The Possession Page #14

They scatter across two pairs of feet. One in chic modern

sandals, the other wearing old tennis shoes. REVEAL!-

END OF FLASHBACK.

EXT. WHITBY SHORELINE - DAY

Roland and Maud on the shore. Reluctantly, getting ready to

go.

ROLAND:

I don't know what will happen to me

when I get back. I've got no real

job. And then there's Val... I've

lived with her since university. I

owe her so much. But it doesn't

work. Not for any good reason. But

because...

MAUD:

I had a relationship like that. We

tormented each other. One of those

people who as soon as you open your

mouth, they say another cleverer,

louder thing. Quoting Freud at six

in the morning. I felt battered.

For no good reason.

Roland sees Maud smiling. Fiddling with her head scarf.

(CONTINUED)

78.

CONTINUED:

ROLAND:

Tell me!-- Why do you always cover

your hair?

MAUD:

It's the wrong color. No one

believes it's natural. At a

conference once I got accused of

trying to please men. So I cut it

off. Now it's grown, I put it away.

ROLAND:

You shouldn't. You should let it

out.

MAUD:

Why do you say that?

ROLAND:

Because if anyone can't see it, they

think and think about it, they

wonder what it's like...

MAUD:

Do they?

ROLAND:

Yes... Life is so short. It has a

right to breathe.

Suddenly, Maud unties her head-square, undoes the clips

slowly.

MAUD:

You are an odd man.

ROLAND:

I'm not making a pass. You know

that.

MAUD:

Yes, I do. That's what's so odd.

She puts down her head, shakes it.

ROLAND:

That feels better.

MAUD:

All right. That feels better.

A moment between them. Roland is drawn towards her. But

up to the cliff, Maud sees a familiar figure appear, waving

at them.

(CONTINUED)

79.

CONTINUED:

CROPPER:

Hello, down there!-- !

Roland and Maud swivel 'round to see!-- the urbane

silhouette of Mortimer Cropper, walking towards them in the

sandy cove.

CROPPER:

At last. You're a hard pair to

track down!-

ROLAND:

How did you find us!-- ?

CROPPER:

A little detective work. You're

forgetting. I know our dear

Randolph better than any of you.

Congratulations on your discovery...

(beat)

Tea, anyone...?

Cropper moves up to them, with his shark's grin.

INT. HOTEL - TEA ROOM - DAY

Cropper pours tea for Maud, Roland looks on. Cropper is

charmingly proprietorial, gleeful at his new possessions.

MAUD:

At least Sir George and Lady Joan

will get some money -

ROLAND:

But have you read the letters?

CROPPER:

That's not so important. I'll be

sending them back to New Mexico for

safekeeping. Poor Lord Ash found

the news very upsetting. He had a

stroke -

(as Roland and

Maud react)

Hildebrand has stepped in to look

after the Ash estate.

ROLAND:

We can't prove it yet. But we think

Ash and Christabel came here.

Together!-

(CONTINUED)

80.

CONTINUED:

CROPPER:

Fascinating...

(beat; a grin)

Perhaps. Perhaps not... Of course,

if something did develop between Ash

and Christabel, Maud and I would be

the natural team to do the research.

After all...

(puts a proprietorial

arm around her)

We have a 'special relationship'...

Roland picks up the nuance. Cropper turns to him.

CROPPER:

We already fund Maud's work. And

with what I know about Ash... I

don't think you'll be needed, Dr.

Michell.

Roland sits, saying nothing. Furious.

CROPPER:

Thanks for your time and energy, Dr.

Michell. I'm sure you understand.

ROLAND:

I understand.

Roland looks at Maud, like a rabbit in the headlights. Says

nothing. Roland gets up, walks off in disgust. Cropper

stops Maud following. She turns to him.

MAUD:

Now you own the letters you can do

what you want -- why do you need me?

CROPPER:

My lawyer tells me Ash wrote a note

returning his letters to

Christabel's possession. A legal

technicality -

MAUD:

You mean the letters could belong to

me?

CROPPER:

Open to dispute. But I'd hate to

see you waste money on law suits.

So unnecessary.

(CONTINUED)

81.

CONTINUED:

Maud pulls her hand away from Cropper.

MAUD:

I was worried you were being nice to

me. How silly...

INT. ROLAND'S ROOM/CORRIDOR - DAY

Maud follows Roland up to his room. She knocks on his door.

MAUD:

Roland, let me in -

ROLAND (O.S.)

Go away --

Maud tries the door. To her surprise, it's unlocked. She

enters. Finds Roland flinging his books and papers into a

bag.

MAUD:

Look at me, Roland -

ROLAND:

I can hear you fine -

MAUD:

I can't back out of this. The

center. The students. That's my

life -

ROLAND:

Good. You're welcome to it -

MAUD:

I -- we -- need Cropper's money.

ROLAND:

He wants to own everything. Now he

does. Including you -

MAUD:

So what can we do? If we had any

firm proof about Ash and Christabel

ROLAND:

We could have carried on -- I can't

believe you expect me to listen to

Cropper's bullshit -- when, on top

of everything else -- you slept with

this... this

cowboy -

(CONTINUED)

82.

CONTINUED:

Roland finishes his packing, heads for the door.

MAUD:

Roland, you're jealous. It's

nothing -

ROLAND:

Nothing?! You're kidding -- one day

I'm on the academic scoop of the

decade -- the next this necrophiliac

ex-boyfriend of yours tells me I'm

unemployed -

MAUD:

You don't even have a job -

ROLAND:

I don't even have a life. I wash

dishes -

MAUD:

I thought that was a story -- some

wimpish puppy dog trick for sympathy

ROLAND:

I don't need to invent things. I

live in a stinking basement, full of

cat piss -

MAUD:

Then you're pathetic, Roland. Go

back to your basement, with your

books and your dreams and your

stupid romantic illusions -- because

you don't live in the real world -

ROLAND:

I'm glad. I hate the real world.

As a concept, it's much overrated.

Maud tries to calm it down. Roland heads out the door.

MAUD:

Okay... okay... Listen -- I'll see

what I can do. I'll go to London.

Stay at Leonora's. Maybe I can

persuade Cropper -

ROLAND:

Don't bother. I thought we wanted

the same thing. Obviously, we

don't.

(CONTINUED)

83.

CONTINUED:

Roland takes his bag, pushes past her. Exits down the

corridor. Maud watches him disappear. Behind her, Cropper

CROPPER:

Not your type, Maud. Too weak.

Leonora and I would both be

devastated.

The sound of a TRAIN, WHISTLING through a tunnel, as -

INT. TRAIN (LONDON) - DAY

Drifting off, Roland sits in his carriage as the train zips

through the rolling countryside. In the newspaper, an

article:

"Ash Letters Rock Literary World" with a picture of...

Cropper. The light plays on his face, flickering like a

kinematoscope -

As a WHISTLE SHRIEKS and carries over TO -

FLASHBACK - INT. STATION/TRAIN (LONDON) - DAY (1859)

Amid the steam of a train on its platform, Ash and

Christabel disembark. His luggage sits awaiting him with

porters.

He takes Christabel to a carriage, loaded with her cases.

Ash helps her up. Holds onto her hand, as she sits down.

CHRISTABEL:

I must go.

ASH:

If only...

He kisses her hand. Christabel gives a rueful smile.

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