Chapter Six:

~V~V~

While trapped within the room, Bramwell and Catherine came upon a book. It happened to be the diary of Brutus Collins. "It would seem my ancestor was deeply insane," Bramwell said after he had read aloud a few of the entries. "He placed a curse upon this room and all of my family."

"The curse has affected Morgan. It's caused him to be possessed by the spirit of your ancestor," Catherine concluded.

"What can we do to break the curse? How can we escape this dreaded room? It would seem that others who have tried have failed,' spoke Bramwell. He looked at the skeletal remains of the unfortunate ones who had not been able to lift the curse.

"The diary reads- 'I have cursed this house and all whom inhabit it, until such time that someone can spend one night completely in this locked room. If you live through the night and discover how to break the curse, the door will open on it's own accord and the curse will be lifted. It you live and don't figure out how to break the curse, you will slowly go insane as the spirits possess you - still the door will open on it's own accord as long as the key is in the lock. Many have died in this room and unless the curse is lifted, many more will, too. Brutus Collins 1724,'" said Catherine. "I guess we have to survive the night in this dreadful room. In the meantime, we can try come up with a way to break the curse. I hope we can do that, Bramwell, and I hope that Morgan hasn't done anything awful, besides lock us in this room."

"You are worried about Samantha, aren't you?"

"Yes, Bramwell. I don't like the way that Morgan looked at her."

"What do you mean?"

"As if he desired her... as if he..." Her voice trailed off.

"You don't think...?"

"I am just worried, Bramwell... for ourselves, as well as your sister."

"We will get out of this room and we will take care of Morgan," Bramwell stated. "I promise you. We will have escaped this room by morning."

He pulled her into his arms as he kissed the top of her head. She snuggled up against his broad chest. "I love you, Bramwell Collins,' she said.

"And I love you, too. No curse will ever destroy our love... nothing will. Not even death."

And as they remained within the hidden room, locked away with the cobwebs and the skeletons, they held each other close, comforting each other all through the night. When morning came to Collinwood, they had somehow survived. They had not been consumed with madness or anxieties, because they had been secure in the protection of love. The sun came up and it's rays danced upon the ocean. The waves beat upon the cliffs, and in that moment, the door unlocked. Bramwell and Catherine were free.

She was ecstatic when she realized that the lock had been released. "What was it that broke the curse, Bramwell? What was it that set us free?"

"It was love, my dear. Love is more powerful than evil or curses," he stated. "It's more powerful than Brutus. The others in this room succumbed to madness, because they did not have love on their side. Love will defeat Morgan. I will get my cousin back. I swear that it will.:

"I think it was Samantha who helped us, Bramwell. Somehow, someway, I think that she convinced Morgan to set us free."

Bramwell took Catherine's hand and led her out of the room and into the library. Once there, they began looking for Morgan and Samantha. It would seem that Bramwell's cousin and his sister were no where to be found.

When they rushed upstairs to search their rooms, they found a note upon Catherine's vanity.

The letter read:

My dearest Catherine and Bramwell,

If you are reading this letter, then it would mean that you have escaped the hidden room. If the curse has been lifted, then that will not mean that you have won. Because, you see, I have taken Samantha. The beautiful one will be mine.

Bramwell, my cousin, you took the one I loved. You took Catherine, my betrothed... and now I will take your sister. You will never see Samantha again. I will take her far from this place. She will be mine forever. This is the price you will pay for stealing my beloved. You will never see your sister again. When I am finished with her, I will throw her from the cliffs.

Brutus Colllins is ruthless and he LIVES within me. His evil will dwell deep inside me from this moment until the end of time. You may have found happiness in each other, but you should know that your indiscretion comes with a heavy price - that price is Samantha. Your sister will soon know the torment of Brutus Collins and all of his lust.

I pledge this upon this day.

Morgan Collins 1841

Catherine gasped as she and Bramwell read the letter. "Ohhh Bramwell, does he mean he will-?" Catherine asked as she trembled with worry.

"Yes, my love. He's possessed by the wicked one ... and he will do evil deeds, if I do not stop him."

"How can you stop him? And where has he taken Samantha?"

"He has taken her to the caves."

"The caves?"

"The caves near the cliffs. I must go there and rescue Samantha. He may be hurting her as we speak."

"But how do you know where he has gone?"

"Because I know my cousin. It was always his favorite place to explore as we grew up. I'm sure he'd want to take Samantha to his favorite place, a place where he's most familiar."

As they discussed strategies of how to rescue Samantha, they were seated in front of the roaring fireplace within the parlor. "I'm so worried, Catherine," Bramwell spoke to the woman he loved. "We've searched for Samantha, but I cannot find any sign of her. Morgan has lost his mind... and I fear it is all my fault."

"It is OUR fault, Bramwell. We fell in love. The passion we shared resulted in a child," Catherine spoke as she lay her hand upon her lower stomach where their unborn baby lay within her womb. "It was too much for Morgan when he discovered the truth. We betrayed him."

Tears filled Catherine's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "Because of me, your dear sister may be killed," she fretted. "Morgan has lost his mind. He may hurt her."

"Do not blame yourself, darling," Bramwell spoke as he drew Catherine into his arms and kissed away her tears. "It was fate that we fell in love and we created this child. You and Morgan were betrothed, but you did not know we would meet first and we would fall in love. My cousin is not an evil man. Something controls him. Something has turned him into this evil beast that wants to kill."

"He would have killed us too if Samantha wouldn't have saved us. She's saved both of our lives... and now we can do nothing for her," Catherine said sadly. "I am sure that she saved us, Bramwell."

"Bramwell," a voice spoke.

Bramwell looked up from the love seat where he was sitting in the parlor, holding Catherine in his arms. "Father?" he said in surprise as he rose to his feet.

"Where have you been? I went to the Old House many times, looking for you and Mother. I am afraid something has happened," Bramwell said with distress.

Josette appeared at Barnabas's side. She rushed over to her son and took him into her arms to give him a comforting hug. "Everything will be alright, Bramwell," she tried to reassure him.

"Will it?" Bramwell spoke as a shudder moved through his body.

"Where is Samantha?" Barnabas asked his son. "Has she been here? Have you seen her?"

"Who is this young lady?" Barnabas questioned as he glanced over at Catherine.

"Father, this is Catherine Harridge. She traveled a great distance to become Morgan's bride," explained Bramwell. "But fate would have it that I met her before the wedding day and she and I fell in love."

"She carries my child," Bramwell revealed.

Josette gasped. Her son was about to become a father?

"How did you know about Samantha?" Bramwell asked. "Do you know that she's...?"

"Yes, I know that she is my daughter... and that Angelique is her mother. She's in danger, Bramwell. I must find her at once."

"Morgan lost his mind when he found out that Catherine is expecting my child. He tried to... kill us," Bramwell revealed. "Samantha saved our lives. In retaliation, he's kidnapped Samantha. I've looked for her everywhere, Father. I don't know where he's taken her."

"I will find her," Barnabas tried to assure his son.

"That isn't all that has me concerned," Bramwell spoke with a heavy sigh. "Something is amiss with Melanie."

"Melanie?" Josette cried out.

"Dear God," Barnabas spoke. It would seem that he had not only one daughter in crisis, but two.