- 3 hours ago
Wrong Bride, Right Lord: Two Swapped Noble Marriages ENGSUB Regency Romance, Mistaken Marriage, Historical Love Story
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Someone should take this cushion away. It's way too firm to sleep on.
00:08By tradition, newlyweds are allowed another hour before getting up.
00:12By tradition? What tradition?
00:16You were the one insisting we follow every rule.
00:19I insisted on... wait.
00:28Celia, what are you doing here?
00:41You... you're my sister's husband?
00:46Get dressed first, now.
00:50Merciful saints, why am I in bed with the man who was supposed to marry my sister?
00:57Two weeks ago, my sister was to be joined by oath to the Lord of House Ashvington.
01:02A marriage forged for land, trade and alliance.
01:07As her younger sister, I was the first to protest, so I offered a compromise.
01:11Then I'll marry the younger Ashburton Lucian, I said.
01:15If our houses must be bound, then one should be othersmiths, then bindend us both.
01:20As long as I stay near my sister, I agree.
01:24You always know exactly what suits me.
01:27But really, you're not wearing a bridal gown yourself?
01:30I did not come here to satisfy anyone's taste.
01:33I stand here as the head of House Valahart, that is enough.
01:37My lady, word has come from the Ashburton party.
01:40The storm has blocked the roads, the gentlemen's carriages have been delayed.
01:42The wedding may have to be postponed.
01:45This union is a pact before it is a celebration.
01:48The ceremony itself is only its outer shell.
01:51Since the grooms have not yet arrived, we proceed first.
01:56I know these are two great houses of the realm, but this has gone too far.
02:00Where are the bridegrooms?
02:12Where are the Ashburts?
02:13Was this not meant to be a Val-held Ashburgu union?
02:16Sister, weren't we only supposed to keep the guests from talking?
02:21You've had your eye on this old family ring for years, haven't you?
02:24Then wear it first and see how it feels.
02:27I have! Then yes, I'll gladly wear it!
02:36To be honest, the rest is a blur.
02:39Lady Celelia, we've arrived at the East residence.
02:42A storm raged all night, and I was half asleep on my feet.
02:46Number eight.
02:51My lady, this is number six.
02:54That looks like eight.
02:56We passed number eight earlier.
02:58Lady Celia's carriage already went that way.
03:00The leaves are hiding the rest of the carving.
03:02This one is definitely six.
03:05So yes.
03:07Last night, fate's wheels came off the rails.
03:16This is awful! Why are you being so cold?
03:19I never meant to get into your bed in the first place!
03:23Enough tears. Put your clothes on.
03:27My dress, it's still in the dressing alcobe. Could you bring it to me?
03:31Does she take me for a chambermaid?
03:33Does she take me for a chambermaid?
03:34Absolutely not.
03:35Fetch it yourself.
03:37Alright.
03:44It hurts.
03:47You can't stand.
03:49Because of you.
03:50You were far too much.
03:58Stay where you are.
04:06Celia!
04:16Did Alaric force himself on you?
04:18No.
04:19No.
04:20Not exactly.
04:21You know how I am when thunder starts.
04:23I thought he was my bridegroom.
04:24And he said he was my husband, so I...
04:26And then...
04:26Then tell me this.
04:28What do you make of him?
04:29He was like...
04:31some wild beast.
04:34That was not the question I asked.
04:38Brother, she's barely more than a little songbird.
04:41And you truly showed her no mercy.
04:44Go on.
04:45Say one word more and I'll send you to inspect the furthest northern watchtower.
04:53As for you two, what happened in your chamber?
05:00Wasn't Celia meant to be the soft, sweet one?
05:06Amethysts from the southern traders.
05:08I had these made for my future wife.
05:10This cannot be the wrong room.
05:16Who is it?
05:18Who else would it be?
05:19Your husband.
05:21Husband?
05:30Then fulfill a husband's duty.
05:34What duty?
05:35Give House Valhaft an heir.
05:39Have you been drinking?
05:43What are you saying, that you cannot?
05:46Cannot?
05:47You may test that yourself.
05:49The storm was fierce.
05:50The stone room markers were obscured,
05:52and the escort order was altered in the confusion.
