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The Protector's Forty-Nine-Year-Old Lady
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00:00Stop! I said stop! I'm old enough to be your mother, you insufferable...
00:05Then teach me, my lady.
00:08He pins my wrists above my head with one hand,
00:11my own rosary beads tangled between his fingers and mine,
00:14and tilts my chin up with the other, forcing me to look at him.
00:1725 years old, jaw carved from marble, eyes dark with fever and want.
00:23Want. For me.
00:24A woman of 49 with aching knees and grey at her temples.
00:28Blessed Virgin. This is a mortal sin.
00:32I'm gonna burn in houses.
00:33Then we burn together.
00:34His pace is relentless.
00:36I hate you.
00:37You're dripping down my thighs.
00:39I hate you.
00:41I'm not stopping until you scream.
00:43I scream. Three times.
00:45I am the Dowager Countess of Everwood.
00:47I came to rescue my granddaughter from an abduction.
00:51Instead, I ran headlong into the Lord Protector of the Realm,
00:54drugged out of his mind and burning alive with poison.
00:56He pinned me down.
00:58One catastrophic night later.
01:00Me?
01:01The Lord Protector?
01:02In my previous life, my granddaughter Eleanor was violated before her wedding.
01:07After the marriage, her husband bled her dry, funneled her entire dowry into his debts,
01:11and made her raise his mistress's baspert as her own.
01:14In the end, she was sent to a condent.
01:16She spent the rest of her days behind those cold stone walls,
01:20watching the man who destroyed her live a respectable life with another woman,
01:24raising children that should have been hers.
01:26No one came to visit.
01:28No one came to mourn when she died.
01:30Then I wake up.
01:31And I'm back.
01:32Back to the weeks before Eleanor's wedding.
01:35I can't stand by and watch history repeat itself.
01:38My legs ache, they always ache,
01:40but I grab my walking stack and in the dead of night,
01:42I climb the stone steps up the hill to the abbey.
01:46Eleanor! I'm here, my child!
01:48I won't let that beast lay a finger on you!
01:50I remember it clearly.
01:52Last time, Eleanor went to St. Andrew's Abbey for mass,
01:55and the Lord Protector's wretched attendant snatched her,
01:58dragged her to his master's chambers,
01:59and threw her to him like medicine for a fever.
02:02Except, I'm early.
02:04The attendant hasn't taken Eleanor yet.
02:06I'm the one the Lord Protector catches instead.
02:10So hot. Help me.
02:12God have mercy.
02:14I lost my husband at 30.
02:16Nearly 20 years without a man's touch.
02:18And now a boy barely past 25 has his arms locked around me like a vice.
02:22I grip my walking stick.
02:24Un-unhand me!
02:26I am the Dowage Countess of Everwood!
02:29Let go of me this instant!
02:31I'm old enough to be your grandmother in rank!
02:34Roland of Leonhart.
02:35The Lord Protector of the Realm.
02:37Forged in military campaigns,
02:39built like a battering ram,
02:41efface all hard angles and sharp authority.
02:43He commands the kingdom's armies,
02:45controls the Privy Council,
02:46holds more power than any man alive.
02:49My words don't make him let go.
02:51They make him tip my chin up with his fingers
02:53and seal his mouth over mine.
02:56Shh! What are you murmuring about?
02:59The scent on you, it's calming.
03:01It makes me feel safe.
03:02Of course it does.
03:04Years of kneeling in chapel have soaked frankincense into my very skin.
03:07The rest is parchment and iron gull ink from copying scripture.
03:10Naturally calming.
03:11But that is not the point.
03:12The point is, my name day is next month.
03:15And I will be 50 years old.
03:17I probably smell like dust and old lavender sachets.
03:20And he's still kissing me?
03:22Blessed virgin,
03:23How long has this man been starved?
03:25Let go of me.
03:27My walking stick clatters onto the stone floor.
03:30But what chance does a woman pushing 50 have against a young man built like a warhorse?
03:34He scoops me up with one arm and sets me on the oak table.
03:40A heartbeat later, my flaying hands are binded.
03:43With my own rosary.
03:45Be good.
03:46Give yourself to me.
03:48I'll take responsibility.
03:50Holy mother of God,
03:51that makes it worse.
03:52If he takes responsibility,
03:54how do I explain this to Henry,
03:56dead 20 years,
03:57to my 32-year-old son,
03:59to my 16-year-old grandson and 15-year-old granddaughter?
04:03What am I supposed to say?
04:05Children,
04:06grandmother found you a new grandfather.
04:08He's 25.
04:11I'd rather you just killed me.
04:13My little witch.
04:15That can be arranged.
04:17He rips the lacing clean off my kirtle.
