Belgravia (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Episode #1.6 - full transcript
What have you to do in Manchester?
I want to see some people.
He cheats the customs men
when he imports cotton.
Tell your friend to get
his money out while he still can.
I know this is hard for you.
All this is because
your son hates his own nephew?
He doesn't know the truth.
It's time to acknowledge him.
If he's acknowledged
as a Bellasis,
we must give up our grandson.
When I was packing, I found
some letters of Miss Sophia's.
We must make copies, now.
Where are the originals?
Mr Bellasis wants the originals!
You do not surprise me. I made
the copies. I know what's in them.
Charles Pope is my grandson.
In the letters
the girl calls the marriage a sham.
We must find out about Bouverie.
He was in fact
the Honourable Richard Bouverie.
So you mean the wedding
in Brussels before the battle
was, erm... was valid?
Absolutely!
Whomever he married
were definitely husband and wife.
These are the letters you wrote?
They are.
Every word is true?
Every word is gospel.
Hm.
What price did you offer Mrs Girton
for the factory?
What?
You say you agreed a deal with her
which Charles then wrecked.
I would like to know what price
you offered for the factory.
CHUCKLING
I can't remember.
I called on Mrs Girton yesterday.
I know you offered
two thousand pounds.
Mr Pope offered the market price -
eight thousand pounds.
He overpaid!
I think not. But I don't understand
your complaint against him.
Well, er...
I read here
that he "bullied and terrified her
"into accepting his offer."
Would you have to be bullied
and terrified into taking an offer
that was an increase
of four hundred per cent?
I wouldn't.
He still cheated the customs men.
I work with Mr Thomas Cubitt.
He has friends in Manchester.
It was a single incident where
the cotton was wrongly labelled.
When Mr Pope discovered the mistake,
he paid the duty.
Yeah, so he says.
He says it because it is the truth!
In other words, you gentlemen
are liars and jealous cheats
who profit from frightening old
ladies!Now, just a minute here...
As for you, you pathetic runt!
Charles Pope saw you could no more
be a manager
than a Lord High Admiral!
He gave you a job that your children
might not starve
and this is how you repay him!
Now, you listen...
No! You listen!
If I hear one more word of this
from any source,
I will bring charges that will
strip you of your last penny piece!
And now good day...
gentlemen.
Don't move, but tell me
if you've heard from your mama?
Not yet. But she'll be along one of
these days with my brother, Reggie,
or... someone else, to drag me away.
Then we shall take hold
of the other arm and prevent it.
DOOR OPENS
Lady Templemore
is in the drawing room, m'lady.
Talk of the devil.
Lady Templemore,
may I offer you anything?
Only my daughter.
Here I am, Mama.
I've come to take you home.
No, Mama.
My dear...
No.
Mama, I am... I am not coming
home. Not yet, at any rate.
So you defy me?
I would not call it that.
But what will people think?
That I'm staying
with the aunt of my fiance,
and soon, however, we will announce
the marriage will not take place
and that I shall marry
a Mr Charles Pope instead.
This will be fascinating
until there is news
that the Queen is with child or
some great man in the City fails,
and then we shall all
just get on with our lives.
You've done this.
You have corrupted my daughter.
I do hope so, if this is the result.
Mama, let us not be at odds, like
ruffians fighting in the street.
I should prefer to be attacked
by ruffians than by my own child.
Corinne,
Charles Pope is our grandson...
..Peregrine's and mine.
You mean...
..he is your late son's bastard.
I suppose you knew?
And for this you have cheated Maria
of a position
that would have allowed her
to do real good in the world?
I think I could do good
if I were married to Charles.
Then you must manage it
without your mother's help, my dear,
for I will have no more of you.
I set you adrift
to sail your own barque.
You...
have stolen my daughter
and ruined my life.
What on Earth are you doing here?
Why have you come?
Well, I'm not going to tell you
on the street.
Hm.
I've seen a doctor
and I am pregnant.
HE SCOFFS
Three months or more.
Right, will you take care of it?
Or has he done so already?
Have you no feelings at all?
Why would I have feelings?
Because you are the father.
Oh, for... What proof is there?
You fell into bed with me
easily enough!
HE SIGHS
What's the matter, John?
What, do you care?
Of course.
Tell me what's wrong.
Only that I've lost everything.
It can't be as bad as all that.
Can't it? I have nothing. I am
nothing. I will always be nothing.
What has happened?
I will not be
the next Earl of Brockenhurst.
Charles Pope is the heir -
my nemesis.
It seems he is the grandson
of my uncle and aunt.
You said he was Mr Trenchard's son.
That's what I thought, but he's not.
He's my cousin Edmund's son.
I have tried to defeat him.
Now he has the better of me.
If this is true, why isn't
he called Viscount Bellasis?
He is. He just doesn't know it yet.
Nor do they.
They think he's a bastard.
A friend of mine looked into it.
My cousin and Sophia Trenchard
were married, just before Waterloo.
I'm impressed you haven't burned
them, if they don't know yet.
Well, don't be. They're copies.
The Trenchards have the originals.
But without
your friend's evidence...
They'll find out the truth
in the end. They're bound to.
Why...
Why shouldn't we marry?
You're only the son of a younger
son, after all. It's not so much.
Don't you understand?
I need to make a brilliant marriage.
Now more than ever.
Not Maria Grey with her
downcast looks and that empty purse.
A brilliant marriage.
I'll divorce Oliver
and go to my father.
He's rich and I'm an only child.
There may be better-bred women
on offer,
but none who could provide so well.
Do you seriously imagine
that I, John Bellasis,
whose ancestors
fought in the Crusades,
would ever marry
the divorced daughter-in-law
of a dirty tradesman?
What a joke!
I wonder if you would ask your man
if he could find me a Hackney cab?
Oh, hail one yourself!
Please, John. There is no need
for us to part badly.
Very well.
No!
You're back.
As you see. Do you know
where I might find your mother?
She wanted a rest before dinner.
Did you give those men money?
In Manchester, to write the letters?
No need. They wanted him destroyed
as much as I.
Why? Why would you want to ruin
a man who's done nothing to you?
He has stolen my father and is in
the process of stealing my fortune.
Is that nothing? To watch you give
him money and praise without stint.
Is that nothing?
I believe in him.
But by God, you don't believe in me,
sir. And you never have!
I've endangered my friendship
with the Cubitts,
men I respect more than anyone
living, to help your career!
May I not be disappointed?
I'm sorry, Father, but I cannot
change places with Sophia.
I can't place myself in the grave
and set her free.
It is out of my hands!
I don't know what to do next.
Well, I do, ma'am.
Tell Mr Trenchard
you were given these in the street.
He does not know my writing.
He will not suspect.
I won't ask for your secrecy.
You already have enough to hang me.
KNOCK
Hello.
How can I help?
Thank you, Myles. That'll be all.
This was handed to me on the street
as I came towards our front door.
