"Clemence!" "What a delight it is to see you again!" "My darling Moray!" "Paris misses you so much." "Le Bon Marche is a dismal place without your handsome face." "No-one flatters me as you do, Mademoiselle." "My darling, I intend to tempt you." "You will let me seduce you, won't you?" "Did I ever deny you, Clemence?" "What did she say to him?" "Don't know." "Whatever it was, I wish she was saying it to me!" "(Excuse me.)" "Until now, who could afford such extravagance?" "Only the wealthy." "I always feel that fun is wasted on the rich, don't you?" "There's enough pleasures in life to go around, I hope." "I hope so too." "We have found a way to make my beautiful creations so that anyone can afford them." "And you want us to offer them in The Paradise?" "Oh, you disappoint me, darling!" "Where is the Moray who cast his spell over Paris?" "Not offer them, no." "Sell them." "Sell lots of them." "Clemence, if you make the fireworks cheaply..." "Oh, please, let us not waste our lives talking." "I will show you." "Tonight." "Darling, we will light up the skies." "So, did he write about her in his letters, then?" "No." "No, he didn't." "Well, you'd think he would." "If I met someone like her, I would." "So, whose going to get Miss Audrey's job, then?" "I am not departed quite yet, Myrtle." "I'm only saying, Miss Audrey." "Since you're to marry, they'll be wanting someone for your position." "I have to say, it is all rather sudden." "You don't "have to say," Myrtle, you choose to say." "And I would contend that 23 years of courtship has a certain decorum to it." "I wouldn't know!" "Twenty-three minutes' wooing is slow for me!" "We're very pleased for you, Miss Audrey." "You'll have to plan the wedding." "And the honeymoon." "That all takes time." "You're not getting married right away, like." "So, you're not leaving us just yet." "Yes." "Well." "We shall see." "If I was getting married, I wouldn't be wearing a face like THAT." "Well, it does make you wonder, doesn't it?" "Who WILL be Head of Ladieswear?" "Ma'am, may I ask... were you thinking.....?" "Will you be marrying soon?" "How many years have I considered?" "If I marry, I will lose my position." "If I hold on to my employment," "I will never know the joys of marriage." "I deliberate and ruminate and I'm frozen with indecision." "So...the only way is for me to leap." "Leap?" "If I dither, I will die a spinster." "I have some savings." "A cottage that my brother left to me by the sea." "I have told Mr Moray that I am leaving." "Marrying." "Leaving." "Bonjour, Mademoiselle." "Oh, I do so love the long trains." "And the cut, what it does for a woman's body!" "Is there anything more feminine?" "Tell me what you think, Clara." "The pleated ruffles do give a soft influence, Ma'am." "Oh." "Please." "I know how you English do so prefer your deference, but you must call me Clemence." "Bows, buttons, and braids." "Why do we love them so much?" "Is it because they draw the eye?" "I think that every decision we make is guided, no, determined by passion." "Sexual passion." "What do you think, girls?" "Perhaps, Madam, I might suggest, to accompany the silk velvet hat with the ribbon streamers?" "Of course you are right, because you are a woman who knows her calling." "Thank you, Madam." "Ma'am." "Mademoiselle." "Clemence." "It is only my first visit to The Paradise but, Miss Audrey, I cannot imagine this place without you." "See that, Arthur?" "Add a bit of a flame and what happens?" "Stuff starts spinning, sparks shooting and flying all over the place." "What does that remind you of?" "A thunderstorm?" "Women, Arthur." "Women." "Yeah, but it's pretty and exciting." "Arthur, me lad, you have just described man's eternal dilemma." "She's so beautiful, in't she, Denise?" "I can't imagine what it must be like to be such a woman." "Can you?" "I bet men fall for her all the time." "If I was a man, I'd fall for her." "Would you, Denise?" "I think I could resist." "I never realised that French people were so..." "French." "I mean, all that touching 'n kissing 'n flirting." "Clemence, this is Mr Tom Weston." "He's the owner of The Paradise." "Mademoiselle Romanis." "I hope you've been made welcome." "Moray is always most generous." "I would not wish you to think that we English are as cold and inhospitable as