I Know What I'm Doing Page #6

---

enigma, June Bennett.

What do you mean?

Well, young, pretty, successful.

And you're marrying a

multimillionaire your father's age.

How the hell did that happen?

What about you, Geoffrey Howden?

Talented, caring.

You own half this village.

And yet you run away from

everything and everyone you love.

How did that happen?

You know...

Having money is not a solution.

It's a problem if you don't

know what to do with it.

I know what I'm doing.

What's your future?

I've had talk and promises

from men all of my life.

And Alan is the only one

who asked me to marry him.

How proper.

You know...

You really are quite

something, Ms. Bennett.

I'm off for a swim, now.

So.

Any news of your fiance?

He is in France.

Expected to be here by evening.

Not a plane in the sky.

Don't want to be insensitive,

but isn't it divine?

I wouldn't have thought

you'd get many planes

going over here.

Sky's festooned with them.

People trying to escape from poverty.

Misery.

Aren't more people

coming into the country

than going out?

I don't see that as a problem, do you?

Our ancestors all had to

come from somewhere else

after the last Ice Age.

Anyway, I haven't got time to talk over

all the ails in the world.

I am off to help out an old friend.

It was nice talking to you.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Come in.

Come in.

Are you well, dear?

Is this the charming young lady?

The future Lady Pennington.

Oh, I congratulate him

on his splendid choice.

Thank you.

I have asked young Geoffrey Howden

to help me this afternoon.

I'm afraid I can't

afford servants anymore.

These are the Carews, Geoffrey.

Caroline is my niece.

Her daughter Beatrice.

Her husband Herbert.

And Ms. Bennett.

How do you do, Ms. Bennett?

Are you the owner of Caldwell?

We considered renting

your house, Mr. Howden,

but my what a rent you were asking.

It was cheaper for us to buy Alsorp.

Estates are not cheap places to run.

If I were to sell this house,

I would never live long enough

to enjoy the money I made from it.

Nonsense, Rosamund.

I'd have liked to had

a son like you, Geoffrey.

When I was a teenager

your grandfather and I

were deeply in love.

Then he met your grandmother,

and one thing or another,

it was over.

You wouldn't have minded being

left an old ruin like this?

Not at all.

You're too kind.

How many for tea?

One, two, three, four, five.

And one for the pot.

You missed the knees-up at

the village hall last night.

Our servant Jones was there.

Yes, I saw him.

I remember the dances of old.

Hosted by Brydon.

The dignity of the occasion.

The beautiful clothing.

The men more splendid than the women.

Huge bonfires on the hillsides,

often two or three within

site of each other.

Apples and potatoes

thrown in for roasting.

Dancers leaping through the flames.

And the singing.

If ever you heard a more melodious sound

you would be in heaven.

And afterwards, we danced all night.

What about Bridge?

Do you play, Mr. Howden?

I do not.

Then we will be hard

pushed to make up a foursome.

I'll play, Mama.

You are too young, Beatrice.

[Briley] Back safely, then?

The Carews dropped me off.

You look swamped.

Repair bills, mainly.

Sir Alan wants to buy the

estate at a knock-down price.

He can't do that.

He said I should speak to you about it.

Well.

It'd be wonderful if he bought Caldwell.

Don't you think?

We're used to absentee landlords

in this part of the world.

No, Briley.

I would make sure we

stayed here regularly,

and all the staff will

be kept on, full time.

I could find ways of making

the estate profitable.

I'm sure you could, June.

But Sir Alan moves around the world a lot.

So does Mr. Howden.

It's not ideal from either point of view.

No.

Anyway...

The latest is that Sir

Alan gets into London

at seven o'clock.

Oh great.

He wants to know how you'd feel about

going down to London

and marrying him there.

In London, tonight?

Tomorrow night.

He's so behind schedule

with his meetings

he wouldn't be free until then.

Stay one more night.

And you can catch an afternoon

train from York tomorrow.

Yes, all right.

Did he say anything else?

I'm sure he meant to.

Has he not text you?

Well perhaps you should text him?

He has had a torrid journey.

I will.

I just can't believe he

didn't call me directly.

Let me have a look at

whatever you're working on.

I'm an experienced bookkeeper, you know.

Are you sure?

You don't have something better to do?

Nothing except for sitting up in my room

and rubbing my feet in wishful thinking.

All right, what do we have here?

Alan.

You thought you had a companion

who knew her own mind.

Who could manage without

anybody's help, but...

I wish...

Why can't he come and marry me here?

I know what I'm doing.

I do.

I do.

[Major] You ready, old boy?

[Geoffrey] It's seven a.m.

Got to get at them before the poachers.

We don't have poachers

on the estate, do we?

We are the poachers.

Ruddy licences for everything these days.

It's Briley's doing.

Getting Newell Thorpe to

squeeze every last penny

out of the river.

She's only trying to

keep the place afloat.

Never used to be like

that when you were here.

Yes, but I made a very

poor job of the finances.

Never stopped us enjoying

ourselves, old bean.

Now we got to watch our Ps and Qs.

It's like trying to catch a

trout with a piece of bread.

Don't wake Mrs. Watts on the way out.

It's her day off.

Blighters are nibbling.

My heart's not in it, Major.

It's that girl.

She's got you all turned upside down.

Nonsense.

She's a proper lady with

a bright and secure future

with Sir Alan.

Poppycock.

She needs to be tamed, boy.

Sir Alan's no good for that girl.

He'll just spoil her.

And she'll turn out like

that Caroline Carew.

They'll have her playing Bridge

seven nights a week.

Seriously, old chap,

you have to save her.

I'm afraid that's beyond me now.

Newspaper wants me to fly out to Syria.

Once this volcanic dust disperses.

You're a bigger fool than I thought.

More tea, ma'am?

Yes, thank you, Selby.

You can call me Robert, ma'am.

Oh.

Yes, thank you, Robert.

Robert, could you tell Cla,

Stanley to drive me to Mrs. Watts' house?

I'd like to say goodbye to Mr.

Howden before I depart today.

Certainly, ma'am.

Thank you.

[June] Hello?

(door knocking)

June?

Sorry, is Geoffrey here?

He's out with the Major.

Larking about, I suspect.

Oh no.

Have a cup of tea.

Yes, please.

Let's take a walk.

They're mainly poems about Gary.

Your husband?

Yes.

He's never home.

His love is the sea.

I spend my time wishing he'd love me

with the same passion.

Only way I'm able to express

that is by writing it down.

May I read this one?

Out loud?

Here.

"Love's own air, mien,

demeanour, betrays itself,

"comes to light.

"Bearing, garb, complexion,

colour flushes forth,

"flares our passion till time

dissolves, leaves no trace.

"We lovers cease to be,

"fade out, melt away, depart,

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes