01x05 - Gardens in Bloom

[bunniefuu]

[woman singing opera song]

[Lady Whistledown] Dearest gentle reader.

Much like a phoenix rising from the ashes,

so too our queen rises from disaster.

An army of eligible ladies have arrived
at Her Majesty's doorstep,

hopeful for betrothals
to the monarch's sons.

Royal weddings and babies
cannot be far behind.

However, if reports
from the high galleries

are to be believed,

Her Majesty's countenance
lately evinces little pleasure.

One wonders
whether impending connubial bliss

has shone a light
on Her Majesty's own isolation.

[whispering] I sometimes think our queen
must be the loneliest woman in England.

Do you think she misses it?

- I beg your pardon?
- Companionship.

The queen is at all times
surrounded by her ladies, of course,

but footmen, horsemen,
guardsmen, yet no man.

No gentleman.

Do you think she misses it?

She has a husband.

Yet in a very real way,

she is as much a widow as you and I.

Do you suppose the queen ever seeks...?

- Violet Bridgerton.
- [clears throat quietly]

Are you asking
if our queen has been bedded?

No. No, I would never.

You should not think such things.
You pay mind to the aria.

- Hmm.
- [audience applauding]

[somber instrumental music playing]

[sighs]

[sighs deeply]

[huffs]

[door creaks]

[man panting]

[grunts]

[gasps softly]

[bells jingle]

[door opens]

- Your Majesty?
- Is he dead?

I have not heard anything, Your Majesty,

so I imagine
His Majesty remains quite alive,

and long may His Majesty.

Well, find out.

I want to be sure.

Of course, Your Majesty.

[Lady Whistledown] The world's doors
open at the queen's command.

Every man and woman in the British Empire

obeys the queen's whim.

We would go to battle to save her.

But what matter?

The one thing Her Majesty needs most
cannot be conquered by any army.

[panting softly]

[Lady Whistledown] Loneliness is a battle
even queens must fight for themselves.

[George shouting in pain]

t*rture! t*rture!

t*rture! [groans]

[George shouting in pain]

[screaming in agony]

[somber music rises and fades out]

[theme music playing]

[melancholy music builds slowly]

[bishop] "He cometh up
and is cut down like a flower."

"He fleeth as it were a shadow
and never continueth in one stay."

"In the midst of life, we are in death."

Let us pray.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Amen.

[shuffling footsteps approach]

Lady Danbury.

Can I do anything for you?

You know, Nanny said
the children went right to sleep.

That is true.

My lady, are you hungry or cold?

They do not seem to feel
much upset at the death of their father.

Which is not a surprise.

Lord Danbury was a stranger to them.

He only saw them a few times a month.

I can wake Charlie
and have him light a fire.

And I'm sure a cook can prepare
cold plates or early breakfast.

Breakfast?

It is four o'clock
in the morning, my lady.

I did not realize.

I'm sorry, Coral. Please go back to bed.

I shall not leave you.

It's not surprising you should mourn him.
He was your husband.

Perhaps some tea instead of...

What is that?

Port wine.

It is... awful.

- [chuckles]
- But it is Lord Danbury's favorite.

Was.

Was his favorite.

My lady.

I was three when my parents promised me.

When a deal was struck. Three years old.

So I was raised to be his wife.

I was taught my favorite color was gold
because his favorite color was gold.

I was told my favorite foods
were his favorite foods.

I read only the books he liked.

And learned his favorite songs
on the pianoforte.

I am drinking this port wine
because it is his favorite,

and therefore, it must be mine.

I have never once...

[sighs]

And as many times as I dreamed

and imagined and hoped and planned...

I never thought
what it would actually be like

to have him... be gone.

Wiped from this earth.

I was raised for him, and now I am...

new.

I am brand-new.

And I do not even know
how to breathe air he does not exhale.

[somber music rises slowly]

[Lady Danbury exhales softly]

This world keeps changing.

- [birds chirping]
- [indistinct chatter]

Have them harvested.
Give them to the poor.

Right away, Your Majesty.

[whispers indistinctly]

Has he written?

I'm afraid not, Your Majesty.

- The Dowager Princess...
- What does she want?

She arrives with Lord Bute.

I am not receiving visitors.

[clears throat] Um...

They have brought
with them the royal physician.

I absolutely refuse to see the physician.

