Chapter 24
Duke Henri draped a protective arm around his wife's shoulders removing the expensive fur coat. Vicki stepped forward and took her coat. "Darling, I thought you would be in New York another week? How am I so fortunate to find you here with me?" He smiled beguilingly into her gaze and placed a light chaste kiss on her forehead. Vicki laid the coat on the foyer table, turned to lace her arm around Barnabas' waist. Elizabeth was the first to step forward and offer her hand.
"Welcome to Collinwood Cousin Josephine. We have just convinced your dear husband, Cousin Henri to stay with us and would hope that you find our accommodations more inviting than those offered in Collinsport."
Josephine took Elizabeth's hands by her fingertips barely touching her hand. "Pleasure I am sure, she slid her gaze over Victoria and Barnabas. Smiling brightly she shifted that gaze dismissively over Victoria and let her predatory gaze land on Barnabas. "Did I hear my husband call you Barnabas?" She laughed lightly her eyes shining with mischief. The fact she totally dismissed Victoria was a more than rude it was noticeable.
Barnabas nodded, "That is correct, excuse me." He watched the reaction of his soft rebuke glide over her face. Shifting his gaze back to Victoria. "My dearest one, may I entreat you on a moonlight stroll back to the Old House where we may continue our discussion regarding our impending nuptials." Barnabas was not going to allow some snobbish Angelique want to be discounting his fiancé. Having dealt with her kind before Barnabas pointedly turned to Elizabeth smiled and bowed from the waist.
"Elizabeth, if you would be so kind as to give our excuses to the rest of the family, you will understand we are anxious to continue on with planning our wedding." He took Elizabeth's hand and kissed it, turning to the Duke he bowed to him and his wife. "Now if you will excuse us." He smiled then turned Vicki and led her to the foyer where he took her coat from the hook and helped her into her coat. Lifting his own Inverness Cape.
Josephine frowned, tilted her head and said softly, "Well I never." She turned her back on the departing couple looking very vexed at her husband. Who had frowned down into her lovely face. "I feel very ignored and rebuked my dear. Did I do something wrong?"
Elizabeth sighed softly, "You should not feel rebuked Cousin Josephine, my cousin and daughter are very much in love. They had several obstacles placed before them and they are just anxious to plan their wedding. So as you can imagine they now wish to renew that love they shared for each other." Elizabeth smiled to take any intended harshness out of the words should the Duchess feel she was being chastised.
Henri smiled in return to Elizabeth, "Sometimes, Josephine forgets her good manners with which she was and may appear a bit harsh, crass and snobbish. Unfortunately for her most people from this country do not know how to take my precious Josephine she can be abrasive." He tightened his hold on his wife's shoulders as one of his warnings to not say anything. "I am sure Cousin Elizabeth once she feels more comfortable about my newly discovered family she will be the woman that I married and remember she is a part of this family too."
Josephine could tell by the coated tone of his voice that she had made a huge mistake in treating the members of this house as she had. She also knew that later on in the privacy of their room he would also let her know how wrong she had been. Feeling the dread of his attitude later she tightened her smile and flushed deeply. "If I have offended you my dear Cousin Elizabeth, please accept my humblest of apologies. It is I am tired from the long journey on that dreadful train and then to find a cab to bring me here was a horrendous experience."
Her words were sincere but inside she quaked at the idea of being alone with her husband later. The tension in his fingers had tightened when she first spoke to Elizabeth and as the words came out he wished to hear the pressure lessened until his fingers were back to the caring tender touch she had become to enjoy. "Well why don't you come to the drawing room and meet everyone else. I am sure they are anxious to meet you as much as I was." Again, Elizabeth was being the gracious hostess.
Old House Drawing Room
Barnabas opened the door for Victoria and allowed her entry into the foyer. Vicki turned to wait for Barnabas to enter and was arrested by a very pleasant sight in front of her, Beth was helping Willie from the car and guiding him with his crutches to the front steps. "Oh Barnabas look, its Willie!" She smiled brightly looking at the two as they cuddled for a brief moment with Willie balancing on his crutches, behind Willie and Beth, Rebecca followed them towards the front of the house.
Barnabas smiled looking at the progress that Willie was making on his own; he suspected that he held to Beth because he wanted to feel her close to him. Willie looked up and smiled. "Hey Barnabas, they released me to light duties at home, so Beth and Becky brought me home hope that is ok?" He looked a little unsure until he saw the broad grin on Barnabas' face.
