A Residence at the Bay 02: The Doldrums

### Players

Joseph Chance as Dr. Henry Carrig-Muir, Dan Wheeler as Rev. Peregrine McCutcheon, Dominic Allen as Lady Helen Marjorie Bjalmier Potts

### Podcast Link

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-z7qpq-12c01aa

## Synopsis (Spoiler Warning)

The episode begins with a conversation between Steven, presumably Derrick's father, and Sally, the proprietress of The New Inn. They mention how Derrick and Samuel (who had been playing marbles) should have returned home by now, but are still out: this doesn't seem to be uncommon behavior for the two boys. Jack, the young fisherman, is also mentioned, and the two assume that the newcomers have arrived in search of the fossils; then, the intro plays.

Lady Marjorie, Reverend Peregrine and Dr Henry knock, and are welcomed into the Boggle Hole guesthouse by Jack, who appears to have indulged in some of the local ale, and calls out to "Peter" and "June". Peter, a burly and tattooed man in his 60s, is the first to approach the group, and they see June, a slightly younger woman with a weedy voice, standing just behind him; the couple let the characters know that Robert Thompson left their guesthouse two days ago, and the knuckles of the hand Dr Henry seems to have tied a bag to begin to whiten. They all walk in, however, and end up in the dining room/sitting room/bar area on the ground floor, where Peter procures a drink for each of them as they decide whether or not they wish to stay there for the night. In an attempt to figure out if they're being lied to, Lady Marjorie asks about Robert once more, to which Peter replies that he simply paid up and left for Whitby, but she doesn't believe him and therefore proceeds to puts her stick under his chin. Peter doesn't seem affected by this, and in fact, his body language clearly shows that he might have military experience.

Dr Henry then offers to pay Jack for his help, and takes the opportunity to take him aside ask him about the fossils: he's told that the best place to find them is Boggle Hole. In the dining room, Peregrine and Lady Marjorie order some fish & chips, after which Peregrine takes his and Dr Henry's drink to the other man while Lady Marjorie plays *The Lord is my Shepherd* on the squeezebox. Outside, the two men chat about Robert, his flighty tendencies, and the postcard he wrote. As they read the postcard a second time, Peregrine realizes that it isn't actually written is Robert's handwriting, and immediately lets the Doctor know. As she waits for the food, Lady Marjorie keeps playing the squeezebox but also notices several portraits of a young man with a memorial card next to them: it's all in memory of a man by the name of Billy Crowe, aged 23. As they come in, Peregrine and Dr Henry announce that they'll be staying for the night, and Peregrine in particular asks to be given the room Robert had been staying in before he left. Once they sit down to eat, Dr Henry looks around in search of a dog and places some of his meal into a small plate and on the floor since he'd like to confirm whether or not the food is poisoned, but thanks to a fumble, Peter ends up slipping on the plate; a small argument begins, but it's resolved rather painlessly. In the end, Peregrine simply takes a bite of the fish and tells the others that it actually tastes rather good, and when Peter asks whether they'd like a second drink, Dr Henry apologetically agrees to have another pint.

June then gives the characters keys and directs them to their rooms. Peregrine and Lady Marjorie head up the stairs and realize that the three keys they've been given are all identical copies; as they enter one of the rooms and notice that it seems quite clean and simple. Downstairs, Dr Henry asks Peter for a receipt and finds out they don't keep a check-in book, to then try and get more handwriting out of Peter in order to confirm it wasn't him who wrote the postcard. Peregrine searches his room for a while, until Lady Marjorie knocks on his door and announces that she suspects Robert might not be the author of their postcards after all, and that it's probably all a trap orchestrated to abduct her. At this moment, Dr Henry joins the pair and they all begin to hear a particular scuttling and scurrying from the floor above, which stops as they glance up at it. The group keep discussing in an attempt to piece things together, but their eyes are drawn to the trig point outside and to the scarecrow slotted into it, facing the guesthouse, which waves it's mangles arm towards them as the sun begins to set.

## Important NPCs

* Jack Reynolds, the young fisherman
* Peter Crowe
* June Crowe

## Quotes

* "I've seen things that would make a monkey blush!" (Dom as Lady Marjorie)
* "I don't want any fuckin' about, alright?" (Danann as Peter) "Wow, what service." (Dan)
* "How did you roll on your Class Consciousness?" (Dom)