Subj: Kate Chapter 6
Date: 4/25/00 2:36:36 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Karen

Kate ~ Chapter 6

During dinner, Kate got a better picture of her newly-found family. Elizabeth, every ounce the proud matriarch of the family, was dressed in black velvet and diamonds. She looked as though she could hold her own in any sort of situation; from the boardroom to the courtroom. Elizabeth was so gracious and kind. Kate felt like she had known her all of her life. Roger, in his smart-looking smoking jacket, sat back in his chair, looking like the lord of the manor. Or at least trying too. He had a little boy’s air about him, sometimes petulant and spoiled, sometimes arrogant and stubborn. Kate felt that he resented her being here. She wished he would understand that she didn’t want anything from the family except information. Perhaps in time, she would convince him.

Carolyn, on the other hand, was warm and caring. She asked questions about Kate’s life in Oregon; she was fascinated by university life, clothes, travel and adventure. Kate was interested in her cousin as well. She was dressed quite modestly in a azure blue mini-dress with a simple string of pearls. They held a lively conversation about the relative merits of alternative lifestyles; with Carolyn most interested in the rebellious kind. As they talked, Kate could sense Barnabas listening carefully; as if he wanted to drink in every word Carolyn and she said. After about 15 minutes of conversation, Kate turned to Barnabas and asked, "Tell me, Cousin Barnabas, what do you think of the bohemian lifestyle?"

Barnabas thought for a moment and said, "Each generation rebels at one time or another. Even in my youth, I rebelled against my father’s authority. It did not last long, but was pure delight while it happened." He smiled, remembering that long ago time.

Kate thought to herself, ‘It must have been great fun, judging by the look on his face. I wonder what he did? Grow his hair long, become a beatnik, play bongos in the local coffee house while reciting bad poetry? The possibilities are endless!’

A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. "Now, Barnabas, don’t fill these girls’ heads with rebellion." Roger interjected. "Before we know it, Carolyn will be dragging home all manner of boy to the house. Most of them terribly unsuitable!" he finished. He looked at Carolyn with a benevolent smile. "After all, Kitten, remember that horrible motorcycle person. Disgraceful!"

Carolyn laughed. "Uncle Roger, must you always bring up Buzz? I got over him eventually. Besides, it isn’t as if I married him!"

"Well, you almost did. Thank goodness you got over that little phase in your life." Roger replied, with laughter in his voice.

Elizabeth looked at her brother and said, "All right, Roger, you have made your point. I think it is wonderful that Kate is here to liven things up for us. We have been in a rut for quite some time. It’s time we looked at people for who they are, not what they look like." She stopped. Seeing that everyone was finished eating, she announced, "We will have our coffee in the drawing room. Come, Kate, I want you to sit with me and tell me more about Joseph Collins." With that, Elizabeth took Kate’s hand and they walked together to the drawing room.

After the coffee had been served, Elizabeth asked, "Kate, tell me again where you found the letters written to Joshua Collins? It still seems hard to believe that Joseph was never mentioned in any of the family history books."

Kate smiled and said, "I know how you feel. It seems strange to me that your family was never mentioned in our family history books, either. That is why I am so determined to solve the mystery of why the brothers had a falling out. It is important for us to get back together as a family. Especially for future generations. She stopped as if thinking of a painful memory and went on. "I found the letters in an old trunk in the attic of my parents’ home. My grandparents and I were cleaning out the house after Mom and Dad’s plane crashed. The trunk looked like it hadn’t been moved or touched in 100 years, it was so old and dirty. There was an old-fashioned padlock on it. I remembered that my father kept an old set of keys on his dresser. I tried all the keys before I found the right one. Even with the correct key, the lock was hard to open. After Gramps and I got the trunk opened, the musty smell almost knocked us over. Phew, I can still smell it when I take out the letters to read them."

Roger asked, "Didn’t your father ever tell you about the trunk? What about your grandparents? Didn’t they know about it? If the contents were valuable, I would have thought someone would have known about it. It doesn’t make sense."

Kate looked at him and said, "I think maybe Dad would have said something if he had known about the trunk. I am not sure if he even knew about it. The house we lived in had been in the family for about 100 years. There was so much stuff in the attic, it took my grandparents and me about two weeks to clean it all out. Most of it was in such poor shape that we ended up throwing it away or salvaging small pieces of it. The clothes were in trunks, but the moths had got to them years ago. We could tell there were some lovely silk dresses, but most were in tatters. Nonnie, my grandmother, decided to save scraps of the material to make a quilt for my bed. We had no idea what had belonged to whom. It ended up being mostly junk we took to the dump. Some of the furniture we donated to the local museum. The rest were burned. It was very sad for me to see all those beautiful things destroyed one by one. My parents either didn’t have time or no inclination to find out what was in the attic. My brother and I weren’t allowed up there; too dangerous my dad said. The door was locked at all times." Kate smiled. "Of course, we tried to get in, but were never able to. Very frustrating for two adventurers seeking their fortune in El Dorado."