"Of course it is perfectly acceptable for you to come home. Afte all Willie this is your home too. Please come in and join Victoria and I in a celebratory drink to your return and our setting our date and preparing for our wedding." Barnabas stood aside and waited for Willie to come up the stairs, then he stood next to his free side and helped him into the drawing room and a chair.
Vicki had gone to the liquor cabinet and pulled out the bottle of wine and glasses. Rebecca stepped next to Victoria's side offering to help. "May I help hand out the drinks?' Becky smiled watching Vicki nod and waited for her to pour two more drinks, picking up the first two drinks she took them to Barnabas and Willie, returning to take two more drinks one for herself and Beth. Vicki finished pouring her drink. Turning she stepped to the others gathered around the fireplace.
Rebecca cleared her throat and spoke softly her face held a tender smile as she looked at her brother first then to the others gathered together. "I would like to be the first to propose a toast. I give you Barnabas and Victoria two people that were made for each other, who has one of those special loves that can transcend time and find where it belongs."
Vicki standing next to Barnabas smiled with a flush, she remembered finding her love for him in 1794. She knew then instinctively she loved him and no matter what happened then, she would find her love for him again in the 20th century. "No truer words were spoken." Willie said as he lifted his glass to his lips.
"To Vicki and Barnabas!" Beth smiled lifted her glass and watched as everyone else lifted their glasses and saluted the happy couple huddled close together. Vicki glanced up into her fiancé's eyes and when she did she was riveted by the smoldering passion and withheld emotions he had hidden from everyone but her, she flushed with excited anticipation and tip toed up to kiss his lips lightly.
"I love you Barnabas Collins." She had whispered for his ears only. The others in the room seeing the sweet tender moment between the two chuckled softly and a 'here, here!" was uttered. Vicki cleared her throat. "My turn, I give you my future husband Barnabas Collins that when I look into his eyes I see my life and our children. I give you Willie Loomis and Beth Chavez two people that were meant to be together and I give you Rebecca Loomis, whom has been an immeasurable help to me in managing Devlin Enterprises."
Again the glasses were lifted, and then Beth spoke softly her gaze drinking in the sight of Willie sitting back comfortably in his chair. "I give you Willie Loomis, the man that conquered his adversities and showed me how love is suppose to be. I love you Willie, and I want you to know that you have meant the world to me from the very moment I met you."
"Willie Loomis, the man that conquered more than his adversities, a man that showed me how to be human, and to respect other's feelings, a man that has meant more to me than he will ever imagine. That is why I want to ask him now to be my best man at our wedding." Barnabas had stepped forward and faced Willie with a smile.
Willie nearly dropped his glass he jerked up into a straight sitting position and flushed. "Um yeah sure I would be honored Barnabas, are you sure you don't want Dr. Lang or Professor Stokes or Roger to be your best man?" Willie was taken aback. He had never expected to be made an equal with Barnabas. He tried to stand and felt a gentle hand pushing him back to his seat.
"Yes Willie I want you to be my best man." He smiled then turned to face Victoria. "I would also like to honor my future wife, Victoria Collins Winters soon to be Collins. In her I have learn to trust in my heart and to follow it and it led me to her. I give you Beth who was a miracle for our William and then I give you Rebecca a sweet addition to the family." Again the glasses lifted to the toast then it was Willie's turn to speak.
"To Barnabas and Vicki two people made for each other, to Beth that gave me hope and taught me love, and finally to Rebecca, who has given me a little sister to boss around and protect." This caused the group to chuckle and the glasses were raised.
When the toasts were finished, Rebecca and Beth helped Willie to his room. After seeing to his comfort they went to their respective rooms for the night with reassurances to Vicki and Barnabas that they would take care of the bed linens and preparing their own rooms. Smiling knowingly they knew it would leave the two love birds to adjourn to the library. "I wish I could talk you into staying tonight I do not like the idea of you being under the same roof with that woman." He sat behind his desk and she set on his lap encircling her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder.
"I suppose I could call the house and tell them I will be staying here for the night, I have missed sharing the evenings with you." To accent her words there was a low roll of thunder that vibrated the house. She glanced out the window and saw the brilliant flash of lightening. "Well I guess that settles the debate." She chuckled softly. "Can't very well go home in the pouring rain storm since we walked through the woods."
Barnabas cupped her chin lifted his and planted a chaste kiss that grew into a more demanding kiss on her lips. Vicki gave into the kiss and played with the back of his hairline as she allowed his hands to glide up her sweater and cup her breast softly in one hand. This action caused her to moan softly as he caressed his thumb over her taunt nipple. "Stay with me tonight my precious love, stay with me, lay with me and keep me company this night."
