Shardlake (2024) s01e04 Episode Script

[people chattering]
[groaning, wincing]
What is this? God's blood. This-- Shit.
[bystander] I fear
they took your boots, sir.
They took your boots.
Yes, I can see they took my boots.
And your purse, no doubt.
[grunts]
[bystander] Petty thieves.
Whereas the man that attacked you
did steal nothing but your time.
Curious.
[bell tolling]
[Shardlake panting]
[Shardlake] I was travelling
back from the docks, Joan.
Sat on the back of a cart
like a sack of apples.
And I looked out at the people,
all their lives.
And yes, I saw poverty, desperation.
But I also saw purpose within the people.
Course you saw purpose, sir.
They will need to find a crust.
They will need fuel for the fire.
My point being that our reformations
can only aid this purpose.
If you say so, sir.
We are taking wealth away
from where it is wasted
and bringing it to those who need it.
This time next year, we shall see
a better London, better England.
If only you were in command, sir.
Yes. [chuckles] Imagine.
I hear doubt in your voice, Joan.
You hear stories, sir. That is all.
And desperation is
the reason you were beaten.
[Jerome] The charge of adultery with
that poor boy Smeaton was an invention.
Cromwell's invention.
[Smeaton] Save my soul.
Please.
[Smeaton breathing shakily]
My lies did kill Queen Anne.
[groans]
[Shardlake] Matthew Shardlake
to see Oldknoll, Tower Armourer.
- King's Commissioner.
- Yes, sir.
[prisoners shouting]
[goats bleating]
Is this witchcraft, Master Oldknoll?
Your watchmen appear
to have transformed into goats.
- [chuckles] Master Shardlake!
- [laughs]
- It is good to see you, sir.
- Hello.
Reciprocated, my friend.
I assume these creatures are feed
for the king's lions.
They are.
The beasts do enjoy their meat fresh.
Not unlike Lord Cromwell.
I fear I too shall become feed
if you cannot help me, sir.
If I can.
I've come to pick your brain. [groans]
I am keen to discover the origins
of this sword.
Mmm. Let me take a look at it
in the light.
It is a fine example.
- [Shardlake] Yes.
- Where did you find?
A fish pond within a monastery.
Hmm.
- You see the little castle stamped there?
- [Shardlake] Mmm.
That indicates that the maker
was trained in Toledo, Spain.
So the owner is Spanish? A Moor, perhaps?
Mmm, not necessarily.
You see, many foreigners
go to learn weaponry at Toledo,
including Englishmen.
I had no idea.
Although not anymore.
Not since the religious changes.
We are no longer welcome. Bastards.
The castle is the fortress at Alcázar.
The maker has taken it as his mark,
and these are his initials.
Huh.
"JS".
Definitely an Englishman.
You know him?
I do, sadly. He has been dead a year
or more. John Smeaton.
Smeaton? Are you sure?
I am.
The father of Anne Boleyn's lover,
Mark Smeaton.
God's blood.
The poor man had a seizure
two days after his son's execution.
The son killed the father is what I say.
[sighs]
Still, it is a fine sword nonetheless.
It has a fair price.
- It is of value?
- It is.
Then it would've been
passed down. Inherited.
I imagine so.
An important reveal, is it, sir?
[bell tolling]
[chattering]
[person] Ah, Master Shardlake, sir.
My Lord Cromwell asks that you wait.
Really? Did you explain that
I have sailed through the night?
He is with the Duke of Norfolk.
- Norfolk?
- Indeed.
But how? Why?
[stammers] Norfolk is anti-reformist,
anti everything we are for.
I am not a man for idle talk, sir,
but as the monasteries close,
wealth shall become available.
I did not say that.
Yeah, and I did not hear it, I wish.
If they do not kill each other…
Then I shall wait.
[person] Mmm.
[sighs]
[sighs]
[Gabriel] If we put our faith
in greed and not God,
is it any wonder
dark events have followed?
Master Shardlake, sir. Master Shardlake.
Your Grace.
Ah, crookback lawyer.
