Subj: DS: Legends 10
Date: 2/26/02 11:27:20 AM Central Standard Time
From: Aesgaard

Emily Bouchard (donna mckechnie) once more braved the road from Boston to her mother's isolated cabin near Augusta with supplies. as she arrived, she was surprised to see her mother warmly entertaining company.

"I lost my horse and your mother gave me lodgings." Amadeus excused himself.

"I was on my way to Boston."

"I'm returning to my home there now." Emily beamed with a beautiful smile.

"Would you like to accompany me ?"

"I would be delighted." Amadeus grinned at her lovely presence, but Hester clutched his arm.

"Beware the child with the innocent smile." Hester repeated her warning. "Excuse my mother." Emily grinned a bit embarrassed. "She likes to convince people that she is a witch."

Clara DuPre (nancy barrett) thought of her sister as she smoked her long cigarette as she rode the carriage to the DuVal cabin near the docks. Sent to collect Angelique (sarah smythe), she walked in through the open door and looked around as she tossed her ashes into a pot behind the door. She had been told to look for a bed in the rafters. Eyeing the ladder, she tossed away her cigarette and stepped one foot on it and hoisted herself up.

"Angelique." She spoke with a French accent.The frightened girl was hidden under the covers; only one eye peeked out. "Your mother was found in the woods near death. She is at Collinwood and is requesting you come to her."

"My uncle......" Angelique looked to the floor. His body was gone, but the floor and stone mantel were covered in dark purple dried blood. Clara ignored everything else as she lifted the small waif and took her out to her carriage.

Once inside, Clara signaled the coachman and they started with a small lurch.

"You don't like your mother." Clara spoke to the girl. "I didn't like mine either."

"She drove my daddy away." Angelique listened to the feet of the horse. "He never came back."

"I never knew my father either." Clara admitted. "He took our brother to Martinique to work on sugar plantations there. My mother sent us to live with the Collins than to take us with her. My sister married Isaac, their son, and became very rich. I was promised to the brother, a lowly attorney."

"They have a lot of money ?" Angelique spoke as the carriage rocked.

"A lot of money !" Clara's eyes shone as she looked up.

"I hate being poor." Angelique scowled.

"I don't blame you." Clara slightly squirmed as the girl bonded with her, but then hesitated and placed her arm around her. She grinned toward her.

"We're rather alike, we are. I apologize for scaring you when I arrived."

"That's okay." the girl gave Clara back a monogrammed handkerchief.

"Why you little minx !!" Clara recognized it, then grinned benevolently and hugged her new friend. The carriage lurched as it pulled up close to the tall white pillars of Collinwood. It was still being built and perfected as Clara lead Angelique in by the hand. The young girl was lead upstairs where her mother was being tended by Grace Collins (lara parker). She gently prodded the girl out.

"Your mother is very sick." She wrung out a rag and left instructions with a servant. She headed downstairs to Isaac (johnathan frid). He was hovering over the table in the parlor discussing his house plans.

"So you found some caves underneath." He spoke to his contractor. "Build into him. See if they enter into the cliffs. Should be a proper passage way to help carry supplies from shore. And this room off the parlor, put a book case before it instead of a door. I can hide weapons in there from thieves."

"Isaac ?" Grace tried to get his attention.

"Yes, my love ?" Isaac barely noticed her as he turned back to his builders.

"Not that wall paper ! That's for the dining room !"

"Isaac ?" Grace continued unfettered. "Valerie Du Val is very sick. She needs a doctor !"

"Please my dear," Isaac was distracted. "I am very busy."

"You and this house !!" Grace screamed. "Isn't there anything else you care for !!!"

"Isaac !!" Josh (james storm) rushed in. "There's a fire at the docks !!"

Isaac dropped his blueprints and rushed to his horse behind Josh. The two galloped down the hill past the barns and cabins as they saw the huge black clouds of smoke filling the air. A small shanty nearby was burning down and another small flame was on one of the incomplete boats. Someone was ringing a bell as every able man grabbed a pail of water or shoveled dirt to smother the flames. The Duval cabin was burning and threatening to burn the entire town. Isaac saw his life's work burning before him as he fought the blaze.

It took until nightfall to stop all the little flames being blown around, but it finally went out. Isaac turned as his brother returned on horseback.

Amadeus jumped off his horse and walked up to his brother and slapped a piece of paper in his hand.

"Isaac Collins," he started. "You are hereby charged with the murders of Magistrate Stokes, Lionel Stockbridge and Thomas DuVal."

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.