986 - Stroka does the intro, haltingly, and it's hard to realize who it is.
Alexis, sexy in her sister's nightgown, looks genuinely sad when Quentin realizes his wife has left him. He goes into the drawing room and takes a drink of what looks like strong iced tea. Alexis asks if she's intruding, but he warns he isn't good company. She had no idea Maggie would leave because of her, says Ang--can't everyone see how different she is from her sister? Quentin says the resemblance is a but striking. Only superficial, she assures him, even though twins, they were always so different--she had an inner radiance that was reflected in her every movement--people were enchanted by her. Quentin looks evasive when she says this, like he doesn't believe it, but he says he knows what she means. It wasn't easy being her sister, Alexis assures him, believe me. Quentin says he can imagine, and walks off. Everything was so easy for her, says Alexis, and nothing was easy for me, especially imitating Angelique, and she tried to do that--what woman wouldn't want to be as she was? Quentin has refreshed his drink, almost to the top, and he's downing it quickly. Alexis asks his forgiveness, why didn't he stop her immediately? It's all right, he says. How very deeply you must have loved her, remarks Alexis. Believe me, says Quentin, no one knows more than I how extraordinary he was (said with some sarcasm). It was the last thing I wanted to do when I came downstairs, says Alexis, to talk about her, and here I am. It's all right, says Q, I know you'd want to talk about your sister. Please, she says, I know it's none of my business, but shouldn't you go try and find Maggie. Probably, he says. She's your wife! says Alexis. Quentin doesn't want to talk about it. Of course, says Alexis, then says her talents are the exact opposite her of her sister's--she could do no wrong, whereas... Quentin asks her to forgive his abruptness, it's one of his less attractive qualities. Alexis isn't so sure. He offers to arrange for a car for her--he's sure she'll want one, to go into town and see her father. I want to do that least of all, she says firmly--it's another difference between Angelique and me, she was devoted to our father, got along famously with him, but he and I have not been in contact for years, and I prefer to keep it that way. As you wish, says Quentin. She thanks him for his thoughtfulness, then bids him good night. He says it back, and drinks. He hears a piercing scream. We see Amy standing at the top of the stairs, hands pressed to her mouth, screaming, as she sees Alexis, "It's a ghost! It's her!" Quentin comes into the foyer and orders Amy to stop that. No, it's a ghost, shrieks Amy, can't you see her? Quentin orders her to stop it, this is Angelique's twin, Alexis, stop screaming and come down here. No, says Amy, trembling, I saw her in the casket myself. That's enough, says Quentin, and orders her to come down and meet Alexis. Amy walks slowly downstairs and Quentin introduces Alexis to his cousin Amy. Alexis greets Amy, who says her name isn't Alexis, it's Angelique. Quentin, annoyed, says she must understand--this is Angelique's twin, Alexis, and you're being very rude. Alexis says it's understandable, and offers to go up to her room so Quentin can explain it to Amy. Amy looks frightened as Alexis says good night and apologized for scaring her. She goes upstairs. In a low, frightened voice, Amy tells Quentin that Daniel said she'd come back, but I didn't believe it. Q asks her why she doesn't believe what he's telling her. Because I heard you...oh, I'm sorry, she says, I didn't mean to listen, but I couldn't help it, you and Maggie were talking so loudly, and I didn't like what I heard, anyway--I heard Maggie says she was leaving--did she? Yes, says Quentin. Of course she did, says Amy, but that's because Angelique came back and made her go away. That isn't the way it happened, insists Quentin. Please, she begs, make Maggie come back, Daniel doesn't like her but I do. Quentin assures her this isn't something she should concern herself with. Please? she begs. He orders her upstairs, to bed, to sleep. But she's up there, says Amy. Quentin, annoyed, repeats his orders, saying she's too old for this nonsense--go to sleep! All right, she agrees, but again asks him to make Maggie come back. "Amy, good night," he says curtly. Please, all you have to do is ask her and she'll come back! persists Amy--I remember the way she looked at you, she'd do anything that you asked her to do. Quentin looks stricken, but barks another good night, and she finally goes upstairs. He finishes his drink, telling himself he won't go after her, it must be her decision, completely, he will NOT go after her!
9 PM - Quentin looks in an address book and dials a number on the foyer phone. He places a person to person call to Mrs. Maggie Collins. He talks to her sister, Jennifer, asking if Maggie is there. Yes, he's told, but doesn't want to speak to him. Quentin insists, asking how Maggie expects to end this stupid quarrel unless she talks to him. Would it help if he came to New York? What does Maggie want him to do? All right, says Q, and asks Jennifer to tell Maggie he loves her and will be waiting for her. Yes, he says angrily, Alexis is here and is going to stay here until she meets her nephew, Daniel--goodbye. He hangs up.
At the cottage, Bruno asks Cyrus exactly what he's trying to say. Cyrus tells him for a moment he thought Bruno's prophecy would come true--that Angelique would find a way of coming back. (He's in a dark three piece suit and very handsome.) And now you think she has? Asks Bruno. Cyrus says not at all, but what does he think? What can I think? asks Bruno, I haven't even seen this vision of yours. But you're not even curious? asks Cyrus. Is that why you cam here this morning, asks Bruno, so early, to check out my curiosity level? No, I only mentioned it because I thought it might interest you, says Cyrus, but there is something that does interest me. You want me to come to the lab again so you can work on your experiments, asks Bruno. Perhaps later, says Cyrus, I only thought that I need Angelique's address book, the one in the room. Walk in and take it, says Bruno. He tried, says Cyrus, but I was caught by Chris and I don't want to go through that embarrassment again. You want me to steel it for you, is that it? asks Bruno. Cyrus stutters and says he just wanted to borrow it, temporarily. Bruno understands, and will get it for him for a generous fee. Cyrus agrees, but wants that address book badly. Quentin enters. Bruno says he didn't hear him knock. Quentin says he doesn't have to knock at his own door, and asks Cyrus to excuse them, he must speak with Bruno alone. They'll be in touch? Asks Cyrus. Probably, responds Bruno, and the doctor leaves. Quentin gives him one hour to pack his things and get off his property. And I'll give you exactly one minute to get off of mine, retorts Bruno. Please spare me that arrogance and argument, says Quentin. Gladly, says Bruno, holding up a piece of paper, will you kindly take a look at this, I anticipated your visit and kept it ready--a deed signed by your late wife giving me sole possession of this cottage. Quentin snatches it from him and reads it.
"A true patroness of the arts," says Bruno triumphantly, "in appreciation for all the compositions I dedicated to her--I'm working on one right now, would you like to hear it?" This is a fraud, says Quentin. Sorry, says Bruno, taking it from his hand, no such luck, we're neighbors and you may as well accept it. Quentin vows to have Chris look into this immediately. Bruno tells him Chris is a very clever lawyer and it should take him no time at all to convince Quentin his claim is legitimate. We'll see, promises Quentin. Bruno asks about Quentin's remarkable visitor, and Quentin says no, who told him that? I understand she bears a striking resemblance to Angelique, says Bruno. Twins usually do resembles each other, says Q, or haven't you heard? Twin--of Angelique's? asks Bruno. Don't make yourself too comfortable here, advises Quentin, until Chris has had a chance to investigate that deed, and in the meantime, what happens at the house--who comes, who goes--is of no concern to you. Oh, Quentin, says Bruno, does that include your wife--I understand she left last night. Quentin slams the door as he exits. A twin, speculates Bruno aloud, this I've got to see.
Amy sits by the fire at Collinwood and answers the knock at the door. It's Bruno, who walks wordlessly past her. She's upstairs in her room, says Amy. Who? asks Bruno. Quentin says her name is Alexis, says Amy. How do you know who I came to see? Asks Bruno. You always used to to see her, says Amy. Alexis? Asks Bruno, I've never even met her. Oh, yes you have, go upstairs, says Amy, go upstairs, you'll see--I wonder if they'll make YOU call her Alexis, too. And without another word to the spooky/spooked Amy, Bruno heads upstairs.
