- 2 days ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00My half-sister couldn't get pregnant, so she asked me to sleep with her husband instead.
00:04No! I can't!
00:06I am an unmarried girl, and I am very afraid of him.
00:10The first time, he'd come to stay at our estate.
00:12Half the maids in the house had found excuses to walk past his door.
00:17He's stunning.
00:18And at his age, with that kind of power,
00:21if a girl could land him as a kept woman, she'd have made it.
00:24Clara, you're pretty enough. Why not try your luck tonight?
00:28Clara actually did it.
00:33It didn't go the way she planned. He didn't touch her.
00:36Come, someone! Beat her hard!
00:40By morning, the blood had soaked through her clothes.
00:42Her screaming had carried through the entire house.
00:46I thought about that.
00:47No, I... I can't.
00:49She didn't get angry. She just smiled and reached out to stroke my hair.
00:53Vera, I remember your mother's been unwell for a long time.
00:56She needs those medications every day just to stay stable.
00:59What do you think would happen if I asked mother to cut her off?
01:02You've always been such a good girl.
01:03Just help me with this one thing.
01:05Your mother will be taken care of.
01:06I promise.
01:08She brought me to Calloway Manor.
01:10My sister introduced me smoothly.
01:12This is my younger sister, Vera.
01:14She's been missing me, so I had her come stay for a while.
01:20Once you've given me a child, I'll find you a good match.
01:22You remember my cousin David?
01:24He's been married twice, but he's comfortable.
01:26You're not exactly a prize, Vera.
01:28Marrying him would be a step up.
01:30Over the next two days, she had me study her.
01:33Mimicking her mannerisms was manageable.
01:36Her voice was harder.
01:37I practiced for hours and still didn't quite have it.
01:41One evening, she slapped me across the face and screamed at me to pitch my voice higher,
01:46more like hers.
01:47When I still didn't get it right, she had me kneel outside.
01:50Vera, think hard out there.
01:53If you can't get it right by morning, I'm stopping your mother's medication.
02:01It was the first time I'd been close enough to really see his face.
02:04He was exactly as beautiful as everyone said in a way that felt almost unfair.
02:15He was wearing almost nothing under his coat.
02:18I'm so sorry.
02:18I pulled out my handkerchief and started blotting at his chest.
02:21Why were you kneeling out here?
02:23Did she punish you for something?
02:25I made a mistake.
02:27She wanted me to think it over.
02:29You don't need to explain what happened.
02:31Just go inside.
02:32If she asks, tell her it was my idea.
02:37Put that on.
02:38Don't get sick.
02:40I'll have it cleaned and returned to you.
02:43Don't bother.
02:44Keep it or throw it out.
02:46Either's fine.
02:49She gave me a book that afternoon.
02:51It's a book that teaches people how to make love.
02:54She sat across from me looking completely unbothered.
02:57Don't be shy.
02:59Study it.
03:00You'll need it.
03:01When he came back, she set a proper dinner.
03:04They ate together, the two of them, while I was dressed to look like her and taken quietly
03:08upstairs to wait in his room.
03:10She told me she'd put something in his drink.
03:15I put something in his drink.
03:17He wouldn't be able to resist.
03:21What happened after that was up to you.
03:23I gripped the edge of the covers and waited.
03:26After about half an hour, the door finally opened.
03:31I could smell the alcohol before he crossed the threshold.
03:34He wasn't walking straight.
03:35I stood and moved to steady him.
03:37I'd checked the mirror beforehand.
03:39In this situation, even I couldn't tell the difference between myself and my sisters.
03:44Why are you in my room?
03:48I pitched my voice high and thin, the way she'd drilled me.
03:53I missed you.
03:55He didn't respond, just kept watching.
03:58I gathered every nerve I had, reached out, and touched his belt.
04:02He inhaled sharply when I pressed my palms to his back.
04:06I pressed closer, buried my face in his chest.
04:09I rose up on my toes and tried to reach his mouth.
04:12I had, it turned out, no idea what I was doing.
04:16The book had been theoretical.
04:17The reality of it was different in every way.
04:36He picked me up like I weighed nothing and put me down on the bed.
04:42Who are you?
04:44My heart stopped.
04:45I ran through everything I'd done.
04:47The room was dark.
