01x04 - Chapter 4

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If London was to be
a new start for me,

I would push
all thoughts of poetry...

..and love aside.

Mother warned me of the dirt,
disease and despair

that could be found here.

She failed to mention
the breadth of humanity.

And the anonymity of the city
suited me well.

I had taken to walking
the city's beautiful parks.

It seemed that all life
was in London...

..and here,
I could be anything I wanted.

Surely, I would find something
I could succeed at

in this vast, inspiring city.

Hmm!

Now, where did I put it?
How should I know?

Aw, she breaks my heart a little.

She seems so awkward in herself.

I worry my sister's caused
some harm to poor Mary.

Oh, I wonder.

She is perhaps not
the most natural governess.

What else can she do with life -
be her mother's companion?

I thought Tom brought her
out of herself,

kind-hearted man that he is.

And she seemed to get on well
with Ann Baxter the other evening.

But she has so little confidence.

Yes.

It can't have been easy growing up
in the shadow of her sisters.

Found it! Ah! There it is!

Well, I'm happy she's with us.

She has an interesting
and enquiring mind.

Oh. Oh! Miss Bennet.

Mr Hayward.

How are you?

Eager to hear how you've been
getting on with the poetry.

Oh, well, er,
I'm not sure I have the mind

to appreciate it completely.

I keep hoping Mr Coleridge
will...will explain himself,

or that Mr Wordsworth w-will
say what he really means,

but they seem to enjoy
keeping their secrets. They...

Well, do not blame yourself.
I think...

I think some poets enjoy
being difficult to understand.

Miss Bennet, I was so sorry
to hear about your father.

Moving to the city
without your family,

you not having your mother
to confide in, or your sisters...

Oh, it's a relief to be without her.

In fact, it's something of a relief
to be without any of them.

I'm sorry you're not
feeling yourself.

I'm afraid I'm not.

I'm just not finding my place here
as easily as I thought.

I'm sorry, please excuse me.

Oh, Mary! Tom!
How lovely to see you!

Quietly, my dear,
you'll summon the children,

who I fear have begun
to associate Tom's name

with a worryingly large bag
of sugar plums.

Please excuse me!

Sorry, I'm... Sorry. Ah!

"My dear Mary,
I fear your correspondence

"has not been reaching me.

"I have heard nothing
from you at all.

"How are you managing your duties?

"You never were good with children,
even when you were one yourself!

"I may require you to return
to Pemberley,

"where I will be spending
the summer.

"Lizzy has expressed
a wish to see you.

"But more urgently,
my new puppy has a nervous air

"and requires near constant
companionship."

I had come to London to see
the world outside of my family.

And that...

..is what I would do.

Oh, Mary! You're painting! Mm.

To teach the children.

Oh, how marvellous to see
your imagination at play.

It's terrible.

No, no, it...

It's very neat.

Did you see the letter
from your mother?

Is she well?

Between several complaints
about the damp,

the unseasonable pollen,

and an unpleasant exchange
with a rude shopkeeper,

I understand that she is, yes.

I honestly think
she enjoys such encounters.

It makes her feel more alive.

Oh, now, speaking of encounters,

I think this might be
of interest to you.

Tom made a strange request
to Mr Gardiner and I

and extended the invitation
to you too, Mary.

Oh? Yes.

He was most mysterious.

He wants us to meet him
tomorrow morning,

where he says he plans to,

"break through our rational reserve

"and move our hearts,
as well as our heads."

He does? Yes!

Whatever that might entail!

I must work on my lesson plans.

Oh, Mary, you must join us.

For my sake?

Please, consider it.

Mr and Mrs Gardiner,

Miss Bennet,
thank you for humouring me.

Are we allowed to know
the purpose of our visit?

I have conspired
with the City of London

and William Wordsworth himself for
a morning recital unlike any other.

In a hidden garden.

Good lord.
Will Miss Baxter be joining us?

I'm afraid Miss Baxter
has a variety of excuses

that she skilfully deploys
to avoid such events. Well!

