- 14 minutes ago
- #fullmovie
The Protector's Forty-Nine-Year-Old Lady #FullMovie
Category
š„
Short filmTranscript
00:11He pins my wrists above my head with one hand, my own rosary beads tangled between his fingers
00:16and mine, and tilts my chin up with the other, forcing me to look at him, 25 years old, jaw
00:22carved from marble, eyes dark with fever and want, want, for me, a woman of 49 with aching
00:29knees in grey at her temples, his pace is relentless, I scream, three times, I am the dowager countess
00:50of Everwood, I came to rescue my granddaughter from an abduction, instead, I ran headlong
00:56into the lord protector of the realm, drugged out of his mind and burning alive with poison,
01:01he pinned me down, one catastrophic night later, me, the lord protector, in my previous life,
01:08my granddaughter Eleanor was violated before her wedding, after the marriage, her husband
01:12bled her dry, funneled her entire dowry into his debts, and made her raise his mistress's
01:17baspert as her own, in the end, she was sent to a condent, she spent the rest of her days
01:22behind those cold stone walls, watching the man who destroyed her live a respectable life
01:27with another woman, raising children that should have been hers, no one came to visit, no one
01:32came to mourn when she died, then I wake up, and I'm back, back to the weeks before Eleanor's
01:38wedding, I can't stand by and watch history repeat itself, my legs ache, they always ache,
01:44but I grab my walking stack and in the dead of night I climb the stone steps up the hill
01:48to the abbey, Eleanor, I'm here my child, I won't let that beast lay a finger on you,
01:54I remember it clearly, last time Eleanor went to St Andrew's abbey for mass, and the lord
02:00protector's wretched attendant snatched her, dragged her to his master's chambers, and threw
02:04her to him like medicine for a fever, except, I'm early, the attendant hasn't taken Eleanor
02:10yet, I'm the one the lord protector catches instead, God have mercy, I lost my husband
02:20at 30, nearly 20 years without a man's touch, and now a boy barely past 25 has his arms locked
02:26around me like a vice, I grip my walking stick, un, unhand me, I am the dowage countess of
02:32Everwood, let go of me this instant, I'm old enough to be your grandmother in rank, Roland
02:39of Leonhart, the lord protector of the realm, forged in military campaigns, built like a
02:45battering ram, efface all hard angles and sharp authority, he commands the kingdom's armies,
02:50controls the privy council, holds more power than any man alive, my words don't make him
02:56let go, they make him tip my chin up with his fingers and seal his mouth over mine, of course
03:08it does, years of kneeling in chapel have soaked frankincense into my very skin, the rest
03:13is parchment and iron guill ink from copying scripture, naturally calming, but that is
03:17not the point, the point is, my name day is next month, and I will be 50 years old, I
03:23probably smell like dust and old lavender sachets, and he's still kissing me, blessed
03:28virgin, how long has this man been starved, let go of me, my walking stick clatters onto
03:35the stone floor, but what chance does a woman pushing 50 have against a young man built like
03:39a war horse, he scoops me up with one arm and sets me on the oak table, a heartbeat later,
03:47my flaying hands are bind, with my own rosary, be good, give yourself to me, I'll take responsibility,
03:56holy mother of god, that makes it worse, if he takes responsibility, how do I explain this
04:02to Henry, dead 20 years, to my 32 year old son, to my 16 year old grandson and 15 year
04:08old
04:09granddaughter, what am I supposed to say, children, grandmother found you a new grandfather, he's
04:1525, I'd rather you just killed me, my little witch, that can be arranged, he rips the lacing
04:24clean off my kirtle, strips of linen chemise fly everywhere and I, I lose my mind, that's
04:30not what I meant, so, a woman of nearly 50, ravished by the lord protector of the realm,
04:36all night long, thank god I've taken care of myself, to Zanz, Hippocrats, regular walks up
04:42the hill to the abbey for Massachusetts decades of discipline, otherwise, he truly would have
04:46killed me, somewhere around midnight, a knock sounds at the door, your grace, the girl's
04:53here, to help you break the fever, what he hears in response is, not conversation, the sounds
04:58coming from inside that room are deeply, profoundly improper, Roland doesn't stop, doesn't even
