Aristocrats (1999) s01e01 Episode Script
Episode 1
A new age has been born out of rebellion and bloodshed.
l am of another time.
l was raised in a different world.
How could l know how unusual we were? l was the much-pampered Lady Emily Lennox.
l and my sisters knew nothing of the world beyond our own.
Nurse! We barely acknowledged that there was a world beyond our own.
Take Lady Louisa and make her quiet.
Sssh.
Sssh.
Mama, does not the pink do well enough? lt's amazingly insipid.
l cannot be prettier than God made me.
Sea-green taffeta will not alter the case.
- Do you want to look like a dowdy? - Caroline couldn't look like a dowdy.
The centre of my world was my sister Caroline.
May l wear these when l'm of age? Emily, those are Caroline's, for the season.
Must l go to this ball? Yes, you must.
lt's Lord Hervey's.
l wish l could go.
Don't you want to get married? What objection do you have to Lord Beaufield? - l have no feeling for him.
- Feelings will follow.
They always do.
- Mother! - You have the pick of London.
- Who do you want? - Someone who loves me.
Someone l love.
We were the great-granddaughters of King Charles ll.
Our grandfather was the first Duke of Richmond, our father the second Duke.
Our mother was Lady of the Bedchamber.
We were of royal blood and we mixed with royalty.
Does your daughter nottake? She has had offers, Your Royal Highness.
A dowry of L10,000 and your rank, it would be strange if she had not.
Particularly as her appearance is in no way disgusting.
She is slow to decide.
She is permitted to decide? She is permitted to postpone.
The Duke of Richmond is an indulgent father.
Caroline herself had expectations which our closed, arranged world could not satisfy.
At her third season, much to my parents' dismay, she had still not found a husband.
Excellent ball.
lndeed, Lord Beaufield.
Shall we go into supper? l believe they have lobster.
Oh.
Perhaps later.
Shellfish don't attract me.
An excellent speech today, Mr Fox.
Ah, thank you, Prime Minister.
We could do with your brain at the Treasury.
Positions such as those are yours to dispense, Prime Minister.
The royal veto runs.
The King has his favourites.
l'll deal with that.
- Ah, Lord Hervey.
- Mr Fox.
A splendour of an occasion.
Well, they have excellent pork and a lamb ragout.
l wasjust having a word with the Prime Minister.
l wondered if l might presume on your good nature.
His Majesty is wax in your hands.
Me? l'm a spent force.
Your force will be spent when the Thames runs dry, Lord Hervey.
You mean that? - Mr Fox.
- Your Grace.
These occasionsmore business than pleasure.
Oh, l find them full of possibility.
You're not an old, married man.
Always bending people's ears, that Fox fellow.
He can't stand still for a minute.
- Do you know him? - l've played him at cards, occasionally.
How do you amuse yourself, Lady Caroline? l like to read books.
Whole books? l've just finished a tragedy by Voltaire.
Voltaire? Henry Fox, Lady Caroline.
- And what did you make of Voltaire? - l find him wicked.
You mean, he has independent thought.
- lndependence of thought is not wicked.
- Most people think it is.
- Well, most people do not think.
- No? They just agree with the current fashion.
Voltaire thinks.
He doesn't accept anything without examination.
You're right.
Perhaps that's why his books are so diverting.
Who is Voltaire? Your taste surprises me, Lady Caroline.
What else do you read? Novels.
Scandal.
Philosophy.
History.
Are you influenced by your reading? Well, l suppose l must be.
But what one enjoys in books one may not practise in life.
ls that not the pleasure of books? Books have many pleasures.
As has life.
Supper, Lady Caroline? Caroline became intrigued by a Mr Henry Fox, a politician, who was quite unlike anyone any of us had met before.
Caroline must choose now, before the season ends.
Why doesn't she take Beaufield? He's handsome, charming.
He's very sober.
- Will you speak to her? - She is hard to persuade.
Persuade? You must demand.
l wish to tell you all of an event that took place when l was 18 years of age.
Bound for France My father would regularly recount to us the story of his own arranged marriage.
The moral of which was clear.
.
.
when l heard what he said, ''Marriage, my son.
Get dressed for your wedding.
'' l said, ''How can l marry? l'm going to France.
'' ''What has France to do with the matter?'' he said.
''l've found you a capital wife.
'' l didn't know then how he'd found her, but he was a man of honour, my father.
He would never have reneged on a gambling debt.
So, there we were, my father, myselfmy bride.
One sentence passed my lips and only one.
''Will you marry me to that dowdy?'' l said.
l took that girl for my wedded wife and was off to France the following day.
The bride went back to the schoolroom.
l was in no hurry to return from my tour.
One year turned into two, two stretched to three.
And when l did get back, l was slow to claim her.
What did l do? l went to the theatre with a group of my friends and there l saw a woman.
A splendid woman in the box across.
l couldn't wait to know who she was.
And what did l discover? She was my own dear wife.
The humiliation, to be wagered in a hand of whist.
Oh, my love.
My father lost the game, but it was l who won the prize.
What if she hadn't been beautiful, Father? You might have been miserable.
Your mother and l are happy because l obeyed my father.
And we are not merely happy, we are the happiest couple in London.
London is not full of happy couples.
l do everything for your good, l always have.
l'm the most indulgent parent in England.
The affection within our family was considered unusual, but, much as he adored us all, my father's indulgence had its limits.
Lady Caroline.
This is my sister, Emily.
- Mr Fox.
- Lady Emily.
- Do we delay you? - No, the Commons can wait.
For a while.
And how are you enjoying the season, Lady Caroline? - lt is more duty than delight.
- Dancing? Entertainment? Flirtation? You don't like them? l enjoy solitude more than company.
Hello, Henry.
- Peace more than bustle.
Modesty more than vanity.
Oh, you are too young for such preferences.
Does age dictate preference? You are older, Mr Fox, yet you are no friend to solitude.
l plan to take what the world has to offer.
Ah, Your Grace.
What am l to do with my daughter, Mr Fox? She refuses all her suitors.
Lady Caroline is a prize that all men would desire.
lf she continues in her present manner, she will end her days unwed.
- Mama.
- l cannot believe that.
She has her mother's charm.
Your Grace, if you will excuse me? Ladies.
The truffle hog.
A lowly animal of insignificant habits and unfortunate appearance.
God has so organised the universe that, within the animal kingdom, there are degrees and hierarchies, just as there are in the human world.
lf we consider the lion, the monarch of the plains.
The lion is given his strength and his power, so that he may rule over lesser Are you not bored with the universe, Lady Caroline? Not in the least, Mr Fox.