Vicki opened her eyes and smiled, "I will stay with you and I will lay with you this night and hopefully in a few months time we will lay together forever my love, forever and ever."
Collinwood
Guest Bedroom
The comfortably large room had at one time been Jeremiah's room, it held a more modern feel to it with the windows open allowing the sea breeze to blow in and ruffle the curtains. The room had wall-to-wall carpeting with a large decorative rug resting on the floor. The four-poster bed centered the dominant wall. A wall of closets edged the other wall and across from that was a fire burning cozily in the large fireplace. Two chairs with small foot rests sat on each side of the fireplace and over the mantle a long dead Collins family member staring broodingly down at whomever had the misfortune to catch the eyes of the portrait. The walls held a soft robins eggshell blue with a cherrywood chair rail.
"How quaint." Josephine smiled her appreciation for the room to her hostess. She covetedly watched Henri trying to gage his mood hidden behind a polite mask of appreciation to the matriarch of the house. "The room is lovely Cousin Elizabeth and I want to thank you for allowing us to stay here. I fear while I was in town I saw the only hotel that offered any kind of shelter and frankly it was very old fashion and I am sure clean but not quite what I am used to having. So your kind offer was a god send.!"
She saw Henri stiffen, which caused her to chewed her bottom lip, then watched his back relax and she let out a small long breath to release the tension from her own body. Elizabeth smiled, "Well I knew you would not be accustomed to the fare offered in town and the house is big and I do have but one servant and she complains incessantly about the work she has to do but we still accept her as part of the family. You will understand that my daughter is currently bed bound due to her pregnancy and well Daphne has been a tremendous help, she is the niece to Dr. Hoffman-Lang. I suppose for your visit I could bring on one more servant that could help you."
Henri turned and smiled beguilingly for Elizabeth. "Not necessary Cousin Elizabeth. We are perfectly capable of helping ourselves and cannot thank you enough for your generosity." He took her hand and kissed it. "I will leave you to the rest of your night and we will unpack and see you in the morning." He closed the door as she exited the room. Pressing his palm flat to the door. Josephine watched him and knew he was listening to her retreating footsteps. "You know what to do while we are here?"
He had spoken to the door but it was Josephine that knew what he meant. "I do, you want me to distract Barnabas and keep his attention from Victoria." She watched him turn; his eyes had grown dark and contemplative. He smiled, and nodded then he fixed that hard stare on her form.
"I brought you back from Zachary because I have a use for you Angelique. The next time you rebuff a member of this family, I will not be as tolerant as I am this night. I expect your decorum to not be as ostentatious as you were upon your arrival. You snubbed Victoria and you snubbed my . . . " He chuckled softly, "Henri's cousin." He walked to the window and watched the building thunderhead roll in over the Atlantic. "I will not tolerate your being rude to this family."
"I thought you wanted them all dead, when you first took Henri's body you had a great hatred for the Collins Family. You spent the last year planning your revenge and the destruction of this family. Now you are coddling them and frankly Andréas it is sickening to see. How can you now wish to worry about their petty feelings?" Josephine walked to the bed and set on the end of it kicking off her shoes and massaging the arch with the toes of her other foot.
"You know my dear to set a trap you must bait it, and coming in here with rage and seeking open vengeance would have given them time to prepare for me and my plans. Whereas coming in as family and seeking their approval lulls them into a false sense of security and they relax their guard. My plans are as they have always been. Although I must say I am enjoying the status this body gives me and the fact I have access to Tate helps me wish to keep this body, destroy Collins and take his bride from him on his wedding night."
"And what of me? What am I suppose to do?" Josephine jumped up from the bed as the first resounding low rumble of thunder vibrated the room almost appearing to accent her own anger at being so dismssed. The flash of lighting was nothing compare to the dangerous glint of hatred she shot at Henri. "You just plan to throw me out and leave me to my own means? You promised you would find Peter for me and reunite us."
Andréas Petofi now occupying the body of Henri Limburg turned and smiled, and for the first time, Josephine saw the malice in that smile. "Oh do not worry my dear I promise you will be with your precious Bradford, just uphold your end of our bargain and you will be reunited with him." These words held very little comfort for Angelique as she folded her arms over her chest she studied the back of the man that had brought her from the depths of hell.
When he turned her coldly looked her over. "Perhaps you should retire my dear you are looking tired, I am not ready to retire and might explore the house. Don't wait up for me." He smartly turned on his heels and walked to the door. Pausing for a moment he frowned, "And you had better reconsider those thoughts my dear, I know what you are thinking and I can just as easily send you back to Judah Zachary if you wish."
