Shardlake (2024) s01e03 Episode Script

[wind howls]
[breathes shakily]
[waves crashing]
I swear I could not believe me eyes.
Could not believe my eyes.
Here. Look. See for yourselves.
[horse whinnies]
[whinnies, grunts]
[whinnies]
[crows cawing]
[patient coughs]
[Alice] Good morning, Master Barak.
Did you sleep well?
Master Shardlake is where?
Breakfast, sir. In the refectory.
He is fond of you.
Then he does not know me.
[sighs]
I must apologise.
I should not have said that.
[Guy] Alice?
Brother Mark
has mistaken his bed for a pot.
Perhaps Master Barak
could help you attend to the matter.
[sighs] Another time.
Brother Guy?
Can I ask?
Did you discover the reason why
poor Simon Whelplay did behave as he did?
It is of no concern, Alice.
- May I sit?
- You may.
I've been asked by the abbot to inform you
that Dr Goodhap has departed for London.
His room is empty. His belongings gone.
When was this?
I'm told first light.
You were not told an exact time?
I was not.
The thing I like best about this
monastery is the plentiful food.
It's the fat monks I could do without.
Dr Goodhap has left for London, it seems.
Without permission.
He has?
Says who?
His room is empty.
I take it he did not
inform either of you of his intentions?
Did anyone witness him leaving?
Bugge. The gatekeeper and watchman.
Master Shardlake… [stammers]
…when can I expect
my books to be returned?
When I have finished with them.
They were all in good order, I assure you.
We shall see.
All accounts are good and correct.
No amount of good and correct accounts
are going to save you, Brother Edwig.
You did visit Simon Whelplay at his bed.
To say a prayer, yes. I did.
But you despised the boy.
That is not true.
W-Why pray at his bedside
and not your own? Or at the church?
[clicks tongue]
It is the way of St Donatus.
I hoped he'd be able to join me.
- Which he did.
- He was awake?
Yes.
And we did pray together.
Is that all? Am I free to go?
You are.
But do not wander.
Do not overreact, Jack.
I need us both to be clear-minded.
But there has been another murder.
- Who?
- The novice. Simon Whelplay.
Who did fall and crack his skull?
After ingesting a poison.
Ingesting it?
By another's hand.
Laying in the infirmary.
It's Brother Guy.
It's Guy who did discover the poison.
He could easily have kept it secret.
What puzzles me most
is why every senior brother
decided they must attend
the bedside of a novice.
A boy that they had persecuted for weeks,
months before.
If you believe there are answers
in Brother Edwig's accounts,
let us now walk to the stables
and return to the village.
We should press the Justice Copynger.
Five days is too long.
If Singleton was onto something,
we need to act fast.
We have time yet.
Cromwell will not see it that way.
I have been mentally compiling
a list of all anomalies and unknowns.
What, where, why.
What was the boy, Simon Whelplay,
trying to tell me through his fever?
We will never know.
Where lies the relic and the sword?
They must be somewhere.
The sword especially is key.
It's lost to the marshlands.
Why was there
an absence of bloody footprints
when Brother Guy did enter the kitchens?
[Jerome] Two birds together.
The one from Peruland and the peacock.
I shall to check on the horses.
You have barely eaten.
[wind howls]
How can I help you, sir?
We have been taking
good care of the horses.
Sir?
What's this?
Master Bugge?
Yes.
Yeah.
You're the watchman.
The gatekeeper.
Yeah, I am. You know I am.
So tell me… [sighs] …at what time
did you open the gate
allowing Dr Goodhap to leave?
It wasn't quite first light,
but the sun was getting there.
[shushes]
So what time?
Is this a game, sir?
Your last chance.
You think carefully on your answer.
My sword can hear a lie,
and it will respond.
[gulps] I did open the gate for
the doctor just before 6:00.
At first light.
- That is a lie!
- It's the truth!
Look, his stallion's gone.
Master Shardlake, please!
- I swear.
- Jack, lower your sword.
This wretch is lying to me!
Master Barak, lower your sword.
[Barak sighs]
[scoffs]
[pants]
[pants]
[grunts] Jack!
Jack, what is it?
- [stammers] Speak your mind.
- We cannot fail.
And we are failing.
- That is not the case.
- They're laughing at us.
- They're all making fools of us.
