Chapter 2
The incident had happened so quickly that Vicki felt her scream locked in silence; she opened her mouth to scream and felt her body slammed to the ground to land with a oomph winding her on impact. There was a heaviness that lay on her body pinning her to the spot a harsh deep voice whispered in her ear. "Lie sill damnit or you could be impaled. Listen!" Another loud crack followed the first and then another heavy ice laden branch followed behind the first.
Vicki was at an angle she could not see who had her pinned for her own safety to the ground. She just felt the heaviness of the body and could feel the warmth of his breath against her face. The voice was soft and silky now as the danger passed. "You smell of death." She finally noticed he had a slight accent somewhat familiar but not quite identifiable.
She could feel the damp cold chill starting to creep into her body and spoke softly. "You are crushing me is it safe to move and get up?" She did not want to become a permanent part of the ground with her coat now sticking to the ground freezing into place.
There was a brief second she felt his body shift then cover her again as another limb began to break, curling her into his body, he rolled them away from the newly broken limb that dangled precariously overhead making them its immediate target upon its descent to the ground. Together they rolled from the dangers that suspended overhead and then crashed to the spot they had occupied earlier.
Scooping her up, the stranger with compelling dark eyes lifted her over his shoulders and bolted for a less dangerous place with some shelter, unfortunately for Vicki, it was no where that was familiar to her. He jogged along the craggy pathway that led towards Widow's Hill but at the last moment, he jogged off to an unknown pathway.
Vicki watched the backside of the rescuer as she dangled over his shoulder head down watching the ground and his equal footing as he navigated the pathway down the hill and onto the sandy ice covered beach area. He carried her to an opening of a cave and into the darkness out of the driving ice storm that did not show signs of lessening its onslaught and ultimate goal to cover the entire town of Collinsport in ice.
Moving deeper into the cave Vicki felt the coldness from the cave but not the wind and ice that had been pelting them. She no longer had direct sight from her vantage and waited for him to stop moving and lower her to the ground. That is when it hit her she might have a broken rib. The sudden dropping of her body to the ground caused a sharp pain and sudden intake of her breath. She laid still waiting to get her breathing under control.
She could hear him moving about the cave with some degree of familiarity. Slowly she pushed herself up and waited for him to speak so she could pin point him in their shelter. Feeling the cave wall behind her she scooted back to place her back to the wall and looked into the deepening shadowed darkness. Then she heard his strike a match and saw a small blaze begin in the center of a ring of stones. The smell of smoke an some heat began to ebb its way slowly to her location.
As the blaze took hold, she watched him carefully put a couple of dried logs on the fire and they took fire quickly. That was when she finally got a good look at the man that had rescued her from certain death and now tried to bring some heat to their surroundings. He was a man close to her age, his hair was dark and curly, his profile would be considered aristocratic with a log aquiline nose and strong jawline. He wore a knit hat over his head but his dark curly hair plastered to the side of his head and face.
He reached over into a large trunk and pulled a blanket from the interior. Moving to the spot he had dropped Vicki he threw a blanket over her body. "You might want to get out of those damp clothing or you will get sick. I am going back into the cave a little further to find you some dry clothing to change into. That fire will be roaring shortly and it will be a lot warmer there than over here."
Vicki looked up trying to peer into his eyes, she was not sure if she was in trouble or if she had been rescued. She had to admit he was right she did need to get out of the ice encrusted pants and coat. The dampness had soaked through her coat and was now laying against her body like a cloying damp shroud. She winced slight as she pushed herself to a standing position. He frowned seeing her wince.
"You injured yourself?" He reached forward to check her side where she clutched and bent to try and get her breath. Pressing expert fingertips to the spot she held he watched her flinch, closed her eyes and gasp. "You may have a broken rib." His tone was professional and matter of fact. Turning to the trunk he rummaged into the trunk and found an ace bandage. "Lift your top."
Vicki hesitated feeling shy around the stranger. He smiled, "My dear if I wanted to do anything other than bind your broken rib I would simply have hit you over the head caveman style and drug you off by that glorious black hair of yours and had my way with you, now raise the damn sweat shirt so we can keep you from catching pneumonia."
Vicki flushed deeply then taking care to maintain her modesty she lifted the end of the sweatshirt and allowed him to put his arms around her wrapping her with the ace bandage. Once he had her bound tightly he turned back to rummage through the trunk and found a pair of knickers and a heavy jacket. Pitching them to her he spoke without looking up. "Over that way are some rocks that will allow you to change." He kept his eyes averted stoking up the fire and leaning over for a lantern.
