Subj: Consequences of Falling ch. 19
Date: 7/16/01 11:40:23 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Nicole

December 11, 1974, The Old House, 6:00 PM

"Do you ever visit her?" asked Julia.

Barnabas had no yearning to answer her. He could honestly say that he had not been to visit Angelique. He would not talk to her on the estate when he saw her. Barnabas went out of his way not to see or think about his past love.

Yet he could not get her out of his mind. He could not understand why she had remained on the estate. Barnabas had expected Angelique to leave the moment she divorced Roger. She had but then she returned, this time dressed as herself and brandishing a new pedigree. She came bearing gifts of flattery, a well rehearsed story, and a letter of recommendation from none other than Constance DuVane. "Constance is my younger half-sister. We have the same father," she had explained.

No one questioned her. Not even Roger doubted the identity of Madeline Rochelle, supposed relation of a world-renowned author and she herself a world traveler extraordinaire. Only Julia and Barnabas knew the truth and neither was willing to admit to it. No one would believe them. Who in their right mind would? The truth seemed improbable: Madeline Rochelle was actually Roger's immortal ex-wife and she could not be Constance DuVane's sister because Constance was not human. There was no reason to invite the past back inside. It would return on its own in due time.

Carolyn would return with her fiancé later than night. Constance and Quentin had agreed to come for the wedding, set to return to Collinwood on the 22nd. Angelique had been invited to the wedding. Why not? They all thought she was Constance's sister, and Constance had been a member of the family for at least 18 months. Barnabas could not fathom being able to live happily with a creature such as Constance; it surprised him that Quentin did it so easily. Yet they seemed so blissful the morning they left, seeming so perfectly enraptured with each other that he had been taken aback. When Constance looked at him, he did not see the anger he had expected, but a pity that seemed to stream from her entire being until Quentin took her hand and led her back to his room. Barnabas thought she was strange.

The atmosphere did not calm once they left. Julia seemed distant when he approached her, firmly brushing him aside to find something else to do. He knew that she knew the truth, knew that she was living a lie. For her, their lie seemed much worse when compared to Constance and Quentin, who were willing to forgive their extreme past mistakes to begin life anew. How could Julia begin a new life with Barnabas if he was not willing to leave the past behind? He knew she had resented the way he had doted on Maggie while she was pregnant with Andrew. "She has her own husband!" Julia had insisted bitterly. "Let Willie take care of her!" He should have listened.

Everyone seemed happier than Barnabas and Julia. After divorcing "Cassandra," Roger married his 26-year-old secretary, Cynthia Corey. Trophy wives had never been duller, but everyone accepted her, if only with a nod and a role of the eyes. Elizabeth seemed to be keeping a secret, but no one could guess what it was. David and Hallie began a relationship, becoming so brazen that Mrs. Johnson caught them making love on the dining room table. They had been lightly reprimanded and no one seemed to care. Their behavior was chalked up to teenage experimentation and soon forgotten.

Now Carolyn, after a nine-month trip through Europe, was returning with a fiancé no one had met. They only knew that his name was Josef Maugham and that he was an wealthy American living abroad. Apparently all this could be proven and Carolyn claimed to madly in love with him. Everyone claimed to be excited about the Christmas nuptials, planning a ceremony at a local church and a reception back at Collinwood. Barnabas was no sure if the family was truly pleased with the marriage. He suspected that they were all merely relieved to see her moving past the pain of losing Jeb. He only hoped it was not a quick fix.

"Are you listening to me?" demanded Julia.

Barnabas shook himself from his trance. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "What did you say?"

"Are you ready for tonight?"

"What's tonight?"

"Carolyn and Josef are returning tonight. What have you been thinking about? You seem so distant."

Barnabas was almost relieved to hear the pathos in Julia's voice. It seemed like years since he had heard it. "I've just been thinking about everyone coming back. I don't know if I'm ready to deal with it."

"Don't you want to see them all again?"

"Yes, but I'm so worried about everyone. I wonder why Carolyn has chosen this man, why Roger has married such an airhead, why Elizabeth seems so distant, and why David and Hallie have become so careless. And I don't want to deal with Constance and Quentin. You know they have to be sorely disappointed with the way life must be turning out for them."

Julia rolled her eyes dramatically. She rose from the chair, and, for the first time, Barnabas saw the hardbound book in her hands. She placed in in his lap and knelt beside him. Barnabas stared blankly at the pages, not truly wanting to look at them. It was the latest collection of photography by Constance DuVane. Done in stark black and white, the picture he saw was a scene at the beach, the ghastly white sand contrasted against the opaque black waves and the palms rising from the ground like withered hands. Quentin seemed to be the center of the photograph, his bare feet grazing the ebbing tide as he sat staring into the sea. Unlike the tense, almost horrific, background, Quentin seemed strangely content. "It's a nice picture," Barnabas managed to murmur.

"I think it's beautiful," countered Julia. "Did you ever think Quentin would look that happy?"

"Looks can be deceiving."

"There are a few more pictures in the book of him and he seems in high spirits in each one. Isn't it odd to think that someone associated with this family can be happy? I'm actually curious to see he and Constance, especially after talking to them last week."

"You talked to Constance and Quentin?"

"Yes," said Julia. "You might be afraid of Angelique, but I'm not. I knew that she and Constance were close friends and I asked for their number. I was a little afraid to talk to them, considering the way Constance's secret had been exposed. But I called and Quentin answered warmly. He passed the phone to Constance and she was just as kind. I don't think they hate us anymore."

"You can't be sure," grumbled Barnabas.

"I don't think they're holding a grudge. If they were, they wouldn't be coming to Carolyn's wedding."

"But they'll only be here for three days. What do you think that means?"

Julia groaned but otherwise put up little protest. She rescued her book from Barnabas' lap and placed it out of his line of sight. "You can be pessimistic if you want. It's just sad to see you unwilling to see a long-time friend."

Barnabas felt like pushing the subject further but decided against it. "Shouldn't we leave for Collinwood?"

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production.