388 - December 20, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[Maggie narrating] - A séance was held in a great house of Collinwood,

a séance which has suspend time and space

and sent one girl on an uncertain

and frightening journey into the past,

back to the year .

There, each of the Collins ancestors resembles a

present-day member of the Collins family

but the names and relationships have changed,

and Victoria Winters finds herself a stranger

in a sea of a familiar faces,

and in a house where terror reigns.

For unknown to all,

there is one in this house who has secretly plotted

to destroy the Collins family

in order to gain the love of a man.

- There. Do you feel better now?

- Yes. My headache is quite gone.

- You see. I can be useful.

Are you sorry I came here?

- No, but I must go now.

- Oh, not yet.

- Reverend Trask will be here very soon.

- You don't like him, do you?

- The man is a fanatic and capable of extreme cruelty.

- But you will help him find Victoria Winters?

- Perhaps.

- Do you know where she is?

- Why do you ask?

- Do you?

- No, of course not.

- If you know anything about her,

you would tell him, wouldn't you?

- Perhaps I would.

- You must tell him anything you know about her

for your own sake.

- Why for my sake?

- Because Reverend Trask is right about her.

Victoria Winters is a witch.

She is capable of harming anyone in this house,

including you.

She must be found and destroyed.

♪♪

[eerie music] ♪♪

- What makes you so certain that Victoria Winters is a witch?

- Everyone else seems to think so.

- Not everyone.

- Only Trask, my Aunt Abigail

and the Countess, even she isn't certain.

- She must be a witch.

- Why do you say that?

- Well, how else can you explain the strange things

that have been happening here?

Your father's disappearance, for instance.

- I cannot account for that. - Well?

- Angelique, I am convinced that Victoria Winters

had nothing to do with it.

- You must admit Barnabas

you haven't always been the best judge of women.

- What do you mean by that?

- Well, isn't it obvious?

- You're referring, of course, to Josette.

- But did you judge her well?

You believed she loved you, did she?

You believed she was faithful to you, was she?

- Stop it!

- She deceived you, Barnabas.

She deceived you with a member of your own family. - Stop it!

- Why? Can't you bear to hear the truth?

- I don't want to talk about Josette. - Why not?

- Because I don't. - Why?

Because the subject is too painful?

Because you still love her? - No.

- You don't love her? - No!

- Do you hate her? - Yes!

- Say it!

Say it!

- I -- - Go on!

- I hate her.

- In time you will mean that. - I mean it now!

I hate her as I hate Jeremiah!

- Barnabas.

Barnabas, let me love you.

I love you so much.

Can't you accept my love?

Oh, I can make you happy.

I can make you forget if you give me a chance.

Will you give me a chance?

- Yes.

- Barnabas, you will never be sorry.

- Never.

Will you come to my room later? - Yes.

- Do you promise? - I promise.

- I'll be waiting for you.

- And you insist that you have no idea

where Miss Victoria Winters is hiding?

- None, whatsoever.

- You haven't seen her

or had any contact with her since she escaped?

- How many times do I have to tell you?

No. I have no idea where she went.

- How do you account for the scraps of food

that I found in the drawing room at Collinwood?

- I can't account for them.

- Obviously, they were left there by Miss Winters.

- Not necessarily.

- Lieutenant, you were coming out of that drawing room

as I entered Collinwood.

You didn't see Victoria Winters in there?

I have told you a hundred times I have not laid eyes

on Miss Winters since she disappeared.

- And that is all you're willing to say?

- It's all I can say because it's all I know.

- All right, lieutenant,

but one word of caution,

you're a bright young man,

you have a very promising naval career,

it would be unwise for you to endanger that career.

- What do you mean?

- If you were to become involved in this scandal,

your career would be ended.

Scandal such as this has ruined more than one promising career.

So, if you know anything about Victoria Winters,

anything at all,

it would be very wise for you to tell me,

very wise indeed.

♪♪

- Did you wish to see me, Reverend?

- Yes, Mrs. Collins.

Won't you sit down?

How is your husband?

- Not very well, I'm afraid.