Alexis sits at the piano in Angelique's room, and invites Bruno in at his knock. He stares at her, telling her to keep playing. She asks what he's doing here. Until a moment ago, he says, clearly shocked, he was listening to a song of his
--his name is Bruno. Oh, of course, I'm sorry, I didn't know--I like your music very much. Thank you, he says, kissing her proffered hand, it was one of your sister's favorites. He holds her hand, and she finally takes it away, saying she can understand why. Bruno says there was one passage where she invariably made a mistake--would she mind giving it a try?--perhaps she's better than he sister. Play the music in front of the composer? Asks Alexis, I'd make nothing but mistakes, I'd be so nervous. Try? he asks. She says it would be useless. He seems dangerously close to kissing her, and she asks if he wants anything else, given that he's staring at her. Bruno apologizes, there's a book he wanted to borrow. All the books are downstairs in the library, she tells him. This is a special book, says Bruno, it belonged to your sister, her address book, and there are some numbers in there of friends they had in common--would she mind his borrowing it? Alexis says no, she supposes not, it seems that the two of them were close, very dear friends, hmm? Very, he says, and finds the address book in the first drawer he checks. Are you sure you don't mind? Asks Bruno. As long as you think Angelique wouldn't have minded, says Alexis. Bruno is sure she wouldn't have, at all--he forgot to welcome her to Collinwood--he lives in the cottage on the estate; her sister deeded him the property before she died--please, visit me anytime you'd like. Alexis thanks him and smiles--she'll be here a few days, Daniel is away, and she wanted to stay and meet him. Of course, says Bruno, he is your nephew, and very much your sister's son, as you will soon see. Where have you been, he asks, that he's never had the pleasure of meeting her before? Living in Florence for the past few years, she says, I suppose I'll go back to New York after I leave here. Back to New York? He asks, I'm confused--you said you're from Florence, but going back to New York. I sailed from Genoa, she says, and I docked in New York before coming here, she explains. Of course, he says, then asks how the weather was in New York yesterday? The day before, she says hesitantly. I suppose it was warmer there than here? asks Bruno. Yes, she agrees, but not much. We'll catch up, he says, we always do. She rises from lounge in which she'd been sitting and goes over to look at the cover of the music score she'd been playing. The cover says, ODE TO ANGELIQUE, and under a photo of Bruno is says Bruno Hess.
On the phone in the drawing room, Quentin tells Chris it's got to be a fraud, or forgery or something--Angelique couldn't do a thing like that--is he positive?--they can't do anything? Stick to it, they must get that parasite off his property! Amy enters and hands him a telegram that came while he was out. He asks who opened it, and she doesn't answer at first, then says she couldn't help it, she thought it was from Maggie and wanted to know if she was coming back--she says she isn't sure, that she wants time to think it over. Quentin says what she did was very wrong. She knows, but what about what SHE did, Alexis or whoever she is
--Maggie may not come back because of her, at least I'm not as bad as she is. Quentin is speechless.
Bruno plays his music at the cottage. Cyrus looks at the address book, and Bruno comments that now he can go on with that experiment of his. Possibly, says Cyrus, smiling, thanking him profusely. Don't thank me, thank a certain young lady, says Bruno. You saw her? asks Cyrus, what was your impression. She looks very much like Angelique, her twin sister, says Bruno. That's who she is? asks Cyrus.
Who else could she be? asks Bruno. Cyrus is sure he doesn't know--does Bruno? Of course not, says Bruno. Cyrus thanks him for the book again, then leaves. Bruno stops playing, and picks up the phone. He asks the operator to get him the number of a New York travel agency, one that would have information about ships docking on Genoa this past week.
Quentin listens outside the door of Angelique's room, hearing Alexis play the song. He stands there a moment, then realizes she's crying. He sits on the bench beside her. I don't know, she says, maybe it's the music or this room, her room, she doesn't know. He puts his hand under her chin and says, "I understand"--and then he kisses her.
NOTES: What's with the kiss? I guess it's in sympathy--or does Quentin think he's kissing Angelique?
Looks like Bruno won't be ousted from the cottage so easily. He seems much like the other Bruno, but not so murderous.
Amy did get irritating, not believing Quentin's story about Alexis. Then again, she is a little girl.
987 - Alexis draws back from the kiss, murmuring, "Quentin, please." He apologizes--I didn't know what came over me. Yes you did, she says, rising from the piano bench, and so do I--you thought I was Angelique, just like everyone else--it's been that way my entire life, as if I didn't even exist, she sobs, staring at the portrait--"But I did think that YOU, at least...
