Welcome back, Judith! Edward is more or less happy to see her, but Kitty and Pansity are less than delighted.
Judith stares at Charity/Pansy, shocked at the change in her stepdaughter, with her heavy makeup and strange costume. [Makeup has really slathered it on thick, too.] Pansity is indignant when Judith tries to treat her like Charity Trask.
Edward thinks that Trask brought Judith home and is off putting the carriage away, even though that's really the coachman's job. Edward is stunned when Judith reveals that her husband hasn't visited her, not even once. He tries to insist that Trask when to the sanitarium once a week, but Judith is furious. Perhaps you didn’t realize he was there, Edward suggests. Is it possible you didn’t recognize your husband? No, it is not! Judith snaps. Are you suggesting I wasn’t in my right mind while I was there? [LOL!] Not at all, Edward says, backpedalling, but you surely weren’t yourself those last few weeks--we both know that. At no time during my stay at Rushmore was I not in complete control of my faculties, Judith insists angrily. I recognized you when you came to see me! She explains, I didn’t mention not seeing my husband because I was ashamed and hurt, but I’m sure Gregory will have a satisfactory explanation for this. No, this is unforgivable! Edward exclaims, full of righteous anger on her behalf. Judith says, I refuse to pass judgment until I speak to Gregory. There’s nothing to be said, Edward insists--he’s obviously been lying all along! The subject is closed, Judith decrees. She starts to leave, but Edward stops her in her tracks by telling her, The family is no longer in danger from Barnabas--he’s dead. Judith’s eyes grow wide as she takes in this news.
Still anxious about his portrait, QPetofi tries to threaten Kitty with the Hand once again, but she isn't having any. But as we hear Quentin's voice inside his head, we realize he is getting a bit smarter.
Kitty finds the famous note--Be who you were meant to be--and also the beautiful off-white satin gown that Maggie Evans will wear to the costume party in HoDS, among other places. The music box spontaneously starts to play, ahd she's happily possessed again.
Meanwhile, Judith decides that she will succeed with Pansity and has Edward bring her in. Once again, Nancy Barrett does a wonderful job. C/P enters and says bluntly, What do you want with me? To talk, Judith replies--sit down. The two women seat themselves. C/P says resentfully, I wasn’t good enough to talk to when Carl first brought me here. I remember ’ow you treated me. Judith replies, I think I have the only understanding of what’s happened to you. Nothing’s happened to me, C/P insists. Listen, please, Judith says. Now that I’m back, I’m going to run the house differently, and be a good and proper wife to your father. C/P looks at her in surprise, My father! she laughs. That would be some trick--considering he’s been dead a long time. I’m speaking of your real father, the Reverend Trask, Judith says. That old crow that lives ’ere? C/P asks, pulling a face. I’d take my own Bertie anytime, she says. Whatever his faults, he could be tender--give a smile now and then. Unperturbed, Judith says, Mr. Trask is your father, and I’m his wife--and I cannot in good conscience allow you to go on living in town they way you have been. You can’t allow it? C/P asks sarcastically. _You’ve_ got nothing to say about it! I’ll have a servant collect your belongings, Judith says, as if C/P hadn’t spoken. Hold on a minute! Charity shouts. You have no right to decide what I’m going to do with my life--and I won’t let you do it! Judith retorts, What would your mother say if she could see the kind of life that you are living? This is enough to bring C/P up short. My mother? she asks very softly. Speaking of Minerva, Judith continues, Your mother was a God-fearing woman, who brought you up to be a lady. How would she react to the way that you are dressed, with all that frightful paint on your face? Seeing that C/P is really troubled, Judith presses further: What would your mother think if she saw her daughter in the Blue Whale, singing one of her cheap little songs? Mortified, C/P admits, What did you have to go and bring up me mum [that is, Pansy’s] for? I don’t like to think about it. You wouldn’t want your mother to see you now, Judith says gently. She always wanted me to be a respectable lady, C/P acknowledges, close to tears. And you could be in time, Judith agrees--if you return to Collinwood. [Perhaps she wants to make sure C/P doesn’t have any (more?) male “friends.“] Why do you want to do this for me? C/P asks, beginning to give way. I feel that I owe it to you, Judith answers. (Charity, at least, is her stepdaughter.) Is it because of the way you treated me when I first came? C/P wonders. You can believe that if you wish, Judith replies, but I think this is where you should be. C/P smiles sadly as she says, It’s a lovely ’ouse, and I remember saying so to Carl when he brought me here. He was so excited and proud, showing off the place to me. Then you’ll come and live here? Judith asks, seeming to really want her to. Yes, I will, Charity agrees.
QPetofi does a stellar job of introducing himself to Judith as Count Andreas Petofi. I thought the unfortunate governess's name was Angela Stone. But definitely not Stokes, although that would have been funny. Judith tells him to make himself at home any time he cares to visit.
Upstairs, Kitty steps out onto the landing, now wearing an enveloping red shawl (Julia’s, probably) over Josette’s gown. If possible, she looks even more beautiful. Josette’s music is still playing. Judith and QPetofi exit the drawing room. QPetofi greets her and asks, Have you met Edward’s sister? Totally oblivious, Kitty says, He is waiting for me. I must go to him. She walks right past him, ignores him as he calls her name and leaves the house before either he or Judith can stop her. Who was that woman? Judith asks. I saw her with Edward when I arrived. QPetofi explains succinctly, She is Lady Hampshire. Her late husband was a great friend of Edward’s, and she is taking her recent loss rather badly. Did she say she was meeting someone? Judith asks. Yes, QPetofi replies. I’d better go after her and make sure she’s all right.
Kitty arrives at Eagle Hill. Letting the shawl fall from her shoulders, she kneels by Jeremiah’s grave. We see lightning flash and hear thunder blend with Josette’s music as Kitty smiles and calls out, I have come for you. I could not stay away. I had to see you one more time--just one more time. I had to see you. Please, come to me. Let me see you. Suddenly the ghost of Jeremiah Collins (Tom Gorman yet again), his face still horribly bandaged, appears and steps toward her. She screams in terror, but he comes closer and raises his hand as if to touch her. Kitty gives a really bloodcurdling scream and tries to back away from him.....
MT: I could tell you what's causing all these things to happen to Kitty, but I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.....
![[snow_wink]](http://www.dsboards.com/SMF/Smileys/classic/snow_wink.gif "Snowman Winking")