Remind me to ask her what they are!

Yes, I am afraid that my petitions
for good weather have been in vain.

No matter.

We will not be dissuaded
by a little drizzle.

A little drizzle?!

Just down there.

This way? Yes.

Oh!

It's magical. Whoa!

Please forgive the theatrics.

I had given Miss Bennet
the impossible task

of understanding poetry without
any real sense of how to...feel it.

Sometimes, with poetry,

the more I think,
the less I understand.

"Earth has not anything to show
more fair:

"Dull would he be of soul
who could pass by

"A sight so touching in its majesty:

"This City now doth,

"like a garment, wear

"The beauty of the morning;

"Silent, bare,

"Ships, towers, domes, theatres,
and temples lie

"Open unto the fields,
and to the sky,

"All bright and glittering
in the smokeless air.

"Never did sun
more beautifully steep

"In his first splendour,

"valley, rock, or hill;

"Ne'er saw I, never felt,
a calm so deep!

"The river glideth
at his own sweet will:

"Dear God!

"The very houses seem asleep;

"And all that mighty heart
is lying still!"

Well done, Tom, a moving rendition.

Tom! I confess
I felt entirely transported

by the force of your words.

And what a beautiful place!

Our wisteria never flowers
like this.

Yes, your ability to k*ll our plants
seems to be second to none.

- Come, let's take a turn.

Indeed.

Goodness, Edward,
this place is magical.

It's like a secret garden!
Yes, it is.

Well, Miss Bennet...

..how do you feel?

I...

Well, er...

For once, I have nothing to say.

I am sorry to hear that.

No, I, erm...

No, I wish to say something...

..inspiring, but I...

..do not know how.

You have such...

..such varied ways to
express your feelings. Mine feel...

..frozen, or...

..feeble, or...

..entirely unknowable.

I do not know, Miss Bennet.

But I use the words of others

to puzzle through things
I do not understand.

But, I-I-I do not believe
that you are truly a stranger

to strong emotions.

Oh, forgive me.

Oh, erm...
Sorry, Miss Bennet, I...

Oh...

It was just a petal.

Mr Hayward, I...
I think I must leave London.

Well, you've only just arrived.

It's no great event.
My... My mother needs a companion.

I see. And, well, you will likely
be very busy soon,

what with, er,
social engagements and, er...

..Miss Baxter.

- Right.

I'm sure you'll scarcely
have time to notice I am gone.

Well, I had hoped that
this would restore your spirits.

Oh, indeed, it did.

It did. Thank you.

I shall never forget it.

I shall travel to Pemberley
on the 18th.

Good heavens!

Mary, this is quite unexpected.

Well, is anything the matter?

My mother needs me.

Is my sister bored?

I know that she's more likely
than anyone in England

to summon the troops
on account of her loneliness.

But must you answer the call?

I think I must.

Well, we so enjoy having you here.

The children will be disappointed.

That is kind of you to say.

It is the truth.

I must plan today's lessons.

"Dearest mother,

"although my time in London
has been enlightening,

"I will be by your side
for your summer at Pemberley,

"as requested.

"I am grateful for the generosity
extended by my aunt and uncle,

"but as you rightly point out,

"I do not wish to burden them.

"And it will of course be, an honour

"to look after your new pup."

Hmm.

Good day, sir.

I was wondering if I could...

Oh, yes. The one in the window?

Do come in.

"There was an old woman
who lived in a shoe."

"She had so many children,
she didn't know what to do.

"She gave them some broth
without any bread

"and she whipped them all soundly
and put them to bed!"

That poem started very well

and ended very badly.

A good observation, Miss Marianne.

Why didn't she just move into a boot
when the children got too many?

A fine suggestion, Miss Rebecca.

Is the Glorious Revolution
all finished then, Miss Bennet?

This week, we will write
and perform a poem instead.

Yes!

I want to do a poem about myself,
because I'm quite interesting.

I'll do typhoid.

Or frogs. Disgusting!

Miss Marianne?

Love!