"No, he says, it can't be. Why shouldn't you be like everyone else? she asks-- Julia Hoffman and Amy--they both think I'm some kind of ghost, and the way Bruno acted this afternoon... Bruno? asks Quentin. Yes, he was here, mostly out of curiosity, I'm sure, says Alexis. Bruno was here in this room? asks Quentin. He heard me playing a song of his, explains Alexis, and came in with all kinds of excuses, but what he really wanted to do was see if I was real! He won't come in here again, I promise you that, says Quentin. It really doesn't matter, says Alexis, I won't be here, I'm leaving--I really believed that you, of all people, believed who and what I was, but now... But I do, protests Quentin, I do--you're Alexis, and what I did just a moment ago was very stupid and meaningless--please forgive me and tell me you'll stay. I really shouldn't, she says, there's been nothing but trouble ever since I've arrived, I even caused your wife to leave you. It wasn't your fault Maggie left, he says. I wish I could believe that, but I still feel I shouldn't be here, says Alexis--maybe if I leave, Maggie will come back. I got a telegram from Maggie earlier today, says Quentin--she wants to think things through before deciding anything. With me gone, it would be easier for her to decide, says Alexis. Quentin looks odd. I'll miss not meeting Daniel, she says--I've looked forward to it so much, I can't tell you. She picks up the photo of Daniel and Quentin, gazing wistfully at it. You must stay, he insists, you have to--it would mean so much to Daniel-- please. Not nearly as much as it would mean to me, says Alexis--he's such a handsome boy. Then it's settled, says Quentin, you'll stay, and I give you my word that what happened just now never happens again, and as for Amy and Hoffman, I'll see to it that... Alexis interrupts him--I don't want anything said to them, insists Alexis, it would make everything more difficult. I will talk to Bruno, Quentin assures her. Is he really as unpleasant as he seems? asks Alexis. Unpleasant isn't nearly the word to describe him, Quentin assures her--he has no idea neither he nor his curiosity will bother you. You're very kind, she says. Then you'll stay? he asks eagerly. Yes, she says, smiling.
We see the cute white rabbit in his cage. Bruno asks Sabrina, Cyrus' assistant, do you always wear that stiff white coat? She grins, putting away a book, and says, it suits my personality. I don't believe that for a minute, flirts Bruno. Pity, she responds. I bet you'd look better in something soft and silky, he says, touching her back. You won't have the opportunity to find out one way or another, she says archly. I'd like to bet on that, too, he says, and puts his arms around her. Cyrus comes downstairs and sharply calls, "Sabrina!" Then he mildly adds, I'm expecting a package and would like you to let me know when it arrives. Bruno fingers his medallion guiltily. Of course, answers Sabrina. Caught, Bruno is quiet for a moment. Cyrus returns to his desk. Sometimes, says Bruno, I don't understand you at all. I'm not a complicated person, says Cyrus. Are you really this cool, or don't you care? asks Bruno. About Sabrina? asks Cyrus--oh, yes, I care very much. Then why wasn't there any blow-up--you saw what was happening? says Bruno. It didn't mean anything, says Cyrus. How can you say that, knowing me the way you do? asks Bruno. I say that knowing SABRINA the way I do, says Cyrus. Don't forget, I'm a man with a lot of tricks, and I play the game pretty ruthlessly, warns Bruno. I know, says Cyrus, that's why I'm interested in you. He ties a rubber tube around Bruno's upper arm. Is that why you want to take samples of my blood? asks Bruno--you think ruthlessness is a blood factor? We know so much about man's chemistry, says Cyrus, taking a hypo into his hand, and yet we know so little, so very little--he stabs Bruno's arm. Bruno winces--what is it you want to know? he asks. More, says Cyrus. More what? queries Bruno. Just more, says Cyrus. What makes me such an invaluable part of this experiment? queries Bruno. Do you think yourself invaluable? asks Cyrus. Why else do you pay me as much as you do? questions Bruno--you could get someone else. Patronizing the arts, says Cyrus, holding up the blood-filled hypo, after all, you are a composer, aren't you? Bruno rolls down his sleeve--I guess you aren't going to tell me anything, he says. Do I give that impression? asks Cyrus. Definitely, says Bruno sourly. Good, that's exactly the one I wanted to give, says Cyrus. I'm beginning to understand why you and Sabrina hit it off as well as you do, remarks Bruno--you two are very much alike, one thing on the outside, but inside, who knows? Cyrus just looks at him, not revealing anything.