He remembered my name. How noble.
[person] You should go in, sir.
[Shardlake] I thought it best
I brought it to your attention.
The author of these assertions
is a Carthusian monk.
Cousin to the Queen Jane.
Ally of the Duke of Norfolk perhaps.
I am not concerned with the musings
of a Carthusian monk,
and Queen Jane's family
now all look to my favour.
What concerns me, Matthew,
is Scarnsea
and this still unsolved murder.
Unsolved murders, my Lord.
There are now two further killings
I have discovered,
both of which are unrelated
to the death of Master Singleton,
but they remain a distraction
you will appreciate.
It is quite a puzzle.
Added to that, a monk was killed
with a bolt on the day of my departure.
A puzzle, he says. [chuckles]
Hell's teeth, man.
In just days,
I am due to meet with the king.
He knows nothing of the first murder,
and now you say there are more?
- Unconnected.
- [Cromwell] Further,
he will expect not a letter of rambling
accusations, but a letter of surrender.
He will expect St Donatus
to belong to the Crown. It does not!
But it will, my Lord.
I-I am convinced it will.
This, in fact, is the sword
that did kill Robin Singleton.
Its maker is John Smeaton,
father of Mark Smeaton.
It is, therefore, possible
that Robin Singleton was murdered
in an act of revenge for his involvement
in the conviction
and execution of Mark Smeaton.
The motive is established.
The culprit will follow.
I shall investigate
Smeaton's friends and family.
Smeaton had no family. He had no friends.
His father is now dead.
He has an older and infirm sister.
That is it.
But you know this, my Lord?
I know this.
Singleton did know this,
and now you know this.
You will ignore Smeaton.
Ignore his family.
Robin Singleton's killer
could easily have been this monk.
The man killed by a bolt, could it not?
The letter of surrender.
When will I have it?
Within days, my Lord.
I return to Scarnsea this evening by ship.
Forgive me, my Lord.
I now find myself curious.
I do not understand your ambivalence
to these accusations. Jerome's writings.
I thought them important. Serious.
[inhales deeply]
It is nothing we have not heard before
and will no doubt hear again.
What matters, Matthew, is the truth.
True, my Lord.
Perhaps Robin Singleton
did indeed choose Mark Smeaton
because he was without family.
Because he was weak.
Choose, my Lord?
Weak enough to falsely confess
to the bedding of Anne Boleyn,
and… [chuckles] …handsome enough
for men to believe it.
You look shocked, Matthew.
No.
No, speak.
My Lord, if what you suggest is true,
that Smeaton was indeed chosen,
that would mean he was innocent.
Anne Boleyn was innocent.
It would.
But I do not suggest it.
They were guilty. Both.
Yes. I believe the charges were true.
I have said so many times.
Precisely, Matthew. Reformers must reform.
We must.
And the truth must be
what we want it to be.
Yes. Of course. I see.
Now, complete your task.
My Lord.
Norfolk is confident you will succeed.
He is?
He's greedy for his share.
We may need him.
Something to say? Something more, Matthew?
Simply gathering my thoughts, my Lord.
Then be gone, and do not fail me.
Or we shall see if we can straighten
that back of yours.
- [chuckles]
- My Lord.
Bye, Matthew.
- [bell tolling]
- [people chattering]
[people chattering]
[dog barks]
[patrons chattering]
[Norfolk] How is your head?
You did suffer a blow to the head,
I'm told.
Ah.
Master Crowe, my fellow ship's passenger.
He is your man?
So, you did seek to delay me, not kill me.
Well, you appear sharp enough.
So all is well and good.
It would seem so.
I have spoken to Cromwell, as you know,
regarding the monastery's wealth.
We have agreed. I have a claim.
You are almost there, I believe.
Almost where, my Lord?
Your instinct regarding the land sales
is interesting.
Make sure you pursue that.
You deserve some success, some credit.
My Lord,
may I ask you a dangerous question?
Anne Boleyn.
Do you believe her innocent or guilty?
She is dead. She is in the past.
But her memory…
She was your niece.