"The eye, it cannot choose but see;

"We cannot bid the ear be still;

"Our bodies feel, where'er they be,

"Against or with our will."

"A big green frog

"Sat on a log.

"The frog was quite full.

"It had eaten ten flies,

"Two slugs,

"One worm,

"And three lily pad pies."

Bravo!

Oh, Miss Bennet,

you were obviously inspired
by our morning poetry reading.

Oh.

I was. I... No, I, erm...

Yes, I... Yes...

Oh, no! What is it, Miss Rebecca?

I had a prop and I forgot to use it.

Oh, er...

Well, erm, fear not.

A prop is, is a cheap trick
that diminishes the power of words!

Indeed, hmph!

Who's next?

"I would be sad to leave London.

"It was the first time I had ever
felt a sense of belonging."

Ah, there you are!

I wanted to say thank you
for such a wonderful day.

The children will be inconsolable
about you leaving.

Marianne is stitching you a cushion.

With an inspirational Latin phrase,
I believe. Oh, yes.

It's, "Mori quam foedari."

Death before dishonour.

Goodness. How exciting.

We shall miss you, Mary.

I think we both know I'm not well
suited to...London's liveliness.

Oh, Mary.

You've barely given it a chance!

Things change!

People...

..situations...

..over time.

M-May I venture something
on that subject?

The other day,
I went to buy a bonnet.

And in the first shop I went into,
found a stunning bonnet!

An elegant blue. Quite lovely on me,
if I dare say such a thing.

When I went to purchase it...

..it had been reserved
for someone else.

Hmm.

I went into another shop

and found not four other bonnets
I liked just as much

and, in the end...

..one a shade of dusky pink
that suited me even more.

Do you...
Do you see what I'm saying?

Blue is not your colour?

No, I'm saying that London
has such a variety of choices.

And such quantity, too!

You may enjoy the first thing
you see well enough.

But, often, something more exciting
will come along.

Anyway,
I just thought I'd let you know.

Well, erm, yes, thank you for that.

It was very...

..interesting.
Oh, I was meaning to tell you.

We have decided to host
a little entertainment tomorrow,

a night of games.

Oh, dear.

What sort of games? No catching.

Word games. Riddles and such.

And very pleasant company.

Company I know? Or new company?

All new! And very friendly.

We desperately desire
that you remember London fondly.

This may be your final event
with us before you leave.

"I resolved not to send
the letter to mother just yet.

"It would be a shame
to leave before the weekend."

Sorry, I didn't realise
there was a line. No, please.

I wish more people had such
a restrained relationship to punch.

May I? Oh, yes, of course.

Noble defender of the punch!

I surrender my post.

Ha.

And what brings you here -
the word games, or the company?

I like words.

Erm, I'm not much for games.

Ah! Then it is the company
you have come for.

Miss...

Bennet. Mary Bennet.

William Ryder.

And where have you come from,
Miss Bennet?

Surely I would have remembered

seeing you near punch bowls
across London.

I am...

..new in town.

Well, I for one am always pleased
to see a new face!

Now, please gather, take your seats.

I see the riddles
are about to commence.

We are wise to begin
with full glasses.

And now, the quickfire round!

Two words, one answer.

Counterfeit Agony.

Counterfeit agony...

A mean tr-trick?

My brain is in agony, and it isn't
counterfeit. It is quite real.

Sham...pain.

Champagne! Quite right, Miss Clarke.

Another point to you,
and our new leader!

Fancy delivering us champagne
in word and not in glass!

You tease us, Mr Gardiner!

All right, then, Mr Ryder,
here's one for you.

Judy's Fellow.

Oh... Oh!

My God, I know it!

Punch!

Oh, well done, Mr Ryder.

Finally,
you've arrived on the score board!

My first's a word
comedians dread to hear.

My next, new life
in a revolving year.

I'll repeat it!

My first's a word
comedians dread to hear.

My next, new life
in a revolving year.

Oh... Offspring!

Yes! Oh, well done, Miss Bennet!

Well done, Mary!

Well done, bravo!

Yes, Miss Bennet!

Cheers to you!

Ha. What's next?

A mandarin. Delicious!

Miss Bennet! How lovely to see you!
You too, Miss Baxter.

Ah, Mr Hayward! Miss Bennet.
We're so pleased you made it.

I had false intelligence
you were busy this evening.

Well, we somehow managed to persuade
Mr Hayward away from his work.

I have an important case.

Oh, he has the terrible fortune of
being the only lawyer in London

who exclusively gets
important cases.

Oh, ahem, do excuse us,

Mrs G... Excuse me?

Miss Bennet?

Tom! Will!

Mr Ryder and I studied law together.

Ah! Yes!

Mr Hayward is responsible for
my untimely retirement in the field.

Is that so, Mr Ryder?

Well, he fed me so many poems,

I believed myself
a deep, romantic soul,

too sensitive for
the rigours of law!

That seems like a heavy charge to
lay solely at the feet of poetry.

Well...

Mary,
how is the night of games going?

Do we have any hope for making
a late charge for the prize?

Not unless you wish to bribe
our hosts.

Miss Bennet here
is putting us all to shame.

Oh, nonsense, Mr Ryder.
You beat me to the "punch"!

I... You see?!

Masterful with words! I...

Please gather yourselves
for the penultimate round!

Mr Ryder. What?

I'm glad to see you're
in better spirits, Miss Bennet.

This evening has been
something of a tonic, Mr Hayward.

Round three! Ready?

Sunday!

Yes! A point to Miss Baxter! Bravo!

Think sharp! Is it Doldrums?

Oh...
No, no, no, forget I said anything.

Is it mercury?

Yes! It is indeed! Well done, Mary.

Is it really?
Well done! How remarkable!

Come on!

Oh, er... Anybody?

..Lighthouse! Yes!

I barely had a chance to think,
let alone speak!

I've never known a lack of thinking
to prevent you from speaking!

That is five points apiece
for Miss Clarke and Miss Bennet.

Well done!

The final round.

The two players with
the most points go head-to-head

to crack one final riddle
and decide the winner.

The leaders come as no surprise -

Miss Clarke...

..and Miss Bennet.

You mean I didn't make it?!

Oh, I'm astonished.

Mrs Gardiner,
would you do the honours?

To suffer my second's
the doom of my first,

and of all of my seconds,
my whole is the worst.

Oh! Heartache!

Yes!

Good lord!
She's Britain's finest mind!

Hurrah. Huzzah!

Miss Bennet!

Miss Bennet!

We declare we have a winner!

London's newest arrival,
but its fiercest competitor,

Miss Mary Bennet!

Huzzah!

Well done!

I'm very glad
that we arrived in time

to see you crowned, Miss Bennet.

Thank you.

I wanted to say, I felt...

Miss Bennet, you are a liar.

Am I?

You told me
you were not much for games!

Well, I ...

I can't catch.

Miss Bennet, I have been meaning
to invite you to tea,

since I hear, very sadly,
you are leaving London?

Miss Bennet! Surely not!

You can't deprive
the game players of London your...

Your riddling talents!

A round of applause for our winner,
Miss Bennet!

Oh! Well done!

Bravo! Bravo.

In that moment, I think I understood
what my aunt was telling me

with the convoluted story
about the bonnets.

That quantity has a quality
all of its own.

I never doubted you.

This way.

Thank you for coming.

Mary! How you shone!
Thank you, Aunt.

You even caught the attention of
the most eligible bachelor in town!

I... I've been thinking.

Erm, it seems a shame to leave
London before I've,

you know, given it a fair chance.

I think I might like to stay
a little while,

if it's not too much burden.

It's not a burden to us at all!

We're delighted to have you with us!

Oh, thank you so much for coming...

Living in London
was helping me to see that

there could be more to life
than just marriage or misery.

Perhaps my aunt was right.

Even the most
hopeless of situations...

..the most hopeless of people can,

with kindness, change,
little by little, over time.

I was excited to discover
who Mary Bennet might be.