The Possession Page #10

Christabel walks upstairs, enters her room, closes the door.

CHRISTABEL (V.O.)

'... And shall I give up? No, I

will not. If it is possible for you

to walk in Richmond Park at eleven,

I shall be there...'

Out of the window, Christabel sees Blanche leave the house.

BLANCHE'S POV

She looks back up at Christabel, like a princess in the

tower. Blanche clutches the letters in her cloak, hurries

away.

END OF FLASHBACK.

INT. ATTIC - CHRISTABEL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Maud looks up at Roland, faces by lantern light, surrounded

by letters. Roland opens up another, hands it to Maud, who

pauses. Gently touches his hand, listening to the WIND

HOWLING -

MAUD:

They're here with us now. Aren't

they...

(CONTINUED)

54.

CONTINUED:

Roland looks into her eyes. Maud picks up a letter, opens

it. In Christabel's handwriting, the words seem

terrifyingly real:

MAUD:

(reading)

'... This is a moment of madness.

You have summoned me out of my tower

-- and out of my wits. I did not

think you would come...'

The WIND HOWLS, and with a ROLL of THUNDER -

FLASHBACK - EXT. RICHMOND PARK - DAY (1858)

Black clouds. A LIGHTNING STORM ROLLS. Lost in a silver

forest, his horse tethered nearby, Christabel turns towards

Ash. His eyes on hers, her pale face trembling, she holds

out her hand to him.

ASH (V.O.)

'... And then it was my madness.

For in that moment, I could take

your hand... or not. Do the deed,

or turn back forever. I was able to

choose either path...'

Ash reaches out, takes her hand, gloved. Puts it to his

cheek.

ASH (V.O.)

'... And now only the one.'

The moment of contact is too much. Christabel watches as

Ash takes her glove, slowly unpeels it. Lets it lie limply,

then -

Kisses her hand. A moment of perfect stillness. And in

that moment, for the first time, we hear Christabel's voice:

CHRISTABEL:

What are we to do?

Ash and Christabel stare into one another's eyes.

ON ASH:

ASH (V.O.)

'... There is a fire within us which

must burn...

55.

INT. ASH'S HOUSE (RUSSELL SQUARE) - DAY (1858)

By candlelight inside his study, Ash sits with his books,

composing a letter to Christabel. In the b.g. -

ASH (V.O.)

'... I had a plan to go away to

Yorkshire. There are reservations

for two. I beseech you to accompany

me.

(beat)

I shall wait at noon. St. Agnes's

Church.'

Ellen hovers like a ghost, peering out of the window. She

looks out to raindrops on the windowpane. A servant removes

Ash's bag, Ash kisses Ellen upon the cheek. And heads

downstairs.

EXT. ASH'S HOUSE (RUSSELL SQUARE) - DAY

A driver waits, luggage and gear on a carriage. Ash gives a

letter for Christabel to a messenger. Who races off. The

horses set off, Ash in the back. A CLOCK CHIMES. One, two,

three...

ASH (V.O.)

'... I write in haste. I fear your

answer -- I know not whether to

depart or no...'

Besides Ash's carriage, another black carriage pulls up with

a white crest. Then as Blanche steps out -

INT. ST. AGNES'S CHURCH - DAY (1858)

At the back of the knave, Ash kneels in prayer. He hears

the CLOCK STRIKE TWELVE. Ash turns, sees an outside door

open slowly. Daylight comes into darkness. The candles

flutter as -

MAUD (V.O.)

Did she go with him...?

INT. SEAL COURT - CHRISTABEL'S ROOM - DAY (PRESENT)

Dawn. Maud and Roland lie together, surrounded by the

letters.

ROLAND:

There's one left.

(CONTINUED)

56.

CONTINUED:

MAUD:

You read it...

Roland picks up a final letter. From Christabel's pile. He

reads it in silence, intrigued by its contents.

ROLAND:

It's from Christabel. She asks Ash

to return all her letters -

MAUD:

Is there any more? There must be...

Frustrated, Maud rummages among the letters. Suddenly, a

door opens, Maud and Roland looks up to see -

Sir George staring at them.

SIR GEORGE:

What in hell's name -- ?

On the floor, letters are fanned out. Dolls lie, ribbons

untied, dresses unravelled. Maud and Roland look up at Sir

George.

ROLAND:

Sir... we found letters from Ash and

Christabel -

MAUD:

This could change everything -

Sir George points his hunting gun at them.

SIR GEORGE:

Hands up -

EXT./INT. SEAL COURT - HALL/LIVING AREA - DAY (LATER)

Roland stands outside, whistling. Waiting for the taxi.

Inside -- Maud descends the staircase, sees Sir George in

the hall on the telephone. Maud enters -

KITCHEN:

where the letters lie on a mound of yellowing newspapers.

Lady Joan greets her sympathetically.

MAUD:

Once it's known these letters exist,

everyone will be at your door.

Everyone.

(CONTINUED)

57.

CONTINUED:

LADY JOAN:

Oh, dear... Sir George has a fizzing

temper. I'm sorry you have to go.

From outside, the taxi BEEPS its HORN. Roland waves to

Maud.

MAUD:

So am I.

EXT. ST. ETHELREDA'S CHURCH - DAY

VOOM, VOOM -- ! Maud REVS up her CAR outside the church

where they left it. She pulls out past the taxi which

dropped them. Beside her, Roland looks downcast.

ROLAND:

They must be worth a fortune.

MAUD:

We both had the same instinct. To

play them down. Cropper would love

to get his hands on them. Do you

think we should tell him -- ?

ROLAND:

No -- they'd be in New Mexico

tomorrow. He's have to sit on them.

Or his whole theory about Ash would

be blown away -

MAUD:

Sir George would be a lot richer.

He could mend that house -

ROLAND:

I don't know why I feel so

possessive about the damned things.

They're not mine.

MAUD:

We found them. And they're private.

They're love letters. I'll bet Sir

George will sell them...

A moment passes. Roland is agitated. He turns to Maud.

ROLAND:

We should make a pact. If one of us

finds out any more, he or she tells

the other, and no one else.

(CONTINUED)

58.

CONTINUED:

Maud comes to a crossroads. Left to Lincoln, right to the

North. She pauses. Then revs up, sets off. Roland expects

to turn left -- to Lincoln. She turns right.

ROLAND:

You went the wrong way.

MAUD:

We're not going back to Lincoln.

ROLAND:

Where are we heading?

MAUD:

Whitby...

(beat)

We have to find out. Did Christabel

go there with Ash?

Maud stares at Roland. HOLD ON his expression. As the b.g.

whizzes past -

EXTREME CLOSEUP:

An intense sound of WHEELS POUNDING a CLICKETY-CLACK rhythm

-- a relentless HISS of STEAM and ROARING FIRE, that bursts

into a PIERCING WHISTLE -- that tears through time, as -

SMASH CUT TO:

FLASHBACK - INT. TRAIN - RAILWAY CARRIAGE (YORKSHIRE) DAY

(1859)

Black smoke billows in a hellish cloud, as an iron

juggernaut zooms on, landscape zips past a window at

breakneck speed, as -- in DAZZLING VIVID COLOR -

ASH:

looks out of a window, with a patch of warm breath. A

gloved hand wipes through the haze to reveal, in the

reflection, Christabel's face in bright sunlight. Both

nervous, they sit opposite one another. Both with books

upon their knees, Ash suddenly looks up. He has been

planning his speech -

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