She felt her body grow cold and her face froze in place with her hidden anger and her venomous thoughts watching him go through the door. "What the hell is so wonderful about that stupid milk toast bitch that every man that has any contact with her wants to claim her as their own!" She hissed softly under her breath. Locking his hands behind his back he walked slowly down the hallway and turned at the end juncture and looked to the family's quarters.
Using his instincts he walked down the hallway and paused outside the door he knew belonged to her bedroom. Trying the doorknob he opened the door and stepped into her room. Softly, he closed the door behind him and looked the room over finding it quaint and simple. Walking to her closet he opened the door and ran his hands over the simple dresses contained inside. Turning he walked to the dresser and opened the dresser drawer and pulled out her slip and drew its scent to his nose and inhaled.
Seeing her perfume on the dresser he lifted the bottle and opened it and sniffed and smiled. Looking the room over he found a spot he needed to put the special stone he held in his pocket. Setting the stone in the room so he had a view of the entire room he stepped back shoved the slip into the drawer, walked to the closet and closed the door. "You aren't suppose to be in here Cousin Henri, this is Miss Winter's room."
Henri turned and smiled at the boy standing in the doorway. "Cousin David isn't it?" He walked to the boy and looked down into his wide and disbelieving eyes.
"Yes, and you are in the wrong room, your room is across the hallway on the other side of this wing. Do you need me to show you?" He stepped back out of Vicki's room with a quick cursory glance around to make sure nothing was out of place.
"Not necessary my dear boy, I was just exploring and understood there was a door down on this end that led to the West Wing and I was curious about it." Henri smile tightened as he guided the boy from the room.
"It is this door here." He nodded to the one at the end of the hallway. "But its locked and we don't go there. That wing has not been used in a very long time. Aunt Elizabeth made sure the locks were changed when Miss Winters accidentally got locked in a room there one time."
Henri chuckled as he noted the boy accented the word accidentally. "You did not have anything to do with that accident did you cousin David?" He glanced down at the boy who was leading him down the hallway. He watched David stiffen in a defensive pose get a thoughtful look then said softly.
"No, I would not have anything to do with that she went exploring and she should have stayed in this wing, Aunt Elizabeth warned her not to go there and she did any way." He folded his arms across his chest and glared at the floor.
"Why was she exploring in that part of the house, she seems to be a very practical girl, what could have possessed her to go and explore when she had been told not to go there?" He locked his look on David's bent head and watched him take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"I guess she thought I might have been there and went looking for me because she was worried about me." He stopped outside the door that led to a tower room. "Well this is my room, I am going to bed now. Good night Cousin Henri." He placed his hand on his door and listened to Henri as he sauntered on down the hallway.
"Goodnight Cousin David. Sleep well dear boy." His voice floated back to David and for some reason David felt there was a hidden meaning in that message. Going into his room he stopped seeing Sarah sitting on the edge of his bed swinging her feet and throwing her ball in the air.
"He is a very bad man you know David, he is evil." She caught the ball and slipped from the bed walking to the window she watched the storm push to the land with lashing rain and howling wind that now whipped up around the casement windows.
"How do you know this?" David stepped next to her and watched the storm make landfall. He watched her small shoulders rise and fall in a shrug.
"I don't know I just know. You need to warn Miss Winters she is in a lot of danger and so is Barnabas. Josette tried to tell them earlier but was interrupted and had to leave. There was another matter she needed to address that was more pressing than telling them something cryptic about that new cousin."
David frowned, "Why is he evil?"
"Because he is someone he is not. He is pretending and lying to everyone and . . ." A sound outside of David's door caused Sarah's form to fade from view as David turned his head to see his door open and Henri standing in the doorway.
"I see that I am going to have to teach you a lesson David. You really should keep your nose out of other people's business." He approached David and reached forward and cup his chin. "From this day forward until I deem it not, you will not be able to tell anyone about me, when you try you will loose your voice and be unable to write." Stepping back Andréa Petofi chuckled softly turned and left David standing and staring after his retreating form.
"I will make you sorry. You will regret ever coming to Collinwood and I will find a way to tell everyone what an evil bastard you are."
This ends Shadows of Memories Past, we now move on to the next chapter in the life of the Collins family with Shadows Bliss. Barnabas and Victoria plan their wedding, Quentin and Daphne decide to get married, Willie and Beth get engaged and Count Andréa Petofi with the help of Angelique plans the end of Collinwood and the Collins family, what remains is will Barnabas and Quentin find out in time to prevent the destruction of their legacy?