[light metallic squeaking]

- [Augusta] You are taking a long time.
- [Lord Bute] A very long time.

I am precise.

- [metal squeaks and clinks]
- Uh...

- She is with child.
- [Augusta] It is done?

- Are you certain?
- [doctor] There can be no doubt.

Doubts are the better part
of a woman's insides.

But you are sure as you can be?

[doctor] Oh, quite sure.

In fact, Her Majesty is quite far along.

Making magnificent progress.

[Lord Bute] Thank God.

- Can we announce?
- Not until the quickening.

When will that be?

Before the month is done, I would expect.

Congratulations, Your Highness.

Well, I should think congratulations
are due as much to you, Lord Bute.

I will have my things
moved over to Buckingham House at once.

Uh...

- What?
- [Augusta] You carry the Crown.

Your safety is most important.

I shall not leave you alone for a moment.

We shall wait
for the future king's arrival together.

- [chuckles]
- [metal clanking]

[exhales deeply]

[sighs]

[soft instrumental music plays]

[music intensifies]

- [music ends]
- [dog whimpers, growls softly]

Brimsley. Brimsley, please.

What?

- Just that...
- Well?

You know I could not...

You know that my duty...

I'm not able...

Much as I'd love to stand here

and help you find your words,
I have my duties to attend to.

Deliver the letter to His Majesty.

[George] Doctor! Doctor!

Doctor!

[Monro] On his back!

[George shouting in pain]

[groans]

[loud knocking]

[George grunts]

You have been told not to bother
Dr. Monro when he is working.

I have a letter for His Majesty
from his wife.

I must deliver royal mail personally.

Your Majesty, I have a letter.

Charlotte?

[Monro] No. You're not ready.

- Put it with the others.
- [Reynolds] Sir, are you...

Do you require assistance?

With the others.

[door slams, locks]

[George groaning]

[screaming]

[door creaks open]

You have visitors downstairs.

I am mourning. Send them away.

Yes, my lady,
only it is Lord and Lady Smythe-Smith.

The Smythe-Smiths? Here?

With the Duke of Hastings
and several other families from our side.

They say they have concerns.

[upbeat music rises]

[Lady Danbury] Well?

Agatha. Darling.
We are devastated for you.

For your loss.

- We grieve.
- He was a great man.

He was a champion.

- We do grieve.
- [Lady Danbury] However...

There is a "however," is there not?

There is indeed a "however."

We need to know. What happens now?

What happens now?

- What have you heard?
- What do you become?

- What do we become?
- Forgive me. It is just...

I haven't the faintest notion
of what you speak.

- You are a trusted member of the court.
- You are a favorite of the queen.

Surely the Palace has given you some word.
On procedure. On what will happen next.

Lord Danbury was
the first of us to pass away.

The first titled gentleman on our side.

And you have a son.

You are asking me if my four-year-old son

is now Lord Danbury?

We need to know whether
the laws of succession on their side

will apply to our side.

Does he inherit the title?

[Lady Danbury] I never thought...

[sighs]

We could lose it all in a generation.

Yes. What you lose, we lose.

You set the precedent for us all.

Will you remain Lady Danbury,
or are you just... Mrs. Danbury?

His valets did not know.
Neither did the butler.

Maybe Lord Danbury did not have one.

My husband had a solicitor.

[exhales]

They met numerous times about... things.

I only need to find his name.

Would it be so bad,
my lady, losing the title?

Yes, Coral. [scoffs]

They all showed up here
looking for answers.

Depending on me. We've given them hope.

A taste of rare air. Equality.

The Danbury ball...

[sighs] They will not be able
to let it go so easily.

There will be scars.

Ah. Here it is.

- [sighs]
- The solicitor?

The solicitor will handle this.
I will write to him, and he will come.

Do you really think
a solicitor will come to see a woman?

[pensive music plays]

I...

I shall simply sign the letter "Danbury."

I just hope he assumes
I am a man with poor etiquette.

- Any word?
- I'm afraid not, Your Majesty.

You are sure he is receiving the letters.

I am delivering them, Your Majesty.

Is... she still here?

She has not fallen down a flight of stairs
or choked on a cube of meat?

I am sorry to report that
she remains alive and well, Your Majesty.

[exhales slowly]

[clock ticking]

It has been quite some time.

