1
I have relived
this particular day many times.
The weather is always flawless,
and so is Father's mood.
It is a golden memory
and I am suspicious of it.
I keep looking
for one black cloud in the sky,
for some premonition of what was to come,
but I can't find anything.
Not a single clue.
Father had been let out
and Mother was laughing.
Perhaps, it really was a happy day.
Would you like to live there?
Can we?
Dear, God.
Dear, God!
Mommy, Mommy, look at us!
Look at us!
Isn't it wonderful!
I shall have this place
if it costs me my last shilling!
I will write masterpieces here.
And we believed him.
I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.
I have a grandstand view of my relations,
and it depresses me.
Ten years on, nothing Father
said would happen has,
and there have been other shocks.
My hands have gone green.
Doesn't it make you feel God-like,
turning things a different color?
We have acquired a stepmother,
for a start...
Brackets, not wicked.
Nothing will get it off.
Nothing!
Have you tried
all the perfumes of Arabia?
We can't get any more credit
at the stores.
Is it any wonder?
I've been drawing up our accounts.
Income, nil.
Outgoings...
How much is the rent?
He hasn't paid it for two years.
We'll end up living in a ditch.
At least the landlord's
shuffled off this mortal coil.
It's not unmitigated gloom.
No, I was looking for my cardigan.
My love, I've got
this sudden mania for dyeing.
It is going to look rather wonderful,
a cross between sun-fire and lichen.
Don't let me interrupt the game.
Game?
Game!
There are droppings in this cupboard!
I hate this place!
I'd burn it down if we had any matches.
- Rose, where are you going?
- On the streets.
You can't go on the streets
in the depths of Suffolk.
I could in London.
You haven't got the train fare.
I'm going to the vicarage
to borrow from the poor box.
Prostitution is very hard work, Rose.
- It wouldn't suit you at all.
- You should know.
There's a picture of you
in the Tate with nothing on.
It was an experiment in flesh tones.
If you really want to make a fortune,
choose a wealthy man
and marry him respectably.
Like you did with Father?
Sorry, sorry.
- You don't mean it, Rose.
- Get off, Topaz.
You're not our mother!
- I do my best!
- Well, it's not good enough!
I thought about going to comfort them,
but it would only have
inflamed the situation.
Someone has to keep a lid on things.
Mother always did when she was alive.
Rose... I don't think
you should start
threatening to go on the streets.
You'll never be able
to marry anyone after that,
least of all a wealthy man.
I'll never meet any men locked up here,
beyond the reach of love,
and it will kill me.
I would have thought that love
was the murderous thing,
not the lack of it.
I am never going to fall in love.
Life is dangerous enough.
Thank God for that at least.
- What?
- The postman's coming up the drive.
As manager for the Scotney estate,
this office begs to inform you,
etcetera, etcetera...
We respectfully request
that the rent outstanding
for the period, June 1934 to March 1936,
be forwarded to this office
without delay.
Open the other one.
It's from the publisher.
The royalty check
always comes in the spring.
Nothing this year.
Nothing?
Are there any biscuits left?
There's never been nothing before.
First time for everything.
I brought a bucket.
For the leak in the roof.
- Did I interrupt your work?
- No.
I was reading
"Death on the Nile."
Is there anything I can do to help?
What makes you think
I'm in need of assistance?
Father, "Jacob Wrestling"
was a wonderful, groundbreaking book.
There was never going
to be a sequel overnight.
Meaning?
Meaning it will come.
- How old are you now?
- Seventeen.
And you still believe in fairy tales?
I will not give in to panic.
I'd be as mad as the rest of them
if it wasn't for this diary.
Stephen is like a rock.
We haven't paid him for six months.
He could just pack his bags and go,
but he says he'll never leave us.
Margarine.
Why must you be
so monotonously grim, Rose?
I feel grim.
Right now, I'd sell my soul to the devil
for a roast beef dinner
and a Tangee lipstick.
Why don't you wish on the gargoyle?
You could pretend that was the devil.
Stephen, fetch a ladder that will reach.
We haven't got one, Miss Rose.
He's not a servant.
Blow the candles out, all except one.
Come on.
Higher.
Perhaps we could buy
a pig on higher purchase.
We would have quite a lot
of bacon, eventually.
It's all right.
Rose is dabbling in the occult.
Higher.
Full marks for enterprise.
Be careful, Rose.
Careful!
I can't go on living like this.
Please... I'll do anything.
It's whole nut.
Stephen, you shouldn't have.
Don't you like whole nut?
I mean you shouldn't
have spent your money on me.
There isn't any food in the house.
Now, have you got everything you need?
A roaring fire, concealing draperies...
What more could a lady want at bath time?
A wireless would be nice.
Chocolate is luxury enough.
I could get you some
without nuts next time.
Stephen...
Topaz has said that,
viewed from a certain angle,
Stephen looks like all of
the Greek gods rolled into one.
I can't see it,
and it's probably just as well.
I've known him since I was seven.
He's like a brother to me.
Anything else
would be much too confusing.
Come in.
Hello?
Hello? Anybody home?
Somebody said, "Come in."
Can you believe this place?
It looks like something
out of a storybook.
Yeah, the "House of Usher."
Hello?
I'm sorry,
we have a car stuck in the lane.
Do you have a horse or something?
- Actually, no.
- Leave this to me.
We need a motor tractor
and some heavy-gauge chains.
Come on, I'll show you the problem.
You stay here, soak up the atmosphere.
I should warn you,
I'm having a bath behind here.
I'm sorry.
Is your mother at home?
No.
- Do you need this?
- Thank you.
- I'm Simon Cotton, by the way.
- Cotton?
We were on our way to Scotney Hall.
Are you related to Sir William?
He lived there until he died.
The kid's gone to a farm to fetch help.
Hi. Is there a madhouse
around here?
We thought we saw an escapee
up by the lane.
This is my brother, Neil. We did
see a strange woman in the field.
- She looked a bit disheveled.
- She was stark staring naked, Simon.
Well, I can't imagine who that was.
- I thought you were a child.
- No.
Are you here on holiday?
I'm actually Sir William's grandson.