our reputation." "Perhaps you might have dinner with me while you're here?" "I would be delighted, Monsieur Weston." "I would not care for you to believe we French are as rude as OUR reputation." "Excuse me." "So, how long will you be staying?" "Wouldn't it be something to have fireworks like that at our wedding, Audrey?" "At our age?" "It would be brash and tasteless." "We must reach for understatement, Edmund!" "At our age, I say we should celebrate." "You just seem awfully friendly with her, that's all." "I AM awfully friendly with Clemence." "Did you see her when you were in Paris?" "All the time!" "I was a buyer and she was the best supplier we had at Le Bon Marche." "Did you dine with her?" "Yes!" "She's wonderful company." "Denise." "I'm sorry, but Clemence is not my type, and I can assure you, despite what you see, I'm not her type either." "Will you miss the street, do you think?" "We might never leave!" "I put that sign up." "Not had so much as a peep through the window." "My brother's cottage is standing empty." "It has been since he died." "We'll head up there at weekends, do some work, make it ready." "I have been wondering... ..why must we wait?" "Tell me about Mr Weston." "He is married?" "Oh, yes." "He is married to Katherine Glendenning." "Oh, I have heard about her." "She is the reason Moray was in Paris." "She's not a woman to be crossed." "The price is good." "We can have the firecrackers in our store by the end of the week." "We must not let her believe that we've made a decision yet." "Sir, I have already indicated to Clemence..." "Then you were too hasty." "Mr Weston, the display has proven how good her product is." "What benefit is there in delay?" "If she feels we're too keen, then the deal will be made on her terms." "Let her woo us." "They're talking about you." "They are men." "They are talking about business." "Mr Weston is telling them that they must not offer me the contract until he has taken me out to dinner." "Is he dead?" "Jonas!" "Get him inside." "Denise, fetch some hot water." "Least we can do is clean the poor feller up." "I want anybody who is not needed out of this room now." "Bosses included." "Bosses most of all." "That's a fever if ever I saw one." "Clara, let's have these filthy clothes off him." "Sam, fetch one of your nightgowns." "Me?" "Why does it have to be mine?" "Because you're a kindly soul and the young women'll love you for it." "I'll fetch it right away." "Why has he come back?" "D'you suppose he knows I have returned to The Paradise?" "What has troubled me is - why did the constable not come after him?" "The street was full of whispers about Burroughs' death and Jonas walked away a free man." "(I must be thankful that he did.)" "Then having Jonas here can only mean one thing for us - danger." "He's sick!" "We must give him shelter." "Why must we?" "We owe Jonas that much." "Just let him get well, then we'll see what he wants, then we'll get rid of him." "Me... meet me in.... in the alleyway... eight... eight... eight... eight o'clock." "Tell... tell.... tell..." "What's he saying?" "He is fevered." "He could be saying the end of the world is nigh." "Jonas Franks doesn't need a fever to say the likes of that." "Barrass..." "Baarrass...." "Shhh, shhh." "Don't talk." "Sleep." "You're going to be safe now." "I might forget I have come to The Paradise to do business and spend all of my time here with girls and your room full of treasures." "We are pleased that you are pleased, Mademoiselle Clemence." "Forgive me, but I overheard the conversation yesterday." "You are leaving?" "To marry?" "Is John insane... ..to lose such a diamond?" "When a woman marries, she must forfeit her office." "She's out of the door before the veil's pulled from her face." "But there are men who work here who are married?" "Mr Dudley." "Clive in Menswear." "Alan in Menswear." "David in Haberdashery..." "Yes, thank you, Clara." "Half the porters are married." "Perhaps I might understand if woman intends to have children, but that is not so with you, is it, Audrey?" "As I have explained, Mademoiselle, it is the way." "Oh, yes!" "It is the way." "It is the way the men have decided upon." "Denise..." "Mademoiselle Clemence." "Moray's girl." "I see now why he spoke of nothing but Denise, Denise, Denise all of the time