"I'll introduce you and you'll take him upstairs." "You'll fetch Annabelle and take her to the room." "Do you understand?" "For the next half hour." "You will return unseen to the dormitory." "Using the same discretion." "You will return to fetch Annabelle." "She will be waiting for you in the room." "Manon?" "Half an hour." "Hortense!" "You will return this evening with the title deeds for the Paradis in my name." "And you will disappear from my life." "Wait." "Hortense." "You're hurting me." "Are you angry with me over this?" "Is that it?" "I am a fighter." "Hortense." "Not a bastard." "When I act." "It is to defend myself or you." "You sick bastard!" "A bastard takes pleasure in hurting people." "Do you think I take pleasure in doing what I do?" "Yes." "You take pleasure in being the man that you are." "You wouldn't want to be anyone else." "One." "Two." "Three..." "One." "Two." "Three..." "You're always too slow." "Mr Blondin is here." "What?" "Edmond." "That was more like a well than a rock." " It was like this." " Well." "Be clearer." "One." "Two." "Three..." "You were late." " One." "Two." "Three..." " You lose." " You lose!" " No." "Look." "It won't go in." "Come on." "Annabelle." "Floriane." "You never had the courage to tell me what happened." "You tried to buy young Rose off her." "Didn't you?" "And she refused." "Didn't she?" "Did she threaten to denounce you?" "Is that it?" "You bastard." "That's why you killed her." "Isn't it?" "So you want to fight Gaudissart?" "Is that it?" "He'll kill you." "Hortense!" " Let go of me." " I won't let you do that." "We're going to proceed with this calmly." "Gaudissart will have his way with the child." "All she'll have to do is walk around the room naked." "Do we have an agreement?" " Do we have an agreement?" " Bastard." " Do we have an agreement?" " We have an agreement." "Until this evening." "Hello." "Rose." "Did you manage to go to the law courts?" "On the day your mother died." "Mathurin was proved to be with his regiment." "He was acquitted." "But that's not the most important thing." "The prosecution brought forward a surprise witness." "A woman who was with your mother." "Floriane." "On the day of her death." "Do you know the name of that witness?" "You don't put onions in beef bourguignon." "If Valentine tells you to put caviar in the cabbage soup." "Will you do that too?" "Do you know what you're going to do?" "You're going to make a nice beef bourguignon the way you've always made it here." "What's wrong?" "Mathurin was tried because of you." "Get out." "Hortense!" "Are you sure your brother's coming back tonight?" "Yes." "I'm sure." "Where do things stand with Lupin?" "We haven't agreed a price." "But he still wants to buy it." "Agree to his price." "Agree to his price!" "And in exchange." "Ask him to do you a favour." "Without which the sale will not be possible." "What favour?" "So it was your doing?" " What difference does it make?" " If you don't tell me." "I'll kill you." "You'll kill me?" "You'll kill me..." "Madame..." "It's about Marguerite." "The situation is getting awkward." " The clients..." " Not now!" " I did as you asked but Angèle..." " I just said not now!" "We will be out all day." " Very well." "Madame." " It's time I got rid of her." "Fourteen years ago... of all the girls here." "There was one Gaillac wanted to meet." "Your mother was a real pest." "She gave Hortense so much grief." "I agreed without asking questions and I arranged the meeting." "It wasn't the girl he was interested in." "It was her daughter." "Not for himself." "For Gaudissart." "Once I found out." "I went to see him... to warn him... that if he ever came near a girl who had a child again." "I'd tell Hortense." "Floriane told me she knew what she was doing." "That she needed the money to get the hell out of here." "It was the price of her freedom." "I don't remember anything!" "You were only six." "She must have told you it was a bad dream." "You would have ended up believing her." "You were so young." "I tried." "Rose." "But I couldn't dissuade her." "Oh." "My God!" "So Hortense killed her because she wanted to leave?" "Hortense had no idea what was going on." "All right." "Sis?" "What's that get-up?" "Did you strip Marguerite bare?" "Have you been promoted?" "What do you want." "Camélia?" "To talk to Hortense or Marguerite." " You know there's no room for you here." " Look at me." "If you had a cock between your legs." "You'd have come in your pants by now." "So." "Will you talk to Hortense?" "But I might have something for