Episode 1347

Aired: Tuesday August 24, 1971

Joan Bennet's voiceover: "Collinwood, on a night of painful memories for the mistress of the great house. For on this night, she is forced to relive a trauma from her past, a past filled with a sadness she feels she cannot endure. On a similar stormy night in the year 1945, she had to confront her angry father over the news he had just learned...."

Jamison walks on his cane to the doors of the drawing room and angrily calls for Elizabeth. As the young Liz comes down the stairs, she is scared to face her angry father. She looks at him timidly and says "Yes, father?" and he says "Shouldn't I be calling myself grandfather, young lady?" Young Liz gasps and turns away from him. "Yes, that was the doctor calling. You needn't worry, I have paid him handsomely to buy his silence on this matter." Young Liz turns to Jamison and begs him to listen to her explain and he snaps "What is there to explain? You gave in to your desires for that young man. And now....." Liz cries "I think I love him, father! Please!" Jamison sneers. "You think? You are not even sure!" Liz says "What am I to do? What am I to do?" Jamison looks at her sternly and answers "You will do everything I tell you to do, young lady. Everything." Liz looks scared.

After the titles, young Liz and Jamison are in the drawing room as Jamison pours himself a drink. "You fancy yourself the mistress of this house once I am gone, don't you?" Liz is about to answer, but Jamison continues. "If that is what you really want, you must uphold the honor of the family name. Is that what you've done, Elizabeth?" Liz apologizes and once again starts to beg her father to "understand" but he answers "I understand plenty! You disobeyed me when I told you to stay away from that young man, and you made me feel enough guilt over having to dismiss him so that I have paid for his medical education. I thought perhaps if he succeeded in his chosen profession, he may well have made a good choice for you, once you had grown and matured. But now, this! There's only one thing to do now..." Liz stands to face him. "No!" she says. "I can marry Alan now, father! And no one will need to know anything else! I will make him a good wife!" Jamison shakes his head. "No. I forbid it. If you were to marry that young man now, you'd only ruin both of your lives. You don't even know if you love him." Liz says she could grow to love him, and Jamison insists that he does not "want to risk the family honor" on "such a slim chance." Liz suddenly gets some strength in her eyes and says "I could go to him. I could go to him in Boston and tell him. Tell him everything!" Jamison says "Yes, you could. But I forbid it. Leave him alone. It's better that he never knows. And it will be better for you as well to hear me out." Liz snaps "You can't forbid me to do the things I must, like I'm still a child!" Jamison snaps back "You are still my child, Elizabeth! And I know what is best for you. I know the future you should have, and you will have it. If you choose not to, and you go to young Slater like you have said... I will be forced to cut you off." Liz can't believe what she is hearing as Jamison adds "Completely."

As Jamison glares at her, Liz timidly says "The baby....." as Jamison finishes "..will be taken care of. You will remain here until the time comes. I have arranged for this possibility with the family lawyers. The Garmans have found some suitable orphanages. I have also provided a small fund of regular monies to be forwarded to the child until the age of sixteen, all through several layers of anonymity. It will be for the best." Liz starts to cry. "My baby...will never know its mother...." Jamison coldly says "I didn't know mine....and yet I survive. Those are my intentions. If they are not met, I have also instructed the Garmans to change my will accordingly. I am sorry." He leaves the room, and young Liz continues to cry. We zoom in on her crying as we dissolve to a close-up on the present day Liz, 1971, crying in Alan's arms. He says to her "I had no idea...." as she starts to compose herself. "For years I wondered what happened to my child after my father took her away. It was only after my father died and I discovered where the money he had left was being sent that I forced the Garmans into telling me the truth." Alan smiles "I guess they wanted to keep you as a client more than they honored your father's wishes." Liz says "Everything pointed to Vicky. I hired her as David's governess over Roger's strong objections." Alan asks "So, Roger knew as well?" Liz stands up and starts to straighten her hair in the mirror. "Not really, but he had his suspicions. I had always kept it secret." As she looks at herself in the mirror, she adds "I suppose I inherited that kind of strength from my father. The strength to keep things from my own family." Alan turns her from the mirror and says "Liz, stop punishing yourself. You did what you had to do." Liz says "But I didn't do what I wanted to do, what I should have done! I don't know if I can ever forgive myself for not standing up to father, for....giving up my child. And for giving up you." Alan takes her into his arms and gives her a long kiss. "It's never too late to start over," he says. Liz beams.

Liz and Alan come downstairs and find only Harrison. He tells them Vicky has "run to the old house", but he wanted behind to see how Liz was feeling. She says she's feeling better, and apologizes to Harrison. He says it's perfectly all right, only wonders what he could have ever done to upset her. She says "You may find it silly, but I looked at you and saw the image of my father. It brought back an unhappy memory." "Oh, I'm sorry," Harrison says. "I hope your memories are mostly happy ones." Liz smiles and says they are. Satisfied, Harrison says he had promised to meet up with Vicky at the old house, and leaves. Alan remarks on how "the Collins family of today is so much friendlier than the one I remember." Liz says "Perhaps it's time to acknowledge another addition to it." Alan says "We should be absolutely sure." Liz asks how they can be, and Alan says "I can give her a simple blood test. Now, now, I can do it discreetly, just in case." Liz takes Alan by the hands and says "You know, in a way, I almost don't think it matters. After Vicky came here, we all thought of her as one of the family anyway." Alan smiles and says "Maybe it's time we made it official."

At the old house, Angelique is straightening up the living room, when she hears a knock at the door. She answers it, and it's Vicky. "Vicky!" she says. "This is a surprise. Please, come in." Vicky comes in, glaring at Angelique the entire time. "Is there something wrong?" Angelique asks. "I'm not sure," Vicky says. "I've been remembering a lot of things tonight. A lot of my past is coming back to me. And for some reason, I remember you." Angelique is taken aback, and asks "How could you remember me? We've never met before." Vicky smiles and says "I thought you'd say that. But it isn't true. We met long ago, long ago in the past. And you tried to kill me." Angelique shudders.