Barclay Woods

*"Good Evening.... I'm Barclay Woods... A relative from England." - Barclay Woods*

**Barclay Woods** is local writer, artist and historian specializing in the American culture of the Late 18th Century. Although reserved and distant, he is described as intelligent, charismatic and passionate, a romantic to women and a genial host to his male guests.

Not much is known about Barclay's private life. He was born sometime around 1955 in the area of Cumberland Green on the southern shore of Devonshire County, England, where his ancestors once had a thriving estate. He was named for his ancestor, Barclay Woods, the son of Isaac and Nancy Woods, who immigrated to the English Colonies in the 1750s and created the estate of Thornewood Hall near the modern city of Ashford Falls, New York. The Woods Family History claims that this Barclay Woods was betrothed to Veronica Luckweather, the daughter of another wealthy British family, but he instead married Victoria Luckweather, Veronica's sister for unknown reasons and died around 1800 after a sudden illness. His son, William Woods, by Veronica, was raised by his grief-stricken parents and was the ancestor of the modern family. However, according to other sources, Barclay's death was fabricated in order to cover up the disgrace of his responsibility in the death of his younger brother, Josiah, and he traveled to England with Victoria, having another son, Barclay Collins II, who visited Thornewood in the 1840s. Another descendant, Barclay Woods III, visited the American family in the 1890s.

Unlike his ancestors, Barclay grew up in a family with a declining fortune and lived with friends of the family until the 1980s when he started investing in an import/export business in Canada and several American companies. In France, he met and fell in love with Victoria Luckweather, a reported descendant of the family of the first Barclay's wife and they married, but the marriage didn't last, and they broke up.

While checking on his Canadian investments in 1986, he visited his American relatives in the community of Kirkeby near Ashford Falls and stunned them with his resemblance to his ancestor as to his familiarity of the estate. The family matriarch, Elizabeth Woods, was enchanted by his Old World customs, and her brother, Robert Woods, was more than interested to help him further his financial worth. Barclay, however, became a source of infatuation from the sisters, Monica and Carolyn Woods, who competed to show him around town, but when Barclay revealed an interest to restore the Woodbury Mansion, the ancestral manse of the family left over from the 1790s, he annoyed Robert's son, David Woods, who spent his time exploring and playing there.

To restore the decaying structure, Woods employed Watson Pritchett, the estate's former caretaker, who had recently been discharged for drinking and being abusive. Under his tutelage, Pritchett became nervous and submissive and even acted as Barclay's manservant or chauffeur on occasion. Woods also approached local artist Samuel Lockbridge to paint his portrait for the house, but for most of this time, he was rarely seen, conducting business in Albany or north in Montreal. During this period, there were several vampire-like attacks and a few deaths. Among the deaths was Lindy Benson, the office assistant of local businessman Carter Hedison, who was a friend of Carolyn, who fell victim herself and was treated by Dr. Samantha Oh, a physician from Albany. During the investigation, Barclay Woods was among the suspects that Sheriff David Carmichael considered, an allegation local reporter Melissa Strickland inflated to accompany her interest in the paranormal, specifically vampire lore. However, Carolyn survived, and the attacks soon stopped altogether with no culprit ever brought to justice.

During this period of time, Thornewood Hall had an increased spate of paranormal activity in the form of the ghost of Sara Woods, the deceased eleven-year-old sister of the original Barclay Woods. Woods was uncharacteristically nervous and distant during the activity and soon fell prey to a debilitating disease which Dr. Oh and Dr. Geoffrey Overall treated him. Afterward, Barclay began romantic aspirations with Maggie Winters, Carolyn's former nanny, who had stayed on Elizabeth's personal assistant, even offering her an antique musical box which the original Barclay Woods had presented to Veronica Luckweather. However, this relationship would not endure as Barclay's estranged wife, Victoria Luckweather, arrived in Ashford Falls to renew their marriage. Her appearance coincided with extreme anxiety restlessness and irritably accompanied by nightmares through the family. Even Liz had to be hospitalized due to the extreme rest and was taken to Ardmore Sanitarium for rest and relaxation, returning home a few months later. The phenomenon was soon followed by appearances by the ghost of Quentin Woods, a relative from the 1890s, and Bridget Collins, a former housekeeper from the same period. The ghosts seemed very interested in both David Woods and Amanda Hackett, the younger sister of Chris Hackett, Carolyn's current boyfriend. At the height of the activity, Liz and the family briefly had to leave Thornewood and live off the estate for a few months, but Barclay working with Victoria, Dr. Oh and Professor D. B. Moore, a professor from the University of Albany, were eventually able to seemingly exorcise the ghosts or at least decrease the velocity of the activity under unknown means for the family to return to Thornwood Hall.

By 1998, Barclay's relationship with Maggie had dimmed as he was spending much of his time with Dr. Oh. He was invited to join the local Eagles Club by Carter Hedison, but he politely turned it down to remain faithful to his work. He soon became acquainted with Quentin Woods, a descendant of the figure haunting the estate. The two of them traveled to Rhode Island to help Victoria deal with the Children of the Sun, a cult holding sway over the small village of Cutter's Cove. They were helped by Jeff Hodges, a former member of the cult, who accompanied them back to Thornewood Hall and started dating Carolyn. Unfortunately, Barclay's affliction soon came back, and Victoria moved into the Woodbury House to take care of him. Remembering how much they once loved each other, they decided to renew their vows in 1995.

Unfortunately, in 2005, there was a renewed spate of vampire-like murders in nearby Winchester and Melissa Strickland renewed her interest in Barclay Woods, monitoring his comings and goings from Woodbury in order to tie him to the murders. Unfortunately, he investigation fell short to her editor, Vernon Potts, as Barclay was seen several times during the day.