05:54That is how we were each led to the wrong doors.
05:56But since matters have already gone this far...
05:59Celia, then let us simply exchange the marriage matches.
06:05Serethine has only just taken full hold of House Valahart.
06:07She needs Ashton standing beside her.
06:10So I have to make peace with this.
06:12I cannot keep acting as though the sky has fallen.
06:15Truly, if I may still remain near my sister, what does it matter which lord I am wed to?
06:21Well, we exchange the marriage contracts. Do you consent or not?
06:24The church record has not yet been entered into the final roles.
06:27If this preserve order between both houses...
06:29It will.
06:31Then I see no cause to oppose it.
06:33Our account to the court is simple.
06:35The wedding arrangements were altered in haste, and the message sent outward was mistaken.
06:40Neither pair stood before the hall in full public witness.
06:43It will hold.
06:45Very well.
06:47No! Wait! That is all? Just like that? And my say in this counts for nothing?
06:52Is there some grievance you wish to raise?
06:57You did not seem particularly aggraved last night.
07:00That is entirely beside the point!
07:05Brother, I implore you.
07:07Do not let her settle this so easily.
07:09You have no notion what sort of woman she becomes once she has decided on a thing.
07:13Last night was...
07:14If you wish to be released, say it plainly.
07:16I already have doubts about the strength of his bloodline as it is.
07:20Last night was an accident. I was on edge. That does not mean I am...
07:23I can explain this.
07:25Properly. Only grant me a moment. Two moments...
07:28I have council matters to attend.
07:31I cannot see you off myself.
07:36Hey! We are not finished speaking!
07:38I ride for the city in two hours. You are coming with me.
07:42Yes, my lord.
07:44Young, clinging, trouble in silk.
07:47But at least she can be reasoned with.
07:55My lord! Here!
07:58We are going into the city for a short stay.
08:01Not marching on a campaign.
08:02Not marching on a campaign.
08:08She smells of...
08:10Orchard fruit.
08:12Fresh petals.
08:13Something faint.
08:15Something distracting.
08:33My lord. Are you unwell?
08:37Be quiet.
08:38Be quiet?
08:40Be quiet? Is that truly how lords speak to people, plainly? To their own wives?
08:44Correction. Young, clinging, alarmingly effective, defiant, and it seems wholly incapable of holding her tongue.
08:52Celia, we must settle something.
08:54Very well. What is it?
08:56This marriage is an arrangement of houses. You do understand that?
08:59I do.
08:59As Lady Ashbur, you will be required to appear at councils, feasts, and court observances.
09:03You must preserve a certain dignity. You cannot simply...
09:05That one. The pale trunk. Will you hand it to me?
09:09These hands govern bannelmans, roads, levits, grain, trade. She wants them used for luggage.
09:15Look, you were far too rough with me last night. I can scarcely lift a thing.
09:27Lady Celia Volhart Ashbur.
09:30It slipped. It truly slipped. I did not mean it.
09:33No food in my carriage.
09:35Why not?
09:36Crumbs. Odors. Disorder.
09:42Do you never listen the first time?
09:43I know perfectly well why you are in such a temper. Because you are hungry. No crumbs. Hardly any smell.
09:51And with the straw, no spilling. I packed warm vegetable soup for you.
10:04Do not let this become a custom.
10:07You sound exactly like my sister. She says that all the time.
10:11Though when she says, do not make a habit of it, what she really means is, I will permit it
10:15at least seventeen more times.
10:18I wonder how many times you mean, my lord.
10:27Have they been making this hard for you?
10:29The Duke is a little frightening. But Lady Eveline is so kind.
10:33Look, she gave me this.
10:35That bracelet. It is handed from Ashbur lady to Ashburne lady.
10:38Mother, then this means...
10:40Stay as you are. Choose what sits right in your own heart. Do not twist yourself to fit another house.
10:45Do you hear me?
10:46Follow her own heart. We have indulged one son into uselessness already. I will not stand by and watch another
10:51household be ruined.
10:52They have only just arrived. Must you begin this tonight?
10:56And that absurd head of his. What respectable nobleman goes about looking like that?
