The Paradise Page #6

Season #2 Episode #16

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MORAY is haunted by what Katherine said to him.

MORAY:

I hope that “our” store does not

seem to him to be taking a nap.

But DENISE can’t stop her effervescence and enthusiasm.

DENISE:

The Paradise appeals to him, and he

is impressed with how we run

things.

MORAY:

So you have already been through

with him the details of the

business?

DENISE:

No. I ... We were speaking and the

way the conversation went he was

taken with the idea.

She is making things worse, and DUDLEY can see that MORAY is

struggling.

DUDLEY:

He does seem like a good fit for

us, Moray:
a brewer, working with

hotels:
he knows the retail world.

DENISE:

He has capital. He is interested.

Surely we would be wise -

MORAY:

Capital? It was not so very long

ago, Denise, that you could hardly

wrap your tongue around Crepe De

Chine.

It is like a gunshot in the room.

30.

DUDLEY:

Moray, Denise may well have found

exactly what you are looking for.

DENISE:

Mr. Ballentine as good as said that

he is willing to invest. He would

like you to meet with him -

MORAY:

Katherine and Tom are not minded to

sell. It would antagonise them if

they thought we were manoeuvring

against them.

DUDLEY:

But surely there is no harm in

having funding in place?

MORAY:

We must find investment that is

from the best source and comes at

the most favourable time.

DUDLEY is ready to confront MORAY -- but something shifts in

him.

ARTHUR arrives with a few messages for MORAY.

ARTHUR:

Mr. Moray, sir, your messages.

This time MORAY doesn’t even look at them, just passes them

on to DUDLEY.

ARTHUR (CONT’D)

I know, sir:
Mr. Dudley will deal

with them.

DUDLEY and ARTHUR head off, so DENISE and MORAY are alone.

And all around them the store is brightly decorated.

MORAY:

I long to go back to that time of

innocence between us. The two of us

talking in the dark ...

DENISE:

Sweetheart, it was never innocent.

You were engaged to be married. I

was a shop girl who worked for you.

It has always been difficult: but

we persevered because we love one

another. It is the same now.

31.

MORAY:

Sometimes I wish you didn’t work

here. I wish we had met on the

street. I just want us to love one

another and for it all to be

simple. What is wrong with that?

He is so tender, so beseeching, that DENISE cannot deny him.

DENISE:

There is nothing wrong with that. I

think it is called romance.

27 INT. TOM’S BEDROOM. BELVILLE HOUSE - DAY 27

TOM alone, his shirt removed.

He hears a sound and he assumes it is KATHERINE.

But the face he sees in the mirror staring at him is FLORA.

We see what she is transfixed by: the scars on TOM’s back.

He is paralysed for a moment too.

When he turns around, she is gone.

28 INT. KITCHENS. THE PARADISE - DAY 28

Stoves bubbling, ovens smoking, a steam-engulfed MYRTLE is in

her element.

Before ARTHUR is a step inside of the back door MYRTLE’s

voice stops him.

MYRTLE:

Kitchens is not a passageway.

Kitchens is not somewhere you trot

through. My kitchen is a place of

work. Out! Out!

ARTHUR:

Might Mr. Lovett have a cup of tea?

MYRTLE:

Cup of tea? Oh yes, of course, I’ll

drop everything. I mean, look at me

-- I have all day to gaze out of

the windows. How slack of me not to

notice that Edmund Lovett is across

the street in need of a hot drink.

ARTHUR:

He’s painting his shop.

32.

MYRTLE:

Well now, that makes all the

difference. I shall tell Mr. Dudley

that lunches will be late. I must

attend to our neighbour.

ARTHUR:

No. Myrtle. What I’m saying is:

he’s not right. Edmund. It’s like

he’s at war with his own shop.

This stops MYRTLE. She sees how concerned ARTHUR is.

MYRTLE:

There’s not much you miss, is

there, Arthur. I will fetch it

myself. And I’ll cheer him up.

ARTHUR scoots off.

29 EXT. LOVETT’S DRAPERY. TOLLGATE STREET - DAY 29

Scrape, scrape, scrape: the sound of EDMUND working is like

the outward sound of the thoughts that grate on his mind.

MYRTLE has brought cake for EDMUND with his tea.

MYRTLE:

It’s a fine job you’re doing,

Edmund. It has to be said.

SAM:

Ah, yes, so fine that you know

what’s coming, don’t you, Myrtle?

MYRTLE:

I do. When he’s finished the

outside it will cross his mind to

do the inside.

SAM:

Just to have it all the same, like.

EDMUND is brooding, silent, stewing.

MYRTLE:

And when he’s done the inside -

SAM:

He’ll admire his handiwork and

he’ll say -

They don’t realise how this bites into EDMUND.

33.

SAM (CONT’D)

“It would be a shame to leave it

when I’ve got it looking so

splendid!”

It’s too much. EDMUND blows.

EDMUND:

Do you think this is no more than a

joke? You stand here like it’s a

spectacle, no better than bear

bating. Let’s go across the street

and laugh at old Edmund Lovett.

SAM:

Edmund, we’re not here to -

EDMUND:

Let’s entertain ourselves with a

man’s failure. Do you think this is

how I want it to end? Scarping

away, for the whole street to see?

MYRTLE:

Come on now, Edmund, eat your cake

EDMUND blows, hurls the cake at MYRTLE.

EDMUND:

Cake? Cake? What is this? A party?

I don’t want your cake. I know why

you’re here. Point the finger. He’s

still here. He can’t let go of his

hopeless little shop!

EDMUND is crimson with frustration.

MYRTLE:

No one’s here to mock you, Edmund.

We’re here because we feel for you

EDMUND:

I don’t want your pity.

He thrusts the scraper at SAM.

EDMUND (CONT’D)

Here. You scrape my name off. What

else? You want to see my belongings

on the street?

He’s suffering and there is nothing they can do to stop it.

EDMUND (CONT’D)

Go on! Get away from me!

34.

He chases them away, across the street.

Once he is alone EDMUND looks up at his name above his shop

and he can’t stop the tears from coming.

30 INT. STORES AND BAYS. THE PARADISE - DAY 30

As DUDLEY approaches the refectory, DENISE catches up with

him, speaks to him confidentially.

DENISE:

Mr. Dudley, will you help me to

prepare a bid?

DUDLEY:

But Moray doesn’t want us to.

DENISE:

Yes, I know that. But -

SAM comes hurrying up.

SAM:

Denise. Your uncle. Prickly is not

the word. You might want to step

over there and see if you can calm

him down a little. We tried. He had

us just about running for our

lives.

31 INT. REFECTORY. THE PARADISE - DAY 31

DENISE at the table with her meal. DUDLEY sits beside her,

speaks privately.

DUDLEY:

You think we should defy Moray?

DENISE:

Let’s not call it that. Let’s call

it helping him. Without his

knowledge. Or his consent. But

helping nonetheless. If we secure

workable funding ... The Westons

are crushing John, Dudley. We must

do something. Even if it only

amounts to a little hope to keep

him going ...

Her devotion makes DUDLEY flinch.

DUDLEY:

I’m not sure that acting secretly

is the best way, Denise.

35.

DENISE:

I don’t know what Myrtle puts in

her pastry -- she claims she has a

secret ingredient -- provided it’s

not her toenails I don’t need to

know so long as it tastes good.

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