I have many nieces.
The king believes her guilty.
I shall pursue the land sales, my Lord.
They will be my priority.
May I leave now, my Lord?
Mmm.
I would never describe
Anne Boleyn as innocent.
[Annie] Tomorrow,
I will be in the market square.
Tell everyone about Tabitha,
the English-speaking bird from the Indies,
brought from Peruland.
[Shardlake] Cromwell speaks, and I repeat.
[Annie]
Bring all your friends and your money.
Or I do not repeat.
It is always a pleasure to see you,
Master Shardlake, but twice in one day?
My apologies.
[Oldknoll] The day you will be
searching for is May 1536, the 16th.
You do not forget
when a queen of England is in the Tower.
The 16th, you are correct.
Heavens, there he is. Jerome of London.
And Mark Smeaton.
His visitors that day were,
well, Master Singleton was the first,
and another marked "relative"
and another marked "priest".
No names.
God's blood,
it is that damn fool Fletcher.
He doesn't ever ask for a name.
It is as though "relative" is
the only word he can write.
- I will need the name of this relative…
- [sighs]
…and I will need to know if this priest
was, in fact, a monk or some such.
The relative was a woman, sir. I was here.
A woman, you say?
Yes, sir.
Smeaton had an older, infirm sister.
Did you get a look at her?
I saw her only briefly, sir,
as she turned that corner.
A woman's skirts and headscarf.
And she came to visit Smeaton. Definitely.
And the priest?
I did not see a priest.
They were not together.
Master Oldknoll, I need you
to contact your man Fletcher urgently.
If he does not know the name of these
visitors, he is to at least describe them.
He is to write all this down.
Friend, if you could take these coins
and arrange a fast rider.
He is to find me
at St Donatus Monastery, Scarnsea.
- Leaving this night?
- This very night.
I will see it is done, sir.
And, uh, finally, if you could ensure
that there is no mention of my visit here
this evening on the record?
What visit was that, sir?
You will step aside.
Seize him.
What is this?
Take your hands off me.
Take your hands off me!
Damn you, speak!
I am a commissioner of the king.
No, I am Cromwell's man!
[shouting]
[grunting]
[screams]
This is a mistake!
[shouts] I'm Cromwell's man!
I am Cromwell's man!
No! Please! Please!
[screaming]
No! [sobs]
[screaming]
Please! [groans]
[gasps, panting]
[ship creaking]
[wind whistling]
[Barak]
I came here looking to find a killer,
but instead, I found you.
[Alice] Lord Cromwell
won't be best pleased.
[Barak] Nah, he's married.
He'll understand.
[Alice] You're loyal to him?
I am.
Always.
What?
- Is this a game for you, Jack Barak?
- [chuckles]
Am I just your amusement
until it's time for you to leave?
This is no game.
Nor for me.
I did not believe I could feel like this.
Oh. Nor I.
And now it's time for me
to leave this bed.
- Why?
- [groans]
My belly demands it.
I'm hungry, and not just for you.
- [Barak growling]
- [Alice chuckling]
[wind whistling]
[groans]
[sighs]
[wind whistling]
[creaking]
One way in. One way out.
No bloody footprints.
[people chattering]
[footsteps approaching]
[stammering] God.
[muttering]
Ah! Master Shardlake,
what a pleasant surprise.
A glass of wine to toast your safe return?
The receipts for the land sales.
I shall take them now.
Of course. They arrived just this morning.
I am tired and angry, sir.
Do not waste my time.
Sir, what is this? I would never--
The Duke of Norfolk. His man, Crowe,
he has had sight of these receipts, yes?
- Certain-- Yes.
- [Shardlake] Do not lie to me.
And they were in your possession
before I left for London.
Sir, please.
I was threatened with my life, sir.
Sir, please.
Be thankful I understand.
It is difficult to serve
both Norfolk and Cromwell.
Most difficult.
The receipts, please.
[Copynger] Yes, sir.
Thank you, Master Shardlake.
I swear, my heart is with Lord Cromwell.
I-It is clear there has been
significant invention, shall we say.