04:19Strips of linen chemise fly everywhere and I, I lose my mind.
04:23That's not what I meant!
04:24So, a woman of nearly 50, ravished by the lord protector of the realm.
04:29All night long.
04:30Thank God I've taken care of myself.
04:33Tazanz,
04:33Hippocras,
04:34regular walks up the hill to the abbey for Massachusetts decades of discipline.
04:38Otherwise,
04:39he truly would have killed me.
04:42Somewhere around midnight,
04:43a knock sounds at the door.
04:45Your grace,
04:45the girl's here,
04:46to help you break the fever.
04:47What he hears in response is,
04:49not conversation.
04:50The sounds coming from inside that room are deeply,
04:53profoundly improper.
04:54Roland doesn't stop,
04:55doesn't even slow down,
04:57just turns his head and snars.
04:58Get out!
04:59Ah,
05:00your grace already has
05:01company.
05:03I'll return the young lady at once.
05:07Save,
05:08save me!
05:09Roland clamps a hand over my mouth.
05:11Don't scream.
05:13I'll have you begging soon enough.
05:15He is,
05:16formidable.
05:17More formidable than Henry was on our wedding night 34 years ago.
05:21And Henry had been a young man then.
05:23We married at 16.
05:25By 25,
05:26Henry was already flagging.
05:28By 30,
05:29he left me all together,
05:30went to meet his maker.
05:31This kind of vigor?
05:33I've only ever read about it in those courtly romances.
05:36Lancelot,
05:37Tristan,
05:37none of them hold a candle.
05:39The pleasure is like nothing I can...
05:41How is this even possible?
05:43You're enjoying it too.
05:46Aren't you?
05:47That night,
05:48we are utterly shameless.
05:50The rosary snaps.
05:51Beads scatter across the linen sheets,
05:53clicking softly,
05:54catching the firelight.
05:56That rosary,
05:56my most treasured possession,
05:58blessed by Father Benedict's own hand.
06:00I used it every single day in prayer.
06:03At first,
06:03I can't fight him.
06:05Later,
06:05I don't want to.
06:07It is,
06:07magnificent.
06:08I never imagined,
06:10not at my age,
06:11with one foot already in the grave,
06:12that I could feel something like this.
06:14But beneath the bliss,
06:16a cold thread of worry coils in my chest.
06:18This man controls the kingdom.
06:20The Everwoods are respectable,
06:22yes,
06:23but we are no great house.
06:24If Roland decides to destroy us,
06:27it takes nothing more than a stroke of his pen.
06:29I can't drag my family into this.
06:31So when he finally falls asleep,
06:33I peel myself free of his arms and slip away.
06:35The damage he's done to my body is considerable.
06:39I can barely stand.
06:40My walking stick trembles against the flagstones with every step.
06:44The stone stairs down the hillside are a special kind of torture.
06:48My legs buckle,
06:49my hips scream.
06:50The stick skids on the steps three separate times,
06:52and each time I nearly pitch forward into empty air.
06:57Somehow,
06:57somehow I make it to the bottom.
06:59Agnes,
06:59my lady's maid,
07:01waits by the carriage.
07:02Milady,
07:03Lady Eleanor was returned safely.
07:05I've been waiting ages.
07:06You look dreadful.
07:07Did something happen?
07:08Eleanor is safe.
07:09I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
07:12Agnes is still staring at me.
07:14I wave her off.
07:15Nothing happened.
07:17I dozed off in the guest quarters,
07:18that's all.
07:18Lost track of time.
07:20Eleanor's safe.
07:21That's what matters.
07:22Take me home.
07:23In the carriage,
07:24I clench my hands together,
07:26close my eyes,
07:26and pray.
07:28Holy Mary,
07:29have mercy on me.
07:30Holy Mary,
07:32have mercy on me.
07:33Let no one ever learn of this.
07:35Not in this life.
07:36Not ever.
07:37But my mind won't cooperate.
07:39It keeps replaying,
07:41his face,
07:41the breath of his shoulders,
07:43the relentless way he moved.
07:45Henry.
07:45I try to summon Henry's face.
07:47My husband.
07:48We were betrothed as children,
07:50married at 16,
07:52parted by death at 30.
07:53I never remarried.
07:55Nearly 20 years.
07:56I swore at his coffin that no man would ever touch me again.
08:0020 years,
08:01I kept that vow.
08:02I thought Henry would be the only man I'd ever have.
08:05And now,
08:06practically in my grave,
08:0720 years of faithfulness shattered in a single night.
08:11Henry.
08:12God rest your soul.
08:13I'm so sorry.
08:14Back at the manor,
08:15I order the servants to fill the wooden tub with hot water in my bedchamber.
08:19No one stays in the room.
08:21I want to scrub this night off my skin.
08:23If I scrub hard enough,
08:25maybe it never happened.
08:26But the marks on my body tell a different story.
08:29They're everywhere.
08:30Vivid proof of just how vigorous he was.
08:33At my age.
08:34Nearly 50 years old.
08:36Handled like that.
08:38Heat crawls up my neck.
08:39My cheeks burn.
08:41Margaret Everwood.
08:42Shame on you.
08:43You're practically ancient.
08:45Stop thinking about it.
08:47That night,
08:47I dream of Henry.
08:49Margaret,
08:50you swore on my coffin.
08:51You said there'd be no other man.
08:53You said we'd be buried together in the family crypt.
08:57I've been waiting for you in heaven for 20 years.
08:59You won't come down fine.
09:00But you found yourself a 25-year-old lover?
09:03I'm sorry.
09:04I'm sorry, Henry.
09:05I didn't mean to break my vow.
09:07He was too strong.
09:08I was forced, I swear.
09:10Then Roland appears out of nowhere,
09:12wraps an arm around my waist,
09:14and pulls me upright before I can bow again.
09:17He kicks Henry square in the chest.
09:19Henry vanishes.
09:20You're a dead man.
09:21The living are none of your concern.
09:23Then Roland covers my ears with his palms.
09:25Gently, like I'm something fragile.
09:28Margaret, ignore that old ghost.
09:29Everything he said is nonsense.
09:31You deserve the finest man in the world.
09:34I stare up at him.
09:35The finest man in the world.
09:39The finest man in the world?
09:44Shameless.
09:45Absolutely shameless.
09:46You love it when I'm shameless.
09:48He kisses me.
09:50I wake drenched in sweat.
09:52Burning up.
09:53It's barely spring.
09:54There's no reason for this heat.
09:57Agonist, draw a bath.
09:59Now.
10:00The marks Roland left on my neck are impossible to hide.
10:03I lock myself in my chambers for days,
10:05waiting for them to fade.
10:07The official story.
10:08I am well.
10:08I caught a chill climbing to the abbey
10:10and came down with a fever.
10:11Eleanor is a good girl.
10:13Even when I refuse visitors,
10:14she comes to the door of my private chapel
10:16every morning to ask after me.
10:18Days pass.
10:20Melody?
10:21Lady Eleanor came to see you again at first light.
10:24Shall I still turn her away?
10:25I glance at the window.
10:27Pale light.
10:28Quiet grounds.
10:30No strangers at the gate.
10:32No one has come looking for me.
10:34Maybe it's over.
10:36Let her in.
10:36Tell her I'm much better.
10:38Agnes beams.
10:39Right away.
10:40A moment later,
10:42Eleanor bursts through the door
10:43and throws herself around my legs.
10:47Grandmother!
10:47You're finally seeing me!
10:49I thought you were angry
10:51because I snuck out that day
10:52and you had to come all the way up the mountain
10:54to find me.
10:55I'm so sorry.
10:56It was my fault.
10:57I nearly got taken by those awful men
10:59if you hadn't come for me.
11:02Geoffrey would have been so upset.
11:04Geoffrey Montfort.
11:06Eleanor's betrothed since childhood.
11:08Heir to the Montfort Duchy.
11:10A young knight who just earned his spurs
11:12before the king last year.
11:13The kind of man who rides off
11:15to the northern front the morning
11:16after his wedding.
11:18Leaving Eleanor alone
11:19to manage a crumbling estate
11:20while he keeps a mistress across the border.
11:23Gets her pregnant.
11:24And the worst part?
11:26The entire Montfort household knows.
11:28They blame Eleanor for failing to produce an heir.
11:30Then force her to raise the bastard
11:32under the polite fiction of a ward.
11:34Eleanor pours her dowry into the Duchy's debts.
11:37She raises her husband's illegitimate child
11:39with patience and grace.
11:40She waits seven years.
11:42When Geoffrey finally returns from the wars,
11:45the first thing he does
11:46is petition the ecclesiastical court
11:47for an annulment,
11:48citing consanguinity,
11:50some threat of distant cousinship,
11:52so he can marry his mistress.
11:53And in open court,
11:55he announces that the child Eleanor raised
11:57as her own is his bastard.
11:59Always was.
12:01By then,
12:01Everwoods are nothing.
12:03Our influence has withered,
12:04our halls stand empty,
12:05and not a single soul bothers
12:07to pay a courtesy call.
12:09Eleanor has no protector.
12:10She can't fight a man
12:11riding the crest of military glory.
12:13She endures it in silence.
12:15Then she collapses.