.
.
but it is also their destiny to become the lion's food.
Consider - Such a studious young lady.
- Sssh.
Should the cow hunt? The notion is ridiculous.
The cow was designed to graze and to milk.
And also permitted to moo.
The precise position of a creature in his creation may, at times, be obscure.
lf we take time to consider our own English countryside, what may we discover there? The otter.
The badger.
The vole.
The mouse.
The frog.
Does a frog have teeth? Does a frog require teeth? Whereas the weasel has a mouth full of implements designed to fight.
We must not expect Mr Fox.
We should not be alone together.
l thought l might find you in the library.
Soon you will say l am bookish, which l know is a term of abuse.
lt is only applied to ladies who, like the truffle hog, are unfortunate in appearance.
You may read from dawn to sunset and attract no criticism.
lt is a strange world.
One wonders why God created the truffle hog.
lf God exists.
Surely you believe in God.
Why? But you must admit there is a divine order.
l would quarrel with it if l did.
On what grounds would you quarrel? On the obscure position of the fox.
Are you never serious, Mr Fox? Oh, l am extremely serious.
Have you not seen me being serious? l have seen you flatter people for advancement.
The Prime Minister.
Lord Hervey.
My father.
Of course, l was far too young to understand then that my sister might see in Mr Fox qualities more significant than those of mere appearance.
To me, he seemed only unhandsome and excessively old.
Lady Caroline.
Excuse me.
You were fond of Lord Hervey? l am always melancholy at funerals, even when the connection is not close.
lt may be a funeral, but at least it's not yours.
Do you not miss your protector? lndeed l do.
His company.
His kindness.
His wisdom.
Lord Hervey had many to mourn him.
Friends, toadies, creditors.
A wife.
Eight children.
Lovers of both varieties.
lncluding my brother.
You should not speak so frankly to me.
Oh, l approve of frankness.
Because you are young and fair, it does not follow that you are foolish.
And so you approve of Lord Hervey's way of life? l do not judge how another man should live.
- How do you live yourself? - l believe l told you.
l live to the full.
You will excuse me, Lady Caroline.
l must attend to some business.
My position in the Treasury is granted.
Your father has told me.
ls it not undignified to scramble for position at a funeral? lt is easy to scorn position when it comes to one by birth.
- l am a greedy man.
- You admit you are greedy? l am also industrious and wise.
But not modest.
Of course, you value modesty.
l'll try for it.
You may do as you wish.
lt has nothing to do with me.
l would like it if it had.
- Let me explain.
- Let me be.
Please.
There's Mr Fox.
- Go away! - No, please, listen.
Will you excuse me? What are you gazing at so intently? Mr Fox.
Oh.
You will be fine.
ls that the actress? The one who carries his most recent child? l saw him the other day with Lady Glenharvey.
And it's not long ago that Lady Coleman was hanging on his arm.
- l hate you, Henry Fox.
- Please! He's entertaining enough, but his behaviour is unconscionable.
But, then, what else can one expect from an unbeliever? Did you know about it, him and the actress? He must be loved by many women.
? Where'er you walk ? Cool gales shall fan the glade ? Trees where you sit ? Shall crowd into a shade ? Shade ? Shade ? Trees where you sit ? Shall crowd My parents were happy enough to include Mr Fox in their circle, as an amusing acquaintance.
That he should be anything more than an acquaintance was simply inconceivable.
Lady Caroline.
l would speak with you.
l would prefer to make a speech asking the Commons to increase duties than say what l must say now.
On the outcome of the next few minutes depends the happiness of the rest of my life.
You must be aware of your beauty of person.
You must have been told, many times, by others more worthy than l.
You compliment me.
lt is no compliment.
lt is the sober truth.
But it is your character that l value, perhaps because it is so very much more worthy than my own.
What are you saying, Mr Fox? l love you.
l'm asking for your hand in marriage.
Can you allow me to hope? You must forgive my surprise, Mr Fox.
l had not thought of you as a man who would wish to marry anyone.
You are the first l have ever asked.
And Lady Glenharvey? And Lady Coleman? They are both married already.
You are flippant.
l have never been more serious about anything in my entire life.
Those women are my past.
My future rests only with you.
lf you will have me And the actress and your child? lt is over.
They are provided for.
You know l cannot consider your offer without the blessing of my parents.
lf l may have permission to approach your father? You have my permission.
But, l warn you, my father is not an easy man.
l do not think they dislike me.
l wish you every success.
Who does he think he is? How dare he address her! He thinks to rise in the world.
His impudence knows no bounds.
What does he imagine he offers her? He has no birth, no breeding, no reverence for the deity, no charm of person.
He looks like a toad.
Henry? Henry! lt is the first time he aspires to marriage, he says.
l wonder what she did to provoke him.
We have dismissed Mr Fox.
lt's an unfortunate incident, which we'll quickly forget.
Dismiss? Forget? But, Father, did you consider As if l would give my daughter to a man who is closer in age to me.
Well, age has brought him prosperity.
And should we settle for mere prosperity? You're an attractive prize, my dear, but you're not for him.
- You must know l've forbidden him the house.
- What? Mr Fox will visit us no more.
No.
Your Grace.
- Excuse me.
- Shall we not show an appearance of civility? l will be civil in more than appearance, if you will do as l wish.
What does Your Grace want from me? l have not spoken a word to Lady Caroline for weeks.
Speak to her, my lord.
You alone can persuade her from her affliction.
My fear is that what has been decided is the happiness or misery of her whole life, not just of a few months.
She doesn't take a fancy lightly.
Nor easily abandon a course once taken.
She is young.
What does she know of the world? Permit me to suggest she knows herself.
This conversation is at an end.
ln future, you will address neither me nor my daughter.
Caroline, you're as dull as a dead lobster.
Try to look more cheerful.
l cannot look what l do not feel.
You make no effort.
My dearest, most adorable Caroline, you find me in such a jumble of misery and joy that l am hard put whether to dance or weep.
l am in such a situation that whatever l He is writing to you? l would die without his letters.
There is no other way he can prove his love.
He is besieged from all sides because of me.
Will you marry him? l should like to.
- Father, please? - Do not believe l blame you.
lt pains me when we disagree.
You've seen between your mother and me such examples of affection you think it common.
l know it is uncommon.
What you cannot believe is that it can be inspired by me.
lf a puppy should love you, would you marry him? - You know who l wish to marry.
- Because you have no idea what it is.
He is intelligent, diverting.
He's a godless libertine! What attracts you to him? He cuts a poor figure.
He thinks he's clever.
He was even once a Tory.
- He has a future.
- A future? Anyone has a future! Can you eat, live in and wear a future in fine style? Will a future furnish you with carriages or pay the servants or fill your library with books? Can a future stable a horse? Father! Why do you torment me? Because l am tormented! My foolish child! lt is an unworthy choice.
Let me abide by it.
l would sooner let you sell fish in the street.
He is not one of us.
Your great-grandfather was a king.
My dear, calm yourself.
The house is in an uproar.
Tell your daughter to remember her duty.
Of course she must remember her duty.
She has no choice.
Caroline! Charles, not Hermione.
Her nerves are in shreds.
Nobody in the family had counted on Mr Fox's ambition and determination.
Or on my sister's stubbornness.
l have been miserable.
l am more cheered by your grief than dismayed by your father's hesitation.
Hesitation? He is furious.
You have much to lose.
And much to win.
All London talks of us.
They say your proposal is based on ambition.
You don't believe that? lf my father becomes your enemy, he will destroy you.
l shall be harder to dispose of than he thinks.
Trust me.
l must go.
And so it was that, by wishing to marry only for love, Caroline embarked on a small rebellion.
My dearest, most adorable Caroline, l hope this letter finds you well and that the step l may ask you to take may not dismay you.
And put that a lot higher.
- Where do you go with those peaches? - The dining room, Your Grace.
Take them back to the kitchen and place them on ice.
Charles, don't break that.
- Have the oysters arrived yet? - Not yet, Your Grace.
Send the man to the market for them at once.
Have you plum puddings for the supper, my dear? l want plum puddings, apple pie, soused fig and syllabub.
Everything goes wrong! The oysters don't arrive and the flautist has the ague.
lt's going to be the worst ball of the season.
Our ball? What nonsense.
lt's always the best.
- The flowers, at least, won't shame us.
- lt'll all be perfection.
Perfection? With the oysters still at Billingsgate and the flautist threatening to die? The oysters have arrived and, don't fret, the flautist has been replaced.
You've found another flautist? Oh, l don't believe it.
What luck.
There was no need for excessive foliage.
Father? Foliage always looks penny-pinching in an arrangement.
- Mama? - Those chairs are to stay here.
Will nobody listen?! l don't know how to tell you this.
What is it? l'm married.
To Mr Fox.
You will never enter this house or speak to any member of this family again.
l will not be disobeyed! My sister's departure from my life taught me that there could be cruelty, even in our comfortable world.
Caroline! Caroline! - Caroline - Emily, you must go back inside.
- Why do you wait? Go on! - Stay with me! Emily, l'm sorry.
Please? Caroline, don't leave me! All London spoke of the affair and my father did not hide his fury.
l could not foresee the long consequences of Caroline's elopement.
l only knew that her rebellion had torn our family apart.
She might have been a thousand miles away.
l pined for her.
l was anxious for her.
l wondered what would happen when my turn came.
What would my parents require of me? Emily? Mama? What are you reading? Voltaire.
Books can be overrated, as part of a young woman's education.
Father would not agree with you.
You're too pretty for books.
Come and see what l've brought you.
The sapphires! Oh.
To go with your lovely blue eyes.
Oh.
Mama, you are so kind.
You shall wear them in London.
l so look forward to the season.
So you should.
- You're going to be a great success.
- l hope so.
l know so.
You'll have an abundance of admirers.
Admirers? Mercifully, in your case, we have the luxury of time, before we consider whom you might marry.
Mama! Anyway, you are still too young to consider such things.
But if, in the fullness of time, you discover you favour someone in particular, you will tell me who it is, won't you, my dear? Of course.
Lady Emily, will you make me the happiest man on this earth? l have 67,000 acres in lreland.
l have a town and a country house.
l can assure you my feelings When l entered society and was of an age to attract suitors, l was altogether more fortunate.
l could not see that my parents would have any objection to Lord Kildare.
He was, after all, not only handsome and young but a lord and very rich.
l thought you in London.
London was bleak in your absence, so l came here to the country.
l missed you, my lady.
All my pleasure in the city departed with your family.
l had no ease or enjoyment in anything.
We had much enjoyment together.
Lady Emily, l have come here for a purpose.
Lord Kildare, l feel like walking.
Will you help me dismount? Oh, l cannot bear it.
My lord? That is the most beautiful foot l have seen in my life.
ls not the buckle on the shoe vastly pretty? Barely worthy of that it adorns.
Lord Kildare, it is a ruinously expensive buckle.
Were it in my power, l would make you a present of a dozen.
You would spoil me.
Nothing could spoil you.
Kind of you to say so.
Do you like this part of the country? l have barely observed it.
l only came here because of you.
Lady Emily, will you marry me? Yes.
Since we met, l have thought only of you.
- My position in lreland is of one who leads.
- Yes.
l can assure you of a life of eminence, in a society Yes! What? l would like to marry you.
My dear.
Emily, lreland is a country of bogs and cottages.
lt would not agree with you.
ls he not a wealthy man? lrish acres.
lrish wealth.
- Now, now.
- Girls, stop that.
Not there.
Bring it over here, where l said in the first place.
That's it.
Do you not find him handsome? Maybe, but he has no exceptional qualities.
None of them have.
lf one excludes presumption.
- Sarah, Papa told you to stop.
- What do you think? lt looks like your papa? They speak of lrish charm.
l've never noticed it.
- Charles, what do you think of it? - Good, Papa.
Well, l don't know that l agree with you.
Mother, do you remember lreland? That part of my lineage l have chosen to forget.
You will not speak of it again.
Oh, have no fear, my love.
There's no trace of it in your demeanour.
Lord Kildare is an irritating reminder.
l will discuss this no longer.
Lord Kildare, l believe your countrymen excel when it comes to the horse.
They have that reputation, yes.
Horses have little intelligence.
Quite true, Your Grace.
Dumb beasts.
Yet of surpassing interest for your countrymen.
lndeed.
So, my lord, how do you occupy your time? Er, at the moment l'm building a house.
ln London? On the south side of Dublin.
ls the south side fashionable? When l live there, it will be.
You set the fashion in Dublin? Yes.
Can there be fashion in Dublin? So far from everywhere.
Dublin grows into a presentable capital.
lt has everything one needs for a civilised life.
You surprise me.
l had thought it a poor imitation of London.
We imitate what is pleasing about the capital.
The rest? We discard.
And you presume to judge.
l must.
l'm asked to decide.
You, then, are a person of influence over there? lt is the tradition in my family.