Our father died
a little while ago in Montana
and I seem to be
in charge of the estate now.
Rose? Rose, dear?
Careful!
Cassandra, put the kettle on for cocoa.
I must change.
More gas, Simon, more gas!
Keep pushing the back!
I saw lights from the gatehouse.
Hey, guys, we got reinforcements!
- It's our father.
- James Mortmain.
Yeah, Neil Cotton. Would you
mind just going to the back?
- Of course.
- James Mortmain?
Are you James Mortmain,
the author of "Jacob Wrestling?"
Well, yes, I am.
I wrote a dissertation
on that in college.
"Polyphony in the Fragmentary
Consciousness."
I wondered what became of you.
Now you know.
Well, I guess owning
a place like the castle
must be an amazing source of inspiration.
We don't own it. You do.
Do I? Do I?
Do you hear that, Neil?
I own the castle!
That's wonderful, Simon.
Could you go to the back
and help with the pushing, sir?
- Yes.
- We must talk more about your work.
Well, it would be my pleasure.
For crying out loud, will these bloody
cataracts and hurricanes never stop?
Are you ready, Neil?
They didn't say anything about the rent.
Those boys are very taken with you, Rose.
How can you tell?
I've always had antennae
for the currents of attraction.
I shall have to clean the drawing
room in case they call again.
Rose Cotton.
Mrs. Rose Cotton.
Mrs. Cotton.
- Which one do you like?
- Simon. He's the eldest.
It's his estate now and his fortune.
Was Sir William a knight or baronet?
If he was a baronet,
then Simon's, Sir Simon.
I'd be Lady Cotton then.
Rose, you're making too much of it.
I mean they might ask us
to parties and things
and that would be wonderful, but you
couldn't marry that man with the beard.
I'd marry a chimpanzee if he had money.
Simon, you cannot stay in this country.
You'll either get washed away by the rain
or sucked down into the mud
and never seen again.
I don't want to buy
a ranch in California.
Oranges are wonderful things. I'm sure
growing them is a very stimulating pursuit,
but I'd go mad.
And you'll stay sane
in that pokey old mansion.
Getting it cleaned and building
bathrooms for Mother.
How many mirrors does a dame
with one face need?
She's never stayed anywhere in
Europe that wasn't a hotel before.
If I don't get the plumbing
fixed by the time she comes,
she'll take one look at the place,
head straight back to the Queen Mary.
I guess I don't know her
quite as well as you do.
Rose?
Don't stop washing your hair!
Simon.
- Thank you.
- Neil.
Darling.
So, who's the artist in the family?
Her.
It's called "War and Peace."
Based on the novel.
I think it might work better
on a circular canvas.
Why are you all dressed in green?
Simon, you may turn the pages for me.
- I'm afraid I don't read music.
- I don't either.
That need not detain us.
Come on.
Thank you.
I'll give you a nudge each time.
Blow, blow
Thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind
As man's ingratitude
Christ.
You were lucky to get out alive.
She wasn't like that last night.
Did I do something to encourage her?
You own Scotney Hall,
7000 acres, and their house,
and they obviously don't have a cent.
She can't help that.
Well, she can't help
being so darn obvious,
but if you want a pack of insane
broads chasing after you
in theatrical costumes,
that's your choice.
One insane broad.
My God, I was embarrassed for that girl.
We're going to have to drop them, Simon.
If we don't, you could end up
in a very awkward situation.
He's dangerous.
I guess so.
It's a pity we didn't see
that kid again, though.
The one with the glasses
or the one in the bathtub?
The bathtub.
She was quite funny.
A bit consciously naive, don't you think?
I feel worse about dropping the old man.
I wanted to help him, but I guess he
probably is a drunk, like people say.
If only we could afford
to send her to the cinema,
she'd have a much better idea
of how to behave.
It's too late.
I've got this brick wall sort of feeling.
They won't come back.
Please don't.
It's broad daylight.
It brings me release.
Do you want me to run mad?
What did you think of them?
The Americans?
I don't know.
They weren't like anyone
I've ever met before.
- Did you think they were handsome?
- No.
I mean, they were incredibly
well-turned-out,
but not naturally
good-looking, like some people.
- Miss Cassandra?
- I wished you'd stop calling me "Miss."
It's just not the way things are anymore.
The first day we ever came here,
my mother said that you
and Miss Rose were young ladies
and that I ought
to address you respectfully.
You always did.
She said that I was never to presume.
Would I...
Would I be presuming if I asked
you to come for a walk with me?
When?
When the bluebells are out.
No, you wouldn't.
The very thought of you
And I forget to do
I'll practice this one for next time.
It uses the keys that don't stick.
The very thought of you
Rose thinks she gave an
irresistible performance.
I ought to tell her the truth,
but I can't bear to.
She's the only woman in the house
with a smile on her face.
And everyone ought to do
Pass the salt, Rose.
Pass the salt.
Pass the salt,
pass the salt, pass the salt.
Rose!
You know he's got a perforated eardrum!
And I suppose he'll go deaf now, or die,
and I'll be held responsible!
Stop it, stop it!
When will you learn
to control yourselves?
I haven't lost my temper for years!
Just as well, when you think
what happened last time.
That's enough, Rose.
You don't think they found out
about Father, do you?
No, I'm sure they didn't.
How could they?
So why didn't they come back?
I went out of my way to be
flirtatious and provocative.
That's what men are meant to like.
There's no way out now, is there, Cassie?
- Calm down.
- I'm quite calm.
I'm quite calm, thank you.
Just shut up! Just shut up!
- Sit down and stop all this noise!
- No, I won't sit down.
Stop it!
Stop it!
And I posit to you, my
lord, that to kill one's wife
with a cake knife would be an
extraordinarily tedious business
involving sawing her to death.
Take him down.
We've been living in a boarding house.
Only for four months.
It won't happen again.
Girls?
Girls? Girls!
Aunt Millicent is dead
and she has left you
a portion of her wardrobe.
I hope it's the door.
But furs? She hated furs.
And what are they doing
in a shop? They're not new.
The lawyers put them in cold storage.