Handed to you by whom?
I don't know, a boy, he ran off.
Well, this boy, was he a servant,
a page?
I don't know. He was just a boy.
I must go and see Mrs Trenchard.
There is something else
I want you to know.
I'm going to have a child.
Oh, my dear.
Are you certain?
Quite.
But you must go to Mother.
May I tell her?
Of course.
Come...
Mr Trenchard?
Hah. A happy chance brings us here.
John Bellasis.
We met at my aunt's soiree.
Yes, I know who you are. What are
you doing in this stinking hole?
Well, I use it to meet people
and, erm...well, now I've met you.
Can I buy you a drink?
Brandy and soda?
Tell me, do you know the name
Charles Pope?
If I hear it one more time...
Oh, you don't like him, then?
I hate the very ground he walks on!
Hm.
I should like to teach him
a lesson he'll never forget.
And I'd certainly like to help you.
Would you?
Because you could help me a lot...
..if you have a mind to.
But these are copies, of course.
I know.
I have the originals.
When did you get those?
Jane Croft, Sophia's maid, came here
when you were in Manchester.
She brought them with her.
She wanted me to have them
before she left for America.
They're only
Sophia's false marriage papers.
Or am I missing something?
You won't have seen this one.
It's in a different hand.
Whoever wrote it was making notes
on the validity of the marriage
for someone.
But this is not a copy?
Not that page. And the writer
says the wedding was not a sham.
Sophia was Lady Bellasis when
she died. Charles is legitimate.
Then...
Edmund was an honourable man.
We have defamed him wrongly for
so many years. How cruel we've been.
But I know this writing...
KNOCK
Are you, er...
Are you ready for me, ma'am?
I was...
Where did you get those?
How did you find them!
Will you tell us about them, Ellis?
I don't know nothing, ma'am.
Ellis, if there is anything
you can say to diminish your guilt,
now is the time to say it.
It was Mr Turton, sir.
It was him what found them in Miss
Croft's bag and he made the copies.
I said I knew the writing.
I'm ever so sorry, ma'am.
If I'd known it might hurt you,
I'd never have gone near
the whole business.
You watched Turton make copies
of Miss Sophia's letters,
yet you never thought
it might hurt me?
I know I've lost my place, sir,
but I'm not a bad woman.
You're not a very good one.
I've been weak. It's true.
If I have no reference, I'll starve.
So, if we give you a reference,
you will tell us who asked for them
to be copied. Is that right?
Very well, we accept your terms.
Do we?
Mr Turton made the copies
for Mr John Bellasis, sir.
Course it was John Bellasis!
And of course the first thing
he would look into
would be the clergyman
that married them, Richard Bouverie.
Which is what we should have done
20 years ago.
How could we?
We didn't know his name.
What was your role in all of this?
Mr Turton made me take the copies
round to Mr Bellasis' rooms.
Very well.
You may stay the night here,
but you'll go tomorrow,
with your reference.
Stay silent
till we're certain it's legal.
I don't want to raise hopes
only to dash them down.
But why did Mr Bellasis
let the proof out of his care?
Why not burn it?
And who was the mystery boy?
There's something else.
It slipped my mind for a moment,
but you'll be pleased.
Susan is pregnant.
Is she really?
Hm, eleven years with Oliver and
nothing. What could have changed?
Has Father told you?
He has. Congratulations.
Go on! Give her a kiss!
Oliver may be a while. He'd only
just got home when I came down.
Hm.
We can wait.
James, have you spoken to Turton?
I thought I'd leave it till after
dinner. Or is that cowardly?
He should hear it from you and not
from Ellis, if it isn't too late.
Oh, I'll, erm...
I'll look out a bottle of champagne
while I'm down there.
Why did John Bellasis
give you those papers?
He didn't. I took them.
May I ask why?
He said they contained his ruin.
And you want that?
Very much.
Why did you want to harm
Mr Bellasis...
..if you were lovers?
I didn't at first. I wanted
to divorce Oliver and marry John.
What was his answer?
He laughed in my face.
I see.
Well, at least we know
you aren't barren.
That must be a relief,
albeit a complicated one.
You want to stay with Oliver now
that your escape route
with John Bellasis has been cut off?
Yes, I'd like to stay.
Will Oliver
know the child is not his?
He'll know.
But leave Oliver to me.
James must never know.
This baby will be his grandchild
and he must never even suspect
anything else.
I agree.
I'll help you, on one condition.
You will live at Glanville.
Live there?
If you agree,
I will keep your secret.
Oliver will never be happy in
the career that James has mapped out
for him, very well,
let him be a country gentleman.
Can I come back for the season?
You will come here for two months
every year.
Although I think you will enjoy
county life once you enter into it.
Oliver must not suspect
you know the truth.
Only then will he be able to salvage
his dignity.
DOOR OPENS
You have my word.
Your word on what?
That they will have Glanville.
A child must grow up in the country.
Hurrah! My dearest boy!
Many congratulations!
Susan and I have been talking
and you are to have Glanville
as your own.
You will give up your London work
and retire to Somerset.
What's this?
Why not?
Oliver is born to be a squire,
not a businessman.
Your mother is right. A child
should grow up in the country.
A child?
We needn't keep it quiet any longer,
my dearest one.
I've told them.
Say nothing. We'll talk later.
If you speak now
we may lose everything.
Be silent...
I beg you.
Here, drink up.
Margaux. The best he's got.
There's more if we want it.
Of course, Mrs Oliver's to blame.
Miss Speer said a boy just pushed
the papers into her hand.
What was she supposed to do?
Never mind that "boy." She took
them, stole them from Mr Bellasis.
Mrs Oliver is no better
than she ought to be.
Why do you think she's pregnant
after eleven years with Mr Oliver
and nothing to show for it?
How do you know she's pregnant?
Oh, never question a lady's maid.
Oh, I see.
Is there anything there
for us, Miss Ellis?
Anything that might prove useful?
We'll get nothing from Mr Bellasis.
What would he care if all the world
knew her for a slut?
But she might pay to keep it quiet.
I don't think so.
What are you doing there,
Miss Speer? Are you spying on us?
Excuse me, Mr Turton,
you are not the butler now.
You have been sacked.
So don't think I'll take any more
of your orders, cos I won't.
You watch your tongue!
No! Cos I don't feel like it.
And if you ever approach Mrs Oliver
by letter or word,
I will report you to the Peelers...
Why? What have I done?
Stealing and selling food
with Mrs Babbage?
And with theft on your record
there's no more work as servants,
not for the rest of your lives.
I'm going to bed.She'll get rid
of you. You know too much.
She won't want that hanging
around her in years to come.
Maybe you're right.
But when I go, I'll do it
with a sack of gold and a reference
that will get me a job
in Buckingham Palace.
Rest easy, Miss Speer.
You will never hear from me again.
You win, you evil baggage.
Whose is it?