12:17No one visits.
12:18No one sends for a physician.
12:20She lies alone in an empty room
12:21and closes her eyes for the last time.
12:24And I,
12:24her grandmother,
12:25live long enough to watch her buried.
12:27Every time I think about
12:28Geoffrey kneeling at the altar,
12:30playing the pious knight,
12:31when he was calculating
12:32how to strip a spare
12:32from the very beginning,
12:33every vow he made before God.
12:35A lie.
12:36My hands shake so badly
12:37I want to wrap them around his throat.
12:39But the Eleanor standing before me
12:40right now doesn't know any of this.
12:43She doesn't know her betrothed
12:44is a devil wearing a saint's mask.
12:47I can't tell her.
12:49Not yet.
12:50So I take her hands and smile.
12:53Ellie, you're still so young.
12:56And you're my only granddaughter.
12:58I can't bear to let you go just yet.
13:01Stay with me a little longer.
13:04Two more years.
13:05Can you do that?
13:06Two more years.
13:07Just two years.
13:09Here's what I know from the last life.
13:11The Montforts are drowning.
13:12That's why Geoffrey pushes for the wedding.
13:15Once Eleanor arrives with her dowry,
13:17he's free to ride north and chase glory.
13:19If I delay the marriage by two years,
13:21the Montforts won't last six months.
13:24Their rot will show through
13:25for the whole world to see.
13:27Let's see them come knocking on our door then.
13:29Eleanor blushes and nods,
13:31sweet as ever.
13:34I want to stay with you too.
13:36If you hadn't come for me that night,
13:38I don't know what would have happened.
13:40Dear Grandmother,
13:41you saved my life.
13:42I'll do whatever you say.
13:43I'll write to Geoffrey right now
13:45and tell him the wedding is postponed.
13:50My dear girl,
13:52I haven't loved you for nothing.
13:54As long as Eleanor never sets foot
13:56in that den of wolves,
13:57she'll never suffer what she suffered before.
13:59And if that nest of vipers
14:00goes bankrupt in the meantime,
14:03that's not our problem.
14:04My son Thomas and his wife Catherine
14:07are thrilled when they hear the news.
14:08They come to see me together that evening.
14:12Mother,
14:13did you hear something?
14:15Everyone's whispering
14:15that the Montforts are practically ruined.
14:17The old Duke's war reputation
14:19is the only thing keeping up appearances.
14:22Their estate income
14:23can't even cover household expenses.
14:26Apparently the servants
14:27haven't received their wages
14:28or livery allowances in months
14:30and the pantry's nearly bare.
14:32Eleanor is my only daughter.
14:34I won't watch her suffer.
14:37This is perfect timing, Mother.
14:39Give it a couple of years.
14:41Once Eleanor's gotten over her stubbornness,
14:42we'll find her a family
14:43that actually deserves her.
14:44She can stay right here by your side.
14:46Wouldn't that be better?
14:47Seeing them both on my side
14:49warms my old bones
14:50more than any fire.
14:52Good.
14:54I'm glad we're all in agreement.
14:56Henry and I only had Thomas.
14:58I adored him from the day he drew breath.
15:00When his father died,
15:01Thomas was 12.
15:02I raised him alone.
15:04His wife Catherine
15:05is a distant relation of mine,
15:06a merchant's daughter, yes,
15:08but from a wealthy house.
15:09In the previous life,
15:10Catherine and I nearly
15:11bankrupted ourselves for Eleanor,
15:13my dower,
15:14Catherine's remaining dowry funds.
15:16We poured everything we had
15:17into keeping that girl afloat
15:18in the Montfort household.
15:19That's the real reason
15:20the Everwoods fell so fast.
15:21This time,
15:22we will not let those leeches
15:23bleed us dry.
15:24I keep Eleanor close.
15:26Every morning,
15:27she comes to my private chapel
15:29to copy the book of hours
15:30with me and join in lads.
15:31I also order the servants
15:33to intercept every piece
15:34of correspondence
15:34between Eleanor and Jeffrey.
15:36Every letter.
15:37No exceptions.
15:39My Eleanor is a proper
15:40nobleman's daughter,
15:42raised with impeccable manners.
15:43She would never sneak around
15:45behind my back
15:46to meet a man.
15:47And without anyone
15:48to carry his honeyed words
15:49for him,
15:49how exactly does Jeffrey
15:51plan to manipulate
15:51my granddaughter?
15:52What I don't expect
15:53is for Jeffrey
15:54to show up in person.
15:56Not even a fortnight later.
15:59Milade.
16:02Sir Jeffrey of Montfield
16:04is at the gate.
16:05He says he's here
16:06to call on you
16:06and Lady Eleanor.