We have a duty to lead.
As you have here.
ls that not true, Father? Thank you, Your Majesty.
When royalty visited, l, my younger brother and my sisters would be paraded before the King, not unlike the exotic beasts my father acquired for our education and for his entertainment.
What do you do with it, Richmond? l observe him, sir.
Observe him? Observe him? Pace up, and observe him pace back? There's no entertainment in that.
Education.
l encourage my children to become acquainted with all the wonders of the world.
You don't change, Richmond.
How long have you been a member of my household now? - l am Lord of the Bedchamber for eight years.
- Well, you serve us well.
ls it time you moved up? We consider making you Master of the Horse.
Would you like that, children? Eh? Children? Now, we hear you contemplate marriage.
Yes, Your Majesty.
All young women think about marriage.
What else should they think about? lt's their lot.
And you will be the third Duke of Richmond.
Will you be like your father, eh? Will you collect everything that grows and moves? Every cauldron of coal leaving Newcastle will put 12 pence into your coffers.
Now what would you do with it, hm? - Will you build houses, like your father? - l don't know, Your Majesty.
And you, Lady Louisa? What shall you do with your life? - l shall try to be good, Your Majesty.
- Excellent.
And you, little sprout, what will you do? l want to marry you.
Well, we should consider it, Lady Sarah, for you will be pretty as a plum.
This one will break hearts, Your Grace.
- Master of the Horse.
- lt is an honour, Your Grace.
Your father will be responsible for moving the Royal Household, wherever it goes on English soil.
- Will that not be a trifle tedious? - What's tedium, where honour is concerned? Hm lt does have the advantage of being a Cabinet post.
lt is in the Cabinet that real power resides.
lf you were in the Cabinet, Father, you'd have to work with Mr Fox.
Gentlemen, the situation is desperate.
We simply cannot go on, pouring more and more troops into this campaign.
l do not believe that the banks will continue to lend us this amount of money.
l have seen cases like this do extremely well, when subjected to cool rooms, millipedus, oh, fresh air and exercise.
Exercise? He's a few months old.
l was still not permitted to visit Caroline.
l wondered, did she miss the family when she gave birth to Stephen, whom they called Ste? l heard he was sickly.
Dissolve in a pint of water.
Three drops, six times a day.
What is millipedus? Ground woodlice.
l must speak to Mr Fox.
Mr Fox's political career was advancing impressively.
He even encouraged a Cabinet rebellion against the King.
Prime Minister.
Prime Minister, we know why the war on the Continent drags on.
lt is because the King listens to his friends and not to us.
The Cabinet is being ignored.
- What do you suggest? - The ultimate sanction.
We should resign.
- Are you mad, Fox? - Resign? - The Cabinet? - All of us.
We must draw up a petition.
We'll get a second opinion.
l have come to renew my request for Lady Emily's hand in marriage.
l don't intend to discuss it.
Your Grace, l am sensible of the feelings of a parent.
They do not appear to deter you.
Lord Kildare has returned and he's arguing with Father.
You can't marry, if Father won't allow it.
Can't marry.
Can't marry.
l have waited a long time, Your Grace, and Lady Emily's feelings have not changed.
l will decide when she marries.
lt is my privilege.
Your Grace Girls? Do you behave like parlour maids? Your Grace.
Lady Emily.
Lord Kildare.
Should l like your place of birth? Have you cause for complaint of it, sir? Well, the sea.
lt's a sore cause of complaint.
You'd take our daughter from these shores.
That is your complaint? Then the rumours l've heard are clearly false.
- Rumours? - That you refuse me because l'm lrish.
No.
No.
Excuse me.
l will take my leave.
Oh, Father, please? You were spoilt from your youth.
lt's your mother's fault.
My fault? Who gave her the white pony? Who took her to the theatre at five years old? Louisa, Sarah, leave the room at once.
He is, after all, both rich and young.
Are you changing your mind? Though he has a very fiery nature.
And will you concede because he frightens you? Well, l'd rather have him as a son-in-law than have a bullet in my head.
Oh, Father, did he threaten a duel? No.
But he might.
Love is accounted brief and passing, while wealth is .
.
dependable and long.
Your sister said that? No, she believes in love.
Though, l must admit, l like wealth, too.
Oh.
l think l've got a pebble in my shoe.
Allow me.
And this one? No.
Thank you.
His pallor is most disturbing.
His breathing is shallow.
And he is altogether far too big for his age.
He must drink this.
Oxymel of squills.
What is that? A combination of vinegar, extract of bulbs and.
.
mercury sulphide.
There.
That should do it.
As Mr Fox's star rose, my father, quite against his preference, was drawn into supporting his cause.
How could l not sign that petition? l don't even like most of the Cabinet, as you know.
Until now, l have supported His Majesty in everything, but he only listens to his friends.
l would support him still, had not my duty overcome my inclination.
He's taken it very badly, as a personal betrayal, but what else could l have done? l know, my dear.
What else could you have done? - Charles.
- Hm? l've been thinking about Emily.
From my sister's impulsive behaviour, l had learned to be more circumspect and patient in the achievement of my own wishes.
l was as determined as she had been, however, to get what l wanted in the end.
l can do nothing for this child, Lady Caroline.
- Don't say so.
- But l do say so.
Most emphatically.
- What treatment has he had? - Blisters.
Purging with broth.
Mercury.
Ground woodlice.
Ground woodlice? That was prescribed? Lady Caroline, this child is beyond the reach of my attention, for the simple reason that there is nothing wrong with him.
- Nothing wrong? - Nothing wrong.
Buthis cough? His twitching? His twitching is the natural growth of a normal infant.
Many infants have a fidgety habit, which, in the fullness of time, they abandon.
- And his cough? - lt is widespread, across the country this year.
And has injured none that l know.
l can't believe it.
The King has conceded.
We have regained authority and l have been made Secretary of War.
Are you pleased by that? - l hope to bring it to a speedy end.
- And will you? lt will not be easy.
l shall have to do business from morning till night.
Henry, l must tell you about Ste.
Later, my dear.
Later.
Duty is the light which has guided my life and which l recommend to all my dear children.
lt is the quality that can sustain happiness in the face of adversity.
lt is the rock on which our lives are built.
The duty of subject to monarch, of King to country, of child to parent.
Listen to your father, Charles.
You are possibly aware that Emily has received a proposal of marriage she desires to accept.
Yet despite her strong feelings, she has been dutiful in her regard for my opinions.
l have gathered you to see that duty is rewarded.