Oliver, your wife is pregnant.
Your parents are happy.
The life you want
is yours for the taking.
You mean I'm to accept it?
And am I to accept your lover, too?
Who is he?
Will he join us for dinner?
I'll not say his name, now or ever,
but I won't see him again.
You have my word.
Your word?
Aren't you at least
going to say you're sorry?
But I'm not sorry, Oliver.
I've done what I set out to do.
I'm pregnant with our child.
You're not telling me
that this was deliberate?
Have you ever known me
to be impetuous?
And it was all because
I could not make you pregnant?
You've been trying for 11 years,
Oliver.
You're about to have an heir.
Would you really want
to give your life to Glanville
if you had no-one to hand it over
to?I want my own child.
Which I shall give you.
If I hadn't done what I've done,
you'd be childless
to the end of your days.
You'll be a gentleman now, Oliver,
a real one.
You'll have a fortune to spend
and you won't have to soil
your hands with making it.
You can teach our child to ride,
to swim, to fish.
If you want to be a father, Oliver,
this is the only way.
So you see, Lady Brockenhurst,
I believe I owe you an apology.
Edmund was honourable after all!
And Charles knows nothing?
Nothing.
Lord Brockenhurst is coming
up to London tomorrow,
so let us have dinner here.
And we'll tell Charles
the truth together.
And Lady Maria?
Is with her mother.
Lord Templemore, her brother,
arrived from Ireland last night.
She's gone to ask for his help.
I am tempted to send a note saying
no persuasion will now be necessary.
Perhaps they must play it out.
I won't change my mind. I'd like
to walk down the aisle on your arm,
but the truth of it is I will marry
Charles Pope and no-one else.
Maria has thrown away her chance.
Mama, I have written to John.
It is over. Let it go.
Instead, you have chosen a man
who is a bastard and a tradesman.
You'll like him immensely.
I have a proposition.
I'll take you with me
back to Ireland for a few months
and we will see if your decision
stands the test of time.
You can't be against me.
Not after all we've been through...
Marrying beneath yourself is no
guarantee of happiness, you know.
And you can hardly expect us
to rejoice in this stranger
who has stolen your future.
He hasn't stolen it.
I have given my future to him
quite freely.
DOOR OPENS
Not bad news, I hope, sir.
Oh, no. No, not news at all,
since I knew it was coming.
I'm a free man again, Roger.
I love where I choose.
No change there, then, sir.
Yeah.
Fetch your coat, Roger.
I've got a job for you.
But when I dismiss you,
come straight back here.
If I am not in my bed
by eight tomorrow morning,
well, then you may start to make
enquiries as to my whereabouts.
Where must I look, sir?
You'll like her very much, Mother.
I'm sure I will,
if you have chosen her.
Things are not quite settled yet.
Why not, if she's the one?
Her mother does not approve.
Then she's a very stupid woman.
Lady Templemore has her reasons.
Why is her name Templemore
if the girl is called Grey?
Her late husband's title
was Templemore.
Lord Templemore?
The Earl of Templemore, to be exact.
Must you go to this meeting tonight?
I wish you wouldn't.
It's an odd business.
I'm not on good terms with Oliver
Trenchard, which upsets his father.
Now I have a chance to
patch things up and I must take it.
Please don't stay any longer
than you have to.
I won't. And I'll escort you
to our lodgings
and make sure you're safe in bed
before I go.
Do you know Charles Pope's address?
That's an odd question from you.
Do you?
No.
His mother's come to live with him
so he's moved to gain more space.
Somewhere in Holborn, I think.
Why?
No reason.
I think there is a reason.
Oliver, can you please come with me?
I don't understand.
What was Mr Bellasis' intention?
He wanted me to write a note
to Pope, asking to meet him.
Bellasis thought he'd agree
to please you.
It would please me?
He knew you were unhappy that
I'd taken against your protege.
Why didn't he write the note?
He thought Pope would know my hand
after he'd spent time
at your office.
Anyway, I wrote what he wanted,
had a drink and left.
This is very serious.
It was only a...Only a letter
to lure Charles to a place
where he might be beaten up
or worse by thugs!
I told you, I was drunk.
But not too drunk to hold a pen, by
God! When was this meeting to be?
That's the thing.
I think it was this evening. Late.
You think?
I told you I was drunk.Where was he
to meet you, or rather, Bellasis?
I can't remember. It was at
a public house in the city.Morris!
The Black Bird, The Black Swan?
Tell Quirk to get the carriage
and bring it round at once!
Of course, sir! Right away, sir!
To go where? You don't know
Pope's address
and I can't recall where the meeting
was to be.
We'll go to his office. If
it's already happened and he's hurt,
I will never forgive you. If it
hasn't happened yet, we'll warn him,
even if we have to wait all night.
Meanwhile, try to remember.
I know it was in the City.
Bellasis said he would be able to
walk there from his place of work.
Get your coat.
Father, I'm sorry.
Not sorry enough! You have delivered
him into the hands of a man
who must wish him dead!
You exaggerate.
I assure you I do not!
DOGS BARK,
HUBBUB
Can I help you, sir?
A jug of ale.
Charles Pope?
I am he.
Come with me.
Who are you, sir?
Mr Trenchard sent me. You are here
to meet him, are you not?
I am.
Then do as I say and come with me.
Here you are, sir.
I thought Reggie
would be on my side.
He will be soon.
But I'll always doubt his motives. I
suppose Charles still knows nothing?
Mr Trenchard would not allow him
to be told
until everything had been checked by
lawyers. I dare say it's sensible.
Charles thinks that Mr Trenchard has
some fine qualities. He admires him.
I will strive to do the same.
I like his wife.
I agree. I quite like the wife.
I like that your son had the courage
to swim against the tide
in his choice of wife.
Then again, was Sophia Trenchard
an adventuress,
prodded by her snobbish father
to reach above her station?
Was Edmund "caught"?
What does it matter? You know
I'd have married Charles anyway?
You should have told me before now.
When we meet Charles, you will say
nothing of all this.
I'll be silent. But whether he
turns out well born or a bastard,
he is still my nephew
and you should have told me.
We worried about
Sophia's reputation.
Do you think I could not have kept
silent to protect my sister's name?
Now I'm the one who's sorry.
Mr Pope had an engagement
this evening.
A message came earlier. But I could
not tell you where it was to be.
This message,
did he say who it was from?
No, but he seemed glad.
He mentioned something about mending
what was broken...
He gave no clue as to where
this meeting might take place?
We know it was near here.
I think you're right, sir.
He took his mother home after dinner
and he meant to walk from there.
He said something about
its being near the river.
My God!
Wait-wait a minute.
Do you know of a pub nearby called
the Black Bird or something like it?
There's the Black Raven, sir,
on All Hallows Lane.That's it!
All Hallows Lane.
Come and instruct our coachman.
It's easy enough to explain.
Come down!