16:08Thomas has taken Catherine
16:09to visit her family.
16:10It's just Eleanor
16:11and me at the manor.
16:13My fingers go still
16:14on the rosary.
16:15Turn him away.
16:18He's not alone, Milady.
16:20The Lord Protector
16:21is with him.
16:23Roland of Leon Heart.
16:24Every drop of blood
16:26drains from my face.
16:27The rosary beads
16:28rattle between
16:28my trembling fingers.
16:31He...
16:31He...
16:32Why is he here?
16:33That night,
16:34in my panic,
16:35I blurted out who I was.
16:36My name.
16:37My title.
16:38Has he come
16:38to settle the score?
16:39Milade.
16:40The Lord Protector
16:41is the late king's
16:41youngest brother
16:42and his majesty's
16:43own uncle.
16:43The entire kingdom
16:44answers to him
16:45and they say
16:46he's merciless
16:46with those who cross him.
16:47Not a man anyone
16:48can afford to offend.
16:49As if I don't already know,
16:51I got a very thorough
16:52demonstration of his
16:53intensity that night.
16:54I force myself to breathe.
16:56Think, Margaret.
16:58He was poisoned that night.
17:00Delirious.
17:01Out of his mind.
17:02He might not remember
17:03an old woman's face.
17:05Prepare hippoprash.
17:07Show the Lord Protector
17:08and Sir Geoffrey
17:08to the Great Hall.
17:09In the Great Hall,
17:11I have the servant's position
17:12and embroidered screen
17:13behind the dais.
17:14I sit behind it,
17:15rosary in hand,
17:16and nod for Agnes
17:17to pour the wine.
17:19I have been widowed
17:20many years
17:21and do not receive
17:21visitors in person.
17:23I beg your grace's forgiveness.
17:25My late husband Henry
17:26was the Earl of Everwood,
17:27a man who fought
17:28beside the late king
17:29and earned his honors
17:30on the battlefield.
17:31No one can expect
17:32a dowager countess
17:32past 50,
17:33still recovering from illness,
17:35to drag herself out
17:36in curtsy
17:36before a man young enough
17:37to be her son.
17:39No need to apologize.
17:41Sir Geoffrey and I
17:43arrived uninvited.
17:46I frown behind the screen.
17:49Forgive my bluntness,
17:50Your Grace.
17:51To what do we owe
17:53this visit?
17:54Geoffrey opens his mouth,
17:55but before a word comes out,
17:57Eleanor's voice rings
17:58from the doorway.
18:00Geoffrey,
18:02what are you doing here?
18:06Eleanor,
18:07thank God you're all right.
18:08I've written to you
18:09every day.
18:10You never replied.
18:11I was worried
18:11something had happened.
18:13Letters.
18:14What letters?
18:15Grandmother hasn't been well.
18:17She asked me to stay
18:18by her side.
18:19The servants must have
18:19forgotten to deliver them.
18:21I'll look into it.
18:21Then her gaze drifts
18:22to the man seated
18:23beside Geoffrey.
18:25And this gentleman is?
18:29Eleanor,
18:30mind your manners.
18:30This is his grace.
18:31The Lord protect her.
18:34Your Grace.
18:35Please forgive my rudeness.
18:36Roland says nothing.
18:38A slight nod.
18:38Nothing more.
18:39His gaze doesn't linger on her.
18:41But my hands are clenched
18:42so tight around the rosary
18:43that the beads bite
18:43into my palms.
18:44In the last life,
18:45it was Roland who ruined Eleanor.
18:47Eleanor's eyes.
18:47She looks like me.
18:49Please, God.
18:50Please don't let him
18:50see the resemblance.
18:51My mind is spiraling
18:53when Roland's voice
18:54cuts through.
18:54Where was this young lady?
18:56Did she by any chance
18:56visit Epis St. Andrew's Abbey
18:58outside the city?
19:00That single question
19:01squeezes my chest
19:02like a fist.
19:04Eleanor is innocent,
19:05but she's not stupid.
19:06She knows what happened
19:08that night,
19:08the ambush,
19:09the men who knocked
19:10her unconscious,
19:11how close she came
19:11to being dragged away.
19:13No, Your Grace.
19:14Two weeks ago,
19:15I was here at home
19:16keeping grandmother company.
19:19I didn't go anywhere.
19:21That's right.
19:22Eleanor is a devoted girl.
19:24She knows this old woman
19:25gets lonely,
19:26so she stays close.
19:27Now, Sir Jeffrey,
19:29while you're here,
19:30there's a matter
19:30I'd like to discuss.
19:32Eleanor is not in good health.
