A Dark Shadows Love Story
by James Kennedy Achey
It was the night of the Collinwood Annual Founders Ball, always held on the first Saturday of October. A ball that celebrated the arrival of Joshua Collins and family to the New World, here in the northern territory of Massachusetts, in the year of our Lord 1769. They arrived from aboard the HMS Gallant, which departed Liverpool, England, for America, which gave Joshua and his family a fresh start in the Colonies. Not only did he build a spacious, Roman columned home, but also founded the fishing village in the town which bore his name.
In the year 1860, a beautiful, yet very sad and lonesome woman, sat in her room on the second floor of Collinwood mansion, where just below, in the drawing room, the ball had just begun and most of the guests have already arrived.
Angelique Bouchard-Collins, who recently came off a broken engagement with Quentin Collins, sat at the vanity dresser, staring into the mirror, thinking not only of her disappointing and evil past, but also of an uncertain future. Looking upon the image, Angelique’s eyes grew misty and a tear rolled down her rosy, red cheek.
“I can’t do this anymore. I can’t continue to practice black magic and try to have a normal life at the same time.” She took a deep breath and tried to think up some viable options.
“Move…yes, that’s the answer, move and start somewhere else fresh. Far away, where no one knows me, somewhere far from Collinsport. I shall give up witchcraft and lead a normal life; a life of serenity, a family and growing old with the man I love.”
Angelique had always assumed that her inability to attract the right sort of man, a man who would love her unconditionally, had something to do with the evils of practicing black magic. On that particular evening, however, she would be proven wrong.
Quentin and Angelique, though no longer engaged, were still friends at this time, the two held no animosity towards one another. Quentin had even invited Angelique to join them for the ball that evening, but Angelique smiled and pleasantly declined the invite, stating she preferred to stay in her quarters this evening.
Angelique stood and walked over to the window; it was a tad stuffy in the room and she needed some fresh air. As soon as the sash was lifted, a nice cool breeze refreshed her face and brought a smile to her lips. The smell of autumn was in the air, a mixture of cold, fresh Northeastern air, along with the scent of decaying leaves. The very same leaves she could see and hear rustling across the driveway. In the distance, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks over by Window’s Hill, could also be heard.
At that moment, the clopping of horse hooves on the cobblestone driveway diverted the woman’s attention. A carriage was just arriving and pulled up to the entrance.
Angelique watched as Quentin quickly dashed out to greet the carriage, from which emerged a handsome, young soldier to clasp the hand of his host. A Union officer she figured by the style of uniform. A lieutenant, it would seem, by the single, silver bars located on each shoulder board.
Angelique smiled. She wanted to make the acquaintance of this dashing and very attractive man. She rushed over to the closet and pulled out her ball gown and dress shoes.
Once dressed, she breezed down the stairwell, but slowed down in the foyer, before coming to the double doors which led to the drawing room. Angelique made a most impressive entrance as she glided across the floor and slowly made her way over to the refreshment table. Looking about the room, Angelique finally spotted Quentin, talking with Mayor Trask and the handsome officer.
While waiting for Quentin and her handsome young man to notice her, Angelique overheard a couple mention that the officer with Quentin was actually his cousin, James, who was visiting from Bangor.
Angelique, though leaving behind her old ways of witchcraft, thought it wouldn’t hurt to just telepathically send out a message to the attractive officer, just so that he would see her at that moment.
Please turn around so I can see you better my handsome soldier. Please turn around, please turn, and notice me.
​
James suddenly felt the urge, a pull to look about the room. For some strange, unknown reason, his search drew his attention towards the refreshment table. The young man couldn’t believe his eyes; the sight of such beauty and elegance standing before him and, to his delight, with no man attending her. As James ogled her beauty as a nervous schoolboy, Angelique nodded flirtatiously at him with a lovely smile. He then quickly turned to Quentin.