I'd give up everything I have for a
little bright suit and suede accessories.
Come on.
I'd give up everything.
Rose, can you smell bluebells?
I can smell heaven.
I'll take a dozen pairs, please.
Rose!
Come on.
I look like a bear.
It is bear, madam,
and young madam's is monkey.
How much do you think they're worth?
If I might point out, madam,
this is a high-class department store.
We do not deal in second-hand goods.
We only refrigerate
the furs of favored clients.
Aunt Millicent had a house
full of beautiful things.
Why did she have to leave us these?
She was never the same
after Father married Topaz.
When they were cutting the cake,
she said to me,
"They have married for love,
and one can only pray for them."
No, Simon... My God,
Neil and Simon Cotton
are standing on the platform.
I look a sight and you look a sight!
We've got two bags of leftovers
from a line's corner house.
I'm going to die of shame.
Help me, help me, help me.
Through the bushes.
My darlings.
Mother.
How are you?
Simon, dear, was that
supposed to be first class?
The seating was covered
in the most indescribable...
Mind the milk churns.
What was that?
I see what it is!
Ladies and gentlemen...
it's a bear...
and it's been scavenging for food.
Neil, we are in Suffolk, England.
Did you ever go hunting
in Yellowstone Park?
Did you ever see a grizzly
hug a guy to death?
- No, dear.
- Neil...
I'm telling you, I've seen a bear.
The circus has just arrived.
It must have escaped.
It'll be heading towards the village.
Come on, do something.
Listen, everybody,
in the waiting room now.
Come along. You too, madam.
Into the waiting room.
Quickly, come along!
Miss Cassandra! Miss Rose!
Bears are very cunning creatures.
Don't let the dog go until I say.
Okay.
He tried to head
away from the railway line.
Simon, lead your party over to the right
and fan out
in the direction of that church.
Come on, come on, get moving.
Go.
I'll go this way.
Rose?
Rose!
My sister!
Go back to the station.
Go back to the station!
Wait for me there.
Rose!
Stand back.
Let her get some air.
- Is she all right?
- In a state of shock.
We must take her home in our car.
- What happened to the bear?
- Killed it.
It was thrashing
and rolling in the river,
and trying to get out,
so I took the pitchfork
and I shoved it in its neck,
right in the jugular, first time,
then it twitched all over and
foamed a little at the mouth,
and then it groaned, then it died.
She had a very lucky escape.
Neil, be careful with her.
Stephen, what happened to her?
My lantern went out.
I'm taking you home.
So he grabbed my arm
and said,
"Why are you running away?"
And I said, "Because I didn't
want to see you"
or your stupid
bearded brother, either."
"In fact, you can
both go to hell."
And I slapped his face.
Rose, what have you done?
I'll tell you what I've done.
I've got us an invitation
to dinner at Scotney.
Mrs. Cotton invited us all,
one week today.
And so it was all hands to the pump.
Topaz, haunted by the thought
of Rose's slaps and insults,
has decreed she will dress like
a doll and behave like a lady.
You'll need to learn a slow fox,
a quick-step, a tango,
and how to smoke.
Can't I just do
something sparkling with a fan?
No. I'm already
regretting the crinoline.
One can overdo Victorian charm.
I keep picturing us walking.
I put bluebells in
to get myself in practice,
then I add twilight
and give us things to say.
- It's getting dark.
- I won't let the flame go out.
- Can you smell bluebells?
- I can smell heaven.
And there my imagination
always fails completely.
I obviously don't want
to kiss him at all...
or do I?
Your face has gone really, really red.
Come on, then.
I'm sorry.
I've changed my mind.
Anyway, it's rubbish about him
looking like a Greek god.
From now on, I am going to concentrate
on Rose's quest for love.
We have put the rumba
into our repertoire,
just to be on the safe side.
I was too forthcoming
when they came to call.
I think the problem
was mostly with the tea gown.
What do you mean, the problem's
mostly with the tea gown?
I heard Neil talking to Simon that day.
I was in the hayloft.
What did he say?
He called you an insane broad
in theatrical costume.
He wanted Simon to drop us.
He did, did he?
Well, I shan't forth come again.
- Hold still.
- I'm holding still.
I thought we'd sold this.
They were only pawned.
I got them back.
Are you wearing lipstick
and powder and rouge?
- It makes you look ordinary.
- I mean it to.
I want us to look like a viable
family, Mortmain, for Rose's sake.
I don't want to look exceptional tonight.
If you look exceptional,
I look like someone, too.
You are someone.
Wash your face. Please.
Unpin your hair, give me
something to be proud of.
- May I take your coat, sir?
- Thank you.
Welcome.
It was a highly intellectual gathering.
Aubrey Fox-Cotton
is a cousin and an architect.
He recognized Topaz at once
from a series of avant-garde etchings
she once modeled for.
She was terribly glad
she had taken her disguise off.
I take it you've tasted your
first champagne this evening.
One of life's nicer rites of passage.
What do you think?
It reminds me of very good
ginger beer, without the ginger.
Sweet.
His wife is called Leda.
She wears too much lipstick.
Are you appalled by my table manners?
I just couldn't get the hang
of using all this cutlery
the English way.
Of course, Mother and Simon
find the whole thing divinely elegant.
I tried it, but I thought I was
going to starve to death.
When this hall was originally built,
its occupants ate
with daggers in their fingers.
It'll probably last until the days
when men dine on capsules.
Fancy asking friends over for capsules.
No, the capsules will
be taken in private.
Well, by that time,
eating will become unmentionable,
pictures of food will be
considered rare and curious
and only collected
by rude, old gentlemen.
When I was in the United States,
on my second lecture tour,
they held a banquet for me
in a place called Boulder...
Mr. Mortmain, how long is it since
you actually published anything?
Twelve years.
Is it drink, or do you have
psychological problems?
Mother!
Well, he didn't get up
and run out of the room...
or attack me with a knife.
Malicious wounding.
Not quite a capital offense.
If your assault had been more competent,
I should have been obliged
to bar my door.
Or send your youngest son
after me with a pitchfork.
I always employ shock tactics
with men of genius.
