455 - (black and white) (Alexandra Moltke) A seance has been held in the great house of Collinwood, a seance which has suspended time and space and sent one woman Winters on an uncertain and frightening journey into the past, back to the year 1795. Convicted as a witch, she is a fugitive from the law. But a child, knowing her hiding place, runs to her from a man who has been paid to kill him.
Noah looks like a goofy elf in that hat. Vicki holds the frightened Daniel in her arms as they hear Noah walking around in the outer room, exploring the walls with his hand. Vicki warns Daniel to keep quiet. Noah leaves and closes the gate behind him, then starts walking away from the tomb. Daniel explains to Vicki that Nathan sent him to the Old House on an errand and this man grabbed him, took him to the fishing shack, and talking about them going away in a boat--he escaped from him. Vicki assures him it's all right. Daniel doubts the man saw him come in there, but might have heard him say her name. Daniel is afraid he'll get her caught. Vicki says Peter is returning with food and medicine, and then they will leave. Not on a boat in this storm, warns Daniel. They have to wait for her arm to be better. Daniel wants to go with them, fugitives or not. He doesn't want to stay--his sister is weird.
Get her back to NY, says Vicki, but he insists he wants to go with her and Peter, pay his own way--Millicent signed all her money over to him--they could buy a boat. Vicki asks why Millicent did it, and he explains she did it when she married Nathan, and the latter doesn't like him anymore--he's changed. Vicki is unnerved to hear Nathan is at Collinwood, and she fears for Peter. Daniel says Forbes will turn in Peter and find them, too. Vicki says Peter is very careful--perhaps Nathan isn't there.
Collinwood, Nathan is there. He finds Noah in the drawing room and is furious with him. He closes the doors behind him and orders him out. I lost Daniel, Noah tells him, he got away.
Nathan grabs Noah by the lapels, eyes popping, furious. He calls him stupid, threatens to kill him. Noah warns him he'd better let him go or the whole house will know what's going on. Noah explains Daniel went into the mausoleum, called, "Miss Winters,"then disappeared. He wasn't in the tomb, and couldn't have left. He vanished, says Nathan, disbelieving. Noah tells him to give him his money, then hire another bungling fool. Daniel can identify him, frets Noah, and Naomi pushes open the door. Nathan escorts Noah out, telling him he'll help him find a job on a ship. Aye, aye, sir, says Noah, giving him a dirty look. Nathan says he is trying to help a former employee find work.
Naomi wants to know how Nathan can be unconcerned about Daniel, out in this storm, at this hour--he hasn't come home for dinner. Naomi fears something might have happened to him, but Nathan is blase. He curtly tells her he knows his responsibility, and she feels that his not searching for Daniel means he knows where the boy is. She wants to tell Millicent, but he forbids it. He is staying at the house because of his wife, and Naomi should stay away and not upset her about Daniel.
Naomi is still upset. Forbes suggests the escaped witch might have taken him, but Naomi insists Vicki isn't a witch. Nathan suspects they'll exchange Daniel for their freedom. Millicent will agree with him, states Nathan, and he wants to ensure his wife's peace of mind. Find Daniel, says Naomi, and he reluctantly agrees to join the search.
Peter spies through the window. Naomi is heading upstairs when she hears a knock at the door. She's glad to see Peter and assures him it's safe. He doesn't want to tell her where Vicki is hiding, but their former governess believes Daniel is in terrible danger. Naomi is upset to hear this. Peter says Vicki dreamed Nathan intended harm to Daniel, but Naomi feels Forbes isn't inhuman. Nathan can't be trusted, says Peter, he lied about Vicki at the trial. What can I do? asks Naomi. We need to leave the country, says Peter, who wants to speak to Joshua. Joshua is in Boston, but will help them when he returns, they have her word, Naomi promises. Peter tells her Vicki was shot in the arm when they escaped. Naomi wants Peter to bring her to Collinwood, but he doesn't want to--he fears Forbes and Vicki is weak. She'll give them what they need. He thanks her. She has felt impotent about all the terrible things that have happened, and she's glad to have a chance to help.
