Episode 98: New Duties

Wednesday, November 9, 1966

My name is Victoria Winters. Collinwood, the great mansion I now call home, harbors many secrets—secrets kept for years from the prying eyes of outsiders. Now a stranger is coming to Collinwood, a stranger determined to uncover those secrets and bring destruction to the Collins family.

Liz tells Matthew that Mrs. Johnson will be moving in today.

Matthew thought maybe Liz would have changed her mind about that. She says she hasn’t and to make Mrs. Johnson welcome.

Mrs. Johnson arrives. 

Matthew takes her luggage up to her room while Liz and Mrs. Johnson go to the drawing room.

Liz instructs her on her duties again.

Then she warns her that she may meet with some hostility from her brother. 

She also warns her to stay out of the east wing and the basement.

The meet with David. 

He asks why she wants to work there. Mrs. Johnson goes up to her room to unpack. Liz tells David not to be rude. He tells her about the first time he met Mrs. Johnson, when Burke made him apologize. He also says if the ghosts don’t want her to stay, they won’t let her.

David talks to Matthew, who is cleaning the fireplace. He says he doesn’t like Mrs. Johnson. But his best friend does. Maybe he should try to like her too.

Mrs. Johnson comes in with David’s lunch on a tray. Matthew leaves. 

She admires David’s crystal ball and tells him how she used to explore secret rooms in an abandoned house when she was a kid.

 David asks whether she believes in ghosts. She says she doesn’t. David says she will.

She says she bets there’s nothing in the basement and east wing. David says there is.

Matthew comes in and makes David go to the kitchen to eat, claiming he’s making a mess. Matthew warns Mrs. Johnson not to ask any more questions.

Liz is reading a book when Matthew comes in to report he’s finished checking the grounds. She tells him everyone is in for the night. He says he’ll lock up.

First, he wants to warn her that Mrs. Johnson has been asking questions.

She thinks it would be strange if she didn’t.

Matthew doesn’t like it. Liz says Bill Malloy trusted her implicitly, and that’s good enough. They say good night.

Mrs. Johnson goes into the basement to look around. She finds the locked room but, of course, can’t enter. 

She continues looking around. A hand grabs her sleeve.

It’s David, hiding in a box.

She says she heard a noise and came down to see what it was. David says he came to see a ghost. His crystal ball said there would be a ghost down there tonight.

She tells him to go back to bed if he know what’s good for him.

David says it won’t be good for her if he tells his aunt she’s been down there. Liz told her not to go in the basement. She doesn’t remember Liz saying that. David says she must have; she says that to everybody.

David says he won’t tell on her. He’s hoping she’s working for Burke and will bring his father down. David hates his father, and he hopes he dies.

“What a terrible thing to say.”

He won’t tell she was down there if she doesn’t tell he was down there. David goes up to bed.

Mrs. Johnson hears sobbing. It seems to be coming from the locked room. The sobbing stops and Mrs. Johnson goes upstairs.

         Cast, In Order of Appearance

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

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

Matthew Morgan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Thayer David

Mrs. Sarah Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clarice Blackburn

David Collins  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  David Henesy

Fashion by Ohrbach’s

Directed by Lela Swift

Written by Art Wallace