in Paris." "I'm sure that's not true, Mademoiselle." "There is only one thing more heartbreaking for a woman than a dinner with a man perspiring with lust, and that is dinner with a man pining for his love." "But now that I see you, I can forgive him." "What do you think of Miss Audrey's predicament, Denise?" "I... ..I'm pleased that she wishes to marry, and to be with the man that she loves." "But that is not what I asked you." "What do you think of a woman robbed of her position, a woman with experience, a woman brimming with best qualities, cast out because we live in a man's world?" "I think it's wrong." "Course you do." "What do you girls do with yourself in the evenings?" "I go to the inn across the street." "Ahhh, we will all go there tonight." "Mademoiselle, it's a murky little den of a place." "I'm not sure you'd find it to your tastes." "Might I borrow some paper?" "I must write a note to Mr Weston to tell him I cannot join him for dinner after all." "I'm busy tonight." "Miss Audrey, you will join us?" "The inn?" "I-I have never..." "I-I would not countenance... the inn." "But aren't you curious?" "I am." "I have invited you." "You wouldn't offend your French guest by refusing, would you?" "Why have you come back, Jonas?" "I did not come here at my own bidding, sir." "I was brought here." "You're not welcome." "You're not wanted." "I don't see much clearly at the moment, sir, but I see that." "The business with Burroughs' death - why did the constable not come after you?" "There is no mystery, Mr Dudley, sir." "I paid the man." "Like many people hereabouts, he had no regard for Bradley Burroughs." "You murdered a man." "If you imagine that such an arrangement allows you to stay here, then you are mistaken." "Porridge." "It's better than meat for putting meat on a man." "You always loved your porridge, Mr Jonas." "How did you come to be in such a state?" "I don't know." "How did you come to be on that wagon?" "I don't know." "You don't know a lot, do you?" "The fever has drained the life out of you." "When you're well enough to walk, you'll be on your way." "..so I thought you could put on a display of the fireworks, invite all kinds of people and set up a stall on the street to sell the firecrackers." "So you like Clemence now?" "I shall ignore that." "It's a marvellous idea." "I'm glad I thought of it." "I have no eyes for other women, Denise." "They do not exist." "I have found the woman I will marry." "I am so glad, my darling, you have readily taken to the business of The Paradise." "But I must confess, I didn't imagine you would go in there every day." "Moray has a French woman supplying him with fireworks." "I want to make sure he isn't beguiled into a bad deal." "Firecrackers!" "Can I see them, Daddy?" "So she's French?" "Yes." "I'm having dinner with her tonight." "Well, I am glad you find The Paradise so engaging...darling." "The head of Ladieswear is leaving." "Miss Audrey?" "Yeah." "She is to marry." "So one of the girls will be promoted?" "Does it matter?" "I realised that so long as I worked for a man" "I would never be more than a... saisine." "What do you say?" "A chattel?" "A chattel." "I looked at the men and I asked myself, can I do what they do?" "And the answer was yes." "The answer was I can do it better than they do." "So you started your own business?" "I have an idea of something people might like to buy," "I find someone who can make it for me," "I supply to Le Bon Marche or any other store." "I live a good life." "I'm just happy to have a job." "That is all very well in France, Mademoiselle." "In England, we prefer to cling on to our civilisation." "Does this civilisation make you feel contented?" "Good Lord!" "Is it a harem or a hen party?" "You can join us, Sam." "You're as good as one of the girls." "Hey!" "I am not one of the girls, if you don't mind." "There's one or two lass can prove it." "I'll have a drink at the bar." "Please, lift up your glass, all of you." "Now wait." "Life is passion." "Isn't that true?" "What is more passionate than a woman?" "If a woman can be what she decides to be, if a woman can love and follow her own calling, then she can determine her own life." "I ask you to drink to woman's passion." "Who will drink with me?" "I've never talked this way with anyone before." "I