We see pretty-colored fluids dancing in tubes, bottles and vials as Cyrus putters around. What would you say, asks Bruno, if I told you I was conducting an experiment of my own? Good luck, says Cyrus, no curiosity at all on my part--as you've no doubt observed, I get absorbed with my own work. What if I tell you my experiment dealt with something that might interest you? asks Bruno, smoking a cigarette. Cyrus, adjusting something in his pipes, says, I doubt the two of us would be interested in the same thing. Aren't you fascinated with the occult? asks Bruno. Cyrus looks at him--my interests are purely scientific, he says, and the only thing I want to do is gain knowledge for the betterment of mankind. Maybe my motives aren't quite as pure, admits Bruno, but what if I told you MY experiment dealt with the dead coming back to life? Cyrus shows interest--I ask if this came about because of your interest in Angelique's sister--do you really believe that Angelique will return? Since you won't tell me about your experiments, I won't reveal anything about mine, says Bruno. Sabrina comes downstairs--Cyrus, the package arrived, but the messenger wants to see you himself. Tell him you're quite qualified to take it, says Cyrus. I did, says Sabrina, but he still insists on seeing you. Cyrus objects--I can't say hello to every messenger who comes by. The "messenger" appears in the lab--I'm Horace Gladstone, he says. You're Horace Gladstone? asks Cyrus, shocked. I thought you'd be interested in meeting me, says Gladstone. (He played Mr. Strack, folks.) Excuse us, Cyrus asks Bruno and Sabrina--I'd like to speak to Gladstone alone. I expect a progress report on my experiment soon, says Bruno--perhaps you will have one, too--"See you honey," Bruno calls to Sabrina in parting. She looks at him coldly. Bruno opens the door to the outside and leaves. Cyrus locks it behind him, then notices Sabrina is still there. You said you wanted me to help clean up, she says defensively. After I've spoken to Mr. Gladstone, insists Cyrus. She goes upstairs. Mr. Gladstone, I don't think it necessary for you to come all the way from Boston for this, says Cyrus. True, agrees Horace, but I was so very interested in meeting the man who is working with this--he holds up the package in his hand--particularly that chemical synthesis. If it's my credentials you're concerned about, says Cyrus, they're quite readily available. No, says Gladstone, I may not be as active as I used to be in the fields of chemistry and science, but I always retained a particular interest in the possibilities of this synthesis--its inclusion in your work aroused my curiosity, especially as to the aims of the experiment. I'm sorry, says Cyrus, I don't discuss my work with anyone. Are you aware of the potency of the synthesis I've just given you? asks Gladstone. More aware than you are, probably, responds Cyrus.
Gladstone stares at him. Cyrus, scared for a moment, thanks Gladstone and dismisses him. One word of warning, says Gladstone--one of the reasons I'm no longer so active is that I felt I was coming closer and closer, even within the limited fields of chemistry, to truths better left unknown. Thank you again, says Cyrus, not commenting on Gladstone's warning--good afternoon. Good afternoon, says Gladstone. Cyrus takes his package and locks the door after him.
Bruno is checking on the progress of his requested information about ships from Genoa docking in New York, and whether or not Alexis Stokes was onboard. (He stands in a room with only a lamp and phone, totally dark.) Upon learning there were no such ships the entire week, he is pleased. He thanks the agent for the trouble, then grabs his throat and begins choking.
Alexis is playing his piece on the piano when the choking Bruno bursts in--stop what you're doing to me! he gasps--I know it's you!--you with your spells, he accuses. I don't know what you're talking about, says Alexis. The doll--please take them out before it's too late, he cries, clawing at his throat, sweating. Please leave, she demands, or I'll have to go find Quentin. You know I called the shipping office, don't you? he demands. Shipping office? she asks. Please, stop the pain! he screams. She takes a pair of garden shears from the nearby table, holds them up threateningly and orders him out--you're obviously mad! she wails. The pain stops suddenly, enabling Bruno to breathe. "It's in that drawer, isn't it?" he asks. Again, she says, I don't know what you're talking about, nor do I care--I opened the drawer to get the shears. You never sailed to New York from Genoa, accuses Bruno. I beg your pardon? she says. There have been no ships from Genoa the past week! he says. This is ridiculous, she says, pruning flowers. Why did you lie, why did you have to lie? he demands. I do not owe you any explanations, she says. I want one anyway, insists Bruno. Did it occur to you that I might have wealthy friends, and I sailed with them from Genoa to New York on their private yacht? she asks. Private yacht? gulps Bruno. And what interest could it possibly be to you, anyway? she asks, furious, sounding much like Angelique in RT.