What did you want to see me about?

- Tell me, how well did you know Victoria Winters?

- Miss Winters? Not very well at all.

- Did you ever argue with her? - No.

- Or disagree?

- What an odd question, no.

- Is there any reason that she might have hated you?

- Hated me?

What makes you think she hated me?

We - we barely knew each other.

- I have reason to believe that Victoria Winters is a witch.

- A witch? - Yes.

And the reason to believe

that she has practiced her witchcraft on you.

- But why me?

Why would she want to harm me?

We were strangers.

- She is handmaiden of the devil.

The devil attempts to destroy purity and goodness

wherever he finds them.

- I may not know Miss Winters very well

but I can't believe that she is possessed by the devil.

- She may appear to be innocent.

The devil assumes many disguises.

He hides his face well.

Let me see your hands.

- My hands?

- Let me see them.

Don't be afraid.

Just as I thought, the brand of the devil.

- It's only a bruise.

- You know better than that and so do I.

The devil has marked you as one he wishes to entice

into his ways.

- It's not always there. It comes and goes.

- When did it first appear there?

- Several weeks ago.

- When you first came to this house?

- Yes.

- When the brand of the devil is upon you,

how do you feel?

Do you feel changed?

- In a way. - How?

- I can't explain it.

I feel different. That's all.

- That is because you are possessed by the devil.

The devil must be exorcised from your body

and his handmaiden must be captured.

Only then, can you be free from the evil spirit

that possesses you now.

[knocking on door]

- Come in.

- Barnabas. - What is it, Nathan?

- Can anyone hear us? - No.

Why? What's wrong?

- I found out where Miss Winters is hiding.

- Where? - In the loft above the stable.

I found her there when I went out to get my horse.

- And how is she?

- Frightened but otherwise all right.

- Well, as soon as it's dark, I'll take her some food.

- She can't stay there. It isn't safe.

- But she is as safe there as anywhere else.

Trask has already searched the stable.

It's not likely he'll search it again.

- She isn't safe anywhere at Collinwood.

And as long as she is here, none of us is safe either.

- What do you mean?

- Barnabas, we can't go on hiding her,

protecting her.

- Well, you don't want Trask to find her, do you?

- No.

But he must not know that we are helping her either.

He can be a very dangerous enemy Barnabas.

He has already threatened me.

He told me that if I got involved in this scandal,

it would ruin my career, and he is right.

- So you're no longer willing to help Miss Winters.

- I didn't say that.

But if Trask questions me again,

I can guarantee what my answers will be.

I may be forced to tell him the truth.

♪♪

- Do you really believe I've been bewitched?

- Of course.

- It might explain so many things,

things that have happened

that I did not wish to have happened.

- When you are bewitched by the devil,

you no longer have a will of your own.

- No will of my own?

- You are no longer responsible for anything you might do.

- Not responsible?

- Whatever you did is not your doing.

It is the handiwork of the devil.

- Oh, I'd like to believe that I wasn't responsible.

- You weren't.

- I wish I could believe that.

I want to believe it.

No, I mustn't delude myself.

I've done many things wrong,

things that I've been ashamed of

but I did them willingly.

I was not under a spell.

- How can you be sure you weren't?

- Why?

I suppose I can't absolutely certain.

- Isn't it possible that you were?

- I suppose it is possible.

The brand! - What about it?

- It's gone. - Let me see.

What cause it to go away?

- I don't know.

I told you it comes and goes.

- Do you feel different now?

Different from the way you felt a moment ago?

- I think I do.

- In what way?

- Somehow I'm able to think more clearly.

- About what?

- About everything.

Everything seems somehow more real.

- I must cleanse your body

so the evil spirits can never bewitch you again.

I must perform a rite of exorcism.

Through my hands and my touch,

you shall feel the power of goodness

and the ability to ward off evil spirits.

- Reverend!

What are you doing?

- I believe that Mrs. Collins

has been touched by the power of darkness.

I am exorcising the evil spirits from her body.

- What evil spirits?

- She has been under a spell.

