"Remember." "On my sign." "No!" "Father!" "Stop!" "I command you!" "Father!" "Father!" "Forgive me, Father." "Forgive me." "A letter from Sir Marmaduke Langdale, Your Majesty." "I must have a new coat." "This one's fit only to be burned." "We must not waste what little money we have on vanity." "The king cannot present himself in public dressed as a beggar!" "Your Majesty has no more credit with the tailor." "He will not work until his debts are paid." "That is the king's private correspondence!" "Langdale says he is rallying your supporters in the north of England." "All it requires to trigger a rebellion is your royal presence." "Well, Sir Edward, what are we waiting for?" "Langdale has neither the men nor the resources to defeat Cromwell." "If I go to England, my head will be on the block within a week." "Exactly so!" "Send him encouragement." "Tell him that we will return to England when the moment is right." " Only God knows when that might be." " We must be patient." " Do you ever counsel anything else?" " The time will come, George." "Thank God we're out of that dismal place!" "Some days I feel it will suffocate me." "Hyde would love to smother you with paper." " He has my best interests at heart." " He tells you so often enough!" "This outing will do you more good than all of Hyde's lectures on statecraft." " I must do something first." " We're late." "My son's more important than your whores, George." "His Latin and Greek require improvement, but he has a sound enough brain." "You must listen to your teachers." "Work at your studies diligently." "You must make me proud." "I gave this to your mother before she died." "It's yours now, Jamie." "She's yours as long as you want her." "A gift to the king from his humble servant!" "The king wonders why his servant's suddenly so much wealthier than him!" "He's saved us from disaster more than once, and he's utterly loyal." "So are dogs." "You need a man who can deal with Cromwell on his own terms." "Someone more accommodating." "Cromwell is king of England in all but name." "He needs an heir." "Who is to say it might not be you?" "If you agree to a more..." "limited role for the monarchy..." "You mean grovel to my father's murderers?" "We have been in exile for years." "You are further from the throne than ever!" "If you want to be king in more than name, the time has come to compromise!" "Even you know the difference between compromise and dishonour." "I'm going home, Charles." "I'll come with you." "I mean I'm going home to England." "Fairfax has offered me his daughter's hand in marriage." "He'll intercede with Cromwell on my behalf." " Your family bequest!" " It's an advance on my dowry." "A noble title still means something, even to the republicans." "I am so sick of living on dreams." "I want to go home." "So do I, but not as a slave." "We grew up together, George." "We've shared everything, even the murder of our fathers." "For their sake... please don't abandon me now." "I'm begging you, George." "Don't do this." " I'll always..." " I'm still king!" "King of what?" "Most dutiful children would be pleased to accompany their mother to church." "You can't be bothered." "My brother the king forbids me to attend the Catholic Mass, as Your Majesty knows." "I know your martyred father sits with the angels at God's right hand, weeping at your stubbornness and ingratitude." "His last words to me were that I should never abandon the Church of England." "I'm sure he said no such thing, or if he did, it was because he was upset." "I know what he meant and he meant you to become a Catholic." "I have forbidden this subject." "England is a Protestant country." "When I reclaim my throne, it will be because I am a Protestant king." "Any suggestion that I or my brothers are Catholic would wreck my chances at a stroke." "Did you know that last night at dinner" "I was obliged to eat all five courses from the same plate?" " I never heard of anything so disgusting!" " There's no money for new plates." "If there was, we couldn't pay anyone to wash them." "If you weren't so stubborn, we could have all the money we want." "Louis of France will help." " You only have to make a gesture." " Become a Catholic?" "He'd put an army at your disposal tomorrow." "We'd be in London within a month." "A Catholic king at the head of a French army would make the English rise up..." "Of course, my advice is of no use." "I'm just a foolish old woman." "Your father the king seemed to value my opinion, but you know better, I am sure!" "You know how I value your counsel, Mother." "Leave me now." "I want to pray to my sainted husband, God rest his soul." "And do not expect me to eat my supper from dirty plates again." "Lord and Lady James Brigstocke." "Sir Andrew Macintosh." "Sir Roger and Lady Palmer." "Lady Palmer." "We're honoured." "The honour's mine, Your Majesty." "Sir Roger has been most generous to our cause." "We must show our gratitude." "Dine with us tonight." "It would be a privilege." "I think we met before... madam?" "Lady Palmer is cousin to the Duke of Buckingham." "Of course." "Barbara Villiers." " What news of George?" " Cromwell had him thrown into the Tower." " He's accused of plotting on your behalf." " If he was, I knew nothing of it." "Until tonight, then, Sir Roger." "Charles..." "Lord Chesterfield's mistress, and not her only lover by all accounts." " She is little better than a whore." " You know how I detest gossip, James, particularly where a lady's reputation is concerned." "It's been months... now, Mrs Palmer." "Do not imagine that I will wait for ever." "You're not this modest with Lord Chesterfield!" " He is extremely generous." " So it's money you want?" " Doesn't everyone?" " And as I have none, you will not lie with me?" "I have lain with much poorer men than you." "No, it's not as simple as that." "You see, I find something pathetic in the notion of a king with neither riches nor power." "It makes me pity you." "And in that mood I have no desire left to make love!" "I was told you could be cruel." " Now you're sulking!" " Do you care nothing for me at all?" "Hm?" "My darling..." "I love you more than any man on earth." "That's why I want everything to be perfect when we do lie together." "Now, I really must go." "My husband will be back soon, not that he'd notice if I entertained an entire troop of Dutch cavalry in his bed!" "Charles..." "I promise... when the time comes... it will be worth the wait." "Point!" "Fine shot, Henry!" "Serve, James!" "Serve." "Could we just have a moment, please, Charles?" " Game!" " It missed!" " A clear hit." "Ormonde decides." " A hit, Your Majesty." " Hah!" "An honest judge!" " Sycophant!" "The ball was inches wide!" "Your Majesty!" "It is the Lord's work." "A miracle!" "Oliver Cromwell is dead!" " When?" " Three days ago." "The tyrant is no more!" "Praise be to God." "My dearest boy." "Your moment is at hand." "General Monck!" "It grieves me to find you in such a place, my lord." "You should see Antwerp!" "This is what happens when the people lose respect for their leaders." "If Cromwell had lived another ten years, the republic would have been secure." "If he'd been strangled in the cradle, England would have been saved years of repression." "Cromwell's son cannot cling to power much longer." "When he goes, this disorder will grow a hundred times worse... unless someone can be found to unite all parties in loyalty and obedience." "I've come to the view that there is only one man alive with the status to perform such a task." "You mean either yourself or the king." "If I wanted the throne, I'd have left you here to rot undisturbed." "I want you to write to the king in my name." "Tell him he must rule with Parliament or not at all, and what was done to his father must be forgiven." "If he accepts these terms... he will have my allegiance." " Why should the king trust you?" "I will not lead him into a trap." "If a crown is the price of stable government..." "I am prepared to pay it." "Richard Cromwell has lost control." "There is widespread unrest and the London mob is demanding the return of their king." " Not long ago they wanted his death." " This is no time to dwell on the past." "Buckingham writes that General Monck is ready to demand a freely elected parliament." "With our encouragement, he will declare himself publicly for your restoration." " I trust Monck little and Buckingham even less." " Monck is a subject of the old school." "Whatever harm he's done our cause in the past, I believe we can trust him now." "Flatter him." "Ask his advice, even where we don't need it." "Promise him amnesty, and make it clear that when I am king," "I will make him rich beyond anything he can dream of." "The very course of action I was about to suggest, Your Majesty." "Charles Stuart declares that there will be no revenge taken on those who have opposed him." "Our lives and our property will be safe." "The army will receive its back pay in full... and a bill will be placed before this House promising freedom of worship to dissenters." "The theatres will be reopened and music and dancing no longer forbidden." "The time has come to heal our country's divisions." "I call on this House to invite Charles Stuart to return to England as our king." "The age of miracles has not yet passed." "The republic never had a truer friend than Shaftesbury, yet he's calling for the king's return." "We're all monarchists now, my lord." "The king has retired for the night." "Get out." "You are mine now." "Do you understand?" "You will be mine till I tell you it's over." "And that will not be for a long time yet." "God save King Charles!" "Welcome home, Your Majesty!" "Charles!" "Father!" "Oh." "Continue." "Will you leave me alone now?" "I should be on my knees to you." "Whatever I've done, I've done in service of God." "God, Parliament, King." "That is the natural order of things." "The king has assumed his rightful place at the head of government." "The blasphemous republican experiment is over, I'm glad to say." "Over, but not forgotten." "There are many who fear Your Majesty's return." "Some of them are my friends." "Those who signed my father's death warrant must answer for their treason." " You promised an amnesty." " Not for his murderers." "Justice demands all trials be fair and open." " A privilege my father was denied!" " Even so." "The accused will have every protection the law can provide, and when they are found guilty, they will feel its full severity." "I have prepared a few names for Your Majesty's council." "All good loyal men." "Nothing but Parliament men and rebels." "Concede this and we're in Monck's power for good." "Be a king." "We will study your list with care." "Now we have other matters to attend to." " This must be concluded now." " Many matters require the king's attention." "Tell Parliament I will hear its oath of allegiance here." "It is only right the crown should be restored in the place it was hacked from my father's body." "Monck might yet rally his troops against you." "The country wants peace." "Without popular support, he can do nothing." " As long as he lives, he's a danger." " What shall I do, have him poisoned?" "No!" "I owe the man my throne!" "A king cannot afford to be in anyone's debt." "You need ministers who owe their promotion only to you." "People you've known all your life." "No doubt you have someone in mind?" "Well... as you ask..." "Look at the way you're treating my poor cousin." " You won't even see him." " I'll not have Buckingham back." "Then you're a fool." "You would do well to keep out of the affairs of state." "George is worth ten of that tedious old relic Hyde." "It's time to let bygones... be bygones." "Besides, you know you love him." "My father's mausoleum." "It looks beautiful... but expensive." " Parliament has voted me the money." " Remarkable what guilt makes people do." "They think if they bribe me, I'll forget the last 20 years." "I have a good memory." "Money's the weapon Parliament will use against you." "Obey them and they'll keep you in luxury." "Defy them and they will cut off every penny." "There are other ways of raising money." "I'm king." "I'll be ruled