Chapter 9

Victoria Winters sat at the roll top desk in the drawing room. Looking for the secret hiding place in the desk she found a loosen panel in the back and pressed against it to watch a seal drawer open. Smiling she reached for the small notebook she had pocketed in her dress pocket. "Darling, are you ready? Daniel and his family are awaiting our arrival at Collinwood." Barnabas moved into hallway adjusting his cravat and looking around for Vicki.

Vicki shoved the diary into the drawer and slid it shut. Standing from the chair she reached for her cloak and hat on the desktop. "I am here my love." She said a bit breathlessly which gave Barnabas pause. He moved to the drawing room and stopped. She stood resplendent in a long red dress with a huge red bow tied in the back.

"Is there a problem?" He looked at her and noted she was having a difficult time with the bow on the back of her dress. He smiled, "I see the problem, you are nervous over meeting Daniel's children, I must confess I cannot get over the fact he has grown children and is a grandfather too." He moved to her side and looked at the way the bow had been tied and sighed. "Allow me, it is like a huge cravat but will look so much better."

Undoing the bow that hung sadly askew he began to retie the bow so it looked pristine and lovely accenting her small waist. "Oh Barnabas, I don't think I will ever get used to wearing this much clothing. We have come so far for women in my time that wearing such heavy garb is cumbersome and almost torturous."

He chuckled, "I recalled you did not have that problem in my time." He reached for her cloak and slid it on her shoulders. "There, and as for Madam's bonnet." He reached for the stiff brimmed flared hat over her hair. "Although I think covering your hair is a shame we must protect you from the sun and the wind. Now are you ready?"

Vicki stood back smoothed her hands over her cloak and smiled. "Do I look all right?" She looked unexpectantly to him and waited anxiously for his nod. She watched a deep smile of appreciation spread over his lips. Immediately, she brightened took a deep breath and nodded, "I just need my reticule and gloves and Sandor has the carriage ready." She glanced to the window and noted that the skies were beginning to cloud over. "Oh dear I guess we better hurry, it looks like it is about to storm."

Barnabas moved to lightly place a kiss on her forehead. "Then my dear allow me, to escort one of the most beautiful women I have ever known to her carriage." Extending his bent elbow he bowed light at the waist and tucked her hand to his arm. Moving her to the door, he opened it and waited for her to go out then followed. He looked down at the carriage and noted that Gregor had pulled up the covering for the carriage. Moving to assist Vicki into the rear of the carriage. He stood back and waited for Barnabas to step in next to Vicki.

Gregor secretly hated this man that held the attention of this pure woman. Although she was gorger and not of his people, he like his aunt was feeling protective towards her. Keeping a stoic calm to his features, he stepped into the driver's seat and lightly flicked the whip; just the sound of the snap of the whip was enough to set the two horses trotting off down the roadway.

Barnabas paced the drawing room of the old house. George, and his men had covered the entire west wing with no sign of Vicki or Quentin. Feeling anxious and knowing something was wrong he looked up when the front door opened and Julia entered followed by Eric. "The door was open Barnabas, is there something we should know? I know we have been gone for a while, but it appears a lot happened since our departure and return."

Julia was looking healthy with a glow of a well-deserved vacation on the Rivera. Her and Eric had taken enough time off to take a small vacation and now Barnabas noted a gold band on her ring finger complimenting her engagement ring. "Julia are you and Eric officially married?" He smiled his congratulation with less exuberance than he should what with his distractions over the missing Quentin and Victoria.

Julia flushed and nodded, "We made it official a week ago and used our trip as a honeymoon." Barnabas noted she also looked a little heavier and studied her waist. He noted she rubbed her hand in an unconscious manner over her stomach and smiled. "We thought it the best since I am pregnant."

"Congratulations to you both on your marriage and starting a family! I am so very happy for the both of you!" He moved to shake Eric's hand and invited them in. "I fear my happiness for you is over shadowed by my concern over an incident that occurred earlier at Collinwood."

Julia moved to sit in the chair by the roll top desk turned to look at Barnabas then to Eric who was now looking as concerned over that cryptic message as Julia. "It would seem that someone abducted Vicki and took her to the West wing of Collinwood with Quentin in pursuit, both of them have disappeared and no sign of their whereabouts are known." He was just short of wringing his hands in his agitation.

Julia heard a scratching sound and all eyes turned to the roll top desk. They watched in amazement as the secret compartment popped open and then a drawer was drawn out slowly to reveal a notebook inside. "Barnabas look!" The room filled with the scent of jasmine. With the accompanying scent of jasmine Barnabas moved to the desk drawer and reached in pulling out the now aged looking notebook. The pages were brittle but the ink on the pages was from a ballpoint pen.

