The Heart of Me Page #4

...I always was.

Do you have to do that just now?

Look, I'm...

I understand you're angry.

You have every right to be.

I'm not angry.

What are you, then?

I'm afraid.

Afraid?

You're always

so full of purpose, Dinah.

All your life,

no effort put to waste.

So why are you here now, I wonder?

You asked me.

And what made me do that?

- Mother...

- No.

No, not Mother, you.

There at the funeral, standing

at the back like the little orphan.

I didn't want to impose myself.

You've always been able

to reel me in.

What for, though, this time?

One last twist in the game?

There never was a game, Madeleine!

In any case, what's left to play for?

Rickie's dead.

Look at me

It's got me loving you madly

That little kiss you stole

Held all my heart

And... soul

Do you find it a bit pokey here

sometimes after Montagu Square?

No, I feel cosy and safe.

Good.

Hello.

- I've been thinking...

- Oh, steady on!

I think I should buy you a ring.

To put at the end of my nose?

All right, a necklace, then.

Ahh. A collar.

No leash?

You need to get up,

you're going to be late.

- You have to wake up.

- Mm, mm, mm...

You are going to get up.

I'm going to make you some tea.

- Darling, where's my kiss?

- Coming.

Coming.

I love you.

- Have a good day.

- You, too.

"And throughout all Eternity

I forgive you, you forgive me."

- Yes.

- Around the inside of the bracelet?

- That's right.

- Strikes a very original note, sir.

Thank you. It's, er...

...William Blake.

It's an un-wedding gift.

- Everything all right, sir?

- Yes.

Yes, I think so.

- Good evening.

- Good evening, sir.

- Anything I can do, old man?

- Get an ambulance.

The way a fool would do, madly...

Oh, no.

Heart and soul...

Madeleine was called at once,

of course.

- Yes, of course.

- Don't be smart, Dinah.

How a man of his code and

a girl of your upbringing could...

Well, I shall never understand.

But we must think about the future.

About what's best for Rickie.

He came round a little while ago,

but the anaesthetic left him groggy.

It's all right.

It's all right, darling.

Where is she?

- She knows.

- Where's Dinah?

She knows.

Now then, old man, lie back.

- If you could just...

- Lie back. There, lie back.

There, that's better.

There we are.

Sorry.

- Sorry, visiting's over.

- Oh...

- Oh, yes, I know, erm...

- Are you family?

- No... Yes.

- I'll take care of this.

Oh, Dr Drysdale.

- Erm, I was worried, I just...

- Rickie's sleeping.

I wouldn't wake him.

Dinah, he needs his rest.

Well,... thank you.

All dressed up?

I've got a surprise for you.

Please forgive my not standing up.

Off you go, Madeleine.

Leave Rickie and me

to our own devices.

It's very kind of you to visit.

You look better than I dared hope.

I dare say that makes it

less of an ordeal for Madeleine.

She has to stand guard all day.

Well, she need do so no longer.

Rickie, it's as well you know this.

Dinah's gone away.

- No.

- Yes.

That's why she's not been to see you.

- Where?

- South of France, it seems.

Apparently, she met someone

out there last year,...

...and now that things

haven't gone so well for her here...

- No, that isn't true.

- She wrote and asked me to tell you.

- I think it's for the best.

- It's impossible.

That's Dinah, I'm afraid.

No, it isn't.

Is it? I ca...

I'm sorry, Rickie.

I think I should prefer it if we

did not discuss this any further.

Forgive me, forgive me.

Rickie,...

...Dinah is gone.

Now,...

...I brought something

to cheer you up.

It'll help to pass the time.

- Who is it?

- It's me.

Something's happened?

Oh, no, nothing.

Oh, I... thought perhaps

you were a widow.

Do push that up.

I feel at a disadvantage.

You've lost weight.

I wish you wouldn't

beat about the bush.

Rickie's ready to come home.

So I'll send somebody round

to collect his things.

Your key, I believe.

He's still very weak.

All he wants

is to be with his family.

And if you care for him at all,

you'll stay away.

Yes?

Oh. Sorry, dearie.

- Didn't realize you had company.

- Quite all right.

It's, erm,

just that matter we discussed.

Yes... Erm, perhaps later?

- It's a week behind already.

- Yes, I know.

- So when will I get my money?

- I'm sorry, would you mind awfully?

Well,...

...later, then.

- Come on.

- Thank you.

I do apologise. She's ghastly.

I can see that.

I should be going.

Yes, you probably should.

If there's anything I can do...

Actually,

could I touch you for a quid?

- Er, I'm stony-broke.

- Oh...

Can you spare all that?

- Of course I can.

- Thank you.

You've brought all this

down on your own head.

I'd like you to leave.

I thought you'd like your own room.

I'm not entirely without...

Can I get you anything?

Your wallet and things

are on the desk.

Clarissa always wanted this room.

Rickie's room.

Oh, she's beautiful.

She takes after you.

No.

Very much her father's daughter.

- She must miss him.

- Yes.

She'll be all right, though.

He adored her, so others will.

I think that's how it goes, don't

you, with fathers and daughters?

I've never really thought about it.

No.

Does she know about me?

Know I... exist?

She thinks you live abroad.

Auntie Dinah who lives abroad.

Oh...

They look... happy together.

He was a different man, Dinah,

after the illness.

I know a lot of people thought he

and I might not make a go of things.

But then along came Clarissa.

And he got me through, of course,

when we found out about Anthony.

Yes, I...

I can imagine.

Can you?

Yes, I can...

I can try.

It's not the things one knows,

however bad.

We got a letter from his CO.

He was seen to fall,...

...shot in the head,...

...though whether killed outright

or finished off later,...

...we never found out.

But I would like to know

that he wasn't alone.

He didn't like to be alone.

He used to cry out in the night.

Yes, I remember.

I remember.

Such nightmares.

I sometimes wonder

if he knew what was coming.

"l dreamt you'd lost me," he'd say.

He'd say that when I went in to him:

"l... I dreamt you'd lost me."

So you see, Dinah,...

...I know you've had

your difficult times.

But to lose a child

is something different.

Mm-hm?

Its your sister-in-law, Mr. Masters.

Put her through.

Can't be too long,

I have a cab waiting.

Oh.

Well, it's all straightforward

enough, I think. Erm...

Gas and electric...

overdue, I'm afraid.

Um, then there's the wine people.

Well, I ought to settle that myself.

Both keys.

I don't know about the furniture.

Perhaps you could sell it.

It isn't much anyway.

No.

Oh, there's... there's these.

I'm afraid I held them back

when they took everything else.

I hope you haven't missed them.

So, you're well?

Yes.

Good.

Perfectly. And yourself?

I wouldn't say perfectly,

like yourself, but...

No, I get along.

Well, you said you were in a hurry.

Are you going abroad again?

I'm sorry?

No. Why do you ask that?

I don't know, Dinah, erm...

You seem to have been so keen

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes