Table of Contents

• Overview
• Life Before Collinwood
• Arrival at Collinwood
• The Mystery of Jenny Collins and the Tower Room
• Return to Worthington Hall
• Death at the Hands of Judith Collins
• Aftermath
• Source Material and Inspiration
• Character Details
• FAQs

Overview

Rachel Drummond is a character from the gothic supernatural soap opera Dark Shadows, portrayed by Kathryn Leigh Scott. She served as the governess at Collinwood during the show's 1897 storyline, hired by Edward Collins to look after his two children, Jamison and Nora. Her time at Collinwood placed her at the center of several of the story's darkest plots, and her life ended tragically at the hands of a possessed Judith Collins.

Life Before Collinwood

Rachel Drummond grew up as an orphan. After being sent to live with an aunt who did not want the responsibility of raising her, she was placed at Worthington Hall around the age of ten to be educated. Like the other orphaned children there, she suffered under the cruelty of the headmaster, Reverend Gregory Trask, and his family.

While at Worthington Hall, Rachel formed a close bond with a boy named Tim Shaw, who helped her with her schoolwork. When Trask discovered their friendship, he punished them severely, locking Tim away for weeks and mistreating Rachel until she agreed to stay away from him. The two barely spoke again for over a decade.

After her aunt's death left her without support, Rachel was told she would need to work off outstanding debts by teaching at Worthington Hall. Believing she had been cheated out of money owed to her, she fled the school with Tim Shaw, taking her earnings with her. Trask threatened that no one would believe her word over his, branding her a thief.

Arrival at Collinwood

Edward Collins hired Rachel in Boston to serve as governess to his children, and she arrived at Collinwood just before the death of his grandmother, Edith Collins. Her presence quickly drew attention from two Collins men: Quentin Collins took an immediate interest in her, while Barnabas Collins was struck by her resemblance to his long-lost love, Josette Collins. That resemblance, combined with Barnabas's attentions, caught the notice of the witch Angelique, who began appearing to Rachel in unsettling dreams warning of trouble ahead.

The Mystery of Jenny Collins and the Tower Room

One of Rachel's earliest entanglements at Collinwood involved the secret of who was secretly living in the estate's tower room, which was believed to have been empty since Naomi Collins's suicide. The room's true occupant was Jenny Collins, Quentin's mentally unstable wife. Rachel was manipulated into releasing Jenny from the room, a decision that set off a chain of disastrous events and very nearly cost Rachel her position at Collinwood.

Return to Worthington Hall

When Laura Collins came back to reclaim her children, Edward tried to protect them by sending them away to Worthington Hall, not realizing the danger tied to Rachel's own history there. Rachel begged him to keep the children close, though she could not explain the true risk they faced from their mother. Around this time, Minerva Trask confronted Rachel, revealing that the night she fled the school had also led, indirectly, to the death of her brother, Simon Briar. The Trask family remained intent on bringing Rachel back into their fold.

After a fire destroyed Worthington Hall and the school relocated to a house by the sea, Rachel took a position there in order to stay close to both the children and to Tim Shaw, with whom she had reconnected.

Death at the Hands of Judith Collins

Events took a darker turn when Tim Shaw, under the influence of Evan Hanley, killed Minerva Trask and turned to Rachel for help. The two arranged to meet at an abandoned cottage on the Collins estate. When Rachel arrived, however, she did not find Tim — instead she encountered the vampire Dirk Wilkins, who bit her and brought her under his control.

Dirk attempted to use his influence to force Barnabas Collins into finding a way to revive Laura Collins, whom he believed loved him. When Barnabas failed to comply, Dirk turned to Judith Collins, biting her and commanding her to shoot Barnabas. Barnabas never arrived at the appointed time, and Judith shot Rachel instead. Tim arrived just after the shooting, finding Rachel wounded and Judith standing over her in a trance, unaware of what she had done. Tim carried Rachel to the Old House seeking Barnabas's help, but Barnabas was not home. Rachel died in Tim's arms shortly after dawn, sharing memories with him of their childhood together before she passed.

Aftermath

Not long after Rachel's death, Edward killed Dirk Wilkins, freeing Judith from his control — though she had no memory of shooting Rachel. When Tim told her what had happened, fragments of memory returned, and she recalled vanishing and reappearing with a gun that had been fired three times, matching Tim's account of Rachel being shot three times. Judith wanted to confess to both her own role in Rachel's death and Tim's role in Minerva's murder, but Edward and Gregory Trask talked her out of it. Instead, they concocted a cover story involving a supply errand to Bangor, and Rachel's disappearance was left to be blamed on Dirk Wilkins, with her fate assumed to be just another unsolved case involving a missing young woman.

Source Material and Inspiration

Rachel Drummond's character was modeled on the heroine of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. The same literary source also inspired another well-known Dark Shadows character, Victoria Winters, drawing a clear parallel between the two governess figures in the series.

Character Details

FAQs

Who played Rachel Drummond in Dark Shadows? Rachel Drummond was portrayed by actress Kathryn Leigh Scott.

What was Rachel Drummond's role at Collinwood? She was hired by Edward Collins as governess to his two children, Jamison and Nora, during the show's 1897 time period.

How did Rachel Drummond die? She was shot at an abandoned cottage on the Collins estate by Judith Collins, who was under the vampire Dirk Wilkins's control at the time. She died shortly afterward in Tim Shaw's arms.

Who was Tim Shaw to Rachel? Tim Shaw was a childhood friend from Worthington Hall who remained close to Rachel throughout her life and was with her when she died.

Why did Angelique target Rachel? Angelique took notice of Rachel because of her strong resemblance to Josette Collins, Barnabas's long-lost love, and because of the attention Barnabas began showing her.

What literary character inspired Rachel Drummond? She was based on the title character of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, the same source that inspired the character Victoria Winters.

What happened after Rachel's death? Edward Collins killed Dirk Wilkins, freeing Judith from his control. To protect Judith and Tim, Edward and Gregory Trask fabricated a cover story, and Rachel's death was left to be blamed on Dirk Wilkins.