04:48There was no way he should know.
04:50Who else would I be?
04:52It's me.
04:53It's Rachel.
04:54He released my jaw.
04:55He let me kiss him.
05:05His voice had gone soft.
05:07Did I hurt you?
05:08I stared back at him, and my mind drifted strangely to the first time I had seen him.
05:13It had been a formal occasion, and all of us girls had been lined up to greet him.
05:18He'd gone past without stopping, beautiful and remote.
05:21The kind of man our stepmother had made very clear was not for the likes of me or my other
05:26half-sisters.
05:28I didn't sleep that night.
05:29When the birds finally started outside, that was my sister's signal.
05:32I got out as fast as I could.
05:34She looked me over.
05:36That's a strong dose.
05:37Wouldn't have worked on him otherwise.
05:39She told me to stay on my back for an hour, pillow under my hips.
05:42This will help me get pregnant faster.
05:51It was strange, I knew, but my neck was covered in marks he'd left the night before.
05:56You see how he doesn't even look at you now?
05:59He only touched you because he thought you were me.
06:01Don't forget that.
06:03I slipped away to one of the unused sitting rooms to apply some ointment to my shoulder.
06:07I'd taken off half my dress when the door swung open.
06:10He hadn't expected anyone to be there.
06:13I watched him go still for just a moment.
06:15I'm sorry.
06:18That evening, my sister sent me back to his room.
06:23I arrived and he looked at me for a moment, then said very quietly,
06:28You should go get some rest.
06:30I have paperwork, it'll go late.
06:36I should have left, but his room was warm.
06:38My room had nothing.
06:39It was cold.
06:41He wasn't here.
06:42I'd just sit at the small table for a few minutes, get some warmth back into my hands.
06:55Sleeping at a table?
06:56Aren't you cold?
07:03Sleep.
07:04You're exhausted.
07:05But I didn't sleep.
07:07I remembered what I was here for.
07:11If you're not tired, we don't have to sleep yet.
07:13After that, I stayed every night.
07:32It had been about a week and a half.
07:34You can go, Vera.
07:35I'll take it from here.
07:40My sister and I looked at each other.
07:42If he saw us together, every lie would collapse at once.
07:46Don't make a sound.
07:47The door had barely shut when he walked in.
07:50The latch didn't catch all the way.
07:52I could just make out the room.
07:56I closed my eyes.
07:57Then I heard his voice.
07:59I'm tired.
07:59Go to bed.
08:04Rachel, go to your room.
08:10Figure it out yourself.
08:13I waited for him to fall asleep.
08:15He didn't.
08:15He turned over twice and gave up.
08:17Then he stood, crossed to the wardrobe, and started opening doors.
08:29I waited for anger, for him to haul me out by arm.
08:33Instead, he lifted me out of the wardrobe and into his arms.
08:37I told you to go to bed.
08:39Why'd you come back?
08:39He thought I was my sister.
08:44I thought you were tired.
08:45Not anymore.
08:55My sister didn't know what had happened that night.
08:57Every year, around the holidays, they hosted a gathering in the garden.
09:01This year, my sister managed the whole event.
09:04Invitations had gone out to everyone in the county.
09:11My sister, for her part, was performing and called me her most obedient little sister
09:16and said she'd do her best to find me an equally excellent match someday.
09:20I drifted away from the gathering and found a quiet bench near the water.
09:24A neighbor's son found me there.
09:26We'd studied with the same tutor as children.
09:28He was chatty and warm and didn't stop for 20 minutes.
09:31The whole time, I had the strange and persistent sensation of being watched.
09:35Not gently, something hot about it and a little impatient.
09:42Nick recognized him and greeted him.
09:44Ethan gave a small nod.
09:45Then he reached across and took the cloth parcel out of Nick's hands.
09:49Good of you to bring these for me.
09:51I'll take them.
09:53I've been meaning to speak to you.
09:55I'll be back early tonight.
09:57I didn't know what he was signaling, presumably a message from my sister.
10:01That night, I arrived an hour early.
10:15I was crying before I knew it.
10:17I asked him to stop.
10:18He wiped my cheek with his thumb.
10:20Look at you.
10:22So sad.
10:24Do you love me?
10:28Yes.
10:29He touched my mouth carefully.