11:00It is silver hair, not treason. He altered its shade, nothing more. Surely that is not a crime in your
11:06debtor tree.
11:09Gods, that was magnificent.
11:11Lady Seraphine Velhart, I see now why Velhart placed its reins in your hands. You are certainly formidable.
11:16Yet for all that, as a daughter of this house, you seem to have learned nothing of your place.
11:19I am joined to this house by his wife and Celia's sister. If you demean either of them, Your Grace,
11:24you do not stand apart from me when you do it.
11:26You speak boldly for a woman who cannot even keep her own sister in proper order.
11:29In my sight, she requires no correction. She is exactly as she ought to be.
11:34But perhaps you should ask yourself something, Your Grace.
11:36One son stayed away from this keep for years. Have you never wondered what drove him from his own home?
11:41How dare you? Every one of you. Insulent, unruly, without the least shred of breeding or respect.
11:48Say what you please of me if it satisfies you. But do not speak to my sister that way.
11:54Father, Celia is my wife. Her nature, her wishes, the way she carries herself. None of these are yours to
12:01sit in judgment over.
12:02She will come to know this house and its customs, in time and not by force.
12:06Until then, as long as she stands beside me, her dignity is mine to defend. Her joy is mine to
12:12guard. She is mine to answer for.
12:21I saw you looking at these before. It seemed a pity to let leave without them.
12:33White Keep is not an easy house to enter. We keep too many rules and I will not pretend otherwise.
12:39But do not let them press the life out of you. As you are now, child, you are lovely enough.
12:47Thank you, Mother.
12:53Alaric, stay a moment.
13:00I know this marriage was not made in the manner anyone intended. Still, that girl's heart is clean. She is
13:07kind in a way this world does not often spare.
13:10And perhaps she may be precisely the wife you require.
13:14Your father has filled your mind with talk of what a lady of Ashburg ought to be, I know.
13:19But hear me well, my son.
13:21A contented wife is worth more than the most faultless mistress of a castle.
13:25Do not wait until she is beyond your reach to learn that lesson.
13:28I hear you, Mother.
13:37I tried. Truly. Separating them was impossible.
13:40A contented wife is worth more than the most faultless mistress of a castle.
13:44Three months. If she still behaves like this, do not expect me to acknowledge her as Ashbur's daughter by marriage.
13:50Three months. Can I truly shape Celia Veilhart into a lady fit for House Ashbur?
13:54Sit properly.
13:57Celia.
13:58I heard you. I simply chose not to answer.
14:02If you keep lying about like that, your back will suffer for it.
14:06Then I thank you for the advice. Lying straight must be better for one's bones.
14:11When others are present, you must conduct yourself with some measure with the berry of a grown lady.
14:15What would people say?
14:17If this is how you mean to go on, you may return by yourself.
14:27Stop the carriage.
14:30I beg your pardon?
14:32If House Ashburle holds my sister in such contempt, then we have remained here too long.
14:36I will not sit by and hear her slighted.
14:38This betrothal ends tonight.
14:49If my sister will not remain in House Ashton, then neither shall I!
15:06CELIA!
15:06You drove your own wife away! What in God's name has that to do with me?
15:10I have no wish to lose mine with her!
15:13What possessed you?
15:14You humiliated a young lady in front of everyone, and now my marriage is paying the price for your temper.
15:20She is too headstrong. Someone had to-
15:22Then scold your own Duchess in private!
15:24Do not drag me beneath the same cartwheel! I never agreed to be crushed with you!
15:29Seraphine is not an easy woman. She will overrule you at every turn.
15:33Is that truly the life you want?
15:35Yes.
15:36You do much the same to me already.
15:40Yes, yes I do!
15:41I never once said I required some meek little saint for a wife.
15:43I care nothing for that. Go after them and bring them back!
15:46Brother, what is the matter with you?
15:48You can govern a keep, command men, settle disputes, outthink half the realm.
15:51But where the heart is concerned, you are hopeless.
15:54You complain that she is noisy and troublesome, yet all the while you watch her, shield her, tend to her,
15:58as though she were the one thing in this world you cannot bear to see harmed.
16:01Did you think I did not notice?
16:03In the Duke's front hall, in the dining chamber, in your own bedchamber,
16:06even the inner room, you were forever looking after her.