by no one." " How's your wife?" " Ugly." " The Tower was damned uncomfortable." " I'm sorry to hear that." "I thought you might never see me again." "You broke my heart, George." "Don't let me down again." "You know you have your cousin to thank for your return to favour?" "Well, I will do whatever I can to show her my gratitude." "You can be sure of him now..." "I'll make sure he behaves himself towards you." "What makes you confident you have such power over him?" "Do you doubt it?" "You must make Charles depend on you again." "Between us, we're all the help he needs." "Tell me..." "Do you love him?" "Of course." "And um... does he satisfy you?" "The king is a magnificent lover." "As good as me?" "He's much better than you, darling." "You used to say that I was the best you ever had." "Well, I was only 13 then." "I didn't have much to compare you with!" "Cromwell above all of them must not escape justice!" "He must suffer like the others!" "There's no purpose in executing Oliver Cromwell." " He's dead." " I know that." "Dig him up!" "Your father's murderers must endure the torments of hell." "Let everyone see there is no escape for traitors!" "Adrian Scroope, guilty of the king's murder." "Condemned to a traitor's death." "John Carew." "Guilty." "Gregory Clement." "Guilty." "Thomas Scot." "Guilty of the king's murder." "Condemned to a traitor's death." "John Barkstead." "Guilty." "John Jones." "Guilty." "Hugh Peters." "Guilty." "Francis Hacker." "Guilty." "Daniel Axtell." "Guilty." "John Cook." "Guilty." "General Lambert." "Guilty." "Sir Harry Vane." "Guilty." "John Okey." "Guilty." "Thomas Harrison." "Guilty." "The war is over, Mother!" "You swore that all your father's murderers would die!" " There's been enough killing!" " The people demand vengeance!" "They are weary of death and so am I." " I forbid you to pardon them!" " I have made my decision!" "Weak!" "You've always been weak!" "What do you think of your brother, Jamie?" "He's very red and wrinkled." " All new babies look like this." " Even the king's?" "Damn it, Charles, but you will acknowledge him!" " He is your child!" " I've never denied it!" " Why will you not say so publicly?" " There are your husband's feelings to consider." "Palmer has no more feelings than a jellyfish!" "Anyway, he's left me." "Who are you?" "This is my son James, Duke of Monmouth." "Monmouth now, is it?" "Well, if Lucy Walter's bastard is good enough to be a duke, then so is my son!" " This must be handled with discretion!" " Discretion be damned!" "Tell the world he is yours or I'll smash his brains out on the floor in front of you!" " For God's sake!" " Will you acknowledge him?" " Yes!" "Now put the child down." " Swear it!" " I am the king!" " Swear it, damn you, on your knees!" "The child will be acknowledged and given a title befitting his status." "Will that do?" "You may get up now." "Don't upset me again." "Childbirth can be very tiring." "How old are you now, Monmouth?" "14, madam." "14." "The succession must be secured through Your Majesty's marriage as soon as possible." "One candidate stands out." "The Portuguese princess, Catharine of Braganza." " She is a Catholic!" " It's not an obstacle." " She is devout but also modest and retiring." " Is she pretty?" "She brings a dowry of £360,000 and the colony of Tangier." "She could look like Cromwell's arse." "It would still be a good match!" "We should have a Protestant queen." "England will never accept the Pope's rule by the back door." "I am a Protestant and a true son of the Church of England." "Neither my future wife nor anyone else will affect that." "My allegiances do not change as easily as those of some of my ministers." "I trust my loyalty to Your Majesty is not in doubt?" "A Catholic marriage would awaken all the old fears of tyranny and persecution." " Popular prejudice will not tolerate it." " Then popular prejudice be damned!" "I've seen too much hatred born of religious division." "Provided they're loyal, Catholics should be treated equally under the law." " Parliament will never accept that." " It's your job to see that it does." "They brought me a bat to marry!" "You must be very tired." "Is there anything you would like?" "Her Majesty desires tea." "Tea?" "Do we have tea?" "The drink is not popular in England." "For myself, I've always found beer very refreshing after a journey." "Would the Princess care for a mug of beer?" "Perhaps... we should consummate the marriage another night." "I shall leave you in peace." "You probably want to be left alone." "You need your sleep." "You're tired." "Tired." "We'll wait until you're feeling stronger." "How often will you sleep with her?" "Hm?" "How often will you sleep with her?" "As often as necessary." "I shall take a lover to entertain me while you're doing your duty." "I wouldn't expect anything else." "You don't love me at all." "My good name's been squandered for a man who treats me with contempt." "You're Countess of Castlemaine now." "I've made you rich." "What more proof of my affection do you need?" "Your position will not suffer by my marriage." "I have no position." "Other than on my back." "Whatever I can do for you, I will." "Very well." "Make me first lady of the queen's bedchamber." "Out!" "Get out!" "You've had what you came for." "Just go." "You're my mistress and everyone knows it." "It would humiliate the queen to make you her principal attendant!" "I have sacrificed everything for you, and when I ask you this one tiny thing in return..." "Well..." "You see how things must be now." "Well, if this is what you really want... perhaps something can be arranged." "Oh!" "The queen insists that the beds for her ladies-in-waiting be changed." "Her women belong to a strict religious order and will not sleep on anything previously occupied by a man." "A used mattress is as close to a man that those witches are likely to get!" "She also complains that it is not the Portuguese way for a man to empty his bladder at every street corner." "What's wrong with having a piss?" "Tell the queen that if her attendants do not care for our local habits, they're welcome to return to Portugal." "And no new beds." "Her foreign servants are a bad influence." "Did you give her my list of ladies of the bedchamber?" "She has removed Lady Castlemaine's name." "Then put it back." " Henry!" " Your Majesty." "Your Majesty." "Henry!" "Do you know your son is dying?" "I know it." "He has smallpox and yet you've not been to see him." "Henry made his choice when he rejected the one true Catholic Church." "I told him then that he'd made himself a stranger to me and to God." "Nothing has changed." " He's calling out for his mother." " Seeing him now, knowing he is at the very gates of hell, would only increase my torment." " YOUR torment!" " It is a matter of principles!" "As you have none, I do not expect you to understand." "How will I ever win toleration for the Catholic faith in England while the people believe it demands such cruelty?" "Toleration is weakness and compromise by another name!" "There is truth and there are lies, and if you were a truly religious king, you would drag every last heretic in England back to the mother church even if you had to burn the lot of them to do it!" "England will never be whole until it is once more a Catholic nation." "Do not speak to me of toleration!" "I will not see my son again in this life." "If God is merciful, perhaps we will meet again in the next." "I try to speak English." "I learn every day." "I am very bad, I think." "Your brother with God now." "Happy." "Happy?" "Do you think so?" "With all my heart." "Thank you." "I pray for him." "Catharine..." "Your English is very good." "The time is fast approaching when we must teach the Dutch a lesson!" "All foreign vessels passing an English ship in the Channel should lower their flags in salute!" "It's traditional!" "Lack of respect is a poor reason to go to war." "This country showed us kindness in our exile." "They've grown too strong." "We must strike before they strike at us." " Any war would be over in weeks." " We cannot be sure." "Cromwell defeated them!" "Are you saying the king is a lesser warrior than him?" "Of course not." " This dispute is about trade, not flags." " We have a right to defend our interests." "The spoils of victory will make the crown rich." "Parliament will have no more hold over you." "The king returned from exile to rule with Parliament for the good of the people." "Destroying that harmony with a war will smack of tyranny!" "It is immoral to wage war against a fellow Protestant nation without just cause." "Religion didn't stop the Dutch stealing our trade routes!" "You will never have a better opportunity to make the crown wealthy and independent." "Instruct the navy to fire on the next Dutch ship that dares show contempt for the colours." "I suspect the queen still has some reservations over Lady Castlemaine's appointment to her household." "Keep your whore away from me!" "She hate me, you hate me, you laugh together!" " No one hates you!" " Liar!" "I've made my decision and you must abide by it!" "Never!" "I go home!" " This is your home." " Then you find new wife!" "No, no, no!" "No Castlemaine!" "Never!" "No!" "I die first!" " The rumours are everywhere!" " Because you spread them!" "I was tricked into marriage to give legitimacy to a bastard!" "We all know the truth here, James." "Your wife has known only one man - you." "I was drunk when I bedded her and drunk when she got me to the altar." " Now you're sober, you want your freedom." " I want a divorce!" "I will not invite Parliament to meddle in the affairs of the royal family." " Why not if it serves our purpose?" " The child Hyde's daughter carries may wear the crown one day." "If Parliament dissolves your marriage and declares your offspring illegitimate, what is to stop them doing so at a time which does not suit us so well?" "Do you think I'm stupid enough to hand them a precedent they can use against me?" "You've made your bed, James." "I suggest you lie in it - preferably with your wife!" "You are losing your touch, my lady." "You drove him into her arms." "Virginity has some charm to the jaded palate, but inexperience soon palls." "At least now you shall have time for more constant lovers." " Shall I attend on you later?" " Not tonight." "I have company." "Sit down." "Let me look at you." "You're not shy, are you?" "After all," "I'm sure you've been in a lady's private apartments before." "I've been longing to talk to you." "It's important that we know each other well." " Don't you agree?" " Yes." "You are the king's son... and I am his most valued friend." "What would be more natural than a relationship of warmth and trust between us?" "Oh, my darling." "You should have told me to expect you." "I knew you'd return to me soon." " What does it mean?" " It has no meaning." "It is some fiery matter from a distant planet." "Beautiful, but quite dead." "Some say it is God's portent of the millennium." "They foretell disasters and catastrophe before a year is out." "Fire and brimstone!" "The coming of the Antichrist!" "Can these people find nothing more original to predict?" "We mock the unknown at our peril, Rochester." "I prefer science to magic." "Put your eye to the glass." "Oh, it's beautiful!" "You must join us later." "Lady Frances and I have devised a small entertainment for the king's amusement... when the queen has retired." "I thought you would hate any rival for the king's affection." "I have nothing to fear from that quarter." "She's the sweetest child." "A dear friend." "Hm..." "Even after all these years you still underestimate me, cousin!" "Alas..." "Alas..." "I lack the vital element that makes a woman happy." "Aw!" "But my innocent bride must not be disappointed on her wedding night." "Is there some true gentleman who would take my place?" "Ravish her, Charlie!" "Ooh!" "There is too much detail in your performance, sir." "Should we players not strive for authenticity in all things?" "Be patient, Your Majesty." "You shall have your opportunity." "Was man ever more rotten and filthy than he is now?" "More corrupt or decadent?" "More worthy of