feel as though I'm a bit drunk." "Well, I AM a bit drunk, I suppose!" "Never met anyone like you, Clemence." "The world will soon be filled with women like me." "But what about you, Denise?" "There is too much about you to be a shop girl or a wife." "What do you want to be?" "Qui est-il?" "I..." "I want to be Moray." "I mean..." "I don't want to be a man." "I dream of running The Paradise." "Not just for the glamour of it, although I do like the idea of swishing around in a fine dress." "For the work." "That is what I love." "When I have an idea or make a decision or someone gives me the opportunity to take the lead, I feel..." "I can't quite describe it." "There are so many things I would do if..." "When we admit to our passion, we are free." "We can have what we want, be who we want to be." "I knew you'd see things the same as I do." "Is it true?" "It is true." "You're so beautiful." "No." "No-one will know." "We can have whatever we want." "I'LL know." "I don't want this." "Perhaps I could suggest, sir, we make a decision based on the prices she has outlined and the guarantee of a regular supply." "No." "We wait." "What if she returns to Paris and there's been no dinner engagement?" "Oh, she will dine with me." "Mr Weston, I know Clemence." "She is flighty." "Where men are concerned, she likes to tease and play." "I know women like Clemence." "What they respond to is being mastered." "Why does it matter that she is a woman?" "We must consider this business." "We treat her as we do any other supplier." "We are all gentlemen together." "You know what I intend." "I find her irresistible." "Why should I resist?" "Mr Weston, Clemence does not..." "respond to gentlemen suitors." "You're telling me she's a chaste French maid?" "!" "She prefers the role of seducer." "You think I can't overcome her resistance?" "I would prefer you did not try." "You tried, didn't you?" "In Paris." "And she rejected you." ""We're all gentlemen together."" "I feel I've been pressed into a club I have no wish to join." "If he sees no reason to hide his intentions from us..." "You're the expert." "I mean, you've lived amongst the French." "How do we deal with this?" "We don't." "She does." "If you...toy with him, he will set himself against you and I cannot guarantee you will get the contract." "Well, what would you have me do, darling?" "Submit to him?" "Hide away?" "Run away?" "I warn you, Clemence, Tom Weston is made of a different mettle." "I see no reason to let him bully me because he's a spoiled Englishman used to having his own way." "Do you, Denise?" "Do you want me to leave so you can talk, Mr Moray?" "No." "No, there's no need for that, Denise." "Do you intend to take him on?" "Well, I like men like Tom Weston because it is so easy to know them." "Such men, it's a child's play to tame them." "Er, Denise, might I borrow some paper?" "I'm going to write to Mr Tom Weston to tell him I cannot meet him for a dinner tonight." "Ma'am, I'm so sorry, I've got the wrong pair." "I'll fetch the correct ones for you." "Clara, Mademoiselle Clemence kissed me." "She kissed you?" "She wanted to seduce me." "But she's Moray's friend." "Have you told him?" "I should." "Then why don't you?" "I don't know." "If she was a man you'd tell him, wouldn't you?" "I want her to have the contract." "I'm confused." "Everything she said, about women having a calling and the wrongs that we live with..." "Girls!" "Girls, I am not quite deposed yet." "I hope you will show me the respect of my position until such a time as I am escorted from the premises." "Clara, Mrs Barton is without attendance." "It's only three Sundays, and then we can..." "It doesn't matter what condition the cottage is in, so long as we're warm." "Mr Moray is to conduct interviews." "For my position." "Well, that's grand." "Give the younger girls a chance to stake a claim." "Our Denise'll be keen, I expect." "I am not so old." "Not so very old." "You said it yourself, Audrey - "At our age"." "I was referring to the firecrackers." "There has not been one day when I have been absent from my work." "Yes, there has." "That time you lost your voice." "What I meant was no more than any man." "We are ruled by men." "We are going to live in your brother's cottage." "Your decision." "I've waited years to marry you." "Your