16:10You imagine things!
16:38I am telling you this once, and you would do well to heed me.
16:41If you do not go after her now, there may come no second chance to set this right.
16:48Halt the carriage!
16:58CELIA!
17:03It is deep into the night.
17:05She does not answer.
17:07And those two women are alone out here in the-
17:16...
17:16...
17:17...
17:18...
17:18...
17:18...
17:18...
17:18There's an accident!
17:27Stand aside! Make way!
17:39Not them. Thank heaven.
17:44Sarah, why is Alaric folded over there like a great frightened bird?
17:51Men who grow too certain of their place are sometimes best corrected by fact.
17:59Celia, I thought you had...
18:01Thought what, exactly? You did more than anger me tonight.
18:05You infended my sister too, and that was a very poor choice.
18:09You truly challenged the wrong person.
18:13Sarah, this berry cream is heavenly. May I taste yours?
18:16Of course. In a few days I shall have the kitchen send you every sweet you favor.
18:21I'll even have the confectioner bring in the honey chocolates from the southern caravans.
18:26I pressed her too hard.
18:29Too soon.
18:30She is not something to be managed.
18:34She is someone to be heard.
18:40Sarah, are we truly casting off this marriage pact?
18:45Do not trouble yourself over him.
18:47You have simply seen too little of the world yet.
18:51Give me a few days.
18:52I'll let you meet men worthy of a noble lady.
18:55Better men than that one.
18:57Truly?
18:59Will they be as handsome as Alaric?
19:01More so.
19:04And will they be as capable as he is?
19:12Capable in what regard?
19:14In every regard. I did not mean in a marriage bed way.
19:25Liar.
19:33Go on. Go on. Take him.
19:36Ugh. Useless thing.
19:48Those steps.
19:49That is not Sarah.
19:51Sarah walks more quietly than that.
19:53That must be...
19:56Oh.
19:57It is only you.
20:07Is that...
20:08The Abbey Berry Cakes from St. Elswith?
20:11The ones they only make ten of each morning?
20:14I have been trying to get one for months.
20:16I once rose before dawn for them.
20:18No.
20:19Twice.
20:21And now...
20:22You brought the entire box here?
20:27How is anyone meant to stay angry in the face of this?
20:51How is anyone meant to stay angry in the face of this?
20:56Mmm.
20:57This one is lovely.
20:58Soft as a cloud.
21:00Honestly, these are far too good.
21:06Aria, if this is your way of making peace, you might as well admit it.
21:10You needn't hide behind all that lordly dignity.
21:13They were sent up with other gifts. Nothing more.
21:16I don't believe that in the slightest.
21:19You know what you look like right now.
21:21Exactly like my sister when she's pretending not to care.
21:23All thorns and frost on the outside.
21:26And sweet preserve in the middle.
21:29Like a sugared quince.
21:31You're inventing nonsense.
21:34Still, since you went to such trouble to bring all ten,
21:38I've decided not to hold it against you any longer.
21:41I forgive you.
21:42You can be won over absurdly easily.
21:45What was that?
21:53I said, if you go on devouring this much sugar in a single afternoon,
21:57no physician in the kingdom will save you from the consequences.
22:03You'll grow spoiled.
22:05And very likely plump.
22:09I beg your pardon?
22:11Wait, Cilio.
22:18Which Cilio is it that you're calling back?
22:21Plump Cilio?
22:23Or slender Cilio?
22:29You're not plump.
22:32If anything,
22:34you might do with a little more to you.
22:40Very well.
22:42Perhaps I'm not built like my sister,
22:43but there is nothing lacking here, my lord.
22:47And what exactly is that meant to mean?
22:49There is absolutely nothing wrong with my figure.
22:56You are far too easy to win over.
22:58A little tenderness and you forget all caution.
23:00Sara, he truly meant it.
23:02You should have seen him when he came to me.
23:03He looked uncertain.
23:05You have always had a soft heart.
23:07And soft hearts are easily led.
23:09So hear me clearly.
23:10I do not care who he is, not even the lord of White Kick.
23:13If staying beside him makes you feel small or afraid, you do not stay.