extinction?" "God has written his warning in the sky for all to see!" "His awful vengeance is upon us!" "Charles Stuart is filthy with lust and fornication, and we must rise up against this earthly tyrant!" "This is the house of Christ himself." "Take care lest his wrath strike you dead." "It's your lucky day, preacher!" "You're going to meet Jesus sooner than you expected!" "These rebellious malcontents are still with us." "No king has ever been more loved by his people." "You might try a little sycophancy, Sir Edward." "It's quite fashionable in court circles!" "Thank you, Captain." "Your Majesty has no need of idle compliments from old friends." "If the throne is to be secure, we must root out every last one of these religious fanatics." "God willing, the waters will work their miracle for the queen this time." " Three years and still no child." " How brave she is." " Her poor little heart is breaking." " Gloating does not suit you, Lady Castlemaine." "You do me an injustice, madam." "I am as distressed by the queen's suffering as any of her loyal servants are." "We must all pray she will conceive at last." "Even your husband." " What can you mean by that?" " You know as well as I." "If the king dies childless, James rules after him." "My husband would never wish misfortune upon the king," " no matter what he might gain by it." " Of course not." "His modesty and honour are beyond question." "Only a man of such high principle would risk the people's fury by taking Catholic instruction." "Who told you he was doing that?" "Oh, dear." "Was it supposed to be a secret?" "My lips are sealed." "Dead again, my lord." " I could have taken you any time I wanted." " What stopped you?" "You're the king, Charlie!" "Are you suggesting you held back?" "Everyone else deceives you to gain favour." "Why should I be any different?" "I depend on my friends to deal with me honestly, George." "You are right to, but there are those within your confidence you should regard with more suspicion." "If you mean Hyde, you're wasting your breath." "The pompous old rogue makes himself rich at your expense." "He's a lot less greedy than some." "His advice is tainted by selfish ambition." "The queen's physician sends his compliments, Your Majesty." "He begs you attend on her urgently." "What's wrong?" "Are you ill?" "Ooh!" "Have I not taught you better than to leave a lady unsatisfied?" "Forgive me." "A moment's respite and I will be prepared again." "What a polite young man you are." "So charmingly resilient!" "I want to please you as my father does." "I don't think we need the king in bed with us, do we?" "It's quite crowded enough already." "You know I love you?" "Of course you don't." "For one thing, I'm old enough to be your..." "No!" "Shh!" "You are like no mother I can imagine!" "I was going to say "big sister"." "We'll let it pass." "In a few months you will be embarrassed that you thought yourself so devoted." "But..." "But it does not mean we cannot remain the most affectionate of friends." "And... if you listen to my advice... there's no limit to what you might achieve." "What do you mean, madam?" "What future do I have that is not already clear to me?" "Can you not imagine for yourself?" "You... are the son... of a king." "The illegitimate son." "History is full of bastards who became kings, little man!" "If the queen remains barren... the greatest prize of all can still be yours!" "How dare you betray me, you slut?" "!" " Dress, so I can run you through with honour!" " I said I wished to be alone tonight!" " I have news." " You have offended this lady's honour!" "Then I humbly beg her forgiveness!" "What is it that's so important?" "The little queen has finally done her duty." "She's with child." "The admiral must be present in battle!" "What kind of message does it send to the men if he's on dry land?" "You cannot go to sea." "You're my heir." " Until your child is born." " The risk is too great." "If your grey comes home first, I will obey you." "If my nag wins, you must let me go." "Take the wager, sir." "Your horse is stronger." "Very well." "Wager accepted." "Come on, Dancer!" "Come on, Dancer!" "Come on, boy!" "Now you must honour your promise." "Let the admiral join his fleet!" "Only damned, traitorous Catholics and those who love them have any cause to fear the Test Act." "Will the king choose the Pope in Rome over his own people?" "Or will he defend his country and the true Protestant faith?" "This cannot go on!" "You must make the king see where his true interests lie." "The queen herself is a Catholic." "Would Parliament have me test her loyalty, too?" "I swore that no faithful subject of mine would ever suffer for his religion." " Parliament shall not dictate my principles!" " Principles are a luxury kings cannot afford!" "You have much to gain here." "You are the head of the Church of England." "God's representative on earth." "An oath of loyalty to him means loyalty to you." "Make the Church your rock and use this Test Act as your defence against treason." "And what of loyal Catholics?" "If any man, whether he be Catholic, Puritan or Hindu, put his religion before you, abandon him." "This is an attempt to make hatred and intolerance the law!" "From now on, a man's faith will prove whether he is with us or against us." "I will not see my devoted Catholic friends and servants hounded from office!" "When will you understand?" "There is no other way!" "In the eyes of Parliament, the Catholic Church stands for tyranny, depravity and the absolute unbridled power of kings." "You cannot change those beliefs." "You must either swim with the tide or be drowned by it." "Lady Frances!" "Stop your childish nonsense and go to the king's bed." " There must be no more playing the virgin!" " You mean I should become his mistress?" " Isn't that what your games are leading to?" " Harmless flirtation." " I never thought to sacrifice my honour." " Give yourself to the king," " and you will have power beyond your dreams!" " I don't care about power!" "I only want to be married and happy." "Do everything I say, my dear, and you will never regret it." "The queen has miscarried, Your Majesty." "She has contracted a fever." "I've done all I can to make her comfortable." "Do you mean she's going to die?" "It is in God's hands now, but if she lives, I fear she will never have children." "Have you seen our little boy?" "I fear he must be very ugly!" "No..." "No, he's a... very pretty little boy." "He will be strong... and brave." "You will be proud of him." "How are the other children?" "I've forgotten..." "How many children do we have?" " Why, three of course." " Of course." "They're well." "Very well." "Your Majesty must rest now." "The queen is no longer in danger." "What is that?" "The Duke of York has engaged the Dutch fleet off Lowestoft, sir." "Many ships have been lost." "The sea is said to be thick with bodies." "Are you telling me I might have lost two heirs to the throne in one week?" "Complete victory is within our grasp." "I cannot withdraw now." "Three men were killed by a single shot a yard away from you!" " I will look like a coward!" " If you die, do your infant daughters follow me?" "Parliament would have to choose a regent." "Where might that lead?" "Our family has lost the crown once." "I will not go down in history as the man who lost it again!" "They are so beautiful." "They're the king's children." "They're bound to be handsome." "He can father a healthy bastard with some easy slut as freely as breathing, yet I cannot give him what he most needs." "God's will be done." "What did you do to deserve such a sign of grace?" "They should have been mine." "Lady Castlemaine was distressed at your behaviour." "Do you know what a fool my brother is?" "Life has taught him nothing." "He's all I have now." "And when I'm gone he will undo my work and bring the country to ruin." "All this could have been avoided if you had given me a child." "It would have been better if we had never married." "Shh!" "We are such firm friends, she can hardly bear to be parted from me." "You said she was expecting me." "She grew tired and fell asleep, poor child." "How beautiful she is!" "You never told her I was coming, did you?" "She knows nothing of this." "Once the game is on, the true passion of her nature will show itself." "Take her." "She is rightfully yours." "She's only a girl anyway." "What does she know about love?" "You're better off with me." "Some say your influence on me is already too great." "Who's that?" "Ah, of course." "Hyde hates me because I speak out against his corruption." "Be careful." "He's betrayed you once, he'll do it again." "What do you mean?" "Do you really believe he did not know about the Duke of York's attachment to his daughter?" "That he did not set the girl to seduce your brother in order to ally himself to the throne?" "There's worse." "Suppose he knew the queen was barren before your marriage?" "Hm?" "What then?" "As father-in-law to the future king, his path to power and influence would be assured." "Hyde is incapable of such treachery." "You can still defeat his schemes." "How?" "Divorce the queen." "You would be wise to keep such wild ideas to yourself!" "If you lack the stomach for that, you still have another card to play." "What card?" "Monmouth." "He would make a great king." "He's illegitimate." "You could change that by acknowledging your marriage to his mother." "I was never married to Lucy Walter." "Can you swear that on your oath?" "Hyde is right." "You're nothing but a damned whore meddling in affairs that do not concern you!" "You must move to Oxford until the plague subsides." "What does it say to the people if I turn my back on their suffering?" "Thousands have died." "If people of quality became infected, things would become serious." "It has never been as bad as this." "Every moment we delay in London, we risk our lives." "The magistrate Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey." "I've heard reports of your good work amongst the victims of the plague." "I have done no more than my duty, Your Majesty." "What news do you bring?" "Every attempt at containment has failed." "There were 600 cases last month." "Now the number is twice that every week." "All we can do is pray." "I must see for myself." " We must go." " What are you doing?" "My place is here." "You've done enough." "Why throw your life away?" "You must leave town." "Where shall I go?" "London is my home." "If Charles married Lucy Walter, there must be legal proof somewhere." "You're wasting your time." "It was a rumour put about by Cromwell to discredit him." "In those days he had no crown, no money, few friends." "Who knows what a man in that condition might not risk?" "Have you never done anything utterly foolhardy for love?" "Of course not!" "And neither have you!" "The time for that business is over." "You know I prefer novelty." "Except for where the king is concerned." "I love the king." "I'm merely amused by you." "Whether he married Lucy or not... what matters is that he should divorce the queen." " Parliament would support such a measure." " He never loved her." "Now she's a childless embarrassment." "Hyde will do everything in his power to prevent a divorce." "Then we must ensure he's in no position to use his influence." "In our days of exile..." "Charles kept his most intimate documents in a black box which he allowed no one else to open." "If there ever was a marriage certificate, that is where you'll find it." "Once more, then, for old friendship's sake." "I most firmly assert that the images of Christ, of the Mother of God ever-Virgin, and also those of other saints, ought to be had and retained, and that due honour and veneration is to be given them." "With a few prayers and a communion wafer, you have earned the undying hostility of your future subjects!" " A fair morning's work, I think!" " My religion is a private matter." "How much better a place the world would be if that were true!" " What did you know of this?" " Nothing." "Even my own daughter concealed it from me." "There's nothing more to be said." "I pray your faith brings you joy." "As it brings me closer to