05:03slow down, just turns his head and snars, get out, ah, your grace already has company, I'll
05:11return the young lady at once, save, save me, Roland clamps a hand over my mouth, don't
05:19scream, I'll have you begging soon enough, he is formidable, more formidable than Henry was
05:26on our wedding night 34 years ago, and Henry had been a young man then, we married at 16,
05:32by 25 Henry was already flagging, by 30 he left me all together, went to meet his mager,
05:39this kind of vigor, I've only ever read about it in those courtly romances, Lancelot, Tristan,
05:45none of them hold a candle, the pleasure is like nothing, how is this even possible, you're
05:52enjoying it too, that night, we are utterly shameless, the rosary snaps, beads scatter across
06:00the linen sheets, clicking softly, catching the firelight, that rosary, my most treasured
06:05possession, blessed by Father Benedict's own hand, I used it every single day in prayer,
06:11at first, I can't fight him, later, I don't want to, it is, magnificent, I never imagined,
06:18not at my age, with one foot already in the grave, that I could feel something like this,
06:22but beneath the bliss, a cold thread of worry coils in my chest, this man controls the kingdom,
06:29the Everwoods are respectable, yes, but we are no great house, if Roland decides to destroy us,
06:35it takes nothing more than a stroke of his pen, I can't drag my family into this, so when he
06:40finally
06:41falls asleep, I peel myself free of his arms and slip away, the damage he's done to my body is,
06:46considerable, I can barely stand, my walking stick trembles against the flagstones with every step,
06:53the stone stairs down the hillside are a special kind of torture, my legs buckle,
06:58my hips scream, the stick skids on the steps three separate times and each time I nearly pitch
07:02forward into empty air, somehow, somehow I make it to the bottom, Agnes, my lady's maid,
07:10waits by the carriage, Melody, Lady Eleanor was returned safely, I've been waiting ages,
07:15you look dreadful, did something happen, Eleanor is safe, I let out a breath I didn't know I was
07:20holding, Agnes is still staring at me, I wave her off, nothing happened, I dozed off in the guest
07:26quarters, that's all, lost track of time, Eleanor's safe, that's what matters, take me home,
07:32in the carriage, I clench my hands together, close my eyes and pray, holy Mary, have mercy on me,
07:39holy Mary, have mercy on me, let no one ever learn of this, not in this life, not ever,
07:46but my mind won't cooperate, it keeps replaying, his face, the breadth of his shoulders, the relentless
07:53way he moved, Henry, I tried to summon Henry's face, my husband, we were betrothed as children,
08:00married at 16, parted by death at 30, I never remarried, nearly 20 years,
08:05I swore at his coffin that no man would ever touch me again, 20 years, I kept that vow,
08:12I thought Henry would be the only man I'd ever have, and now, practically in my grave,
08:1720 years of faithfulness shattered in a single night, Henry, God rest your soul, I'm so sorry,
08:24back at the manor, I order the servants to fill the wooden tub with hot water in my bedchamber,
08:29no one stays in the room, I want to scrub this night off my skin, if I scrub hard enough,
08:35maybe it never happened, but the marks on my body tell a different story, they're everywhere,
08:40vivid proof of just how vigorous he was, at my age, nearly 50 years old, handled like that,
08:48heat crawls up my neck, my cheeks burn, Margaret Everwood, shame on you,
08:53you're practically ancient, stop thinking about it, that night, I dream of Henry,
09:00Margaret, you swore on my coffin, you said there'd be no other man, you said we'd be buried together
09:05in the family crypt, I've been waiting for you in heaven for 20 years, you won't come down fine,
09:11but you found yourself a 25 year old lover, I'm sorry, I'm sorry Henry,
09:16I didn't mean to break my vow, he was too strong, I was forced, I swear,
09:21then Roland appears out of nowhere, wraps an arm around my waist, and pulls me upright before I
09:26can bow again, he kicks Henry square in the chest, Henry vanishes, you're a dead man,
09:33the living are none of your concern, then Roland covers my ears with his palms,
09:36gently, like I'm something fragile, Margaret, ignore that old ghost,
09:40everything he said is nonsense, you deserve the finest man in the world,