19:34I've had a physician examine her
19:35and he says she needs
19:36at least two or three
19:37more years of rest
19:38before she should even
19:39think about marriage.
19:40The wedding will be postponed.
19:41No!
19:43Eleanor blinks.
19:44She's never heard him
19:45use that tone.
19:46Not once.
19:47He's always played
19:48the gentle knight
19:49in her presence,
19:49soft voice,
19:50kind eyes,
19:51courtly bows.
19:52Jeffrey,
19:53why not?
19:54Grandmother is looking
19:55out for us.
19:56Why would you speak
19:57to her like that?
19:58Forgive me, Eleanor.
19:59I love you so much.
20:01I just want to stand
20:02with you at the altar
20:02as soon as possible.
20:04Two or three more years.
20:06I don't know
20:06if I can bear the weight.
20:08Eleanor's health
20:09comes before everything.
20:11If Sir Jeffrey
20:11finds the weight
20:12unaborable,
20:13perhaps it would be best
20:14to dissolve the betrothal
20:15altogether
20:16and seek a more
20:17suitable match.
20:18My lady,
20:19you misunderstand.
20:20That's not what
20:20I meant at all.
20:21It's just,
20:22it's,
20:22it's just...
20:25Just what?
20:27Just that the Montfeiards
20:28are hemorrhaging money.
20:31And you need
20:32my granddaughter's dowry
20:33to plug the holes.
20:41Grandmother.
20:42I catch Agnes's eye.
20:44Agnes takes Eleanor's arm
20:45and shakes her head gently.
20:46Not now.
20:47Eleanor doesn't understand,
20:49but she obeys.
20:50Steps back.
20:51Stays quiet.
20:52Good girl.
20:53My Ellie.
20:54Every ounce of effort
20:55I've poured into
20:56protecting you,
20:56worth it.
20:57Jeffrey stares at me
20:58through the screen,
20:59jaw clenched,
21:00knuckles white.
21:01I can practically hear
21:02the gears grinding
21:03behind his eyes.
21:04I stare right back.
21:06This is the man
21:07who destroyed my granddaughter
21:08in another life.
21:09I have nothing to say
21:10to him that isn't
21:11laced with venom.
21:13Sir Jeffrey,
21:13I believe I've made
21:14myself clear.
21:15You know the state
21:16of the Montfield house
21:17better than anyone.
21:18I shouldn't need
21:18to spell it out.
21:20Elena is the most precious
21:21thing the Everwood family has.
21:24Her parents and I
21:25will not send her
21:26somewhere she'll suffer.
21:27If you truly love her,
21:29I'll give you three years.
21:31Restore the Montfield name.
21:33Prove you can provide
21:34for her.
21:35Fail,
21:35and this betrothal
21:36is finished.
21:37Do you have the nerve
21:38to take that wager?
21:39I almost laugh out loud.
21:41Three years?
21:42He won't last one.
21:44Without Everwood money
21:45propping them up,
21:46the entire Montford estate
21:47will be begging for scraps
21:48within months.
21:49The blow lands.
21:51Jeffrey sways on his feet
21:52like I've struck him
21:53across the face.
21:58My lady,
21:59is that really
22:00what you think of me?
22:02A man of no worth?
22:04Yes.
22:05I figured that out
22:06a lifetime ago.
22:07You're nothing but a leech
22:08that latched onto my family
22:09and sucked us dry.
22:11And those so-called
22:11battlefield glories of yours?
22:13Compared to my grandsons,
22:15they're not worth
22:16the breath it takes
22:17to speak of them.
22:18In the last life,
22:19Catherine and I
22:20bled ourselves white
22:21for Eleanor.
22:21My dower.
22:23Catherine's remaining dowry.
22:25We poured it all
22:26into keeping that girl
22:27alive inside
22:27the Montford household.
22:29My grandson William,
22:30the sole heir
22:30to the Everwood name,
22:32never complained.
22:33Not once.
22:34He even rode north
22:35to the border wars,
22:36trying to rebuild
22:37our family's honor
22:37with his own sword arm.
22:39And that wretch
22:39Jeffrey stole it from him.
22:41Jeffrey was
22:42William's second in command.
22:43In the decisive battle,
22:45when everything
22:45hung in the balance,
22:46Jeffrey abandoned
22:47his commander,
22:48gathered the survivors
22:49and retreated.
22:50When word came
22:51that William had fallen,
22:53Jeffrey claimed
22:53the victory as his own,
22:55wrapped himself
22:55in stolen glory
22:56and rode home a hero.
22:57Meanwhile,
22:58my grandson,
22:59given up for dead,
23:00with no one coming
23:01to find him,
23:01led a few hundred
23:02household cavalry
23:03deep behind enemy lines,
23:05struck the enemy camp,
23:06and recaptured
23:07the lost territory,
23:08a feat worthy
23:09of the chronicles.