One has to employ them in public,
or the men of genius bolt.
Tell me, are you unique,
or have all American women
become more menacing of late?
You'll find me as menacing
as I need to be, Mr. Mortmain.
Your voice has been silenced long enough.
Well, that's because there can be
no creativity without stimulus.
I'm glad we're of the same opinion.
You're treading on my feet.
So stop making up your own steps.
I didn't ask to dance with you.
You could have refused me.
Thank you.
Thank you. Would you like to
come out to the terrace with me?
- We could take a little air.
- I'm not hot.
Besides, it's a slow dance next.
It is not. It's a rumba.
And I promised it to Simon.
I should have to ask you
to rein me in on this one,
I've been told I rumba
like a rubber ball.
You're much better at leading
than your brother.
Am I?
That's a really unusual
dress you have on.
You mean, you think it's theatrical?
No. No, no, no.
Picturesque and original, certainly,
but not theatrical at all.
Get down.
Go home.
Rose? Rose.
Stephen? Thomas?
- You'll be all right.
- I'm sure I'll be fine.
You come along with me.
We'll get you patched up.
Thank you.
Do they make you nervous?
- My ancestors?
- My family.
I think they're a very charming,
highly individual bunch of...
individuals.
They make me nervous.
Would you like to try it?
Go right ahead.
I don't suppose
I'd have much of an appetite
if I was actually concussed.
Where've you been?
We were in the long gallery,
looking at pictures.
Never mind all that
tedious ancestor worship.
I'm going to photograph this.
Would you like some water?
Stephen, this is my card.
Five guineas a pop.
I'd like you to consider it.
Thank you. I will.
You aren't going to go, are you?
It's just, I mean... Five guineas.
That'll buy a fair few pounds
of whole nut.
Stephen, can I get you anything else?
Sir William always used to
send us a ham at Christmas.
It was great.
He missed last year.
Thomas...
Here.
Rose hasn't said a word since we got in.
I am going to pretend I don't
care what she's thinking.
Can I tell you something?
When we got back to the dining room,
I suddenly imagined
being in bed with Simon.
- You didn't.
- You wouldn't understand.
No.
- What was it like?
- It was peculiar, but bearable.
- Even with the beard?
- I sort of skirted around it.
If only I could get him to shave.
Wouldn't you rather have Neil?
He's got a nice clean face.
No, I wouldn't rather have Neil.
You can have Neil.
I'd marry Simon even if I hated him.
God, I've never seen
anything more beautiful
than Mrs. Cotton's bathroom.
Peach colored towels!
Rose, there isn't a towel
on earth that could make up
for marrying a bearded man that you hate.
- But I don't hate him.
- You're not in love with him.
I want to be. You have no idea
how much I want to be.
I don't know why I'm excited,
or what it is I really feel.
Perhaps if you...
kissed or something.
I'm not going to let him
until after he's proposed,
otherwise, he might just kiss me
and run and not propose at all.
Why would he do that?
I wish we knew more about men.
I keep trying to imagine
what Mother would say.
There must be signs you can
study, signals you can read.
I think I realized then
how little we have to go on,
how desperate we are,
and that the thing we know least
about of all is being women.
Three teas, two luncheons...
It's only been five days
since we went there for dinner.
I just wish you'd tell me what you and Mrs.
Cotton find to talk about.
We do not talk about anything.
We converse and that's different.
Elizabeth is an extremely
stimulating woman.
- That bloody hound.
- Clothes brush is on the dresser.
Is there nowhere a man in dark
trousers can sit in this house?
And why are you wearing your London Suit?
Because I'm going to London.
Do you want me to start
writing again, or don't you?
I knew it.
She's inspiring him.
His temper has been getting worse.
God, I'd let him tear me limb from limb
if I thought it would unleash him.
I hope I'm not tempting fate.
I keep imagining
Rose's honeymoon... in Paris.
I put flowers by the bed
and think about her, waiting.
I can't decide between a pink
negligee with swan's down trim,
or duchesse satin
in classic eau de Nil...
But she's always just a tiny bit afraid.
Is this your playhouse?
It's...
It's where I come to write.
Like father, like daughter.
Except I've written 147 pages.
It can't help him that rain
pours through his study roof.
I'm suspending the rent
until I've had it repaired.
Is Rose at home today?
She's gone to the village to buy soap.
Shall we walk over there?
I'm sure he was never
going to stab mother,
but it must have looked quite bad
to the next-door neighbor,
because he jumped the fence
and tried to grab the knife off Father.
The neighbor got punched in the stomach
and Father got four months.
And then he stopped writing.
And started reading detective novels.
Well, I can't work it out.
He's a complete mystery all on his own:
"The Case
of the Buried Talent."
You know, he should
really see an analyst.
- An analyst?
- Yes.
The right person could take him
back to the time he spent in jail
and find out why there's still a
part of him imprisoned, locked up.
He'd never agree to that.
Father says
all psychiatrists are con men.
Besides, it would mean he'd
actually have to talk to someone.
Well, doesn't this make
the perfect picture?
I feel like I'm painted
on the lid of a candy box.
- Did you get the soap?
- They'd run out.
Neil was buying cigarettes.
Would you like a lemonade?
Can't I have the same as Rose?
Creme de menthe.
Of course.
I think your sister chose it
for the contrast with her hair.
No, no.
Just there, dear.
The colors look so pretty.
Simon, don't get the beer with
the picture of the hen on it.
Disgusting.
You pick it, I'll buy it.
Neil hates me.
He thinks I'm going
to take Simon away from him.
Do you know, their parents
kept them apart for 14 years.
Did they?
I shan't let him interfere.
I don't care what he wants.
Do you remember that picnic
we went on with Mother and Pa
when they forgot the food?
Yeah, and we had to buy it in a shop.
And Mother had to cut the bread
with a nail file.
That...
That was a funny day.
They took us out because they meant
to tell us they were divorcing,
but they couldn't
in the end, because the chicken
and the plates and the napkins
hadn't been packed.
And they were at a loss
as to how to be civilized.
We never did find out how they decided
which of them would take which one of us.
Who would you have picked, Rose?
