Black Cake (2023) s01e03 Episode Script
Eleanor
1
BENNY: Previously on Black Cake
MR. MITCH: Your mother
wanted you to listen
to all seven recordings together.
ELEANOR [ON RECORDING]:
I must confess that Eleanor
is not my real name.
Forgive me for keeping so many secrets.
The only way I can get us out
of debt is through this marriage.
Marriage?
I know my pa.
He'll get his finances in order,
and there won't be a wedding.
I hope that you're right.
If you change your mind,
come to London and find me.
ELEANOR: But my father
sold his little girl.
[PEOPLE GASPING]
Your daughter is not only
missing, she's a murder suspect.
But if we do find her, God help her.
ELEANOR: In London, my roommate Elly
was the most cheerful
person I had ever met.
COVEY: What if you study geology
at the university in Edinburgh?
You can't be serious.
You need to follow your passion.
ELLY: To Scotland!
[CUPS CLINK]
[THUDDING]
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
But at least we know where Covey is now.
LEONARD: People have been saying
Bunny was too close to Covey.
I don't need to tell you
how dangerous that is.
This is my family's shop.
Not anymore.
[LIN GRUNTING]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
Elly.
Elly!
Happy New Year, Eleanor.
♪
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
[METAL GRINDING, THUDDING]
COVEY: Elly!
Elly!
[GASPS]
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[HEAVY BREATHS]
♪
♪
NURSE ETHEL: Not so fast now, Eleanor.
How long have I been here?
One week.
How's your head?
Throbbing, but I suppose
I shouldn't complain.
I'm here. I'm alive.
For your headache.
Here, go on.
And yes, you are lucky to have made it.
Three passengers weren't as fortunate.
Two Scottish men were laid to rest
by their families a few days ago.
And Coventina?
Where is she? I'd like
to visit her grave.
Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery.
I'm afraid there's no headstone, dear.
She had no family to claim her remains.
It's a matter of cost, you see?
But don't you worry.
The city put down a wreath in her honor.
I've saved the newspaper
clippings for you.
Scotland was her dream.
And now here I am, left
to live it without her.
[DISTANT SIREN WAILING]
I have no job.
No place to stay.
I've arranged short-term lodging.
There's a room waiting for
you when you're discharged.
If you like it, you
can extend your stay.
I found your nursing
certificate in your handbag.
We take care of our own.
[LIGHT MUSIC PLAYING]
You'll be discharged when you can walk
to that mirror down there on your own.
All right.
Slow down, dear.
You've suffered a severe
laceration on your right leg.
It won't work like it
used to, not for weeks.
I have to try.
- [COVEY GRUNTS]
- Eleanor.
Don't overdo it.
Watch that leg.
We'll try again in the morning.
♪
♪
[CONTENTS RATTLING]
ELEANOR: Eleanor Douglas was an orphan
from a remote part of the island.
And whether you knew me as
Covey Lyncook or Coventina Brown,
I was now officially dead.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[WINCING]
[GRUNTING]
[HEAVY BREATHS]
[COVEY GRUNTING]
♪
[HEAVY BREATHS AND GRUNTS]
[STRAINING, GRUNTING]
[HEAVY BREATHS]
A door had been opened for me.
And now, it was up to me
to walk through it.
♪
But if I had known what lay
ahead for me as Eleanor Douglas,
I don't know if I ever would've
walked through that door.
Eleanor.
Eleanor.
Eleanor.
- [HEAVY FOOTSTEPS]
- [KEYS JINGLING]
Rent's paid weekly in cash.
No guests.
And no loud island music.
If I hear any complaints, you'll
have to make other arrangements.
Yes, ma'am.
[STRAINING, PANTING]
Do you need help, girl?
No. I'm fine.
If I don't push through the
pain, I'll never recover.
The shared facilities are down the hall.
There aren't many islanders in
Edinburgh, let alone in this building,
so you can expect some looks.
Just try and ignore them, would you?
I understand.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
You have a job lined up, don't you?
I don't accept late payments.
I have savings.
Good.
I'll be back next week to collect.
- [BIRDS CHIRPING]
- [DISTANT WAVES CRASHING]
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
LITTLE MAN: Forget that boy.
ELEANOR: I told myself
that the only way to survive
was to keep putting distance
between me and my life before.
To stop looking back,
and to focus on making
a life in Scotland.
COVEY: I'm sorry, could you
please repeat the question?
OFFICE MANAGER: Pardon?
It's just that I'm still getting
used to the Scottish tongue.
And what a beautiful tongue it is.
How on earth do you think you can
be a receptionist in my country
if you can't even understand me?
I'm a fast learner.
I was top of my class.
In your nursing program?
COVEY: Yes.
And I'm certain that I'll have no
trouble understanding your clients.
I just I need to spend more
time with the Scottish people,
something I very much
look forward to doing.
Tell me, why do you
want to be a receptionist
when you're trained as a nurse?
Well, I'm not in proper
physical condition
to work in a hospital,
having just recovered
from the train accident.
Yes, I've read all about it.
And I'm sorry, but this
is a place of business,
not a charity.
[I NEED YOUR LOVE BY TOOTS
AND THE MAYTALS PLAYING]
MAN: Position's been filled.
But I saw the advertisement
in today's paper.
It's been filled.
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ♪
Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
Ooh-ooh ♪
- WOMAN: Thank you, cheers.
- MAN: Nice one, cheers.
I heard them say
you're going to leave ♪
But I just don't know why ♪
Somebody say you're gonna deceive ♪
ELEANOR: Things were bleak.
I was running out of time and money.
Every rejection made me
feel smaller and smaller.
And I felt myself
disappearing.
Know why ♪
You told me there will
never be no other one ♪
To hold me in your arms but you ♪
You should know ♪
Say that you love me ♪
You love me, love me, love me, baby ♪
- [COVEY WINCING]
- 'Cause I, I need your love with me ♪
[WINCING]
[LIGHT MUSIC PLAYING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- PERSON: Alright?
- PERSON 2: Alright.
Oh, Lord!
Not him again.
- Who?
- Who? [CHUCKLES]
You've been watching
that new boy all week.
Have you seen his backstroke?
[SCOFFS] Average at best.
[LAUGHS] What? Is that jealousy I hear?
Besides,
he's the one who's been
staring at me all week.
[CHUCKLES] He's a boy.
And just like every other boy we know,
he only wants one thing.
What?
He can't possibly like me for my mind?
[SCOFFS] I'm just saying,
don't be surprised when he gets handsy.
[BOTH LAUGH]
Are you worried that's what
Jimmy Patterson would do to you?
Because I think he's sweet.
- Hi, Jimmy.
- Stop it!
What are you talking about?
Oh, come on.
Everyone knows Jimmy's been in
love with you since we were kids.
Why you think he's here every week?
He wants to be a coach someday.
He's studying.
Studying what? Your bum?
Stop it!
Bunny, he's been nothing
but nice all our lives.
Give him a chance.
He's not my type.
[SCOFFS] You never once had
a crush, let alone a type.
Because I got more
important things on my mind.
But you?
Go ahead! Fall in love with the new kid.
See how long it takes
for him to get fresh,
and when he does, [SCOFFS]
don't say I didn't warn you.
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
COVEY: Hey, new kid.
Are you just gonna keep
staring at me forever
or were you planning
to introduce yourself?
Can't I do both?
I'm Gibbs.
Short for Gilbert.
[CHUCKLES]
Guess there's no reason for me to
explain why I shortened it, is there?
I don't mind it.
They call you Dolphin Girl, right?
I'm the fastest girl on the team.
But you must know that already.
I've seen you watching me.
[GIBBS CHUCKLES]
Okay. Okay.
So tell me, how do I get to
know the famous Covey Lyncook?
[COVEY CHUCKLES]
Before you can get to know me,
you're gonna have to
learn how to say my name.
