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Victoria Winters travels to Collinsport by train from New York to be the governess of 10 year old David Collins. Also on that train is Burke Devlin, who seems rather mysterious. We get to see Elizabeth Collins Stoddard and Roger Collins argue over if it was wise to hire Victoria. Victoria and Burke go to the hotel where she can wait for a cab. He seems rather disturbed about the place. He leaves and goes to a local hangout called the Blue Whale, where he meets an investigator he has hired. Victoria meets Maggie Evans, who tells her she is a jerk for accepting the job. Even after all the things that has been said to her, she goes to Collinwood and is invited in by Elizabeth.

Victoria arrives at Collinwood, and begins to settle in. Meanwhile, at the Blue Whale, Joe Haskell grows jealous when his girlfriend Carolyn dances with other guys. Back at Collinwood, Roger becomes agitated when he discovers from Victoria that Burke Devlin is back in town.

Roger searches for Sam Evans after his discovery that Burke has arrived back in town. At the Blue Whale, Burke tries to get information from Joe Haskell regarding the Collins family. Bill Malloy and Roger meet to discuss Burke's return, and later Bill goes to Burke, who admits he has a grudge against the Collins family.

Roger suspects that Victoria may know more about Burke than she is letting on, and he and Elizabeth question her. Victoria doesn't know anything about him. Later that night, Victoria is awakened when she hears what sounds like a sobbing woman. She goes to investigate, but finds only David, the boy to whom she is governing. David coldly tells her "I hate you" and runs away.

Victoria decides to go back to New York after her first eventful night in Collinwood. However, after discussing the situation with the Collins, Victoria decides to stay for David's sake.

Victoria searches for David, who has gone missing. She goes down into the basement and meets Matthew Morgan, who tells her to get out and mind her own business. Meanwhile, Elizabeth talks to David and realizes her doesn't want Victoria there because he is scared she'll keep his mother away.

While Roger worries about Burke Devlin, thinking he has come to get revenge, Victoria goes to the foundling home to check on Elizabeth's story.

Carolyn tries to find out why Elizabeth hired Victoria to come to Collinwood. Meanwhile, at the foundling home, Victoria discovers that they have never heard of the Collins family.

Elizabeth refuses to let Burke's presence mess with her life. Meanwhile, Carolyn goes to town in order to talk with Burke.

Carolyn talks with Burke, who insists that he is not there because of her father. David tells Roger that he hopes Burke gets even with him, and Carolyn later brings Burke back with her to Collinwood.

Elizabeth is shocked when she sees that Carolyn has brought Burke to Collinwood, but she takes them into a room to talk. Burke wants to buy Collinwood.

Roger scolds Victoria about meeting with Burke. Meanwhile, Sam plans on leaving Collinsport.

Roger believes that Burke blames him for the time he spent in prison. Victoria later finds Burke in the garage, near Roger's car, with tools in his hand.

When Victoria catches David trying to plant a bleeder valve in her room, he claims it was only a seashell. He later tells her that Collinswood is full of ghosts and that if she stays long enough she will see them.

Victoria wrongly believes that David is warming up to her. David later tries to talk with Roger but he brushes him off and leaves. His car crashes into a tree.

Roger is okay after the crash. His brakes failed. Burke is suspected of causing the crash.

Elizabeth hears David saying strange things while he sleeps. Roger plans to question Victoria about Burke.

Victoria talks with David about the accident, and Roger talks with her, and she confirms that she saw Burke near his car with tools.

Elizabeth tells Carolyn why Burke was sent to jail, and reveals Sam was a witness at the trial.

Victoria goes with Roger to confront Burke at his hotel. Burke is accused of removing the bleeder valve. Later, Roger announcess that Victoria is forbidden to leave, as she is too wrapped up in the situation now.

Victoria begins to doubt Burke's involvement in the accident. Meanwhile, Elizabeth wants Carolyn to leave town until Burke is gone.

Burke wants Sam to paint a portrait of him. Carolyn tells Roger that she believes Burke is innocent.

Constable Carter comes to investigate Roger's accident. David's fingerprints appear on the wrench.

Burke is questioned about the accident. Meanwhile, Joe thinks about starting his own business.

Victoria suspects that David had something to do with the accident and talks with Elizabeth about it. David steals Victoria's letter from the foundling home. Later, when Victoria is searching for the letter, she finds the bleeder valve in David's room.

Victoria confronts David about the bleeder valve and ends up locking it away in a drawer. Roger tries to get Burke arrested but the police say there isn't enough evidence. Later, Victoria approaches Elizabeth about the bleeder valve, but Elizabeth doesn't believe her. When Victoria tries to show her, the valve has vanished.

