Part III

Recap: Quentin and Willie are returning from College to Collinwood. Victoria has befriended Maggie Evans, the waitress at the hotel in Collinsport, Carolyn Stoddard, Mrs. Elizabeth Collins Stoddard's daughter, and the strange little boy David, the son of Rodger, Elizabeth's brother. Now Victoria is being shown David's "Special Place", and Dr. Julia Hoffman is going to Collinwood for a checkup on the boy, and planning to show Elizabeth a picture of Carolyn she found that blew out of a sports car that drove past her…

The mausoleum was cold, stoic faces of angels and saints frozen in stone stared at Victoria with penetrating eyes. David held her hand tightly as he dragged her into the stone building; black wrought iron gate creaking behind them.

"Are you sure we should be in here, David?" Victoria asked nervously.

"Aunt Elizabeth and father have never told me not to come hear," the young boy replied, sitting on top of one of the great stone coffins enclosing the founding fathers of Collinsport, and motioned for his governess to do so as well.

A bitter wind blew through the gnarled trees, and into the structure, and Victoria held her coat closer to herself. "It's starting to get dark, David. Supper should be ready soon, so why don't we head back…?"

David sighed, and agreed. As they got up and started to walk out of the mausoleum, however, the wind blew stronger, and the gate slammed closed. "Oh no!" the boy cried, and ran towards the black metal, rattling it with all his might. "It's locked, Vicky! We can't get out!"

Dr. Hoffman rang the doorbell, shaking in the cold breeze. Roger answered. "Ah, Dr. Hoffman," he put his hand on her shoulder. "Do come in,"

Inside, the house was warm, and the smells of a delicious meal poured out of the kitchen into the hall. "I just cam to check up on David," she told Roger. "He wasn't doing well last time we talked, so I thought it would be best to see if he was just having a bad day,"

Roger smiled. "I'm glad you're so concerned about him, Julia, but you needn't be. He's just trying to get attention. Honestly I feel you aren't needed (no offence to you, of course) but Liz absolutely feels you necessary.

Hoffman smiled. "I'm sure David is perfectly healthy, but it's better to be safe about mental stability than sorry later."

Roger sighed, and led her into the sitting room, grumbling more about his sister, something Julia was quite accustomed to, being that she had been the Collins family's doctor since she moved to Collinsport. "She insists on running the family, and not taking any of my advice, even in matters regarding my own son! I should be able to do damn well what I want with my family!"

Elizabeth walked into the room, greeting Julia and glaring at Roger. "Just a moment, Dr. Hoffman, I'll have David come down right away. He's just getting acquainted with his new governess."

Julia looked surprised. "You hired a governess for David?"

Elizabeth was about to answer, but Roger interrupted her. "Liz insisted. I think it's ridiculous. All he needs is a tutor. There is no reason we should pay a full-time governess to do a job Carolyn could do just as easily."

"Roger, Miss Winters is perfectly capable, and I will pay her what I want. Besides, Carolyn needs to get out, and start looking into serious relationships. It wouldn't be healthy for her to stay her looking after her younger cousin."

Roger opened his mouth to respond, but Julia interjected. "I tend to agree with Mrs. Stoddard, Mr. Collins. David needs constant supervision, and that is something that a tutor wouldn't be able to give him. And it wouldn't be fair to put that responsibility on Carolyn."

Roger stood up. "Well, your hear to talk to David, so I will go get him." He stormed out of the room and bellowed up the stairs. "David! Dr. Hoffman is here to see you." After no response, he began to stomp up the steps. "Damn it, David! Julia is a busy woman and you don't have any right to waste her time!"

Elizabeth shot an embarrassed look at Dr. Hoffman. "Roger hasn't been himself lately… He seems to think that the whole family is turning against him. It's been this way since Angélique died."

Julia nodded. "He loved his wife very much. It's natural that he and David are having problems. But it will pass. This is all part of the grieving process."

Another holler echoed around the house. "Damn it! David is gone!

Victoria called out into the darkness, the cold wind biting into her eyes. "Help! Someone! Is anyone there? Please, help!"

