1161 - December 7, 1970

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR:Collinwood in .

A night no one in the great house will ever forget.

For Daniel Collins has d*ed of a heart att*ck brought on

by his son Gabriel, who sprang from his wheelchair

in rage at his father.

Thus revealing the secret he guarded so many years.

That he can walk.

Gabriel, knowing his secret secure, is positive now

that he is the new master of Collinwood.

He has told Gerard Stiles that as soon as the will is read,

Gerard must leave the house forever.

And so, there is a hurried family meeting at which Desmond

is to read Daniel's will.

Have you got the will?

Have you read it?

It is still sealed.

Does that man have to stay here, Desmond?

I told you he's my guest, Samantha.

Gerard is my very special guest.

It is unusual but this whole procedure is.

I beg you to reconsider.

This is not...

We will not argue this any further!

Samantha, please sit down.

Gerard.

Shall we let the learned attorney start to read?

"I Daniel Collins, being of sound mind and body

"do hereby on this day make my last will and testament.

"Superseding any other earlier, for I am troubled of spirit

"and am desirous of ending the struggle

"that has so occupied me since the arrest of my son.

"I do hereby decree that this will will be

"accepted as final and may it bring peace

"to my troubled family."

Come on, get on with it. Who gets it?

Who?

Oh, my god.

[dramatic music]

[theme music playing]

Why are you looking at me like that, Desmond?

Are you surprised?

I bet you never thought you'd see the day

when I was my father's heir.

Gabriel, let him read.

Ah, yes, do.

Do, Desmond.

You mustn't make Samantha nervous.

She's getting her hopes up.

SAMANTHA: Gabriel.

"To my son Quentin...

"I bequeath my father's timepiece

"which I had oft promised him."

[Gabriel laughing]

His timepiece?

Is that all, Desmond?

"I have come to believe my own son's guilt

"and therefore he is not fit to be my heir

"and carry on the familial responsibilities so entailed."

You poisoned his mind!

Samantha...

Silence!

You wanted to hear the will, now listen to it!

"The heir officially designated below will act as unofficial

"guardian of my grandson Tad Collins who at the age of

"if he is still alive and in residence at Collinwood

"will receive my entire estate.

"In the meantime, Tad Collins and his mother Samantha

"are never to be denied room and board at Collinwood."

Well, then I will see that you get that, Samantha.

"Along with a weekly stipend to be decided upon

"by the said heir.

"Should Samantha Collins choose to remove her son Tad

"from the estate, said heir will have no further

"responsibilities, monetary or otherwise toward them."

You'll never get rid of us, Gabriel.

"As to the main position of the estate, moneys, factories,

"fishing fleet, let me make it quite clear

"that I have considered carefully the results inherent

"in my decision but I feel I have no other

"choice but to leave them until Tad comes of age

"to the man whom I regard as my rightful heir.

"My son.

"I call him that for I have learned to love him as a son.

"Gerard Stiles."

GABRIEL: Gerard?

No!

[laughing]

No!

GERARD: I don't believe it.

DESMOND: Don't you?

This is what you've always wanted!

This is what you've been working for from the beginning!

I should have known, I should have known!

Tad will never live to be , will he?

Samantha!

Samantha!

You, you said it was I!

I told you, Gabriel.

He said he had another son.

Well, Samantha was right.

You made him think that, and you made little of me!

Who would have to do that, Gabriel?

I suppose I got nothing.

Nothing at all, right?

"My son Gabriel, his wife and children,

"are always to have a home at Collinwood.

"My heir, Mr. Stiles will see that Gabriel receives

"an allowance commensurate with his needs."

My needs will be very small.

Won't they, Gerard?

"As Gabriel's children are to receive certain moneys

"at from my late wife's estate,

"I make no further mention of him."

Get out of here, come on.

Gabriel, I swear to you, this wasn't deliberate.

I did have nothing to do with this.

Now, must we start off this way?

Oh, we started the day we met, Gerard.

And I knew you wanted something here.

I just didn't realize the scope of your ambition!

Wait!

There is something else that you should hear.

"In the unlikely event that my original heir, my son,

"Quentin Collins is declared innocent of all charges

"in his current trial, all moneys, properties,

"commercial ventures, are to be returned to him."

Well, I'm happy he wrote that.

Now all you're going to have to do is see that Quentin

is declared guilty.

Right, Gerard?

I told you once, Gabriel, I will do everything in my power

to see that he is free!

Do you ever tell the truth?

I don't think you ever do.

I'm not going to accept this will!

You hear me, Desmond?

I'm not going to accept it.

I'm going to fight it!

And you're not getting away with even one cent

of my father's money!

You hear me?

Gabriel, you almost walked.