I'm going to bed.
Good night, my dear.
Won't you come too?
No, I'll wait for James and Oliver
to return.
Don't feel uneasy. I'm sure Father
will have made everything right.
I'm afraid I am uneasy,
so I would not sleep.
I might as well wait
to know the worst.
DOG HOWLS
DOGS BARK
Wait! I will go no further, sir,
unless you tell me who you are
and what you want with me.
My dear fellow. I am so sorry.
I had to get you out of
that pit of iniquity.
I thought you wouldn't care
to linger there yourself.
Roger, thank you. You may go.
Mr Bellasis?
Yeah.
What are you doing here?
And where is Oliver Trenchard,
as you know it's him I came to see?
Yes, me, too.
Oliver sent a message saying
that I was to find you first
and then bring you to him, but...
..why did he choose
this godforsaken hellhole?
He may have thought
it was convenient for me.
Ah.
You remember my office is nearby.
Yes, of course. That must be it.
I don't understand. Trenchard and I
have a private matter to resolve,
but what is your part in it?
I can only assume he wants us
to reconcile, too. You and me.
I was not aware we had a quarrel.
Yes, I'm afraid
we do have a quarrel.
Then I hope we may resolve it.
Ah. Alas, we cannot.
Since the only
resolution depends upon your...
On my what?
On your death.
GRUNTING
Where is he? What have you done?
Where is who? What are you talking
about? What might I have done?
Help!
GASPS
Leave them! Let them go.
Let them both go!What?
Your father's had a good life,
but let him go now.
Then you will have a great
inheritance and so will I.
He's an old man. You know it's
for the best. It won't take long.
You devil! Get away from me!
GASPS
What's 'appened?
Quick, get a rope.
Wrap it round ya!
All right boys, heave!
Heave!
CHOKING
Oliver...
Don't thank me! Whatever you do...
don't thank me!
Wake up, ma'am. You must come down
at once. There's been an accident.
What?
Drink this, and then you
must all go straight to bed.
We can talk about it in the morning.
But why would John Bellasis
want to kill me?
We are nothing to each other.
It makes no sense.
We'll discuss it tomorrow.
Morris, help Mr Oliver.
And, er, Myles,
take Mr Pope to the Oak Room.
Borrow one of Mr Trenchard's
night shirts.
Oliver saved us both. I was
going under for the third time.
Then God bless him for a loyal son.
KNOCK
Speer woke me with the news.
Why didn't you look in?
Are you all right?
They tell me
you're the hero of the hour.
HE SCOFFS
I am not. I am worthless.
My darling...
What is it?
I can't go through with it -
your plan for our new life.
Why not?
Because I'm not worthy.
I am an unworthy son.
I do not deserve to be a father.
Not worthy? When you saved
your own father's life?
I hesitated.
That demon Bellasis whispered poison
in my ear and I held back.
Oliver, Christ was tempted.
Every one of us is tempted
at some point.
What matters is not the temptation,
but the fact that you conquered it.
Do you think so?
I know so.
You conquered and I am
even prouder than I was before.
But it's our secret?
We have a box of secrets, you and I,
and together,
we will keep it locked.
So this is why John has left us.
He must have known. Caroline
may have written to him as well,
to tell him first.
It would be only fair.
Fair! When did Caroline
ever do anything fair?
Well, this is the end, my dear.
From now on,
we're just a penniless side-show.
She says they'll pay your debts.
What?
It will be the last time,
but they will pay them.
If you tell them the sum
in its entirety.
Please be honest with them,
for my sake.
Of course. Of course. Don't you see?
If-if they give me the money
I can keep the lenders quiet
with half and do what I like
with the rest.Oh, Stephen...
No, no, that would work.
And I'd be back in the game.
Don't you see that?
Do you think John will get in touch
to tell us where he is?
How should I know? I suppose
it all makes sense at last,
why Caroline made such a fuss
of Mr Pope.
If he is the legitimate heir, why
has he been hidden away since birth?
We know nothing.
Nothing!
Except that John is gone...
..and he won't be back.
I'm going up.
Mr Bellasis has left, sir,
lock, stock and barrel.
His trunks were loaded up
in the small hours
and taken by his man to the station.
Do you know which station?
I couldn't say, sir. But I got the
impression he won't be coming back.
WEEPING
Well...
I hope he spends it sensibly.
'And there you have it,'
Charles Pope will be
the next Earl of Brockenhurst!
My dearest boy! We are blessed!
I thought we were cursed,
but we are blessed after all!
We are.
But how long have you known this?
James felt we should not speak
until everything had been checked
by the lawyers.
And now it has been.
So, all our lives have changed.
All our lives are quite changed.
How do you feel, Charles?
Foolish, mostly, that I never even
guessed a blood connection,
never mind the rest.
I always wondered why a successful
builder and a great lady
should want to help an obscure
young man make his way in the world,
but I could never fathom the reason.
Why would you?
And you couldn't have guessed
you were the heir, none of us did.
Maybe not, but I should have
guessed something.
So, are you Viscount Bellasis now?
As soon as the Committee of
Privileges has ratified its verdict,
he will be.
How astonishing!
I can scarcely believe it.
Mama? Have you nothing to say?
Only to say I was bewildered
by our summons,
but I feel now I have been rewarded
for my earlier tolerance.
And so I do not need to spend
six months at Castle Grey?
Reggie?
Yes, Reggie. Am I no longer to pack
and return to Ireland with you?
All I can say is that I'm very glad
to welcome into the family
a man with a head for business,
a gift the Greys have not boasted
since the Middle Ages.
You're not going to go on with
your business?Oh, but I will, sir,
I'm afraid to say.
You won't get him to stop working.
You might as well tell a fish
not to swim, or a bird not to fly.
Brava! Well said!
I give you my dear mother, Mrs Pope.
ALL: Mrs Pope.
Well, it hasn't been
an entirely smooth journey,
but we have reached
a good destination.
None of which settles the question
of my nephew, John.
What are we to do with him?
If he's charged, he might hang!
He would hang!
Charles? What do you say?
You were his intended victim?
His life was one of
great expectations.
Is it any wonder he lost his reason
when they were taken from him?
That's very generous.
But what should we do?
Give him a pension,
enough for him to keep alive.
Surely not!
And make him stay away.
That's it! England, Scotland,
Ireland and Wales
should be free of him?
Let him roam the Continent
for a resting place.
You gentlemen have kinder hearts
than I do.
Il pleut, Monsieur.
It is, er, raining.
Then I'll run.
BELLS RING
They make a wonderful couple,
Lady Templemore.
Or should I call you Corinne now?
I think it is always nice to leave
some treats for another time.
Isn't it a relief to be married?
Now India and everything else
beckons and no-one can stop us.
Together, we are invincible.
That's all right, then, for
we will be together forever more.
They're so well suited.
I don't know which of them
wants to get more done.
I agree.