Emily's behaviour is an example to you all.
l shall tell Lord Kildare that your mother and l withdraw our opposition to his suit.
l am of another time.
l was raised in a different world.
How could l know how unusual we were? l was the much-pampered Lady Emily Lennox.
l and my sisters knew nothing of the world beyond our own.
Nurse! We barely acknowledged that there was a world beyond our own.
Take Lady Louisa and make her quiet.
Sssh.
Sssh.
Mama, does not the pink do well enough? lt's amazingly insipid.
l cannot be prettier than God made me.
Sea-green taffeta will not alter the case.
- Do you want to look like a dowdy? - Caroline couldn't look like a dowdy.
The centre of my world was my sister Caroline.
May l wear these when l'm of age? Emily, those are Caroline's, for the season.
Must l go to this ball? Yes, you must.
lt's Lord Hervey's.
l wish l could go.
Don't you want to get married? What objection do you have to Lord Beaufield? - l have no feeling for him.
- Feelings will follow.
They always do.
- Mother! - You have the pick of London.
- Who do you want? - Someone who loves me.
Someone l love.
We were the great-granddaughters of King Charles ll.
Our grandfather was the first Duke of Richmond, our father the second Duke.
Our mother was Lady of the Bedchamber.
We were of royal blood and we mixed with royalty.
Does your daughter nottake? She has had offers, Your Royal Highness.
A dowry of L10,000 and your rank, it would be strange if she had not.
Particularly as her appearance is in no way disgusting.
She is slow to decide.
She is permitted to decide? She is permitted to postpone.
The Duke of Richmond is an indulgent father.
Caroline herself had expectations which our closed, arranged world could not satisfy.
At her third season, much to my parents' dismay, she had still not found a husband.
Excellent ball.
lndeed, Lord Beaufield.
Shall we go into supper? l believe they have lobster.
Oh.
Perhaps later.
Shellfish don't attract me.
An excellent speech today, Mr Fox.
Ah, thank you, Prime Minister.
We could do with your brain at the Treasury.
Positions such as those are yours to dispense, Prime Minister.
The royal veto runs.
The King has his favourites.
l'll deal with that.
- Ah, Lord Hervey.
- Mr Fox.
A splendour of an occasion.
Well, they have excellent pork and a lamb ragout.
l wasjust having a word with the Prime Minister.
l wondered if l might presume on your good nature.
His Majesty is wax in your hands.
Me? l'm a spent force.
Your force will be spent when the Thames runs dry, Lord Hervey.
You mean that? - Mr Fox.
- Your Grace.
These occasionsmore business than pleasure.
Oh, l find them full of possibility.
You're not an old, married man.
Always bending people's ears, that Fox fellow.
He can't stand still for a minute.
- Do you know him? - l've played him at cards, occasionally.
How do you amuse yourself, Lady Caroline? l like to read books.
Whole books? l've just finished a tragedy by Voltaire.
Voltaire? Henry Fox, Lady Caroline.
- And what did you make of Voltaire? - l find him wicked.
You mean, he has independent thought.
- lndependence of thought is not wicked.
- Most people think it is.
- Well, most people do not think.
- No? They just agree with the current fashion.
Voltaire thinks.
He doesn't accept anything without examination.
You're right.
Perhaps that's why his books are so diverting.
Who is Voltaire? Your taste surprises me, Lady Caroline.
What else do you read? Novels.
Scandal.
Philosophy.
History.
Are you influenced by your reading? Well, l suppose l must be.
But what one enjoys in books one may not practise in life.
ls that not the pleasure of books? Books have many pleasures.
As has life.
Supper, Lady Caroline? Caroline became intrigued by a Mr Henry Fox, a politician, who was quite unlike anyone any of us had met before.
Caroline must choose now, before the season ends.
Why doesn't she take Beaufield? He's handsome, charming.
He's very sober.
- Will you speak to her? - She is hard to persuade.
Persuade? You must demand.
l wish to tell you all of an event that took place when l was 18 years of age.
Bound for France My father would regularly recount to us the story of his own arranged marriage.
The moral of which was clear.
.
.
when l heard what he said, ''Marriage, my son.
Get dressed for your wedding.
'' l said, ''How can l marry? l'm going to France.
'' ''What has France to do with the matter?'' he said.
''l've found you a capital wife.
'' l didn't know then how he'd found her, but he was a man of honour, my father.
He would never have reneged on a gambling debt.
So, there we were, my father, myselfmy bride.
One sentence passed my lips and only one.
''Will you marry me to that dowdy?'' l said.
l took that girl for my wedded wife and was off to France the following day.
The bride went back to the schoolroom.
l was in no hurry to return from my tour.
One year turned into two, two stretched to three.
And when l did get back, l was slow to claim her.
What did l do? l went to the theatre with a group of my friends and there l saw a woman.
A splendid woman in the box across.
l couldn't wait to know who she was.
And what did l discover? She was my own dear wife.
The humiliation, to be wagered in a hand of whist.
Oh, my love.
My father lost the game, but it was l who won the prize.
What if she hadn't been beautiful, Father? You might have been miserable.
Your mother and l are happy because l obeyed my father.
And we are not merely happy, we are the happiest couple in London.
London is not full of happy couples.
l do everything for your good, l always have.
l'm the most indulgent parent in England.
The affection within our family was considered unusual, but, much as he adored us all, my father's indulgence had its limits.
Lady Caroline.
This is my sister, Emily.
- Mr Fox.
- Lady Emily.
- Do we delay you? - No, the Commons can wait.
For a while.
And how are you enjoying the season, Lady Caroline? - lt is more duty than delight.
- Dancing? Entertainment? Flirtation? You don't like them? l enjoy solitude more than company.
Hello, Henry.
- Peace more than bustle.
Modesty more than vanity.
Oh, you are too young for such preferences.
Does age dictate preference? You are older, Mr Fox, yet you are no friend to solitude.
l plan to take what the world has to offer.
Ah, Your Grace.
What am l to do with my daughter, Mr Fox? She refuses all her suitors.
Lady Caroline is a prize that all men would desire.
lf she continues in her present manner, she will end her days unwed.
- Mama.
- l cannot believe that.
She has her mother's charm.
Your Grace, if you will excuse me? Ladies.
The truffle hog.
A lowly animal of insignificant habits and unfortunate appearance.
God has so organised the universe that, within the animal kingdom, there are degrees and hierarchies, just as there are in the human world.
lf we consider the lion, the monarch of the plains.
The lion is given his strength and his power, so that he may rule over lesser Are you not bored with the universe, Lady Caroline? Not in the least, Mr Fox.
.
