Trask tells Joshua that someone helped Vicki Winters escape, which means there are others in league with the devil; a coven of witches that must be found and destroyed. Angelique listens on fearfully while removing a tea tray. Trask says he will interrogate everyone in the house, as no one is above suspicion.
He asks for Joshua's permission to proceed. Joshua tells him to exercise judgment, and proceed with caution. He doesn't want a scandal around the family name. He places the house at Trask's disposal. André duPrés asks if Joshua truly plans to open his family and guests to the interrogation of the witch hunter. Trask is interested in duPrés' reluctance to cooperate. André refuses to be questioned. Trask says he might have a good reason to refuse to cooperate—protecting himself, or shielding someone else. Joshua asks if André has something to hide. He insists that André submit to Trask's questions. He reluctantly agrees.
Angelique runs in to Nathan at the servant's entrance. She asks what he's doing, and he says he's just passing through the kitchen as he was leaving. She asks about the bundle he's carrying, and he admits he's taken some food from the kitchen to go on a picnic. He invites her to join him, and she declines. He asks that this remain their little secret, and she says she won't tell anyone. After he leaves, she says he didn't deceive her, and she knows he's taking food to Vicki.
Trask asks Joshua about Angelique's whereabouts. Joshua explains that she belongs to the duPrés family. Angelique enters at that point, and Trask begins questioning her. He explains he's looking for as many witches as there are in Collinwood. He asks her to sit down. He asks her if she fears the Almighty. She says she does. He asks what she knows of the sorcery afflicting the people of the house. She denies knowing anything. He asks if she's been baptized, and she says no. He presses her for reasons why, and she has none. He asks why she was walking alone in the woods. She says she doesn't know, and he counters that she does, and she's going to tell him. He claims she's trying to deceive him. He asks if she goes to the woods to see the devil himself. She says she has never been tempted by the devil. Trask asks if she's seen the devil in the woods. She says she goes to the woods because it's quiet and peaceful, and she wants to be close to God. He asks how she can be close to God if she's not been baptized.
She drops to her knees and tries to impress upon him that she feels closer to God than ever before. She tells him that he must be responsible for what she's feeling. Joshua asks him what's wrong with her. Trask tells him she's either a complete charlatan, or she's having a spiritual revelation. She describes seeing a new, large house. Trask asks Joshua if he knows of such a place, and Roger says it must be the new house. Trask says he'd like to go there at once. He says the witch they are looking for will be found at Collinwood. They leave, and Angelique smiles.
Nathan delivers food to Vicki at the new house. She thanks him for his help, and asks how long he thinks she'll have to stay. He says he doesn't know. He tells her Barnabas spoke to his father, but he had already been swayed by Abigail. Vicki talks about transcending time and space in order to go home. He warns her against talking like that. He says it's no wonder Trask thinks she's a witch. He says he believes she's a good person when they hear someone enter the new house.
Joshua says his explanation is not satisfactory, and they will all search the house together. They go in to the room where Vicki had been, and find an open window. Trask asks if the workmen eat in the house, and points out fresh crumbs. He turns to look at Nathan.
Our thoughts
John: I love when Andre calls Trask a complete idiot, but he should realize that Trask answers to no one when it comes to deciding who is in league with the devil.
Christine: I'm surprised that womanizing Nathan Forbes made such a half-hearted play for Angelique. Perhaps he senses the danger that surrounds her.
John: Trask is a fantastic evil interrogator. Of course I was disappointed that he couldn't tell that Angelique was in fact a charlatan and NOT having a spiritual revelation...
Christine: It's not his fault that Angelique is a master manipulator even without the poppets and potions. She had him when she told him he made her feel closer to God.
John: Nathan's really done it now. Sneaking around the old house was bad enough. The fact that he was harboring a witch in the new house is going to be hard to explain away. Where's Barnabas when he needs him!
Christine: He is surely waiting to hear news of his uncle's fate, as are we all.
Angelique pretending to "get religion" to get on the good side of Trask sounds like it was inspired by the story "Rain" (I've never read it, but I've seen the film versions). In that story, the prostitute goes through the same thing very dramatically for the missionary's benefit.
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