"Odd, its in Quentin's handwriting but it looks as if it has been in there since this desk was stored in the cellar many years ago when I was still living here as a human before Angelique and Bradford's curse."

Thumbing through the book he paused, "Wait, listen to this. . . "

Barnabas began to read from the journal. His tone was somnolent and filled with hope and curiosity. With each word spoken he was beginning to realize what had happened and now had a point of origin to search for Quentin and Vicki.

"Day1, my date I know was March 2, 1968 what date is here I am uncertain but I believe I have been brought back to 1795, which means Barnabas has been chained in his coffin and I am alone unless I can get out of here and seek help or find the stairway in the West Wing myself.

"He says his name is Trask and how he found out about the stairway through time, I don't know. But I do know he utilized it for one purpose. That was to kidnap Vicki and bring her back to 1795. I cannot let him know where she is, and I must try to escape his torture. He persists in me telling him where she is and I refuse to let him do any other harm to her. He is obsessed with her and said that God told him how to find her with the help of the devil's time travel stairs. That is when I realized he had found my stairway through time."

Barnabas moved on to another entry.

" Day 2, my dates are mingled with the past and with my present. He comes he whips me to submission but I refuse to tell him where I hid Vicki. My only hope is that someone finds the closet in the West Wing and they wait for the stairs to appear. They won't understand it was Evan Hanley and myself that using the dark powers we had learned had built that stairway through time in hopes of learning more of our world. That was my first mistake, so much could happen and cause time to change and the flow of time cannot be disrupted or it could endanger all we know."

Barnabas took another breath and then continued to read. "Here I thought we had managed to destroy it but apparently it shift between two universes and now this man has found a way to transcend time use the stairway and here I am. I am not sure how much longer I am going to survive the vicious whippings and beatings he is subjecting me to. I know I don't have the portrait to protect me and I am hoping the curse has not been imposed on me and I don't turn. I fear what I might do should I change and go on a killing rampage, he does keep me chained and I am sure that I have a couple of broken ribs. I need to find a way back so we can go find Vicki and rescue her I am sure she is terrified of her situation thrust into the past like she was before I can only imagine her terror now."

"Day 3, I fear I am growing weaker, I will not write anything down pertaining to Victoria for fear he would use it to go after her again, if I die, I hope this last recording of the events of my demise is exposed and perhaps those that read this might come to save me and together we can save Vicki. I look up at the sliver of light that presents itself through the cracks in the wall and I fear my curse did follow me. Even now I fear seeing a full moon rise and what might happen."

His last entry was cut short and the three surmised that perhaps Trask interrupted him. "I knew I should have ended his life sooner than I had. The man was a threat to Vicki and to my life. I killed him by sealing him into the cellar."

"I suggest we get Elliott and with his help figure out how we can try and manipulate this stairway that Quentin spoke of in his diary. He alone is the only one that knows the time frame we need to search for Victoria." Julia had been thinking about what she had heard and knew that without Elliott's help they would be stymied in attempting to rescue both their friends.

For the first time since Barnabas had learned of what had happened to Vicki and Quentin he felt a glimmer of hope and a muddle of his thoughts was beginning to over take his thinking processes. He was beginning to feel he had grown closer to Vicki in another time and it was unnerving him and distracting him with the plethora of thoughts that were running through his mind. Rising he turned to Eric and Julia, "Then I suggest we go and collect Elliott."

Vicki watched the carriage approach the Porte conchere and smiled. It was like coming home except it was not the right time period. Feeling uncomfortable in the heavy dress she had to admit that the older style dresses from the 18th century were a lot more comfortable without so many contrivances for a woman to handle. She enjoyed the corset that was worn on the outside of the dress and not so much this binding one she was forced to wear and should she get the chance she would throw it away it was uncomfortable.

Her sifting had caught Barnabas' attention. "Are you well my dear you are fidgeting a lot." He whispered softly to her watching the house come into view. He knew she was not happy with the heavy clothing and had to admit he was a lot more comfortable in this style of clothing he was sure than she was.

"It is the clothing is very tight and uncomfortable and I find it annoying me. I will adjust I am sure." She hissed back under her breath as the carriage rolled to a stop. She could not help but notice that there were other carriages also parked by their driver's along the drive way and instructions were being given to head to the barn with the impending storm, the driver's were all told they would be given shelter either I the house or over head in the barn hands rooms.

Barnabas turned and helped Vicki from the carriage and sheltered her against his body as the wind picked up and moved against her cloak and bonnet. Moving her to the door, they knocked and waited patiently for the door to open. With the next gust of wind the doors opened and took them from the hands of the one answering the door.

