Fingersmith Page #3

And put you in the mad house.

But she wouldn't have believed me.

Welcome back Mr. Rivers, Sir.

my boots have been missing you.

I'll polish them up like mirrors,

Mr. Rivers.

I've missed you sir.

- Mr. Way.

- Sir.

Mrs. Stiles.

Wonderful to be back at Briar.

Miss Lilly,

how very kind of you to receive me.

Welcome to Briers Mr. River.

Miss Lilly.

I do apologize.

I'm in such a tumbled

travelled stained state.

Would you rather be taken

to your rooms?

No, no, no!

Miss, this greeting is refreshing me more.

It is Susan Smith.

I have got that right at least?

Yes Sir.

Do you like your place here?

Yes Sir.

I hope you're proving you're a

good girl to your mistress, Susan.

Susan is very good.

I thought she would be.

With you as her example.

You're too kind, Mr. Rivers.

Who could not be...

with you to be kind to?

The pictures for the catalog must be

mounted in three weeks, Rivers.

They'll be done, Sir.

Three weeks.

He spent one week on still life.

Still death more like it.

And another week...

on landscape.

He got nowhere.

Fresh sheet.

For our first landscape.

You have an eye

for the essence of things.

Has she not, Susan?

You just need..

What?

You can speak plainly to me,

Mr. Rivers.

I'm not a child.

If I could only take you to

London to my studio there.

You have no lack of talent, Miss Lilly,

in terms of artistic creation.

You only lack what your sex

as a whole lacks.

And what is that?

The liberty of mind.

Nearly ripe, I think.

Drops, bad dreams. Good. Excellent.

Does she talk about me though?

She talks about nothing else.

About marriage?

Why don't you ask her to marry you?

I'll fight her a dead end if

I was making a wrong move.

Next week the prints will

be done and I have to leave.

You'll have to work on her harder.

Convince her she's in love with me.

Damn it Sue, that girl's worth three

thousand pounds to you!

I saw what the evil bastard was about.

He was going to kiss her.

But not on her lips.

Somewhere better.

Much better.

I'm so sorry I have to rush back

to that wretched print.

You will be all right, Maud?

Are you sure?

Hooked, but you must draw her in.

I'll take these, Susan.

Get your mistress back to the house.

Mr. Rivers has asked me to marry him.

Are you not pleased?

Sue?

What is it?

A surprise Miss.

I'm pleased.

I'm gladder than anything in the world.

Than I am sad because

I have not said yes to him.

Oh.

How can I?

My uncle will never agree.

Mr. Rivers says we

might go away at night.

Get married in a small church

near here.

Susan, look kindly on foolish lovers.

I'm sure the lights are

better in the next room.

I'm ever so sorry, Mr. Rivers.

But Mr. Lily wouldn't like it.

What the hell are you playing at?

Keep your hands off her.

She don't want it.

Don't want it?

- The pigeon is crying out for it.

- I'll cry and they'll be able to hear.

She have to go to the mad house.

If you are going soft on me now Sue,

I'll drop you.

My own nurse will be taken ill and

need her sweet little niece

and you'll be back in

Lant Street with nothing!

I'll tell her and Mr. Lilly,

I'll tell her!

Tell her what you stupid b*tch?

What you came her to do?

She's gone to far to believe you.

She must marry me now,

or be as good as ruined, locked up

here for the rest of her life.

I'm her only way out.

He says if I am his wife,

my uncle cannot touch me.

What shall I do?

Follow your heart Miss.

You love him.

Do I?

Don't your heart beat faster

when you see him?

Or when he kisses you?

Miss?

Oh Miss, don't you love him?

You might say no.

Say no?

And watch him leave?

Don't you think I should then wonder

over and over again

what sort of life I might have had?

- Oh Miss!

- Yes?

What is it?

Your mother would have done it

and not given it a thought.

What is it Sue?

Three thousand pounds Sue.

Marry him Miss.

Mr. Rivers loves you.

And love never hurt a flea.

All right, I will.

But only if you'll come with me.

To London.

Will you Sue?

Be my maiden chum in London?

Say you will.

I understand the parson is...

sympathetic to...

affairs of the heart?

How soon?

It must be this week.

And we need somewhere quite to stay.

I have a cottage you could use.

Thank you Sir.

Very much indeed.

The wedding was fixed.

They were going to elope in two days time,

and marry at midnight.

Sue...

On her wedding night,

what must a wife do?

I know you're awake.

Sue!

- For god sake, Miss!

- What?

You must know.

I know something from books...

How can you know it from books?

You are right.

I know nothing, nothing, nothing!

What will happen?

Will he kiss me?

I should think so Miss.

Where?

On your lips.

Is that it?

No Miss. The kissing starts you off.

It'll come to you, Miss.

Dancing didn't come to me.

It was very difficult,

you had to teach me!

Miss Maud!

I don't think kissing's

going to start me off.

Mr. River's kisses never have.

You're a beautiful young girl.

Look, give me you lips.

No.. Not like that.

Imagine that I'm Mr. Rivers.

There...

Did you feel it?

It's a curious...

- wanting thing.

- That's right.

You wants Mr. Rivers.

- No, I can't do it, Sue.

- You can.

You must do it now, I mean.

It do know what they mean.

I mean you must do it sometime,

mustn't you Miss?

I'm afraid.

Don't be frightened.

Look.

I want to..

once it's started..

Morning.

Good morning, Miss.

What a wonderful thick sleep I had.

And no drops.

And no dreams.

The only one.

I think.

I think you're in it Sue.

Me?

You're marrying Mr. Rivers today.

I don't think so.

Anything more I can do for you

before you leave, Mr. Rivers?

We shall be leaving too.

Tonight.

Miss Lilly! Hello?

If I had said I love you.

She'd had said it back.

And everything would have been different.

I might have saved her.

I might have found a way.

To keep her from her fate.

Thank you, thank you.

Thank you Mr. Ways,

and Mrs. Stiles.

I hope it will not be too long until

we meet again, Miss Lilly.

I hope not Mr. Rivers.

Until tonight, don't be late.

All that long day

I packed, secretly.

Getting ready to escape from Briar

to the wedding at midnight.

Why don't you wear this dress, Miss?

It's your wedding night.

No, I gave it to you.

I'm quite happy with this one,

thank you.

What are you thinking?

I was thinking

this was the one you were doing

when he proposed to you, Miss.

Six hours to go.

Time and time again I nearly told her

he was a villain.

Her uncle would have had me locked up.

I could hear Lant Street laughing.

Me, in love with a girl!

I'll get the bags.

Maud?

Maud?

What the devil is going on?

Who's there?

It's only me, uncle.

Don't wake everyone else up.

This way.

Quickly, quickly Miss Maud.

I Require...

as he will answer on that

dreadful day of judgement...

that the secrets of our hearts

should be disclosed.

That if either of you know any impediment why

ye may not be lawfully joined in matrimony,

ye do now confess it.

Who giveth this woman to be

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes