If Barnabas and Julia had decided to walk through the woods ten minutes earlier, they might have saved Hortense's life and perhaps averted the pending catastrophe. Ah, well. Hortense was apparently quite chatty for somewhat who nearly had their head ripped off.
But what really matters story wise is there's a job opening at Collinwood! Daphne is no more qualified for the position than Maggie was. Maybe less so, because at least the family knew Maggie and had some knowledge of her character. But Daphne is a virtual stranger, with nothing other than a recommendation from Desmond. Her only job experience seems to be at the Collinsport Star. But Quentin hires her just the same.
Julia tries to dissuade Daphne from taking the job but handles the situation poorly. Daphne probably thinks that Julia is a busybody and somewhat daft. And she's right. Barnabas could simply have bitten her and commanded her not to accept the job. But this is never given any discussion.
And guess who shows up at the cliffhanger? Angelique! The plot is about to get thicker and the waters muddier.