God, it cannot do otherwise." "Your brother will bring disaster on us all." "If his faith does not condemn him, his stupidity will." "Parliament will never stomach a Catholic king!" "You must abandon him now." "Your only hope is to divorce and marry again." "God knows the queen has never meant to harm me." "She must be cut adrift." "Do it kindly, but do it soon." "You cannot allow affection to blind you to your duty." "The king is coming." "Give him what he wants and he shall be yours to command." "Listen to me, girl." "You can get married any time if that is what you want, even for love if you are lucky, but you shall never again have a king at your feet." "Lady Frances..." "You should know that Lady Castlemaine is not your friend." "She has always been most kind to me." "Her kindness is never without calculation." "What advantage could she hope to gain from someone in my position?" "Who knows what your position might be one day?" "You mean if I become your mistress?" "Say the word... and everything you've ever dreamt of will be yours." "Everything." "Do you love me, sir?" "I have rarely felt such a need for a woman." "Perhaps that is love, I cannot say." "Will you give me some time to think on what you've said?" "Do not make me wait too long." "I would speak with you, sir." "If it pleases you." "I know now I will never have children." "I have tried to serve God faithfully, but he has turned his face from me." "My sins must be very grave." "If there's any sin, it's mine." "I have heard the whispers in the court." "I see it in your eyes." "You will abandon me." "Well, then, let it be so." "It is what Parliament wants and it is your wish, so it must be done." "There's no need to speak of this now." "My religion forbids divorce, but if you seek an annulment, I will not contest it." "I will retire to a convent in my native country and never trouble you again." "We never loved each other, so what does it matter?" "I've always had the greatest respect..." "and affection for you." "From the first day I set foot in this country, you put Lady Castlemaine before me in everything... but it is of no importance." "Our marriage was about politics and money, not love." "Now it is over." "Perhaps you already have my replacement close at hand?" "Some court favourite with beauty and charm!" "Do not touch me!" "Do not allow me to believe you have any real feeling for me!" "For God's sake, let me go in peace." "The king keeps certain of his papers in a black box." "He asked me to fetch them for him." " Where is the box?" " I have never seen it, my lady." "Find it." "You'll be well rewarded." "Say nothing to the king." "He's not to be disturbed on so trivial a matter." "Betray my confidence... and I'll personally rip your tongue out!" "No one can be certain how many have died, but it is not less than 60,000 souls." "Perhaps a third of all Londoners are dead." "But the infection is in retreat?" "Well, the funeral bells are silent, thank God." "And it is safe for the court to return to London?" "You consider us cowards for leaving?" "It is not for me to judge." "Yet you stayed at your post throughout." "Well, someone had to see to the dead and prevent disorder on the streets." "You will be well rewarded, Sir Edmund." "My reward is that I'm still alive." "There are troublemakers abroad who preach this terrible affliction is the Lord's punishment on your court for its decadence." "Yet it is the poor who die while we live as gaily as before." "Strange that God should send a plague that punishes the innocent and leaves the guilty untouched." "What are you doing here?" " You sent me a note." " I sent no note." "It was I who received one from Lady Frances." "With the compliments of Lady Frances Stewart, Your Majesty." "It's in the same hand." "She begs to inform us that she's eloped with the Duke of Richmond." "She says that by the time I read this, they'll already be married." "So this is how she thanks me for the attention I pay her!" "She knew I was fond of her!" " What are you laughing at?" " Your face." "She's made idiots of us both." "I never knew the cunning little trollop had it in her!" "I suppose I can rely on you not to elope with some duke or other!" "Why bow to some fool of a husband when I can be mistress and have the world at my feet?" "There is a favour I would ask of you." "Take Monmouth to your bed if you must, but stop filling his head with idle dreams." " How long have you known?" " Long enough." "If you encourage him to believe in a fate that can never be his, it will only end in despair." "The fleet has been attacked near Ostend." "We have lost 20 ships and almost 6,000 men." "The enemy's losses are... light by comparison." "I should have been with the fleet." "I might have prevented this." "We must bring this unnecessary war to an end with all possible speed!" "We need revenge, not surrender!" "If we had fought with enthusiasm," "England would not be in such a position!" "Perhaps there are those who did not wish us to triumph!" "What do you mean by that?" "Who opposed this war from the outset?" "Who spoke against the king's interests at every turn?" "Sir Edward's only crime was to urge caution." "I wish others had done so." "He has betrayed you in war" " and he will betray you in Parliament!" " Sit down." "Even now, he is plotting with your enemies to ensure the Test Act becomes law." "Your dream of religious toleration is already dead!" "That is a lie!" "I am His Majesty's loyal servant." "I would not be surprised to find Dutch gold in that fortune of yours!" " No more of this!" " You won't listen, damn you!" "Have my Lord Buckingham escorted to the Tower." "One day you will understand who your friends really are." "If Parliament will not let me rule as I wish, I will dissolve it and govern on my own." "You must remember what happened when your father defied the will of Parliament." "How can I forget?" "His fate is with me every day." "Without Parliament, you have no money, and this foolish Dutch war has left the Crown deeply in debt." "If I accept the Test Act, my own personal household must be exempted." "If I want a Catholic for a minister, I will have him!" "Parliament will say it is because you are yourself a Papist at heart." " Those are my terms!" " They will not be accepted." "Do not presume to tell the king what is acceptable!" "Parliament must accept this or nothing." "Do not return to me without their agreement." " You must apologise to Sir Edward." " That I will never do." "I cannot have my ministers fighting like rats in a sack." "There is a way of dealing with Parliament and achieving everything you want, but not while Hyde is in charge of your affairs." " Do you think you could do better?" " Of course!" "Your father made mine his chief minister and depended on him in everything." "Let us be as they were." "No man knows you or understands you better than I." "Put your faith in me and I swear I will repay it." "You'll be released in the morning." "The conduct of this war raises questions of leadership that demand an answer!" "The king's faith in his chief minister has been repaid with such contempt!" "Who amongst us would not call it treason?" "Sir Edward Hyde must be brought before this House of Lords and impeached!" "And when he is found guilty, he must pay with his head!" "We know Sir Edward has no love for the Catholic Church." "He failed to sway Parliament because his heart lies with their cause... not the king's." "You are as foolish as you are reckless." "Am I to be excluded from my position at the Admiralty now because of my religion?" "I'm the king's brother!" "Parliament has no right to tell me what I can or cannot do!" "It is not just their right but their duty!" "Can you not bring these dogs to heel?" "!" "If you hadn't chosen to indulge yourself with your conversion to Rome, your future would not be an issue." "The Dutch navy launched a surprise attack in the Medway last night." "They sailed to Chatham and attacked the fleet at anchor." "Our men either surrendered or mutinied." "The fleet is utterly destroyed." "It seems we have no option but to sue for peace... on any terms." "Ask yourself who is responsible for these catastrophes." "Ask yourself... who you trusted above all others." "And then ask yourself who is to blame." "I advised you against this war but you would not listen." "How many times did I tell you the risk was too great?" "You allow whores and fools to dictate policy." "You've frittered away all the goodwill the mob once felt for you." "But it is not I who stands accused of treason, is it?" "I asked you to bring me toleration and all I have is hatred." "England is not ready to accept Catholics on equal terms." "You should have known that." "You promised me a parliament I could work with." "Relations have never been worse." "I was sent into battle with my hands tied behind my back!" "I cannot prevent your impeachment." "You know the charge of treason's absurd." "Someone must take the blame for our military defeat." "You're a good enough politician to understand it cannot be the king." "You intend to abandon me." "Sooner or later, the king must find the strength to rule alone." " Ah!" " You taught me that." "I'm heartened you attended to at least one of my lessons." "You'll find I was a better pupil than you thought." "You would give them my head?" "You must go into exile tonight and never return." "There is no shame in this departure, Sir Edward." "Only a well-deserved retirement." "No king ever had a more devoted servant than I have been to you." "God knows... you are as dear as a son to me." "I only ever had one father." "I do not need another." "His Majesty requests that you attend on him directly, Your Majesty." "Am I to be abandoned too, Arlington?" "If you know, for pity's sake, tell me." "Whispers and rumours swarm around my court like a plague of flies." "The time has come to put an end to so much uncertainty." "If the axe is to fall, I pray you deliver the blow swiftly." "An act of Parliament is all I require to end our marriage." "It is a simple process, I am informed, with good precedence in law, but God's divine will is not to be set aside lightly." "What I am, he made me." "He alone will decide my successor, not Parliament, or any earthly power." "I will not grant Parliament rights it may one day use against me... or the legitimate heirs of my blood." "I will suffer no more talk of divorce or annulment." "I've never considered it." "And I never will." "I know you can never feel more than a friend's affection for me, but as long as you allow me to love and serve you, it is enough." "The past is a closed book." "It can never be reopened." "Whatever you have been told, or choose to believe, there is nothing to be found in it that will change your destiny." "My brother... the Duke of York..." "is my heir." "Only a legitimate child of my blood will ever replace him, and no such child exists." "Let this be an end to these matters for ever." "Forget your vain ambition." "Be happy as you are." "It's not fair!" "He hates the Duke of York and he loves me." " Of course he does!" " I want to be a king!" "The game is not yet over." "The queen is still barren, James still Catholic." "Your time will come." "The whole of London is on fire, Your Majesty!" "Lord have mercy on us all!" "The fire flew from street to street like the devil himself!" "Why are these houses still standing?" "We must have a fire block." "If you pull down a man's house, he is owed compensation." "Who pays it?" "How can you talk of money now?" "Many houses will have to be sacrificed." "Better to destroy half the city ourselves than lose all of it to the fire." "Can you feel the heat of God's wrath, Charles Stuart?" "His glorious day of judgement is come!" " Christ and his fiery angels..." " Get him out of here." "A golden guinea for any man with the courage to stay and fight the fire!" " I'll stay, sir!" " Good man!" "How can I help?" "Find the Duke of York." "He'll tell you where you can be most useful." "At the first count, 13,000 households have been destroyed, four bridges and 90 churches." "St Paul's Cathedral has been scorched from the face of the earth." "The old city