you." "Hortense?" "Hortense!" "It's happening again." "With Gaudissart and Manon's little girl." "Valentine?" "Where is Hortense?" " She's gone out with Véra for the day." " Where?" "Answer me!" "I don't know." "Marguerite." "I swear." "By this evening?" "Why?" "Gaillac is going abroad again tomorrow." "We don't know when he'll be back." "A job like this takes a bit of planning." "Owning a brothel in the heart of Paris is the chance of a lifetime." "Seeing all the nobs in Paris stripped of their finery will be most gratifying." "I can assure you." "I don't want to end up like your brother." "I like my world." "All you'd need to do is count the money every morning." "But I'd need a trustworthy madam." "I've already told you that's impossible." "What you're asking of me is impossible too." "800." " We said 600." " Well." "Now it's 800." " Minus 300 for your brother's blood." " Put whatever price you like." "But if you want to keep me." "It will cost you 800.000." "700." "Go wherever you like but stay away from the Paradis until midnight." "It will all be over by then." "We'll be able to bathe in champagne." "You haven't got another brother." "Have you?" "With Hortense absent." "I shouldn't let you in." "So keep it brief." "What's going on?" "Are you all right?" "I'll be better once you've heard what I'm about to tell you." " Brise." " Have you got news of him?" "You need to stop writing and knocking on doors." "Seeing you shaking your tresses about gets the coppers excited." "They think it will make Brise resurface." "Brise is with me now." "I've stopped using." "I've gone straight and so has he." "All we want is a bit of calm so we can start again from scratch." "I wish I could tell you otherwise." "Angèle." "I know this is hard for you." "But you need to start behaving." "I don't believe you." "I don't need you to believe me." "Just to do as I ask." "Forget him." "Brise and I are expecting a child." "We need to protect the child too." "You know." " Stopped using." "Have you?" " That's old!" " Did Hortense send you?" " What do you mean?" "Brise would never have it off with a tramp like you." "What's wrong?" "You've been giving me dirty looks all day." "You need to stop dreaming." "Your dreams will turn into nightmares for your kid." "Has Hortense paid you to get me to give it up too?" "Are you keeping it for yourself or out of spite for Hortense?" "See the pregnancy through." "Then." "But don't get attached and give it up." "Angèle." "What are you doing?" "Almost." "Trust me." "You need to rest." "I need some love." "Lots of it." "Here we go." "Good evening." "Why not pick me?" "You can do what you like to me." "Hit me even." " That's enough." "Angèle." " As hard as you like." "Go away!" "Monsieur." "I didn't know you were here." "I'll go and wait in the smoking room." "Let me know when Monsieur Gaudissart arrives." "Very well." "Monsieur." "I've been going crazy all day." "After what happened yesterday." "I thought you'd never come back." "Rose." "This is not a good time." "Pierre." "It's been torture since yesterday." "I'm so scared of losing you." "It's all right." "I'm here." "I couldn't sleep last night." "I was having terrible thoughts." "I thought you'd used me to..." "Your friend is here." "Offer him a drink and I'll come and join him." "Do you love me?" "Yes." "I love you." "Do you want me?" "Come on." "Not too disappointed?" "You negotiated brilliantly." "It's the price of our freedom." "I don't think I ever really believed in it." "You amaze me." "Never?" "My Baron?" "It wouldn't have worked out anyway." "He would have ended up hating me." "He would have tried to take everything back." "But you could have got your daughter back." "Another disaster waiting to happen." "Do you remember?" ""In there."" "I decided to believe you that day." "And I held out." "With Blondin." "And plenty of others." "What about you now?" "Do you still believe it?" "I never meant to hurt you." "Rose." "What about my mother?" "It was a mistake." " My mother... a mistake." " A crime." " Selling children." " A crime." " A mistake." " A crime." "Rose." "Tell me." "Pierre." "These past few weeks." "Did you think about what your friend did to me when you were fucking me?" "Gaudissart promised not to touch you." "He just wanted to be with you." "Once I found out." "I put a stop to it." "I only found out yesterday who you were." "I'll know when you're telling me the truth." "Don't worry." " Gaillac's not coming any more." " Pardon?" "It's been cancelled." "Whatever he says." "Do nothing." "Let Annabelle sleep peacefully." "Marguerite is with me on this." "Thank you." "Lucia." "The action is back there." "Get to work." "Yes." "Madame." "Excuse me." "You're Manon." "Aren't you?" "No." "I'm Lucia." "What do you want?" "You know I want my freedom." "I promised to help you." "That's just it." "I don't believe you." "I promised you." "Rose." ""I. The undersigned." "Pierre Gaillac." ""Have made a private arrangement to hand over" ""to Mademoiselle Rosalie Louise Suzanne Tranier" ""the title deeds for the property" ""located in Paris at 56 Rue des Mathurins." ""This letter is written entirely by my hand" ""and in full possession of all my mental faculties."" "My mother was worth a building." "Wasn't she?" "So you want to be a brothel madam?" "Get writing." "I want you to stop working." "Are you going to pay me to be a lady of leisure." "In full view of the other girls?" "I've told you." "One day I won't be there any more." "Stop it." "I don't mind aging a bit more." "But I don't ever want to be an old woman." "Do you understand?" "You'll never be old to me." "That's not going to be enough." "We've just arranged the murder of your bastard brother." "We should be celebrating rather than drowning our sorrows." "It's fine." "You know..." "I am fully aware that if it is ever proved that you wrote this under duress." "I will lose everything." "Do you promise not to instigate proceedings against me?" "I promise." "Rose." "No." "Rose..." "Rose." "No." "Rose." "Put that down." "Put it down." "Put it down." "Stop it." "Stop it!" "My love." "My sweet." "Put it down." "Put it down..." "I'm begging you." "Put it down." "Put it down." "My love!" "I don't want to die." "Imagine if we get caught." "It will be the trial of the century." "I can just see us." "Heads held high." "Impassive looks." "In the biggest courtroom at the law courts." "The press will have to find a name for us." "Splendid!" "Two cold-blooded vengeful whores." "It would make good copy." "Sorry." "Go to sleep now." "So your mother was a prostitute too?" "What your mother did." "Giving birth like that... while working as a prostitute." "Would you do that?" "You know what you're doing." "Brise won't be coming back." "You know that as well as I do." "He might want to protect me." "Or else he might be with someone else." "I don't want to leave." "I don't want to die." "I'm so scared." "I must get back." "Rose." "You can't just disappear upstairs." "Despite what's happening to Angèle." " Hear me?" " Yes." "Valentine." "You've put me in an impossible position." " Do you want me to fine you?" " There won't be any more fines." "Ladies and gentlemen." "Gentlemen." "As the new proprietress." "I bid you welcome." "I have here the title deeds in my name." "I am the new madam." "You will always be welcome here." "Those of you who know how to treat a woman." "That is." "The rest of you." "The nutcases." "The sadists and perverts." "Are invited to clear off." "Blondin!" "Didn't you hear me?" "I see that having a limp dick makes you deaf too." "A limp dick!" "Don't be ridiculous." "Where is Madame Gaillac?" "Here." "Where is he?" "Hortense." "I know everything." "My mother." "The child trafficking." "And me in the middle of all that." "But if you kill him." "I'll inherit this place." "She's right." "Kill Gaillac and your document won't be a title deed but a motive for murder." " It will be worse than useless to you." " Then we'll have it out in court." "I told you." "I will stop at nothing." "So you want your freedom?" "I can wipe out your debt today." "What freedom?" "I am too much a part of this world now." "I want to turn this brothel into a model establishment." "I will start from scratch." "Only those who want to will stay." " And on a contractual basis." " You might as well shut now." "Then." "As you wish." "It's not that simple." "Rose." "Really?" " Where is your brother?" " Haven't your men got him?" "No." "Where is he?" "He came here five hours ago." "That can't be right." "I was told he left ages ago." "Your men must have missed him." "Is that right?" " His address?" " No." "It's too risky." "You were seen coming in and your men have been prowling around for hours." "Watch out." "Hortense." "You're not going back on our agreement." "Are you?" "No." "So the sale is still on?" "Of course." "Very well." "You're on." "Rest assured." "I won't decide anything without consulting you." "And I propose that Véra be made a partner." "For her commitment to the Paradis and for losing the Baron." "Because without her." "We might as well kill one another now." "What about my brother?" "Hortense..."