[MAN SMART, WOMAN SMARTER
BY THE DUKE OF IRON PLAYING]
Smarter than man in every way ♪
ELEANOR: I was no longer Dolphin Girl,
no longer the famous Covey Lyncook.
I had to get used to
my new station in life.
If I had to make
myself small to survive,
so be it.
So you want to be a janitor?
Yes, sir.
Have you ever seen a slide rule before?
I have.
At a shop back home.
A Chinese merchant.
It's easy once you get the hang of it.
Back home?
The islands?
Yes.
I worked part-time.
I ran the register, took
inventory, and and I tidied up.
So, you went from working at the
Chinese merchant to nursing school.
Do you plan to return to nursing
when you've fully
recovered from the accident?
No.
I never really took to it.
I spent most of my days
cleaning bedpans and commodes,
so I figured a janitorial
position wasn't too far off.
[GRUNTS IN PAIN]
You know, I'm having a hard time
imagining someone like
you cleaning our commodes
and lugging rubbish up and
down three flights of stairs.
If seeing someone like me
around the office bothers you,
I'll make myself scarce.
You won't even know that I'm here.
Eleanor, I'm sorry, but, um
I can't hire you.
Please, I need this job.
I-I won't make any trouble.
Not only are you overqualified, you
you're clearly in pain, and, um
it wouldn't sit right with me.
Understood.
- Thank you for your time, sir.
- Wait, I'm not finished.
You are smart, polite,
articulate,
and, well, it's not on your CV,
but you have worked in a
support position back home.
My bookkeepers have gotten behind
on a handful of their accounts.
We could use an assistant.
Really?
BOSS: You've been through
so much already, Eleanor,
having survived that
horrific train accident.
We'd be lucky to have you.
[DU DU WAP BY CHUCK JOSEPHS PLAYING]
- Good morning. Hello.
- Hi.
Pardon me.
Du-du-wap-du, what a magic you do ♪
Du-du-wap-du, I love no one but you ♪
Please, little girl, tell
me what you're gonna do ♪
Du-du-wap-du, call me Mr. Blue ♪
ELEANOR: For the first time in Scotland,
I felt seen.
Doo-de-woppa
doo-de-woppa-doo-de-woppa-doo ♪
Doo-de-woppa-doo, doo-de-woppa-doo ♪
Do-doo-de-woppa-doo ♪
Baby, doobie-doobie-doobie ♪
Du-du-wap-du, you're
my heart's desire ♪
One little kiss ♪
Good morning.
My name is Eleanor Douglas.
I'm your new assistant bookkeeper.
I'm sorry, were you not notified
that I'd be starting today?
Until yesterday, we weren't even aware
that there was an open
position in our department.
But our supervisor kindly informed us
that he had hired one of the
janitorial applicants to assist us.
Now I see why.
[BOOKKEEPER CHUCKLES AND SCOFFS]
I'm grateful for the opportunity.
And I can assure you,
I'm a very hard worker.
I'm eager to help the
department however I can.
[DRYLY] How wonderful.
Follow me.
You'll find paper and
pencils at the paper station.
Ink is kept in the supply closet.
And if you're prone to typos,
I suggest you bring your
own correction fluid.
I understand. Thank you.
This'll be your desk.
That's an interesting choice
for the office, by the way.
I almost feel like I'm on
holiday. [OTHERS SNICKERING]
Good morning. How are my girls?
BEATRICE: Very well, thank you.
I was just showing our
new hire around the office.
Ah, yes, very good.
She'll need some instruction, Beatrice.
I'm sure I can count on
you to get her up to speed
to assist with the backlog.
Of course. It will be my pleasure.
I'll show you how to
type up invoices later,
but you can start by
organizing these receipts
and logging them into the
corresponding account ledger.
Do you think you can manage that?
Absolutely.
BEATRICE: Oh, and since
you're so eager to help,
I'm sure the other girls have
plenty more to keep you busy.
[BEATRICE CHUCKLES]
[BOX THUDS]
ELEANOR: I should have known
that I was in over my head,
and I should have left.
But I was broke and
alone and desperate.
And so focused on just
making it through each day,
I couldn't see the danger I was in.
[BOOKKEEPERS QUIETLY CHATTERING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
BEATRICE: Eleanor?
Eleanor?
Eleanor!
Don't you know your own name?
Of course, I do.
I-I'm sorry, I, I was just
so focused on these receipts.
Beatrice, we'll miss the bus.
If you're going to stay
late, you'll need to lock up.
Turn out the lights before you go.
[KEYS CLINKING]
[EXHALES]
[SIGHS]
Eleanor.
Eleanor.
Eleanor.
GIBBS: Co-vey.
Coh-vey.
Cuh-vey.
Perfect.
Covey like lovey.
[PERFIDIA BY PHYLLIS DILLON PLAYING]
Here we are. Legends Perch.
Do they have diving
cliffs where you grew up?
In Galina? Of course.
Some might say the best on the island.
Well, if you're not too chicken,
maybe you could join me one day.
Show off your skills.
Well, why wait for one day?
Your eyes ♪
Are echoing Perfidia ♪
- Forgetful of ♪
- Ready?
the promise of love ♪
Three, two, one.
[COVEY AND GIBBS YELPING]
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
That was amazing.
Wanna go again?
Not just yet.
Let me enjoy my tour.
I'm feeling a little less
homesick by the moment.
Oh, you been homesick?
Why did your family leave Galina?
We sold our land.
Moving during my final
year of school wasn't easy,
but now I'm glad we did.
Oh?
Otherwise, I never would've met you.
What are your plans after school?
Ah, I'm going to travel the world,
competing, swimming in
the most exotic countries.
What about you?
I'm going to university
in London to study law.
London, huh?
How's that for exotic?
So,
I have less than a year with you.
To show you around
Portland Parish, I mean.
Well, lucky for us, it's a small town.
Lucky us.
Well, I'm not allowed to date
until I finish school anyway,
so I guess it's for the best.
Yeah.
And it's a damn good
thing this isn't a date.
Stop teasing!
Come back here!
I'm telling you all this because
you'll be in London
by the time I graduate,
and and I know we only just met,
but I don't want to wait.
I want to get to know you.
And date you.
And I want you to kiss me.
You just said you're
not allowed to date.
Who cares what I said? What do you want?
To get to know you.
To learn everything there
is to know about you.
Will you let me?
♪
This is far enough.
Pa will lose it if he
sees me walking with a boy.
Right.
See you around.
Friend.
- Rah!
- [COVEY GASPS]
[LAUGHS] Where have you been?
Jeez! Are you following me?
No, you idiot!
I just went to the market.
Your father's looking
for you, by the way.
- Hmm.
- Where have you been?
Swimming without me?
I was showing Gibbs Grant around.
The new kid?
[SCOFFS] Are you crazy?
What about your dad?
What about him?
Gibbs was a perfect gentleman,
and he didn't have to be.
I gave him every opportunity to
prove that he only wanted one thing.
- Hmm.
- All he wants is to get to know me.
So he says.
Don't be sore.
We'll do a double non-date sometime,
and you can see for yourself.
Me and Gibbs and you and Jimmy.
Will you stop with that?
I'm not interested in Jimmy, okay?
Then we'll find you someone
else, someone you do like.
Someone like Gibbs.
He's not my type either.
Then who is?
I don't know.
Yes, you do. Come on. Tell me.
Tell me.
You, okay?
- I like you.
- Yeah, well, I know that. [CHUCKLES]
Do you?
You can't say that.
Bunny, you know rumors
can get people killed.
It's dangerous.
But it doesn't change
That is who I am.
I'm not asking you to change.
No, you're asking me to hide.
For your own safety.
You're right, forget it.
Wait. Wait.
Wait, Bunny!
Bunny, you're my best friend,
and that will never change.
Always.
And I love you.
In my own way.
But you can't ever say that again.
ELEANOR: Back home,
I had advised my best
friend to hide her true self
in order to survive.
