André meets Josette in her room. He asks what he can do for her as Angelique enters. Josette tells her father that Ben brought Jeremiah a letter from Barnabas, and they are going to fight today. Angelique listens in, and is concerned. André says it's a matter of honor, and he cannot interfere. Josette says she can't bear to be responsible for anything happening to one of them. André asks which one, and says she should have thought of that before marrying Jeremiah. She pleads with him to talk to Barnabas, and he says he'll do so as a token gesture. Angelique runs out of the room.
Angelique finds Barnabas with his dueling pistols. She begs him not to fight today, and he asks if her mistress sent her. She denies it, and says that she told him before that she loved him. He asks if she still believes in love. She says she does, She says if they were in Martinique, he could just find another woman.
He asks if she knew Josette was going to marry Jeremiah, and she says yes. He asks why he didn't tell him, and she says he would have said she was a jealous woman. She asks if he's every fought a duel, or killed a man, and he admits that he has not. When she realizes that she cannot stop the duel, she gives him something to wear for luck that will keep him from harm. He puts it around his neck.
André knocks on the door, and when Barnabas lets him in, he asks Angelique what she's doing there. She makes up an excuse and then leaves. André points out the duel is ridiculous. He says that Barnabas loved his daughter yesterday, and that there must be some small part of him that still wishes happiness for her. He asks if he would destroy her life to save some pride.
Josette tells Jeremiah that she can't talk to him if there's going to be a duel. He explains he has no choice. She begs him to go see Barnabas. He explains that they grew up as brothers. She points out that was true until she arrived. She says that the two of them shared madness together, but not really love. He tells her if he lives, he'll provide her with a good life. And if he dies, she'll be able to remarry. She suggests that he wants Barnabas to kill him. André returns, and says Barnabas wishes to see Jeremiah. He refuses, and André says they must meet.
Barnabas returns his pistols to their case. Jeremiah comes to see him. Barnabas says he's glad he came, and Jeremiah says he's glad he asked him to. He then says that Barnabas is not glad he came, and he is not glad he's there. Jeremiah asks what he wants him to say. He says he is sorry. Barnabas says that if he does not love Josette, he ruined all their lives for nothing. Jeremiah says that Josette came to him. He said he tried to go away, but it was as if they were under a spell. Barnabas says he'll be talking of witchcraft next. Barnabas says he went behind his back and took advantage of Josette. He says that he must have hated him all his life. Jeremiah denies that. Barnabas asks if he would do it again, and Jeremiah says under the same circumstances, he would have no choice. Barnabas says that neither does he, and he removes a pistol from its case.
Josette is at her desk when Angelique enters. She says that Barnabas and Jeremiah have left with the pistols. Josette faints, and Angelique wipes her face with rosewater. She tells her that she must stop the duel.
Jeremiah and Barnabas stand back to back.
Barnabas tells him that they will take ten paces, turn, count to three, and then fire. Jeremiah tells him that prior to this, he never lied to Barnabas. They take their paces. They turn to face one another. Barnabas counts to three, after which Josette runs up screaming for them to stop.
There's a gunshot, and Jeremiah lies wounded. Josette tells Angelique to get help, and calls Barnabas a monster.
She says he killed the only man she ever loved. Barnabas puts down his pistol and offers to help Jeremiah. Josette rebuffs him, and he gets up and walks away.
Our thoughts
John: The grand duel has happened, Jeremiah is near death, and poor Vicki never got to say goodbye this time.
Christine: Surprising that it happened on a Thursday. What big event will top it tomorrow?
John: Do you think Jeremiah even fired his pistol? Or do you think he sacrificed himself to Barnabas out of shame?
Christine: He definitely sacrificed himself. He never raised his pistol and there was only one shot. He closed his eyes and was murmuring something to himself before Barnabas shot him.
John: How will the rest of the folks in Collinwood react to Barnabas' potential killing of his uncle? Surely this will have huge ramifications on the family dynamic. I guess we'll soon find out, as word of the duel reaches the other family members.
Christine: They will probably think he was well within his rights to do it, though no good can come of it. The Collins family was cursed when Barnabas spurned Angelique.
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| Barnabas: I will be not sit here accepting this. |
1 comment:
I agree, this was Barnabas's fault and when something goes wrong, he always tend to act irrational, just like in the present, he feels that somebody has to die. Being a vampire in the present sort of excuses him but here, in this time, still as a human, if he loved and cared about his uncle, he shouldn't have done this.
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