Daphne Harridge blinked in surprise seeing Vicki first then Barnabas, "Oh my you must have been the one we found in the upstairs of the west wing. What on earth were you doing up there?" She stepped aside to allow them entry way into the foyer. Her smile never left her lips as she walked to the foyer and waited for Amanda to remove Vicki's coat and then take Barnabas' coast. "This is Amanda, she is a cousin of ours and lives with Judith. I understand that you are Barnabas Collins, the son of the other Barnabas, and your name is Victoria Collins?"

Vicki nodded shyly and smiled, "I apologize for what happened that day, I was on my way to the old house to meet up with my husband, we had been married by proxy through a business associate of his father's and my carriage was robbed, and I fear the highway men were going to do harm to me when they drug me into the woods, I was able to escape and I saw your doors to the end of this house and moved to them seeking help and shelter. I found some stairs and climb them hearing voices. When you happened upon me I feared that I was still very distraught and thought you were going to summon the Constable."

It sounded lame but it was the best she could do to make it sound plausible. Daphne looked aghast and shocked, "Well you must imagine if you will that I thought you were my sister Joanna who was to arrive at the same time you were found in the hallway upstairs."

Daniel moved into the hallway from the drawing room and smiled his welcome. "Please do come in and meet the rest of the family, I fear that Edith and Gabriel are late but should be here soon. " Daniel entreated them to join him in the drawing room standing aside and bowing slightly to Vicki as she walked into the room that was like home to her from another time.

She noted there were several people standing or sitting in the various positions in the room. The first lady that caught her attention was one of a well remembered and loved one, "This is my dear sweet daughter Judith Collins, Judith your cousins Barnabas and Victoria." Vicki extended her hand to Judith and shook it lightly with a hand covering pat, something she learned was customary between two women in this century. Barnabas bowed and kissed her hand.

Turning there was a handsome young looking man with sandy blond hair that could easily have passed for a close resemblance to Willie Loomis, "This is my son Carl Collins," Carl moved to Vicki lifted her up spun her around with a high pitched giggle.

"You my dear Victoria are a rare beauty but for another almost like you. There are differences and they are subtle but you do closely resemble Daphne's sister Joanna." Barnabas had tensed when this rapscallion had laid hands on his bride, tensing he watched and waited, turning Carl smiled and hugged Barnabas. "Please to meet you too cousin Barnabas, I can see that apple did not fall far from your father's tree, you look amazing like him." Once again there was that insane sounding girlish giggle.

Vicki flushed from her encounter with Carl turned to see what he meant, there she was an almost double to her Joanna Harridge looked curiously at Victoria and smiled, "I would say you almost look like my mother, she had eyes your color, Daphne and I were blessed with the same color eyes as our father. It is a pleasure and a bit unsettling to make your acquaintance Mrs. Collins, I look forward to many long chants and perhaps strolls in the garden with you soon."

Her voice was softer and more refined as though she had been trained at a finishing school for young noble ladies. Vicki smiled and spoke softly, "I too look forward to such things as sharing our lives with you and your family here."

Daniel chuckled. "Joanna and Daphne are no officially Collins family members at this time. I do believe that my son Edward who was unencumbered by his late wife Laura has proposed marriage to Joanna." Vicki watched a subtle color of a blush wash over her sweet pale features.

"Congratulations my dear. I hope you are as happy and full filled with Edward Collins as I am with Barnabas." She turned expecting to meet Edward and saw a tall form slouched in the corner. "Are you Edward?" she smiled and then her smile froze when the figure pushed from the chair out of the shadows and into full view. "Quentin." She breathed out in a shocked whispered and then caught herself.

Everyone else in the room had been distracted, but for Quentin he distinctly heard her call his name and quirked a brow. "Why yes, have we met before?" He moved with a sardonic smile etching his lips and studied her now flushing features. "You look quite charming when you blush. One would almost think you were an untouched soul the way you shadow that look behind those lovely long eye lashes."

Daniel turned and frowned, seeing his son making free with his charms to his cousins wife. "This of course is my son Quentin Collins." Barnabas had moved protectively forward noting that the man held Vicki's hand a little longer than was polite in company.

"I am pleased to meet you Cousin Quentin." He deftly took Vicki's hand from Quentin inserting his hand into Quentin's. Quentin smiled and with a laconic laugh moved away.

"I am just as sure you will regret those words some day cousin." He moved to the sideboard and poured himself a drink, noting the look on his father's face. They were interrupted from further comments with the arrival of two more coming from the hallway to the drawing room. The one was a man with sandy blond curly hair and blue penetrating eyes that stared right through Vicki with such intensity it unnerved her.