“Dear cousin, who is that over by the punch bowl? The stunning beauty with the golden lochs and rosy red cheeks?” Following his gaze, young Collins spotted his former fiancé. Quentin smiled and placed his hand on James’s shoulder.
“Ah, I see that you have an eye for the finer things in life. That, my friend, is the lovely Angelique Bouchard Collins…my ex-fiancé.” Quentin saw the shocked expression on James’s face and quickly quelled any further negative thoughts his cousin may have had.
“Fear not young James, Angelique and I are still good friends, our parting of the ways was a mutual decision. Come, I believe introductions are in order; follow me.”
The two men walked toward Angelique, which caused her heart to flutter. She didn’t wish to appear too eager, so Angelique tried to suppress a broad smile. As the two cousins approached, James and Angelique locked eyes and couldn’t stop staring at one another.
“Why Quentin, who is this handsome, young man here in uniform?” Quentin then turned to James.
“James, this is Angelique Bouchard-Collins; Angelique, this is my dear cousin from Bangor, Lt. James Fitzpatrick Collins.”
James reached down to take Angelique’s hand and slowly brought it up to his lips, where he gently kissed the back of her soft, slender fingers. As Angelique’s heart beat faster, she thought to herself, I want this man, he must be the one; the man that I’ve waited for all my life. I can see in his eyes that he feels the same towards me.
“It is most assuredly a pleasure to make your lovely acquaintance. Please forgive me for staring at you for so long, but I’m finding it quite difficult to pull my gaze away from such beauty and eloquence.” Angelique smiled and blushed. Never had she heard a man speak to her with such reverence.
“The pleasure is all mine, I’m sure. And may I say, young lieutenant, you certainly have a way of making a lady blush.” The two couldn’t take their eyes off one another.
“And may I add how very dashing you look in your uniform.”
“Please, my lady, call me Jim, everyone else calls me James and I hear sir enough in the military.” Angelique was quite pleased that they were now putting aside the formalities so early in their acquaintance.
“Alright then, Jim it is. Please call me Angelique.” James smiled and lifted his hand up to his chin, as if in deep thought.
“Angelique, that’s French, is it not? French for angel like, if I am not mistaken. If I may be so forward, may I then call you My Angel? Once again, Angelique blushed and thought to herself, how long has it been since I’ve felt this way, like a love-sick school girl who cannot control her emotions?
At that moment, a favorite musical piece of James’s, was being played. He bent his arm at the elbow and offered it to Angelique.
“My beautiful Angel, may I have the honor of this dance?” Angelique reached up and placed her hand on James’s arm.
“I assure you, the honor is all mine.”
James led Angelique out towards the middle of the dance area and slowly swayed to his favorite music with this very beautiful woman. He continued to gaze into her large, mesmerizing blue eyes. He could feel himself drowning in her gaze, sinking, losing himself and he didn’t want to be saved.
As they danced together, James reached up and gently caressed the side of her cheek with the back of his hand; enjoying the feel of her soft skin against his hand. He then ran his fingers through her long, soft, curly hair and loved the feel of it.
Angelique closed her eyes and loved the feel of this man, holding her, feeling her; simply enjoying the presence of a real man that enjoys being with her. Angelique could tell by his eyes, that he wanted her and she, was doing nothing to hide the fact that she wanted him.
After enjoying several dances together throughout the evening, James asked Angelique to join him outside while he waited for his carriage to take him to his hotel room in town.
“Angelique, My Angel, again I ask your pardon in advance for me being so forward with you. I realize that we just met, but I must be honest. I have only dated two women in my life, none of them made me feel the way that you have. I’m very attracted to you and I want to get to know you much better, as I want you to get to know me.” James, removing her glove, lifted Angelique’s hand again, raised it to his lips and kissed it.
“My Angel, if I may be so bold, please allow me to call upon you on Saturday for a picnic luncheon together. I haven’t much time left in town, I must report to Washington in a few days and I want to spend as much time as possible with you, my love. Please say that you’ll see me and make me the happiest man in the world.”
“First of all, you are not being bold or forward. A man who assumes too much and attempts to compromise a lady without her permission…that is a man who is being bold and forward.
“Jim, you are the kindest and most gentlemanly person I’ve ever met. As for my answer; YES, I will go on a picnic with you on Saturday. In fact, I’m very much looking forward to it. For I too, am very attracted to you Jim and I do want to get to know you better, as I want you to know me.”
The carriage came around for James and stopped next to where he and Angelique were speaking. Before boarding the carriage, James approached his new love, walked up to her, raised his hands and placed them on Angelique’s soft, rosy cheeks. Gently, he brushed his lips against those of the beautiful Angelique, who accepted them with a racing heart.
“I most certainly hope, My Angel, that my kiss didn’t ruin the image of me being the perfect gentleman.” Angelique smiled and playfully slapped his arm. Then her demeanor changed from playful to heartfelt.
“Actually, I would have been highly disappointed if you hadn’t kissed me.” She then placed both her hands on his chest, stood up on her toes and the two proceeded to kiss again, this time more passionately.
James then climbed into the carriage and blew Angelique another kiss.
“Until Saturday, my lovely Angel. I’ll be counting the hours.” Angelique waved back as the carriage drive off.
“Until Saturday, my love!” Angelique smiled and her eyes grew misty again, this time…for joy.
Chapter 2: The First Date with Angelique
The noon sun shone brightly upon the great house at Collinwood. Although it was late in the year, the weather was quite exceptional on that beautiful Saturday. A horse drawn buggy arrived and stopped at the entrance to Collinwood, as a dashing young man descended from the buggy and made his way to the door. A few seconds had passed since he knocked, then the door opened. The man was greeted by Mrs. Johnson, one of the senior house staff members.
“Well, good afternoon, Mr. Collins, how are you today? Please, come in, we’ve been expecting you. Mr. Quentin is in the drawing room waiting to see you. I’ll run upstairs and let Miss Collins know you are here for her.” James smiled and entered the home. Mrs. Johnson went up the stairwell to retrieve his beautiful date as he entered the drawing room and saw Quentin, pouring himself a drink by the sherry decanter.
“Ah, the young man has arrived to pick up his lovely lady for their first date. I’m sure Angelique has been looking forward to this day with great enthusiasm.” James looked at Quentin and a worried look played upon his face.
“Quentin, I hope that me seeing your ex-wife isn’t going to cause a rift between us; I not only count you as my dear cousin, but as a brother.” Quentin smiled, approached James and placed his hand on James’ shoulder.
“Not at all dear cousin, quite the contrary. In fact, I’m pleased that it’s you who is dating Angelique. Although we are no longer engaged, there is no animosity between us and I’m only looking for happiness in her future. I believe you are the man who can make her very happy.” He raised his glass to James and took a sip.
“Please forgive me for not offering you sherry, but I’m pretty sure you don’t want any alcohol before your date.” The two men smiled and James agreed with Quentin.
“I’m happy that you and I aren’t at odds over my seeing Angelique. Your friendship means a lot to me. We grew up together, as brothers in this house; it was a shame my parents moved away, I wanted to spend more time here and grow up with my best friend and cousin.”
Quentin, not necessarily a sentimental man, did have true feelings for his cousin James. There were many times, as children, when Quentin had done something wrong, that James took the blame for it so Quentin wouldn’t be punished. If there was only one man that Quentin could ever call friend, it would be James.