Dishonest errors. [sighs]
You have studied these yourself?
Have you spoken with anyone
of what you've seen?
I've not, sir. Not a word.
[Shardlake] Keep it that way.
[horse whinnies]
[bell ringing]
Master Shardlake's coming.
Master Shardlake!
[Bugge sighs]
M-Master Shardlake, sir.
It's good to see you made it back safe.
You'll be relieved to hear
that nobody else has died.
Not so much as a cough.
You would stable both horses,
Master Bugge.
I will, sir. I'll see they're both fed.
Has there been a letter delivered
from London?
No, sir. Should I expect such a letter?
You will inform me as soon as it arrives,
regardless of the hour.
That understood?
- Understood, sir.
- But before you do anything,
you will tell me exactly
what has happened to Dr Goodhap.
Is that understood?
[Barak] You're very pretty,
Alice Fewterer.
[Alice giggles]
How'd you do it?
Even when you're speaking
about these infested sores,
I am…
I am completely lost in you.
[Alice giggles] Thank you, Master Barak.
And I must say,
you're approaching handsome yourself.
- [chuckling] I'm approaching handsome?
- [chuckles]
You've returned.
I have.
Seems I've been away
much longer than I'd thought.
[footsteps departing]
[Barak sighs]
I should speak to him.
You should.
[sighs]
[knocks on door]
[door opens]
Successful journey?
An interesting journey.
Though perhaps
not as interesting as your own.
What are your intentions?
To bed her,
then leave her carrying your bastard?
My intention is to marry her.
I am surprised.
[Barak] She is a good woman.
Oh, you disagree?
I do not.
The further answer
to your original question,
it was a successful journey.
I am now fairly confident
as to who did kill Orphan Stonegarden
and, therefore, Simon Whelplay.
I am awaiting a letter.
This will give me the name
of the person who killed Robin Singleton.
You have been busy.
Yes.
You gonna share these names?
I did also come across the stallion
belonging to Dr Goodhap in Scarnsea.
Then he must have found a ship.
There is but only one ship,
and he did not find it.
Are his whereabouts important?
They are a question for another time.
What is important for you and I
is the surrender of St Donatus.
I shall confront the abbot
and his brethren at supper.
You shall wear your sword and be ready.
Now, if you would leave me.
I need to rest. Prepare.
Then I shall see you at supper.
[grunts]
[sighs]
His intention is to marry her, Matthew.
Master Singleton.
You're the reason I'm here,
but I care about you the least.
[scoffs]
Do you believe I had a choice, Matthew?
I am a bird from Peruland
who merely repeats the message I am given
until the day I die.
I have answers for you all.
Here he comes. His arms are full.
I'd like to believe he has nothing to say.
Why does he carry your books,
Brother Edwig? Are they of importance?
[Edwig] He will be returning them finally.
They're in good order.
You know,
I remember my first meal in this hall.
It was good, hearty food.
Plentiful.
And yet, an already sickly boy
stood starving by the fire.
That boy is now dead.
Poisoned.
Murdered by a fellow brother.
Someone in this hall.
You cannot say that with any certainty,
so why say it, sir?
Simon Whelplay was killed because
he himself was witness to a murder.
"He was not the first", he said.
Meaning Robin Singleton
was not the first to die here.
"I did warn her".
"She was in danger", he said.
But she too was killed.
With no one to pray for her soul
but a penniless boy.
And by placing his cross on the water,
Simon Whelplay directed me to the pond.
And there we found her.
The first.
We found poor, defenceless girl,
Orphan Stonegarden,
who was murdered because she would
not succumb to a monk's advances.
His lust.
And so he broke her neck.
Tossed her away. Fish food.
This brother is the reason
St Donatus will be pulled to the ground.
Abbot Fabian, you have in front of you
a letter of surrender.
It will require your seal.
Do you have it on your person?
Master Shardlake,
even if what you say is true,
which I doubt,
an entire Benedictine house cannot be
held responsible for the sins of one man.
There has been no slight against King,
his church, nor his laws.