Your Majesty?

What I mean to say is,
are you almost finished?

I am afraid I am not even half done.

- Ramsey, I'm not so large a woman.
- No, Your Majesty. But...

[inhales deeply]

We still need the king.

It is a wedding portrait
by His Majesty's request.

[Charlotte] Yes.

His Majesty... requested a wedding portrait.

His Majesty is quite thoughtful.

My skin is too light.

Paint my skin darker. As it actually is.

Your Majesty...

Let me see.

No. Paint her skin lighter.

Pale.

His Majesty wants her to glow.

[up-tempo instrumental music plays]

[candle hisses]

Are you going to watch me sleep, Brimsley?

My apologies, Your Majesty.

[music rises and fades out]

- Are you going to let me have the letter?
- There is no letter.

- There is.
- There is not.

I see it in your hand.

There is a letter.

- As I said.
- There is a letter, but not for the king.

She's writing to Duke Adolphus.

What? The queen's brother in Germany?

What for?

Because she cannot leave without a country
to give her haven and a male protector.

Oh.

Oh? Reynolds.

I am... I am not to post it, am I?

You ask me?

Yes, I ask you. This is...

She wants to leave.

I can fail to post it.

Shall I fail to post it?

That is up to your discretion.

No, it is our...

You can tell His Majesty.

He will take action.
Come back to her. All will be solved.

So?

Shall I fail to post it?

There is nothing that can be done.

Post it.

Everything is in danger.

And you keep secrets.

Walking, my lady? But where?

Just walking.

What, like some tramp or poet?

No, I cannot hear of it.
I must accompany you.

No, Coral. Thank you. I want solitude.

I shall keep a distance.

Solitude.

[doors open]

[melancholy music playing]

I would not think those
quite the best shoes for the fields.

Lord Ledger.

What are you doing out here?

This is my estate.

I thought this was my estate.

There is your estate. Here is my estate.

We abut.

We abut.

Am I trespassing?

I will not set the hounds on you.

[chuckles softly] You are merely rambling.

Rambling? I thought I was walking.

What is the distinction?

Damned if I know.

I just do it often enough
I started calling it rambling,

so it would sound picturesque
instead of insane,

and Lady Ledger will make less of a fuss.

- Hmm.
- Now I have a ramble every day.

You?

First time.

Though mine,
I would call just a walk, though.

Why?

Because I feel insane.

I am sorry for your loss.

I cannot lie abed any longer.
So here I am.

On your estate.

Well, walking or rambling,

it will make you feel better.

Though you will not do
much of either in those.

I was not thinking.

Well, you shall do better tomorrow.

Tomorrow?

I will see you here tomorrow. Same time.

You will wear better shoes.

- [chuckles softly]
- We can ramble together.

[horses neighing]

[whimsical music playing]

[grunts]

[sighs]

[Charlotte laughing]

Ah! There you are.

William. This is Princess Adelaide.

- Pleased to meet you, Your Royal Highness.
- And Edward, this is Princess Victoria.

Pleasure to meet you, Your Royal Highness.

- Nice to meet you too.
- Hello.

My sons have been
ever so eager to meet you both.

[girls chuckles quietly]

Right. Well.
We shall call on you two again shortly.

- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.

- Your Royal Highnesses.
- Your Royal Highnesses.

Who were they?

Your betrothed.

Betrothed?

- They are strangers.
- What of it?

They are noble. They are rich.

They are connected. They are perfect.

And next week, they will be your wives.

- [Edward] Did you say next week?
- Mother, you cannot be serious.

Do we not have a say in this?

A say in the direction of our own lives?

[William] Especially when you propose
to bind them to complete strangers.

- [indistinct overlapping chatter]
- [pleasant music playing]

It is a masterpiece, is it not?

And so large.

Life-size.
Almost as if we were standing beside them.

Quite provocative.

Yes, quite.

- Violet.
- Mm.

- Is everything well with you?
- Of course. Why do you ask?

I feel I can say I know you well,

and in our recent encounters,
you have been out of sorts in a way

most unlike you.

[chuckling] I am quite... fine.

- Violet Bridgerton.
- Yes, I am out of sorts. My household is...

Anthony is on his honeymoon.

- [chuckles]
- Mm.

Gregory has grown what seems,
what, twice his height in a month.

Eloise is in some
kind of squabble with Penelope.

- And you know how close those two are.
- Mm.

So she is stomping around the house,
looking like a cloud of thunder.

Well, I... I could go on with...

- Do you understand?
- Violet.

- Agatha.
- We are friends.

There is nothing you cannot share with me.

I do not know what you mean. [chuckles]

I do not know what I mean, either.

Yet.

I only sense there is more,

and I am waiting for you to tell me.

[sighs] I shall not.

So there is something.

I... [whispers] I cannot.

You can.

I...

- [sighs]
- [pensive music playing]

It, uh... seems my...

garden is in bloom.

It is winter. The ground is frozen.

My husband and I had a garden.

A luscious garden
with many varieties of flowers.

And when he d*ed, the garden d*ed.

And I did not even think of the garden.
I did not want the garden.

But lately, without warning,

the garden has begun to... bloom.

The garden?

And now it wants things.

Sunlight.

Air.

Touch.

Your garden is in... bloom.

It is blooming out of control.

Oh, Violet.

I am becoming dangerous, Agatha.

I am sure.

I almost asked a footman
to lie on top of me today.

[laughs] Viscountess Bridgerton.

- [laughs] Violet.
- I must go.

- It was lovely to see you.
- Oh, Violet, I...

No. I have been at the exhibition
far longer than I... I planned.

Good day.

[birds chirping]

Well?

Oh.

Riding boots.

- Much better.
- Hm.

Is this all there is to it, then?

Yes, mostly.

Just one leg in front of the other,
again and again and again.

Well, that is not quite all. I also look.

I notice.

Notice what?

What is there.

The white hares.

The roe deer in their winter gray.

Blooming snowdrops.

Murmurations of roosting starlings.
That is what is there.

But I see what is not there
just as plainly.

I fail to understand you.

The rose bushes ablaze,

the yellow buttercups,
and the drone of the bees.

The song of the summer swallows.

Walk these fields long enough, and
one's vision catches everything at once.

What is there and not there together.

What's gone... is not gone at all.

The horse cakes, though,

that requires no vision.
That is always there.

[chuckling]

[Coral] My lady.

I require yet more solitude, Coral.

Of course, my lady, but the kitchen.
Yesterday your dinner spoiled.

Tell them I need no dinner.

Which ones are starlings again?

Solitude, my lady?

Solitude, Coral.

Do you see that?

See what, Lady Danbury?

Why, the tawny owl
with a sprig of laurel in its beak.

- I confess I cannot.
- [chuckles]

But Lord Ledger.

As it is not there,
you should see it especially keenly.

The student surpasses her master.

Oh, good.

You're both here.

Now, we need to discuss
the flowers for the wedding.

That will not be necessary, Mother,
as there'll not be a wedding.

You forgot something the other day.

Our eldest brother, George,

the Prince of Wales.

Prince Regent of England.

The man in charge
since father's incapacity.

[Edward] The man, according
to the Royal Marriages Act of Parliament,

with the sole authority to approve
any marriage within the royal house.

Including ours.

[William] Only he hasn't approved them.

And he will not.

He is quite offended, see,
that you did not consult him first.

You are right.

- We are?
- I forgot myself. I overstepped.

As Prince Regent,

the matter rests entirely
in the Prince of Wales's hands.

He is acting sovereign
and ultimate authority.

Quite right.

Georgie, be a good boy
and approve the marriages.

I approve.

[laughs]

[up-tempo instrumental music builds]

- [horses neigh]
- [driver] Whoa.

A good crossing, my lord?

Horrible.

- Your Majesty.
- [music ends]

Duke Adolphus Frederick the Fourth
of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Where is... she?

I believe she is with her modiste.

Wait outside, Brimsley.

- [Adolphus] Your Majesty.
- [Charlotte] Get up. You look ridiculous.

- Good to see you as well, Sister.
- [Charlotte] You could not make it faster?

[Adolphus] Mein Gott.

Being queen suits you.

[exhales]

[sighs] I would have been here sooner,
but... it was a hard crossing.

- Oh.
- I still cannot keep food down.

That we have in common.

Your Majesty. [laughs]

Such happy news!

Only I am not happy.

I want to go home, Adolphus.

- [Adolphus] Home?
- [Charlotte] Mm-hm.

Nonsense.

Nonsense? You shall take me home.
Now. And you cannot refuse me.

When we came here, you told me

you couldn't say no to the British Empire.
Now I am their queen.

You are emotional.

Please say that one more time.
I shall have you beheaded.

Charlotte.

Inside you ripens the fruit of England,

and until that fruit is ripe,
your body is but a... a tree,

a tree in the orchard of the Crown,
and at such time as it...

I am a tree?

I... [sighs] I mean to say only that
the child inside you is not yours.

- My body is growing it.
- What matter?

What matter? Well, you try growing it.

Your body is not your own.

To leave the kingdom now would be treason.

King-napping.

- An act of w*r, perhaps.
- I only want to be home.

With my own family. With you.

I am not your family now.
King George is your family.

Unless...

Is there something wrong, Charlotte?

- No, of course not.
- He's not hurting you, is he?

Everything is fine.

[sighs sharply]

That is a relief to hear. [chuckles]

It would have been most difficult to...
take a stand.

Why?

Adolphus, why?

I negotiated your engagement brilliantly.

I was able to forge an alliance
between our province and here.

An alliance?

That is why
you married me off to these people.

It was good for everyone.

The lions were at the gate.

This alliance,

it means Mecklenburg-Strelitz
is defended by the might of Great Britain.

Charlotte, our fates are tied.

Which is why it is good
that you are fine here.

But what would it matter?

My body is his, is it not?

We have Tartarian pheasants now.

Would you like to see them?

[George shouting in distance]

[indistinct conversation]

[shouting continues]

[George groaning in pain]

It was three hours yesterday.

[conversation continues indistinctly]

- Is there anything the matter?
- Nothing, sir.

Then stop whispering about it!

[Monro] Again!

What is there?

My children.

My maid, Coral.

What is not there?

My family.

Maybe my title and estate.

Now the Crown might call them back.

My prospects for future happiness.

Your husband?

I would not place him
in the category of things my life lacks.

Do you think me a monster for saying that?

No.

As that would make us both monsters.

How do you mean?

Just that, um...

I understand.

I imagine many widows would say the same.

Widowers too, were they as free as you.

Do you think me free?

I thought I would be.

[sighs] But only now... he is dead.

And I am saddled with the burden

of what it means
to be a woman not tied to a man.

I am on my own, but life is out of reach.

My birthday is next week, but what of it?

Just another day in mourning.

All I can be certain of is

mourning, embroidery,
and quiet teas with other widows... forever.

Rambles are there.

Rambles are there.

I am there.

Are you?

It's been a fine day. Thank you.

Yes, it has.

- Thank you.
- I must... I have, uh...

Good day, Agatha.

[soft instrumental music builds slowly]

[sighs deeply]

[door opens and closes]

[sighs] Coral, I am not hungry.

A gentleman is here for you.

A gentleman?

He says he is the solicitor

looking for the lady
who does not sign her full name.

[exhales]

I am afraid there is simply
no precedent for a case such as this.

Not for nothing
did they call it an "experiment."

And my husband the first to die.

[sighs deeply]

The problem is the title and estate

were very specifically bestowed
upon the late Lord Danbury.

God rest his soul. Not on you.

Normally these would pass
to the next Lord Danbury.

I do have a son, you know.

But nowhere was it clarified
whether these new peerages pass at all.

In all likelihood,
they revert to the Crown.

Leaving me Lady Nothing,

with nothing but my husband's
old house and money.

Ah...

Oh, no.

Uh, it is only...

When your husband accepted the new estate,

he used a sizable amount of his holdings

to support your new life.

Tailors, club payments,
horses, extra staff.

My husband had one of the greatest
fortunes in all the continent.

I am afraid your husband
may have exaggerated his wealth to you.

He's spent quite a bit
to maintain a life worthy of a lord.

So, due to this peerage,

which we may not even be able to keep,

I am to be left, what?

Penniless?

Homeless?

What am I to do?

Why, what all impoverished widows do.

Seek the kindness of a male relative.

Or remarry.

[dramatic music builds slowly]

[grunting]

[shouts and sobs]

[grunts]

[panting]

[sighs]

[dramatic music fades out]

It is just so lovely of you
to pay your sister a visit.

When I married,
I hardly saw my family again.

Charlotte,

you are fortunate.