Years later, in Scotland,
I had to take my own advice.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[SHAKY BREATHS]
ELEANOR: I was meant to disappear,
so maybe it was good
that the other women
didn't care to know anything about me.
- HELEN: Good morning.
- Morning, Helen.
ELEANOR: If they didn't want to see me,
I would remain unseen.
- [THUD]
- Ah! Goddammit!
[BOSS GRUNTING]
Eleanor, a little help, please?
Let me.
Helen, go find the first
aid kit in the kitchen.
BOSS: [GROANS] Easy.
Let's get you cleaned up.
You know what's funny?
Never known a nurse to get
faint at the sight of blood.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
Do you want to go out
for a drink tonight?
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah? Me too, yeah!
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
BEATRICE: Right, back to work.
[BOOKKEEPERS CHATTER INDISTINCTLY]
[SOFTLY] Beatrice? Hello.
I hope your lunch was swell.
[DRYLY] What is it?
I've been poring over
these files all morning
and there appears to be an
issue with the Zunwell account.
Zunwell? That's my account.
COVEY: Yes.
Yes, that's why I'm
speaking with you now.
I've discovered that
some of the invoices
just aren't adding up to our ledgers.
Not possible.
COVEY: I've checked three times.
There's an issue, no question.
I only wanted to bring
it to your attention
so that you could fix it.
There's nothing to fix.
Just how hard did you hit
your head in that accident?
[GROUP SNICKERING]
Your job is to file
receipts and ledgers,
nothing more.
But I can't just ignore this.
It could come back on me or you.
Nothing's going to come back on you
because no one's paying
any attention to you.
Before you hobbled in here with
that sad face and pathetic story,
this job didn't even exist.
It doesn't matter how late you
stay or how much extra work you do,
you will never be anything
more than a pity hire.
BEATRICE: You don't want
to get too drunk tonight.
- [WOMEN LAUGHING]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
♪
- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
- BOSS: Yes?
Excuse me.
I hate to interrupt.
That's all right.
[SIGHS] I could use a break.
At this hour, all the
figures are morphing into one.
You work so hard.
Anyway, sir,
I found something that I thought
I ought to bring to your attention.
Hopefully, it's nothing.
What did you find?
Discrepancies. In the Zunwell account.
I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding.
Have you told Beatrice?
Yes, but
I don't think she trusted that I
was capable or qualified to do so,
and I don't want to upset her.
It's hard enough doing my job
when the other women clearly
don't think I deserve to have it.
Right, I'll look into
this in the morning.
In the meantime, no
matter what the girls say,
you deserve to be here.
[SNIFFLING]
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I-I
Oh, God, uh
- Would you like a tissue?
- [SNIFFLING]
I'm so sorry. I don't
know what's gotten into me.
I think I do.
You do?
BOSS: Does it have anything to do
with the fact that you're not a nurse?
Pardon?
Well, a trained nurse
would've jumped to action
if someone cut themselves.
Sir, I mentioned before
that I didn't take to nursing, remember?
Aye, but you just stood there, frozen,
as if you'd never been trained at all.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
You're right.
I'm not a nurse.
I padded my CV by using
a friend's experience.
I was just so desperate for work,
I didn't know what else to do.
But if you give me another chance,
I promise I will work twice as hard.
I will work overtime without
pay, I'll I'll do anything.
Please don't fire me.
It's okay.
You've suffered enough.
As long as I can trust that you'll be
transparent with me moving forward,
your job is secure.
Can I trust you, Eleanor?
Yes, sir, absolutely.
Then we won't speak of this again.
And Eleanor?
I don't want you getting
wrapped up in women's nonsense.
If there's anything you need
and you feel uncomfortable
asking one of them,
you come directly to me.
I'll take care of you.
[SOFTLY] Thank you.
[TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES]
[SHARP EXHALE]
BOSS: Beatrice!
Beatrice!
She's in the break room eating lunch.
- BOSS: Beatrice!
- I'll get her.
What's all the yelling about?
I spent the entire morning
going through the Zunwell files.
And I discovered an error. Well,
a pattern of errors, actually.
A pattern that has likely cost
this company thousands of pounds.
And thanks to Eleanor,
I'll be able to put a stop to this
hemorrhaging of funds immediately.
Are you sure?
I spent the entire morning
going over your work.
I apologize.
- I don't know how I missed it.
- I do.
You ignored your colleague,
who was only looking out for you
and this company, might I add.
- It won't happen again.
- [SCOFFS] It sure as hell won't.
From this point on,
Eleanor will crosscheck
all of your accounts
to make sure there are
no further discrepancies.
Of course.
I'll get right on top of it and deliver
all of the files to
Eleanor this evening.
We'll go through them together.
I'll stay late with her.
Right, well, you get started.
But Eleanor won't be staying late
to clean up your mess tonight.
She's having dinner with me.
See you here at 6:30.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[OFFICE DOOR SHUTS]
ELEANOR: I didn't know what to expect.
But he knew part of my story,
and if I wanted him
to keep it to himself,
I needed to just go
to dinner with him
BUS CONDUCTOR: Wanstead Road.
ELEANOR: and ask questions later.
COVEY: Where have you taken me?
What is this place?
GIBBS: My family's land.
I used to come up here and sit
here every day after school.
Back then, I thought I'd
be a farmer like my dad.
We all thought that.
COVEY: And why did your parents sell it?
We were forced out by a mining company.
Our whole village was.
And nobody knew how to
stop it from happening.
It was humiliating.
Especially for my dad.
It's beautiful.
It's about to be destroyed.
So I wanted to see it
one last time with you.
COVEY: My pa lost everything too.
First his family,
when he went against their
wishes and chose my mom over them.
And then, he lost her as well.
Did she pass?
She left us when I was 11.
Covey,
losing land is one thing,
but losing your mother?
I can't imagine.
Maybe one day, when Bunny
and I become famous swimmers,
she'll show up at one of our
competitions and surprise me.
That's silly, I know.
No, that's
That's not silly.
That's love.
And I know I can't go back and
change what happened to my family,
but when I'm a lawyer,
maybe I can stop that kind of thing
from happening to somebody else.
I believe you will, Gibbs.
I do.
I know you do.
And you are going to be
an amazing mother someday.
The kind of mother you deserved.
[CHUCKLES]
You have the biggest heart.
That's what I love most about you.
And,
I've enjoyed getting to know
you these past few months.
But even more than that
Covey,
may I kiss you?
[LIGHT MUSIC PLAYING]
ELEANOR: Gibbs saw me
for who I really was,
and also for who I wanted to be.
If I had known then
that I'd spend the rest of my
life hiding the girl he loved,
I would've stayed on that
farm with him forever.
[APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS]
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Oh! If it isn't the woman of the hour!
Come, please. Come in!
Oh.
I think I've read every article
written about the train accident.
Do you remember it much
or is it all a blur?
Well, I try not to
think about it too much.
Oh, of course.
My husband told me
about your leg injury.
How are you getting around?
I'm doing much better,
now that I have a job.
Oh, well, not to toot my own horn,
but my keen interest in the accident
is probably what inspired him
to hire you in the first place.
Is that so?
MILDRED: You probably haven't
seen much evidence of it,
but there is a small
Caribbean population here.
We believe it's time our people
start to welcome yours with open arms.
Hiring you is only the beginning.
We'd like to host an event.
In your honor.
For me?
Why?
I mean, thank you.
But why?
MILDRED: To shine a
light on your struggles
as a survivor of that tragic accident,
whilst also celebrating your successes,
like working for the trading company.
What would I have to do?
Tell your story.
Talk about your island upbringing
and your experience
recovering from the accident
while making your way in a foreign land.
We'll invite the press.
They'll be sure to put your
photo and name in the paper.
It'll be a coming-out, if you will.
Oh, I'm not too sure I-I-I
do well under the spotlight.
I tend to clam up.
Nonsense. You're so articulate.
And the press would be
great for the business.