23:17You leave. Nothing is worth that.
23:20And if this marriage must be undone, then let it be undone.
23:23I can keep you in comfort for the rest of your days and several lifetimes beside.
23:29The truth is, I do not want to leave him.
23:34He can be overbearing and far too used to having things his own way.
23:38And yes, he watches everything.
23:41But he has been kind to me.
23:44You are defending him already.
23:46That is how these things begin.
23:48You're only saying that because no one dotes on you properly.
23:52Keep testing me and I'll send you to supper half shave.
23:56Ow! Sarah!
23:57Alright, alright, I yield!
24:08Ahri, I think my hat is sitting crooked.
24:10I can hardly tell. Fix it for me.
24:22There.
24:31Everyone else walks hand in hand.
24:33Ahri, I want that too.
24:36Celia, this is the middle of the street.
24:43Ahri! Look there! A puppy!
24:51They're so close.
24:57Celia, we are leaving.
25:02Lord Ashbrook says we must go, but how is any meant to walk away from a face like yours?
25:06My lady can have him, if she wishes.
25:08He ought to belong to someone who'll care for him.
25:10Thank you. I'll look after him properly, I swear it.
25:13Stray animals carry filth, infection, fleas.
25:16You do not know where that creature has been, so do not simply-
25:18Thank you, my lady!
25:20See? He's gentle. Ahri, just touch him once. Only once.
25:25He's so soft.
25:28Truly.
25:29And adorable.
25:34Since you seem determined, we will take it to the healer.
25:38It will be examined properly, cleaned, treated.
25:41If it is found healthy, then it may stay at Whitekeep.
25:44Truly? We may keep him? Ahri, you're wonderful!
25:53There is already one pampered, clingy little creature in my household.
25:57I suppose one more will not ruin me.
26:04I was too slow. I let them make a spectacle of you.
26:08Under our own roof. Before the whole household.
26:11Sarah, look at me. I'm alright. Truly. See? Not even a torn sleeve.
26:16Your Celia is perfectly whole. You always do this.
26:19You smile and say you're fine, so I won't have cause to worry.
26:24Because I am fine. I have you.
26:27And it seems...
26:30I have him as well.
26:31The little sister I've guarded all these years
26:34has at last become someone else's most carefully kept treasure.
26:38If he shields her this closely,
26:40then perhaps, for once, I placed her future in the right hands.
26:44Sarah! My hair!
26:45Go on. Your Lord is waiting.
27:02Then, what is to be done with the younger girl?
27:04Do not look to me.
27:06I did not come here to take on another man's burden.
27:08I have heirs enough of my own.
27:17Enough. Hold your tongue.
27:19Why should I? She is only a useless little thing.
27:22No father, no mother, no standing, no...
27:25What was it you called my sister?
27:27Because our parents are in their graves, you thought we were yours to trample?
27:30Courteous before the altar, venomous behind the morning cloth.
27:35I have seen every one of your faces.
27:38And I will remember them all.
27:43So long as I draw breath, no one lays a hand on my sister.
27:47No one.
27:49That was the day I first understood what it meant.
27:52To be protected.
27:56Ari, thank you. For today. For all of it.
28:01You are my wife. The moment they sought to shame you, they were slighting Arm Ashborough as surely as they
28:07were slighting you.
28:08To dishonor you is to insult me to my face. I will answer such matters. None of this was your
28:13doing.
28:14Then, if you cannot bear them, why leave your family seal card in their hands? Why give them a way
28:19to reach you?
28:20I know your kin are not people you hold in any affection.
28:23That is a very gentle way to put it.
28:24Even so, each of them has some use, some quality worth noting.
28:27Your cousin Islae is as Ifra is insufferable, but she reads a room quickly and knows how to secure planning.
28:31And your unquiet branch Osward, his instincts in trade and alliance are better than I expected.
28:37So, you think well of them?
28:38That is not what I said.
28:40The people I despise most. The ones who made my childhood wretched. And you can still admire them.
28:47Celia, I do not admire them. I am speaking only of what may be of value in them. That is
28:52not the same thing.
28:53Alaric Ashfield, I hate you!
28:59What in God's name just happened?