- Jack.
No. I will not have
Goodhap and his kind crowing.
Jack. We are close. Believe me.
What if God is with them after all?
No.
No. Listen to yourself.
Listen to what you are saying.
We are close.
This is how an investigation does form.
I cannot go back to what I was.
I will not go back.
When will you accept
that we must find our own truth?
Jack.
We have stirred the waters,
and the answers are there. Swirling.
We are close, Jack!
[breathes shakily]
[sighs]
[Whelplay] Just something I made, sir.
[wind howls]
[choir harmonising]
[birds chirping]
Do you wish to know what I'm doing?
I'm following
Simon Whelplay's instruction.
I'm looking exactly
where he wanted me to look.
Its waters are deep enough
and dark enough to be used as a chest.
Temporary or otherwise.
You, Jack Barak,
shall now search that chest.
- Oh, I shall search it?
- Yes. You.
You should undo your boots and whatnot.
[stammers] W-Why me?
Because I am prone to a chill.
[scoffs]
And, regrettably, you are taller.
I shall hold the pole.
Oh.
[sighs] Well, how deep is it?
It is a pond. Not a lake. Not a sea.
But how deep is it in the middle?
Where an item is more likely to be tossed.
It is a pond.
- Do you swim?
- Not in the depth of winter.
Shall we wait for spring?
[chuckles]
It might be my imagination,
but I swear I saw something.
Something bright possibly.
If only the sun would catch it.
Master Barak?
What is it you are doing?
Master Barak is about to search the pond.
You should keep your boots on your feet,
Master Barak.
Objects found in that pond over the
years have been many and varied, I'm sure.
Ignore him.
Your feet must become your hands.
And there are carp.
[grunts]
[grunts]
Ooh.
For balance.
[grunts]
Feel with your feet.
[grunts]
My feet are sinking into the silt.
[grunts] Must be six inches.
It's deeper than I thought.
The item I thought I saw must be close.
Tread carefully.
Can you feel it?
[grunts] I cannot.
Wait.
Wait, wait, there could be something.
Do you dare to go under?
[groans]
Whatever he has found,
the silt will not let it go.
By Jesu, it's the sword.
- [exhales sharply]
- [Shardlake] It must be.
- [Barak groans]
- [sighs] Good find.
[pants]
Well done, Jack Barak. Well done.
We have a breakthrough.
[grunts]
Outsiders, indeed.
Would an outsider have
left his sword behind him?
He would not.
Never.
It's an important find.
As Mortimus of Kelso will be aware.
It's my robe.
It carries the sacrist's badge.
It's-- It's mine.
I left it with the launderer
to be cleaned.
It was never returned.
I thought it to be stolen.
For-For-For winter warmth.
You left it to be laundered when?
It was the day
that Master Singleton arrived.
The sword I have never seen.
I've never so much
as held a sword in my entire life.
Not even as a boy.
We would make do with sticks.
Take hold of it now.
Go on. [sniffs]
[Barak] Ooh.
It's heavy?
[chuckles] One hand, yes.
Two hands, it's easier.
It's an odd sensation.
Now show us how you took off
Master Singleton's head.
You are capable.
You have the strength
the murderer did require.
That I cannot change.
The novice, Simon Whelplay.
He knew the pond held a secret.
[sighs] Wh-- How is that possible?
Could he be the murderer I am seeking?
Simon? Never.
[chuckles]
I say that without hesitation. Never.
Not even a reluctant killer,
executing the orders of another?
No. No. He would not. Could not.
He did not have the strength.
More than that,
he was a boy with a good heart.
He was capable of love.
And yet I only looked to the pond
because he sent me there.
I can only conclude
that he knew what was hidden.
I am not investigating
the deeds of outsiders.
You must see this now. You know this.
Is there anything more you know?
Help me.
Lord Cromwell shall hear of it.
There's nothing more I can tell you.
[crows cawing]
[Abbot Fabian] Drain the pond, he says.
Like it's a simple feat.
Please tell me Master Bugge
did not drop Dr Goodhap into the waters.
- He did not.
- Thank the Lord.
The good doctor
is at peace in the marshlands.
I did say a prayer for his soul.
I cannot help but wonder who did slay him.
Who?
Who amongst us?
Abbot, we must persevere.