.
but it is also their destiny to become the lion's food.
Consider - Such a studious young lady.
- Sssh.
Should the cow hunt? The notion is ridiculous.
The cow was designed to graze and to milk.
And also permitted to moo.
The precise position of a creature in his creation may, at times, be obscure.
lf we take time to consider our own English countryside, what may we discover there? The otter.
The badger.
The vole.
The mouse.
The frog.
Does a frog have teeth? Does a frog require teeth? Whereas the weasel has a mouth full of implements designed to fight.
We must not expect Mr Fox.
We should not be alone together.
l thought l might find you in the library.
Soon you will say l am bookish, which l know is a term of abuse.
lt is only applied to ladies who, like the truffle hog, are unfortunate in appearance.
You may read from dawn to sunset and attract no criticism.
lt is a strange world.
One wonders why God created the truffle hog.
lf God exists.
Surely you believe in God.
Why? But you must admit there is a divine order.
l would quarrel with it if l did.
On what grounds would you quarrel? On the obscure position of the fox.
Are you never serious, Mr Fox? Oh, l am extremely serious.
Have you not seen me being serious? l have seen you flatter people for advancement.
The Prime Minister.
Lord Hervey.
My father.
Of course, l was far too young to understand then that my sister might see in Mr Fox qualities more significant than those of mere appearance.
To me, he seemed only unhandsome and excessively old.
Lady Caroline.
Excuse me.
You were fond of Lord Hervey? l am always melancholy at funerals, even when the connection is not close.
lt may be a funeral, but at least it's not yours.
Do you not miss your protector? lndeed l do.
His company.
His kindness.
His wisdom.
Lord Hervey had many to mourn him.
Friends, toadies, creditors.
A wife.
Eight children.
Lovers of both varieties.
lncluding my brother.
You should not speak so frankly to me.
Oh, l approve of frankness.
Because you are young and fair, it does not follow that you are foolish.
And so you approve of Lord Hervey's way of life? l do not judge how another man should live.
- How do you live yourself? - l believe l told you.
l live to the full.
You will excuse me, Lady Caroline.
l must attend to some business.
My position in the Treasury is granted.
Your father has told me.
ls it not undignified to scramble for position at a funeral? lt is easy to scorn position when it comes to one by birth.
- l am a greedy man.
- You admit you are greedy? l am also industrious and wise.
But not modest.
Of course, you value modesty.
l'll try for it.
You may do as you wish.
lt has nothing to do with me.
l would like it if it had.
- Let me explain.
- Let me be.
Please.
There's Mr Fox.
- Go away! - No, please, listen.
Will you excuse me? What are you gazing at so intently? Mr Fox.
Oh.
You will be fine.
ls that the actress? The one who carries his most recent child? l saw him the other day with Lady Glenharvey.
And it's not long ago that Lady Coleman was hanging on his arm.
- l hate you, Henry Fox.
- Please! He's entertaining enough, but his behaviour is unconscionable.
But, then, what else can one expect from an unbeliever? Did you know about it, him and the actress? He must be loved by many women.
? Where'er you walk ? Cool gales shall fan the glade ? Trees where you sit ? Shall crowd into a shade ? Shade ? Shade ? Trees where you sit ? Shall crowd My parents were happy enough to include Mr Fox in their circle, as an amusing acquaintance.
That he should be anything more than an acquaintance was simply inconceivable.
Lady Caroline.
l would speak with you.
l would prefer to make a speech asking the Commons to increase duties than say what l must say now.
On the outcome of the next few minutes depends the happiness of the rest of my life.
You must be aware of your beauty of person.
You must have been told, many times, by others more worthy than l.
You compliment me.
lt is no compliment.
lt is the sober truth.
But it is your character that l value, perhaps because it is so very much more worthy than my own.
What are you saying, Mr Fox? l love you.
l'm asking for your hand in marriage.
Can you allow me to hope? You must forgive my surprise, Mr Fox.
l had not thought of you as a man who would wish to marry anyone.
You are the first l have ever asked.
And Lady Glenharvey? And Lady Coleman? They are both married already.
You are flippant.
l have never been more serious about anything in my entire life.
Those women are my past.
My future rests only with you.
lf you will have me And the actress and your child? lt is over.
They are provided for.
You know l cannot consider your offer without the blessing of my parents.
lf l may have permission to approach your father? You have my permission.
But, l warn you, my father is not an easy man.
l do not think they dislike me.
l wish you every success.
Who does he think he is? How dare he address her! He thinks to rise in the world.
His impudence knows no bounds.
What does he imagine he offers her? He has no birth, no breeding, no reverence for the deity, no charm of person.
He looks like a toad.
Henry? Henry! lt is the first time he aspires to marriage, he says.
l wonder what she did to provoke him.
We have dismissed Mr Fox.
lt's an unfortunate incident, which we'll quickly forget.
Dismiss? Forget? But, Father, did you consider As if l would give my daughter to a man who is closer in age to me.
Well, age has brought him prosperity.
And should we settle for mere prosperity? You're an attractive prize, my dear, but you're not for him.
- You must know l've forbidden him the house.
- What? Mr Fox will visit us no more.
No.
Your Grace.
- Excuse me.
- Shall we not show an appearance of civility? l will be civil in more than appearance, if you will do as l wish.
What does Your Grace want from me? l have not spoken a word to Lady Caroline for weeks.
Speak to her, my lord.
You alone can persuade her from her affliction.
My fear is that what has been decided is the happiness or misery of her whole life, not just of a few months.
She doesn't take a fancy lightly.
Nor easily abandon a course once taken.
She is young.
What does she know of the world? Permit me to suggest she knows herself.
This conversation is at an end.
ln future, you will address neither me nor my daughter.
Caroline, you're as dull as a dead lobster.
Try to look more cheerful.
l cannot look what l do not feel.
You make no effort.
My dearest, most adorable Caroline, you find me in such a jumble of misery and joy that l am hard put whether to dance or weep.
l am in such a situation that whatever l He is writing to you? l would die without his letters.
There is no other way he can prove his love.
He is besieged from all sides because of me.
Will you marry him? l should like to.
- Father, please? - Do not believe l blame you.
lt pains me when we disagree.
You've seen between your mother and me such examples of affection you think it common.
l know it is uncommon.
What you cannot believe is that it can be inspired by me.
lf a puppy should love you, would you marry him? - You know who l wish to marry.
- Because you have no idea what it is.
He is intelligent, diverting.
He's a godless libertine! What attracts you to him? He cuts a poor figure.
He thinks he's clever.
He was even once a Tory.
- He has a future.
- A future? Anyone has a future! Can you eat, live in and wear a future in fine style? Will a future furnish you with carriages or pay the servants or fill your library with books? Can a future stable a horse? Father! Why do you torment me? Because l am tormented! My foolish child! lt is an unworthy choice.
Let me abide by it.
l would sooner let you sell fish in the street.
He is not one of us.
Your great-grandfather was a king.
My dear, calm yourself.
The house is in an uproar.
Tell your daughter to remember her duty.
Of course she must remember her duty.
She has no choice.
Caroline! Charles, not Hermione.
Her nerves are in shreds.
Nobody in the family had counted on Mr Fox's ambition and determination.
Or on my sister's stubbornness.
l have been miserable.
l am more cheered by your grief than dismayed by your father's hesitation.
Hesitation? He is furious.
You have much to lose.
And much to win.
All London talks of us.
They say your proposal is based on ambition.
You don't believe that? lf my father becomes your enemy, he will destroy you.
l shall be harder to dispose of than he thinks.
Trust me.
l must go.
And so it was that, by wishing to marry only for love, Caroline embarked on a small rebellion.
My dearest, most adorable Caroline, l hope this letter finds you well and that the step l may ask you to take may not dismay you.
And put that a lot higher.
- Where do you go with those peaches? - The dining room, Your Grace.
Take them back to the kitchen and place them on ice.
Charles, don't break that.
- Have the oysters arrived yet? - Not yet, Your Grace.
Send the man to the market for them at once.
Have you plum puddings for the supper, my dear? l want plum puddings, apple pie, soused fig and syllabub.
Everything goes wrong! The oysters don't arrive and the flautist has the ague.
lt's going to be the worst ball of the season.
Our ball? What nonsense.
lt's always the best.
- The flowers, at least, won't shame us.
- lt'll all be perfection.
Perfection? With the oysters still at Billingsgate and the flautist threatening to die? The oysters have arrived and, don't fret, the flautist has been replaced.
You've found another flautist? Oh, l don't believe it.
What luck.
There was no need for excessive foliage.
Father? Foliage always looks penny-pinching in an arrangement.
- Mama? - Those chairs are to stay here.
Will nobody listen?! l don't know how to tell you this.
What is it? l'm married.
To Mr Fox.
You will never enter this house or speak to any member of this family again.
l will not be disobeyed! My sister's departure from my life taught me that there could be cruelty, even in our comfortable world.
Caroline! Caroline! - Caroline - Emily, you must go back inside.
- Why do you wait? Go on! - Stay with me! Emily, l'm sorry.
Please? Caroline, don't leave me! All London spoke of the affair and my father did not hide his fury.
l could not foresee the long consequences of Caroline's elopement.
l only knew that her rebellion had torn our family apart.
She might have been a thousand miles away.
l pined for her.
l was anxious for her.
l wondered what would happen when my turn came.
What would my parents require of me? Emily? Mama? What are you reading? Voltaire.
Books can be overrated, as part of a young woman's education.
Father would not agree with you.
You're too pretty for books.
Come and see what l've brought you.
The sapphires! Oh.
To go with your lovely blue eyes.
Oh.
Mama, you are so kind.
You shall wear them in London.
l so look forward to the season.
So you should.
- You're going to be a great success.
- l hope so.
l know so.
You'll have an abundance of admirers.
Admirers? Mercifully, in your case, we have the luxury of time, before we consider whom you might marry.
Mama! Anyway, you are still too young to consider such things.
But if, in the fullness of time, you discover you favour someone in particular, you will tell me who it is, won't you, my dear? Of course.
Lady Emily, will you make me the happiest man on this earth? l have 67,000 acres in lreland.
l have a town and a country house.
l can assure you my feelings When l entered society and was of an age to attract suitors, l was altogether more fortunate.
l could not see that my parents would have any objection to Lord Kildare.
He was, after all, not only handsome and young but a lord and very rich.
l thought you in London.
London was bleak in your absence, so l came here to the country.
l missed you, my lady.
All my pleasure in the city departed with your family.
l had no ease or enjoyment in anything.
We had much enjoyment together.
Lady Emily, l have come here for a purpose.
Lord Kildare, l feel like walking.
Will you help me dismount? Oh, l cannot bear it.
My lord? That is the most beautiful foot l have seen in my life.
ls not the buckle on the shoe vastly pretty? Barely worthy of that it adorns.
Lord Kildare, it is a ruinously expensive buckle.
Were it in my power, l would make you a present of a dozen.
You would spoil me.
Nothing could spoil you.
Kind of you to say so.
Do you like this part of the country? l have barely observed it.
l only came here because of you.
Lady Emily, will you marry me? Yes.
Since we met, l have thought only of you.
- My position in lreland is of one who leads.
- Yes.
l can assure you of a life of eminence, in a society Yes! What? l would like to marry you.
My dear.
Emily, lreland is a country of bogs and cottages.
lt would not agree with you.
ls he not a wealthy man? lrish acres.
lrish wealth.
- Now, now.
- Girls, stop that.
Not there.
Bring it over here, where l said in the first place.
That's it.
Do you not find him handsome? Maybe, but he has no exceptional qualities.
None of them have.
lf one excludes presumption.
- Sarah, Papa told you to stop.
- What do you think? lt looks like your papa? They speak of lrish charm.
l've never noticed it.
- Charles, what do you think of it? - Good, Papa.
Well, l don't know that l agree with you.
Mother, do you remember lreland? That part of my lineage l have chosen to forget.
You will not speak of it again.
Oh, have no fear, my love.
There's no trace of it in your demeanour.
Lord Kildare is an irritating reminder.
l will discuss this no longer.
Lord Kildare, l believe your countrymen excel when it comes to the horse.
They have that reputation, yes.
Horses have little intelligence.
Quite true, Your Grace.
Dumb beasts.
Yet of surpassing interest for your countrymen.
lndeed.
So, my lord, how do you occupy your time? Er, at the moment l'm building a house.
ln London? On the south side of Dublin.
ls the south side fashionable? When l live there, it will be.
You set the fashion in Dublin? Yes.
Can there be fashion in Dublin? So far from everywhere.
Dublin grows into a presentable capital.
lt has everything one needs for a civilised life.
You surprise me.
l had thought it a poor imitation of London.
We imitate what is pleasing about the capital.
The rest? We discard.
And you presume to judge.
l must.
l'm asked to decide.
You, then, are a person of influence over there? lt is the tradition in my family.
We have a duty to lead.
