolyn had asked Claymore
if he could pick up Martha from the airport and he had agreed without
asking any questions, because the Captain had stood directly beside him.

At Mr Peevey's home, Ed was suddenly changed because he only thought of
Martha again. He was looking forward to this dinner with Martha. This
morning he had found an invitation for dinner on this evening in Gull
Cottage. Ed could hardly wait to see Martha again. Now that he thought
of it, he missed her cherry pies very immensely. He wondered what she
could have cooked this time for him.

****************

You wonder why ED was suddenly so enamoured of Martha again? I'll tell
you. Early this morning, Daniel was invisibly in Mr. Peevey's home.
Before Ed had enjoyed his coffee, Daniel had put two drops of that
erotic elixir in the coffee.

*****************

Mr. Peevey arrived at 4:00 o'clock and Claymore was with Martha on the
way to Gull Cottage. Everything was very beautifully arranged on the
kitchen table. Ed was guided into the living room by Mrs. Muir and told
that Martha would be here any moment.  While Ed was waiting, Carolyn was
in the kitchen to make sure that everything was perfect.

When Daniel appeared before her she was prepared to see him here. "My
dear, you did a wonderful job. Martha will be here in five minutes so I
think you should greet her at the door and tell her who is waiting for
her here. If she doesn't want to see him, I'll be there and will guide
her personally into the kitchen. I'm sure when she sees what we have
cooked up and that Mr. Peevey is himself again, then she will have that
dinner with him, believe me."

Just in this moment they heard Claymore's car stopping before Gull
Cottage. Carolyn got to the door and opened it, then Martha was standing
before her. "Nice to have you back, Martha!  How was your vacation?
Everything okay with your family?"

  "Great, Mrs. Muir. Glad you all have missed me. Can we go in?  I'm a
little tired from my flight back." And both made their way inside. After
closing the door behind them, Martha suddenly smelt food. "Mrs. Muir,
don't tell you have cooked something that smells wonderful in the kitchen?"

"Martha, I have. But before you get angry, there is something I want to
tell you."

"Tell me?  What?"

"Mr Peevey is waiting for you in the living room." Now it was out.

Ms Grant wanted to yell with anger when the door to the living room
opened and Ed was standing in front of her. "Martha, don't get angry,
please! I know I have made much wrong. Can you forgive me?"

Martha couldn't resist Ed's pleading look so she forgave him for being
such an idiot.

"I don't want to disturb the idyll but there is dinner waiting for you
both in the kitchen." came Carolyn's reluctant voice.

"A dinner, Mrs. Muir?  Don't say you made it for Ed and me?"

"I did, with the...."  but she stopped when seeing Mr. Peevey's
frightened face.

"Come, Ed, let's go in the kitchen and see what Mrs. Muir has cooked for
us two." Martha said.

"Your arm, Martha, please. I think a gentlemen should guide his lady to
the dinner table."

Taking Ed's arm, Martha and Ed both walked into the kitchen. They were
taken back by the wonderful arrangements, then, seeing the letter with a
menu, began reading it: 'Avocado salade, Scampi with melon' and for
dessert 'Orangecream'. "Sounds delicious, Martha. I didn't know Mrs.
Muir could cook. Well then, we should taste it."

"I didn't know either." Martha was perplexed. Taking their places at the
table, they enjoyed the dinner. While enjoying it, it came to Martha
like lightning. 'Now I understand why Mrs. Muir and the Captain wanted
me out of their way.  Oh these underhanded persons, they have found the
cookbook and thought they should give me something back. Now wait!'

Suddenly after the dinner Ed did something which completely surprised
Martha. He got up from chair,  looked at Martha with wild desire, put
his hands around Martha's waist, drew her to him and kissed her
fiercely. Martha was so surprised that she could hardly breathe.  She
didn't struggle in defense, however, but devoted herself to Ed's kisses.
Fourth Story