Subj: Collinwood 2001 Year One, part three
Date: 2/17/01 3:27:22 PM Central Standard Time
From: N.E. Collins

Vicky had the afternoon off from her duties and she had driven into Collinsport to do some necessary shopping and maybe take in some of the sights of the small fishing port community. There were many artists living here and their presence made quite the bohemian atmosphere. She picked up a flyer announcing the grand opening of The Purple Cow, a Show Bar Extradonaire. "You are invited to attend the opening of our local companies first female impersonation engagement." Vicky read to herself outloud completely unaware of the people around her. She had always been a rather private and solitary person. Being an orphan had a lot to do with it, and even though she had now "come home" as it were she had completely read too much into what had turned out to be a perfectly innocent remark on Mrs. Stoddard's behalf.

The note that Mrs. Stoddard had sent her that had read, "It's time you came home..." had not turned out to mean anymore than the Collin's matrons way of saying that it was about time that Miss Winters had a REAL home that she could hopefully come to think of as her own.

When she had first walked into the foyer of the great house Mrs. Johnson had first directed Sam Evans, the cab driver as to where he should put Miss Winters luggage. "If it's not TOO much to ask cud 'cha please take the young lady's bags up to her room, Sam? I would have Willie or Harry to do it, but who KNOWS where either of them jack 'o knaves have gotten off to?"

Sam had resignedly agreed, but made no bones about saying that a tip would be forthcoming for doing work beyond that of his usual occupation.

Mrs. Johnson had then given Vicky had good looking over. "Ya might want to fix yerself up a little 'afore you meet your new employer, miss. Yer hair cud stand with a bit of fixin' up. It's all flat on one side and too bushy on the other." Vicky turned a deep shade of crimson. She did this a lot whenever anyone criticised her appearance. She had always been a clean individual and she dressed well considering that she had only always been a poor orphaned ward of the state. But she was not the most attentive when it came to looking presentable. When she came out of the powder room she walked right into what appeared to be a tense situation between Mrs. Johnson and her son, Harry Johnson. Mrs. Johnson had been speaking harshly to her child, but stopped short when Miss Winters rejoined them. She summarily dismissed Harry who made fast tracks to escape the wrath of his mother, but before he ducked through the doorway under the stairs he gave Victoria Winters a good looking over himself. Boy! he thought to himself. What a phat little chickie, she is!

Mrs. Johnson knocked on the double doors that housed the front drawing room of the great house. A voice ringing of accustomed authority annouced calmly, "Come in." Mrs. Johnson opened the two doors inwardly and motioned for the girl to wait so as she could be properly introduced. Sarah Johnson stepped in and stood about four feet in front of Mrs. Stoddard and waited for her to speak first. Mrs. Stoddard was at her desk finishing up some sort of correspondence that had to do with the family business. She finally put down her pen and spoke to the woman. "What can I do for you, Sarah?"

"Miss Winters is here to see you, ma'am."

Elizabeth was surprised as she had not expected the girl to get here this early. "Oh? She's here? Now? Well,...show her in, please." She was only caught off guard for the briefest moment and then her years of ONLY doing what is socially acceptable took the forefront and she was her dependable old self once again.

Mrs. Stoddard had rung for Bethany to bring in the tea so she and Miss Winters could relax and have a little getting to know you chat. Bethany's family had been employed by the Collins family for several generations, and she herself was the spitting image of her great-great grandmother, Beth Chavez who had been the first of her family to work at the great dark house high atop Widow's Hill, back near the first part of the twentieth century. The girl brought in the tea things and left the three women to return to her duties. Mrs. Stoddard had asked Sarah to stay, but she had not offered her to take tea with her and the new governess. Mrs. Johnson wouldn't have felt comfortable if she had. Sarah Johnson was the first to admit that it would be above her station in life to sit with the great lady of Collinwood, and trade tales and nibble on cakes whilst sipping imported tea from the very finest china cups on decorative saucers.

Vicky recalled that she had interrupted Mrs. Stoddard a bit too impatiently while the older woman was trying to explain to her what exactly was expected of her in her soon to be role in the Collins household. When Vicky had questioned the matron on what had she meant by her strange note, Elizabeth's expression went pale and then almost as quickly darkened before she was able to bring a more sensible look back to it and reply, "What note, my dear?" Vicky had it IN the palm of her hand and she gingerly handed it over to Mrs. Stoddard who put on her reading glasses to read it anew.

"Oh, dear. I am SUCH a ninny. What I had MEANT to write was "It's time you HAD a home to come to." I am SO sorry, Miss Winters, but you see there is nothing more to it than a foolish old woman's miscommunication." She made a funny face and raised her hand. "Guilty!"

Vicky had laughed good-naturedly over it all, but for some reason she felt that Mrs. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard was not telling her the whole truth. As she sat on a bench down by the waterfront Victoria Winters was convinced that Mrs. Stoddard was keeping something from her, and she was bound and determined to find out just what that was.

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.