- We are not done yet.
- Not yet.
He has found the sword.
[Mortimus] He has found a sword.
Which could have been lying
in the silt for many years.
And that is what we must claim.
'Tis a sword from nowhere.
Its owner unknown.
He will find something more.
Thomas Cromwell demands it.
There can be no surrender.
What else is there for us
besides St Donatus?
[footsteps approaching]
A warming drink for you.
Thank you.
That's gold upon the handle?
It is. It's a handsome piece.
[Alice] Impressive.
[Barak] It's a gentleman's sword.
Unlike my own. [chuckles]
How could it have ended up in a monastery?
Why are you not married?
Why do you believe
it's your business to know?
[chuckles] It's not my business,
but it is a puzzle.
I was to marry.
But he died.
Suddenly. And without warning.
[inhales sharply]
And soon after,
my mother succumbed to her own illness.
And that's when I came here.
Where I'm surrounded by monks.
- I do not wish to marry a monk.
- [chuckles]
Why are you not married?
[stammers] That is a puzzle.
Handsome pup like myself.
[chuckles]
The truth?
Yes.
[sighs]
I'm an impostor.
I call myself an emissary of the king.
Cromwell's man.
I dress in what I consider
to be fine clothes,
but I'm always a breath away from rags.
A wife, therefore, is out of the question.
Until when?
Until I have the money saved.
Until I find someone I cannot do without.
It's an interesting and admirable truth,
Master Barak.
Jack.
I've met fine and honest people
who've had no choice but to dress in rags.
As well as liars and cowards
cloaked in finery.
Same.
My lady.
My lady.
[thunder rumbling]
[thunderclap]
We shall soon need torches,
Brother Mortimus. I shall see to it.
Do that.
Didn't I just say that I would?
[sniffles]
[bell tolling]
It is a fine sword.
Well balanced.
Made by a craftsman, most definitely,
who would leave his mark.
- Which he did.
- [clicks tongue] So he did.
"JS 1507."
Hmm. And an effigy.
Four pointed towers.
Is this the sword that killed
Robin Singleton?
- It must be.
- Without a doubt.
An important find.
And something Goodhap
will not know and cannot tell.
[groans]
You did well.
How are you feeling?
Drier. [chuckles]
Warmer.
You have not been your annoying,
cocksure self today.
- [chuckles]
- Why's that?
I must be missing the stench of London.
[sighs] Nothing more.
The draining of the pond,
it'll take how long?
Some hours yet.
[Barak] What about the poor fish?
[chuckles] There are buckets. And bellies.
[chuckles]
And what is it you're hoping to find?
Is it the relic?
No. I am hoping to not find the relic.
See, the brethren of St Donatus
would cast a sword into the water,
but the hand of the Penitent Thief?
Never.
[groans] We will find whatever it is
Simon Whelplay intends for us to find.
Sword may be all there is.
I salute your cleverness,
Master Shardlake.
And sadly there are times
I would exchange such cleverness
for the ability to wear a fancy codpiece.
[thunder rumbles]
[sighs]
- [horse groans, whinnies]
- [Shardlake mutters]
[Alice] Your supper, Lord Abbot.
I shall leave it on the table.
Have I not treated you well, Alice?
You have, sir, yes.
Have I not dealt
with the would-be molesters?
You have.
I have.
It is my duty.
Should you be asked,
please tell that to the crookback.
Yes, sir.
[Shardlake] Stop now. Stop the work.
There. There is something there. A form.
Bring me a bucket of clear water.
And a torch.
Give me some light here.
This is a woman's necklace.
Fetch Brother Guy. And a stretcher.
We remove this poor creature
carefully and respectfully.
- [breathes deeply]
- [footsteps approaching]
The senior brethren are here.
Step inside, please.
Close the door.
She was the first.
This pendant would have
been given as a gift.
Representing love.
From a mother, father, swain.
And worn with pride because she was loved.
She had value.
This death has angered me.
As long as it does not distract you.
[door closes]
[Guy] I have examined the body carefully.
From the height, size,
the length of the remaining hair,
and from the chain found around her neck,
it can only be my former assistant.
The girl named Orphan Stonegarden.
Each of you knew this poor girl,
of course.
She was a thief, sir.
And this was her punishment?
Not at all. She must have
stumbled and fell, or some such.