She is exhausted. Confinement.

I remember it well.

Carrying a future king is not easy.

Hm.

Where is the current king?

Will His Majesty be joining us?

His Majesty has business.

Charlotte has been such a support for him.

Your Majesty?

I write him letters.

[Augusta and Adolphus] Hm.

[pleasant tune playing]

Dearest.

The hard part is done.

You have done your duty.
You have conceived an heir.

Now you are free.

As for my son,

you never even have to see him again
if you do not want.

At least until we need another heir.

[somber music builds slowly]

[breathing shakily]

[music peaks and fades]

[exciting music playing]

[music fades out]

So, what then? Why am I here?

Well, I thought
you might like to see the walls.

Look, scrubbed clean.

- There's no trace of...
- The wall.

And I have come up
with a plan to shield the garden.

If His Majesty requires time to...

to bathe in the moonlight
without his garments, we can...

We can build a screen.

I rode all this way
for a garden screen and a clean wall?

No. No, there is something else.

Her Majesty...

She is in a state
I have never seen before.

I worry, Reynolds.
I fear the queen teeters on disaster.

I wonder whether Her Majesty
might better see that man again,

the king's doctor, for her mind this time.

- No.
- Reynolds, just listen...

I said no.

You give me nothing.

You tell me nothing but lies.
I ask your help,

and you refuse
to treat me like a partner...

I cannot help you!

[distant clattering]

I must get back.

[stirring music plays]

- [George shouts]
- [Monro] Again.

[George yelps]

[Monro] Again!

[George screams]

[Monro] Again.

[water splashing]

[George shouts]

[Monro] Again.

- [doorknob rattling]
- [George gasps]

[Monro] Again.

I am the king's man. I will see the king.

You well know you are not allowed in here.

[shouts] I am the king's man!
I will see the king!

Go back to your quarters!

What the bloody hell are you doing to him?

- Treating him.
- [George panting]

Again.

[screams]

[Monro] Again!

[Reynolds] Stop this madness!

- Get him out of here! At once!
- [Reynolds grunting]

[grunts]

[Monro] Again.

[George shouts]

- [Monro] Again.
- [water splashes]

[indistinct chatter]

[woman] Well done!

[adults and children chattering]

[sighs]

Thank you for meeting me.

I thought you might enjoy the exhibition
more without the crowds.

They opened it just for us.

Agatha, I want to, uh, apologize
for my outburst here yesterday.

I do hope you will forgive me
and forget the whole matter.

It was nonsense.

It was far from nonsense,
and I will not forget.

- Agatha.
- What do we know of one another?

Really know beyond pedigrees
and widowhood?

What do any of the women
of the ton know of true friendship?

It is all social chatter,
marital schemes, and gossip.

You opened yourself up
to show me who you are.

That was brave.

We mothers and aunts
and leaders of the ton,

we spend our time endlessly matchmaking,

talking of wooing.

Of love. Of romance.

But never for anyone mature enough

to truly understand what any of it means.

What it is to go without it.

What it is to lose it.

We are full of gossip and story,

but as women, we are never
the topics of the conversation.

Lady Whistledown never writes
of our hearts.

We are untold stories.

Yesterday,

you told me something of your story.

And I... thank you.

You...

You are most welcome.

Come. Over here.

I want you to see an old work.

One of my favorites. Ha.

[Violet sighs]

Theirs is a garden always in bloom.

Even now? It's... His Majesty is...

What matters madness
when true love flourishes?

For them, the weeds
are all part of the process.

We all have gardens, Violet.

My garden did not die with my husband

because it had never been planted.

I did not even know I could have a garden.

It did not bloom until after he was gone.

And when it did,

I nurtured it. Fiercely.

I have never

once in all my years
considered another man.

But now, I...

It is all right to want it.

Say it.

I want to be gardened.

I want to be gardened as much as possible.

[both chuckling]

[Lady Danbury] Hm.

[indistinct chatter]

Shall we replant?

No.

Let it die.

Your Majesty.

You cannot leave.

- I know that.
- England.

You cannot leave England.

You shall need to remain here.

- I cannot.
- You will be blamed.

You shall remain here.

Where is she?

She is at St. James's Palace
holding His Majesty's Drawing Room.

Come, scamp. It is just a neckerchief.

You wear it, then.

Oho! Such impertinence!

