| abstract | - Daphne Harridge (born 1818) was the governess at Collinwood in 1840, hired by the original Quentin Collins to work with his son, Tad Collins, and Carrie Stokes. She originally died in 1841 (the cause of death was never revealed), and her spirit haunted Collinwood from 1970 to at least 1995. Daphne was well-educated and spent her childhood in France, before coming to Collinsport and working for the newspaper. Daphne first appeared as a ghost to Julia Hoffman in the Playroom at Collinwood in the year 1995, when she and Barnabas Collins were transported to the future. (1067) She quickly vanished, leaving Julia confused, only noting that whenever she appeared, the room would smell of lilacs. Quentin Collins, who was mentally unstable, seemed to have had a history with her, but was unable to provide Barnabas or Julia any information. Daphne later prevented Barnabas from learning anything at all by destroying a Collins family history book from the early 19th century. Daphne began haunting the estate in the Fall of 1970, first appearing to Hallie Stokes in a dream where she gives her old-fashioned clothing (1074), and later to David Collins in the West Wing of Collinwood. She would give them access to the playroom (1076), where the children would often become possessed by Tad and Carrie. She later made her presence felt to Quentin, who quickly became infatuated with her. Daphne would lead Quentin to an abandoned bedroom in the West Wing (her room in 1840), where he found her diary and learned of a connection between her and Gerard Stiles. However, this was all part of a plot to kill Quentin, but she decided to spare him after she realized how much he cared about her. (1079) For a while, Quentin kept his interactions with Daphne a secret from Barnabas and Julia, but eventually realizes Daphne is trying to help them. This did not go unnoticed by Gerard, who ordered Daphne to lure him back to the West Wing so he could kill Quentin himself. The plan was foiled by Julia, but Daphne was back under Gerard's control. She assisted Gerard by carrying out a plot to bring the children to Rose Cottage, where they would become permanently possessed by Tad and Carrie. (1096) Afterwards, the children performed a ceremony that brought Daphne back to life in hopes of re-creating the 1840 Collinwood in 1970. (1102) The three were unsuccessful in bringing Gerard back to life, which greatly angered Gerard's spirit, putting everyone's life in danger. Daphne was eventually discovered by Barnabas, Julia and Quentin; she was unable to assist much with Barnabas and Julia's investigation due to Gerard's influence, and Quentin was only interested in her safety. Quentin's plans to save her and the children failed, however, and Gerard killed all three of them as Collinwood was destroyed. Daphne's death left Quentin insane and heartbroken. (1109) Daphne originally came to Collinwood with the sole purpose of killing Quentin, whom she believed had murdered her sister, Joanna Mills. While working at the Collinsport newspaper, she met Desmond Collins, who introduced her to Quentin. Desmond took a liking to Daphne, but she did not reciprocate his feelings and eventually accepted Quentin's job offer to become the governess at Collinwood. As governess, Daphne realized that Quentin did not kill her sister and grows romantically involved with him (1148). This led to a love triangle of sorts, with Gerard also being interested in her. Gerard was possessed by the spirit of the colonial-era warlock Judah Zachary, and used his powers (and personal charm) to draw Daphne to him. The rivalry between Quentin and Gerard developed over many twists and turns, which included not only the hand of Daphne, but control of the Collins financial empire. Daphne was suddenly reunited with her sister when Joanna appeared to comfort the unhappy couple. Joanna was at first upset to learn of Quentin's interest in her younger sister, but when he explained his love for Daphne, Joanna graciously stepped aside. It was later revealed that Joanna was murdered by Quentin's estranged wife, Samantha, and the woman who had appeared at Collinwood was merely Joanna's spirit as she wished to be seen. Joanna had truly returned to have her revenge upon Samantha. She led Samantha to Widows' Hill where she revealed the truth, leading Samantha to fall from the cliff. After Samantha's death, Joanna gave her blessings to Quentin and Daphne. The 1840 timeline concluded with their apparent marriage and honeymoon.
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