09:44I stare up at him, the finest man in the world, the finest man in the world,
09:55shameless, absolutely shameless, you love it when I'm shameless, he kisses me,
10:01I wake drenched in sweat, burning up, it's barely spring, there's no reason for this heat,
10:09agonist, draw a bath, now, the marks Roland left on my neck are impossible to hide,
10:14I lock myself in my chambers for days, waiting for them to fade, the official story,
10:19I caught a chill climbing to the abbey and came down with a fever, Eleanor is a good girl,
10:24even when I refuse visitors, she comes to the door of my private chapel every morning to ask after me,
10:30days pass,
10:31Melody, Lady Eleanor came to see you again at first light, shall I still turn her away,
10:37I glance at the window, pale light, quiet grounds, no strangers at the gate, no one has come looking
10:45for me, maybe it's over, let her in, tell her I'm much better, Agnes beams, right away,
10:53a moment later, Eleanor bursts through the door and throws herself around my legs,
10:59Grandmother, you're finally seeing me, I thought, I thought you were angry because I snuck out that
11:04day and you had to come all the way up the mountain to find me, I'm so sorry, it was
11:08my fault,
11:09I nearly got taken by those awful men if you hadn't come for me,
11:14Geoffrey would have been so upset,
11:17Geoffrey Montfort, Eleanor's betrothed since childhood, heir to the Montfort duchy,
11:22a young knight who just earned his spurs before the king last year, the kind of man who rides off
11:27to the northern front the morning after his wedding, leaving Eleanor alone to manage a
11:32crumbling estate, while he keeps a mistress across the border, gets her pregnant, and the worst part,
11:38the entire Montfort household knows, they blame Eleanor for failing to produce an heir,
11:43then force her to raise the bastard under the polite fiction of a ward, Eleanor pours her dowry
11:48into the duchy's debts, she raises her husband's illegitimate child with patience and grace,
11:53she waits seven years, when Geoffrey finally returns from the wars, the first thing he does
11:58is petition the ecclesiastical court for an annulment, citing consanguinity, some threat of
12:03distant cousinship, so he can marry his mistress, and in open court, he announces that the child
12:09Eleanor raised as her own is his bastard, always was, by then, Everwoods are nothing,
12:15our influence has withered, our halls stand empty, and not a single soul bothers to pay
12:20a courtesy call, Eleanor has no protector, she can't fight a man riding the crest of military
12:26glory, she endures it in silence, then she collapses, no one visits, no one sends for a
12:32physician, she lies alone in an empty room and closes her eyes for the last time, and I,
12:38her grandmother, live long enough to watch her buried, every time I think about Geoffrey kneeling
12:42at the altar, playing the pious knight, when he was calculating how to strip us bare from
12:46the very beginning, every vow he made before God, a lie, my hands shake so badly I want
12:51to wrap them around his throat, but the Eleanor standing before me right now doesn't know
12:55any of this, she doesn't know her betrothed is a devil wearing a saint's mask, I can't tell
13:02her, not yet, so I take her hands and smile, Ellie, you're still so young, and you're my
13:10only granddaughter, I can't bear to let you go just yet, stay with me a little longer,
13:18two more years, can you do that, two more years, just two years, here's what I know from
13:24the last life, the Montforts are drowning, that's why Geoffrey pushes for the wedding,
13:28once Eleanor arrives with her dowry, he's free to ride north and chase glory, if I delay
13:34the marriage by two years, the Montforts won't last six months, their rot will show through
13:39for the whole world to see, let's see them come knocking on our door then, Eleanor blushes
13:44and nods, sweet as ever, I want to stay with you too, if you hadn't come for me that night
13:52I don't know what would have happened, dear grandmother, you saved my life, I'll do whatever
13:57you say, I'll write to Geoffrey right now and tell him the wedding is postponed
14:05my dear girl, I haven't loved you for nothing, as long as Eleanor never sets foot in that
14:10den of wolves, she'll never suffer what she suffered before, and if that nest of vipers
14:15goes bankrupt in the meantime, that's not our problem, my son Thomas and his wife Catherine
14:21are thrilled when they hear the news, they come to see me together that evening, mother
14:27did you hear something, everyone's whispering that the Montforts are practically ruined, the
14:32old duke's war reputation is the only thing keeping up appearances, their estate income
14:38can't even cover household expenses, apparently the servants haven't received their wages or
14:44livery allowances in months, and the pantry's nearly bare, Eleanor is my only daughter, I won't
14:50watch her suffer, this is perfect timing, mother, give it a couple of years, once Eleanor's
14:56gotten over her stubbornness, we'll find her a family that actually deserves her, she can
14:59stay right here by your side, wouldn't that be better, seeing them both on my side warms
15:04my old bones more than any fire, good, I'm glad we're all in agreement, Henry and I only
15:12had Thomas, I adored him from the day he drew breath, when his father died, Thomas was 12,
15:18I raised him alone, his wife Catherine is a distant relation of mine, a merchant's daughter,
15:23yes, but from a wealthy house, in the previous life, Catherine and I nearly bankrupted ourselves
15:28for Eleanor, my dower, Catherine's remaining dowry funds, we poured everything we had into
15:33keeping that girl afloat in the Montfort household, that's the real reason the Everwoods fell so fast,
15:38this time, we will not let those leeches bleed us dry, I keep Eleanor close, every morning,
15:43she comes to my private chapel to copy the book of ours with me and join in lots, I also
15:48order the
15:48servants to intercept every piece of correspondence between Eleanor and Jeffrey, every letter, no
15:54exceptions, my Eleanor is a proper nobleman's daughter, raised with impeccable manners, she
16:00would never sneak around behind my back to meet a man, and without anyone to carry his honeyed words
16:05for him, how exactly does Jeffrey plan to manipulate my granddaughter, what I don't expect is for Jeffrey
16:10to show up in person, not even a fortnight later,
16:15m'lade,
16:18Sir Jeffrey of Montfield is at the gate, he says he's here to call on you and Lady Eleanor,
16:24Thomas has taken Catherine to visit her family, it's just Eleanor and me at the manor,
16:29my fingers go still on the rosary,
16:32turn him away, he's not alone, m'lady, the Lord Protector is with him,
16:39Roland of Leon Hart,
16:41every drop of blood drains from my face,
16:44the rosary beads rattle between my trembling fingers,
16:48he, he, why is he here,
16:50that night, in my panic,
16:52I blurted out who I was, my name,
16:54my title, has he come to settle the score,
16:56m'lade, the Lord Protector is the late king's youngest brother and his majesty's own uncle,
17:01the entire kingdom answers to him,
17:02and they say he's merciless with those who cross him,
17:05not a man anyone can afford to offend,
17:06as if I don't already know,
17:08I got a very thorough demonstration of his intensity that night,
17:11I force myself to breathe,
17:14think, Margaret,
17:15he was poisoned that night,
17:17delirious,
17:18out of his mind,
17:19he might not remember an old woman's face,
17:22prepare hippoprash,
17:24show the Lord Protector and Sir Jeffrey to the great hall,
17:27in the great hall,
17:28I have the servants position an embroidered screen behind the dais,
17:31I sit behind it,
17:33rosary in hand,
17:34and not for Agnes to pour the wine,
17:36I have been widowed many years and do not receive visitors in person,
17:41I beg your grace's forgiveness,
17:42my late husband Henry was the Earl of Everwood,
17:45a man who fought beside the late king and earned his honors on the battlefield,
17:48no one can expect a dowager countess past 50,
17:51still recovering from illness,
17:53to drag herself out in curtsy before a man young enough to be her son,
17:57no need to apologize,
17:59Sir Jeffrey and I arrived uninvited,
18:04I frown behind the screen,
18:07forgive my bluntness your grace,
18:10to what do we owe this visit,
18:12Jeffrey opens his mouth,
18:13but before a word comes out,
18:15Eleanor's voice rings from the doorway,
18:18Jeffrey,
18:20what are you doing here?
18:24Eleanor,
18:25thank God you're alright,
18:26I've written to you every day,
18:28you never replied,
18:29I was worried something had happened,
18:31letters,
18:32what letters?
18:34Grandmother hasn't been well,
18:35she asked me to stay by her side,
18:37the servants must have forgotten to deliver them,
18:39I'll look into it,
18:40then her gaze drifts to the man seated beside Jeffrey,
18:43and this gentleman is?
