The Trial of Angelique

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Meanwhile, the attention of the populace is drawn away from consideration of the woes of the Collins family, at least temporarily, by a wild story related by a pair of traveling merchants, newly arrived in Collinsport from the great city of Bangor, hoping to interest the inhabitants in kitchen implements, tools, and such fine manufactured goods as are not easily obtained locally. The two men of business claim to have briefly lost their way on the trip from Bangor -- not an uncommon experience, during a journey of no less than fifty miles -- and found themselves in the marshy, wooded region known by the vulgar name of Hells Bottom Swamp. Forced to make camp for the night, due to the slow progress of the horses through the wet ground, they claim to have been awakened during the deepest part of the night by blazing green lights rising from the swamp, such as is known as will-o'-the-wisp to the common folk, and ignus fatuus to the learned. Such a phenomenon is not unknown, although not very common. What causes much laughter and disbelief among those at the Eagle is the fact that both men swear that these lights then flew off in a southerly direction, rather than simply dissolving away into nothing, as they have always been known to do.

[SunlessNick]

Josette is not certain what to feel about Angelique's fate. Her guilt can no longer be doubted, but conviction and sentence might have carried a chance of repentence, however slight - but taking her own life seals her fate in perdition - Josette cannot take joy in this, despite it being what Angelique intended for her.

Victoria's sound advice is a relief from these conflicted thoughts. Josette makes her way to the old house to see whether Barnabas will receive her.

[SunlessNick]

Vicki,Nathan doesn't say anything beyond the usual comforts and pleasantries to Miss Winters and Miss Collins on the way back to Collinswood. But at some point, when he has the opportunity, he says to Millicent, "[color=#000040]I was not only a fiend in how I treated you, but a fool. You are a miracle upon this Earth, Miss Collins.[/color]" "[color=#00BFBF]When we last spoke, you called me Millicent,[/color]" she replies. "[color=#000040]For which I must apologise. I know I no longer deserve to speak to you with such familiarity. I can only plead what I had witnessed on the sea and the efficacy of your prayer.[/color]" "[color=#00BFBF]You need not apologise Mr F... Nathan. These last weeks have been an ordeal for us all.[/color]" "[color=#000040]As I said, you are a miracle.[/color]" [Having somewhat rebuilt a heroic persona from battling the werewolf and fighting the witch, and twice tending her in her faint, Nathan has some confidence he might be able to win back the naive Millicent's heart. Since I'm playing both sides of it, I won't make you read whole dialogues between them :oops: :); unless you want Nathan to go back to being an NPC.

On another matter, Millicent will approach the Reverend Trask regarding Jennings. "I cannot now deny that poor Mr Jennings was the werewolf who plagued this town. But I spoke to him as a man, and I know he was in torment, and feared himself bound for Hell. He had me restrain him at nights, which I now understand was for fear of harming innocents. I beg you to allow him burial in consecrated ground. We must allow his soul every chance to find its way, no matter his crimes."

[Mr. Handy]

"I do not know," says Reverend Trask to Millicent. "The fact remains that he is a murderer. He slew the jailer, an innocent man, and released a dangerous witch. He does seem to have struggled against his curse, which is a point in his favor, but in the end he lost the struggle. I shall have to pray about it."

[Mr. Handy]

Victoria is elated that Barnabas is free of the curse. She remembers that in her own time he had become a vampire, but she is confident that she has changed history. While she knows that he will be dead long before her time, she also knows that his life can be so much better as a mortal, and that he has a chance for a happy ending with his true love Josette. Perhaps they will marry and have descendants that will be around in her own time, a whole new branch of the Collins family.

The sighting of the will-'o-the-wisp has Victoria curious, and she checks a map of the area to see what lies south of the Hells Bottom Swamp.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Spoiler:

Tune in next time for the next exciting episode!