29:16So, you've truly decided you're not returning to Whiteheap for now?
29:20That frozen tyrant? Please.
29:23Alaric Ashperth? He's nothing but a court performance in a velvet cloak.
29:30Celia. Faithless, arrogant, double-faith-
29:33What?
29:40Whether a man strays or not, that is rarely difficult to discover.
29:50That viper!
29:52Lord Ashburn, there must be some misunderstanding. The card you gave me was sent in error, was it not?
30:01No error.
30:03That cannot be true. I sent word at once. And some hall clerk answered in Whitekeep's outer office. Not your
30:10steward, not even one of your personal people. Just some ordinary servant.
30:19Lady Izaleth, I believe you have mistaken the nature of my civility.
30:25Have I?
30:26Such courtesy as I extend to you, and to the Valeheart kin attached to you, exists for one reason only.
30:33And what reason is that?
30:39Celia, were it not for her, those of your escort would never once have entered my notice.
30:46Not for a heartbeat.
30:54His tongue is dreadful. And yet, coming from him it sounds unfairly wonderful.
31:08My lord, the inquiry into the Valeheart family. After Lady Celia's parents died, certain Valeheart relations forced Lady Seraphine to
31:16yield portions of what should have remained hers, and the child was sent away to the country at ten years
31:20of age.
31:21She lived there near a year with no proper protection, no guardian, no household, a child left to manage as
31:30she could.
31:47Every house has its merits. There is always something to admire, and something worth learning from.
31:56Alaric Ashford, you damned fool.
32:06Am I worthy of the Lord Lucian?
32:08Brother, lend me a sack of gold.
32:11No.
32:12I am in genuine ruin. Advance me a little, a very little. I swear or I shall repay it, at
32:19some point. Conceivably, if heaven is kind.
32:22Is that the purpose of this call?
32:24Well, then goodbye.
32:28Wait, wait. Why do you sound like Winter itself? Did you offend Celia again?
32:37Ha! I knew it. Shall I enlighten you?
32:41I can have her smiling before supper. This is one of my finer talents.
32:46You have never sustained an attachment longer than a season.
32:51Entirely beside the point.
32:53I am ending this conversation.
32:58The Pottery are Tilly in the Lower Valley. They take private bookings. She will adore it.
33:06All right, send me the directions. I'll be there soon.
33:24I owe far more than an apology. And not only for today. I do not yet know how to mend
33:30this. But I will learn.
33:38The Pottery in the Lower Valley
33:39Driver, this is the place. Truly. Because I can scarcely see my own hand and there is not a living
33:45soul anywhere. I swear I just heard something with fangs.
33:54Oh, so now you've taken some holy vow of silence. If you'd been despairing with words on my wedding night,
33:59I would not have stepped into the wrong chamber and...
34:03Ah!
34:10Ahri! Saints above, you nearly killed me! What are you doing here? How long have you been standing there?
34:15Long enough.
34:17Come on, we're leaving. It's freezing. It's black as a crypt. And that driver has plainly deserted us.
34:25Do not be so quick to flee. The summit has a fine view.
34:31A view of what? I cannot see a...
34:37Ahri, look! Fireworks! They're beautiful!
34:42Fireworks are an inefficient use of coin. A brief spectacle compounded of powder and vanity with very poor practical return.
34:48And the smoke alone is enough to...
34:50Ahri, do you suffer from some afflictment that makes you recoil from romance? Shall I summon a physician? Perhaps a
34:56priest?
35:00Perhaps fireworks are wasteful. Perhaps they vanish too quickly and serve no sensible purpose. But if they please you, then
35:10that is reason enough.
35:14Is this... his way of making it up to me? After all of it? After I left in a temper
35:21and told him his fine words were worth nothing?
35:24Make it up to me.
