The French Lieutenant's Woman Page #6

- Oh, well. I beg to advise you, sir...

...I won't be accompanying you. And I'm

not coming back to Exeter, neither.

I'm leaving your employ, as I ought

to have done when all this started.

- Go to hell!

- Don't fancy nowhere, sir...

...as I might meet a friend of yours.

- Sam!

- If you wish for attention...

...ring for one of the hotel domestics.

Wait here.

- Miss Woodruff expects me.

- The young lady's left, sir.

- Left? You mean gone out?

- No, sir. I mean left.

- She took the London train this afternoon.

- What?

She took the three o'clock to London.

Didn't leave no address.

- You're lying.

- Where are you going?!

Sir! Wait a minute!

What are you doing?!

- Sarah?

- Sir! You can't do that!

You've no right! You're trespassin'!

- Did you hear what I said?!

- Get out!

(phone rings)

Hello? Hello?!

Room 516.

- Who was that?

- I don't know. He put the phone down.

- Who did?

- I don't know. He didn't say.

- Maybe it was a wrong number.

- Yes, maybe.

(swing music playing on stereo)

All right, I'll get you

some more in a moment. Hang on.

Darling, do go and play in the garden.

- Lucy! Lucy, I found it!

- Can I try some?

(turns down music)

- You all right?

- Mm?

Yeah.

Fine.

Listen, what about having

some people to lunch on Sunday?

- What people?

- Oh, you know, some of the cast.

Fine.

The film's nearly over, and Anna

has to get back to the States.

You know.

Fine. As long as it's not the entire unit.

Oh, no. Just, you know...

Fine.

(rings)

- Hello?

- Is that Davide? This is Mike.

We're having a lunch party

on Sunday. Can you both come?

I'll give you Anna.

- Hello?

- Is that you? It's me.

- Hi.

- Where are you? You'd gone.

- You weren't in your hotel room.

- What?

- In Exeter.

- Oh!

Come to lunch on Sunday.

By the way, I love you.

Oh, great. Um... sure, we'd love to come.

- I'll... see you then.

- I said I love you!

Bye.

Lunch on Sunday.

"Will Miss Sarah Woodruff urgently

communicate her whereabouts...

...to Montague, Chancery Lane."

Yes, very well worth it, I should say.

Now, Mr Smithson...

...I shan't pretend to you

that it's going to be an easy task.

But I have four good men,

and they'll go on the job at once.

We'll try the educational boards

of all the church schools.

We shall also investigate

these new female clerical agencies.

- They're growing up like wildfire.

- Yes! Yes, where else?

And we shall investigate

all the girls' academies in London.

Yes.

I shall also be examining

the Register of Deaths.

Very good.

Try everything, Mr Grimes.

One last question, sir, for the moment.

Does the lady wish to be found,

would you say, or not?

I cannot say.

I'll be back in 15 minutes.

"We are instructed by Mr Ernest Freeman,

father of Miss Ernestina Freeman...

...to request you to attend these chambers

at three o'clock this Friday."

"Failure to attend will be regarded as an

acknowledgment of our right to proceed."

- "Aubrey and Baggott."

- And what does it mean?

It means they have cold feet.

But they're not letting us off altogether.

My guess is we will be asked

to make a confessio delicti.

- To acknowledge my guilt?

- Mm.

Just so. I'm afraid we must

anticipate an ugly document.

But I can only advise you to sign it.

We have no case.

Remember the skirt's going to be grey.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, it's great. It's great.

- I'm gonna like her in this.

- OK.

"I, Charles Henry Smithson, solely by my

desire to declare the truth, admit that one:

...I contracted to marry

Miss Ernestina Freeman."

"Two:
I was given no cause whatsoever

to break my solemn contract."

"Three:
I was fully and exactly

apprised of her rank in society...

...her character, marriage portion

and future prospects...

...before my engagement to her hand."

"Four:
I did break that contract

without any justification whatsoever...

...beyond my own criminal

selfishness and lust."

"Five:
I entered into a clandestine liaison

with a person named Sarah Woodruff."

"Six:
My conduct throughout this matter

has been dishonourable."

"By it I have for ever forfeited

the right to be considered a gentleman."

"The injured party may make whatsoever

she desires of this document."

- You are entitled to withdraw with me...

- It will not be necessary.

But I have one question. What does...

..."The injured party may make whatever

she desires of this... document" mean?

It means precisely what it says.

She might, for instance, wish to

have it published in The Times.

- And she would be free to do that?

- She would indeed.

I will sign.

(coachman) Whoa, there! Whoa!

(man) Go on, get out!

Throw her out! She picked my pocket!

Get out!

Call the police!

Don't let her get away!

Come on, call the police!

Oh! Oh, I'm sorry. I...

- Hello. I saw you through the window.

- Hi. Are you Lizzie?

- Yes, I am.

- Can we come in?

- Come in.

- Hello, Anna.

Hi, Sonia. Nice to see you.

- Like some more wine?

- Please. Some white.

(girl) 13-14.

- Can I have a drink?

- All right. Shall we go and get one?

- Excuse me for a minute.

- 14-all.

I must say, they have

a lovely garden, don't they?

- Mm.

- So serene.

Of course, she seems so serene,

doesn't she? The wife.

Look at their little girl.

Isn't she lovely? Such a pretty little thing.

Aren't you a pretty little thing?

- Who made that dress for you?

- I don't know.

- Having a good time?

- Good.

Have they decided how to end the movie?

- End it?

- I hear they keep changing the script.

- Not at all. Where did you hear that?

- Well, there are two endings in the book.

A happy ending

and an unhappy ending, no?

We're going for the first ending -

I mean the second ending.

- Which one is that?

- Hasn't Anna told you?

(dog barks)

Manders. Manders! (whistles)

Come on. Good girl. Come on.

(laughing) There's a good girl. Yes.

Oh!

It's a really great... garden.

- Who takes care of it for you?

- I do.

- All by yourself?

- Mm, mostly.

- What about Mike? Doesn't he help you?

- Oh, when he's here.

A bit.

He's pretty lazy, actually.

I really... envy you.

Envy me? Why?

Well...

For being able to create

such a lovely garden.

(Sonia laughs)

Oh, I wouldn't bother

to envy me if I were you.

Would you like a drink?

Mm.

(plays the Adagio

from Mozart's Sonata in D)

- I want to show you something.

- All right, darling. Go and show Mummy.

Anna.

- This is pure bloody hell.

- I know.

- Mike...

- We've got to talk.

- All right. Not now.

- When?

- Windermere.

- But that's our last scene.

- We've got to talk properly.

- What are we going to say?

- We've got to decide what we want.

- I know.

- (Davide) Have you seen Anna?

- I think she's upstairs.

I'm coming.

Sonia... Thank you.

The afternoon, it was just lovely.

- I had a wonderful time.

- (Sonia) Thank you.

- Good to meet you.

- And you.

- Good luck with the last scene.

- Thank you! We'll need it.

Sir, a telegram for you.

Sir?

- Good morning.

- Good morning.

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