Episode 1405

Aired: Friday November 12, 1971

Alexandra Moltke's voiceover: "Harrison Collins finds himself trapped in the strange world of parallel time in the year 1897....a fateful year for the Collins family as he will soon discover. For events are beginning that will alter the fate of those living on the great estate, and for some, the fate will be quite terrifying...."

There is a knock at the door of Collinwood. Benjamin leaves the drawing room to answer it, and it is Gregory Trask (Jerry Lacy, looking more like Lamar than the Gregory we remember). Benjamin says hello but asks him why he's here. "I didn't know there was family business to conduct today," he adds. Trask smiles and says "Your grandmother seemed to think it was most urgent to see me. May I go upstairs?" Benjamin nervously says "Of course." Trask heads upstairs with his briefcase as Quentin comes out from the door under the stairs. "Who was that?" he asks Benjamin. "Trask is here. Grandmother called him. It can only mean one thing, Quentin. She must want to change her will." Quentin raises an eyebrow.

After the titles, Quentin tells Benjamin that he "can't be sure" that's the reason for Trask's visit, but Benjamin is still worried about the entire "produce an heir" angle that he's obsessing over. Quentin tells Benjamin to get a hold of himself, and that his fears have much more to do with his grief over losing Kitty than with anything else. Benjamin tells Quentin that Kitty was the only woman he ever loved. Quentin counters by telling Benjamin that he's "got a lot of years and a lot of women left to love. You've got to move on." Upstairs, Trask enters Catherine's room and finds her reading. "You're looking well, Catherine," he says. "As are you, Gregory," she says. "Did you bring the papers I asked for?" Trask says yes, though he adds he's not sure why she wants "to make such changes." Catherine tells him that she has "reevaluated some things about her family. I want to make sure that the family will endure." Trask tells her that the Collins family will always find a way to endure, but Catherine says "Enough with the soapy talk. Try to behave like the hard nosed attorney I hired you to be." Trask takes out the papers. Downstairs, Lucy enters the drawing room where Benjamin and Quentin are talking. She is carrying a newspaper and says "Isn't it horrible what happened to that woman." Benjamin agrees, but tells Lucy that she shouldn't worry and that the police will "certainly catch whoever did such a thing." Quentin tells Benjamin that their cousin Carl is "obsessed" with this killer being caught. Benjamin asks Quentin if he thinks it's the same killer that murdered Jenny and Quentin says he doesn't know. Lucy asks if there is some "kind of curse" on the Collins family "or the house. It seems like there is always a series of tragedies here." Quentin looks at her and says "I've often wondered about that myself."