decision." "Now we are to marry in haste." "Your decision." "If that is a woman ruled by men, then I'm a pincushion." "Those are trifles." "I am talking about fundamentals, a woman's calling." "They are not trifles to me, Audrey." "I put my shop up for sale on your say-so." "Are you telling me you want to change your mind?" "I think Mademoiselle Clemence... ..does not care for men." "Far from it." "She likes nothing better than to bait us." "What I meant was... ..I think she prefers women." "Why didn't you tell me?" "What?" "You think I should have told you because you were jealous of her?" "To put you at your ease?" "It is not my place to tell her private business, Denise." "No buyers yet, Mr Lovett?" "I don't even know if I'm still selling up, Sam." "Why?" "What's happened?" "Audrey seems to suddenly believe that to marry would be a betrayal of her sex." "That'll be Mademoiselle's doing." "I heard 'em all talking in the inn." "Audrey in the Three Crowns?" "No." "Yes." "I don't even go in there." "Oh, it was quite the party." "And here's me without a breath of sleep fretting about whether my marriage is on or off?" "What I know about women is this - you promise them undying love, marriage, faithfulness, they're away in a wisp." "If you don't give a hoot, act the lad about town, chase you around like a prince." "Right." "We're going to the inn tonight, Sam." "Haven't got a penny in my pocket." "I'm buying." "Bring that lot in." "We must put the smallest firecrackers in the front, sell them one at a time so people can afford them." "I must remind you, Mademoiselle, the contract is by no means certain." "Oh, but I have every faith in Moray." "The two bulls are butting heads." "Why do men suppose that posturing is what catches a woman's eye?" "The handsomest man is always the most reserved." "Like you." "Tis very flattering of you, Mademoiselle." "It is not flattery." "On m'a offense." "It is the truth." "The loveliest thing about you is that you have no idea of how beautiful you are." "Forgive me, Mademoiselle Romanis, but I'm not used to women being quite so forward, so complimenting." "If you were to ask me to a dinner, I would not refuse." "I am a married man." "I know that." "I would consider it improper to have dinner with such a... ..an attractive woman." "No-one would know." "Are you making fun of me?" "Have you not seen the way I look at you?" "I am deeply attracted to you." "I could never..." "I also see the way you look at me." "Is it not true?" "You are a very beautiful woman." "When your head lies on your pillow tonight, I'll be lying awake, wishing you were with me." "Jonas!" "I should've known - he's a man." "I should've warned him to get up and about, and then he might've stayed in bed." "What were you doing out there, Jonas?" "I don't remember." "I don't recall getting from my bed." "That's not good, is it?" "That's bad, I'd say." "Dudley." "How long have you worked here?" "Moray and I came here as boys, when Mr Emmerson owned the place." "It was a great deal smaller then." "It is...touching, to think that two poor boys have risen to such status." "Fine suits, silk ties..." "You must not let such distinction go to your head." "I've always considered myself grateful for the responsibilities." "Then you will have no more to do with Mademoiselle Romanis." "Sir, I assure you..." "Do not contradict what my eyes have witnessed." "Mr Weston, sir, what I know of Clemence tells me..." "Did I ask for your intervention, Moray?" "It seems that with each passing day I must continue to convey to you that the world has changed." "The Paradise is no longer your domain." "Business here will be conducted at my bidding." "If you wish to retain your position here, Dudley, you will leave Clemence be." "Do you understand?" "Yes, sir." "Then all is well with the world." "I have done my best to tolerate your husband but he has threatened to dismiss Dudley." "I will not allow him to do this." "Why have you called me back here?" "Mmmm?" "Is it to restore The Paradise?" "Because that is impossible if I must contend with this kind of vindictive interference." "Why would Tom wish to remove Dudley?" "He seems to consider Dudley as some kind of rival." "Ahh, Mademoiselle Romanis?" "Is that why you are here?" "To goad me?" "I-I came here because I felt I