18:48Eleanor,
18:48mind your manners,
18:49this is his grace,
18:50the Lord protector,
18:52your grace,
18:53please forgive my rudeness,
18:55Roland says nothing,
18:56a slight nod,
18:57nothing more,
18:58his gaze doesn't linger on her,
19:00but my hands are clenched so tight around the rosary,
19:02that the beads bite into my palms,
19:03in the last life,
19:04it was Roland who ruined Eleanor,
19:05Eleanor's eyes,
19:06she looks like me,
19:07please,
19:08God,
19:09please don't let him see the resemblance,
19:10my mind is spiraling when Roland's voice cuts through,
19:13where was this young lady,
19:14did she by any chance visit Airpist St. Andrews Abbey outside the city?
19:18That single question squeezes my chest like a fist,
19:23Eleanor is innocent,
19:24but she's not stupid,
19:25she knows what happened that night,
19:27the ambush,
19:28the men who knocked her unconscious,
19:30how close she came to being dragged away,
19:31no your grace,
19:33two weeks ago,
19:34I was here at home,
19:36keeping grandmother company,
19:38I didn't go anywhere,
19:40that's right,
19:41Eleanor is a devoted girl,
19:43she knows this old woman gets lonely,
19:45so she stays close,
19:47now Sir Jeffrey,
19:48while you're here,
19:49there's a matter I'd like to discuss,
19:51Eleanor is not in good health,
19:53I've had a physician examine her,
19:55and he says she needs at least two or three more years of rest,
19:58before she should even think about marriage,
19:59the wedding will be postponed,
20:01no,
20:02Eleanor blinks,
20:04she's never heard him use that tone,
20:06not once,
20:07he's always played the gentle knight in her presence,
20:09soft voice,
20:10kind eyes,
20:11courtly bows,
20:12Jeffrey,
20:13why not,
20:14grandmother is looking out for us,
20:16why would you speak to her like that,
20:18forgive me Eleanor,
20:19I love you so much,
20:21I just want to stand with you at the altar as soon as possible,
20:23two or three more years,
20:25I don't know if I can bear the weight,
20:28Eleanor's health comes before everything,
20:30if Sir Jeffrey finds the weight unaborable,
20:33perhaps it would be best to dissolve the betrothal altogether,
20:36and seek a more suitable match,
20:38my lady,
20:39you misunderstand,
20:40that's not what I meant at all,
20:41it's just,
20:42it's,
20:42it's just,
20:45just what,
20:47just that the Montfeiards are hemorrhaging money,
20:51and you need my granddaughter's dowry,
20:53to plug the holes,
21:01grandmother,
21:02I catch Agnes's eye,
21:04Agnes takes Eleanor's arm,
21:05and shakes her head gently,
21:06not now,
21:08Eleanor doesn't understand,
21:09but she obeys,
21:10steps back,
21:11stays quiet,
21:12good girl,
21:13my Ellie,
21:14every ounce of effort I've poured into protecting you,
21:17worth it,
21:18Jeffrey stares at me through the screen,
21:20jaw clenched,
21:21knuckles white,
21:22I can practically hear the gears grinding behind his eyes,
21:25I stare right back,
21:26this is the man who destroyed my granddaughter in another life,
21:30I have nothing to say to him that isn't laced with venom,
21:33Sir Jeffrey I believe I've made myself clear,
21:36you know the state of the Montfield house better than anyone,
21:38I shouldn't need to spell it out,
21:41Elena is the most precious thing the Everwood family has,
21:45her parents and I will not send her somewhere she'll suffer,
21:48if you truly love her,
21:50I'll give you three years,
21:52restore the Montfield name,
21:54prove you can provide for her,
21:56fail,
21:56and this betrothal is finished,
21:58do you have the nerve to take that wager,
22:00I almost laugh out loud,
22:02three years,
22:04he won't last one,
22:05without Everwood money propping them up,
22:07the entire Montford estate will be begging for scraps within months,
22:11the blow lands,
22:12Jeffrey sways on his feet like I've struck him across the face,
22:19my lady,
22:20is that really what you think of me,
22:24a man of no worth,
22:25yes,
22:26I figured that out a lifetime ago,
22:29you're nothing but a leech that latched onto my family and sucked us dry,
22:32and those so called battlefield glories of yours,
22:35compared to my grandsons,
22:37they're not worth the breath it takes to speak of them,
22:40in the last life,
22:41Catherine and I bled ourselves white for Eleanor,
22:44my dower,