GABRIEL: I wish I could.

Don't start that again, please.

We're going to fight the will.

Start proceedings at once!

How dare Daniel make out that will, how dare he?

If Quentin is proven innocent, if...

Samantha, I have great hopes of Quentin

being proven innocent.

I do not!

DESMOND: The evidence against Quentin

is purely circumstantial.

What of the witchcraft?

What of the fear of the people in the village?

What happened to Lamar Trask, Mordecai Grimes?

Once they give testimony to the jury,

do you think Quentin is gonna be released?

Samantha, this is a m*rder trial.

Quentin is not being tried for witchcraft.

[sighing]

Samantha, please, let us work together

in hopes of freeing Quentin.

Then the money will be yours and his.

Will my life be changed then?

DESMOND: Samantha, what...

What do I do then until that unlikely day?

DESMOND: I admit the situation with Gerard

in this house is difficult.

An understatement.

You loved him once enough to want to marry him, Samantha.

I didn't know him.

He wants to be Quentin.

He wants everything that Quentin has

and that happens to include me.

That's quite an admission for a woman, isn't it, Desmond?

Not even to be wanted for yourself.

And now this monster wants to take charge of my child!

Well, I won't have it, I won't!

He's gonna ask us to leave this house and

I know that we won't, and then my child's life is in danger.

I must keep him away from Tad.

Please help me, Desmond, please.

Samantha, Tad is not in danger

as long as Quentin is alive.

Gerard Stiles is going to be very sorry

that he ever was mentioned in that will.

Samantha, why do you spend all your time hating him

when you could be helping Quentin?

Maybe hating is what you do best!

Get out!

You are going to need a friend.

It won't be you.

That will be your decision!

Desmond!

I'm sorry.

You don't know what it's like to be trapped in this house.

I can't even take Tad and leave this place, can I?

No, if you do, you will receive

no allowance, no trust fund.

There's nothing I can do.

Nothing.

Nothing.

No, nothing.

Except to rid yourself of this hate of Quentin,

and to try and help us.

[knocking]

May I congratulate you?

Shh.

Not quite yet, Charles.

This house still reeks of the agony of the vanquished.

Would you believe that inside the bedrooms

lies little plotters working on their counter-plots?

No, Charles, I haven't inherited money,

I've merely inherited a kingdom full of vicious rebels.

All of whom you will deal with in good time.

Yes, of course.

But right now we must go down to the village.

Uh, shall we take your carriage, or one of mine?

Oh, your carriage.

Of course, Mr. Stiles!

Oh, and may I suggest the new one which arrived

two weeks ago?

No one's ever touched it, not even father.

And I think it would be fitting for you,

being the new master of Collinwood, don't you?

Mr. Collins, I would like to extend my sympathies.

Oh, I know where your sympathies lie, counselor.

Well, are you two off to celebrate?

If you mean by telling Quentin, yes.

[chuckling]

Big brother in his cell.

What an appropriate place for him to hear the news.

You know what?

He may k*ll you.

That would save you the trouble, wouldn't it, Gabriel?

And how is our prisoner tonight, Mrs. Ward?

I don't go near him unless I have to.

I can feel the evil the minute I go into his cell.

Oh, now, Mrs. Ward.

And he's planning something though.

Ever since that Mr. Desmond came to tell him

about his father.

He's been so quiet-like.

It scares me!

He's probably in shock.

May I enter the cell?

I know it's unusual but I would like to.

You're a very brave man, Mr. Stiles.

Charles, will you keep Mrs. Ward company?

Gerard.

Quentin.

It's good to see you.

I came to talk to you about your father.

Yes.

I have him die thinking that we were enemies.

I mind that very much.

I know you do.

I shouldn't be here, I should be at Collinwood

trying to help.

By the way, who told Tad?

GERARD: Samantha, I believe.

I should have told him.

He was very fond of father.

I suppose Lamar Trask is in charge of the funeral?

Will I be allowed to attend?

GERARD: I will do everything in my power

to make sure that you're there.

Well, I'm not going to be handcuffed,

I want that understood.

Quentin?

Yes.

There is more disquieting news.

The will has been read.

Gabriel forced it, he wanted to find out

if Daniel had changed his mind.

Indeed he had.

I'm sorry, this is the only way I could tell you.

Why, it's all right.

I... I half-expected it.

I don't mind for myself, really.

If I could just get out of this place,

I'll be able to provide for Tad.

Well, if you get out of here, you won't have to.

If you're proven innocent and indeed you will be,

the whole estate reverts back to you.

Yes, but until then Tad has to live in that house

with Gabriel lording it over.

I know that's a fine way to talk about my own brother.