At that moment, Angelique entered the room, wearing a beautiful, light blue, laced trimmed dress, which absolutely brought out the blue color of her eyes. Angelique’s lovely smile just brightened the room and left James speechless. He still couldn’t believe that this beautiful woman wanted to be with him. His heart began to race and he slowly approached her, took her hand and brought it up to his lips. He then stared into Angelique’s eyes and he knew, then and there, that this was the woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
“Are you ready, my dear? I picked out a lovely spot on the beach to have a picnic. I had another venue in mind, but since it’s so beautiful today, I didn’t think you would mind.” Angelique couldn’t take her eyes from James and flashed him a smile, then she reached up and caressed his cheek.
“Of course not, my love; I’m sure wherever we go, we’ll have a wonderful time together. Yes, I am ready.” As they headed to the door, Quentin spoke up and looked toward James.
“James, would you mind very much if I borrowed your lovely date for a couple minutes before you take off?” James smiled and nodded.
“No, not at all. Angelique, I’ll meet you out by the carriage when you two are through.”
After James had stepped out the door, Angelique approached Quentin with some hesitation, wondering what he was up to. Quentin then turned to look at Angelique and began to speak.
“As you may have figured out by now, James is not only my cousin, but like a brother to me. I don’t want to see him hurt, emotionally or physically. As far as I know, he’s not a man used to dating and if I read my cousin correctly, I believe him to not only be infatuated with you…but in love with you.” Angelique was about to say something, when Quentin raised his hand to indicate he wasn’t finished yet.
“I know I’m not in any position to be giving you any dating advice, but I do want to ask one thing of you. If this thing with James means as much to you as it does him—in other words, if you see a marriage in the future, then I believe that you better come clean with him. Tell him who you are, or should I say, what you are and let him decide whether to continue the relationship. James is a good man and I’m not against the two of you seeing each other. I just think that he deserves to know the truth and if his love for you is true…then you’ll have a future together.”
Angelique was quite surprised, not only by Quentin’s calm and caring tone of voice, but by how he asked her to do this favor for not only him but for James.
“Don’t you think that I’ve already thought about this? I’m so afraid, Quentin; I’m so afraid that once I tell him, he’ll no longer want to be with me. You’re correct in saying that I do feel the same way towards him, I do love him and I don’t want to lose him.” Quentin smiled and slowly approached Angelique. He raised his hand and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Then come clean with him; like I said, he’s a very good man and deserves the truth. Who knows, this just may be the man that you’ve been waiting for all your life, the man that loves you unconditionally.” Angelique smiled and nodded her agreement.
“Thank you, Quentin, you’re right, of course. I’m going to have to tell him everything. I just hope it doesn’t chase him away from me.”
“Come now, get going; your knight in shining armor is outside awaiting you. Don’t keep him waiting any longer.” Angelique headed for the door, but before she walked out, Quentin made one last comment.
“Angelique, it doesn’t have to be today. Go out and have some fun, worry about this another day.” Angelique then looked a bit sad then replied.
“No, Quentin, it does have to be today.”
Angelique makes the acquaintance of someone for whom she’s willing to give up witchcraft.
Angelique, Quentin, OC James.
James Kennedy Achey has written several stories for DS fan pages on Facebook. He has also written a novel about the current Collins family living at Collinwood titled Dark Shadows: A New Beginning. It was written for fun, but will be put into book form once his toughest critic, his daughter Theresa, is finished reading it.
Although he writes for three different DS fan pages, My Dark Shadows 1966 – 1990 Welcome to Collinsport, is his favorite and he has a continuous storyline about James Quentin Collins and his beautiful fiancé, Tasha Marie Stannard (a white witch), and the adventures and romance that they share together. His favorite character, however, will always be Angelique, not really evil—just misunderstood.
Originally from West Warwick, Rhode Island, James now resides in San Diego, California. His favorite writers are Lara Parker, Stephen King, Anne Rice and Andrew M. Greeley. His genre of choice is Gothic/Horror and he loves to add a little, well, a lot of romance in his writings. Case in point, two of his favorite movies are, the original Dracula and Love Story. He works for the Military Sealift Command (merchant marines) and is currently stationed aboard the USNS Matthew C. Perry.