Victoria tells Carolyn about David and the valve, and Carolyn shows her several keys that could have been used to unlock the drawer. Carolyn later finds a magazine in David's room explainng how to take out a bleeder valve, but Elizabeth is still reluctant to believe that David could have done it.

Burke tells the Sheriff that he has no intentions of going back to prison. Maggie tells Burke that Roger and her father never talked to each other before Burke's trial ten years earlier.

The family searches for the still-missing David. David plants the bleeder valve in Burke's hotel room. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is angry with Victoria for accusing David of causing the accident. Back at the hotel, Burke finds the bleeder valve.

Victoria tells Roger about finding the bleeder valve but Roger doesn't believe her. Later, David feels guilty about trying to frame Burke and goes to retrieve it, but Burke has already found it. Burke takes the boy home. Roger confronts David, who says Victoria is just trying to frame him. Burke shows everyone the bleeder valve.

Victoria confirms that the valve Burke has is the one she found in David's room. Burke continues to be friendly towards David, and later invites Victoria to read a report that his private investigator made about her.

Roger fills Elizabeth in on David, Burke, and the missing valve. The constable suspects David but Elizabeth covers for him. The constable doesn't believe her story but lets the case rest anyway.

At the Blue Whale Burke talks with Joe who is unhappy because his boat deal is off and Carolyn keeps avoiding his marriage proposals. Carolyn rehashes everything that has happened recently with Victoria. Joe, drunk, goes to Collinwood and mouths off about the Collins family (Elizabeth) is standing in the way of Carolyn's happiness, then he passes out. Victoria meets Burke at the Blue Whale.

Victoria wants to know why Burke hired a private detective to investigate her. Carolyn and Joe talk about how he acted stupid while drunk. Victoria reads the private detective's report and finds nothing new. Joe stops by to pay Burke back for covering his bar tab, and finds Victoria with Burke. Victoria leaves and agrees to have dinner with Burke sometime.

Joe tells Carolyn that he saw Victoria at Burke's hotel room. Sam tells Burke that he cannot paint his portrait. Carolyn gets on Victoria's case for meeting with Burke. Burke asks Sam why he keeps meeting with Roger. Burke offers Sam more money and manages to talk him back into painting the portrait. Carolyn apologizes to Victoria for being rude earlier. David threatens Victoria.

Victoria tells Elizabeth that she wants to leave. Roger tells Sam not to paint Burke's portrait. Elizabeth convinces Victoria to stay at Collinwood. David threatens Victoria again. Elizabeth tries to win back David's trust and tries to get him to respect Victoria. Sam talks with Victoria. Roger and Elizabeth fight about how she has handled things. Elizabeth calls a Ned Calder in Portland.

Roger once again tries to convince Sam not to paint Burke's portrait. Roger accuses Victoria of snooping and warns her to mind her own business. Sam gives Maggie a sealed letter with her name on it and tells her not to open it. Victoria hears a woman sobbing and goes to look for the sound; Roger again accuses her of snooping. Roger then changes his mind and starts to apologize to Victoria. Roger admits he has heard the sobbing and he doesn't know where it comes from; he suggests that it is one of their ghosts.

Victoria goes back to the basement looking for where the sobbing came from. Matthew finds Victoria and tells her to mind her own business. Elizabeth tells Matthew that if anyone asks about Roger's accident he is to say that he didn't get around to fixing the brakes. Matthew tells Elizabeth that Victoria was in the basement. Elizabeth tells Victoria to stay out of the basement. Carolyn has breakfast with Burke, she "accidentally" leaves her ring behind in the diner and Burke picks it up. Elizabeth once again tries to get in touch with Ned Calder. Matthew threatens Burke at the diner. Elizabeth offers Victoria the key to the locked room in the basement but she doesn't take it.

Again Roger goes to Sam and tells him not to paint Burke's portrait. Burke is determined to get his portrait painted. Bill discusses recent happenings with Burke and that he thinks Burke is investigating the Collins business holdings. Elizabeth finally gets the call from Ned Calder, she wants him to come back to work for her; she believes he will know what to do about Burke. Bill wants to help clear Burke of his manslaughter conviction if he will leave Elizabeth, David, and Carolyn alone. Roger threatens Sam, but he tells Roger that he has written a letter telling the whole story of what really happened; it is Sam's insurance policy. Bill walks in on their argument.

Bill walked in on Sam and Roger arguing about Burke. Burke calls Carolyn to tell her he has found her ring. Bill liquors up Sam and asks him questions about Roger and Burke. Roger meets Burke at the diner and notices Carolyn's ring and insists that Burke give it to him to return to her. Roger gives the ring to Carolyn and tries to stop her (unsuccessfully) from meeting with Burke. Bill continues to pump Sam for information and Sam admits that he is the only thing keeping Roger from going to prison.

