Episode 44: A Man Who Cares

Thursday, August 25, 1966

My name is Victoria Winters. I came to Collinwood for a purpose, but that purpose has been obscured by a veil of hypocrisy and deceit as a man who cares tries to reach a decision.

Carolyn runs into Bill at the Blue Whale. He says he thought she was in Bangor. (Apparently, she stopped and got a haircut in Bangor also.) 

She want to know who told him. He says someone mentioned it casually, in passing. She wonders if Joe Haskell followed her to Bangor. And does Bill think she followed Burke there?

“Certainly not.”

“Well, I should hope not. I mean, why in the world would I follow a man like Burke?”

Bill offers to buy her something to eat or drink, but she says she has to be getting home. Anyway, she told Vicki on the phone that she was in Bangor and had lunch with Burke. She just happened to mention, casually, in passing. She says she’ll tell her mother she saw him. Bill says to tell Liz he’ll see her soon. 

Liz tries to call Ned Calder again, but she still can’t reach him.

Her banker, Mr. Harris, comes to pay her a call. She wants to set up a trust fund for her nephew. He refers to Bill as “a good boy” and says he’s no Ned Calder. And Roger can’t run the business either. He thinks she should get Ned back. (What a coincidence!) 

He also thinks she needs someone to handle her life. Liz says that’s almost exactly what Ned said when he asked her to marry him.

Liz points out that she’s still married. The banker wants to know why Stoddard would deny Liz her happiness after being gone so long.

Ned calls and turns down Liz’s request to return.

They go over the details of David’s trust fund. And also, about the “demand” notes that she has as loans. They can be called in at any time.

Carolyn returns home and reminisces about her first bank account that she started for a dollar. 

Liz takes Carolyn out in the hall to talk to her about her lunch in Bangor. Liz doesn’t want Carolyn associating with Burke. Bill didn’t like it either.

“What does he have to do with it?”

“What does anybody have to do with it?” Carolyn says Bill told her he’s coming to see Liz.

As if on cue, Bill arrives.

Liz and Bill discuss Ned. Liz says he’s a stubborn man like Bill. He says only when it’s for the best. Liz asks if Bill is the one to decide what’s for the best.

Bill says he thinks Burke is getting his portrait painted to get information out of Sam.

Liz wants to know if Bill thinks Roger was at the wheel of the car all those years ago.

Bill wants to know if Liz would want to know if there was evidence to that.

Carolyn entertains the banker. 

The conversation, of course, comes round to Burke. She thinks he couldn’t be nicer. 

Mr. Harris notes that Burke didn’t come from money. He started with nothing, and because he started with nothing, he’ll always want more.

Carolyn says she met Burke’s banker at lunch today—Mr. Blair.

Mr. Harris asks if it’s James Blair. It is. Mr. Harris realizes he needs to talk to Liz about this.

Bill says he has information that could be damaging to Roger. Liz says they can’t give Burke back the five years in prison, no matter what they do. Bill says they could give him back his dignity. Liz tells him that no matter what her opinion of Burke, she never thought he lost his dignity. Bill says he would want his name cleared. Liz doesn’t want to sacrifice Roger.

Mr. Harris comes into the hall and tells Bill and Liz about James Blair: the representative of the New York syndicate wanting to buy up all the demand notes Liz signed.

Bill says he’s going to do something against Liz’s wishes for the first time since he’s worked for her.

Bill goes to the Blue Whale and calls Roger to come and meet him. Bill says he’ll go to the police if Roger doesn’t come.

         Cast, In Order of Appearance

Victoria Winters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Alexandra Moltke

Carolyn Stoddard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy Barrett

Bill Malloy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frank Schofield

Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joan Bennett

John Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Patrick McVey

Fashion by Ohrbach’s

Directed by Lela Swift

Written by Francis Swann