They're both in love with life.
Which is just as it should be.
I want to see some people.
He cheats the customs men
when he imports cotton.
Tell your friend to get
his money out while he still can.
I know this is hard for you.
All this is because
your son hates his own nephew?
He doesn't know the truth.
It's time to acknowledge him.
If he's acknowledged
as a Bellasis,
we must give up our grandson.
When I was packing, I found
some letters of Miss Sophia's.
We must make copies, now.
Where are the originals?
Mr Bellasis wants the originals!
You do not surprise me. I made
the copies. I know what's in them.
Charles Pope is my grandson.
In the letters
the girl calls the marriage a sham.
We must find out about Bouverie.
He was in fact
the Honourable Richard Bouverie.
So you mean the wedding
in Brussels before the battle
was, erm... was valid?
Absolutely!
Whomever he married
were definitely husband and wife.
These are the letters you wrote?
They are.
Every word is true?
Every word is gospel.
Hm.
What price did you offer Mrs Girton
for the factory?
What?
You say you agreed a deal with her
which Charles then wrecked.
I would like to know what price
you offered for the factory.
CHUCKLING
I can't remember.
I called on Mrs Girton yesterday.
I know you offered
two thousand pounds.
Mr Pope offered the market price -
eight thousand pounds.
He overpaid!
I think not. But I don't understand
your complaint against him.
Well, er...
I read here
that he "bullied and terrified her
"into accepting his offer."
Would you have to be bullied
and terrified into taking an offer
that was an increase
of four hundred per cent?
I wouldn't.
He still cheated the customs men.
I work with Mr Thomas Cubitt.
He has friends in Manchester.
It was a single incident where
the cotton was wrongly labelled.
When Mr Pope discovered the mistake,
he paid the duty.
Yeah, so he says.
He says it because it is the truth!
In other words, you gentlemen
are liars and jealous cheats
who profit from frightening old
ladies!Now, just a minute here...
As for you, you pathetic runt!
Charles Pope saw you could no more
be a manager
than a Lord High Admiral!
He gave you a job that your children
might not starve
and this is how you repay him!
Now, you listen...
No! You listen!
If I hear one more word of this
from any source,
I will bring charges that will
strip you of your last penny piece!
And now good day...
gentlemen.
Don't move, but tell me
if you've heard from your mama?
Not yet. But she'll be along one of
these days with my brother, Reggie,
or... someone else, to drag me away.
Then we shall take hold
of the other arm and prevent it.
DOOR OPENS
Lady Templemore
is in the drawing room, m'lady.
Talk of the devil.
Lady Templemore,
may I offer you anything?
Only my daughter.
Here I am, Mama.
I've come to take you home.
No, Mama.
My dear...
No.
Mama, I am... I am not coming
home. Not yet, at any rate.
So you defy me?
I would not call it that.
But what will people think?
That I'm staying
with the aunt of my fiance,
and soon, however, we will announce
the marriage will not take place
and that I shall marry
a Mr Charles Pope instead.
This will be fascinating
until there is news
that the Queen is with child or
some great man in the City fails,
and then we shall all
just get on with our lives.
You've done this.
You have corrupted my daughter.
I do hope so, if this is the result.
Mama, let us not be at odds, like
ruffians fighting in the street.
I should prefer to be attacked
by ruffians than by my own child.
Corinne,
Charles Pope is our grandson...
..Peregrine's and mine.
You mean...
..he is your late son's bastard.
I suppose you knew?
And for this you have cheated Maria
of a position
that would have allowed her
to do real good in the world?
I think I could do good
if I were married to Charles.
Then you must manage it
without your mother's help, my dear,
for I will have no more of you.
I set you adrift
to sail your own barque.
You...
have stolen my daughter
and ruined my life.
What on Earth are you doing here?
Why have you come?
Well, I'm not going to tell you
on the street.
Hm.
I've seen a doctor
and I am pregnant.
HE SCOFFS
Three months or more.
Right, will you take care of it?
Or has he done so already?
Have you no feelings at all?
Why would I have feelings?
Because you are the father.
Oh, for... What proof is there?
You fell into bed with me
easily enough!
HE SIGHS
What's the matter, John?
What, do you care?
Of course.
Tell me what's wrong.
Only that I've lost everything.
It can't be as bad as all that.
Can't it? I have nothing. I am
nothing. I will always be nothing.
What has happened?
I will not be
the next Earl of Brockenhurst.
Charles Pope is the heir -
my nemesis.
It seems he is the grandson
of my uncle and aunt.
You said he was Mr Trenchard's son.
That's what I thought, but he's not.
He's my cousin Edmund's son.
I have tried to defeat him.
Now he has the better of me.
If this is true, why isn't
he called Viscount Bellasis?
He is. He just doesn't know it yet.
Nor do they.
They think he's a bastard.
A friend of mine looked into it.
My cousin and Sophia Trenchard
were married, just before Waterloo.
I'm impressed you haven't burned
them, if they don't know yet.
Well, don't be. They're copies.
The Trenchards have the originals.
But without
your friend's evidence...
They'll find out the truth
in the end. They're bound to.
Why...
Why shouldn't we marry?
You're only the son of a younger
son, after all. It's not so much.
Don't you understand?
I need to make a brilliant marriage.
Now more than ever.
Not Maria Grey with her
downcast looks and that empty purse.
A brilliant marriage.
I'll divorce Oliver
and go to my father.
He's rich and I'm an only child.
There may be better-bred women
on offer,
but none who could provide so well.
Do you seriously imagine
that I, John Bellasis,
whose ancestors
fought in the Crusades,
would ever marry
the divorced daughter-in-law
of a dirty tradesman?
What a joke!
I wonder if you would ask your man
if he could find me a Hackney cab?
Oh, hail one yourself!
Please, John. There is no need
for us to part badly.
Very well.
No!
You're back.
As you see. Do you know
where I might find your mother?
She wanted a rest before dinner.
Did you give those men money?
In Manchester, to write the letters?
No need. They wanted him destroyed
as much as I.
Why? Why would you want to ruin
a man who's done nothing to you?
He has stolen my father and is in
the process of stealing my fortune.
Is that nothing? To watch you give
him money and praise without stint.
Is that nothing?
I believe in him.
But by God, you don't believe in me,
sir. And you never have!
I've endangered my friendship
with the Cubitts,
men I respect more than anyone
living, to help your career!
May I not be disappointed?
I'm sorry, Father, but I cannot
change places with Sophia.
I can't place myself in the grave
and set her free.
It is out of my hands!
I don't know what to do next.
Well, I do, ma'am.
Tell Mr Trenchard
you were given these in the street.
He does not know my writing.
He will not suspect.
I won't ask for your secrecy.
You already have enough to hang me.
KNOCK
Hello.
How can I help?
Thank you, Myles. That'll be all.
This was handed to me on the street
as I came towards our front door.
Handed to you by whom?