22:45Catherine's remaining dowry,
22:47we poured it all into keeping that girl alive inside the Montford household,
22:50my grandson William,
22:52the sole heir to the Everwood name,
22:53never complained,
22:55not once,
22:56he even rode north to the border wars,
22:58trying to rebuild our family's honor with his own sword arm,
23:01and that wretch Jeffrey stole it from him,
23:03Jeffrey was William's second in command,
23:05in the decisive battle,
23:07when everything hung in the balance,
23:08Jeffrey abandoned his commander,
23:10gathered the survivors and retreated,
23:12when word came that William had fallen,
23:15Jeffrey claimed the victory as his own,
23:17wrapped himself in stolen glory and rode home a hero,
23:19meanwhile,
23:20my grandson,
23:21given up for dad,
23:22with no one coming to find him,
23:24led a few hundred household cavalry deep behind enemy lines,
23:27struck the enemy camp,
23:28and recaptured the lost territory,
23:30a feat worthy of the chronicles,
23:32but by the time William returned and the truth came out,
23:35his sister was already in the ground,
23:37she never lived to see the Everwood name mean something again,
23:41this time,
23:42I've laid the groundwork years in advance,
23:44I'd like to see Jeffrey try to steal my grandson's glory now,
23:47the longer I look at Jeffrey,
23:49the more my stomach turns,
23:51and with Roland sitting right there,
23:52I have no patience for drawn out games,
23:54enough,
23:56I've said what I came to say,
23:58the Everwood family's position should be perfectly clear to you now,
24:02Sir Jeffrey,
24:03if you refuse these terms,
24:04I'll petition the king myself,
24:06my late husband was a knight banneret,
24:08sworn and belted by the late king's own hand,
24:11I trust his majesty will grant me the courtesy of dissolving this betrothal,
24:15Jeffrey's genteel facade shatters,
24:18Eleanor and I are in love,
24:20you meddling old crone,
24:22you tear us apart,
24:23Eleanor's head snaps toward him,
24:25her eyes blaze,
24:27Jeffrey Montfeld,
24:28what did you just call my grandmother,
24:44Eleanor,
24:45she's pushing you to be better,
24:47why can't you just,
24:47why won't you listen,
24:48so you look down on us too,
24:50because the Montfields have fallen on hard times,
24:53this betrothal was sealed by your grandfather and mine while they still lived,
24:57and now the Everwoods break their word like it means nothing,
25:00is this the honor of your house,
25:02I'm trembling with rage behind the screen,
25:05if he hadn't schemed against us first,
25:07the Everwoods would never have needed to break anything,
25:10then,
25:10from the far side of the hall,
25:12where Roland has been leaning back in his chair,
25:14drinking hippocrats as if watching a mildly entertaining tournament,
25:18enough,
25:20Lady Everfield is the widow of a war hero,
25:22she holds the late king's personal writ of protection,
25:25she is your grandfather's peer,
25:27and you dare speak to her this way,
25:29I'd like to know how old Duke Montford raised his eads,
25:33if he couldn't manage the job,
25:34I'm happy to finish it for him,
25:36the Everwoods,
25:37I'll admit,
25:38have no one fearsome in this generation,
25:40my Thomas,
25:41God love him,
25:42is an honest man with a minor court appointment,
25:44and none of his father's fire,
25:46William,
25:46Eleanor's brother,
25:47holds no title yet,
25:48no office,
25:50offend us,
25:51and the consequences are manageable,
25:53but Roland,
25:54the late king's youngest brother,
25:56uncle to the boy on the throne,
25:58the man whose frown makes the entire king's council hold its breath,
26:01that's a different calculation entirely,
26:04your grace,
26:05forgive me,
26:06I spoke in haste,
26:08I forgot myself,
26:10I accept Lady Everwood's terms,
26:12I'll ride to the northern marges,
26:14in three years,
26:15I'll prove my worth on the battlefield,
26:17and return to seek Lady Eleanor's hand,
26:19before you leave,
26:21report to my marshal,
26:2220 straptures,
26:23The air leaves the room,
26:25everyone knows what that means for a knight,
26:2820 lashes is not pain,
26:3020 lashes is humiliation,
26:32then Roland's gaze lifts,
26:34and even through the embroidered screen,
26:35I feel it land directly on my face,
26:37Does that satisfy you my lady?
26:40Satisfy me?