As you have here.
ls that not true, Father? Thank you, Your Majesty.
When royalty visited, l, my younger brother and my sisters would be paraded before the King, not unlike the exotic beasts my father acquired for our education and for his entertainment.
What do you do with it, Richmond? l observe him, sir.
Observe him? Observe him? Pace up, and observe him pace back? There's no entertainment in that.
Education.
l encourage my children to become acquainted with all the wonders of the world.
You don't change, Richmond.
How long have you been a member of my household now? - l am Lord of the Bedchamber for eight years.
- Well, you serve us well.
ls it time you moved up? We consider making you Master of the Horse.
Would you like that, children? Eh? Children? Now, we hear you contemplate marriage.
Yes, Your Majesty.
All young women think about marriage.
What else should they think about? lt's their lot.
And you will be the third Duke of Richmond.
Will you be like your father, eh? Will you collect everything that grows and moves? Every cauldron of coal leaving Newcastle will put 12 pence into your coffers.
Now what would you do with it, hm? - Will you build houses, like your father? - l don't know, Your Majesty.
And you, Lady Louisa? What shall you do with your life? - l shall try to be good, Your Majesty.
- Excellent.
And you, little sprout, what will you do? l want to marry you.
Well, we should consider it, Lady Sarah, for you will be pretty as a plum.
This one will break hearts, Your Grace.
- Master of the Horse.
- lt is an honour, Your Grace.
Your father will be responsible for moving the Royal Household, wherever it goes on English soil.
- Will that not be a trifle tedious? - What's tedium, where honour is concerned? Hm lt does have the advantage of being a Cabinet post.
lt is in the Cabinet that real power resides.
lf you were in the Cabinet, Father, you'd have to work with Mr Fox.
Gentlemen, the situation is desperate.
We simply cannot go on, pouring more and more troops into this campaign.
l do not believe that the banks will continue to lend us this amount of money.
l have seen cases like this do extremely well, when subjected to cool rooms, millipedus, oh, fresh air and exercise.
Exercise? He's a few months old.
l was still not permitted to visit Caroline.
l wondered, did she miss the family when she gave birth to Stephen, whom they called Ste? l heard he was sickly.
Dissolve in a pint of water.
Three drops, six times a day.
What is millipedus? Ground woodlice.
l must speak to Mr Fox.
Mr Fox's political career was advancing impressively.
He even encouraged a Cabinet rebellion against the King.
Prime Minister.
Prime Minister, we know why the war on the Continent drags on.
lt is because the King listens to his friends and not to us.
The Cabinet is being ignored.
- What do you suggest? - The ultimate sanction.
We should resign.
- Are you mad, Fox? - Resign? - The Cabinet? - All of us.
We must draw up a petition.
We'll get a second opinion.
l have come to renew my request for Lady Emily's hand in marriage.
l don't intend to discuss it.
Your Grace, l am sensible of the feelings of a parent.
They do not appear to deter you.
Lord Kildare has returned and he's arguing with Father.
You can't marry, if Father won't allow it.
Can't marry.
Can't marry.
l have waited a long time, Your Grace, and Lady Emily's feelings have not changed.
l will decide when she marries.
lt is my privilege.
Your Grace Girls? Do you behave like parlour maids? Your Grace.
Lady Emily.
Lord Kildare.
Should l like your place of birth? Have you cause for complaint of it, sir? Well, the sea.
lt's a sore cause of complaint.
You'd take our daughter from these shores.
That is your complaint? Then the rumours l've heard are clearly false.
- Rumours? - That you refuse me because l'm lrish.
No.
No.
Excuse me.
l will take my leave.
Oh, Father, please? You were spoilt from your youth.
lt's your mother's fault.
My fault? Who gave her the white pony? Who took her to the theatre at five years old? Louisa, Sarah, leave the room at once.
He is, after all, both rich and young.
Are you changing your mind? Though he has a very fiery nature.
And will you concede because he frightens you? Well, l'd rather have him as a son-in-law than have a bullet in my head.
Oh, Father, did he threaten a duel? No.
But he might.
Love is accounted brief and passing, while wealth is .
.
dependable and long.
Your sister said that? No, she believes in love.
Though, l must admit, l like wealth, too.
Oh.
l think l've got a pebble in my shoe.
Allow me.
And this one? No.
Thank you.
His pallor is most disturbing.
His breathing is shallow.
And he is altogether far too big for his age.
He must drink this.
Oxymel of squills.
What is that? A combination of vinegar, extract of bulbs and.
.
mercury sulphide.
There.
That should do it.
As Mr Fox's star rose, my father, quite against his preference, was drawn into supporting his cause.
How could l not sign that petition? l don't even like most of the Cabinet, as you know.
Until now, l have supported His Majesty in everything, but he only listens to his friends.
l would support him still, had not my duty overcome my inclination.
He's taken it very badly, as a personal betrayal, but what else could l have done? l know, my dear.
What else could you have done? - Charles.
- Hm? l've been thinking about Emily.
From my sister's impulsive behaviour, l had learned to be more circumspect and patient in the achievement of my own wishes.
l was as determined as she had been, however, to get what l wanted in the end.
l can do nothing for this child, Lady Caroline.
- Don't say so.
- But l do say so.
Most emphatically.
- What treatment has he had? - Blisters.
Purging with broth.
Mercury.
Ground woodlice.
Ground woodlice? That was prescribed? Lady Caroline, this child is beyond the reach of my attention, for the simple reason that there is nothing wrong with him.
- Nothing wrong? - Nothing wrong.
Buthis cough? His twitching? His twitching is the natural growth of a normal infant.
Many infants have a fidgety habit, which, in the fullness of time, they abandon.
- And his cough? - lt is widespread, across the country this year.
And has injured none that l know.
l can't believe it.
The King has conceded.
We have regained authority and l have been made Secretary of War.
Are you pleased by that? - l hope to bring it to a speedy end.
- And will you? lt will not be easy.
l shall have to do business from morning till night.
Henry, l must tell you about Ste.
Later, my dear.
Later.
Duty is the light which has guided my life and which l recommend to all my dear children.
lt is the quality that can sustain happiness in the face of adversity.
lt is the rock on which our lives are built.
The duty of subject to monarch, of King to country, of child to parent.
Listen to your father, Charles.
You are possibly aware that Emily has received a proposal of marriage she desires to accept.
Yet despite her strong feelings, she has been dutiful in her regard for my opinions.
l have gathered you to see that duty is rewarded.
Emily's behaviour is an example to you all.
l shall tell Lord Kildare that your mother and l withdraw our opposition to his suit.