I'd have put you both in a home
or sold you to chimney sweep.
I made a mistake with Rose.
I thought she was affected
when I first met her,
artificial
and maybe mannered or something.
She's not.
She's natural and spontaneous.
Quite unlike anyone I've ever met before.
I suppose she is.
- And so are you.
- No.
I'm really glad that we met you all.
I'm glad that we came.
Look out!
Have you seen Rose doing cartwheels?
Have you ever seen such
a change in a girl?
Well, this must be
her fresh-air personality.
Yeah, the question is,
how many Roses are there?
How could you?
A gesture of social intercourse.
What are we going to feed them?
They gave us that ham.
We haven't got a decent table
to eat it off.
There are doors.
They can be taken off their hinges.
What's the matter?
You're father's invited
the Cottons to dinner.
All of them?
And the Fox-Cottons and the vicar.
He's been in London with her.
Elizabeth.
They've had an assignation
at the British Museum.
Elizabeth is my patroness.
We were doing some research.
People use that place
for nothing but assignations.
I used to meet you there myself when was
married to Eduardo, in the Mummy Room.
It can't be done, and we're so, so close
to the only thing
that's going to save us.
Should we try
to get the dinner cancelled?
No. Don't you see?
Simon has to propose to me now,
before he meets somebody else,
or gets to know me better.
If only I could get him on his own again.
You will.
I promise you, you will.
They didn't seem to notice
it was their ham we were serving...
or that they got the biggest portions.
Tell me, James,
did our visit to the Mummy Room
- provide much inspiration?
- . Well...
Would you believe it, Mrs. Mortmain, we
came across two mummies in separate cases,
who were actually husband and wife.
Meticulous hieroglyphs
told the whole story.
There they were on opposite
sides of the room,
gazing mutely at each other,
with their barriers of glass.
I've known marriages like that.
You see the pity of it is,
Mrs. Mortmain,
I haven't designed a building
that's satisfied me in 15 years.
I'm hoping to persuade Simon
to let me remodel Scotney, or this place.
You know, I've never even seen
beyond the ground floor here,
I've been waiting for a guided tour.
I'll show you around.
Let's go up on the battlements.
That is a great idea.
Do let me join you.
It's a cloudless night,
and I haven't seen the Pleiades in ages.
Such a soft little constellation.
I prefer something much more angular.
Something is dampening your
fire, Mrs. Mortmain.
My fire dies when it is
not required... Aubrey.
The besieging force
would have a great, big sling
known as a trebuchet,
and they would use it
to fire rocks over the ramparts.
This is not what he meant
when he asked for a guided tour.
Can't you trip over
your skirt or something?
He'd have to grab your arm to steady you.
It'd be a start.
You promised me
I'd get to be alone with him.
- It's out of my hands.
- You promised.
Would anybody like to bathe?
- Bathe?
- In the moat?
It'll be like being
disemboweled with an ice ax.
Rubbish.
We keep them up here to stop the drafts.
There's only one pair, unfortunately.
Why don't you wait here for your turn?
Come on.
I don't know if these are going to fit.
Stop worrying.
Stand by for beautiful accompaniment.
This is like Alaska!
Well, I want to see you suffer too,
or I'm going straight back inside.
Well done.
Now that really is romantic.
It's a shame we're not in love
- and that it's so darn cold.
- It's fine if you keep moving.
Are you okay?
It's a bit weedy just here, that's all.
For Christ's sake, Cassandra.
- Can we please go inside now?
- No, I'm really enjoying it.
Look at the moon.
Come on, before we catch pneumonia.
The towels are upstairs.
Wait for me in the kitchen.
Will you kiss me now?
- Will you marry me, Rose?
- Kiss me, then I'll tell you.
You're all wet. You're all wet.
Say something, brother.
Rose, I'm sure you know
everything I'm wishing you.
You took me swimming deliberately.
Well, of course I did.
You might try and be
a bit happy for them.
Will you just get the hell out
of here and let me get dressed?
Only if you tell me
why you don't like Rose.
Because she's a gold digger.
She is not.
She is, and you damn well know it,
and you're no better.
How... How dare you?
How dare I do what?
Tell the truth?
- Goodbye!
- Goodbye!
- Farewell!
- Bye!
See you soon!
It's such relief.
I thought we'd never pull it off.
No, the relief is that
I'm in love with him.
Was it the kiss that did it?
A kiss can do a lot of things.
Don't cry.
Please don't cry.
I'm going to take
such good care of you all.
And now they've all gone
to arrange a London wedding.
Father went, too, to keep an eye on Rose,
and Topaz went to keep an eye on him.
I was miserable for a week.
I wondered if I envied Rose.
I scoured my innermost heart
and realized I just missed her.
She had gone from me for good...
and the thought of Neil despising her
was more than I could bear.
"Dear Neil...
Rose is in love with Simon."
She offered it up herself
that night after he proposed.
She was once honest enough to admit
that she would have married him
even if she'd hated him,
so I believe her.
I value her truthfulness,
I hope you value you mine.
And please don't hold our having
been so poor against her.
"With love, your future
sister-in-law, Cassandra."
"Dear Cassandra, please draw a picture"
of the bridesmaid's dress
you want and send it by return.
Topaz keeps coming up with sketches.
You can imagine what they're like.
You won't recognize me soon.
I've been taken in hand.
I have a permanent wave,
and my own account at Simpson's.
The shop smelled exactly the
same, like heaven and bluebells.
And I saw that assistant who said they
didn't deal in second-hand goods.
"She was all smiles this time."
I've always wanted a daughter to dress.
"I kept wishing you were
here... or I was there."
By the time you get this,
it will be Midsummer's Eve.
Will you do the pagan rites?
"Will you do them one last time
for my sake?"
I was in no man's land.
I knew that when dusk fell,
I'd be doing something childish
for the final time.
Meanwhile, I told myself
sunbathing naked
was a prelude to the rites.
But I couldn't explain the
thrill in the pit of my stomach,
the tight, coiled feeling.
Was I rehearsing something?
Don't go too close.
Hi. Flying visit.
I have business on the estate.
Has Rose come home?