Dominic, stop that at once.

This is an important day,
and you must behave.

Be a good boy
and listen to your mother, Dominic.

When are we returning to Nanny?

[breathes deeply]

Dominic, I am sorry you do not know me.

I did not know my parents well either.

And I know it must be very frightening
to leave Nanny like this,

but I am your mother.

And your father has gone to the angels.

And now you are the man of the family.

The man of the family?

Yes.

And the family needs you to do your duty.

[pleasant music playing]

All right, then.

[horses neighing]

I thought it high time,
Your Highness, that you met my son.

Lord Danbury.

Lovely to meet you, Your Highness.

- A pleasure to meet you, Lord...
- [Lord Bute clears throat]

- [whispers] The question of inheritance.
- Far from decided.

- [Lord Bute] The concerns involved.
- Do you understand the implications?

Such a handsome boy.

Pray both of you
call on us again soon. Hm?

Who is next?

[Harcourt]
The new governor of Pondicherry.

Did I do my duty, Mother?

You showed them who you are.

Dominic Danbury. Son of Herman Danbury.

Yes.

You are.

And you are Lord Danbury.

And you will take your rightful place
because you are entitled to it.

And because you are my son.

You are the son of Agatha Danbury,

born name Soma,

Royal Blood
of the Kpa-Mende Bo tribe in Sierra Leone.

You come from warriors.

We win.

Never forget that.

How beautiful, Daddy.

But you will have to start over.

Why is that, beauty?

That one is too big for my head.

Your birthday just passed, brains.

This one is for a friend.

You never make hats for your friends.

No, but this particular friend
is feeling quite sad.

Then again, maybe you're right.

It may be wrong for my friend.

No. You have to give it.

Your hats bring cheer.

And no one
should be sad on their birthday.

Hm.

Can I help?

This one I must make on my own.

Add paper flowers. Everyone loves those.

- Hm.
- [kisses]

[light instrumental music plays]

She is luminous.

She glows.

I've never seen anyone so rich.

- My hands brushed her coat.
- Breathe, Coral.

Did she say why she is here?

Her Majesty does not have
to explain herself.

Right.

Take him to his nanny.

[sighs]

Your Majesty.

To what do I owe the pleasure?

I am here to offer
my official condolences, of course.

Sorrows. Prayers.

How very kind.

Your Majesty should be laying in.
Resting at home.

Home.

[melancholy music plays]

[Charlotte crying softly]

That place is no home.

I have left that place,

and I am never...

never, never going back.

But where will Your Majesty go?

Why I... I have come here.

- [indistinct chatter]
- [pensive music plays]

She means to stay.

Stay? What an honor.

No, not an honor. Terrifying.

She's with child. With royal child.

She quite literally contains
the future of the British Empire.

I cannot be responsible for her.
She must remain perfect.

Plus, I would be harboring a...

The Queen of England asking me
to commit treason, Coral.

Oh. My. I, uh...

What shall I do?

Send a footman to Buckingham House. Now.

The world hears so much
about the prowess of the British Redcoats.

What matter if their heads of state

cannot be protected
from the carelessness of staff.

Our duties are discharged
with the utmost care, sir.

I should've thought foremost among them
would be not losing your queen!

My duties are to Her Majesty, not you!

And Her Majesty is not lost.

Her Majesty's circumstances
are quite well known to me,

and I am perfectly capable
of handling them.

If querulous foreigners
would stay out of my way

and understand how important it is
that Queen Charlotte's disappearance

be handled with discretion.

My apologies.

A carriage at once.

Yes, sir.

Oh.

[sighs] I know.

Me too, baby, but...

- [door opens]
- [sighs]

Excuse me, Your Majesty.

Your man Brimsley is here.

- So bloody good at his job.
- Your brother is here as well.

Well, I will not see them.

Your Majesty, I do not pretend to know
what problems await you outside.

However, I do know
they will not be solved in here.

They will not be solved anywhere.

Would you care to tell me
what troubles you?

Very much.

But I cannot.

All I can say is that I have been lied to

and betrayed
by everyone in this country but you.

You are my only friend.

[exhales]

Your Majesty,

I am not your friend.

I want to be.

However, at this moment,

I am purely your subject.

And I have been acting as your subject.

Not... considering your feelings.