Perhaps it was the stones in her pockets
that did cause her to stumble.
It was thought she had stolen
two golden chalices and fled.
They were of some value
and remain missing.
Brother Guy, can you remind us
of the cause of her death?
Her neck is broken.
She was murdered, weighted,
tossed in the water, and forgotten.
Within this house of God.
God's punishment perhaps.
How dare you!
Is it not enough for you that she is dead?
Must you continue to trail her
through the dirt?
I beg your pardon, sir.
It was thought she was a thief.
This discovery pains me
as much as any man.
So what of these golden chalices
that she did steal? Where are they?
They are not in the fish pond.
They are not in her pockets.
If these objects remain missing,
it is the man who killed her
who is the thief.
And I shall tell you all now.
There are three murders to consider.
Three?
There is Robin Singleton,
Orphan Stonegarden and Simon Whelplay.
The novice fell. People saw it.
The novice was poisoned.
- He fell.
- Brother Guy?
It is true.
Belladonna was found in his gut.
The boy fell, and the boy died.
That is what happened.
Well, before he died,
he dared to tell me a secret.
What secret is this?
We are looking at her.
Simon knew where she lay.
He told me he warned her of danger.
Those were his exact words. He knew.
It is my summation that whoever killed
this girl did also kill Simon Whelplay.
Preposterous.
Lord Abbot Fabian,
I hereby invite you to surrender
the Monastery of St Donatus,
its land, and its entire wealth
to the Crown of King Henry.
In return, all brethren shall receive
their due pension in full.
Master Shardlake,
a pension is a meal a day.
[Shardlake] And my work will be done.
Bodies shall be buried.
I cannot disagree with you
about this poor wretch being murdered.
She lies here before us.
I remember her
as a pleasant and pretty girl.
But many men did come in the time
she was here. Many men.
Monks, travellers, servants, tradesmen.
You cannot say with any certainty that we,
St Donatus, are responsible for her death.
Nor can you say it was a poison
that did kill Simon Whelplay
when you yourself witnessed his fall.
And his death did follow that fall.
What was the cause of death, Brother Guy?
A-A broken neck, my Lord Abbot.
Which leaves us
with the murder of Robin Singleton
to which I say again, we are innocent.
- There are no swords kept in this house.
- We have found a sword.
[Abbot Fabian] Belonging to whom?
You do not know.
Abbot Fabian,
do you voluntarily surrender to King Henry
the lands and wealth of St Donatus?
I do not.
And you cannot force closure.
Nor have I any good reason
to surrender closure.
Then my investigation shall continue.
And I promise you, all of you,
men shall hang.
Master Shardlake,
I would wish to speak with you.
In private.
In private, Brother Gabriel?
We are brethren, you can speak freely now.
Thank you, Abbot.
But I would prefer greater privacy.
This is a confession I must make.
[breathes shakily]
[Gabriel] This girl, Orphan,
she arrived some years ago.
She did her work well,
but she was never happy.
[Shardlake] Why was she never happy?
[Gabriel] She was bothered. Continually.
Women, they tempt men.
As Adam was tempted by Eve.
And who exactly
did bother this young girl?
I will need names.
I will not do that.
Several monks were named as molesters,
both senior and less senior.
The abbot warned each of them.
Sternly.
And his words had effect?
Yes. He is the abbot.
I'm telling you this
because temptation is one thing,
and to molest a certain wrong,
but to kill?
Murder?
I cannot believe
any of my brethren capable.
And yet she is dead.
[sighs]
Imagine the terror.
The fear she must have endured.
I am to blame as much as any man.
For I did nothing.
I stood by in silence whilst
knowing she lived a life of misery.
[sighs]
[Shardlake] This is not what you promised.
Did promise?
A confession you said.
Help her now.
What do you know?
I know she did speak often with Simon.
I can believe he would watch for her.
It is therefore possible
he might know who killed her.
It's possible that knowledge
did cost him his life.
Then you agree it can only be someone
from within and still present.
This is why I struggle.
To reconcile the act of murder
with one of my brethren.
What twisted and broken soul
in search of his God--
[grunts, pants]
- Help! Somebody help me!
- [straining, groaning]
[Shardlake] Help!