♪
Maybe there's another way we can
acknowledge the good
the company is doing
by trading with the islands,
rather than make it about me.
Smart girl. I think
you're onto something.
We'll broaden our focus.
Yes. It doesn't have to be about you.
We'll make it a fundraiser
in honor of your friend
who passed, Coventina Brown.
[COVEY COUGHING]
Oh, can you imagine being laid
to rest without a headstone?
Nameless! As if the poor
girl didn't exist at all.
It's a travesty our community hasn't yet
raised the funds to purchase one.
You don't have to tell your story,
but you could say a few
words about your friend.
Well, I love it.
[MILDRED LAUGHS]
What do you say, Eleanor?
I'll do it.
Oh, how wonderful!
It would be an honor.
[GLASSES CLINK]
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Afternoon.
I have a stack of
ledgers I double-checked,
I just need you to sign off.
BOSS: Come in.
Oh, shut the door behind you. Please.
Is everything okay?
I've decided not to hold the fundraiser.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Are you?
Pardon?
You know, I've been thinking
a lot about your story.
How you moved up here to Scotland,
a place where you knew no one,
and how you could've
just returned to England
or the islands after the accident.
To your family, your friends.
Then last night, it all
started to come together.
You lied about your training,
and you're afraid to tell your
story because you're still lying.
You're running from
something, aren't you?
What are you running from?
[VOICE BREAKING] I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry, I never
meant to cause any trouble.
- I'll see myself out.
- It's gonna be okay.
[COVEY BREATHING SHAKILY]
Trust me.
I don't see how.
[SHUSHING]
No, I'm I'm sorry. No.
No. Please stop.
[GRUNTS, SHAKY BREATHS]
[ZIPPER UNZIPPING]
ELEANOR: It was as if everything
had been frozen inside.
The only thing I could control
in that moment was my mind.
So I escaped
as best I could.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
[SINISTER MUSIC PLAYING]
ELEANOR: You grow up thinking that when
someone does something terrible to you,
you will react,
you will fight back,
you will run away.
I had already proven myself
capable of doing this.
[SHARP INHALE]
But this time was different.
LITTLE MAN: Ladies and gentlemen,
raise your glasses, please, for a toast.
To my wife!
[ALL CHEERING]
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]
[GUESTS CHEER AND APPLAUD]
[BAND PLAYS UPBEAT CALYPSO MUSIC]
[GUESTS CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
I bought us the best suite here
for our first night as man and wife.
I'm looking forward to it.
Aren't you?
I got my eyes and ears
all over this island.
You think I don't know that you've been
sneaking round with Gibbs Grant?
You belong to me now.
Understand?
[CHUCKLES] Forget that boy.
Or he's dead.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Big smile.
[SHUTTER CLICKS]
All right. That's enough.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- [SONG ENDS]
- [GUESTS APPLAUD]
[BAND PLAYS NEW UPBEAT SONG]
- [PLATES CRASHING]
- [PEOPLE GASPING]
[FOOTSTEPS ECHOING]
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[BREATHING SHAKILY]
[PANTING SHARPLY]
[DOOR OPENS]
I tried to warn you.
He started paying extra attention to me
right after my husband left
me and my little boy destitute.
He knew that I needed him.
And when he cornered me,
he knew that no one would
believe me if I told.
That's why he chose you.
Why don't you leave?
[VOICE BREAKING] My son.
I'm not going to dwell on
it for the rest of my life.
I do what I can.
I show up.
I act as if it never happened.
That's what you'll do, Eleanor.
Every day.
Until you really do forget.
But you haven't forgotten.
Have you?
Clean yourself up.
You'll be okay. [SNIFFS]
ELEANOR: Bunny had warned me
that boys only wanted one thing.
Was Gibbs an anomaly?
Was he the only one who saw me,
who wanted more than my body?
[SHARP EXHALE]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
But it wasn't just Bunny who warned me.
My pa did too.
I saw my pa in that frigid water.
And in that moment, all was forgotten.
I wanted to be with
him, wherever that was.
What would he think if he could
see me in the Scottish sea?
Would he apologize for pushing me away?
Or would Pa wrap his arms around me
and say nothing?
Would he pull me under
and take me back home?
[MUFFLED SCREAMING]
[PEARL GRUNTING]
PEARL: You've always
been a cowardly man, Lin.
But this? [SCOFFS]
I just want a beer. Will you please
PEARL: So you can
drink yourself to death?
No. I don't think I will.
I am done helping you destroy your life.
I didn't wind up on the beach by chance.
I've been looking for you all day.
The police, they think they
know who poisoned Little Man.
Was it that Grant boy?
- Did he turn up?
- PEARL: No.
The man goes by the name Short Shirt.
They aren't sure how he got
to Little Man that night,
but he's down at the station.
- They're questioning him as we speak.
- [LIN SCOFFS]
What's funny?
You.
You pretending to believe
that someone who had nothing
to do with our Covey killed him.
His arrest has cleared your
name for the time being.
If I were you,
I'd do like my wife and
daughter, and disappear.
'Cause I won't be cleaning
up any more of your messes.
No.
You're on your own now.
What, you're quitting?
How will I eat?
[PEARL SCOFFS]
I started working here
for Mathilda.
I stayed for Covey,
so she would have someone.
Someone other than you
to look out for her.
But now,
she's she's dead.
And if you hadn't pissed away
your money, your business,
and your dignity,
she'd still be here.
Mathilda would still be here.
So as much as I pity you, Lin,
I no longer feel
obligated to work for you.
I have to live my own life.
I suggest you do the same.
Now that you,
for some reason,
have a second chance.
[FOOTSTEPS RECEDING]
[ALL THE TIRED HORSES
BY BOB DYLAN PLAYING]
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING UNDER SONG]
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm ♪
ELEANOR: I had tried and
failed to be seen in Scotland.
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
ELEANOR: London wasn't exactly safe,
but it was the devil I knew.
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
ELEANOR: I wasn't the only one there.
I could blend in.
That lasted for a while.
Months, actually.
Until I realized that the
longer you go without being seen,
the smaller and smaller you become,
until there's nothing left.
Until you all but disappear.
PROTESTER [OVER BULLHORN]: Speak
loudly, brothers and sisters!
Let our burdens be known!
For in silence, our pain grows.
CROWD [CHANTING]: We want change!
PROTESTER [OVER BULLHORN]: And
then, I ask, who will save us?
CROWD [CHANTING]: We
will! We want change!
Brothers and sisters,
I ask, who will save us?
ELEANOR: There he was.
- [GIBBS CHANTING "WE WILL!"]
- My past, right in front of me.
ELEANOR: As if I had manifested him.
We will!
ELEANOR: But was it too late?
After everything I'd been through,
I had to ask myself,
did I want to be seen?
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Oooh ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
- I can't do this.
- By, stop!
Think about what we just learned.
Mom wasn't an orphan. She had a family.
But there's still so
much that we don't know.
♪
My parents have an expectation
of what their daughter should be
and I will never be that.
Why didn't you come back?
What was I gonna come back to?
♪
For the rest of my life, I'm gonna
keep looking over my shoulder.
None of this makes sense.
I mean, did Dad know any of this?
LYNETTE: Death is a
natural part of life.
What she's done here isn't.
BENNY: I think Mom would
have told both of us
that we are allowed to be angry.
Ma was messy. So are you.
I can't go there.
I have to protect myself.
I need someone who will fight
for what they believe in.
BENNY: I have to be there for my family.
I've already missed so much.
I hope you find the
answers you're looking for.
What aren't you telling us, Coventina?
♪
ELEANOR: You may ask yourselves
if you can ever really know who I am.
So before you go digging into the past,
just know that it might
not be what you expect.
Some secrets are best left buried.
I don't want to put you in any danger.
You need to get out of there now!
♪
BENNY: Previously on Black Cake
MR. MITCH: Your mother
wanted you to listen
to all seven recordings together.
