Chapter I - Barnabas Collins

Through the halls of the Collins family mansion sounded the hasty footsteps of Joshua Collins, a man in his late fifties and above else, matriarch of the Collins family. His wife, Naomi Collins, spent the morning playing the piano with a cup of tea, quite like every other morning, really.

But even though there was no unusual activity in the house, this morning was not like every other. Today was June 23rd, 1795, a warm summer morning, and there was love in the air. Love, as well as pollen.

''Barnabas!'', Joshua Collins called out as he knocked on the door of his son's bedroom.

A soft groan came from behind the door, which told Joshua that the person inside was still half asleep.

''Barnabas'', Joshua sighed as he opened the door and walked in. ''I hope you have not forgotten what today is''. With a swift movement, he pulled open the curtains in front of the hardwooden windows. Sunlight poured into the room, on the face of the sleepy Barnabas Collins, who groaned loudly as a response.

''I know what today is, father, now please - close the curtains'', he moaned.

Barnabas Collins was a young man in his mid twenties. He was very atractive, very intelligent and to be fair.. well, very lazy. He was very dedicated to the people and things he loved, but if something couldn't hold his interest, he wouldn't in any way pursue it.

''Get out of bed, son. It's nearly noon and they arrive within two hours. I need you to wash up, get dressed and have breakfast before that. I've already called the maids to clean your room and make a bath ready'', Joshua answered.

Again, the response was a groan.

They meant miss Josette Du Pres and her company. And the so called woman, Josette, was the woman Barnabas agreed to marry. She was young, beautiful, an heiress and (according to Naomi) very well capable of giving birth to Barnabas' future son.

''Right'', Barnabas finally said. He slowly opened his eyes, blinked a few times against the bright light, and looked up at his father.

''Can she not meet me here, in my bedroom? That is, after all, where she will spend a reasonable amount of time'', he smirked.

Joshua couldn't help but laugh about his son. The fact that he said something like that, looking like a homeless man, it did not make sense. But he knew his son. Barnabas was a good kid. And an even better soon-to-be husband.

''Get out of bed. Be downstairs within the hour'', Joshua said with a smile, and he left his son's room with an equally charming smirk on his face.

''What are you smiling about?'', Naomi Collins asked her husband when he walked into the livingroom.

''Our son'', Joshua admitted with a smile. He softly kissed his wife on the forehead and sighed. ''He's getting married in less than a month, dear. But in my mind he stays so small.. so young''.

Naomi smiled and raised from her chair. Softly, she took her husband's face in her hands and pecked him on the lips. ''They grow up, my love. We knew that from the very beginning. Josette is a lovely girl, I am certain she'll take good care of him''.

Two hours later, a beautiful carriage passed through the gates of the Collins' manor.

Joshua, Naomi and Barnabas had collected in front of the fountain, where the carriage abruptly came to a halt.

Barnabas had never met Josette in person. He'd selected her as his wife out of dozens of volunteers, which seemed as a strange thing to do, especially when you haven't met the woman in person. Barnabas' family was wealthy, respected and entitled. His parents owned more than half of the fishing companies in the harbor of Maine, and they made good money of it.

His mother had gone over every single young woman with him. She'd told him about them, where they came from and what they looked like, and Barnabas had eventually chosen Josette Du Pres, a 22 year old woman, heiress of Martinique and as said by all who layed eyes on her: beautiful.

The chevalier kicked against the side of the carriage. As a result, a set of stept rolled onto the stone. Then, he swiftly opened the carriagedoor and out stepped three women. Each completely different.

The first woman was Mrs Du Pres, a grey-haired woman in her late sixties. She had cold, steel coloured eyes and wore the same shade dress. Nothing about her seemed interesting.

Her daughter, however, who walked right next to her, was the complete opposite of her mother. She wore a royal blue dress that matched the colour of her bright blue eyes perfectly. Josette's long, blonde hair was fixated in a loose braid, with two strands of her hair falling down her oval shaped face. As she got closer, Barnabas' eyes wandered all over her face, from her perfectly arched eyebrows to her blushing cheeks and her full lips.

Barnabas' couldn't yet tell about her character, but her beauty hadn't been exaggerated. She truly was one of the most beautiful women he had ever layed his dark eyes upon.

Right behind her walked a young, dark-haired woman. She was of Josette's age, but dressed in a much more simple way.

As the three woman came to a halt in front of the Collins' family, maids started bringing in the luggage.

As Joshua and Naomi converted with Mrs Du Press about the warm weather and Maine, Barnabas and Josette locked eyes and didn't look away.

Almost immediately, Barnabas got a complacent smirk on his face, which made Josette's cheeks colour like rosebuds.

''Barnabas Collins'', Mrs Du Pres suddenly said, grabbing Barnabas' attention. ''I'd like you to meet my daughter, Josette''.

Barnabas focused on Josette's face again and smiled. He stepped towards her, softly took her hand in his and kissed it. ''I am very pleased to finally meet you. You're even more beautiful than I imagined''.

Josette smiled and when she spoke, Barnabas immediately noticed the melodious tone of her voice. ''Thank you'', she said. ''This is my mother, Virginia Du Pres, and my handmaiden Angelique''.

The youngest of the Collins clan looked to Josette's left and looked straight into a pair of strong, green eyes. He didn't expect the handmaiden to actually look him in the eye and was slightly taken aback by it, but then smiled and nodded. ''Pleasure to meet you'', he said to both women.

Very soon, Naomi and Joshua took Virginia along for a toor through the house, bringing Angelique alone, and thus leaving the two youngsters alone.

''I have to admit'', Josette started as they walked through the gardens of the manor. ''It is nothing like I imagined. Maine, this house.. you''.

Barnabas smiled. He'd always enjoyed being the opposite of what people expected him to be. He was very attractive, wanted by many women and admired by many men. He was still young but twice the money he needed in an entire lifetime. He wore expensive clothing and lived in the biggest house in Maine.

Though his wealth was a big part of why women adored him, his looks were the biggest part. Barnabas had the darkest, most charming eyes, a jawline with which he could cut and thick, dark hair that hang loosely, almost carelessly, around his strong-featured face.

''What did you imagine, then?'', Barnabas asked Josette with a playful smile.

The young woman next to him smiled a shy smile.

''Well, there is a big difference between the sunshine in Martinique and Maine, though I have to say, today is a beautiful day''.

Barnabas laughed and nodded. Yes, well, Martinique and Maine were two completely different locations, but Maine was a lovely town. It was right near the ocean, it had a beautiful village, and it's nature was mesmerizing.

''I am sure you will take a liking of Maine very quickly'', Barnabas said. He turned around to Josette and softly took her hands into his.

Josette smiled at him and looked straight into his dark eyes. ''I believe so too'', she whispered.