10:33I've been assigned to a six-week oversight trip.
10:36I leave next week.
10:38Wait for me.
10:40When I come back, we do this the right way.
10:43Out in the open.
10:44I was half asleep.
10:45He was warm.
10:46I nodded without quite registering what I was agreeing to.
10:52My period arrived the next morning.
10:55My sister yanked open my collar.
10:56She looked at everything visible below it.
11:00What exactly are you doing there, Vera?
11:03Six weeks and nothing?
11:05The doctor who'd examined me before any of this began had said I was healthy, capable of conceiving.
11:11He gave her a tonic regimen and said two months of consistent treatment should produce the desired result.
11:19In the meantime, she started treating me well.
11:22My room was heated properly.
11:23I had a decent coat.
11:25My meals included actual meat.
11:29Then, a letter arrived at our home.
11:31She read it, looked at me for a long moment.
11:34You lucky thing.
11:39Congratulations.
11:40You're getting married.
11:41His name is Nick.
11:46I was sent home to prepare.
11:48The whole situation was absurd.
11:50Nick's grandmother had fallen seriously ill.
11:53Doctors had done everything they could and run out of options.
11:57The family had consulted a specialist in folk remedies and old traditions,
12:00and he told them the only thing that might help was a wedding.
12:04Nick was the only eligible bachelor left in the family.
12:07He had one condition.
12:08He'd pick the girl himself.
12:10He picked me up.
12:11My father was thrilled to consent.
12:13My mother, who knew about my sister's arrangement, had no real power to object.
12:17The date was set for one month out.
12:20The dowry that had been assembled for me, which had been embarrassing, was suddenly multiplied.
12:24My mother's health supplies, which had been precarious, arrived in abundance.
12:29At night, lying alone in my old bed, I closed my eyes and find myself back in a room with
12:34real warmth.
12:45The Calloway air was back.
12:46The overnight trip finished early, so Ethan was here.
12:50I sat there thinking about what I'd call him the next time I saw him.
12:53He was still my half-sister's husband and Nick's distant uncle.
12:59In the narrow frame of my veil, I didn't see his face.
13:02The hall noise fell behind me.
13:04The bridal room was quiet.
13:06I sat at the edge of the bed and waited for Nick to come in and lift my veil.
13:10One hour passed.
13:11A maid appeared and said there had been a mix-up about which room,
13:15and would I please follow her to a different one?
13:17I could tell something was moving under the bed in the new room.
13:20I couldn't look down to check.
13:22I was still wearing the veil.
13:29My mind went blank.
13:30I blinked.
13:31He was still there.
13:32I didn't move, and this was my wedding day.
13:34You promised you'd wait for me.
13:35I came back, and you'd already married someone else.
13:39I hadn't promised him anything.
13:41Every word I'd said in that room had been said in my sister's voice,
13:45playing my sister's role.
13:46I'd never spoken to him as myself.
13:49You knew?
13:52Since when?
13:53The first night.
13:55I always knew.
14:04Where's Nick?
14:06In the room.
14:19Are you out of your mind?
14:21You tied me up in my own house on my wedding night,
14:24and now you're going to sleep with my wife?
14:29He's not a good match.
14:30He has four women on the side and a reputation.
14:38That was before.
14:40I ended all of it when I decided to marry Vera.
14:45I meant it.
14:46It was a strange scene.
14:48Nick was the groom.
14:49He was also zip-tied on the floor.
14:51Ethan was sitting beside me with one hand settled on my waist like it belonged there.
14:55I actually like her.
14:57I know I wasn't perfect before, but I wanted to do this right.
15:03Reformed?
15:04Sure.
15:04At least I can marry her properly.
15:07You're already married!
15:09To her sister!
15:11You're her brother-in-law!
15:15I'm filing for divorce.
15:17You can't.
15:19You can't just undo a favor you asked for.
15:23I was assigned to that oversight trip.
15:25I volunteered for it specifically so I could use the outcome as leverage.
15:29I asked for one thing in return.
15:32Permission to divorce and remarry.
15:49Why go through any of it?
15:51A few nights together and you decided to blow up your entire life?
15:55It wasn't a few nights.
15:57It was the moment before that.
15:59You were kneeling in the snow holding bowl of ice water and you looked up at me and I
16:02couldn't stop thinking about it.