ELEANOR [ON RECORDING]:
I must confess that Eleanor
is not my real name.
Forgive me for keeping so many secrets.
The only way I can get us out
of debt is through this marriage.
Marriage?
I know my pa.
He'll get his finances in order,
and there won't be a wedding.
I hope that you're right.
If you change your mind,
come to London and find me.
ELEANOR: But my father
sold his little girl.
[PEOPLE GASPING]
Your daughter is not only
missing, she's a murder suspect.
But if we do find her, God help her.
ELEANOR: In London, my roommate Elly
was the most cheerful
person I had ever met.
COVEY: What if you study geology
at the university in Edinburgh?
You can't be serious.
You need to follow your passion.
ELLY: To Scotland!
[CUPS CLINK]
[THUDDING]
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
But at least we know where Covey is now.
LEONARD: People have been saying
Bunny was too close to Covey.
I don't need to tell you
how dangerous that is.
This is my family's shop.
Not anymore.
[LIN GRUNTING]
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
Elly.
Elly!
Happy New Year, Eleanor.
♪
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
[METAL GRINDING, THUDDING]
COVEY: Elly!
Elly!
[GASPS]
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[HEAVY BREATHS]
♪
♪
NURSE ETHEL: Not so fast now, Eleanor.
How long have I been here?
One week.
How's your head?
Throbbing, but I suppose
I shouldn't complain.
I'm here. I'm alive.
For your headache.
Here, go on.
And yes, you are lucky to have made it.
Three passengers weren't as fortunate.
Two Scottish men were laid to rest
by their families a few days ago.
And Coventina?
Where is she? I'd like
to visit her grave.
Greyfriars Kirkyard Cemetery.
I'm afraid there's no headstone, dear.
She had no family to claim her remains.
It's a matter of cost, you see?
But don't you worry.
The city put down a wreath in her honor.
I've saved the newspaper
clippings for you.
Scotland was her dream.
And now here I am, left
to live it without her.
[DISTANT SIREN WAILING]
I have no job.
No place to stay.
I've arranged short-term lodging.
There's a room waiting for
you when you're discharged.
If you like it, you
can extend your stay.
I found your nursing
certificate in your handbag.
We take care of our own.
[LIGHT MUSIC PLAYING]
You'll be discharged when you can walk
to that mirror down there on your own.
All right.
Slow down, dear.
You've suffered a severe
laceration on your right leg.
It won't work like it
used to, not for weeks.
I have to try.
- [COVEY GRUNTS]
- Eleanor.
Don't overdo it.
Watch that leg.
We'll try again in the morning.
♪
♪
[CONTENTS RATTLING]
ELEANOR: Eleanor Douglas was an orphan
from a remote part of the island.
And whether you knew me as
Covey Lyncook or Coventina Brown,
I was now officially dead.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[WINCING]
[GRUNTING]
[HEAVY BREATHS]
[COVEY GRUNTING]
♪
[HEAVY BREATHS AND GRUNTS]
[STRAINING, GRUNTING]
[HEAVY BREATHS]
A door had been opened for me.
And now, it was up to me
to walk through it.
♪
But if I had known what lay
ahead for me as Eleanor Douglas,
I don't know if I ever would've
walked through that door.
Eleanor.
Eleanor.
Eleanor.
- [HEAVY FOOTSTEPS]
- [KEYS JINGLING]
Rent's paid weekly in cash.
No guests.
And no loud island music.
If I hear any complaints, you'll
have to make other arrangements.
Yes, ma'am.
[STRAINING, PANTING]
Do you need help, girl?
No. I'm fine.
If I don't push through the
pain, I'll never recover.
The shared facilities are down the hall.
There aren't many islanders in
Edinburgh, let alone in this building,
so you can expect some looks.
Just try and ignore them, would you?
I understand.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
You have a job lined up, don't you?
I don't accept late payments.
I have savings.
Good.
I'll be back next week to collect.
- [BIRDS CHIRPING]
- [DISTANT WAVES CRASHING]
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
LITTLE MAN: Forget that boy.
ELEANOR: I told myself
that the only way to survive
was to keep putting distance
between me and my life before.
To stop looking back,
and to focus on making
a life in Scotland.
COVEY: I'm sorry, could you
please repeat the question?
OFFICE MANAGER: Pardon?
It's just that I'm still getting
used to the Scottish tongue.
And what a beautiful tongue it is.
How on earth do you think you can
be a receptionist in my country
if you can't even understand me?
I'm a fast learner.
I was top of my class.
In your nursing program?
COVEY: Yes.
And I'm certain that I'll have no
trouble understanding your clients.
I just I need to spend more
time with the Scottish people,
something I very much
look forward to doing.
Tell me, why do you
want to be a receptionist
when you're trained as a nurse?
Well, I'm not in proper
physical condition
to work in a hospital,
having just recovered
from the train accident.
Yes, I've read all about it.
And I'm sorry, but this
is a place of business,
not a charity.
[I NEED YOUR LOVE BY TOOTS
AND THE MAYTALS PLAYING]
MAN: Position's been filled.
But I saw the advertisement
in today's paper.
It's been filled.
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ♪
Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
Ooh-ooh ♪
- WOMAN: Thank you, cheers.
- MAN: Nice one, cheers.
I heard them say
you're going to leave ♪
But I just don't know why ♪
Somebody say you're gonna deceive ♪
ELEANOR: Things were bleak.
I was running out of time and money.
Every rejection made me
feel smaller and smaller.
And I felt myself
disappearing.
Know why ♪
You told me there will
never be no other one ♪
To hold me in your arms but you ♪
You should know ♪
Say that you love me ♪
You love me, love me, love me, baby ♪
- [COVEY WINCING]
- 'Cause I, I need your love with me ♪
[WINCING]
[LIGHT MUSIC PLAYING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- PERSON: Alright?
- PERSON 2: Alright.
Oh, Lord!
Not him again.
- Who?
- Who? [CHUCKLES]
You've been watching
that new boy all week.
Have you seen his backstroke?
[SCOFFS] Average at best.
[LAUGHS] What? Is that jealousy I hear?
Besides,
he's the one who's been
staring at me all week.
[CHUCKLES] He's a boy.
And just like every other boy we know,
he only wants one thing.
What?
He can't possibly like me for my mind?
[SCOFFS] I'm just saying,
don't be surprised when he gets handsy.
[BOTH LAUGH]
Are you worried that's what
Jimmy Patterson would do to you?
Because I think he's sweet.
- Hi, Jimmy.
- Stop it!
What are you talking about?
Oh, come on.
Everyone knows Jimmy's been in
love with you since we were kids.
Why you think he's here every week?
He wants to be a coach someday.
He's studying.
Studying what? Your bum?
Stop it!
Bunny, he's been nothing
but nice all our lives.
Give him a chance.
He's not my type.
[SCOFFS] You never once had
a crush, let alone a type.
Because I got more
important things on my mind.
But you?
Go ahead! Fall in love with the new kid.
See how long it takes
for him to get fresh,
and when he does, [SCOFFS]
don't say I didn't warn you.
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
COVEY: Hey, new kid.
Are you just gonna keep
staring at me forever
or were you planning
to introduce yourself?
Can't I do both?
I'm Gibbs.
Short for Gilbert.
[CHUCKLES]
Guess there's no reason for me to
explain why I shortened it, is there?
I don't mind it.
They call you Dolphin Girl, right?
I'm the fastest girl on the team.
But you must know that already.
I've seen you watching me.
[GIBBS CHUCKLES]
Okay. Okay.
So tell me, how do I get to
know the famous Covey Lyncook?
[COVEY CHUCKLES]
Before you can get to know me,
you're gonna have to
learn how to say my name.
[MAN SMART, WOMAN SMARTER
BY THE DUKE OF IRON PLAYING]
Smarter than man in every way ♪
ELEANOR: I was no longer Dolphin Girl,
no longer the famous Covey Lyncook.