We remain compliant.
I have not finished.
You see, no man would wish to spend
an eternity in the fires of hell.
And this murderous brother is the same.
Only God can save him now.
He needs an abundance of prayer.
Masses. An entire congregation.
The voices of thousands praying for him
over and over. Saving his soul.
And for that, he needs gold.
You may well be compliant, sir.
In all but one field.
And that is the sale of land
belonging to the monastery,
and the taxes paid upon those sales.
Again I must disagree.
I have personally ensured that all
necessary taxes have been paid in full.
That is not the case.
I present as evidence deeds of sale.
One, two, three, four.
Four occasions on which land has been sold
for amounts far in excess of that declared
in the monastery's accounts.
Hundreds and hundreds of pounds
siphoned and hidden from the Crown.
That cannot be true.
Hundreds of pounds stolen from the king.
Never.
Edwig, tell him. This would never happen.
And this, disgracefully,
is the reason St Donatus will close.
Not because of the slaughter of innocents,
and I include Brother Gabriel in that.
But because of the theft
of the king's taxes.
Well, hurrah and hooray, Master Shardlake.
- [Shardlake] It is definite.
- Brother Edwig.
And it is irreversible.
Edwig.
Say something!
Explain how this mistake was made.
Brother Edwig?
You appear unwell.
If I may see the deeds in question.
[Shardlake] You may continue
with the pretence if you wish,
but you know them to be true.
[sighs]
Yeah.
I see the error clearly.
The mistake made
is that we abandoned our church
and our God.
And we did follow the liar and adulterer
that is King Henry!
[shouting]
- Stop him! Stop him now!
- [grunting]
Abbot Fabian, the capture of that man
is your responsibility.
No person is to leave,
and no person is to enter
this hell on earth.
[grunting]
[panting, grunts]
[panting]
[grunts]
[panting]
[bell ringing]
[Bugge] Open the gates!
[gatekeeper] Open the gates!
[panting]
Quickly! That way!
Spread out! Spread out!
Master Bugge,
are the gates locked and secure?
The gates are always locked and secure.
What is all this?
Spread out!
[monks shouting]
Master Shardlake, sir.
Master Shardlake.
The messenger did arrive. He is resting.
Is it the news you were hoping for, sir?
It is, Master Bugge.
Are we no more, sir?
St Donatus?
That is correct.
[monk shouts in distance]
[panting]
He's gone.
He cannot have gone far.
We'll let the monks find him.
It is their pensions that will be lost.
And bring Alice to my room.
Bring her to your room? Why?
Well, then bring her to your room.
The sword belongs to her.
I have my proof.
[sniffs]
[breathes shakily]
Now find me Brother Edwig.
Dead or alive, I do not care which.
Is this happening all over England?
Houses closing? A way of life erased?
It will, and it is.
Our purpose is to remain close to God,
nothing more.
That is what you're denying.
God is within us, Brother Mortimus.
I can say no more.
[breathes shakily]
[whimpers]
[panting, whimpering]
There is a ship
that sails to France each month.
I've thought often of taking it.
It leaves tonight.
We could go, Jack. You and me.
There's time.
[Barak] Admit nothing to anyone.
Deny everything.
There is hope still. Matthew will listen.
I have done nothing I would change.
[footsteps approaching]
Alice Fewterer.
Your mother's maiden name was Smeaton.
Mark Smeaton was your cousin
and your swain,
whom you did visit in the Tower.
And for whom you took revenge
by killing Robin Singleton.
What do you say?
What do I say, Master Shardlake?
I say it was not revenge
but the service of justice,
which you claim to be your currency.
Mark Smeaton was a good man
who did not deserve his fate.
He was a kindly, considerate man.
We were to marry. [sniffles]
And yet they deemed the man I loved
nothing more than a player's piece
in a game.
And they did make him confess falsely.
[Alice sniffles]
To men like Cromwell, we have no worth.
And that is the truth.
Also your currency.
Alice, stop. You cannot say that.
Why can I not say it, huh?
Will they hang me, Jack?