"Sounds like you were lucky to even find the letters," Carolyn said. "Too bad all the old clothes were destroyed. What fun to look at them now! We have old dresses and suits in spots all over the house. It was fun as a child to play dress-up!", she finished, with a laugh. "Mother didn’t always approve, but it was fun!" Carolyn glanced at her mother, smiling shyly.

Elizabeth met Carolyn’s smile with her own, remembering the times little Carolyn had come down the stairs in some costume from a long ago Collinwood. "You certainly made a pretty picture, Carolyn, even though I was worried you might get hurt looking in long abandoned rooms."

Roger turned to Barnabas. "Barnabas, remember the costume party you held at the Old House several years ago?", Roger asked. "Although Liz was resistant at first, it made the party quite fun! Perhaps we should do it again sometime. What do you think, Liz?", Roger asked his sister. Kate thought he looked like a little boy in a candy shop, asking his mother for one more sweet.

Elizabeth smiled at Roger and shook her head. "Right now, I want to hear more about Kate’s find. We can discuss a party later. Go on, Kate."

Every head was turned towards Kate, looking expectantly at her. Kate hoped she could keep their interest long enough for her to find out how they felt about her discovery. She continued with her story. "Inside the trunk were papers tied together with ribbon. Surprisingly, the ribbon wasn’t moth-eaten like everything else. I randomly picked up a stack and read the first letter. It was addressed to Joshua Collins, Collinsport, Maine. The date was 1806. It was from Joseph Collins, who I knew was an ancestor of mine. My grandfather Collins loved to tell me stories about our family. I remembered he had told me how Grandfather Joseph had left America soon after the Revolutionary War and had settled in England. Grandpa didn’t know why Joseph had left America or who his parents were. As I read the letters, I became more and more fascinated with Joseph’s story. He wrote to Joshua regularly for 35 years, from 1790 to 1825. Each month, Joseph told his brother about his family, his paintings, and his life. The last letter was dated April 15, 1825, just two weeks before Joseph’s death. He had no way of knowing if Joshua was dead or alive, so he addressed the letter to Barnabas Collins, Joshua’s son." Kate looked at Barnabas. "Where was your ancestor in 1825, Barnabas?", she asked.

Barnabas said quietly, "The original Barnabas Collins was in England, living in London. Even if the letter had been sent, it would not have been received until after Joseph’s death. How strange that Joseph did not mail the letters. I am assuming the letters were not returned to him.", Barnabas glanced at Kate.

"Yes, that is strange.", Carolyn said, with a frown. "If Joseph wanted forgiveness for whatever he had done, surely he would have mailed the letters. Do you know why, Kate?"

Kate shook her head. "There wasn’t anything to indicate that the letters were or were not mailed. Joseph continues each letter with "As I wrote in my last letter...." as if the letters were sent and received. Only in the last letter does he say anything about not being forgiven. It is something that has puzzled me for some time now."

Elizabeth said sadly, "The poor man must have thought the letters would be sent back unopened, but he continued to write. Maybe he wouldn’t have been able to handle the rejection. How terribly sad for him."

"I must look in Joshua’s journals to see if there is any mention of Joseph", Barnabas said. "Perhaps you would like to help me look through them, Kate. How does tomorrow morning sound? 10 o’clock?" He smiled at Kate.

"How can I resist such an invitation, Barnabas? Of course, I will come to the Old House. 10 would be perfect!" she said. "Now if you will all excuse me, it has been a very long day. I really must go to bed." Kate shook Roger’s hand. "It has been a pleasure meeting you, Roger. Good night." Before he could make a comment, she turned to Carolyn and Elizabeth. "Thank you, both, for helping me feel so welcome. I look forward to learning more about you. Sleep well." They both hugged her and wished her a good night’s sleep as well.

As Kate turned to Barnabas, he gazed at her with his dark, sensual eyes. He took her hand and kissed it. "Until tomorrow, then, my dear cousin," Barnabas said, still gazing into her eyes. Kate felt as if she were the only person in the room and the night was hers for the asking.

"Um, goodnight, cousin Barnabas. See you tomorrow." Kate stumbled over her words, momentarily at a loss. "Good night, everyone!" she said as she left the room.

Alone in her room, Kate thought about Barnabas. ‘Brother, that man can take the words right out of my head with one look. I need to be aware of his charms. It will not do to succumb just yet.’

Later, after everyone was asleep, Kate slipped into her jeans and a t-shirt and sneaked out the house. She got into her van and lifted the lid to the storage area. Reaching inside, she pulled out a flat screen and pushed a button. A face appeared on the screen and said, "Where in the hell have you been? I have been worried sick about you!"

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.