She had a fitting for her wedding dress.
Are you all alone, too?
I did this with Rose every summer.
It started as a game, but after a while,
we really did think
the gods could hear us.
We never dared not do it after that.
Of course, Mother panicked
if we danced too near the flames.
And then she died, and the next year,
we danced even nearer and went wild.
Rose told me.
You miss her?
It seems wrong when she's so happy.
When I first saw Neil after
Father's funeral, it was amazing.
We talked all the time.
We stayed up all night talking,
and now sometimes we sit
not saying anything at all.
- Rose and I used to do that.
- Did you?
I don't know. Having someone
else around is new to me.
I was pretty much an only child
for years after the divorce.
So much was messed up.
I really want to get it right this time.
Would you like to see how we finished?
On a ceremonial cry?
Please.
- Don't you dare laugh.
- Never.
May I?
I thought Rose would love Debussy,
but I took her
to the Wickmore Hall last week
and she sat there looking...
not bored exactly, just blank.
She seemed further away then
than she does now.
- Do you like it?
- It's beautiful.
Makes me think of "Dover Beach."
We are here upon A darkling plain
It's called
"Au Clair de Lune."
"By the Light of the Moon."
You're much, much more clever
than such a pretty girl
has a right to be.
I look a lot prettier when
I'm not standing next to Rose.
We talk an awful lot about Rose,
don't we?
I suppose she's the thing
we have in common.
It's getting late.
I'll drive you home soon.
But would you dance
with me first, Cassandra?
Please?
Does this have a name?
This tune.
It's called "You and the Night
and the Music."
I don't... Don't say anything.
I don't make a habit
of this sort of thing.
Nor do I.
It was only a kiss, Cassandra.
- It was my first kiss.
- My God.
Well, if it fell short
of your expectation
in any way, then I apologize,
most sincerely.
I don't think I'm sophisticated
enough for this.
I'll drive you home.
I kissed you, Cassandra,
because you'd been
so sweet and funny all evening.
And I wanted to.
I kissed you, and that's all.
Don't tell Rose.
I'm in love with her.
She's my sister.
What does he mean, "funny"?
What does he mean,
"I kissed you, and that's all"?
Do Americans kiss each other
all the time?
Does he think I wanted him to kiss me?
He belongs to Rose.
Rose, who said,
"A kiss can do a lot of things."
Not me.
I said I'd never fall in love.
I said love was a murderous thing.
It is, and I'm walking on air.
I hate Rose like poison in my fantasies.
Sometimes she comes into the
room and sees us kissing...
And sometimes she doesn't.
I don't know which is worse.
Father!
Came back on the milk train.
Saw Stephen at the station,
jacket on, going somewhere.
We're supposed to be able
to afford shop cake.
I thought I'd make an effort.
It's my birthday.
Today? Seventeen?
Eighteen.
Can't see it, somehow.
Still remember you
in that perambulator thing.
- Simon sent his regards.
- Did he?
Said you kept him greatly
entertained the other night.
Probably made a change
from worshipping Rose.
No man on earth
should be so violently in love.
Puts him at such a disadvantage.
- What are you looking for?
- The kippers from Saturday.
- They'd gone off.
- Corporeal transition.
I need something made of flesh.
I'm shaking and sick with
the things I have imagined.
The dreams are like a drug.
The magic doesn't last
and then the pain is worse than knives.
There she is.
Cassandra!
Happy birthday to you
"The Molecular Evolution
of the Cosmic Universe."
I've read half of it.
It's quite good.
Rose remembered.
It's from Simpson's.
I had to go to King's Crypt
to get it today.
I've been saving up.
It's a wireless!
Stephen.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It's battery powered.
Stephen...
Here's one from Simon.
It's a sewing machine.
It's not.
It's a gramophone with integral wireless.
It's probably main's dependent.
He'll have forgotten
we don't have electricity.
It's battery powered, too.
I'll go and practice my bowling, then.
Poor Stephen.
Be careful, will you?
Can I tell him the truth?
Will it hurt?
Stephen?
Simon didn't have to work
to buy me a present.
No, that was my privilege.
We haven't got a lantern.
It'll get dark.
You'll have to hold my hand.
No.
It'll make us both feel better.
This isn't why I came, Stephen.
We mustn't do this.
Please, don't let me do this.
I'm not coming after you, Cassandra.
I'm not coming after you!
Why did I let it happen?
Why did I suddenly want him to kiss me
when my whole heart
ached for someone else?
When I went there to tell him how I felt?
I've been cruel to Stephen
and betrayed myself.
The memory of Simon's kiss is ruined.
My future is wretched.
Yes?
I'm sorry. It wasn't wrong
if we love each other.
It's all right.
You won't even have to see me for a bit.
I got a telegram from Leda.
I've got to go to London, see
a producer about a film part.
I'm sorry about the kissing.
What are you doing?
There are 2,000 characters
in the Chinese alphabet.
Willow pattern's distilled
a sweeping saga
of passion and betrayal into one
perfect elliptical pictogram.
I wanted to break it down at random,
assess where the meaning would remain.
What are we going to do for plates?
He's getting worse.
He has asked for ink twice.
He's asked at the stores for
colored chalk and the Dandy.
I got a letter from Rose yesterday.
You didn't say?
She said not to show you.
She feels guilty
at having so much
when you've got nothing.
"Three pairs of three-quarter length"
Herms glacs kid gloves
at 12 guineas per pair.
One lavender satin nightgown with
marabou peignoir from Rigby...
Three whole pages, then she
put a total at the bottom,
added up wrong.
I had to look "marabou" up in
the dictionary, and "peignoir."
This isn't like her.
It isn't like an engaged person.
She doesn't mention Simon once, not once.
Our wicketkeeper's sister's
getting married,
then it's "Gerald, Gerald,
Gerald," every other word.
She promised me she was in love with
him the night they got engaged.
I can't let her sacrifice herself.
Your stop, miss.
There's going to be a mezzanine
floor with a circular aperture,
giving way to the entrance hall,
all glass brick.
This is the best thing
Aubrey's done in years.
Where's Rose?
Matinee, all of them.
Apart from Neil.
