Fingersmith Page #6

She may pull off her joints!

We will not have you lying here,

Mrs. Rivers.

You can choke yourself and

it's no business of ours.

Chew off your tongue if you like.

We prefer them quite here.

Welcome to London.

How could we have done this to her?

Believe me,

she'll be better taken care of than

where she came from.

Are we here?

Is this our house?

I thought for a moment that was

the Briar bell.

We're near the river.

Chelsea?

Not quite.

Lant Street.

Wow...

Come on or I shall leave you here.

We cannot live grandly, Maud,

until we have your money.

We'll just wait for the lawyers

to release it.

Do you want to stay out here and freeze?

Mr. Ibbs.

Mrs. Maud Rivers.

Very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Rivers.

Do come in, make yourself at home.

Couldn't you imagine a better

night than this, Mr. Ibbs?

This is a very good night, gentleman.

A very good night indeed.

Let me take the ladies cloak.

Do beg me a pardon.

Who's she?

How much are you going to

pop that for, Mr. Ibbs.

Richard, Richard?

Good boy!

Marry him, Miss.

Mr. Rivers loves you.

What kept me alive was the thought

that Mrs. Sucksby would find me.

And then I would find Maud.

And kill her.

She lived here, Sue, didn't she?

Will you stop touching me!

What a fool I've been.

What an idiot.

This is Sue's house of thieves, isn't it?

Honest thieves, dear.

Get me a cab.

Handsome or haggeny?

Don't you dare talk to me like that!

Oh she's got a dander, ain't she?

If you don't get me a cab

I shall walk.

I shall find a policeman.

Never there when you want them, my dear.

Not in this fog.

Come on.

- John.

- Give us the bag.

Gentleman, throw it.

- Get her!

- That's enough!

If you don't let me go

I will kill your baby.

I have come too far for... this.

John!

I mean it.

I will.

Get me a cab.

I will do it.

My dear.

I've been caring for

unwanted babies for years.

At the moment I'm looking after

seven babies.

Now you can make it six if you like.

Or five.

No one would miss them.

Come on, come on.

Go see to the fire, John.

Make some tea, Dainty.

Strengthen her up a bit.

Go on with the mark there, Betty.

My poor hands have suffered

so much recently.

Mrs. Furbisher, Mrs. Furbisher?

Do you want the kirk?

Where you from?

London.

I'm a little out of touch.

And the season's only just beginning.

Are you out?

No I ain't.

So young.

I'm not much in.

In...

That is the first two word I've

heard you say, Mrs. Rivers.

In.

Keep telling the truth like that,

Mrs. Rivers,

and you may well be out.

Before the end of the season.

In! In! In!

I couldn't bare to wake you, dear.

Feed the babies upstairs, Dainty.

Now... Oh... Come on now.

I can see you're a spirited girl.

But you can't imagine we

mean you any harm.

I can't imagine you mean me

any kind of good...

when you insist on keeping me here

when I so clearly wish to leave!

Just hear the grammar in that, Mr. Ibbs.

Here, let me take your glove.

Her uncle taught her to be very

particular about her fingers.

Made you read a lot of filthy

French books.

Did he touch dear,

were he oughtn't?

Oh never mind.

Better your own

than a stranger I always say.

I'll get you a nice cup of tea.

You plan to kill me, don't you?

It would mean nothing to me,

but she would not allow it.

But has she got to do with this?

She sent me to Briar.

This is her plan,

she controls everything.

How does she know about my fortune?

From some servant?

From her.

You're liars. You're cheats.

How could you know my mother?

I was born in an asylum.

Dear, oh dear.

We're not going to put

that together again, are we?

No you weren't born

in the asylum dear.

You was born here.

Marianne, that was the ladies name,

wasn't it dear?

She ran away from Briar just like you did

only her gentleman didn't do the

decent thing, not like your husband.

She got my name from a woman in the

Borough that did the girls in their complaints.

Did she ever have complaints, Mr. Ibbs?

Too far gone to get rid

of the poor creature.

She was terrified, poor lamb.

It was her father and her brother,

your uncle Lilly, they were after her.

It's why I made up a bed in front

of the fire, like I did for you.

And she had her baby right here.

Oh! How Marianne

loved her little baby girl!

Poor little scrap!

Then we heard it, didn't we?

- The carriage.

- Your uncle had found her.

He was hammering at the door.

And Marianne, she was sobbing.

I must name her, I must!

But not with a name like I've

been cursed with

But a plain name.

I shall call her..

Maud.

Susan.

As God as my witness.

She cried

I don't want to put my baby

through what I've been through.

Take my baby Susie

and bring her up yourself, Mrs. Sucksby.

Poor, and honest.

She begged and pleaded and

It would have tightened her heart

to stone to refuse her so...

before Mr. Ibbs opened the door

I gave her the baby that I was holding.

Because she was born on the same day.

Take her, quick!

That's it.

So your brother thinks she's yours.

She has the name of a lady after all.

Her name is Maud.

My name is Ethel.

My name is...

You must believe me!

Susan!

Susan!

I believe you,

Thank you!

That's a lot of comfort, Mrs. Rivers.

Miss Wilson believes

there are creatures on the moon.

Damn you!

I told you that in strict confidence!

I'm not Maud Rivers,

I'm Susan Smith!

There you are, back with us.

I hope you don't oppose this sherry;

miss Lilly, sherry in a ladies chamber

I could never agree to it but,

a bit of honest brandy is a bracer.

She's got a good mouth for spirits.

I know you are lying.

No, you haven't heard

anything yet, Maud.

I'm an orphan.

My mother was mad.

And her pa and brother...

preferred the madhouse to shame.

She went mad when

they put her in there.

I'll say..

I knew then I was mad...

only the maddest...

who's brains were over heated

were given the plunge.

I'm her husband,

she'll do as I tell her!

Leave it to me, gentleman.

We'll do it my way.

She'll do it, believe me.

Well,

I always say brandy

is the best sleeping draft

Here.

If Marianne wasn't my mother

then who was?

God alone knows, dear.

I took foundlings you see,

I have the goodness of my heart

and you was one of them.

This!

is Sue's mother.

Then,

how do I have a fortune?

Sit down.

Marianne took pity on you,

a poor foundling

came to a lonely old place like Briar.

There was plenty for both she said.

Poor woman might have needed it,

wouldn't change her mind.

She left half to you

and half to her own daughter Susan.

Due on yours and Susans

twenty-first birthdays

in one month's time.

And you planned to get all of it?

Oh, no no, it's Mrs. Sucksbys scheme.

She gets the major share,

I get a mere three thousand pounds.

Did Sue know what you've planned?

No dear.

You're not any villains,

you're fools!

I won't sign anything

and Susan's in no position to.

No, you're right.

Sue, or should I say your poor mistress...

my wife Mrs. Rivers

is in no condition to sign for her, is she?

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