Winter 2005, Present

Angry, blustery nights on Thornway Road once frightened Nola. She remembered many nights watching old movies with her girlfriend Gracie when the wind would start whipping up. The old house used to rattle so. Almost on cue, Fritz, the butler and chauffeur, would come limping up to her room to make sure she had all the windows closed and locked. However, as her feelings grew for her employer, Mr. McCord, she became less and less frightened. And soon she looked forward to those nights, because right after Fritz would leave, Mr. McCord would appear like her knight-in-shining-armor. He was so handsome in his ascots and smoking jackets, and was always so concerned that Nola and Stacey were safe. His blue eyes blazing through her had an effect that, at the time, would have been far too embarrassing to admit to.

Eventually, she had Gracie perfectly trained with such excuses: she was suddenly "tired", or "realized she had to be at work early the next morning. Gracie was a dear friend, but was not always the brightest light on the tree. The first few times Nola nearly had to push her out the door to get her to leave so that she and Mr. McCord could be alone.

Calling him Mr. McCord seemed like such a long time ago, but she remembered it fondly and occasionally wished she could go back to that time. She had, however, come back to the house on Thornway Road all these years later. She regretted they ever left there in the first place. The wind kept blowing, and she kept remembering, as she relaxed on the bed in the very room that she originally occupied when she first met and started working for Quint in his household. She was no longer a young woman in her 20s with a baby and a suitor. She was a mature woman in her late 40s who had two grown children in undergraduate and graduate school and an ache in her heart for the man who, no matter what, she loved more than anything. But somehow being back in the old house made her feel peaceful, that there was hope, and that something magical and special happened here once before and it could happen again. For those reasons, she had moved heaven and earth to purchase the house. The house had been allowed to fall into disrepair over the years. It very badly needed to be renovated to its former glory. It was a labor of love that she thought would help occupy her mind and time. But on this particular night, she could only think about those stormy, blustery nights being alone with Quinton in her room talking until way past midnight. It always was a shock to both of them to realize how quickly the time would pass.

Quinton was so proper back in those days, before their relationship turned from professional to romantic. It was amusing to Nola to see how flustered Quint would appear as he left her room, well after midnight, concerned that the staff might think there was something about which to gossip. But as they became closer it became harder and harder for him to ever leave, and for them to control their growing passion for each other. She recalled one evening in particular, shortly after Thanksgiving of 82.

Fall 1982, Springfield

For about the 100th time, Nola and Gracie were watching a replay of "It's a Wonderful Life." Nola's baby daughter, Stacey was spending the night with her Grandma Bea. It was the first bad winter storm of the season, and the wind started howling. Fritz made his usual visit to the room to make sure everything was secure. As soon as Fritz left, Nola jumped up and dashed about the room fixing her hair and checking her clothes.

"Gracie Gracie . .Mr. McCord . . I mean Quinton is going to be up here any minute now and you have to leave right away," Nola breathlessly exclaimed.

"Jeez Nola, I feel so loved. You're going to be sorry when I'm out in Hollywood with Joan Bennett, and you can't push me around anymore." Gracie appeared slightly peeved.

"Now Gracie, you know I love you, but really this is a pact between girlfriends." Then in a hushed tone, "And Gracie, there are just some things you can NEVER do for me. So you better GO!!"

Gracie giggled, "I know exactly what you mean, Nola. I wish I had some older, rich, gorgeous man who loved me like Mr. McCord loves you."

"Well, he's not going to be loving me much tonight unless you go SOON." Nola flipped the television off.

"I just can't imagine you kissing Mr. McCord like you say you do," Gracie shook her head in disbelief.

"Gracie, you don't have to imagine it, but it is just the most . . ." And with that there was a knock at the door. Nola hushed Gracie as she made one last quick mirror check, fluffed her hair and waltzed over to the door. She swung the door open with a flourish and a sweet smile. As handsome as ever, Quint grinned back at her. "Oh, what a surprise," she gushed. In the background, Gracie scampered about collecting the last of her things.

"Nola, I just wanted to make sure that you were safe up here. It's getting very hazardous outside." Only then did he move his intensely fond attentions from Nola and noticed Gracie frantically moving about. "Hello Gracie, is everything all right?"

Gracie squeaked, "Oh sure, Mr. McCord, I really have to be getting home. I still have so much packing to do, and I have to be at the salon early tomorrow. Go go go."

"You really need to be careful out there. Fritz is ready to drive you home if you need him."

Breathlessly Gracie approached the door, "Oh that's great. I wish I had someone to snuggle up with tonight ..such a nice romantic night . . and you never know . . ."

Nola gently pinched her hand and with wide eyes interrupted, "Uh Gracie, aren't you forgetting your purse?"

Gracie quickly grabbed her bag and hugged Nola, "Bye Mr. McCord!"

"Bye Gracie," Quint watched in confused amazement as Gracie left. "Your friend Gracie certainly has a lot of nervous energy." Quint closed the door behind him as he moved into the room. "But I have to admit I am glad that she was on her way out. I was hoping we could spend some time alone together."

"You were?" Nola nervously fiddled with her skirt.

"Of course, that shouldn't surprise you by now," he added as he quietly moved closer to her. "On these lonely and stormy nights, I can't keep my mind off you. I only want to be with you." His intensity burned through her and almost rendered her speechless. It was not only his age and education that Quint had as a surface advantage over Nola, but a life of privilege that Nola never enjoyed. None of those superficial issues, however, mattered to Quint, as he understood that Nola possessed qualities and things that meant far more.

She slowly turned to him, but still not with the courage to look up at him. "And I want to be with you too."

"Look at me, Nola," he said, smiling wryly. "I want to see those beautiful brown eyes. Sometimes I think I make you as nervous as I make Gracie."

Nola looked up at him finally and stammered, "No, that's not it. It's just . .It's just . . . ."

"Just what?" He caressed her cheek.

"What I feel for you. It is hard for me . .hard for me to say," she quivered a bit and glanced down.

"You can say it, Nola," Quinton assured her.

"It's just that I never felt like this before and I don't know what to do or how to say . . ." She slowly looked up and smiled, getting encouragement from him and mustered up the self- confidence, "How much I love you . . . I love you."

Quint beamed and brushed his fingers through her auburn hair, "That's the first time you said that to me, you know? But it was so worth the wait. I love you. And I think you know very well what to do." They moved into a long and deep kiss.

Nola sighed as she recalled that day over 20 years before. The way he looked and smelled and tasted was so permanently and vividly set in her memory, as if it had all happened just the day before. Then all the times since, traveling and working together and making love and building a real family. She knew Quint so much better now and felt so much more comfortable, and he knew her well too. He could no longer be fooled into believing that Gracie would coincidentally disappear right at the "appropriate" time. It was as if they were always together, and it saddened her to think of how two people so completely in love and full of respect for each other could drift so far apart. She almost imagined that she could still smell the lavender that used to permeate the house, how her heart would skip beats whenever he walked into a room, and how he took her breath away with a touch or a kiss. All those feelings were absolutely palpable in this house. Her eyes welled up with tears as she leaned over to the night stand and gingerly pulled a folded map out of the drawer. She gently unfolded it and started to read the love note that Quinton wrote to her before they were married when he thought he was dying in the cave in Tanquir. "This just isn't right" she whispered to herself as she finished reading the last words. She knew if someone as evil as Silas Crocker wasn't able to keep them apart, why were they letting these complications and miscommunications get in their way? Maybe the answers to their problems were within the walls of this house; the place she now realized they always should have stayed.

Meanwhile, the dogs started to bark outside. Nola had promised her mom that she would get security dogs for the property, as long as she promised not to tell Quint about her current living arrangements. The dogs always did tend to get riled up and provoked in bad weather. So it was of no concern to Nola, as she left her room to once again investigate the old secret passageways.

Outside Silas lurked along the stone wall around the perimeter of the property. Suddenly he noticed the light on in the room that years earlier had been Nola Reardon's. "Oh Nola, you're so predictable even after all these years. Must be from being married to that drone. You just keep mooning over that sappy Quinton McCord or Chamberlain, or whatever his most recent name is. This old mausoleum will be perfect for my plan, but not just yet. I've been patient for over 20 years so no reason to rush into anything now. Maybe a few scares first for little Nola . . .for fun." Silas slithered off into the bushes.