23:10But by the time
23:11William returned
23:12and the truth came out,
23:13his sister was
23:14already in the ground.
23:15She never lived
23:16to see the Everwood name
23:17mean something again.
23:18This time,
23:19I've laid the groundwork
23:20years in advance.
23:21I'd like to see
23:22Jeffrey try to steal
23:23my grandson's glory now.
23:25The longer I look at Jeffrey,
23:26the more my stomach turns.
23:28And with Roland
23:29sitting right there,
23:29I have no patience
23:30for drawn-out games.
23:32Enough.
23:33I've said what I came to say.
23:36The Everwood family's position
23:37should be perfectly clear
23:38to you now,
23:39Sir Jeffrey.
23:40If you refuse these terms,
23:41I'll petition the king myself.
23:43My late husband
23:44was a knight banneret,
23:45sworn and belted
23:46by the late king's own hand.
23:48I trust his majesty
23:49will grant me the courtesy
23:50of dissolving this betrothal.
23:52Jeffrey's genteel facade shatters.
23:55Eleanor and I are in love!
23:57You meddling old crone,
23:59you tear us apart!
24:00Eleanor's head snaps toward him.
24:02Her eyes blaze.
24:03Jeffrey Montfeld,
24:05what did you just call
24:07my grandmother?
24:09Eleanor, can't you see?
24:10Your grandmother
24:11is deliberately sabotaging us!
24:13She doesn't want you
24:14to marry me!
24:16Eleanor's voice shakes.
24:17Angry tears spill over.
24:20She's thinking about our future.
24:21She's pushing you to be better.
24:23Why can't you just...
24:24Why won't you listen?
24:25So you look down on us too!
24:27Because the Montfields
24:28have fallen on hard times!
24:30This betrothal was sealed
24:31by your grandfather and mine
24:33while they still lived.
24:34And now the Everwoods
24:35break their word
24:36like it means nothing?
24:37Is this the honor of your house?
24:39I'm trembling with rage
24:40behind the screen.
24:41If he hadn't schemed
24:42against us first,
24:43the Everwoods would never
24:44have needed to break anything.
24:46Then, from the far side
24:47of the hall,
24:48where Roland has been
24:49leaning back in his chair,
24:50drinking hippocras
24:51as if watching a mildly
24:53entertaining tournament.
24:54Enough.
24:56Lady Everfield is the widow
24:57of a war hero.
24:58She holds the late king's
25:00personal writ of protection.
25:01She is your grandfather's peer.
25:03And you dare speak
25:04to her this way.
25:05I'd like to know
25:06how old Duke Montford
25:07raised his heads.
25:09If he couldn't manage the job,
25:10I'm happy to finish it for him.
25:12The Everwoods,
25:13I'll admit,
25:14have no one fearsome
25:15in this generation.
25:16My Thomas,
25:17God love him,
25:18is an honest man
25:19with a minor court appointment
25:20and none of his father's fire.
25:21William,
25:22Eleanor's brother,
25:23holds no title yet,
25:24no office.
25:25Offend us,
25:26and the consequences
25:27are manageable.
25:29But Roland,
25:30the late king's
25:31youngest brother,
25:32uncle to the boy
25:33on the throne,
25:33the man whose frown
25:34makes the entire king's
25:35council hold its breath.
25:37That's a different
25:37calculation entirely.
25:39Your grace,
25:41forgive me.
25:42I spoke in haste.
25:43I forgot myself.
25:45I accept Lady Everwood's terms.
25:47I'll ride to the northern marges.
25:50In three years,
25:51I'll prove my worth
25:51on the battlefield
25:52and return to seek
25:53Lady Eleanor's hand.
25:55Before you leave,
25:56report to my marshal.
25:58Twenty straptures.
25:59The heir leaves the room.
26:01Everyone knows
26:01what that means for a knight.
26:03Twenty lashes is not pain.
26:05Twenty lashes is humiliation.
26:07Then Roland's gaze lifts,
26:09and even through
26:09the embroidered screen,
26:11I feel it land
26:11directly on my face.
26:13Does that satisfy you,
26:14my lady?
26:15Satisfying me?
26:16I could weep with joy.
26:18If he could simply
26:19whip the cur to death,
26:20I'd save myself
26:21years of trouble.
26:22Your grace,
26:23I defer entirely
26:24to your judgment.
26:25The screen still
26:26stands between us.
26:27Roland can't see
26:28my face clearly.
26:29That's my only comfort.
26:31I plead fatigue
26:32and rise to leave.