has vanished." "It's as though it never existed." " And the dead?" " A handful that we know of." "No one knows how many of the poor and indigent have disappeared without a trace." "Who did this to us?" "Who burned my house?" "The fire is an act of God." "No one is to blame." "London will be rebuilt... and better than before, I promise." "A Papist ran from Farrinor's bakery in Pudding Lane holding a lighted torch." "It was the Catholics." "Them French and Spanish Jesuits!" "It was them bloody Papists all right!" "Do you really believe a Catholic can rule here?" "You must protect your loyal Catholic subjects from the false accusations of the rabble." "Why not blame the Quakers instead?" "One religious minority is as good as another!" "The fire was an accident." "We can only tell the truth." "We cannot make people believe it." "An accident is no use to a man who has lost everything." "He must have someone to blame." "The last hope of toleration lies buried in the ashes of London." "I am dying... at last, thank God." "You will soon be well again." "He is... foolish and wilful." "It is your duty to serve him." "Make him... see... that Louis is his saviour." "He must... die... in the Catholic faith." "Better all England be burned to the ground... than he should lose his immortal soul." "Now kiss me... and go." "I...want to go to my husband." "I have kept him waiting... too long." "Tell him I can make him a true king!" "Forgive me, ladies, if excess of love... if excess of love me beyond rules of modesty does move." "'Tis some excuse, that I my love declare when there is no medicine left to cure despair." "Oh, heaven!" "Can fair Aurelia weep for me!" "There is some comfort to my misery..." "The king's in again." "Third time this week." "Your verse speaking was shoddy tonight." "No one comes to Drury Lane to hear me speak the verse." "You're jealous because I'm popular." "Jealous of a common slut who was selling oranges to the pit a year or two ago?" "I think not!" "I'm an artist." "Come on, Charlie, don't be sulky." "You know you love me." "What do whores know about love?" "If you've got flowers, leave them with the others at the stage door." "Might the divine Aurelia consent to dining with her most fervent admirer?" "You mean dine with a man who hasn't introduced himself?" "You might not be a gentleman." "Forgive me." "I am Charles." "Charles who?" "Nell, I've never witnessed a dramatic talent to match you." "I taught her everything she knows." "On stage and in bed." "You always said I was a natural in both departments!" "Nell has a certain art with vulgar comedy, but she should aspire to higher things." "The tragedies of my great-uncle William Shakespeare, for example." "She would make a moving Cordelia." "I hate tragedy." "The theatre should be about entertainment." "I agree." "Comedy is the spirit of the age." "That'll be two pounds and 15 shillings." " You know I never carry money." " Neither do I." "Good God, but this is the poorest company I have ever been in!" " You're very beautiful, Nell." " You don't have to pay me compliments." "I'm not one of your simpering court ladies with a head full of romantic poetry." "I warn you..." "I want more than a quick pleasuring and a few trinkets for my trouble." "How much more?" "I don't mean money." "I want respect." "I know what I'm worth, and any man who spends time with me better know it too, and that includes kings!" "But if you do want to give me a token of affection, I won't be offended." "I'll make you rich, Nell." "Comfortable will do." "To start with." "He is a very handsome little fellow!" "He has much of his father in him." "I hardly know the gentleman well enough to say." "I mean his father the king, of course." "Henry Jermyn certainly is a gentleman." "Some might even call him a prince among men, but is he a king now, too?" "What's Jermyn to do with it?" "This is his child, is it not?" "It is yours and you know it is." "The child cannot be mine." "I have not visited your bed these many months passed." "I will not acknowledge him." "I demand the tone of the evening be elevated!" "Miss Nelly must give us a speech." "Something noble from Jonson or Dryden." "I'm a professional, Rochester." "I don't work unless I get paid!" "I made more money than that selling oranges in Drury Lane!" "There is no a whore in London who would not be glad of such a fee." "Then find a whore who needs the money." "This one's retired." "Steal what riches you can... while the sun still shines, actress!" "The king will soon grow bored of you and toss you back on the dung heap where you belong!" "As you are intent on poetry, Rochester, why not provide it yourself?" "A short epigram in your honour, then, Your Majesty." "We have a pretty, witty king" "Whose word no man relies on" "Who never said a foolish thing" "Nor ever did a wise one." "Be just, Rochester." "The wise words are my own." "The deeds are my ministers'." "Your expenditure reaches beyond your resources." "Your creditors are insistent." "Parliament would sooner see my household starve than grant me what is due." "The Commons is loyal in its way." "It means to bring the king to heel before throwing him a few scraps." " Is that what you want?" " I will not be Parliament's slave." "If I have to rule without them, I will." " The people will not support you." " My people are loyal." "It is Parliament that stokes the fires of sedition." "The behaviour of some does not help." "Lady Castlemaine's extravagance is matched only by her depravity." "Is this not true, Danby?" "Alas, certain vile things are being repeated on the streets, Your Majesty." "She brings your court into disrepute..." "Any man would give his right arm to share her bed." "Lady Castlemaine may drag herself through the gutter, but she shall not take the king's reputation with her." "Enough is enough!" "Bishop Braybrooke's tomb was discovered during the rebuilding work." "The body is perfectly preserved despite the fire." " When did this good bishop die?" " 200 years ago and more." "Miraculous that a body of such antiquity should defy age and decay." "The corpse is most delicate." "You must take care not to disturb it." "Perhaps..." "Lord Coleraine, we might be allowed a moment alone to consider God's mercy?" "Of course." "His skin is remarkably dry." "His face seems almost animated." "I could half believe some distant spark of life yet lingered in him." "If it does..." "I'm the woman to find it!" "The bishop is truly intact!" "But not aroused by your attention, alas!" "I'm not yet defeated." "Oh!" "No living soul could resist such a courtesy!" "His spirit is truly extinct." "Bored!" "Do not move." "Bloody freezing in 'ere!" "Why can't I be a goddess who kept her clothes on?" "Fine clothes, precious jewels, and now a portrait by the great Sir Peter Lely." "My lord." " You've surpassed yourself." " The king is very generous." "Your new house is the talk of the town, but it's no more than you deserve." " You are Venus to the life!" " Whoever she was!" "The goddess of love." "A most fitting subject for you." "Well, the goddess of love has had a bellyful of art for today." "Be careful, my lord." "That hand belongs to royalty now!" " I saw you before the king." " First come, first served, is it?" " You weren't always so modest." " I wasn't the king's mistress then." "He will not be faithful to you." "It makes no difference." "You cannot love him!" "Aren't I capable of the finer feelings?" "You've sold yourself at a good price." "Now you can have your fun." "If it's money you want, you won't find me ungenerous." "I thought you were the king's friend." " Does he object to a little sport?" " Perhaps not, but I do." "I belong to the king not because he bought me but because I choose it." "And as long as he wants me, I'll be his and his alone." "And you know what?" "I do love him." "He's kind and decent, and he'll look after me." "How's that for a transaction?" "I've known many ladies of wealth and position who played the whore to perfection, but I've never seen a whore make such a fine lady." "Do not presume too far, George!" "You know my regard for Nell." "I intended a compliment!" "Speaking of titled whores... your consideration for Nell will make Castlemaine mad with jealousy." "Everywhere I go, all I hear about is Castlemaine's dissipation!" "She goes too far." "She always did, but what you once loved now repels you." "You're her oldest friend." "Speak to her." "I defer to no man in appreciation of my own talents, but persuading Castlemaine to change her behaviour is a task beyond even my skills." "No matter." "I'll deal with her myself." "Your Majesty!" "Are you one of these excitable men, Captain Churchill, who fancies himself in love with Lady Castlemaine?" "In truth I have little feeling for her, but she was... insistent." "And a gentleman should not be impolite." " She's also generous." " Too generous!" "I gave this ungrateful wretch 500 pounds!" "He had feelings for me then!" "What have you done with it?" "Invested it... in a pension, Your Majesty." "It must be the first time Lady Castlemaine's money's seen the inside of a bank!" "I forgive you, then." "You do this for your bread and butter." "You needn't think you're coming back!" "What are you doing here anyway?" "Is this my thanks after all I've done?" "To be thrown onto the street like a whore?" "No whore was ever rewarded as handsomely as you have been, but now my purse, like my patience, is exhausted!" "I will not be usurped by that slut of an actress!" "I forgave you when you corrupted Monmouth." "I forgave your greed, but I am sick of your meddling!" "The whole world is sick of it!" "The mob hates you and for once, the mob is right!" "Have this lady's goods packed." "She is leaving." "Do that and I'll cut off your hands and hang them round your neck!" "All I ask is that you live quietly and cause me no more grief." "Do that, and I care not who you love." "You've been a kind of queen." "Be proud of that... and accept your time is done." "They say she has not been well." "Well, she was always delicate." "But her last letter said she has never felt stronger." "The king's devotion to his sister is most touching." "And useful." "I am told Louis is no stranger to her bed." "In that case, we may be confident she has his ear." "Among other things" "This show of family affection will not blind Parliament to the king's true purpose." "We may be certain it will not stomach any treaty with France." "What Parliament does not know need not trouble it." "There must be no concealment, especially where France is concerned." "It is for the king to decide foreign policy." "Parliament will not pay to make common cause with Papists." " Louis is too strong to keep as an enemy." " He is too strong to be anything else!" "When he has finished with the Protestant Dutch, he could turn his attention to us." "You cannot seriously think he would launch a crusade against England?" "What I think is not important." "It is what the people fear that matters." "Little Minette!" "You have grown beautiful." "I am an old married woman!" "You are my baby sister first and before everything." " Who is that?" " Mademoiselle de Keroualle." " My lady-in-waiting." " A charming girl." "Very charming and very young!" "I am responsible to Mademoiselle's parents." "I would fail in my duty if she returned to them dishonoured." "Besides, is it too much to ask that I should have you to myself for these few days?" "Only God knows when we shall see each other again." "Please, Madame, let me fetch a doctor!" "No." "The king must know nothing of my illness." "France will provide a subsidy of two million livres to His Majesty in return for recognition of Louis' claim to sovereignty over the Netherlands." "Oh, it's a bargain, Danby." "Or are there more items on the bill of sale?" "England must also agree, at a time to be decided by France, that both our countries will declare war on the Dutch." " We've no justification for an attack on Holland!" " Justification will be found." "And when Parliament discovers you intend to use French money to rule alone?" "Parliament will know nothing of this treaty because no one will tell them." "Such a