had to." "Katherine..." "I do not want your pity." "I will make my own accommodation with my husband." "Tom is not what he appears to be to some people." "He is a fine husband, and father." "Military men are somet..." "I will deal with this." "Well, thank you, Katherine." "If I can help..." "When will you appoint a new Head of Ladieswear?" "We will conduct interviews." "Denise will make an excellent appointment." "She is clearly the best candidate." "There...there are other girls we must consider." "Clara has qualities which..." "Why would you hold Denise back?" "It makes no sense." "Are you concerned what others will think if you favour your lover?" "Why would it matter to you to champion Denise?" "Perhaps I have come to appreciate the value of justice." "Mademoiselle Clemence, I must plead with you not to use Mr Dudley." "You don't understand, Denise." "I have no choice." "I left Paris because there was...some difficulty." "I have to make a life here." "I must have the contract." "Look, whatever the reasons, must you use such methods?" "Yes, I must." "Because I'm a woman." "Would Tom Weston treat me in this way if I were a man?" "Will he offer me the engagement on purely business terms?" "He will prevent me from prospering unless I indulge him." "Is it not true?" "Then am I not entitled to use whatever means necessary to gain equality?" "Would you not do the same?" "No." "Then you will be left behind." "Let me ask you this:" "whatever has been given to you by men, do you not live in fear that they will take it away again?" "I have watched you." "I have heard Moray talk about your many gifts." "When Miss Audrey leaves, will you be given her position?" "I don't know." "I..." "Do you want it?" "Can you do it?" "There are other girls who just..." "I give you the question you must answer to yourself." "Not to me." "If the position is not given to you, do you care more for the man you love than you do for your own voice?" "Will you be a good girl?" "Will you meekly accept?" "Or will you speak out?" "Oh!" "Mademoiselle Romanis, thank you for coming." "Please, this way." "Jonas?" "Mmm..." "Jonas?" "Arthur told us how he found you at the bridge." "If this was a trick, we are not falling for it." "There is no sympathy for you here." "What have you been up to this past year, Jonas?" "Tr-tr..." "Er, tr-travels and...work." "What are you hiding from us?" "What have you been up to since you left The Paradise?" "I have been on the road." "That is my life now." "I would wish not to describe the hardship, in case you should feel in...in some way responsible, Mr Moray." "Mr Moray is not to blame for your plight." "We are all responsible for our own life." "I shall be gone by tomorrow." "It was not chance brought you here, was it?" "If you believe you can bribe us, I warn you..." "Dudley!" "You are welcome to remain here until you are fully recovered." "I am most grateful, sir." "You were so merciless." "I've never seen you so riled." "That man has got beneath my skin." "He's ill." "Can we not just..." "Not Jonas." "Tom Weston." "I promise you, there is nothing for you to worry about." "I will deal with Tom, and it's not as though he's right." "You're not the kind of man to go chasing after Clemence." "No." "I married young." "I've only ever known one woman's kiss." "Everyone knows what kind of man I am." "Oh, darling." "There you are." "I have invited Mademoiselle Clemence to stay with us during her time here." "I can't bear the thought of her in that stuffy hotel, and I know you two wish to talk business." "It will be so much more convivial, don't you think?" "I do." "I have told Edmund that I may want reconsider." "So that's why my uncle's taken down the "For Sale" sign." "Miss Audrey, did you not say it was the doubt and delay that was making you so unhappy?" "Why should a woman be punished for marrying?" "That bloody French woman!" "Look at what she's doing to us." "She comes here, all hell is let loose, and then she'll be gone and leave us with the consequences." "I thought you younger women would see that she speaks for us all." "Miss Audrey, no-one here believes it's right for a woman to be pressed into leaving, but to do this to Uncle Edmund after you promised him?" "You have the same choice now you've had all your life." "What's made you change