26:41I could weep with joy,
26:43if he could simply whip the cur to death,
26:45I'd save myself years of trouble,
26:47your grace,
26:48I defer entirely to your judgment,
26:50the screen still stands between us,
26:52Roland can't see my face clearly,
26:54that's my only comfort,
26:56I plead fatigue and rise to leave,
26:58your grace,
26:59I am old,
27:00and only recently recovered from illness,
27:02I cannot sit much longer,
27:03I'll retire to my chambers,
27:06Eleanor,
27:06see our guests out,
27:08yes grandmother,
27:09but Roland turns to Jeffrey first,
27:11you,
27:12leave,
27:13Jeffrey's jaw tightens,
27:14he wants to argue,
27:15anyone can see it,
27:16but he doesn't dare defy the lord protector to his face,
27:19he forces a stiff bow,
27:21I take my leave,
27:23and storms out,
27:24Eleanor watches him go,
27:26then turns back to Roland with wide,
27:28your grace,
27:28it's getting late,
27:30aren't you heading back as well?
27:31Roland's entire demeanor shifts,
27:33where Jeffrey received cold steel,
27:35Eleanor gets warmth,
27:36he even winks at her,
27:38my lady,
27:39it is getting late,
27:40I'm rather tired,
27:41I was hoping to stay the night at Everwood Manor,
27:45if you'd be willing to take me in,
27:46my blood goes cold,
27:48in the last life,
27:49Roland was the one who violated Eleanor,
27:51this time it was me instead,
27:53but Eleanor is sweet,
27:54lovely,
27:54young,
27:55what's to stop him from developing,
27:57ideas?
27:58your grace,
27:58there are only two women in this house,
27:59and no male head of household present,
28:01an unmarried man staying the night would be,
28:03improper,
28:04and if I insist,
28:06what can I say to that?
28:07I'm a powerless widow,
28:09am I supposed to throw the lord protector of the realm out onto the road?
28:12your grace,
28:13please don't be offended,
28:15grandmother has lived quietly for many years,
28:17she's simply not accustomed to visitors,
28:20there's an old soli on the west side of the manor,
28:22it was my grandfather's study when he was alive,
28:24where he read and handled estate business,
28:26if your grace wouldn't mind,
28:28you're welcome to stay there for the night,
28:30Eleanor,
28:31clever girl,
28:32color floods Eleanor's cheeks,
28:34she ducks her head,
28:36your grace flatters me,
28:37my stomach drops,
28:39is he flirting with my granddaughter?
28:40I'm not worried about Jeffrey anymore,
28:43after today,
28:43Eleanor has seen through his mask,
28:45she won't cling to that sinking ship,
28:47but if she turns around and falls for the lord protector,
28:50I can't exactly tell her,
28:52the man you're blushing at has already bedded your grandmother,
28:55God would rain fire and brimstone on this house,
28:58no,
28:59absolutely not,
29:00I just pulled Eleanor out of one wolf's jaws,
29:03I will not push her into another's arms,
29:05Eleanor,
29:06come here,
29:07come stand beside me,
29:09Agnes,
29:09escort his grace to the west solar,
29:12coming grandmother,
29:14Eleanor turns and hurries toward me,
29:16and catches her foot on something,
29:18she stumbles,
29:19crashes into the screen,
29:20and knocks it several inches to the side,
29:23for one horrible,
29:24frozen moment,
29:25there is nothing between Roland and me but open air,
29:28our eyes lock,
29:29my heart slams against my ribs,
29:32his gaze is sharp,
29:33searching,
29:34it pins me in place,
29:36I don't breathe,
29:37I can't breathe,
29:39don't recognize me,
29:40don't recognize me,
29:42Roland's brow creases,
29:43and then he says the one thing that makes me want the floor to open up and swallow me whole,
29:47my lady,
29:49have we met before,
29:51your grace,
29:53a man as busy as yourself can hardly be expected to remember every face,
29:56but now that you mention it,
29:58your grace,
29:59don't you recall,
30:00years ago,
30:01when I visited the palace to pay my respects to Queen Mother Isabel,
30:04I held you in my arms,
30:06you were still a nursing babe,
30:08the moment I picked you up,
30:09you wet yourself all over my gown,
30:11my,
30:12how the years fly,
30:13look at you now,
30:15all grown up,
30:17that's right boy,
30:19you want to match wits with this old woman,
30:21you're 20 years too green,
Comments