I don't know, a boy, he ran off.
Well, this boy, was he a servant,
a page?
I don't know. He was just a boy.
I must go and see Mrs Trenchard.
There is something else
I want you to know.
I'm going to have a child.
Oh, my dear.
Are you certain?
Quite.
But you must go to Mother.
May I tell her?
Of course.
Come...
Mr Trenchard?
Hah. A happy chance brings us here.
John Bellasis.
We met at my aunt's soiree.
Yes, I know who you are. What are
you doing in this stinking hole?
Well, I use it to meet people
and, erm...well, now I've met you.
Can I buy you a drink?
Brandy and soda?
Tell me, do you know the name
Charles Pope?
If I hear it one more time...
Oh, you don't like him, then?
I hate the very ground he walks on!
Hm.
I should like to teach him
a lesson he'll never forget.
And I'd certainly like to help you.
Would you?
Because you could help me a lot...
..if you have a mind to.
But these are copies, of course.
I know.
I have the originals.
When did you get those?
Jane Croft, Sophia's maid, came here
when you were in Manchester.
She brought them with her.
She wanted me to have them
before she left for America.
They're only
Sophia's false marriage papers.
Or am I missing something?
You won't have seen this one.
It's in a different hand.
Whoever wrote it was making notes
on the validity of the marriage
for someone.
But this is not a copy?
Not that page. And the writer
says the wedding was not a sham.
Sophia was Lady Bellasis when
she died. Charles is legitimate.
Then...
Edmund was an honourable man.
We have defamed him wrongly for
so many years. How cruel we've been.
But I know this writing...
KNOCK
Are you, er...
Are you ready for me, ma'am?
I was...
Where did you get those?
How did you find them!
Will you tell us about them, Ellis?
I don't know nothing, ma'am.
Ellis, if there is anything
you can say to diminish your guilt,
now is the time to say it.
It was Mr Turton, sir.
It was him what found them in Miss
Croft's bag and he made the copies.
I said I knew the writing.
I'm ever so sorry, ma'am.
If I'd known it might hurt you,
I'd never have gone near
the whole business.
You watched Turton make copies
of Miss Sophia's letters,
yet you never thought
it might hurt me?
I know I've lost my place, sir,
but I'm not a bad woman.
You're not a very good one.
I've been weak. It's true.
If I have no reference, I'll starve.
So, if we give you a reference,
you will tell us who asked for them
to be copied. Is that right?
Very well, we accept your terms.
Do we?
Mr Turton made the copies
for Mr John Bellasis, sir.
Course it was John Bellasis!
And of course the first thing
he would look into
would be the clergyman
that married them, Richard Bouverie.
Which is what we should have done
20 years ago.
How could we?
We didn't know his name.
What was your role in all of this?
Mr Turton made me take the copies
round to Mr Bellasis' rooms.
Very well.
You may stay the night here,
but you'll go tomorrow,
with your reference.
Stay silent
till we're certain it's legal.
I don't want to raise hopes
only to dash them down.
But why did Mr Bellasis
let the proof out of his care?
Why not burn it?
And who was the mystery boy?
There's something else.
It slipped my mind for a moment,
but you'll be pleased.
Susan is pregnant.
Is she really?
Hm, eleven years with Oliver and
nothing. What could have changed?
Has Father told you?
He has. Congratulations.
Go on! Give her a kiss!
Oliver may be a while. He'd only
just got home when I came down.
Hm.
We can wait.
James, have you spoken to Turton?
I thought I'd leave it till after
dinner. Or is that cowardly?
He should hear it from you and not
from Ellis, if it isn't too late.
Oh, I'll, erm...
I'll look out a bottle of champagne
while I'm down there.
Why did John Bellasis
give you those papers?
He didn't. I took them.
May I ask why?
He said they contained his ruin.
And you want that?
Very much.
Why did you want to harm
Mr Bellasis...
..if you were lovers?
I didn't at first. I wanted
to divorce Oliver and marry John.
What was his answer?
He laughed in my face.
I see.
Well, at least we know
you aren't barren.
That must be a relief,
albeit a complicated one.
You want to stay with Oliver now
that your escape route
with John Bellasis has been cut off?
Yes, I'd like to stay.
Will Oliver
know the child is not his?
He'll know.
But leave Oliver to me.
James must never know.
This baby will be his grandchild
and he must never even suspect
anything else.
I agree.
I'll help you, on one condition.
You will live at Glanville.
Live there?
If you agree,
I will keep your secret.
Oliver will never be happy in
the career that James has mapped out
for him, very well,
let him be a country gentleman.
Can I come back for the season?
You will come here for two months
every year.
Although I think you will enjoy
county life once you enter into it.
Oliver must not suspect
you know the truth.
Only then will he be able to salvage
his dignity.
DOOR OPENS
You have my word.
Your word on what?
That they will have Glanville.
A child must grow up in the country.
Hurrah! My dearest boy!
Many congratulations!
Susan and I have been talking
and you are to have Glanville
as your own.
You will give up your London work
and retire to Somerset.
What's this?
Why not?
Oliver is born to be a squire,
not a businessman.
Your mother is right. A child
should grow up in the country.
A child?
We needn't keep it quiet any longer,
my dearest one.
I've told them.
Say nothing. We'll talk later.
If you speak now
we may lose everything.
Be silent...
I beg you.
Here, drink up.
Margaux. The best he's got.
There's more if we want it.
Of course, Mrs Oliver's to blame.
Miss Speer said a boy just pushed
the papers into her hand.
What was she supposed to do?
Never mind that "boy." She took
them, stole them from Mr Bellasis.
Mrs Oliver is no better
than she ought to be.
Why do you think she's pregnant
after eleven years with Mr Oliver
and nothing to show for it?
How do you know she's pregnant?
Oh, never question a lady's maid.
Oh, I see.
Is there anything there
for us, Miss Ellis?
Anything that might prove useful?
We'll get nothing from Mr Bellasis.
What would he care if all the world
knew her for a slut?
But she might pay to keep it quiet.
I don't think so.
What are you doing there,
Miss Speer? Are you spying on us?
Excuse me, Mr Turton,
you are not the butler now.
You have been sacked.
So don't think I'll take any more
of your orders, cos I won't.
You watch your tongue!
No! Cos I don't feel like it.
And if you ever approach Mrs Oliver
by letter or word,
I will report you to the Peelers...
Why? What have I done?
Stealing and selling food
with Mrs Babbage?
And with theft on your record
there's no more work as servants,
not for the rest of your lives.
I'm going to bed.She'll get rid
of you. You know too much.
She won't want that hanging
around her in years to come.
Maybe you're right.
But when I go, I'll do it
with a sack of gold and a reference
that will get me a job
in Buckingham Palace.
Rest easy, Miss Speer.
You will never hear from me again.
You win, you evil baggage.
Whose is it?
Oliver, your wife is pregnant.