"Who are you?" Vicki took the clothing and moved to the area he indicated turning her back on him she began to disrobe. He glanced up and smiled looking at her shapely slender figure outlined in the shadows from the fire. Seeing her turn back he quickly tucked his chin once again averting his gaze.
"No one important, just a drifter that saw a very foolish young lady heading for certain danger and possibly death. I saw you run form the house so I figured you did not wish to return there and as this is my place I have been living in, I figured I could give you a safe harbor to shelter in until you feel up to going back to the big fancy house on the hill."
Vicki could smell the age in the clothing and surmised that at one time this had been a hiding place for some privateer that had left trunks and other valuables to them in this cave and wondered if she were now wearing bedbugs or other vermin. The age of the clothing appeared to have been well kept despite its exposure to weather. "In pretty good shape aint they?" He said softly seeing her wrinkle her nose.
"I did wonder why they had not dry rotted." She moved gingerly aware of her pain back to a spot near the fire and sat close to get warm. Looking over at her clothing now draped over the stones to dry she hoped they would dry soon enough so she could get dressed in her own clothing. She had to admit nothing seemed to be attacking her sensitive skin and the only smell was an occasional smell of mothballs and age from the clothing.
"Probably because they were stored deep in a air tight water tight area of the cave I discovered a couple of days ago. It would seem to me that by being kept that way they would not dry rot or invite critters to camp out in them."
Vicki gave him a slight grimace and sniffed the clothing. "They smell of mothballs, one would think they had been in someone's attic for some years." She huddled close to the fire tucking her chin and watching the flames shift and change colors as the heat found new places to devour on the dry wood. The scent of the smoke filled but did not overwhelm their safe zone inside the cave. Looking around she saw that the smoke was spiraling up and appearing to absorb into the crevasses of the cave. 'I see a natural vent for the fire."
She spoke to break the uneasy silence that had fallen between them. "Yah, I noticed that the first night I stayed here and its water tight so whatever demon that set the ice devil on us cannot send that cold icy grip into this cave." He poked the fir e again. "You hungry?"
Vicki shook her head; she had lost any appetite she might have had earlier when Elizabeth Stoddard and George Patterson told her of her parentage. "No thank you. I am not hungry." She wrapped her arms around her waste hugging herself close.
"Want to talk about it?" He poked the fire again glancing over at the pitiful figure slumped close to the fire.
"Not really, it is something I need to work through." She sighed softly, stood and began to pace the cave floor kicking up small pools of dust clouds.
"Why not sit down, you can think just as well sitting than just kicking up the sand and making a dust cloud." He moved to wooden crate fishing through it to find some soup cans. Lifting the can of soup, he reached for a pot and then a can opener. "Well I am hungry"
"You are not planning on cooking over that fire are you?' She paused to look at the fire and then to him holding the can of soup
Standing he moved to a table that had been set against the wall. On the stove was a Coleman stove. "Nope, got me a grill here." He made quick order of putting the pan over the burner, lighting the burner and then opening the can of soup to pour it into the pan. Setting the flame he smiled stepping back. "Now that should take about ten minutes to get my supper ready." He slapped his hands together. "By the way my name is Aristide Lazlo, and you are?" He smiled looking at the girl that now looked like a street urchin.
She smiled shyly, Nice to meet you Mr. Lazlo, I am Victoria Winters. . . " She paused she was actually Victoria Winters Collins now. She was just not used to saying her new last name.
"Victoria Winters. .. ? Were you going to add another name to your name?" He smiled looking pointedly to her engagement ring.
"Actually that is the crux of my problem. For most my life I was known as just Victoria Winters but tonight." She fell silent again as she thought about why she had been so upset and what had sent her into the ice storm in such an emotional mess. "I was raised in a foundling home. Then I was offered a job here in that house on the hill. I had always wondered who my parents were."
Lazlo smiled leaned back against the cave wall and nodded. "Tonight you were told that you are a Collins?" He pulled his legs up to his chest. Watching her reaction to his summation.
"How did you know the name of the family that lives on the hill?" She turned to peer at the man sitting on the floor of the cave watching her much as a predator watched his prey. She saw the easy slow smile spread across his face.