business cannot remain secret for long." "I will not be servant in my own house." "I mean to rule." "With Parliament if I can, without them if I must." "Why was I not told of this, Danby?" "Who the king chooses to trust with his decisions is his affair." "There are those who would call this treaty treason." "I think you are amongst them, my lord." "Am I alone?" "No one will overhear us." "I fear for your life if anyone should discover our purpose." "Does Louis accept my new proposal?" "You have agreed one dangerous treaty." "Are you ready to contemplate a second infinitely more daring?" " Do you trust me, Minette?" " With my last breath." " Then put aside your fears." " Very well." "If you convert to the Catholic faith," "Louis will provide you with the money to govern in your own right." "You need never turn to Parliament again." "Everything is prepared." "The treaty wants only a signature." "For your own safety and for the preservation of the monarchy, do not give such an undertaking." "I am not going to." "You are." "What?" "As my trusted ministers, it is only right that it be your names on the treaty." "A treaty you could then disown." "We have already been party to one reckless adventure." "This new one must surely end with our heads on the block!" "Your Majesty, in the name of our long friendship," "I beg you to reconsider, not for my sake, but for yours." "If you are truly my friend, Lord Arlington, you will do my bidding." "Why must it be us?" "Why not Buckingham or Danby?" "I think you know." "Because we are Catholics." "I protected you when the Test Act would have seen you thrown from office." "Now it is time for you to be loyal in your turn." "As a Catholic I applaud your intention, but as your minister, I deplore and fear it." "This will help you rest." "It's just a chill on the stomach." "I will be well again soon." " Promise you'll write to me." " Every day." "Come on, boys." "You have no intention of becoming a Catholic, have you?" "The truth, now." "You cannot take Louis' money and offer him nothing in return." "He will have his Dutch war." "But he expects you to convert, and to carry England with you." "Only fools believe that England will return to Rome." "The King of France is not an easy man to deceive." "The time may yet come when I have to fight Parliament as our father did." "I am determined I will not suffer the same fate." "Louis is my protection." "If you face rebellion you will announce your conversion, obliging Louis to come to the aid of a Catholic king." "If I have to bring England to heel with a French army, then by God I will do it!" "No matter what may happen, I will always be at your side." "Always." "God have mercy on me." "I am in hell!" "No!" "Tell my brother... that I have loved him more than life itself." "That my only regret in dying... is to be leaving him." "You cannot hide here for ever, meu amor." "Your ministers are waiting." "Everyone I've ever loved has betrayed me." "Minette was never a traitor to you." "Only a fool ever allows himself to love." "I have lost my friends, Your Majesty." "Perhaps you have seen them?" "No, I've seen no one." "Your Majesty has been most kind since I came from Paris." "My sister always spoke very fondly of you, Mademoiselle." "Poor Madame!" "She was so good." "I loved her very much." "Did she suffer terribly?" "She was never afraid, Your Majesty, even at the end." "She told me her only sorrow was in leaving you." "Your life was dearer to her than her own." "Thank you, Mademoiselle." "Sit down." "My sister took your good name..." "most seriously." "The protection of your honour was her most pressing concern." "My honour is my own affair now." "And with your sister gone, I must find another protector." "Hm." "But alas, sir, I have no money of my own." "I cannot remain in England." "Unless, of course, Your Majesty wishes me to stay?" "His Majesty can think of nothing more charming." "You may kiss me now if you wish." "William!" "How was the journey from Holland?" "Why, you've grown handsome!" "Mary would be proud." "I do not remember my mother well." "I was young when she died." "Both my sisters are gone now." "It grieves me to hear of your country's recent hardship." "As England is the cause of much of it, I am surprised to hear you say so!" "It is a sad day when England sides with Catholic France against a fellow Protestant nation." "Louis has either bribed or tricked you." "England was sorely provoked, and undertook war with a heavy heart, but as you come to me to apologise and make reparations, I bear no grudge." " Blood is thicker than water, after all." " I did not come here to surrender, Uncle." "Then why did you come here?" "To tell you that Holland will not be bullied." " The war is lost!" "Do you not see that?" " We will defend Holland to the last ditch." "As long as one Dutchman remains alive, we are not defeated." " Such defiance will only bring misery." " Better misery than disgrace." "However, if you wish to bring this war to an honourable conclusion," " I am willing to listen to your proposals." " YOU are willing to listen?" "!" "My Lord Buckingham only means to convey his impartial concern for your people's best interests, Your Majesty." "Why should we abandon a war we are winning, if not to our advantage?" "You cannot afford to fight for ever." "Your supplies are exhausted and you must turn to Parliament for more money." "And I do not think it will give you what you want." "Parliament will act loyally, damn it!" "When you are ready to talk seriously, sir, you will not find me unreasonable." "I never treated her well." "I pray for her forgiveness." "I have sworn before God to be a better husband next time." "You know my opinion of this new match." "It is undesirable for you and for England." " Mary of Modena is ideal." " I will not be defied." " I will not marry a Protestant." " Then you will not marry at all." "You owe me this marriage." "A Protestant princess would calm the fears of the people." "I am a Catholic and I will have a Catholic wife." "If we have children, they will be brought up in the true faith." "If there is a boy he will be king one day." "And I pray he does his duty to God and country." "You're my brother and my blood and I love you... but God knows, you will be the end of us all." "The mob's fury against this dangerous marriage will soon grow uncontrollable." "Your Majesty must calm his people's fears." "This unrest is fanned by those in Parliament who speak against the king." "Hear!" "Hear!" "We in Parliament seek only good Protestant government." "We will not keep silent over treason in our midst." "Am I a traitor, then?" "It is from loyalty that we challenge the Duke of York's right to lead England to ruin." "It is often those who protest their loyalty who prove the blackest rebels!" "We are more loyal than those whose deepest attachment is to the Pope!" "If you have a son, the Catholic monarchy will be restored!" "It should never have been interrupted by the bastard usurper Elizabeth!" "The sooner England rejoins the path of righteousness, the better for us all." "There will never be peace among your subjects while they're afraid." "Remove the cause of their fear and they will be content." "The Test Act carries your signature yet Catholics remain close to the throne." "The Act makes an institution of bigotry and the king a puppet of Parliament!" "If the people are to trust in Your Majesty's goodwill, the Act must be enforced." "It is the law of the land which we must all obey, even the king!" "You've made your choice, Shaftesbury." "So be it." "We must be enemies." "If I have made a choice, it is one you forced on me." "The king should rule with Parliament." "You would destroy it." "It is the power of the king that faces destruction." "True power lies not with king or Parliament but the people." "I am content to be judged by them." "For Your Majesty's sake and the good order of the country," "I must retire into private life." "I do not wish you to leave my service." "I need my old friends about me at such a time!" "To retain my position I must deny my faith and take Holy Communion in the Church of England." "That I cannot do." "Damn it, man, it's only a form of words!" "How we worship when no one is at hand to see us is our own affair." "No man should be asked to renounce his religion." "If our deeds are good and our hearts true," "I am convinced God forgives any transgression, no matter what faith we call ourselves." "Tear up the Test Act and tell Parliament to be damned." " No, you must make this bargain." " It's not YOUR position that's at stake!" "Those who choose the Roman religion should not be surprised at the consequences." " God bless and keep Your Majesty." " Which God, Arlington?" "Yours or Parliament's?" "Now do you see the cost of your marriage?" "I fear the true cost will be much greater than the loss of a few ministers." "This is a fine place you've dragged me to, Shaftesbury." "I never saw such a nest of traitors in my life!" "There is no treason here, only a desire to save England from tyranny." "If you are wise you will join us." " I'm no rebel." " Nor I." "But my loyalty is to a Protestant king in a Protestant country." "When the Duke of York becomes king, he will drag England back to Rome and destroy the power of Parliament once and for all." "That cannot happen." "If the king will not defend the true succession, we will." "An attack on the Duke of York is an attack on the king." "Then so be it." "You forget I am the king's friend." "Suppose there was another French treaty beyond the one we know?" "One which bound King Charles to take the Catholic faith in return for French gold and a Papist army to suppress his own people?" " There is no such treaty." " I have proof." "The king does not love you as you think." "He loves only his own power." "He is truly his father's son." "He has played you for a fool." "If James is removed from the succession, what then?" " The king is childless." " By his Papist queen perhaps, but his many bastards prove the fault hardly lies with him." "He can divorce and marry again." "But if not, he already has a son who would unite the whole country in loyalty." "A fine young man, and a good Protestant." " Who is to fire the fatal shot?" " I do not know his name." "Only that he is a Jesuit sent from France for the purpose." "Where is he now?" "Fled, or hidden by his fellow conspirators, but the king's life is yet in grave danger." "What danger?" "He will be poisoned." "So now it is poison?" "And who will do the deed, or do you not know that either?" "I know his name well." "It is Sir George Wakeman." "The queen's personal physician?" "!" "He is the most honest and upright of men!" "He's a Papist, is he not?" "The queen's household is riddled with treason." "If you're lying, I promise you, your torture will be cruel!" "Who wrote these?" "They were brought to me at the Royal Society by an honest Christian preacher named Israel Tonge..." "Never mind the Royal Society!" "Who wrote them?" "One who knows the conspirators intimately." "His name is Titus Oates." "The final rites of their black mass spoken," "Jesuit priests, crazed with bloodlust, swept into the village to seize two young virgins - children of no more than eight years." "Angels!" " Torn from their mothers' arms!" " Stop, Titus!" "I cannot listen!" "No, go on." "What did these foul monsters do to their victims?" "The screams of burning innocents are a horrible thing, Israel!" "God save us!" "The Catholic religion is guilty of horrors beyond imagining!" "Kirkby must have acted by now." "If not, England is lost." "Where is Titus Oates?" "At your service, sir!" "Scholar, philosopher and loyal guardian of the flame of truth!" "My Lord Danby wishes to speak to you." "As news of the king's death became known, 6,000 Catholics were to rise as one and slaughter us all in our beds." "Picture it, my lord!" "London's streets running crimson with honest Protestant blood!" "How did you come by this information?" "I overheard it in the queen's household." "Do you now claim intimacy with the queen herself?" "No, sir, but your lordship well knows that the palace is open" "He and the Pope