Your parents are happy.
The life you want
is yours for the taking.
You mean I'm to accept it?
And am I to accept your lover, too?
Who is he?
Will he join us for dinner?
I'll not say his name, now or ever,
but I won't see him again.
You have my word.
Your word?
Aren't you at least
going to say you're sorry?
But I'm not sorry, Oliver.
I've done what I set out to do.
I'm pregnant with our child.
You're not telling me
that this was deliberate?
Have you ever known me
to be impetuous?
And it was all because
I could not make you pregnant?
You've been trying for 11 years,
Oliver.
You're about to have an heir.
Would you really want
to give your life to Glanville
if you had no-one to hand it over
to?I want my own child.
Which I shall give you.
If I hadn't done what I've done,
you'd be childless
to the end of your days.
You'll be a gentleman now, Oliver,
a real one.
You'll have a fortune to spend
and you won't have to soil
your hands with making it.
You can teach our child to ride,
to swim, to fish.
If you want to be a father, Oliver,
this is the only way.
So you see, Lady Brockenhurst,
I believe I owe you an apology.
Edmund was honourable after all!
And Charles knows nothing?
Nothing.
Lord Brockenhurst is coming
up to London tomorrow,
so let us have dinner here.
And we'll tell Charles
the truth together.
And Lady Maria?
Is with her mother.
Lord Templemore, her brother,
arrived from Ireland last night.
She's gone to ask for his help.
I am tempted to send a note saying
no persuasion will now be necessary.
Perhaps they must play it out.
I won't change my mind. I'd like
to walk down the aisle on your arm,
but the truth of it is I will marry
Charles Pope and no-one else.
Maria has thrown away her chance.
Mama, I have written to John.
It is over. Let it go.
Instead, you have chosen a man
who is a bastard and a tradesman.
You'll like him immensely.
I have a proposition.
I'll take you with me
back to Ireland for a few months
and we will see if your decision
stands the test of time.
You can't be against me.
Not after all we've been through...
Marrying beneath yourself is no
guarantee of happiness, you know.
And you can hardly expect us
to rejoice in this stranger
who has stolen your future.
He hasn't stolen it.
I have given my future to him
quite freely.
DOOR OPENS
Not bad news, I hope, sir.
Oh, no. No, not news at all,
since I knew it was coming.
I'm a free man again, Roger.
I love where I choose.
No change there, then, sir.
Yeah.
Fetch your coat, Roger.
I've got a job for you.
But when I dismiss you,
come straight back here.
If I am not in my bed
by eight tomorrow morning,
well, then you may start to make
enquiries as to my whereabouts.
Where must I look, sir?
You'll like her very much, Mother.
I'm sure I will,
if you have chosen her.
Things are not quite settled yet.
Why not, if she's the one?
Her mother does not approve.
Then she's a very stupid woman.
Lady Templemore has her reasons.
Why is her name Templemore
if the girl is called Grey?
Her late husband's title
was Templemore.
Lord Templemore?
The Earl of Templemore, to be exact.
Must you go to this meeting tonight?
I wish you wouldn't.
It's an odd business.
I'm not on good terms with Oliver
Trenchard, which upsets his father.
Now I have a chance to
patch things up and I must take it.
Please don't stay any longer
than you have to.
I won't. And I'll escort you
to our lodgings
and make sure you're safe in bed
before I go.
Do you know Charles Pope's address?
That's an odd question from you.
Do you?
No.
His mother's come to live with him
so he's moved to gain more space.
Somewhere in Holborn, I think.
Why?
No reason.
I think there is a reason.
Oliver, can you please come with me?
I don't understand.
What was Mr Bellasis' intention?
He wanted me to write a note
to Pope, asking to meet him.
Bellasis thought he'd agree
to please you.
It would please me?
He knew you were unhappy that
I'd taken against your protege.
Why didn't he write the note?
He thought Pope would know my hand
after he'd spent time
at your office.
Anyway, I wrote what he wanted,
had a drink and left.
This is very serious.
It was only a...Only a letter
to lure Charles to a place
where he might be beaten up
or worse by thugs!
I told you, I was drunk.
But not too drunk to hold a pen, by
God! When was this meeting to be?
That's the thing.
I think it was this evening. Late.
You think?
I told you I was drunk.Where was he
to meet you, or rather, Bellasis?
I can't remember. It was at
a public house in the city.Morris!
The Black Bird, The Black Swan?
Tell Quirk to get the carriage
and bring it round at once!
Of course, sir! Right away, sir!
To go where? You don't know
Pope's address
and I can't recall where the meeting
was to be.
We'll go to his office. If
it's already happened and he's hurt,
I will never forgive you. If it
hasn't happened yet, we'll warn him,
even if we have to wait all night.
Meanwhile, try to remember.
I know it was in the City.
Bellasis said he would be able to
walk there from his place of work.
Get your coat.
Father, I'm sorry.
Not sorry enough! You have delivered
him into the hands of a man
who must wish him dead!
You exaggerate.
I assure you I do not!
DOGS BARK,
HUBBUB
Can I help you, sir?
A jug of ale.
Charles Pope?
I am he.
Come with me.
Who are you, sir?
Mr Trenchard sent me. You are here
to meet him, are you not?
I am.
Then do as I say and come with me.
Here you are, sir.
I thought Reggie
would be on my side.
He will be soon.
But I'll always doubt his motives. I
suppose Charles still knows nothing?
Mr Trenchard would not allow him
to be told
until everything had been checked by
lawyers. I dare say it's sensible.
Charles thinks that Mr Trenchard has
some fine qualities. He admires him.
I will strive to do the same.
I like his wife.
I agree. I quite like the wife.
I like that your son had the courage
to swim against the tide
in his choice of wife.
Then again, was Sophia Trenchard
an adventuress,
prodded by her snobbish father
to reach above her station?
Was Edmund "caught"?
What does it matter? You know
I'd have married Charles anyway?
You should have told me before now.
When we meet Charles, you will say
nothing of all this.
I'll be silent. But whether he
turns out well born or a bastard,
he is still my nephew
and you should have told me.
We worried about
Sophia's reputation.
Do you think I could not have kept
silent to protect my sister's name?
Now I'm the one who's sorry.
Mr Pope had an engagement
this evening.
A message came earlier. But I could
not tell you where it was to be.
This message,
did he say who it was from?
No, but he seemed glad.
He mentioned something about mending
what was broken...
He gave no clue as to where
this meeting might take place?
We know it was near here.
I think you're right, sir.
He took his mother home after dinner
and he meant to walk from there.
He said something about
its being near the river.
My God!
Wait-wait a minute.
Do you know of a pub nearby called
the Black Bird or something like it?
There's the Black Raven, sir,
on All Hallows Lane.That's it!
All Hallows Lane.
Come and instruct our coachman.
It's easy enough to explain.
Come down!
I'm going to bed.
Good night, my dear.