35:39so what comes after this
35:45now yes
35:49i have already departed from my usual judgment several times tonight
35:54i suppose one further indulgence may be allowed
36:00hey no wait wait that is not what i meant i meant should we go somewhere else
36:05somewhere proper back to the keep perhaps or home
36:08i meant home home to sleep separately
36:19that was not an entirely unreasonable conclusion
36:22not unreasonable not unreasonable in what kingdom is that not unreasonable
36:27i asked what came next not for you to carry me off like some barbarian bride
36:31thief you leap far too quickly the circumstances suggested
36:34the circumstances suggested nothing
36:35i say one harmless sentence and in your mind it turns into a summons to my bedchamber
36:40this is entirely your doing
36:45this is not finished
36:50no
36:51it is not
36:54and the night has not yet run its course
37:02surefta please tell me again that the marriage covenant said only twice a week
37:07what happened now don't tell me he's been every single night
37:13men will always be men even alaric ashperg the patron saint of household rules sealed ledgers
37:19and proper order proves no different when it comes to this
37:22my back aches my legs ache i swear even my bones are offended
37:26hush i'll handle it once i bury him in enough estate business he won't have the leisure to return before
37:32midnight
37:32he'll scarcely have time to blink
37:36truly oh seraphine you are the finest sister ever born
37:40naturally
37:43ari are you coming back to our chamber tonight
37:45i'll be delayed there's still business from the keep to settle sleep without waiting for me
37:49i see then i must stand watch over this dreadful empty room all by myself
37:53alone in this vast freezing desolate bed
37:56is something the matter
37:57i'll endure somehow good night ari
38:04seraphine is a miracle worker
38:10no alaric ashberg looming over me like a castle watchtower
38:13no correcting my posture
38:15no solemn speeches about what is sufficient within a marriage
38:19freedom my long lost love
38:20i'm coming for you
38:28celia i've missed you to death you've vanished for ages
38:32what did you hide away with some secret sweetheart
38:35lord ashberg forgive us for dragging you out to such an hour
38:38but that pastry stall just there is famed all through this quarter
38:42finest cheese pastries in the city
38:44why not carry some back to your lady wife
38:46a peaceful household begins with a pleased wife eh
38:50celia has been troublesome of late
38:53perhaps something sweet will keep her content
38:56a small reward for remaining in white hope as she promised
39:02very well
39:15celia
39:18celia
39:19that lord outside is staring at you as if he means to freeze the whole street
39:22tell me you know him
39:23wasn't ari supposed to be detained at the council until late
39:26wasn't serene supposed to keep him occupied with estate matters
39:29why is he here of all places
39:31no no no no
39:33celia your mask is the wrong
39:37ari
39:38well
39:39this is unexpected
39:40what a stounding chance
39:42the city is truly small is it not
39:47it is well past midnight
39:50you told me you had retired for the night
39:52i
39:53well
39:54a friend asked me to come
39:56i had never seen such a place before
39:58i
39:58i only wished to look
39:59oh no
40:00no no no
40:01here it comes
40:02the lord of rules and winter heirs
40:04will he rebuke me before the whole street
40:05can a husband confine his wife to her chambers
40:08surely he cannot
40:09can he
40:10at least you had enough sense to bring someone with you
40:15you're not going to scold me
40:17would that improve matters
40:21no
40:22then i shall spare us both the noise tonight
40:24but this will not pass without consequence
40:27no no absolutely not
40:28ari i am still sore everywhere
40:30my back my legs everything aches
40:32have mercy
40:33what in heaven's name do you think i meant
40:35i was speaking of tomorrow
40:35i shall personally see to your instruction
40:37each afternoon you will learn proper conduct
40:39deportment and the rules of public appearance
40:41i will examine how you fare
40:42instruction lessons here
40:43in my own households
40:45yes
40:45well
40:47perhaps in truth
40:47my back may not pain me quite much now
40:49nor my legs
40:50perhaps instead you might simply
40:51no
40:52ari must i truly
40:53could you not overlook it just this once
40:55i shall behave beautifully
40:56i swear it
40:57as lady of house ashfield
40:58there will be feasts
40:59winter balls
41:00chapel observances
41:01and noble gatherings
41:01where all eyes will be upon you
41:03if you do not know how to carry yourself
41:04they will laugh
41:06and their laughter will not stop with you
41:08it will reach surafenon as well
41:11all right
41:12then
41:14tonight is finished
41:15you mean not to pursue it further
41:17see that this does not become your custom
41:19you mean not to pursue it further
41:19you mean not to pursue it further
41:19you mean not to pursue it further
41:24You
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