16:05He told me the rest of it.
16:10When my sister had first approached him, he'd been about to be matched with a judge's daughter.
16:15Powerful family.
16:16The daughter herself was difficult, spoiled, the kind of person who treated every room like
16:20it existed for her benefit.
16:21My sister had offered him a clean arrangement.
16:23She'd stay out of his life.
16:25He'd give her the title and the stability she needed.
16:29She was a reasonable option.
16:31So I agreed.
16:32That explained why my sister had been so desperate for a child.
16:35Without one, the arrangement had no long-term security for her.
16:40So why me?
16:42That first night I wanted to stop it.
16:44But you kept holding on to me.
16:46And I couldn't.
16:47The second time I sent you away, I went to the study, came back and found you asleep at
16:51my table and something in me just stopped working correctly.
16:57I didn't expose you because I didn't want you to leave.
17:00And eventually I could see that you felt something.
17:01The way you looked at me when you thought I wasn't watching.
17:03The way you'd look away the second I took-
17:05You'd kiss me when I was asleep.
17:06You cut a piece of my hair and kept it in your pocket.
17:13You mended my shoe in the middle of the night.
17:16Vera, you're not subtle.
17:18He had pulled me into his lap at some point without me noticing.
17:21His chin was resting on my shoulder.
17:23I went south so I could come back and do this correctly.
17:25I didn't expect you to be someone else's wife by the time I landed.
17:29You were supposed to wait.
17:36I'm not as simple as I look.
17:39My sister had tried to break me a long time ago.
17:43One winter, she'd heard from a servant that soaking a girl in ice water during her cycle
17:47could make her permanently infertible.
17:48This girl is very beautiful.
17:50She decided to test it on me because a guest had said I was pretty.
17:54I'd been in that water for close to an hour before our grandmother found me.
17:59I spent a year adding something to my sister's tea.
18:04By the time she asked me to take her place in her husband's bed,
18:07she'd already lost the ability to carry a child.
18:11I hadn't planned for her to use me as a solution to a problem I'd already created.
18:15My mother's illness was manageable.
18:17She'd been performing fragility for years, the same way I performed compliance.
18:20It was protective coloring.
18:22But my marriage was something my sister's mother actually controlled.
18:26The night I kneel in the snow, I made sure I fell in the right direction.
18:31Testing whether he'd catch me.
18:33Whether his hands would linger.
18:38I never intended to actually pass like my sister in the dark.
18:42I intended for him to figure it out.
18:49I made sure he saw the birthmark at my waist.
18:52My sister doesn't have one.
18:58I went to the side room I knew he passed through every afternoon,
19:00and I made sure he saw the marks on my shoulders.
19:04I calculated everything.
19:08I hadn't calculated Nick.
19:16Nick couldn't give me what I needed.
19:18It wasn't about his history.
19:19It was about trajectory.
19:27He had two older brothers.
19:29No real foothold in his own family.
19:31I had spent my entire life studying, planning, building a mind sharp enough to do something with.
19:35In a world that gave women one door.
19:37The door of marriage.
19:40I wasn't going to walk through it carelessly.
19:42I needed someone who could give me room, position, actual leverage in the world.
19:56Nick could give me affection.
19:59Ethan could give me everything else.
20:01So when Ethan stood in my bridal room with his hand on my waist and told me to divorce Nick
20:05and marry him instead,
20:06I cried.
20:08The divorces went through.
20:12I still don't know exactly what Ethan offered Nick's family.
20:15Whatever it was, it worked.
20:17Nick's grandmother recovered, which apparently validated the whole exercise.
20:22His family tried to find him a new partner immediately, but he refused.
20:25He went back to his old life.
20:27The parties, the company, the lack of commitment.
20:30He told anyone who asked that he'd tried love once.
20:32It had guttered him, and he saw no reason to repeat the experiment.
20:35That wasn't my fault.
20:39The blame landed where it landed.
20:41And it landed on him.
20:43As for me, I was the victim in every version of the story that circulated.
20:47A young woman caught in the middle of something powerful men had decided.
20:49No agency.
20:51No choice.
20:52Very sad.
20:58Which suited me perfectly.
21:00Honestly.
21:05I will lose.
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