Vicki rests on a cold stone step and Daniel asks if he can help her. He's very sweet and protective of her. Don't be brave, he says. She shushes him. She thinks she hears Peter. He'll be there soon. It's been an hour, says Daniel. Vicki looks like she's in pain. Daniel starts to suggest he's been captured and Vicki says he hasn't, and that's all! She starts to cry. Daniel wants to leave; she reaches out a hand to stop him and he feels how hot it is. She can't stay there, he insists, he'll go get Naomi. He resolutely opens the secret door over her protests and he's ready to run through the woods--he won't let anything happen to her. "Wait!" she cries, but he goes. He exits the mausoleum and tiptoes away. He's grabbed by Noah and struggles in his grasp, screaming for help. Vicki hears him, opens the door and steps outside. She sees Noah strangling Daniel, warns him to stop, and finally is forced to shoot Noah in the back. Vicki asks Daniel if he's all right and tells him to get back in the room; she has to get help for Noah, he might be dying. Do as you're told, she orders, but Daniel says he's going to help her. Vicki checks Noah's pulse. He's dead! she cries, then begins calling for Peter, who is in the woods heading their way. Noah lies dead on the ground, and Peter kneels to check him. He picks up the gun and hears Nathan order him to stand up.
He takes away the pistol. "It's back to prison you go," says Nathan, holding his pistol on him, "but this time there's a new charge--murder! Now move!" And he leads Peter away.
NOTES: Vicki always wants to do the right thing, but now she's gotten her new boyfriend in trouble with Nathan, and he's going to be accused of murder. There was no one else around to have done it, and of course, fingerprint technology doesn't yet exist. We have to hope that Peter can somehow escape from Nathan and that Naomi can help both of them.
456 - (Alexandra Moltke) A seance has been held in the great house of Collinwood, a seance which has suspended time and space and sent one woman Winters on an uncertain and frightening journey into the past, back to the year 1795. Where now, branded as a witch, she is a fugitive from the law, hunted, forced from her hiding place, she runs with a child whose life she has saved, but he is still marked for death.
Daniel enters Collinwood through the side window, first checking to make sure no one is around. He closes the window after him, then gestures to Vicki that it's safe to come in--no one is there. He races her to the study, where she sits down. He assures her Naomi is home, and Vicki warns him never to be alone with Nathan, ever. He understands, Daniel says. He tells Vicki to lock the door behind him and he'll knock three times as a signal when he returns. She worriedly observes how long it's been since Peter's been away. Daniel runs into Milicent on the steps--who has kept him up this late, she demands--who is in the room with him, who was he talking to? He refuses to answer, so she goes to see for herself. "Millicent!" he calls to his sister, then chases her. She vows to learn who he was talking to, and he confesses it was himself. She worries her handkerchief, hearing this, Daniel isn't perfect. She'd tell Nathan everything, if he were ever at home--everyone is mistreating her, including her little brother. Naomi races down and hugs Daniel. You spoil him. chastises Millicent, who is upset to hear Daniel went somewhere. Millicent accuses Naomi of lying to her--Barnabas is back! Nathan says Naomi is trying to drive her mad, and she won't listen to her, ever! Millicent runs into the drawing room and closes the doors behind her. Daniel whispers to Naomi that he's brought Vicki back--she's in the study. They go there; Daniel knocks 3 times. Vicki lets them in. Naomi is all set to hug her but doesn't because of her arm. Naomi explains she told Peter to bring her there--at least 2 hours ago. He never reached her, reveals Vicki, sure Peter's been caught. She wants to leave, afraid of getting Naomi into trouble. They'll hide Peter, too, says Naomi, and when Joshua returns, he'll help both of them run away. Daniel tells his cousin abut the man who grabbed him and took him to the fishing shack. They were going to go on a boat, and he was going to tie Daniel up. Vicki starts to explain about killing Noah, but then they all overhear Nathan calling Millicent. Millicent accuses her husband of being against her--he tells her nothing. She didn't know Daniel was away, and he's in the study, unless they're hiding him. They always hide people! Nathan says he'll speak to Daniel, with her permission, and Millicent assures him he's in charge--that's how she wants it. Nathan bangs at the door and Naomi gestures for Vicki to hide in the closet. Nathan insists on speaking to Daniel and Millicent says her husband has more rights than her cousin does to speak to Daniel. When Naomi unlocks the door, Millicent calls her presumptuous. Nathan smiles at Daniel, he's glad to see him back. He wants to hear everything that happened to the boy--he wants to speak to him alone, but Naomi doesn't want to go just yet. Millicent leaves. Naomi explains about the man who grabbed Daniel.