Won't you come too?
No, I'll wait for James and Oliver
to return.
Don't feel uneasy. I'm sure Father
will have made everything right.
I'm afraid I am uneasy,
so I would not sleep.
I might as well wait
to know the worst.
DOG HOWLS
DOGS BARK
Wait! I will go no further, sir,
unless you tell me who you are
and what you want with me.
My dear fellow. I am so sorry.
I had to get you out of
that pit of iniquity.
I thought you wouldn't care
to linger there yourself.
Roger, thank you. You may go.
Mr Bellasis?
Yeah.
What are you doing here?
And where is Oliver Trenchard,
as you know it's him I came to see?
Yes, me, too.
Oliver sent a message saying
that I was to find you first
and then bring you to him, but...
..why did he choose
this godforsaken hellhole?
He may have thought
it was convenient for me.
Ah.
You remember my office is nearby.
Yes, of course. That must be it.
I don't understand. Trenchard and I
have a private matter to resolve,
but what is your part in it?
I can only assume he wants us
to reconcile, too. You and me.
I was not aware we had a quarrel.
Yes, I'm afraid
we do have a quarrel.
Then I hope we may resolve it.
Ah. Alas, we cannot.
Since the only
resolution depends upon your...
On my what?
On your death.
GRUNTING
Where is he? What have you done?
Where is who? What are you talking
about? What might I have done?
Help!
GASPS
Leave them! Let them go.
Let them both go!What?
Your father's had a good life,
but let him go now.
Then you will have a great
inheritance and so will I.
He's an old man. You know it's
for the best. It won't take long.
You devil! Get away from me!
GASPS
What's 'appened?
Quick, get a rope.
Wrap it round ya!
All right boys, heave!
Heave!
CHOKING
Oliver...
Don't thank me! Whatever you do...
don't thank me!
Wake up, ma'am. You must come down
at once. There's been an accident.
What?
Drink this, and then you
must all go straight to bed.
We can talk about it in the morning.
But why would John Bellasis
want to kill me?
We are nothing to each other.
It makes no sense.
We'll discuss it tomorrow.
Morris, help Mr Oliver.
And, er, Myles,
take Mr Pope to the Oak Room.
Borrow one of Mr Trenchard's
night shirts.
Oliver saved us both. I was
going under for the third time.
Then God bless him for a loyal son.
KNOCK
Speer woke me with the news.
Why didn't you look in?
Are you all right?
They tell me
you're the hero of the hour.
HE SCOFFS
I am not. I am worthless.
My darling...
What is it?
I can't go through with it -
your plan for our new life.
Why not?
Because I'm not worthy.
I am an unworthy son.
I do not deserve to be a father.
Not worthy? When you saved
your own father's life?
I hesitated.
That demon Bellasis whispered poison
in my ear and I held back.
Oliver, Christ was tempted.
Every one of us is tempted
at some point.
What matters is not the temptation,
but the fact that you conquered it.
Do you think so?
I know so.
You conquered and I am
even prouder than I was before.
But it's our secret?
We have a box of secrets, you and I,
and together,
we will keep it locked.
So this is why John has left us.
He must have known. Caroline
may have written to him as well,
to tell him first.
It would be only fair.
Fair! When did Caroline
ever do anything fair?
Well, this is the end, my dear.
From now on,
we're just a penniless side-show.
She says they'll pay your debts.
What?
It will be the last time,
but they will pay them.
If you tell them the sum
in its entirety.
Please be honest with them,
for my sake.
Of course. Of course. Don't you see?
If-if they give me the money
I can keep the lenders quiet
with half and do what I like
with the rest.Oh, Stephen...
No, no, that would work.
And I'd be back in the game.
Don't you see that?
Do you think John will get in touch
to tell us where he is?
How should I know? I suppose
it all makes sense at last,
why Caroline made such a fuss
of Mr Pope.
If he is the legitimate heir, why
has he been hidden away since birth?
We know nothing.
Nothing!
Except that John is gone...
..and he won't be back.
I'm going up.
Mr Bellasis has left, sir,
lock, stock and barrel.
His trunks were loaded up
in the small hours
and taken by his man to the station.
Do you know which station?
I couldn't say, sir. But I got the
impression he won't be coming back.
WEEPING
Well...
I hope he spends it sensibly.
'And there you have it,'
Charles Pope will be
the next Earl of Brockenhurst!
My dearest boy! We are blessed!
I thought we were cursed,
but we are blessed after all!
We are.
But how long have you known this?
James felt we should not speak
until everything had been checked
by the lawyers.
And now it has been.
So, all our lives have changed.
All our lives are quite changed.
How do you feel, Charles?
Foolish, mostly, that I never even
guessed a blood connection,
never mind the rest.
I always wondered why a successful
builder and a great lady
should want to help an obscure
young man make his way in the world,
but I could never fathom the reason.
Why would you?
And you couldn't have guessed
you were the heir, none of us did.
Maybe not, but I should have
guessed something.
So, are you Viscount Bellasis now?
As soon as the Committee of
Privileges has ratified its verdict,
he will be.
How astonishing!
I can scarcely believe it.
Mama? Have you nothing to say?
Only to say I was bewildered
by our summons,
but I feel now I have been rewarded
for my earlier tolerance.
And so I do not need to spend
six months at Castle Grey?
Reggie?
Yes, Reggie. Am I no longer to pack
and return to Ireland with you?
All I can say is that I'm very glad
to welcome into the family
a man with a head for business,
a gift the Greys have not boasted
since the Middle Ages.
You're not going to go on with
your business?Oh, but I will, sir,
I'm afraid to say.
You won't get him to stop working.
You might as well tell a fish
not to swim, or a bird not to fly.
Brava! Well said!
I give you my dear mother, Mrs Pope.
ALL: Mrs Pope.
Well, it hasn't been
an entirely smooth journey,
but we have reached
a good destination.
None of which settles the question
of my nephew, John.
What are we to do with him?
If he's charged, he might hang!
He would hang!
Charles? What do you say?
You were his intended victim?
His life was one of
great expectations.
Is it any wonder he lost his reason
when they were taken from him?
That's very generous.
But what should we do?
Give him a pension,
enough for him to keep alive.
Surely not!
And make him stay away.
That's it! England, Scotland,
Ireland and Wales
should be free of him?
Let him roam the Continent
for a resting place.
You gentlemen have kinder hearts
than I do.
Il pleut, Monsieur.
It is, er, raining.
Then I'll run.
BELLS RING
They make a wonderful couple,
Lady Templemore.
Or should I call you Corinne now?
I think it is always nice to leave
some treats for another time.
Isn't it a relief to be married?
Now India and everything else
beckons and no-one can stop us.
Together, we are invincible.
That's all right, then, for
we will be together forever more.
They're so well suited.
I don't know which of them
wants to get more done.
I agree.
They're both in love with life.
Which is just as it should be.