I Capture the Castle Page #5

- 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,

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