I had to get used to
my new station in life.
If I had to make
myself small to survive,
so be it.
So you want to be a janitor?
Yes, sir.
Have you ever seen a slide rule before?
I have.
At a shop back home.
A Chinese merchant.
It's easy once you get the hang of it.
Back home?
The islands?
Yes.
I worked part-time.
I ran the register, took
inventory, and and I tidied up.
So, you went from working at the
Chinese merchant to nursing school.
Do you plan to return to nursing
when you've fully
recovered from the accident?
No.
I never really took to it.
I spent most of my days
cleaning bedpans and commodes,
so I figured a janitorial
position wasn't too far off.
[GRUNTS IN PAIN]
You know, I'm having a hard time
imagining someone like
you cleaning our commodes
and lugging rubbish up and
down three flights of stairs.
If seeing someone like me
around the office bothers you,
I'll make myself scarce.
You won't even know that I'm here.
Eleanor, I'm sorry, but, um
I can't hire you.
Please, I need this job.
I-I won't make any trouble.
Not only are you overqualified, you
you're clearly in pain, and, um
it wouldn't sit right with me.
Understood.
- Thank you for your time, sir.
- Wait, I'm not finished.
You are smart, polite,
articulate,
and, well, it's not on your CV,
but you have worked in a
support position back home.
My bookkeepers have gotten behind
on a handful of their accounts.
We could use an assistant.
Really?
BOSS: You've been through
so much already, Eleanor,
having survived that
horrific train accident.
We'd be lucky to have you.
[DU DU WAP BY CHUCK JOSEPHS PLAYING]
- Good morning. Hello.
- Hi.
Pardon me.
Du-du-wap-du, what a magic you do ♪
Du-du-wap-du, I love no one but you ♪
Please, little girl, tell
me what you're gonna do ♪
Du-du-wap-du, call me Mr. Blue ♪
ELEANOR: For the first time in Scotland,
I felt seen.
Doo-de-woppa
doo-de-woppa-doo-de-woppa-doo ♪
Doo-de-woppa-doo, doo-de-woppa-doo ♪
Do-doo-de-woppa-doo ♪
Baby, doobie-doobie-doobie ♪
Du-du-wap-du, you're
my heart's desire ♪
One little kiss ♪
Good morning.
My name is Eleanor Douglas.
I'm your new assistant bookkeeper.
I'm sorry, were you not notified
that I'd be starting today?
Until yesterday, we weren't even aware
that there was an open
position in our department.
But our supervisor kindly informed us
that he had hired one of the
janitorial applicants to assist us.
Now I see why.
[BOOKKEEPER CHUCKLES AND SCOFFS]
I'm grateful for the opportunity.
And I can assure you,
I'm a very hard worker.
I'm eager to help the
department however I can.
[DRYLY] How wonderful.
Follow me.
You'll find paper and
pencils at the paper station.
Ink is kept in the supply closet.
And if you're prone to typos,
I suggest you bring your
own correction fluid.
I understand. Thank you.
This'll be your desk.
That's an interesting choice
for the office, by the way.
I almost feel like I'm on
holiday. [OTHERS SNICKERING]
Good morning. How are my girls?
BEATRICE: Very well, thank you.
I was just showing our
new hire around the office.
Ah, yes, very good.
She'll need some instruction, Beatrice.
I'm sure I can count on
you to get her up to speed
to assist with the backlog.
Of course. It will be my pleasure.
I'll show you how to
type up invoices later,
but you can start by
organizing these receipts
and logging them into the
corresponding account ledger.
Do you think you can manage that?
Absolutely.
BEATRICE: Oh, and since
you're so eager to help,
I'm sure the other girls have
plenty more to keep you busy.
[BEATRICE CHUCKLES]
[BOX THUDS]
ELEANOR: I should have known
that I was in over my head,
and I should have left.
But I was broke and
alone and desperate.
And so focused on just
making it through each day,
I couldn't see the danger I was in.
[BOOKKEEPERS QUIETLY CHATTERING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
BEATRICE: Eleanor?
Eleanor?
Eleanor!
Don't you know your own name?
Of course, I do.
I-I'm sorry, I, I was just
so focused on these receipts.
Beatrice, we'll miss the bus.
If you're going to stay
late, you'll need to lock up.
Turn out the lights before you go.
[KEYS CLINKING]
[EXHALES]
[SIGHS]
Eleanor.
Eleanor.
Eleanor.
GIBBS: Co-vey.
Coh-vey.
Cuh-vey.
Perfect.
Covey like lovey.
[PERFIDIA BY PHYLLIS DILLON PLAYING]
Here we are. Legends Perch.
Do they have diving
cliffs where you grew up?
In Galina? Of course.
Some might say the best on the island.
Well, if you're not too chicken,
maybe you could join me one day.
Show off your skills.
Well, why wait for one day?
Your eyes ♪
Are echoing Perfidia ♪
- Forgetful of ♪
- Ready?
the promise of love ♪
Three, two, one.
[COVEY AND GIBBS YELPING]
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
That was amazing.
Wanna go again?
Not just yet.
Let me enjoy my tour.
I'm feeling a little less
homesick by the moment.
Oh, you been homesick?
Why did your family leave Galina?
We sold our land.
Moving during my final
year of school wasn't easy,
but now I'm glad we did.
Oh?
Otherwise, I never would've met you.
What are your plans after school?
Ah, I'm going to travel the world,
competing, swimming in
the most exotic countries.
What about you?
I'm going to university
in London to study law.
London, huh?
How's that for exotic?
So,
I have less than a year with you.
To show you around
Portland Parish, I mean.
Well, lucky for us, it's a small town.
Lucky us.
Well, I'm not allowed to date
until I finish school anyway,
so I guess it's for the best.
Yeah.
And it's a damn good
thing this isn't a date.
Stop teasing!
Come back here!
I'm telling you all this because
you'll be in London
by the time I graduate,
and and I know we only just met,
but I don't want to wait.
I want to get to know you.
And date you.
And I want you to kiss me.
You just said you're
not allowed to date.
Who cares what I said? What do you want?
To get to know you.
To learn everything there
is to know about you.
Will you let me?
♪
This is far enough.
Pa will lose it if he
sees me walking with a boy.
Right.
See you around.
Friend.
- Rah!
- [COVEY GASPS]
[LAUGHS] Where have you been?
Jeez! Are you following me?
No, you idiot!
I just went to the market.
Your father's looking
for you, by the way.
- Hmm.
- Where have you been?
Swimming without me?
I was showing Gibbs Grant around.
The new kid?
[SCOFFS] Are you crazy?
What about your dad?
What about him?
Gibbs was a perfect gentleman,
and he didn't have to be.
I gave him every opportunity to
prove that he only wanted one thing.
- Hmm.
- All he wants is to get to know me.
So he says.
Don't be sore.
We'll do a double non-date sometime,
and you can see for yourself.
Me and Gibbs and you and Jimmy.
Will you stop with that?
I'm not interested in Jimmy, okay?
Then we'll find you someone
else, someone you do like.
Someone like Gibbs.
He's not my type either.
Then who is?
I don't know.
Yes, you do. Come on. Tell me.
Tell me.
You, okay?
- I like you.
- Yeah, well, I know that. [CHUCKLES]
Do you?
You can't say that.
Bunny, you know rumors
can get people killed.
It's dangerous.
But it doesn't change
That is who I am.
I'm not asking you to change.
No, you're asking me to hide.
For your own safety.
You're right, forget it.
Wait. Wait.
Wait, Bunny!
Bunny, you're my best friend,
and that will never change.
Always.
And I love you.
In my own way.
But you can't ever say that again.
ELEANOR: Back home,
I had advised my best
friend to hide her true self
in order to survive.
Years later, in Scotland,
I had to take my own advice.
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[SHAKY BREATHS]
ELEANOR: I was meant to disappear,
so maybe it was good
that the other women
didn't care to know anything about me.