your mind?" "Is it to defy men?" "Or is it to strive for your own happiness?" "I see." "When the old hen's about to leave the perch, the young hens certainly do start to flutter their feathers." "It is such a pleasant diversion, having Mademoiselle Clemence to stay with us." "She is quite the firecracker." "I can see why men fall for her." "I can see why you might fall for her, my darling." "Did he tell you?" "Did Moray come to see you?" "If you are going to pursue her, then you will do it here, out of harm's way." "Not so publicly." "NOT at The Paradise." "And please, do not let Flora see you fawning after her." "Have you ever known me to fawn after anyone?" "Oh, when we first met you were quite the flatterer." "Why are you so sensitive about The Paradise?" "I want us to do nothing to give Moray the upper hand." "You can jostle with him, by all means, but do not crush him." "I want him to feel safe there." "I never believed that you abandoned him." "Why would you need to destroy him, if he hadn't broken your heart?" "I brought Mademoiselle Clemence into our home... ..because I have learned I cannot stop you." "Because you cannot stop yourself." "And I have learned that it will pass, she will pass." "And when the passion passes... ..and you are overcome with shame..." "..I will pick you up and comfort you." "(I will love you and be a good wife to you.)" "But I do not love you freely, Tom." "In exchange, you will not ask me again about what happened between Moray and I." "What brings you creeping up here at night?" "I have a dilemma." "I don't know what to do." "You would ask my guidance?" "Of course." "I know that you'll tell me the truth, even if it is difficult." "And something told me you'd know what I should do." "The Mademoiselle?" "She seems intent on seducing Mr Dudley." "And you haven't told Mr Dudley what you know about her motives towards him?" "If I speak to Mr Dudley about it, it... ..it would be as though I'm accusing him of wanting to be unfaithful to his wife, and I don't know that I can do that." "Mr Dudley came here, talking as I've never heard him talk before." "He was like a man on fire." "A man at war with himself." "He had a scented card in his pocket." "An invitation, probably." "I suspect he will meet with her tonight." "Edmund?" "Edmund?" "Might we speak privately, my dear?" "I'm rather wedded to the bar." "You can say whatever you want to say right here." "You seem to have taken my decision rather personally." "What you fail to appreciate is that my reasoning concerns the injustice to a woman having to give up her position." "What about what I must give up?" "Have I not fought to keep my little shop alive through the worst of times?" "Do you suppose I put up a "For Sale" sign as easily as tying my shoelace?" "It is a wrench to my heart." "But I did it willingly." "I thought you would do the same." "I was wrong." "I see that now." "Let us have ale, Landlord." "The night is younger than I am!" "Let me show you this." "You see this coin?" "OK, we're going to put it in this hand." "Can you say, "abracadabra"?" "Abracadabra!" "And now blow." "Oh, it's not there!" "Where is it?" "Blow now." "Oh, it's not here too!" "What did you do with it, Flora?" "I didn't do anything." "Oh, I see it!" "Oh, mon Dieu!" "It was in your hair!" "And because I found it in your hair, it's for you." "Thank you." "It has been the most delightful dinner, but I hope you will forgive me." "I have another engagement." "It is rude of me, I know, but it is the way in France." "We flit about half the night, and I'm the most restless Frenchwoman there is." "You are our guest, Clemence." "You must come and go as you wish." "Oh, you are spoiling me, and I do so like being spoiled." "Merci." "Au revoir." "Merci." "Where are you going?" "I have arranged a rendezvous." "With a man?" "I can meet whoever I want to." "I was never much good at talking to girls." "Huh." "At work, I could pass the time with them, but romance, ha!" "I was always too shy, too awkward." "I chose the most quiet girl in the shop." "It made me feel confident." "I don't want to betray my wife." "You are a beautiful man." "Mr Weston, sir." "I am Jonas." "Jonas Franks." "Is Mademoiselle Romanis here?" "Why would she be here at this time of night, sir?" "I believe she has a liaison