He's moved into an hotel.
I've had matters to attend to.
- What sort of matters?
- I've been looking for rooms.
I can't flourish here, Cassandra.
- In this flat?
- In this family.
I thought I could move your father to great
things, stir all the genius inside him,
but I couldn't, and it's paralyzing me.
He's been terribly feverish lately.
Imagine if he wrote something and
you weren't there to read it.
Elizabeth Cotton can read it.
He'll show her first.
I'm going to get cards printed
and put myself about.
- You mean with Aubrey?
- Not exclusively, no.
Try to understand.
I need to be in touch with artists.
- Father's an artist.
- Not because of me.
London used to be my world,
but I'm nearly 30.
Flesh fades. I'll lose my place
in life if I don't apply myself.
Is that all you think
you've got to offer?
It's the only way I have to make my mark.
You've made your mark with us,
Thomas and Rose...
and me.
But I'm not your mother.
Cassandra!
What a wonderful surprise!
I thought I'd go insane.
- Why?
- Chatter, chatter, chatter.
You've no idea, and always,
always about the wedding.
Dorchester tonight to dine and dance.
This should fit you.
I don't wear it anymore.
We bought it off the peg.
You're looking very grown up tonight.
I'm not sure that I approve.
Rose lent it to me.
Ginger ale without the ginger?
You and the night
and the music
Fill me with flaming desire
Setting my being completely
On fire
You and the night
and the music
Thrill me but will we
be one?
Did you leave
your father some food, dear?
I shall telephone
the kitchens at Scotney.
They can send him a cold cut of beef.
Thank you. He can get quite
ravenous when he's writing.
You don't really believe he's going
to achieve anything, do you, dear?
We've been expecting
a breakthrough every day.
You're his daughter.
That's your prerogative.
James Mortmain has done his work, my dear.
The well is dry.
Of course, it doesn't matter two pins.
Now Rose will marry into money.
Until the pale light
of dawning and daylight
Our hearts will be
throbbing guitars
Morning may come
without warning
And take away the stars
If we must live
for the moment
Love till the moment
is through
I've just seen Neil.
You are honored.
Simon, you know I love that song.
Get them to play it again.
Sorry... Sorry.
Excuse me, sorry.
There you are.
Now, why aren't you dancing?
My shoes don't fit.
Thank you for your letter.
You did a very necessary thing.
Come on.
I suppose we should
get in practice for the wedding.
A best man, a bridesmaid.
I'm not going to the wedding.
Neil...
Been offered a partnership
on a ranch in California,
have to be there
to sign the papers next week.
Nobody said.
Nobody knows, yet.
Do you hate England, Neil?
Do you hate us?
England's okay.
You're okay.
It's me, just all wrong here.
Put those flowers in the bathroom
for the night, will you?
And put that card in the bedside drawer.
He sulks if I don't keep
every single one.
You don't love him at all, Rose, do you?
No, I don't believe I do.
It's a shame, really.
He wears me out.
Every second of every minute of
every hour that we're together
he wants and he wants
and he wants to be loved
with every fiber of his being.
I can't explain it.
You explain it very well.
Do you want me to tell him for you?
Tell him what?
I'm still going to marry him.
That's a wicked, wicked,
wicked thing to do.
More wicked than helping me make
that ludicrous crinoline dress?
More wicked than taking Neil for a swim
so Simon had a chance
to catch me alone and propose?
It was like something in a book, a game.
- It wasn't real.
- Grow up, Cassandra.
You've had meat on the table every
day for weeks. That's real.
You've got silk stockings
and French perfume, too,
should you decide you've got
the nerve to use them.
Use them for what?
To trap a kind, good,
sensitive man into marriage
and destroy him?
Cassandra...
you're in love with him.
- With who?
- Simon. My fianc.
That is all we need.
Do you think I wouldn't give him up?
Do you think I wouldn't throw
the whole thing in his face
if I thought he'd have you instead?
- I know you wouldn't.
- I know he wouldn't.
He thinks
you're just a funny little girl.
I am not greedy, Cassandra.
I am not selfish.
I'm not just doing this for myself.
Don't go. You mustn't go.
What will I tell everyone in the
morning when you aren't here?
You're already living a lie.
Tell them what the bloody hell you like
and then go into your bathroom
and count your peach-colored towels.
I have played too many games with love,
but I don't know any of the rules.
I wanted Rose to marry into money.
I willed her to fall in love with Simon
and then wanted it all undone
because I was jealous.
I have betrayed her and I hate
myself, because I love my sister.
That'll be three and 11 plus
sixpence for admittance of dog.
- Sixpence?
- They're banned. It's a fine.
I've lost my purse.
You should have thought about
that before you ordered cutlets.
I'll be waiting by the door,
and I want my pencil back.
Will you let me help you?
Could you just lend me
two pence for the telephone?
Hello?
Can I speak to Stephen Colly, please?
It's Cassandra.
Do you know what time it is?
I was offered that part in the film.
Will you take it?
Haven't decided.
Are you unhappy with me?
I'm unhappy with myself...
- and Rose.
- Rose is a bad girl.
In what way?
She's just a bad girl.
A lot of women are.
Sometimes we're bad
without meaning to be.
You're not a woman yet.
Unlike Leda.
She's been very good to me,
but I don't love her.
I love you.
I know.
When we were in the woods,
I wondered if you loved me, too.
I'm really sorry.
Is it Neil or Simon?
Which one are you in love with?
Simon... Cassandra...
and it really, really hurts.
Marry me.
I can make it hurt less.
I can earn good money now.
I don't love you, Stephen.
I don't love you.
It's like some hideous party game.
Everybody's dancing and nobody's
getting the prize they want,
because it's all third-hand
and second-best.
I can't bear it.
Father?
Seen enough?
What is all this about, Father?
Elizabeth believes that an
author must allow his material
to marinate, to become seasoned,
tempered, before it can be worked with.
Elizabeth Cotton doesn't believe
you'll ever write another word.
No, you don't believe
I'll ever write another word.
- I've been working very hard.
- You've hypnotized us all
into turning a blind eye, Father.
We accepted everything you did.