- HELEN: Good morning.
- Morning, Helen.
ELEANOR: If they didn't want to see me,
I would remain unseen.
- [THUD]
- Ah! Goddammit!
[BOSS GRUNTING]
Eleanor, a little help, please?
Let me.
Helen, go find the first
aid kit in the kitchen.
BOSS: [GROANS] Easy.
Let's get you cleaned up.
You know what's funny?
Never known a nurse to get
faint at the sight of blood.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
Do you want to go out
for a drink tonight?
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah? Me too, yeah!
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
BEATRICE: Right, back to work.
[BOOKKEEPERS CHATTER INDISTINCTLY]
[SOFTLY] Beatrice? Hello.
I hope your lunch was swell.
[DRYLY] What is it?
I've been poring over
these files all morning
and there appears to be an
issue with the Zunwell account.
Zunwell? That's my account.
COVEY: Yes.
Yes, that's why I'm
speaking with you now.
I've discovered that
some of the invoices
just aren't adding up to our ledgers.
Not possible.
COVEY: I've checked three times.
There's an issue, no question.
I only wanted to bring
it to your attention
so that you could fix it.
There's nothing to fix.
Just how hard did you hit
your head in that accident?
[GROUP SNICKERING]
Your job is to file
receipts and ledgers,
nothing more.
But I can't just ignore this.
It could come back on me or you.
Nothing's going to come back on you
because no one's paying
any attention to you.
Before you hobbled in here with
that sad face and pathetic story,
this job didn't even exist.
It doesn't matter how late you
stay or how much extra work you do,
you will never be anything
more than a pity hire.
BEATRICE: You don't want
to get too drunk tonight.
- [WOMEN LAUGHING]
- [INDISTINCT CHATTER]
♪
- [KNOCK ON DOOR]
- BOSS: Yes?
Excuse me.
I hate to interrupt.
That's all right.
[SIGHS] I could use a break.
At this hour, all the
figures are morphing into one.
You work so hard.
Anyway, sir,
I found something that I thought
I ought to bring to your attention.
Hopefully, it's nothing.
What did you find?
Discrepancies. In the Zunwell account.
I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding.
Have you told Beatrice?
Yes, but
I don't think she trusted that I
was capable or qualified to do so,
and I don't want to upset her.
It's hard enough doing my job
when the other women clearly
don't think I deserve to have it.
Right, I'll look into
this in the morning.
In the meantime, no
matter what the girls say,
you deserve to be here.
[SNIFFLING]
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I-I
Oh, God, uh
- Would you like a tissue?
- [SNIFFLING]
I'm so sorry. I don't
know what's gotten into me.
I think I do.
You do?
BOSS: Does it have anything to do
with the fact that you're not a nurse?
Pardon?
Well, a trained nurse
would've jumped to action
if someone cut themselves.
Sir, I mentioned before
that I didn't take to nursing, remember?
Aye, but you just stood there, frozen,
as if you'd never been trained at all.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
You're right.
I'm not a nurse.
I padded my CV by using
a friend's experience.
I was just so desperate for work,
I didn't know what else to do.
But if you give me another chance,
I promise I will work twice as hard.
I will work overtime without
pay, I'll I'll do anything.
Please don't fire me.
It's okay.
You've suffered enough.
As long as I can trust that you'll be
transparent with me moving forward,
your job is secure.
Can I trust you, Eleanor?
Yes, sir, absolutely.
Then we won't speak of this again.
And Eleanor?
I don't want you getting
wrapped up in women's nonsense.
If there's anything you need
and you feel uncomfortable
asking one of them,
you come directly to me.
I'll take care of you.
[SOFTLY] Thank you.
[TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES]
[SHARP EXHALE]
BOSS: Beatrice!
Beatrice!
She's in the break room eating lunch.
- BOSS: Beatrice!
- I'll get her.
What's all the yelling about?
I spent the entire morning
going through the Zunwell files.
And I discovered an error. Well,
a pattern of errors, actually.
A pattern that has likely cost
this company thousands of pounds.
And thanks to Eleanor,
I'll be able to put a stop to this
hemorrhaging of funds immediately.
Are you sure?
I spent the entire morning
going over your work.
I apologize.
- I don't know how I missed it.
- I do.
You ignored your colleague,
who was only looking out for you
and this company, might I add.
- It won't happen again.
- [SCOFFS] It sure as hell won't.
From this point on,
Eleanor will crosscheck
all of your accounts
to make sure there are
no further discrepancies.
Of course.
I'll get right on top of it and deliver
all of the files to
Eleanor this evening.
We'll go through them together.
I'll stay late with her.
Right, well, you get started.
But Eleanor won't be staying late
to clean up your mess tonight.
She's having dinner with me.
See you here at 6:30.
[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]
[OFFICE DOOR SHUTS]
ELEANOR: I didn't know what to expect.
But he knew part of my story,
and if I wanted him
to keep it to himself,
I needed to just go
to dinner with him
BUS CONDUCTOR: Wanstead Road.
ELEANOR: and ask questions later.
COVEY: Where have you taken me?
What is this place?
GIBBS: My family's land.
I used to come up here and sit
here every day after school.
Back then, I thought I'd
be a farmer like my dad.
We all thought that.
COVEY: And why did your parents sell it?
We were forced out by a mining company.
Our whole village was.
And nobody knew how to
stop it from happening.
It was humiliating.
Especially for my dad.
It's beautiful.
It's about to be destroyed.
So I wanted to see it
one last time with you.
COVEY: My pa lost everything too.
First his family,
when he went against their
wishes and chose my mom over them.
And then, he lost her as well.
Did she pass?
She left us when I was 11.
Covey,
losing land is one thing,
but losing your mother?
I can't imagine.
Maybe one day, when Bunny
and I become famous swimmers,
she'll show up at one of our
competitions and surprise me.
That's silly, I know.
No, that's
That's not silly.
That's love.
And I know I can't go back and
change what happened to my family,
but when I'm a lawyer,
maybe I can stop that kind of thing
from happening to somebody else.
I believe you will, Gibbs.
I do.
I know you do.
And you are going to be
an amazing mother someday.
The kind of mother you deserved.
[CHUCKLES]
You have the biggest heart.
That's what I love most about you.
And,
I've enjoyed getting to know
you these past few months.
But even more than that
Covey,
may I kiss you?
[LIGHT MUSIC PLAYING]
ELEANOR: Gibbs saw me
for who I really was,
and also for who I wanted to be.
If I had known then
that I'd spend the rest of my
life hiding the girl he loved,
I would've stayed on that
farm with him forever.
[APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS]
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Oh! If it isn't the woman of the hour!
Come, please. Come in!
Oh.
I think I've read every article
written about the train accident.
Do you remember it much
or is it all a blur?
Well, I try not to
think about it too much.
Oh, of course.
My husband told me
about your leg injury.
How are you getting around?
I'm doing much better,
now that I have a job.
Oh, well, not to toot my own horn,
but my keen interest in the accident
is probably what inspired him
to hire you in the first place.
Is that so?
MILDRED: You probably haven't
seen much evidence of it,
but there is a small
Caribbean population here.
We believe it's time our people
start to welcome yours with open arms.
Hiring you is only the beginning.
We'd like to host an event.
In your honor.
For me?
Why?
I mean, thank you.
But why?
MILDRED: To shine a
light on your struggles
as a survivor of that tragic accident,
whilst also celebrating your successes,
like working for the trading company.
What would I have to do?
Tell your story.
Talk about your island upbringing
and your experience
recovering from the accident
while making your way in a foreign land.
We'll invite the press.
They'll be sure to put your
photo and name in the paper.
It'll be a coming-out, if you will.
Oh, I'm not too sure I-I-I
do well under the spotlight.
I tend to clam up.
Nonsense. You're so articulate.
And the press would be
great for the business.