26:33Your grace,
26:34I am old
26:35and only recently
26:36recovered from illness.
26:37I cannot sit much longer.
26:38I'll retire to my chambers.
26:41Eleanor,
26:41see our guests out.
26:43Yes, grandmother.
26:44But Roland turns
26:45to Jeffrey first.
26:46You,
26:47leave.
26:48Jeffrey's jaw tightens.
26:49He wants to argue
26:50anyone can see it,
26:51but he doesn't dare
26:52defy the Lord Protector
26:53to his face.
26:54He forces a stiff bow.
26:56I take my leave.
26:57And storms out.
26:59Eleanor watches him go,
27:00then turns back
27:01to Roland with wide.
27:02Your grace,
27:03it's getting late.
27:04Aren't you heading
27:05back as well?
27:06Roland's entire
27:07demeanor shifts.
27:08Where Jeffrey received
27:09cold steel,
27:10Eleanor gets warmth.
27:11He even winks at her.
27:12My lady,
27:13it is getting late.
27:14I'm rather tired.
27:16I was hoping
27:17to stay the night
27:18at Everwood Manor
27:19if you'd be willing
27:20to take me in.
27:21My blood goes cold.
27:22In the last life,
27:23Roland was the one
27:24who violated Eleanor.
27:25This time it was me instead.
27:27But Eleanor is sweet,
27:28lovely, young.
27:29What's to stop him
27:30from developing ideas?
27:32Your grace,
27:32there are only two women
27:33in this house
27:34and no male head
27:34of household present.
27:35An unmarried man
27:36staying the night
27:37would be improper.
27:38And if I insist?
27:40What can I say to that?
27:41I'm a powerless widow.
27:43Am I supposed to throw
27:44the Lord Protector
27:45of the realm
27:45out onto the road?
27:46Your grace,
27:47please don't be offended.
27:49Grandmother has lived
27:49quietly for many years.
27:51She's simply not
27:52accustomed to visitors.
27:53There's an old Soli
27:54on the west side
27:55of the manor.
27:56It was my grandfather's
27:57study when he was alive
27:58where he read
27:59and handled estate business.
28:00If your grace wouldn't mind,
28:02you're welcome
28:02to stay there for the night.
28:04Eleanor.
28:05Clever girl.
28:06Color floods Eleanor's cheeks.
28:08She ducks her head.
28:09Your grace flatters me.
28:10My stomach drops.
28:12Is he flirting
28:13with my granddaughter?
28:14I'm not worried
28:15about Jeffrey anymore.
28:16After today,
28:17Eleanor has seen
28:18to his mask.
28:19She won't cling
28:20to that sinking ship.
28:21But if she turns around
28:22and falls for the Lord Protector,
28:24I can't exactly tell her.
28:26The man you're blushing
28:27at has already
28:27bedded your grandmother.
28:28God would rain fire
28:30and brimstone
28:30on this house.
28:31No.
28:32Absolutely not.
28:33I just pulled Eleanor
28:35out of one wolf's jaws.
28:36I will not push her
28:37into another's arms.
28:38Eleanor.
28:39Come here.
28:40Come stand beside me.
28:42Agnes,
28:43escort his grace
28:43to the west solar.
28:45Coming, grandmother.
28:47Eleanor turns
28:47and hurries toward me
28:49and catches her foot
28:50on something.
28:51She stumbles,
28:52crashes into the screen,
28:54and knocks it
28:54several inches
28:55to the side.
28:56For one horrible,
28:57frozen moment,
28:58there is nothing
28:59between Roland and me
29:00but open air.
29:01Our eyes lock.
29:02My heart slams
29:03against my ribs.
29:04His gaze is sharp.
29:06Searching.
29:07It pins me in place.
29:09I don't breathe.
29:10I can't breathe.
29:12Don't recognize me.
29:13Don't recognize me.
29:14Roland's brow creases.
29:16And then he says
29:17the one thing
29:17that makes me want
29:18the floor to open up
29:19and swallow me, whore.
29:20My lady,
29:21have we met before?
29:24Your grace,
29:25a man as busy as yourself
29:26can hardly be expected
29:27to remember every face.
29:29But now that you mention it,
29:31your grace,
29:31don't you recall?
29:32Years ago,
29:33when I visited the palace
29:34to pay my respects
29:35to Queen Mother Isabel,
29:36I held you in my arms.
29:38You were still a nursing babe.
29:40The moment I picked you up,
29:42you wet yourself
29:42all over my gown.
29:44My, how the years fly.
29:45Look at you now,
29:47all grown up.
29:49That's right, boy.
29:51You want to match wits
29:52with this old woman?
29:53You're 20 years too green.
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