"Look I am in Collinsport Maine. Now it stands to reason that the largest most impressive looking house that sits like a castle on a cliff overlooking the expanse of the city and the ocean would belong to the creator of the town. Now the fact I have been living here in this cave for over two weeks, I know I am reclusive but I am not dead much like those in town believe live in that house up there who are visited nightly by such things as ghosts."
It sounded reasonable enough. "Oh." Was all she could muster and feeling the chill from the air waft with an occasional gust of wind from outside, she moved back to sit close to the fire, while he got up to stir his soup.
"So what happened?" He glanced over at the bent head of his guest. He felt sorry for her and waited patiently for her to collect her thoughts.
"I guess, I was not prepared to hear what my mother had to say. I have been asking her now for over three years since I have been here, if she knew who my parents were and now she confesses she is my mother and my father was with her when they told me." Aristides shook his head stirred his soup one more time tasted the heat of his meal then poured it into a cup.
Carefully, he reseated himself to the ground then blew on the fluid in his cup and took a small sip. "So, you have waited all your life to find out your family's identity and now you have it and you are upset? Why?" Again he blew on his cup and sipped.
Vicki had to think about his questions. "I guess because I felt betrayed and tonight has not been the best night of my life. I was nearly made the bride and raped by a demon Incubus. My fiancé nearly died at the hands of the Incubus' sister and I know this sounds crazy but that is the truth of this matter. I suppose it was all very overwhelming."
He glanced at her in askance as she explained what her day had been and spoke softly. "Did you just hear yourself? That sounds pretty far out. Talking about demon incubus and the likes."
She looked over at him seeing he had a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his lips. "I know it sounds crazy but there are a lot of supernatural crazy things that are happening in this town and have been for sometime. As far as what the town's people say, I can assure you there are such things as ghosts. Some do haunt the halls of Collinwood."
"Oh is that what the great manor house is called Collinwood?" He sipped and frowned his soup was now a tepid tasting liquid no longer warming his stomach.
"Yes, it was built by Jeremiah Collins back in 1797." She sighed looked to the direction the great house would have sat from her location and then looked at the fire. "I actually met him." She said absently.
"Really?" He sounded skeptical. Looking at the cup he sighed stood moved to pour it back into the pan and turned on the stove again to heat up his soup. "You met a man that lived in 1797. Now that does sound crazy. Not that I am saying you are not entitled to be half baked from all you have told me so far it sounds like you got your answer and now your upset. Don't you want to be a Collins?"
She had to think for a moment, she loved the thought of being a Collins had dreamed about it since her arrival in this town. "No, I would be very honored to be a member of one of the oldest, wealthiest families in New England it's just that . . . " she trailed off lost in her own thoughts.
"Did she have a good reason for not wishing you to know who your parents were?" He stirred his soup glanced over at the woman sitting by his fire. Hunkered over like she was with her arms wrapped around her shabbily dressed form. She was it appeared intently studying the flames of his slowly dying down fire. Sighing he moved to gently drop another log on the fire and went back to stirring his soup
Vicki nodded, "I suppose she thought it was the only solution to the problem she had to face. I can imagine how she felt, finding out she was pregnant a stern father and the times were very unforgiving for anyone finding out they were unwed and pregnant. I mean we are a bit more progressive in this day an age."
He chuckled. "You are talking about what twenty five years ago or less?" He thought a moment; "I suppose it would have been viewed scandalous by their standards, however I think we still view it scandalous. I think we as a people are becoming more tolerant of such things as a woman being promiscuous and getting pregnant and dropping kids like you would a litter. But we are in a baby boom era now so soon after a major world war."
Vicki knew her history and knew usually after a major war the populace would experience a major baby boom and now she would be considered a part of that generation. "I can actually see her side of why she did what she felt she had to do to preserve the family name. I just know how I felt growing up wanting so badly to have a mother and a father and to be adopted and I was never adopted."
"Were you beaten? Were you mistreated? Did you not get an education? I mean you must have some kind of education to be a governess and to teach. I think you had it better than you realized." He re-poured his now boiling soup back into his cup and grimaced it would need a couple of minutes to cool and the gurgle of his stomach reminded him why he wanted this soup so badly. Palming the cup in his hands he moved to sit down to the now nicely warming fire.
"No I was not beaten, I was lonely and I was afraid sometimes at night when I wished my mother would come in and tell me everything was going to be fine." She glanced up at the man and noted he was very attractive in a mysterious sort of way. He smiled at her then blew on his soup.