How dare you accuse me of lying, you don't even know me--are you going to leave, or do I have to call somebody? Bruno agrees to leave--but my experiment isn't over yet--not yet--why don't you want me to know the truth, I don't understand? Growing hysterical, she begs, no more, please, no more, I can't take anymore--please leave me alone?!! She tosses the pruning shears back in the drawer, looking ready to explode.
You're so quiet, Cyrus, says Sabrina--you don't talk about it to anyone--and so secretive of your notes. You'll know all she needs to, he promises, when the time comes. Sabrina sets up some test tubes--when that will be? she asks. She finds a ring in a jewelry box. Did you put this here? she asks. What is it? he asks--yes, I did put the ring there--so you'd find it. It's for me? she asks. I don't know who else it could be for, he teases. She puts the ring on her engagement finger and says, before I put my arms around you and make a fool of myself, it IS an engagement ring, isn't it? I hope so, he says shyly. Oh, Cyrus, she says, hugging him--darling! Do you like it? he asks. I love it, she says--and you. You know how I feel about you, says Cyrus, but I must warn you, you're very aware of my work habits, and knows how I tend to concentrate heavily on my work. I don't mind, she assures him. Some women would, he says--my whole life is centered about my work, all my energies and thoughts... Your devotion to your work is one of the things I like about you, says Sabrina. He grins at her. Not the only thing, she adds, but one of them. Gently, she kisses him. There is something, she says, but stops before telling him--I'm just about to poke my nose where it doesn't belong again. You can tell me, insists Cyrus. Sabrina says, "Your new experiment..." Oh, we're back to that, says Cyrus, displeased. She instantly backs down--I shouldn't have mentioned it, she says--you have a right to work on anything you choose. Do I? he asks, do I really? Of course--what a strange question, says Sabrina. Aren't there any limits? asks Cyrus--suppose I was to do something harmful to mankind--something evil. What are you talking about? she asks. Nothing, says Cyrus, I was just bringing up age-old ethical questions, I tend to do that. I can't imagine you doing something that wouldn't be the best for everyone, says Sabrina. Yes, he says, that's exactly what I want to do--achieve something that would help everyone in the world, bring out all the yearnings of good undeterred by evil impulses--they destroy and blunt all things in this life--if we could just find a way, we...
He notes her shocked face and says, I get carried away, speak in cliches, sorry--shall we get back to work? You weren't just talking about your new experiment, were you? she asks, concerned. My experiment, scoffs Cyrus, heavens, no, have you ever heard such a long list of abstractions in all your life?--mankind, good, evil, darling--I'm a scientist, I deal with things that are scientifically obtainable--and no one's ever found an abstraction in a test tube, at least, not yet--good, evil, I'll never find that here.
Bruno goes to the cemetery and asks, are you here or someplace else?--I have to know! He enters the Collins mausoleum, which has the tombstone of Angelique Collins, 1939-1969, up on the wall. He begins to hammer away at it, intent on removing it.
NOTES: Gladstone is a very creepy, disreputable character, and will appear again in this storyline.
Bruno really scared Alexis, and if she is not Angelique, one can understand her ire. When she got angry at Bruno today, she seemed much like the Angelique we know in RT.
They keep letting us know Barnabas is Will's prisoner, showing us the coffin to remind us, and today, even the portrait. We know he's gone for a loooong time, stop rubbing it in, damn it!
Cyrus talks very long-windedly and scientifically, I was having a hard time getting my mind around what he was saying after my long workday. He sounds like a rocket scientist, doesn't he?
Sabrina is back, and I can't stand her in either timeline. She's engaged to Cyrus, who sure does know how to surprise a gal with an engagement ring--no getting down on one knee for Cyrus! He leaves it amongst the test tubes!
Love, Robin