But believe me, I know Gabriel and all of his faults.

Quentin...

Gabriel won't be lording over Tad.

The money, the estate and everything, he

Who did?

I did.

You?

I don't understand myself.

You...

I thought...

Well, Daniel must have thought that...

Well, as far as I was concerned, I would be in control

of the money and put it in trust for you.

I know he didn't trust Gabriel with it.

He kept asking me about your innocence.

I assured him that you were.

Quentin, the money, the estate, everything,

I know it's not mine.

I will merely administer it until you're free.

Well, what's the matter?

You don't trust me?

Oh, yes, I trust you.

Good.

And as far as the work, I won't do one thing

without your permission.

I will see that Tad is totally undisturbed

and I will only act temporarily until your final release.

I will be released, you're sure of that?

GERARD: Positive.

You know, Gerard, somebody is doing this to me.

And I will do everything in my power to make sure,

and find out who it is.

It's funny being here in jail.

At least there can be no more killings.

So whoever wants me in here, can give me no more trouble.

EDITH: Everything was going to be different.

Shut up!

EDITH: You were going to be master of Collinwood.

I'll k*ll you!

I was going to have to listen to everything you said.

I was going to have to beg you for anything

you wanted to give me.

But as usual, you have nothing to give.

Nothing!

I'm glad I did what I did.

What did you do?

[door opening and closing]

[indistinct voices]

He's here, in this house.

It belongs to him now.

GERARD: I've told the servants to prepare you

an adequate suite in the...

Gerard!

I hope you don't mind if I save myself the embarrassment

of welcoming you to Collinwood, sir.

Not at all.

I trust that big brother has doubts about you too now.

Gabriel, I only wish that your thoughts were as kind

as Quentin's are.

- [chuckling] - Gerard.

Well, Edith!

At least you welcome me.

Ah, but you must run along now.

Charles and I have some work to do.

I'll need your help much later.

[laughing]

It is all mine, Charles!

And how do I look?

Quite the country gentleman?

Yes, yes.

It's all mine.

Here, have yourself a brandy.

Have another one, have as much as you want!

Everything in this house now is mine.

Well, for the moment at least.

Ah, yes.

Curious codicil in the will.

If Quentin is proven innocent...

Everything is taken away from you.

And, uh, the case against Quentin is circumstantial.

Suppose he were tried for witchcraft and not m*rder.

No one has been tried for witchcraft in years.

Well, it's about time things happened again.

Things go in cycles, Charles.

Yes.

And if the case against Quentin is strong enough...

CHARLES: It's not.

It can be.

Quentin said a very interesting thing to me tonight.

"Now that I'm in jail, there won't be

"any more killings."

[chuckling]

Killings, Charles?

In the jail?

Why do you laugh?

Oh, if someone is found dead in the jail,

no visible marks on the body...

Someone who's afraid of him.

Ahem, Mrs. Ward.

What is that?

It's her scarf.

I, uh, pocketed it just in case

you and I were thinking alike.

[chuckling]

And indeed we are, Charles.

Indeed we are.

You want me to break the will

by declaring Father insane?

I won't do it.

Quentin, Gerard...

I know what you think about Gerard

but I disagree with you.

After all, I am innocent and I will get the money back.

And you'd think a man is capable of giving up all that?

Gerard will.

DESMOND: Quentin, your loyalty exceeds your good sense.

[ominous music]

This room!

You will learn to love it, Edith.

Oh, I know I will.

And tonight, dearie, that you will help us.

You will help us in a way that no one else ever could.

A way that will show you that you are finally a part of us.

Now, you mustn't be afraid.

I am not.

You will hear my command then and you will obey them

down to every letter.

And when you wake, you will not remember one single thing.

You are merely an instrument on which we play

the dance of death.

Tonight, Edith, you will live.

Where someone else...

someone else will die.

Don't you look at me!

Don't you worry your little heart, Mrs. Ward.

I must have been feeling sorry for you or something.

I brought back your dinner which you didn't touch before.

I thank you but I don't want any now either.

Satan, give me the power so that I may help you

and secure revenge against your enemies.

This is the devil's noose.

The devil's noose and nothing ever escapes it.

Now, Satan, hear me, this thy servant,

I put the scarf around,

but it will not hurt her.

No.

But the true owner of the scarf it will hurt.

Funny, I felt something around my neck.

You!

You!

In that cell,

you are feeling the powers of my hands.

You're doing this.

Stop it!

QUENTIN: What is it?

Stop!

[ominous music]

She's dead.

It is done.

And when Edith awakes she will remember nothing

and be perfectly all right.

But Mrs. Ward?

Mrs. Ward!

She's dead.

[dramatic music]

[theme music playing]