with a man." "Sir, if I may, I have observed the French lady in her time here, both with gentlemen and with her own sex." "If you were to ask me where she was tonight, it would not be with a man." "It cannot be." "You need not accept my consideration, sir, though I have taught myself well to know people, their ways...and their weaknesses." "Might I suggest you consult with Mr Moray on this matter?" "Moray...knows?" "He has not told me so himself, but I can tell." "May I suggest you ask him?" "Mademoiselle Clemence!" "What are you doing here?" "That man!" "Jonas!" "I was never so afraid of the touch of a hand." "I felt I..." "I do not dare to refuse him." "Where is Mr Dudley?" "I don't know." "He took Dudley away." "That way he looked at me, the things he said to me..." "It was like he knew me." "Mr Jonas will know all there is to know about you." "Mademoiselle, you've shown such little regard for Mr Dudley." "Why are you so determined to make him face his own weaknesses?" "Your tale will be the same as the rest of us." "Human...weak." "I did love someone once." "I was young, as young as you are now." "I met an older woman and I knew she was what I'd been waiting for." "I let myself love her." "I was helpless." "I felt sure she would leave her husband to be with me." "Slowly, I learned she had no such intentions." "She wanted what was considered proper." "She hated herself for loving me." "I would never do that." "I would never punish myself for the way that I love." "She was married to a man like Mr Dudley?" "A good and faithful man." "A family man." "How could she choose him over me?" "How could she choose that life when I offered her such passion?" "I'm coming, I'm coming!" "More people come to this door in the dead of night than during business hours!" "What kind of a woman would torment such a dear soul?" "What kind of a fool would refuse an offer of marriage from the man she loves?" "I didn't know you had refused." "I didn't." "And there wasn't an offer." "You asked me." "I did." "Well..." "I'm asking you now." "And if you say yes, there's to be no untying or doubting or declining or hesitating..." "I will." "Jonas?" "There's a carriage waiting to take you home, sir." "You must leave before the staff arrive." "They must not see you like this." "What am I doing here?" "A note was sent to your wife, sir, to say that you were detained overnight by Mr Moray, and there was nothing for her to worry about." "Clemence..." "Nothing happened, sir." "There is nothing for you to be troubled by." "The carriage, sir." "We must make haste." "Clemence has arranged a demonstration of her firecrackers, on the street." "She has decided to go ahead, with or without us." "It will draw quite a crowd." "They will want to know where they can buy the fireworks." "In the end, this is purely a business matter." "Give her the contract, let's be rid of her." "We'll all strive to maintain the standards you have set us, Miss Audrey." "Nonsense." "I will be forgotten before I reach the end of the street." "I have little doubt it will be you..." "Mademoiselle Clemence is correct in what she says, you know." "Take care." "Don't fuss, our Denise." "We're not vanishing entirely." "Haven't even sold the shop yet." "At our age, Audrey, you have to take the happiness when it comes after you." "Even if it is tasteless and vulgar." "Walk on." "Jonas." "Dudley told me what you did for him." "You must be careful of Mr Weston, sir." "I have known men like him." "He would destroy himself in order to destroy his enemies." "Where are you going, Jonas?" "South, Mr Dudley." "I seek a warmer climate." "What if we were to ask you to stay?" "Why didn't you tell Moray?" "I don't know." "You do know, Denise." "Because so many of the things you said are true, and I want to keep them." "Goodbye." "We have, all week been taking applications... for the post vacated by Miss Audrey." "Failure?" "Mistakes?" "Do you even believe me capable of filling Miss Audrey's shoes?" "Truth is, I cannot bear to have you chosen over me, again." "If you choose to cross swords with me, I will make you remember you married a soldier." "I will meet you head-on!" "You're both pawns in their game, that is not a safe thing to be." "Denise, there is someone who would like a word with you privately." "Miss Lovett."