She's discovered by Matthew, the handyman who thinks she's snooping around. Elizabeth arrives before Matthew does her any harm, and sends her back upstairs before confirming the 'storage room' door in the cellar is locked.
After sending them away, Elizabeth is surprised to find David hiding in the cellar.
Back upstairs, Matthew explains to Vicki why he's so protective of Elizabeth's interests. Seems that she's given him a job and a place to stay. Not only that, he's the only one left since she fired everyone else... 18 years ago.
Elizabeth tries to console David, offering him the books his father read as a boy. He wants nothing to do with them. We learn that he thinks his father hates him. He asks Elizabeth when his mother is coming back, and she explains that she's sick, and won't be back for a long time. She also asks if David's problem with Victoria Winters is that he sees her as a replacement for his mother.
Back upstairs, Carolyn asks Vicki if she's asked her mother about the money she received growing up. The opportunity presents itself when Elizabeth arrives to fill her in on David's issues. Elizabeth bristles at Vicki's continued questioning on the issue of why she was hired after she flatly denies any connection between her husband's disappearance, Vicki receiving money or her being offered the job.
Vicki is upset and decides to take a bus into town, but Carolyn loans her car keys so she can drive.
Our thoughts
Christine: Bulldog Matthew is ready to crack Victoria over the head and Elizabeth seems to be okay with it because Vicki has wandered to a place in the house she is not supposed to be. Liz is pretty uptight about that storeroom door. We can guess it has something to do with the events of 18 years ago.
John: What could be behind that door in the basement? Could it be the long-missing Mr. Stoddard?
Christine: Are you suggesting that it may be his corpse or do you believe she may have him chained up in there? Perhaps the sobbing that Vicki heard last week was actually coming from the storeroom. Incidentally, I don't know if The Rover Boys book that Elizabeth offers David is appropriate reading for the impressionable young boy.
John: I was surprised Elizabeth was so easygoing with David. Considering how she's interacted with everyone else, I expected she would be more of a stern aunt. And what's the deal with David's mother? Did Elizabeth have her institutionalized?
Christine: That sounds like a distinct possibility. We discover that Roger and David have come to Collinwood because David's sick mother is going to be away for some time. Though it's not specified when the 2 arrived, I have the feeling they have not been there long, which means that Elizabeth and Carolyn have been living alone without visitors in the 40-room house for the greater part of those 18 years, with only Matthew on site to take care of maintenance. No wonder Carolyn feels imprisoned at the house and is so desperate for Vicki to stay.
John: Might Vicki's parents have been former employees at Collinwood?
Christine: If so, I wonder how they could afford to send money to the foundling home when they had just lost their jobs. Perhaps one of her parents was an employee and the other a Collins. There appears to be some resemblance between Liz and Vicki. Consider also that Elizabeth and Victoria are both names of British queens. I hope Vicki heeds Carolyn's warning to watch the curves going down the hill on her way downtown.
John: Robert Cobert's music sounds a lot like his score for Burnt Offerings in the pre-credit sequence.
Love how Carolyn so quickly Connects Victoria getting money at the Orphanage for 18 years and the fact that her father disappeared 18 years ago. Odd to put that together. We meet Matthew Morgan, who has a New England accent. Does anyone else on DS actually sound like they're from Maine? And, the Basement. David is found by Liz and now we know his Mother, 'is unwell'.
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