"Well we all are lonely, I don't find my isolation so bad. I rather enjoy my solitary nomadic way of life thus why I choose to share a cave with all sorts of night creatures and others that are non human." He sipped then sighed, the warmth was wonderful; the slightly abrasive feeling his tongue now displayed told him it was still too hot and he had better be careful not to burn his tongue.
"I suppose you are right. My father did not know she was pregnant with me and I guess if I look at it from her point of view, she must have been scared to death to be so far from the security of her home, her mother, and pregnant in a home waiting for my birth. She kept me for a hour and then left me on the front doorstep of a foundling home door step."
"So, is this something that is surprising? I mean if you ask me she put you where she felt you would be loved, cared for and protected unlike some that are abandoned in a dumpster or trashcan and left to die." His voice had edged with his description of more dire circumstances and it made her ashamed that she was feeling sorry for herself.
Glancing up to his face she noted he had grown distant with the uttering of those words. His eyes had taken on a sad lost look and she surmised he might be speaking from his own personal experience and she was immediately sympathetic to his situation. "Why do you say that? Were you abandoned at birth?" She had to ask.
"No my mother died in child birth and my rearing was left to my family who was more of a vagabond and traveling type family. We never stayed in one place for too long. I guess because we were never really welcomed or trusted." He sipped his drink and it was then that Victoria realized he was a gypsy.
"I am sorry your mother died." She yawned and felt her eyelids grow heavy. The exhaustion was setting in and she curled close to the fire and closed her eyes. Lazlo smiled covered her and stepped back and looked around the cave.
"Did you see all of the Count?" He spoke to the air as he stoked the fire again. A spectral voice floated over the cave with its sinister tone.
"I saw and now we begin Aristides, be sure to let them know at Collinwood she is in the cave. Then erase any evidence of your occupation from that cave and join me here at Wyndcliff when weather permits." The voice faded and Lazlo looked with a degree of sympathy to the young woman that lay sleeping by the fire. He could not very well take the fire from her, so he left her sleeping and began to systematically remove any sign of his occupation leaving a book of matches in her hand hoping she would believe that she had built the fire herself.
Barnabas paced the foyer watching the front door then looking at an overwrought and tearful Elizabeth. George was on the phone with his officers. "Look Chris, I need some help up here, she just took off and I am afraid with the conditions as they are, she will be hypothermic before much longer."
Barnabas paced to the door, grabbing his coat. He could try to locate her through the connection they held. Opening the door he was surprised to see a dark figure standing at the door. "Yes?" he could not make out any features hidden under the heavy coat and hood.
"Um there is a young woman camped out in a cave beneath the cliff there. I was worried about her because she seemed upset and I don't think she should be out in this weather its really cold. Thought you might want to go check on her." He nodded to Barnabas and turned to the night and was soon gone.
"Sheriff Patterson! I know where Vicki went. Do you wish to come with me?" He waited for George to hang up the phone. George was by his side moving out the door. "Come we will take the care down to the beach and we can move up to the cave on foot." Barnabas slid into the cold vehicle his mind filled with anxiety.
"Some stranger said he saw her going into that cave that sits just below Widows Hill, tides are not up so hopefully we can get her out of there before the tides move in. He thought if they could not get to her by that means then he would be forced to show George the secret tunnels that were a networked through out the two houses.
George sighed he had not thought about the tides at this point but for this stupid ice storm it may be wreaking havoc with the tides and the beach could be flooded by now with ice and rising tides., His worse fears were realized when he saw that his way to the beach road was covered with water and ice. "Well it looks like we are going to have to bring her out by foot."
Barnabas shook his head. "Not necessary, come lets go to the Old House, there is another way to that cave through the tunnels that Joshua had installed during the war. He used a lot of different places for storage of weapons and gun powder."
George smiled, "I knew that house held more secrets than that one room that Matthew Morgan had held Vicki in a long time ago." George turned the car around with care and drove to the old house. Barnabas led him down into the cellar through to the first passage that linked the two houses and had many paths that led towards Widow's Hill.
The first sign they were getting close was the smell of smoke and the area had grown warm from the fire that had obviously been built. Moving up to the tiny form huddled in her soaked jogging suit and coat they found Vicki sleeping soundly by the fire. With gentling hands Barnabas bent to lift her. She opened her eyes peered up into the face of the man she loved, smiled, closed her eyes and laid her head against his shoulder with a softly uttered, "I love you."