are the authors of the plot!" " Not the queen and the Duke of York?" " Papists all, shoulder to shoulder in villainy!" "The French army are massing at Calais." "An invasion might be launched at any moment." "My spies would have informed me if there was a French army at Calais." "Maybe the Pope invoked dark magic to make them invisible." "Gossip and mischief!" "I will see you in the stocks in the morning." " It is the truth!" " If you condemn us, the king will die and you will be held accountable." "Your Majesty!" "Your loyalty and concern for my safety do you credit, Mr Oates." "Where is your proof?" "Safely hidden from prying eyes, Your Majesty." "A wise precaution." "Who are the English Catholics behind this terrible conspiracy?" "Give me names." "Beyond the queen and the Duke of York, there are the Lords Stafford, Arundell, Wardour, Powis," "Petre, Belasyse, Wakeman, the queen's physician, and Edward Coleman, secretary to the Duchess of York." "This is nothing more than a list of every eminent Catholic in the land!" "I have letters proving their guilt." "Follow me, Mr Oates." "Bring your friends with you." "You never said anything about letters!" "If I had, the Jesuits would have cut your throat to find them." "Stand firm." "We shall beat the devil yet." "What was your business at Whitehall?" "Who invited you here?" "I came to warn your ministers of the Catholic peril." "They never had time to see me." "My sympathy." "Sometimes they hardly have time for the king himself." "But still, after so many hours here, you must have come to know my palace well." "Intimately, sir." "Then lead us to the place where you heard this treason being plotted." "This is where I heard them planning your death, Your Majesty." "Most convenient for any traitor with a weak stomach!" "Your Majesty, I remember it clearly." "It was a long room... with tall double doors..." "You do not know your way because you've never been here in your life before!" "Nothing this scoundrel says can be believed!" "I'm off to Newmarket in the morning." "Do not bother me with this again." "At your service, my lord." "(DANBY) Give your explanation again." "I know Lord Powis." " This is not his hand." " The writing is disguised." " The Jesuits teach such skills to their disciples." " They teach well." "Not one of these seditious letters resembles its author's customary hand." "You say you know these conspirators intimately." " Who wrote this?" " Lord Stafford." "Of all these villains, he is the worst." "Stafford is a distinguished Fellow of the Royal Society and nigh on 70." "He has a vicious spirit and is closely allied to the Duke of York." "Examine the Duke's household, and you will find all the evidence you need of treason." "Strike now, my lords!" "Hesitate and all might be lost!" "Stop!" "There is no conspiracy, is there?" "Hm?" "The truth now, or I'll beat the life from you." "Every word is gospel." "Bring me a Bible and I will swear..." "I know baseless malice when I see it." "What is your purpose in all this?" " Is it money and preferment you seek?" " You insult me, sir." "Christ himself, he came to me in a dream!" "He charged me with the protection of the Protestant faith in England." "I was a minister... in a Catholic school... and the boys laid false and filthy charges against me, and I lost my position." "I'm determined to have my revenge on their whole stinking blasphemous faith!" "You have chosen the moment for your game well." "In such a desperate time, even your ridiculous lies might be believed." "What will you do with me, sir?" "I have reasons of my own to let your poison circulate unhindered." "If others cannot tell a fake when they see one, that is their misfortune." "What of the king?" "He doesn't believe me." "The king has more pressing concerns, schoolmaster." "5,000 pounds on a single turn of the cards?" "!" "If you shout at me, I shall faint." "Now you expect me to honour your debts." "Well, I cannot afford it!" "You have stolen my honour!" "Now you mean to make me a beggar!" "If you need money, why don't you ask your patron Louis?" " The King of France gives me nothing." " Of course he does!" " He values his little spy." " I am not a spy!" "You have clandestine audiences with the French ambassador!" "Do you talk about the English weather?" "I cannot live with such wicked treatment!" "You know how delicate I am." "If I fall ill and die, it will be your fault!" "You are not going to die over a few cross words." "Of course I'll pay your creditors." "But you must be more careful in future." "5,000 is not very much." "Is it?" "We won't talk about it any more." "There, now." "It's all better, isn't it?" "The king still loves his little Fubs." "These letters were for Louis." "You say you will work to destroy the Protestant heresy and restore the Catholic faith to England, that you pray for the day the Duke of York takes the king's place!" "As God is my witness, I meant no harm to anyone." "These are dreams, not plots." "Opinions of no significance." "You shared your ambitions with the Duke of York." "He encouraged you in this!" "The Duke of York is innocent of any crime." "I swear I am no traitor." "(CHARLES) I asked you to end this matter." "Now it is infinitely worse." "What London believes is more important than the evidence." "The mob will soon grow bored of Oates' ridiculous accusations." " Put the perjuring villain in prison." " He's under the protection of Parliament." "Oates will give Parliament all the excuse it needs to strike at Catholics." "God help any poor creature that gets caught in his net." "Oates said Coleman's letters would contain treason, and they did." "A lucky chance, nothing more." "Picture your own wives and mothers, sons and daughters, tied to stakes in the midst of flames, screaming out to God with hands and eyes uplifted to heaven!" "On the outside the Catholic looks like us, eats, drinks and sleeps like us, but inside he is not as we are." "He hates our liberty and works every moment to destroy it" "He would make slaves of us in our own country" "Only Parliament can protect England from the yoke of tyranny!" "A warrant from Parliament for the arrest of Lord Stafford." " On what charge?" " Treason." " Father!" " This is some error or false accusation..." "You are mistaken!" "Please!" "Please help me!" "No!" "No!" "No!" "Please!" "Please!" "Please!" "No!" "No!" "God in heaven have mercy on me!" "I am innocent..." "The queen is a Catholic and yet is well known for her loyalty and devotion." "This plot cannot be any of her doing." "She is mistress in her own household." "Nothing takes place there without her consent." "I heard from her own lips that she would no longer tolerate the king's lechery and violation of the marriage bed." "She told the Jesuits that she would have her revenge, and promised them 5,000 pounds for the deed!" "I accuse the queen of conspiring to cause the king's death!" "The man's a fraud." "I know you'd never do anything to harm me." "You know it, but does England?" "Oates has the whole country terrified." "You understand there is no truth in what he says?" " Do I look like a fool?" " Clever men hang on his every word." "Common sense counts for little where religion is concerned." " Are you not frightened of the Papists, then?" " I'm more frightened of the mob." " Mobs have their uses in the right cause." " Parliament's cause." "For 20 years, we have fought to see who rules in England." "Now the time has come to settle the matter once and for all." "This useless body of mine is like some rotting piece of meat." "It decays inch by inch, moment by moment." "I have little time left, but I am determined that before I die, this country will be freed for ever from the unbridled power of kings." "Parliament will rule in England." "Attack the king himself, and I can go no further with you." "Let the old goat frolic with his whores in the time he has left to him, but his heir will be Parliament's choice." "The king loves you above all others." "The bravest and most brilliant of his court." "(MONMOUTH) Such virtues come naturally." "I must take no credit for them." "The king would show you greater favour if he could." "He would name you as his heir." "The Duke of York's claim cannot be allowed to stand." "A Protestant king for a Protestant country." "The king will never acknowledge me as his true-born son." "The king must appear to support his brother." "In private, he yearns for your success." "When the tide in your favour becomes irresistible, he will bow to an act of Parliament declaring you legitimate." "He told you this?" "Be bold, and you shall have your reward." "God save the king!" "I have never run away from a fight and I will not start now." "It's to avoid a fight that you must leave for a time." "With the introduction of the House of Commons bill, your succession hangs in the balance." "Your presence here is a constant reminder of their grievance." "Will I be allowed to return, or will you betray me in favour of your preening bastard Monmouth?" "You're my brother... and my heir... and what is mine is mine." "I will not allow Parliament to dictate the succession." "Now for pity's sake, will you help me?" "Your Majesty, there is a further matter of the gravest importance." "I have in my possession... letters from the king's chief minister begging for aid from our oldest and most implacable enemy!" "Filthy French money... for the king to rule alone in defiance of Parliament?" "!" "What shall we call this but treason pure and simple?" "Danby must be impeached before this house for his dealings!" "It's that French bitch Carwell!" "Drag her out and put the Papist whore in the stocks where she belongs!" "Good people!" "You are mistaken!" "I am the Protestant whore!" "I am called a prostitute, and summoned before Middlesex jury!" "My God!" "To stand before the common herd, accused of being no better than a street girl!" "It is nothing more than a tactic designed by Shaftesbury to provoke me!" "I'll see that the Chief Justice strikes down the warrant." "I am a lady of breeding..." "I have family and connection..." " I am not a harlot!" " I know that." "They mean to destroy me, Fubs." "Shaftesbury has copies of my letters referring to subsidies granted you by the French king." "They talk of the secret treaties signed in your name, but there is no proof, thank God." "He can be discredited as a liar." "The king's position grows weaker every day." "He has done everything in his power, but he can no longer defend your conduct." "I wrote to the French king on your authority, Your Majesty." " You must stand by me." " You of all people know he cannot do that." "Parliament is attacking him through you." "His only hope is to cut you adrift." "Acknowledge the letters were written on your own initiative." "The king knew nothing of them." "Parliament already has the scent of blood." "I will be torn apart!" "If you resign, the king may yet come to some understanding with his enemies." "I'm guilty of nothing more than obeying Your Majesty's command." "These treaties were your creation in every detail!" "I know nothing of any secret treaty." "I have put the king before everything, and you see my reward?" "Be careful loyalty does not bring you to the same end!" "Danby must pay the full price for his treason." "(CHARLES) He has resigned." "That is penalty enough." "I have granted him a pardon for any offence he might have committed." "You cannot do that." "You have dragged a loyal servant down into the mud." "I will not permit you to murder him into the bargain!" "There are thousands of your loyal subjects in the streets in protest at this Popish plot." "We can only guess at what chaos will follow if you save the traitor Danby and allow a Catholic to succeed you on the throne." "The people have been greatly excited by false rumours and accusations." "You know that better than anyone, George." "The peace of the country demands the Duke of York's removal from the succession." "The peace of the country has always been my most pressing concern." "Then name Monmouth as your heir." "You must sign the bill excluding your brother from the throne." " Parliament has yet to pass such a