Sam looks at a skech he drew of Burke Devlin at his home. The phone rings. Sam answers it and finds its Roger Collins. They talk. While they're talking, Sam Evans puts the phone down and gets a glass of alcohol. Roger can be heard demanding him to speak. Sam Evans hangs the phone up then rips up his skech of Burke Devlin. The phone rings, but he does not answer. At Collinwood, Roger hangs up. Elizabeth enters. They talk about how Roger sold his shares of Collins Enterprises to her. At the Evans Cottage, Sam sits down on the couch. Maggie comes in. She says she forgot her shopping list. Sam asks her why she didn't just let him run away. Maggie calls Collinwood. Victoria answers. Maggie asks for Roger; Victoria tells Maggie that she doesn't know where he is. Roger enters and hangs up the phone. Roger goes into the foyer as Elizabeth comes down from the landing. Elizabeth, seeing that Roger is leaving, asks if he can look for Carolyn. He says he is too busy and leaves. Victoria tells Elizabeth that Carolyn said she would not be home for dinner. Elizabeth calls Joe and asks if he is taking Carolyn out. He says he's not sure because he's not sure what he said the night before. Elizabeth then asks if Bill Malloy is around; he tells her he hasn't seen Mr. Malloy all day. Maggie tells Sam that she called Roger Collins; Sam gets very upset and she leaves. Later, Roger comes to the Evans cottage and talks to Sam about his talk with Bill Malloy the night before and about Maggie calling him. At Collinwood, Elizabeth tries to get in touch with Ned Calder but the best she can do is talk to his secretary. There is a knock at the door. Elizabeth goes to the door and opens it and finds Sam Evans standing there.

Sam and Elizabeth tries to get information out of Roger about the accident ten years ago. Burke meets with with James Blair in Bangor, and they plot on how they are going to take over the Collinwood empire. Sam gets ready to talk to Elizabeth but runs off.

Maggie talks with Bill about how her father has not been the same since Burke returned. Maggie tells Victoria that 10 years ago her father sold some artwork for a lot of money, and at that time her father changed. Joe finds out that Carolyn has been to lunch with Burke. Sam talks with Bill and tells him he almost told Elizabeth "the whole story".

Carolyn stops at the Blue Whale, and finds Bill drinking. Bill tells Elizabeth that he believes Roger was driving the car that kill a man 10 years ago, not Burke. Carolyn tells John Harris that she meet Burke's personal banker(James Blair). John Harris (Elizabeth's Banker) realizes that James Blair was interested in purchasing the Collins debts. Hearing this Bill is angry and feels he must do something with or without Elizabeth's permission. Bill calls Roger and threatens he will go to the police if he doesn't meet with him.

Bill talks with Burke and offers to help prove that he wasn't guilty of manslaughter 10 years ago if he leaves the Collins family alone (minus Roger). Carolyn shows Roger the pen that Burke gave her, Roger tells her to give it back; Roger ends up with the pen. Bill tells Burke to meet him at Roger's office later that night, and he will help clear everything up.

Burke phones Roger telling him to be at the meeting that Bill arranged. Bill tries to convince Sam to go to the meeting that night with Roger and Burke. Victoria has been invited by Maggie to have dinner so she can meet Sam Evans; Roger doesn't want her to go. Burke, Roger and Sam show up at Roger's office, but Bill has not yet shown up.

Elizabeth is concerned that Roger is going to be sacrificed to save the rest of the family. Roger, Burke and Sam wait for Bill, who has not shown up, they try to call him. Tired of waiting Roger decides to leave, he wants to give Burke back the pen he gave to Carolyn, but Roger cannot find it. Elizabeth asks Roger if he did send Burke to prison when he was innocent. Roger claims that his truthful testimony on the witness stand sent Burke to prison.

Victoria compliments David for a picture he has drawn, however he becomes angry when he finds that she has shown it to his father. Burke sends David a crystal ball as a gift. Joe shows up with some paperwork that Bill was supposed to handle and informs Elizabeth that Bill is missing. Victoria tells Elizabeth that Bill was upset the night before and had invited Roger to a meeting. David looks into his crystal ball and tells Victoria that Bill Malloy is dead, and that his father killed him.

Everyone is talking about how Bill is missing. Joe is unhappy with Carolyn because of her recent trip to Bangor to meet with Burke. Burke is determined to find out what happened to Bill. Burke shows up at Collinwood to talk with Roger, who isn't home. Maggie asks her father about Bill, Burke, and Roger, he tells her to mind her own business angrily and spills paint on the portrait of Burke that he has been working on.