A Residence at the Bay 01: Fair Winds and Following Seas

### 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-xzvus-12b68d6

## Synopsis (Spoiler Warning)

The episode begins with the players' introductions of their characters and decisions as to which of them are acquainted; it quickly becomes apparent that Peregrine would have met Lady Marjorie thanks to his choral scholarship in college. When it comes to Robert Thomson, we learn that he and Peregrine are pen pals, that he went to school along with Dr Henry, and that he spent some time being tutored by Lady Marjorie, in preparation for subsequent academic pursuits, who "gave him a full and thorough extracurricular education". She is also a supporter of suffrage and had a husband who passed away in a far off country she didn't appreciate the shape of. Of Dr Henry we are told that he was born in England despite having a Scottish accent: after his schooling years he served with the army in Sudan.

The characters have all received an almost identical postcard from Robert which reads: "Dearest friend, I hope you will forgive me the aeon of time since we last spoke. I am terrible with these things, as you know. Fear not, for we shall soon have the pleasure of meeting face to face once again. Your expertise will also be a huge boon as I believe I have uncovered something of immense import. Friend of mine, you will simply die when you hear and see, but no more for now. Is there any chance you can meet me in Robin Hood's Bay at your earliest convenience? In all truth, this is something you must see for yourself, and I need your expert eyes to ensure mine are not fooling me. Danger of exaggeration? Moi? I am staying at the Boggle Hole guesthouse. Await your speedy arrival. You will thank me, I promise. Robert Thompson."; after this is read, the episode's introduction starts.

The year is 1900, ten years after the events of A Christmas Inheritance, and our characters have just arrived in Whitby train station from York, with the intention of then heading to the Boggle Hole guesthouse by carriage; here, after Dom's explanation relating to the various iterations of his character's name, Peregrine recognizes Lady Marjorie and the two begin to catch up and converse about Robert and the area he's been visiting. Whilst they do this, Dr Henry notices their mentioning Robert and recalls having seen them years ago at a certain fundraiser organized by Sidney Wagner. He then lights his pipe nearby in order to listen as Lady Marjorie remonstrates with the young lad who's carrying her luggage, which contains a Lee-Enfield rifle. The group walks over to a free carriage as Peregrine admires Whitby's wildlife; after the carriage driver says he'll take them to Robin Hood's Bay they all climb in, and Lady Marjorie gives a sharp critique of Bram Stoker's *Dracula*. For a moment, the Lady's antics regarding her luggage remind Peregrine of his friend Sidney, but when the others ask about it he simply says it's a long story; a moment after, the journey begins and Dr Henry introduces himself to Peregrine and Lady Marjorie. Along the way, they also notice three "men" in a field, whom they quickly realize are scarecrows in a state of disrepair before they're all dropped off in Robin Hood's Bay; Dr Henry pays for their cab, and the three begin to walk down the town's steep hill towards Robin Hood's Bay.

As they make their way down they see a small bookshop and decide to take a look inside: Lady Marjorie buys a book about the history of the local smugglers and a knock-off Sherlock Holmes novel titled "The Curse of the Scarlet Witch", while the Reverend picks up a pamphlet about the local wildlife. In an effort to bring Lady Marjorie's steamer trunk towards the bottom of the hill, they call out to a young boy who jumps atop it and sleds with it swiftly down the road; once they've all made the steep journey, the three characters notice a building called The New Inn as Peregrine also takes a moment to admire the scenery. Lady Marjorie asks the boy about the location of the Boggle Hole guesthouse, to which he replies that it's over a nearby hill: this prompts them to ask the boy if he could find a young man to help them with the steamer trunk, but he simply runs into The New Inn and says they could simply ask someone in there. Lady Marjorie runs after him while Dr Henry reminds Peregrine that they should swiftly make their way towards Robert's residence rather than try and stay at the Inn, since their friend requested for their speedy arrival. Inside, Lady Marjorie clips the boy round the ear several times and discovers that the Inn is fully booked; she does, however, manage to find a young fisherman by the name of Jack to bring her steamer trunk up towards the guesthouse. They follow the man through the town and up the hill, admittedly in a slower fashion, and while they finally arrive in Boggle Hole, Peregrine notices another scarecrow on the moors; the guesthouse is a tall building with a small garden and what seems to be a trig point in front of it, and as they get closer to it appears to be strangely crooked. The episode ends with Robert himself reading the postcard, after which the three characters enter the guesthouse.

## Important NPCs

* Simon Stevens, the carriage driver
* The bookseller
* Samuel, the young boy
* Sally, owner of The New Inn
* Jack Reynolds, the young fisherman

## Places

* Whitby train station
* Robin Hood's Bay
* Boggle Hole

## Quotes

* "How does that sound? Irritating?" (Joseph) "Yeah, utterly." (Danann) "My job is done." (Joseph)
* "Prepare the horses!" (Dom as Lady Marjorie) "Of course, Judas, I presume?" (Danann as Wadsworth) "Judas and Iscariot- chariot! Ischariot." (Dom as Lady Marjorie)
* "You think you might catch a whiff of a shag out towards the dock." (Danann) "Chance would be a fine thing..." (Dan)
* "The Boggle House...They should call it The Mind Boggles." (Dom as Lady Marjorie)
* "Don't worry about that, zonkeys are very popular around here." (Joseph)

## Trivia

1. ↑ His name is most likely inspired by a character with the same surname in M. R. James' *Rats*, who also visits a very peculiar guesthouse and, one might say, ends up being too curious for his own good.
2. ↑ These are also present in *Rats*.
3. ↑ A pub called The New Inn is also mentioned in the M. R. James story *Martin’s Close*.
4. ↑ A similar structure is also present next to the guesthouse in *Rats*.