"Ahh Gabriel and Edith do come in, meet your cousins, Barnabas and Victoria this is my son Gabriel and his wife Edith." Barnabas turned to peer over to his other cousin and nodded politely to them both.

"A pleasure to meet you all, when do I get a chance to meet Edward?" Barnabas smiled with charm to Daniel still holding onto Vicki's elbow and guiding her to a chair to let her sit. Quentin watched Vicki over the top of his glass and smiled, she was charming but so was Daphne and Daphne had not succumbed to his charm or his bed. However, this one was an intriguing new find.

Gabriel studied Victoria and noted she looked uncomfortable around so many Collins family members. Pushing his chair closer to her he leaned forward and took her hand raising it to his lips he kissed it. "I am very pleased to meet you once again. I fear we had a mishap and it was a case of mistaken identity that brought us together the last time. I must say it pleases me to know you are a part of our family."

Edith a tall statuesque blond moved to his side and smiled tightly to Vicki, "I look forward to getting to know you better now that we have met formally. It is a pleasure to meet someone with refine tastes." Her words were said in a practiced polite manner but lacked sincerity to any form of her phrasing it.

Vicki smiled, "I would like to invite everyone to the Old House for dinner one day next week if it does not conflict with any plans. " Her words were said with grace and sincerity, which only reminded others of how shallow Edith, had sounded earlier. The result of Vicki's invitation and the unknown slight she had just delivered by being herself had a slight ripple affect around the room.

Gabriel glared at his wife, Quentin chuckled sardonically into his glass, Judith teetered between a giggle and a chuckle, Amanda sighed and shook her head, Daniel harrumphed and Vicki stood feeling embarrassed, "I am sorry if I created a problem, perhaps Barnabas we should take our leave."

Barnabas was distressed by her reaction to those in the room and found that Daniel had produced a brood of ungrateful children that took advantage of the innocent. Daphne and Joanna were the only ones that were immediately concern over their guests not feeling welcome.

"Please it is we are all trying to be mindful of your situation here and we do welcome you and wish you to stay with us for dinner, we have so looked forward to this meeting since learing of your living so close to Collinwood."

Joanna mirrored her sister's sentiment. "Please we only just met and none of us want to get off on the wrong start with each other, we are all very competitive with each other and are more used to our differences. You unfortunately have come upon us when we were not at our best. As a matter of fact we are all still unnerved by something that happened earlier and have found ourselves still unsettled."

Vicki smiled at her twin and relaxed, "I am sorry to hear of your troubles. Is there anything that Barnabas or I can do to help?" She turned extending her gloved hand to Barnabas. He stepped to her side and took her hand in his and looked around at those that had gathered and could see subtle likenesses to his own family. Judith was so like his mother and Elizabeth. Edith was a blond cold beauty that had to contend with a crippled husband who was obviously over indulged and spoiled.

Carl suffered some type of mental malaise that made him almost child like, he had yet to meet Edward but wondered if he was a kind man or the only stable one since he had made a selection of Joanna as his wife. "Please stay, you should see the family at its best and its worse." Quentin spoke with a degree of sarcasm from the side of the room where he sat and nursed his drink.

From the open doorway a young boy appeared and darted into the room. "You must be Cousin Barnabas and you are his wife Victoria?" he was so much like David that Vicki was immediately put at ease with him.

"Why yes we are and who are you young man?" Barnabas bent over to shake his hand. Noting how like Daniel was at that age.

Daniel stepped forward and rubbed the young man's arms. "This is my grandson Thaddeus we call him Tad. He is Edward's son." Daniel sounded proud of the fact that his eldest son had given him and heir. Quentin smirked, he knew that it was more than likely his son since he and Laura had an affaire and shortly after their affaire Laura had announced she was pregnant. He was not about to take that from his older brother but he would take the fact that she was pregnant with his son or daughter when she went into those flames in Egypt.

Vicki offered her hand to him, " A pleasure Master Da, Tad." She had started to say David but caught herself before she finished. He quirked a brow and then laughed.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you two, I had seen you working in the old house and wondered who you were and came back and told Grandfather there were other people living in the old house besides the gypsies and he had to go and meet you."

He had rushed it all out in one breath that Vicki chuckled, "Well I am glad you did. Now as I said before Barnabas and I would like to invite all of you to join us for a Collins family dinner at the old house next Friday if it does not conflict with any plans you may have."

Daniel looked around at his family and had to admit at least for once they were on their best behavior. For that he was grateful.