Nathan doesn't believe it. Daniel says the man tried to kill him--caught him in the graveyard, was strangling him. Nathan accuses him of lying. Daniel describes him as thin, with red hair, with a scar on his face, dressed like a sailor. That sounds like Noah, says Naomi, Nathan's friend who was there earlier. Nathan says he knows Daniel is lying--Gifford is no friend, and he sincerely regrets his having come to this house, as he's dead now. Nathan discovered Noah in the graveyard, he's been shot, and he already brought the murderer to the constable--Noah was killed because he stumbled upon the witch--by Peter Bradford. Unless the witch is found, says Nathan, Peter will hang before she does. Vicki overhears this and is horrified.
Drawing room - Millicent stares dreamily out the window. Nathan tries to send her to bed. They must do something about Daniel, insists Forbes--Naomi is taking over. She sent Daniel to bed and Stokes to watch over him. He wants a legal document drawn up putting him under Nathan's guardianship. Millicent says there's a witch in the house, she feels it. This interests Nathan. Daniel let someone in the front door, reveals Millicent, she didn't see who, but heard them talking. The house is filled with people who aren't what they seem, says Millicent vacantly, then gets hysterical--she won't go to bed if there's a witch in the house! Nathan leads her away after promising to find the witch.
Vicki paces the study. She hears three knocks at the door and lets Naomi in, who explains that Daniel is in bed and Nathan in his room. Vicki tells her that she must go to the village--Peter didn't kill Noah, she did, to save Daniel. She tells the story of finding Noah strangling Daniel in the graveyard, so she shot him. She had to do it, agrees Naomi, there was nothing else to do. She thanks her for saving Daniel, but she won't allow her to give herself up.
Vicki can't allow Peter to take the blame for her crime; Nathan lied about Peter and will get him convicted, too--why is Nathan doing this? Naomi isn't sure, but when Joshua comes home, he'll know what to do. Naomi wants Vicki to stay in her room tonight, so she'll be safe. She tells Vicki to follow her, and they leave the study. Vicki follows Naomi upstairs.
Daniel passes Nathan by silently on the steps, and the ex-lieutenant accuses him of bringing Miss Winters back to the house. You lied about the man grabbing you, Nathan accuses--you're lying! Naomi interrupts, "And I won't let you take that tone with Daniel!" Daniel runs from the house and Nathan tells her to stop interfering--he's in charge of the boy. Naomi denies this, and says she's having the authorities investigate what happened to Daniel, who went into town to identify the man who attacked him. Nathan says he made it up, but she tells him there's a witness. Who? Demands Nathan. Unimportant, she replies--why is Nathan so anxious to know, are you worried? Joshua wouldn't like the authorities to be there, says Nathan nervously. He'd approve, insists Naomi. He hasn't told her, has he, inquires Nathan, about Barnabas? He's in England, insists Naomi. Not true, says Nathan. All right, so you found out he's dead, says Naomi. No, says Nathan, I found out he's not dead.
She refuses to listen and he tells her to go to the tower room. You're lying, says Naomi--why would my husband keep it from me? Because Barnabas is a murderer, says Nathan. He's dead, insists Naomi, and tries to force him out of the house. Nathan says she sounds just like her husband before learning it was true. "Your son is the strangler, Mrs. Collins--you think about that before you call in the authorities. Go to the tower room. Go on." And he walks away. She clutches her hands and heads upstairs. The coffin sits in the tower room. Naomi goes there, unlocks the door and sees it. Surprised, she stares at it a moment, then starts to walk out, but turns back.
She sets her candle down on a table and begins to lift the lid.
NOTES: Imagine being a mother of a son you thought dead. One man tells you your son is a murderer, another says he's under a curse and must remain in a coffin. Now you're going to learn the truth, a truth you aren't sure you want to know. How will Naomi, who is already so unhappy, handle this?
Love, Robin