[choking, gasping]
[choking, gasping continues]
[Abbot Fabian speaking in Latin]
[door opens]
[wind howls]
[Barak groans]
I must return to London.
[groans, chuckles]
You must return.
You shall remain here
and await news of the land sales.
Hell's teeth, you foolish man.
We cannot move for the dead,
and yet you harp on about land sales.
I do.
They remain our best and possibly
only chance of success and closure.
The order of St Donatus must be
proven to be guilty of doing wrong.
Who was the intended target,
you or Brother Gabriel?
[sighs] I have no idea.
Well, what did he tell you?
He reaffirmed his faith in St Donatus,
monasteries, and monks.
And was then silenced
before another word was spoken.
And now you must return to London. Why?
I should find the owner of the sword,
and to do that, I must return to the city.
Whilst I sit here
awaiting news of land sales.
It's not the most exciting task,
but it is important.
Lands are being sold,
monies gathered, but why?
I am hopeful.
Is that Jerome's writings you're holding?
- It is.
- [sighs] I did advise you to burn it.
It paints a poor picture of Lord Cromwell.
It is treacherous even.
It's not safe to hold that. It's not safe
to even admit it was ever written.
Do you believe it's true?
I do not.
I do not know of its existence.
[chuckles]
He will be here by now, Cromwell's lawyer.
He was seen on the road.
He must not see these remaining
receipts for the full five days.
- As agreed.
- I shall keep one and one only.
He will not complain.
Thank you, sir.
- [people chattering]
- [dogs barking]
[patrons chattering]
Arranging passage will not be
a problem, sir. Consider it done.
She sails with the tide
just over an hour from now.
You'll be in London in half the time.
Excellent. Thank you.
- It'll be my pleasure.
- And the receipts for the land sales?
Will be here soon as promised.
Of that, I am certain.
[inhales sharply] Do you know
somewhere in town I can stable my horse?
There are good stalls
at the rear of the church.
He will be well taken care of.
- Uh, she is a mare. Chancery.
- Ah.
I shall see to it myself.
- A good evening to you, Master Copynger.
- And to you, sir.
I shall be gone for a matter of days,
my girl.
- [whinnies]
- You shall be well fed.
- Be certain of that.
- [grunts]
And not once do you complain.
Not once have you ever let me down.
You shall have company.
This charming stallion.
I have seen you before, have I not?
You're Goodhap's mount.
Then where is your master?
[choir harmonising]
[harmonising continues]
- [sighs]
- [footsteps approaching]
Brother Guy's at prayer still.
And will be for some time, yes.
Master Shardlake's taken himself
away to London for a few days.
Why's that? Can you say?
To identify the owner of the sword.
So, you see, Alice, I'm all alone.
- [giggles]
- We're all alone.
[sighs]
Yesterday I said that he was fond of you.
Master Shardlake.
You did.
Even if that were true,
puzzled as to why
you'd betray his feelings.
Because they are my feelings.
This monastery will close. It must.
I worry what will happen to you.
Where will you go?
- You worry for me?
- [chuckles] Yes.
I am fond of you…
more.
Are your feelings true, sir,
or are you simply alone?
I say they are true.
What do you say?
I say you should close your door.
How is it?
Oh, I am grateful for it, Master Copper.
- It's lacking meat.
- Yes, and flavour.
[both chuckle]
We'll sail through the night,
but we shall land you
right in the stinking heart of London.
How many passengers have you had
these past weeks, Master Copper?
I've not had a passenger in months, sir.
And tonight,
as you can now see, I have two.
Master Shardlake, this is Master Crowe.
- Pleasure, Master Shardlake.
- Likewise.
In addition, I was asked
to carry a horse this very journey.
Declined.
The beast would've been distressed.
Quite.
He would've been
shitting and pissing all over my decks.
- You declined.
- I did.
You were asked to carry only a horse?
No rider? For what purpose?
Sell, sir. Told the old abbey-lubber
to do his own selling.
The horse belonged
to a person of the monastery?
"Belonged", you say.
- That is one explanation.
- [sailor] Master Copper!
If you will excuse me.
You had business in Scarnsea?
I did not. I have business in London.
Private business.
Of course.
[sighs] I don't know why I'm eating this.
I know I shall lose it.
A sailor, I am not.
[thunder rumbles]
[people chattering]
[groans]
[grunting]