♪
Maybe there's another way we can
acknowledge the good
the company is doing
by trading with the islands,
rather than make it about me.
Smart girl. I think
you're onto something.
We'll broaden our focus.
Yes. It doesn't have to be about you.
We'll make it a fundraiser
in honor of your friend
who passed, Coventina Brown.
[COVEY COUGHING]
Oh, can you imagine being laid
to rest without a headstone?
Nameless! As if the poor
girl didn't exist at all.
It's a travesty our community hasn't yet
raised the funds to purchase one.
You don't have to tell your story,
but you could say a few
words about your friend.
Well, I love it.
[MILDRED LAUGHS]
What do you say, Eleanor?
I'll do it.
Oh, how wonderful!
It would be an honor.
[GLASSES CLINK]
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
Afternoon.
I have a stack of
ledgers I double-checked,
I just need you to sign off.
BOSS: Come in.
Oh, shut the door behind you. Please.
Is everything okay?
I've decided not to hold the fundraiser.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Are you?
Pardon?
You know, I've been thinking
a lot about your story.
How you moved up here to Scotland,
a place where you knew no one,
and how you could've
just returned to England
or the islands after the accident.
To your family, your friends.
Then last night, it all
started to come together.
You lied about your training,
and you're afraid to tell your
story because you're still lying.
You're running from
something, aren't you?
What are you running from?
[VOICE BREAKING] I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry, I never
meant to cause any trouble.
- I'll see myself out.
- It's gonna be okay.
[COVEY BREATHING SHAKILY]
Trust me.
I don't see how.
[SHUSHING]
No, I'm I'm sorry. No.
No. Please stop.
[GRUNTS, SHAKY BREATHS]
[ZIPPER UNZIPPING]
ELEANOR: It was as if everything
had been frozen inside.
The only thing I could control
in that moment was my mind.
So I escaped
as best I could.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
[SINISTER MUSIC PLAYING]
ELEANOR: You grow up thinking that when
someone does something terrible to you,
you will react,
you will fight back,
you will run away.
I had already proven myself
capable of doing this.
[SHARP INHALE]
But this time was different.
LITTLE MAN: Ladies and gentlemen,
raise your glasses, please, for a toast.
To my wife!
[ALL CHEERING]
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS]
[GUESTS CHEER AND APPLAUD]
[BAND PLAYS UPBEAT CALYPSO MUSIC]
[GUESTS CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
I bought us the best suite here
for our first night as man and wife.
I'm looking forward to it.
Aren't you?
I got my eyes and ears
all over this island.
You think I don't know that you've been
sneaking round with Gibbs Grant?
You belong to me now.
Understand?
[CHUCKLES] Forget that boy.
Or he's dead.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Big smile.
[SHUTTER CLICKS]
All right. That's enough.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
- [SONG ENDS]
- [GUESTS APPLAUD]
[BAND PLAYS NEW UPBEAT SONG]
- [PLATES CRASHING]
- [PEOPLE GASPING]
[FOOTSTEPS ECHOING]
[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYING]
[BREATHING SHAKILY]
[PANTING SHARPLY]
[DOOR OPENS]
I tried to warn you.
He started paying extra attention to me
right after my husband left
me and my little boy destitute.
He knew that I needed him.
And when he cornered me,
he knew that no one would
believe me if I told.
That's why he chose you.
Why don't you leave?
[VOICE BREAKING] My son.
I'm not going to dwell on
it for the rest of my life.
I do what I can.
I show up.
I act as if it never happened.
That's what you'll do, Eleanor.
Every day.
Until you really do forget.
But you haven't forgotten.
Have you?
Clean yourself up.
You'll be okay. [SNIFFS]
ELEANOR: Bunny had warned me
that boys only wanted one thing.
Was Gibbs an anomaly?
Was he the only one who saw me,
who wanted more than my body?
[SHARP EXHALE]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]
But it wasn't just Bunny who warned me.
My pa did too.
I saw my pa in that frigid water.
And in that moment, all was forgotten.
I wanted to be with
him, wherever that was.
What would he think if he could
see me in the Scottish sea?
Would he apologize for pushing me away?
Or would Pa wrap his arms around me
and say nothing?
Would he pull me under
and take me back home?
[MUFFLED SCREAMING]
[PEARL GRUNTING]
PEARL: You've always
been a cowardly man, Lin.
But this? [SCOFFS]
I just want a beer. Will you please
PEARL: So you can
drink yourself to death?
No. I don't think I will.
I am done helping you destroy your life.
I didn't wind up on the beach by chance.
I've been looking for you all day.
The police, they think they
know who poisoned Little Man.
Was it that Grant boy?
- Did he turn up?
- PEARL: No.
The man goes by the name Short Shirt.
They aren't sure how he got
to Little Man that night,
but he's down at the station.
- They're questioning him as we speak.
- [LIN SCOFFS]
What's funny?
You.
You pretending to believe
that someone who had nothing
to do with our Covey killed him.
His arrest has cleared your
name for the time being.
If I were you,
I'd do like my wife and
daughter, and disappear.
'Cause I won't be cleaning
up any more of your messes.
No.
You're on your own now.
What, you're quitting?
How will I eat?
[PEARL SCOFFS]
I started working here
for Mathilda.
I stayed for Covey,
so she would have someone.
Someone other than you
to look out for her.
But now,
she's she's dead.
And if you hadn't pissed away
your money, your business,
and your dignity,
she'd still be here.
Mathilda would still be here.
So as much as I pity you, Lin,
I no longer feel
obligated to work for you.
I have to live my own life.
I suggest you do the same.
Now that you,
for some reason,
have a second chance.
[FOOTSTEPS RECEDING]
[ALL THE TIRED HORSES
BY BOB DYLAN PLAYING]
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING UNDER SONG]
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm ♪
ELEANOR: I had tried and
failed to be seen in Scotland.
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
ELEANOR: London wasn't exactly safe,
but it was the devil I knew.
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
ELEANOR: I wasn't the only one there.
I could blend in.
That lasted for a while.
Months, actually.
Until I realized that the
longer you go without being seen,
the smaller and smaller you become,
until there's nothing left.
Until you all but disappear.
PROTESTER [OVER BULLHORN]: Speak
loudly, brothers and sisters!
Let our burdens be known!
For in silence, our pain grows.
CROWD [CHANTING]: We want change!
PROTESTER [OVER BULLHORN]: And
then, I ask, who will save us?
CROWD [CHANTING]: We
will! We want change!
Brothers and sisters,
I ask, who will save us?
ELEANOR: There he was.
- [GIBBS CHANTING "WE WILL!"]
- My past, right in front of me.
ELEANOR: As if I had manifested him.
We will!
ELEANOR: But was it too late?
After everything I'd been through,
I had to ask myself,
did I want to be seen?
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Oooh ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
All the tired horses in the sun ♪
How am I supposed to
get any ridin' done? ♪
Hmm-hoo-ho-hoo ♪
- I can't do this.
- By, stop!
Think about what we just learned.
Mom wasn't an orphan. She had a family.
But there's still so
much that we don't know.
♪
My parents have an expectation
of what their daughter should be
and I will never be that.
Why didn't you come back?
What was I gonna come back to?
♪
For the rest of my life, I'm gonna
keep looking over my shoulder.
None of this makes sense.
I mean, did Dad know any of this?
LYNETTE: Death is a
natural part of life.
What she's done here isn't.
BENNY: I think Mom would
have told both of us
that we are allowed to be angry.
Ma was messy. So are you.
I can't go there.
I have to protect myself.
I need someone who will fight
for what they believe in.
BENNY: I have to be there for my family.
I've already missed so much.
I hope you find the
answers you're looking for.
What aren't you telling us, Coventina?
♪
ELEANOR: You may ask yourselves
if you can ever really know who I am.
So before you go digging into the past,
just know that it might
not be what you expect.
Some secrets are best left buried.
I don't want to put you in any danger.
You need to get out of there now!
♪