Edward enters the room and scoffs at the idea of "curses" on the family. "I've never heard anything so stupid in all my life," he adds. Quentin smiles and says "Edward, I'm sure some might consider you the curse on the Collins family." Edward tells Quentin that "sarcasm should have no place in the house." Lucy says that Jamison always tells her stories of "horrific things that have happened in the past here." Edward sneers "And you believe the boy? My son has an imagination that is all too active sometimes. No doubt he believes that nonsense from my grandmother about cursed rooms and death lotteries and possession by evil ghostly ancestors. It's all rubbish!" Benjamin grows angry at Edward and says "Our grandmother and grandfather both told us those stories, of how they ended a curse on this family! I believed them because I respect what they have done. You could do the same!" Quentin tells Edward not to mind Benjamin, since "he's upset that Trask is here talking to grandmother about something." Shocked, Edward says "Not the will? She wouldn't! She wouldn't alter it now!" Quentin laughs and says "Well if you're so afraid Edward, why don't you run upstairs and butt your nose right in?" Edward says "I will certainly see what is going on!" He storms out of the room and Quentin signals Benjamin to follow him, which he does. Quentin them walks to Lucy, who is reading the paper. "So, you've been rather a stranger to me since I got back." Lucy holds up the paper and says "You were a stranger to me before you left." Quentin pulls the paper away and says "What happened between me and Charity Trask meant nothing." Lucy says "What about you and Beth?" Quentin turns away. Lucy goes on, adding "Yes, it might be bad enough when you were involved with a governess, but a servant? What would your family say?" Quentin snaps "They'd probably say I wasn't a snob when it came to someone's station in life!" Lucy laughs and says "You're not a snob when it comes to any woman's station, that's for certain." Quentin grabs hold of her and says "Why do I let you get to me so much...." She tries to pull away, but he pulls her close and kisses her. As Quentin is kissing Lucy, the front door opens and Charity Trask (Nancy Barrett) enters. She looks into the drawing room and, flirty, says "Oh, am I interrupting something?" Quentin pulls away from Lucy and says "Some people have the courtesy to knock when they enter someone else's home." Charity walks in, slinky, and adds "And such a nice home too! I know my brother admires it every time he comes here to discuss things with your grandmother. Is he still here?" Quentin says "Yes. He's upstairs if you want him." Charity smiles at Quentin and says "I want lots of things, now don't I?" She leaves as Lucy glares at her. Upstairs, Edward has walked in on Trask and Catherine, and Catherine insists that he leave. Edward implores his grandmother not to "do anything rash" and Trask tells him that "Your grandmother is of sound mind. You have no business here, Edward, I'm sorry." Benjamin enters and takes Edward out of the room before the door is closed. Edward tells Benjamin "I know what she's doing! Valery has succeeded in helping herself to the estate! I see the way Trask looks at her....I bet they are in cahoots!" Benjamin tells Edward to calm himself before getting fed up with Edward's complaining and heading back downstairs. As he comes downstairs, he finds Charity and tells her that her brother "may be awhile." Charity asks if she can wait in the drawing room, and Benjamin says "Of course." As she heads back towards Quentin and Lucy, there is another knock at the door. Benjamin answers the door, and in walks a well-dressed and glamorous looking Alexandra Moltke. Benjamin is shocked as he says "Kitty!" Quentin comes out of the drawing room and looks terrified, also saying "Kitty!" Kitty smiles slyly and says "Hello."

Kitty puts her hat on the rack and says to Benjamin "I know you're surprised to see me after I left, but I had to come back here. After I got your letter." Benjamin is elated and kisses her hand, saying "I wanted you to come back so....but Quentin said that...." Quentin interrupts and says "I told him about following you to Persia. I told him everything." Kitty flippantly says "Well, you forgot to tell him I decided to come back. Is my old room available?" Benjamin says he'll tell Beth to get it ready, and then hugs her, adding "I knew in my heart you'd come back to me!" Benjamin goes through the door under the stairs to get Beth as Lucy and Charity study Quentin's strange reaction to Kitty. "My bags are outside, but I brought my new manservant to take them, you needn't worry," she says. Then, noticing Quentin staring at her, she says "Quentin? Are you all right? You're looking at me most strangely." Quentin says "I'm sorry....it's just that I didn't expect to see you again." Kitty says "Life is full of surprises, isn't it? Well, I'd like to go upstairs and freshen up. I'll need some rest after my long journey." Quentin says slowly "Of course..." and watches her go upstairs. He bites his thumb and paces as Charity and Lucy watch him. "What's wrong?" Lucy asks. Charity adds "Quentin, I've never seen you like this. What's wrong?" Quentin says "I don't know.... it's Kitty, but it can't be. She died in Persia!" Lucy says "Died? Obviously she didn't! You must have gotten false news." Quentin says "No, you don't understand. I was there. I saw the fire, the building crumble. I even saw the little that was left of her...." He turns to face Charity and Lucy and says "I saw her die with my own eyes!" They don't know what to make of this when we cut to upstairs where Kitty has entered her room and is looking around. She passes the mirror and begins to adjust her hair but when she takes off her gloves, her hands are ancient and bony, with rotting flesh....