David sat on one of the stone coffins, eyes wide and frightened. "No one's going to come. It's dinner, and Mr. Stokes is on vacation…"

Victoria's vice was going hoarse. She gave up, and sat next to David. "Someone will come. They have to, once they see you're gone. Now, who is Mr. Stokes?"

"Oh, he's the caretaker of this cemetery. He makes sure there aren't any grave robbers or mischief-makers hanging around in here. Or, at least, that's what father says."

A soft, sweet sound carried on the wind played in Victoria's ear. She strained to listen, softly motioning for David to be quiet. It was a song, a nursery song, but it was sad, the notes awakening emotions in the listener. The sound seemed to be getting closer.

David leapt up with a start as soon as he heard it. "It's Sarah! Sarah's come to save us!"

Carolyn sat in front of her mirror, gently brushing her hair. Willie, her dear Willie was coming home. And Burke, she hadn't seen him in years.

Her uncle's loud shouting brought her out of her daydreams with a jolt. What was he saying about David?

She walked to the door, and stepped through to see Roger's face red with rage. "The little brat's gone off and run away! And what good was that Winters woman? None! She's gone too!"

Carolyn sighed, and walked to her uncle, trying to calm him down. Since she had been little, she was always his favorite, and he usually did whatever she wanted. "She probably just took him out for a walk," she cooed.

His rage wasn't quenched, and he continued to shout. "Without informing anyone? Liz should have laid down the rules for her before she even set foot in this house, much less be with David alone!"

Julia and Elizabeth were at the foot of the stairs, questioning looks on their faces. "What ever is the matter, Roger?" Elizabeth enquired.

"I'll tell you what the matter is!" He bellowed back. "That woman you call a governess has run off with David!"

Elizabeth looked shocked. "Roger, I'm sure she just took him for a walk. You haven't even met her and you're already jumping to the worst scenario-"

"You just hired her Liz! Out of the blue! None of us know a thing about her! We should all assume the worst, and take action! Now you do whatever you want, but I'm calling the authorities, and then I'm going out to look for them. I suggest you do the same!"

"You will do nothing of the sort, Roger!" Elizabeth shouted back

Julia put a gentle hand on Mrs. Stoddard's shoulder. "Perhaps it is best we do as Mr. Collins suggests. We really don't know Miss Winters, so it would be best to be cautious."

Elizabeth sighed. "Very well. Carolyn, get your coat on, and get the car started- we're going to look for David. Dr. Hoffman, I don't expect you to stay, I'm sure you have important work to attend to."

"On the contrary, Mrs. Stoddard. I've known David since he was a baby, and besides being his doctor, I fell like his friend. So if you don't mind, I would like to help look for him as well."

No one raised any objections and within several minuets, the police were called, and the little search party departed from the Collinwood house.

The gate opened without a sound. Strange, thought Victoria, considering that it was so rusty, and had creaked badly when they had opened it.

A little girl, no more than ten years old stepped into the mausoleum. She was very pail, and wore a white lace-edged dress that looked as if it were from revolutionary times. There was something arterial about her, something otherworldly.

She looked as if she were going to speak, then she spied Victoria and began to back out, frightened. "Sarah! Where are you going?" David ran towards his companion. The little girl was out of the structure, and backed around the corner. David returned dejectedly. "She went away again. She's always doing that."

Victoria was too stunned to answer at first. The she snapped back to reality, and glancing at her watch, she was shocked to discover that they had been in the building for almost an hour. "We had better get back to Collinwood, David! They're probably all worried sick about you!"

As they briskly walked back to the estate, David talked about Sarah. "She doesn't like other people very much. I'm sure she won't talk to me for a couple days because you saw her." He looked down at his feet, and began to hum the song Sarah had been playing.

"What song is that, David?" Victoria asked. She knew she had heard it, but couldn't remember what it was called.

"Sarah always plays it on her flute," David responded. "It sounds so sad. But Sarah is always happy when she's with me. I can't believe you don't know this song, Miss Winters. It's London Bridge is Falling Down.