Making you into a crown

instead of letting you have your humanity.

[sighs] So,

if we are to be friends,

we need to start again.

Because I very much need a friend too.

You shall be my friend.

I will be your friend.

This is not the life I wished for.

[soft instrumental music plays]

We are women.

And the men who hold our fates
hardly conceive we have desires,

dreams of our own.

If we are ever to live the lives we want,

we have to make them conceive it.

[music builds]

Our bravery.

Our force of will will be their proof.

Please thank your household
for the hospitality, Lady Danbury.

I will, Your Majesty.

May I thank you too, Lady Danbury,
for your discretion and your grace.

Anything for Her Majesty.

[inhales deeply]

[exhales]

- [string music playing]
- [indistinct chatter]

[sighs]

Mother.

No.

Whatever impertinence,
whatever evasion, smother it.

Your long boyhood is over.

In an hour, you will be a husband.

[Edward] I know.

But Mother...

I'm afraid.

Afraid of what?

That I will not be able to love her.

[exhales, inhales sharply]

Love is not a thing one is able
or not able to do based on some magic.

Some chemistry.

That is for plays.

[Edward sighs]

Love is determination.

Love is a choice one makes.

You take someone in marriage,
and you choose to love them.

You do not give yourself any other option.

Because marriage is difficult.

Full of pains.

And the life of a royal... is lonely.

[emotional music playing]

So you grab someone, and you hang on.

You love, and you love hard
because if you do not...

you are lost.

[doors open]

[Adolphus] A queen's first responsibility
is not to her whim but to her people.

Queens immemorial
have shouldered that burden before you,

and you shall fare no worse than them.

In time, you will grow
to love your noble responsibilities,

a natural outgrowth
of your noble character.

And these youthful fits will become
mere embarrassing memories.

Charlotte?

Brimsley.

[pensive music plays]

Hold Her Majesty's carriage.

We have only just arrived. You cannot...

[man] Hold the carriage!

Where are you off to now?

You sold me off
to be the Queen of England.

I'm off to be the Queen of England.

[exhales]

Ledger.

My lady.

What is that?

A birthday hat.

I make them.

I made this one for you.

I was not sure when your birthday was,

but I did not want it to pass
without... celebration.

[gentle instrumental music plays]

You cannot be here.

But I am not here.

You cannot come in.

I have no intention of coming in.

You must be quiet.

I will not make a sound.

Because I am not here.

As you see.

And I'm not... coming inside.

[moans softly]

[tense music builds slowly]

- [horses neighing]
- [music builds intensity]

[driver] Whoa!

Where is the king?

I am sorry, Your Majesty,
but the king cannot see you now.

- Nonsense. Take me to him.
- [Monro] Your Majesty.

I'm afraid it is impossible.

It is perfectly possible.
I want to see him. Where is he?

No, Your Majesty wouldn't want that.

Do not tell me what I want, Doctor.

Now show me to him, or I shall
have my men search the entire palace.

That way, Your Majesty.

- [chuckles softly]
- [tense music fades]

[George grunting, shouting]

- [sizzling]
- [George screams]

[screaming]

Untie him!

[shouts] Untie the king!

[iron bar clatters]

[shackles clanking]

Everyone out. Now.

George.

Look, George, it is me.

- [George murmuring]
- Or Venus.

Venus is here. George.

Damn Venus. I am Charlotte.

I am Charlotte,
and I need you to be George again.

I need you to try.

Come back to me.

Please, George. Come back.

[George murmuring]

George, come back.

Do you feel that, George?

It kicks.

I am Charlotte. This is our child.

And we need you to be George again,
or none of us are anyone.

[George] Charlotte.

- [softly] Charlotte.
- Oh.

[kisses]

Your Majesty must understand.

However distressing,
my methods are proven.

I desire the king's sanity
as fervently as Your Majesty.

I care not for his sanity.

I care for his happiness.
I care for his soul.

Let him be mad if mad is what he needs.

You are finished.

Remove him from the grounds.

This is an error.
An error that will destroy him!

Be grateful I do not order you destroyed.

[up-tempo music plays]

The king needs food,
a warm bath, and clothes.

I will need my things packed.
We are moving to Kew.

[moaning softly]

[both panting]

Wait.

There?

There.

[chuckles]

[both panting]

[both moaning]

[closing theme music playing]