For a loose tongue as well as
the murder of Master Singleton?
What she says is true,
and we know it to be true.
Let it be said in a court of law.
No matter how unjust, Alice,
I must take you to London
to answer for your deed.
[Barak] She will be executed.
This cannot be how it ends.
[Alice] It's over, Jack.
You cannot prevent it.
I'm not afraid.
[Barak sniffles]
[Barak] Then she shall remain here.
In my room.
The door can be locked,
and I shall guard from the outside.
But there will be no irons.
No rope.
Very well.
Then she shall be your prisoner.
Why did you not just leave sooner?
There was no reason to leave.
Who could possibly have discovered
this truth?
I have no desire to live in France.
And I could offer you nothing.
Your love. That would be enough.
I will make sure the door is locked.
And no one comes in till morning.
She will not pass through this door,
I swear.
[door creaks]
[lock clicks]
- [footsteps departing]
- [sniffles, sighs]
[sniffles]
[thunder rumbling]
[wind whistling]
[doorknob rattles]
[Shardlake snoring]
[gasps]
[grunts]
[Edwig breathes deeply]
You think you're clever.
When in truth, you will rot in hell.
You are a servant to the devil.
And yet you are the murderer and th-thief.
To my shame, yes.
The girl Orphan
should never have refused me.
She was a temptation I could not resist.
I am sorry for her death.
But she is in heaven now with Simon.
And Gabriel.
And in time, I shall join them.
My gold shall buy redemption!
- Take him now, Jack!
- [gasps]
[both grunting]
- [grunts]
- [shouts]
[shouts, grunts]
[straining, grunting]
[both shout]
[both straining]
[shouts]
- [grunts]
- [screams]
[groans]
[Shardlake grunts, pants]
[panting]
[door opens]
[panting]
Now you are here.
This will save us a hanging.
W-Were you sleeping? You were
supposed to be guarding the door.
- I was not sleeping.
- Then how do you explain him in my room?
You did not see him enter?
I've not been sleeping!
- You swear you did not see him enter?
- I swear it. I did not.
[scoffs] But there is only one door.
You knew.
[sighs]
Of course you knew.
You found out whilst I was in London.
[sighs]
This will lead to the kitchens,
I'm guessing.
[grunts]
We shall find out.
This will be how she escaped
after killing Singleton.
- [Barak] Matthew, please.
- [Shardlake panting]
Matthew, she's gone. [panting]
[panting]
[Barak] She's gone.
[Shardlake] But to where?
And why didn't you go with her?
You were to marry.
As a commissioner of the king,
I could marry, yes.
And care for her.
But in rags?
[sighs]
She's gone.
[panting]
[person 1 speaking, indistinct]
[speaking French]
[whistles]
[speaking French]
[person 2 speaking French]
[chattering]
[Shardlake] The dismantling begins.
[Barak] Well,
when they tear down these walls,
maybe they'll find their holy relic.
It was not a simple task, but it is done.
What of justice?
That Edwig is dead is just.
That the monastery is now closed,
its wealth surrendered to King Henry.
That is the truth of the matter.
What follows, we shall see.
But at least
we shall remain in favour, Jack.
And what of Alice Fewterer?
I shall agree to any truth
you decide to tell.
Robin Singleton's murderer
has been identified.
However, in attempting to escape,
Alice Fewterer was lost to marshland.
Swallowed up by mud and silt.
Thank you.
Which leaves
only the question of Dr Goodhap,
found dead in the stables.
By whom?
Master Bugge.
The monks did panic,
and Goodhap too has been lost.
Which did surprise you, Jack, did it not?
Why do it?
Although I know why.
To prevent him reporting failure,
and to give you the lie, or rather truth,
of a second commissioner slain.
I should thank you for not choosing me.
[people chattering]
[horse blusters]
Hup! Go on.
We shall talk no more of Scarnsea.
Let us leave this place behind.
[Bugge] Open the gate!
- [wind whistling]
- [birds chirping]
Cromwell does not deserve sight of you.
He will never hold this hand.
Never.