A Woman's Vengeance Page #3

but there was no news of you there.

Oh no .. I was detained.

I had a breakdown.

Your wife kept asking for you.

I will go up to her at once.

- I'm afraid it is too late.

Too late?

Yes, I suppose she is asleep.

Mrs Maurier passed away

about four hours ago.

You .. you mean she ..?

She's dead?

Unfortunately I was not

there when they called me.

I arrived when it was all over. The only

person with her was Janet Spence.

Janet?

Yes, the servants sent for her.

There was a violent attack of

nausea in the late afternoon.

And that is what knocked out the heart.

She must have eaten something

that disagreed with her.

At lunch?

I suppose so.

Oh excuse me. I ..

I saw the lights and I wondered if ..

Is anything wrong?

Nothing except that Mrs Maurier is dead.

What do you mean?

She died of heart failure

while you were out.

It was because you let

her have those currants.

You remember? I warned you at the time.

You wanted your own way, didn't you.

Is this true, nurse?

Well she liked them, sir.

But you know how strongly I've

always insisted on a bland diet.

Why yes, doctor. I can't ..

You didn't think they'd

kill her, but they did.

Please, this is a professional matter.

We don't need rhetoric injected into it.

You had better go up to

your room now, nurse.

I will talk to you tomorrow.

Let us stick to facts, Maurier.

It may be the currants or maybe not.

All we know is that something upset her.

She had a heart attack.

Can I .. can I go up to her room?

I'll wait for you here.

I've been nursing for twenty years.

And this is the first time anyone

has had anything against me.

You mustn't take it so hard.

He's trying to ruin me, Miss Janet.

I'll never get another job.

- Nonsense.

I couldn't wish for a

better nurse for my father.

That's very kind of you, Miss.

Did you know our nurse is leaving?

Yes, I had heard.

I admit she's a good nurse.

I am the first to admit it.

Nurse Braddock had no business

to go against my instructions.

I think I can tell you the reason.

She wanted to spite Henry.

- To spite him?

What for?

- She didn't like him. That's all.

Just because he belongs

to the male sex, I suppose.

Some of them get like that.

Janet.

I am so thankful you were

with Emily at the end.

Yes, I think .. I think it helped her.

Henry, try not to feel too

bitterly about that poor nurse.

She didn't mean any harm.

- I know.

Hell is paved with good intentions.

- She'll be out of the house tomorrow.

I'm going to get her

to look after my father.

Well, I don't envy you.

It's a good idea. I can keep in touch

with her and drop in a lesson sometimes.

Tell me about poor Emily.

Did she suffer much?

Too much for you.

It was terrible.

It was so terrible.

I've never seen anyone die before.

I didn't realize.

I'm sorry, David.

I oughtn't to let myself go like this.

I can't keep the memory away.

I suddenly see her

struggling for breath.

With that awful look of

fear and pain on her face.

Shall I take you home?

- No.

No thanks, Henry. I've got my car.

You stay here with Dr Libbard.

Goodnight.

Goodnight, Janet.

There is nothing to say of course.

Just platitudes that

don't mean anything.

One talks in one universe.

One dies and suffers in another.

I found that out when Margaret died.

You two were very close, weren't you.

We were married nearly thirty years.

Thirty years.

And yet.

It isn't the time that counts.

It's what you feel.

What you are.

Remember Emily as she was then?

Margaret used to say that she

looked like a princess in a fairy tale.

Shall I tell you where

I was this evening?

It seems sufficiently obvious.

I suppose you think I'm pretty

contemptible, don't you.

I never thought of that.

But I feel extremely

sorry for you sometimes.

Being born with a lot of money.

It's no joke.

Heaven knows, it's dreary work

having to earn a living, but ..

At least it gives a certain purpose.

A direction to one's life.

Whereas a rich man ..

A man without a job

or a family to support.

He can afford to live.

Discontinuously, if you see what I mean.

Without any purpose but his

own tastes and appetites.

In other words, he can afford

not to be a real human being.

Do you think I am capable of changing?

At this moment, yes.

But it easy to be heroic

in times of crisis.

What's difficult is to behave even

moderately well at ordinary times.

The question is how much will you

want to change a month from now.

Am I as weak as all that?

I simply don't know.

It wouldn't surprise me if you were.

Wouldn't surprise me if you weren't.

At fifty-six I've stopped

being surprised at anything.

Well, I must go to bed.

I've got a heavy day tomorrow.

Be careful!

I am being careful.

Oh.

It's a speaking likeness.

I'd recognise it a mile off.

I'd give you such a smack

in the face for that.

Good afternoon, Miss.

What is going on?

Where is Mr Maurier?

- Didn't you know, Miss?

He's gone. He's gone to Cornwall.

How very odd. He didn't say

anything to me about it.

He only made up his mind yesterday.

All of a sudden.

"Clare", he says to me.

"I need a change."

So I says to him ..

- Did he say when he'd be back?

No .. but we're having

the whole house repainted.

You know how long that takes.

Nelly, cook and Maisey and me have

got three weeks off from tomorrow.

Lucky beggars. I wish I

could have three weeks off.

Come on, lets go.

What a sky! Isn't it wonderful?

But you're not looking at it.

[ French language ]

Stop it. I hate it when you talk French.

A friend will have to

learn to put up with it.

For better, for worse.

In English and in French.

Till death do us part.

Darling, how much do you love me?

How much? Let's see.

I would say about seventeen times

as much as I love English cooking.

No, this isn't a joke.

- You are perfectly right.

English cooking is a tragedy.

That is why we are starting

for Paris tomorrow.

Paris? Do you mean it?

Unfortunately, I have got to pick up

some papers on the way up to London.

You mean at your house?

Good. Then I have a chance

to see what it looks like.

No, you won't. You are going to

wait for me until aunt Nelly's.

But.

I don't want anybody I

know to see us together.

Not until we are back from abroad.

You know as well as I do, how they talk.

The servants are away.

You told me so yourself.

I know, I know. But the

house is full of painters.

Not on a Saturday afternoon.

Tomorrow is Saturday.

Please let me come and

have a peep at it. Please.

Alright .. alright.

Thank you, darling.

- Don't thank me.

Thank yourself.

[ French language ]

If a woman is well, Heaven is well.

You know I can't help

feeling rather nervous.

What about?

About meeting your friends.

About being Mrs Harry Maurier.

Sometimes I wish we could

keep it a secret forever.

That would be romantic, wouldn't it.

You see, I left school when I was 16,

so I don't really know anything.

Look at the sort of people

you go out to dinner with.

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