bill." " It will." "There can be no doubt of that." "Accept what must be, sir." "You have no choice but to abandon the Duke of York." "He cannot defy the will of Parliament for ever." "I will make him crawl to the House begging for exclusion." "He is in a game he knows he cannot win." "It is a question of WHEN he gives in, not if." "Perhaps we must remind him of that." "The mob yearns for blood." "Very well." "The mob must have it." "Your Majesty..." "I come not as your king, Lord Stafford, but as your friend." "And as your friend..." "I urge you to confess yourself guilty to the verdict of treason found against you." "I'm innocent of any crime against Your Majesty in thought, word or deed." " I know that." " Then how can I say otherwise?" "Confess now and your life can be spared." "A few false words... and in a year or two, a few months perhaps, you can return home to your daughter." "I would be disgraced, condemned as a traitor from my own lips." "All honest men would know the truth." "I've been a loyal servant to your martyred father and to Your Majesty all my life... and that is how I shall die." "You must sign." " It is the king's prerogative to grant mercy." " Not in such a case." "What is a king, then... if he has no power?" "It is in order to preserve your power that you must sign." "The whole of England is baying for Stafford's blood." "If you do not give them what they want, they will turn their anger on you." "Lord Stafford has been found guilty by the courts." "Oates's lies condemned him." "If you overturn the law, you give Parliament an excuse to do the same." "That path leads to war and rebellion." "Is that what we have come to?" "An innocent man must be sacrificed to preserve the sanctity of the law?" "Your father chose open defiance of Parliament, and the outcome was his own destruction." "You must be more subtle than him." "May God forgive me." "God will understand." "You have more confidence in him than I." "My beloved daughter, your father has this comfort." "I die totally innocent of what I am accused, and confident of God's mercy." "You must take solace in that, as I do." "You summoned me, sir?" "I've had many accounts of your progress about the country." "I'm told that wherever you go, you are greeted as a king." "Is it my fault if the people wish to express affection for me?" "You little fool!" "Can you not see how you are dancing to Shaftesbury's tune?" " Do not treat me like a child!" " You could not be more of a rebel if you took up arms and marched on Whitehall!" "You will never be king!" "Understand that, and you'll be happy." "Dispute it, and you will die a miserable traitor's death." "You lack experience and wisdom." "But now you must do as I say." "You will go to your cousin Mary in Holland... and stay there till I call for you." " I will do anything you tell me, Father." "I would sooner die than insult you." "On no account return to the court until I summon you, do you understand?" "Of all my children, you are the first and most beloved." "Obey me... and we'll both be content." "I never thought to see my oldest friend in the ranks of my enemy." "It is a matter of politics." "My personal feelings are of no importance." "Personal feelings are everything to you." "Shaftesbury has only the people's good at heart." "He has no grievance against you." "He is sincere in his convictions, but when did overturning kings become a pastime of yours?" "Perhaps when the king betrayed England for 30 pieces of French silver." " Your name was on the French treaty." " I did what was required of a good servant, and what did I receive in return?" "Lies, deception, the elevation of others above me in your government!" "We two together could have ruled Europe, let alone England!" "But you never trusted me as I deserved." "Trust and good government cannot live side by side." "You neglected me in favour of worthless placemen." "I've forgiven your many betrayals... your schemes and your plots... because in my heart, I knew you loved me." "But now I see you always loved yourself more." "And I find I am a jealous king." "I must have unconditional love or nothing." "You have a need for sycophancy, not love." "And those who rely on flatterers for their comfort are condemned to live and die alone." "Tell your master Shaftesbury to summon Parliament." "I will address the House." "Then you accept the exclusion of your brother from the throne?" "What must be must be." "Goodbye, George." "I received your message." "Is it time?" "Be brave, Charles." "What if the king means to fight as his father did?" "He has too much intelligence and too few principles for that." "And unlike his father, he knows when a battle is lost!" "Talk of the exclusion of the Duke of York from the rightful succession is treason." "Any who speak of it set themselves against legitimate authority, and are the heirs in spirit to those rebels who so recently plunged our country into rebellion and civil war." "Can anyone here contemplate such evil without horror?" "Let there be no confusion." "The Duke of York is my heir and will remain so." "His right is ordained by God, and no man may alter it." "Anyone who denies this truth makes themselves an enemy of God, king and country." "Think on that before you take another step towards chaos." "All the world may see what a point we have come to." "Nothing that begins in such division is likely to end well." "I declare Parliament dissolved." "Gentlemen, go home." "I will not trouble you any further." "What is happening?" "What did the king say?" "It is not what he said." "It is what he is." "England has chosen to trust the superstition of kings rather than the wisdom of its own judgment." "He has dissolved Parliament and will rule in his own right." "Exclusion and Parliament are finished with." "Our time will come." "Not today... but soon enough, though I will not live to see it." "Wait here to be arrested... or make your peace with the king if you can." "For my part, I am weary of Whitehall." "I have neglected my wife these last 20 years." "I think it is time I went home." "He is never too busy to see me." "The king gave you no authority to return from exile." "Such defiance is treason." "If you are still in England at dawn tomorrow morning, you will be arrested." "How long?" "How long before I can come back?" "Never." "Father!" "Father!" "I can explain everything!" "Only let me talk to you!" "If you have ever had any love for me, you will find forgiveness in your heart." "Please, Father, I beg you, let me in!" "Have you unpacked it all yet?" "I cannot think what you mean, Nell." "All those beautiful things you had ready for your escape in case the Protestant rabble stormed Whitehall." "Does the king know I was preparing to abandon him?" "Why not ask him?" "I have seen little of him lately." "I thought he might be dining with you." "He mostly dines alone these days." "I will send him a note saying I am ill or dying." "He will soon come back to my side." "You've tried that trick too many times." "Face it." "He doesn't need you any more." "Retire to France and enjoy your money, Mrs Carwell." "God knows you've earned it!" "But..." "I love him." "You look tired." "Are you ill?" "I have never felt better." "We must consider what you will do when I am gone, James." "No king can rule without Parliament for long." "He can if he has French money." "Louis pays me for one reason only." "He wants a Catholic on the throne after my death." "For the rest of my life I will have absolute power, and when I am gone, he will have you." "But when Louis has what he wants, he will not be so generous." "If you want to be free of his influence, you must have money of your own." "For that, you must recall Parliament." "Yes, well, when I am king, Parliament will have no choice but to obey me." "Thank God my task is only to give you the crown, not to help you keep it!" "No, no." " I have news of Monmouth, Your Majesty." " William." "He swears he's learned his lesson and begs permission to return from exile." "My answer will not change." "I will never see him again." "Such harshness is not in your nature." "It is for his sake as much as mine." "If he comes back, he will embroil himself in some treason or other." "I lost my father to the executioner." "I would rather not live to see my son die the same way." "He will make his move when you die." "Many Protestants will support him against the Duke of York." "Any rebellion will fail." "The country has no more stomach for revolution." "Perhaps a few years of my brother's rule will change that." "And I do not think my son is the only Protestant champion with designs on the throne of England!" "I have never thought of my own ambition." "I consider the Duke of York my friend." "Your wife is his daughter." "You have a legitimate claim through her." "Never mind." "By the time such affairs come to a head, I shall be long dead, and, I hope, quite oblivious!" "Prepare yourself, William." "My brother will not rule more than four years." "His own stubborn nature will bring him down." "It's all been for nothing, Nell." "The cause that gave my life meaning will die with me." "I fought to restore everything that was lost when my father was murdered, but James will destroy it all, I know that." " Then why did you fight so hard for him?" " Not for him." "For the principle." "For the rights of kings." "But Parliament will have its victory in the end." "You know what I think about politics." "It's all a lot of foolish men scheming to ruin each other for no reason anyone can remember a few years later." "If it was up to me, I'd give the throne to Monmouth because, in my opinion, a king should always be handsome!" "Sweet Nell." "How much better the world might be if it was arranged to your liking!" "Father!" "Watch us!" "Mademoiselle de Keroualle, you should know by now the king loves his women bright, witty and diverting." "All this weeping and howling is not the way to keep his affection." "It is making you quite ugly." "If you want him to love you again, be the woman he yearns for and has never had." "What woman?" "An affectionate mother." "Mother, come!" "No, not now." "My dearest Fubs." "How are you?" "Sit down by me." "You look tired, dear." "Put your head in my lap." "You must rest more." "Leave the business of government to your ministers, and let me look after you." "You know what, Fubs?" "I think I would like to go to sleep." "Then sleep, darling." "Only children and old men sleep in the middle of the day... but I suppose I am an old man now." "You are not so old." "Now sleep." "You see, Father?" "I kept my promise." "Did I make you proud?" "Well, did I?" "Charles?" "He... doesn't answer me." "Why won't he answer me?" "Ajuda!" "James." "You must care for my children." "All save Monmouth." "There is nothing anyone can do for him now." "Be kind to Louise... and let not poor Nelly starve." "Charles Stuart converted to the Catholic faith on his deathbed" "Buckingham, Charles's old friend and rival, died of a chill not long after him." "Catharine, Charles's faithful queen, returned to Portugal where she died in 1705," "20 years after her husband's death." "At the age of 64," "Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, married a notorious rake half her age." "He was a bigamist who stole what remained of her fortune." "She died four years later." "Louise de Keroualle died in France at the great age of 85." "In the words of her confessor, "very old, very poor and very penitent"." "Nell Gwyn survived the king by only two years, dying of a stroke at the age of 37." "Charles was uncannily accurate in his fears and predictions." "Monmouth led an abortive rebellion in the early days of James II's reign, and was beheaded for treason on Tower Hill." "It required eight blows of the axe to remove his head" "Almost four years to the day after his succession and following the birth of his Catholic heir," "James II was deposed by Parliament... in favour of the Dutch Protestant William and his wife Mary, James's own daughter." "Catholics were barred from the throne for ever, and remain so to this day" "No monarch of England would ever again attempt to rule without Parliament"