We let you lock yourself away.
For me, secrecy has always been
the essence of creation.
And what have you created,
Father, in the last 12 years?
What have you created
beyond poverty and despair?
I am the head of this household.
I'm entitled to respect.
You aren't respected.
You're indulged.
Why don't you just write something?
I lost my temper.
I'm not myself.
This is yourself.
This is why you went to prison.
This is what you did to mother.
No, Cassandra, it is not.
Do you think we can't remember
because we never talk about it?
I'm not going to discuss it with you!
- We need Topaz.
- You've driven her away.
You've driven everyone away.
Except you.
I'm staying here.
I'm going to sit
in this chair and watch you
and wait until you've
written something down.
Your mother used to do that.
Father.
This is worse than prison
and it might go on forever.
Room service.
Come in.
I have to talk to you, Mr.
Cotton, before it's too late.
Writing somewhere new can be inspiring.
Come on.
Where are you going?
I think this might unlock you.
Supplies.
What?
We'll let you out
when you've finished 50 pages.
Fifty pages? It took me a year to
write 50 pages of "Jacob Wrestling."
It's really good you're feeling so angry.
Harness the rage.
Just write,
"The cat sat on the mat."
It'll be a start.
What the bloody hell
do you think you're doing?
Don't you dare leave me here,
you bastard brats!
Come back here!
Come back here, I tell you!
Come back here!
Listen to him.
Can you hear him?
Yes.
I have done a terrible thing.
I have put my father back in prison.
It may be the end of him.
Is Rose here?
No.
She's run away.
Do you know where she might of gone?
"I love you. Stop.
Don't hate me. Stop. Rose."
It's from Walberswick.
Let's go.
We had a fight the night I was in London.
I said some terrible things to her.
Not everything in the world
is your fault, Cassandra.
Not everything in the world
is your responsibility.
I would have liked for you
to have seen a proper sunrise.
This is a crisis, Simon, not a treat.
It's where we had the barbecue,
the day when Neil said,
"Have you ever seen
such a change in a girl?"
She was being herself.
That was the only difference.
She was happy here.
That's what brought her back.
There's a light on at the inn now.
Neil's here, too.
They haven't had time to get married.
They hate each other.
The very thought of you
and I forget to do
The little ordinary things
We're going for a swim.
And I knew then that this was love,
because my heart was breaking for him.
The rest will come.
What if it never does?
I don't know.
I don't know.
You look so tired.
Do I?
Do you think I don't notice things?
You never say.
I'm not as articulate as I pretend.
For a while, the whole world
thought otherwise,
and I was ashamed to be so mute
in things that mattered,
- and to be called a genius.
- You are a genius.
I'm an ordinary man
and I'm not invincible.
- You haven't failed.
- I failed your mother.
I knew she was ill, Cassandra.
I knew when I went for her with
the cake knife, and so did she.
Don't tell me.
She had said... She had
said I didn't care.
She accused me of lacking tenderness...
and she was right.
I couldn't make her secure.
I couldn't make her feel loved,
even when she was dying!
Don't cry. Don't cry.
What good are words on a page?
What good is anything if a man can't
open his heart and let himself out?
I would give every word I ever wrote
to have this moment with her.
She would like that.
Would she forgive me?
She would say she understood.
Have I failed you, Cassandra?
I'm 18.
I can't see it, somehow.
I don't expect you to forgive me.
I know that.
I thought I was going to lose you, again.
I wouldn't let that happen.
It's good we can be civilized.
Yes, mother's pleased about that.
You see, I saw Neil kissing her
the night he lied about the bear.
I saw Rose kiss him back, too.
Was that before
she slapped his face or after?
She never slapped his face.
I went to his hotel,
because I believed
things would come right
if just one person told the truth.
Rose has never been so happy in her life.
I didn't do it for Rose.
I did it for you,
so you could have Simon.
Can we get a move on, please?
This way everyone. Come along.
See you in the cab.
I'm scared, Cassie.
You're in love.
You know I'm telling
the truth this time, don't you?
I know.
I want you to be this happy, Cassandra.
I want you to know what this feels like.
I know I'm supposed
to throw it and everything,
but it's only got
a bit of ribbon around it
and I'm afraid it might fall apart,
or you'll miss
and Mrs. Cotton will catch it.
And so my sister departed
for the New World.
Just knock.
Read this.
You don't need me.
I do.
Come home.
And now our lives
seem full of possibility.
Work on the novel continues.
Passages are being published
in a highbrow magazine.
Topaz, get yourself up here,
woman! Now!
"The cat sat on the mat"
was not a nonsense.
It concerns a child
who is learning to read
and is symbolic of a journey
towards understanding.
The key to all knowledge comes in words
of just one syllable... apparently.
Hello? Hello, anybody home?
I'm planning a critical essay on your father's
new work after the excerpts are published.
The whole novel could take
its time in coming, you see?
Things have to be kept alive.
I suppose you mean Father's reputation?
I mean everything I've come to love here.
England matters too much.
I'll never give it up.
Even if you go back to America?
Even when.
I wish I could take you with me.
Would you come?
Would you?
Not if you're still in love with Rose.
How can you be, Simon,
after everything she did?
Because I don't have a choice.
Love is like that.
Do you think I don't know
love is like that?
I'm sorry.
We could be good companions, Cassandra.
We could read poetry together.
I could play you music.
You'd make me laugh.
Wouldn't that be a nice little life?
- It wouldn't be enough.
- I don't ask for ecstasy.
I mean enough for me.
Simon, I don't want to go through life
like my mother, afraid that
I'm not really loved.
Even if it meant I could
go through life with you.
I can understand that.
You know,
I'd love to see America one day,
should circumstances
ever prove favorable.
I will come back.
They're just not favorable now.
You were always wise beyond your years.
No, I wasn't.
I used to be consciously naive.
Perhaps he meant it.
Perhaps he will come back,
but everything feels fractured
and my heart is bruised.
Still, better all that hurt
than to have known no pain...
learnt nothing.
There's only the last page
left to write on.
I'll fill it with words
of just one syllable.
I love.
I have loved.
I will love.