She has been the victim of an evil force

that has caused her to act against her own will.

- Do you believe that?

- I don't know.

- What have you done against your will?

- Nothing.

- Then there's no reason to continue, Reverend.

- There is every reason.

I must protect her from the powers of darkness.

- Please.

Please, don't go on with it.

- But I am trying to protect you.

I know but please don't go on with it.

- Mrs. Collins, for your own sake --

- You heard her!

Now, Mrs. Collins is not willing to go through

with your ceremony.

- All right.

I shall return when you realize how much you need my help.

I only hope that it won't be too late.

In the meantime,

I must find the one who brought the spirit of evil

into this house.

I must find Miss Winters.

♪♪

- Wasn't that rather cruel of you?

- Cruel?

- To pretend that you've been bewitched.

- I wasn't pretending.

Perhaps I have been.

- When?

When you fell in love with Jeremiah?

When you married him?

- I -- - Surely you're not going to tell me you don't love him.

- I - love Jeremiah.

He is my husband.

- And you married him because you love him.

- Jeremiah is my husband and he is dying now.

It's all that matters.

That's all that can matter.

- Is that your way of telling me you never loved me?

- Please, let's not talk about it.

- All right. Let's not.

Let's have no more talk about magic spells either.

You never were in a spell, were you?

- No.

Never.

- That's what I thought.

- Barnabas.

- Yes.

- I wish that things could have been different.

- What do you mean?

- Only that there are many things I wish I could change.

- What things?

What would you change?

You married the man you love?

- Yes.

- Then what would you change?

- Nothing.

There's nothing I couldn't change... now.

♪♪

[knocking on door]

- Yes. - [Angelique] Barnabas?

- Yes.

- Why the sad expression, my darling?

Is something wrong? - No.

You shouldn't be here.

Someone might have seen you come in.

- Oh, I don't care about that.

Why didn't you come to my room?

You said you would come. I was waiting for you.

- I'm sorry.

- I was waiting so long.

Why didn't you come to me?

- It isn't going to work, Angelique.

- What isn't going to work?

- Us.

- What are you saying?

- I still love her.

- What? - I still love Josette.

In spite of everything, I love her.

- No. You can't.

- I'm afraid I do.

- Did she say something to you to make you feel this way?

- No, nothing.

- Barely this morning, you told me that you hate her.

- Then I saw her and I knew I could not hate her.

How could I hate her?

I worship her.

- She must have said something to make you change your mind.

- She said nothing

except that Jeremiah was her husband and she loves him.

- And you still want her after that. - Yes.

I still want her.

I'll never stop wanting her.

- But she deceived you. She betrayed you.

- Perhaps what happened wasn't entirely her fault.

- Barnabas.

Barnabas, look at me, please.

Please, look at me. - Angelique.

- I could make you so happy.

That's all I want. Don't you know that?

Let me make you happy.

I can. You'll see.

- No.

- Why not?

- I am not capable of loving anyone except Josette.

- In spite of everything she has done to you.

- In spite of that.

- I see.

So once again you're telling me

that I'm not good enough for you,

that you prefer to believe you love a skimming,

- conniving -- - Please, let's talk no more.

- All right, Barnabas.

Perhaps you're right.

There's nothing more to say.

- You're a very beautiful girl.

- I wish that -- - Don't!

Don't tell me that you wish you could love me.

I don't want to hear that.

- It is still possible that we could be friends.

- Of course. Why not.

- I hope you mean that.

- Sarah must have left her doll up here.

I'll return it to the nursery.

- Angelique.

It would be very easy for me to pretend to care for you,

but it wouldn't be fair to you.

I hope you'll understand that in time.

- Oh, I understand, Barnabas.

I understand perfectly.

♪♪

Is it still possible for us to be friends?

No, Barnabas. It is not possible.

I'm going to make you pay for turning away from me,

but not through Josette this time.

There's someone else you love.

Little Sarah, your dear little sister.

You're going to watch her suffer, Barnabas,

and seeing her suffer will be the worst agony

you have ever known.

♪♪

[eerie music] ♪♪