"Previously on Reign..." " How did we die, Mother?" " She suffocated you." "Do to Claude what she did to us." "If you don't do it, then we will, and she will suffer." " Forgive me." " You're burning up." "The brand of the Three Dark Riders." "They wanted me to know that whenever they choose, they can lift up my shirt and demonize me." "Antoine." "Little brother." "Your reports have grown briefer." "And fewer." "Why is that?" "I know I agreed to marry Claude on behalf of France, but I've realized I can't." "I've fallen in love with a queen." "You blame me for what happened." "I believe that we should lead separate lives." "Hang them all here in the courtyard, so the others can see what fate has in store for those who would rise against us." "Go on, take it back now." "Yeah, how much longer?" "It's freezing." "Careful with that one." "I just can't stop thinking about your sister." "Kenna..." "I know she wasn't well, you were just taking her to her chamber." "I don't know why I keep dwelling on it." "Then don't." "It's just, Claude is so pretty and so adventurous." "She was in your arms..." "Kenna, please not now." "It's so silly of me to be so jealous." "She's your sister." "Half sister." "What?" "Just being accurate." "We have different mothers." "Let's not talk about our families." "An urgent matter, my lord." "Orders were to display the traitors for two weeks, then cut them down." "The good thing about this cold, there's barely..." "Get to the point." "Well, some of them, their clothes are torn." "You know how it is, my lord, the birds come and peck..." "I know." "So we saw it." "Checked every body, it's the same." "It's in the same place on each traitor who stormed the castle." "Looks like the mark of the Dark Riders." "Cardinal Perazzo." "Cardinal Vasari told us rumors of these Dark Riders, but he thought it a tale for the credulous." "What do you think happened?" "The dead men are all Protestant traitors." "They all bear a mark." "Must be some secret seal, a pledge amongst their brotherhood." "You make a great deal of sense, Your Eminence." "They must have made up this story of the Dark Riders to cover their tracks, should anyone spy the brand." "I'll send my Swiss Guard to discover these traitors among us and root them out." "Forgive me, Your Eminence, but this is a matter for the king's justice, and as I am the king's deputy," "I assure you I will handle it." "After I gather evidence." "My son, these men are religious extremists, answerable to the ecclesiastical courts." "You're telling me to step aside?" "Speak to your brother, the king." "You'll find he has no wish to challenge the Pope." "Excuse me." "Castle is freezing, and, as I suspected, your hearth's gone cold." "I'll only be a moment." "How long are you going to keep playing this game?" "I don't understand." "I told you that we would lead separate lives." "And yet, every day or two, you come here with something to keep me more comfortable." "You don't say anything, but I can feel you pressing me to talk." "You're wrong." "I don't expect you to talk to me or do anything you don't wish to do." "I was thinking, it might be good to get away from the castle for a while... away from the memories." "I haven't yet visited our château in Chambord." "Well, that sounds like a very good idea." "I'll come with you, to make sure you're safe." "I prefer to go alone." "Don't you see, Francis?" "If we go together, it will only give you hope." "Hope that things will return to the way they were." "I don't have hope." "I know that I'm a constant reminder of what happened." "Additional guards then, to accompany you." "I'll see to it." "Your Eminence, I've come to discuss the branded men." "The matter is in hand." "Public notices displaying the brand are mounted throughout the area." "My men are there to encourage neighbor to speak out against neighbor." "Yes, but, as it happens, I'm not convinced the bodies weren't marked after death." "Someone may be deliberately linking the brand with Protestants, using it to fan the flames of hate toward them." "Yes, come in." "Cardinal, forgive me." "But this noble lady has information concerning a traitor, a man she saw who bears the mark." "Go on, dear lady, unburden yourself." "I'm afraid I can only share this under the oath of confession." "As you know, the mark is hidden by clothing, so when I saw it," "I'm afraid I was sinning at the time." "I will hear your confession myself." "May we have the room?" "Are you sure that he's all right?" "The nannies say it's common at this age." "They just won't settle for days on end." "It goes away in time, all we can do is wait for it to pass." "Well, let the nannies relieve you at least." "Where are they?" "Perhaps it's foolish, but..." "Oh, I just don't feel comfortable leaving him with someone else." "Not since the attack on the castle." "Shh..." "Prince Condé has been accused of bearing the brand." "Who has accused him?" "I learned the news during confession;" "my source must remain secret." "My penitent is a married lady." "So Condé slept with that woman." "Convenient she's coming forward now, isn't it?" "Condé is a good patriot, who's helped the Crown." "I struggle to see him as dangerous." "I understand your reluctance, but the matter is easily settled." "My men will bring Prince Condé in, and we will see if he has the brand or not." "If he does, he'll hang." "To the carriage at once." "Your Grace, as the new Captain of the Royal Escort," "I am charged with providing your protection to Chambord." "Chambord can wait." "Besides you, the only other person who saw the brand was a woman named Josephine." "Whom you slept with?" "After you'd been branded?" "Yes." "Uh, why are you taking your spurs?" "My horse is..." "No, forget your horse." "You'll be arrested before you've gone half a mile." "You'll travel in my carriage..." "I will take you to Chambord." "Your home in Condé is the first place they'll look for you." "And if someone finds out we're traveling together," "Chambord will be the next place they look." "If only we could get you to your brother, the king of Navarre." "But the roads along the border will be crawling" " with Swiss guards." " My brother's not in Navarre." "There's an estate one day's ride south from here." "It belongs to a friend of Antoine's." "He winters there often." "If we can get you there, you can travel to Navarre under his protection." "Prince Condé." "By word of Cardinal Perazzo, we demand you open up." "Quick, to my carriage." "It's in the alley, out of sight." "My God, I've missed the way you mix garlic with arsenic." "Oh, you'll exhaust yourself flattering me." "Death made me lovesick." "It's cold there in the dark." "But you... you are downright toasty." "Yes." "Don't be stingy." "Claude's a healthy young woman." "It'll take a lot more to bring her down." "Slowly poisoning her protects me from getting caught." "Is that what this is really about, hmm?" "Not getting caught?" "She's our child." "So are the twins." "And since I'll be with them for eternity," "I take their wish for vengeance into account." "Claude was only five when she murdered the twins." "She didn't know right from wrong." "God must take these things into consideration." "I don't doubt Claude will go to Heaven." "And believe me, she'll get more mercy from God than the twins." "You've felt their power, haven't you, Catherine?" "Yes." "See, when they decide to take her, it won't be quick." "You'll wish you'd done it yourself, and sooner." "Ah, Kenna." "With death comes wisdom." "What did I ever see in her?" "Well, it was her ass." "You mentioned it many times." "Are you talking to me?" "Why would I talk to you?" "You just said something about my ass." "Not everything is about your ass, Kenna." "Move it out of the way." "Oh, dear." "Oh, no." "This soup will make you feel better." "Poison?" "You weren't there, that soup just didn't smell right." "Besides, why is Catherine bringing all of Claude's meals herself?" "And she wiped the blood away from Claude's nose before the girl could even see it." "People do get bloody noses." "Yes, just like that Neapolitan count's men, whom Catherine also poisoned." "Catherine has been acting odd lately." "But killing her own child?" "She lives for her children, no matter how she argues with them." "If you think Claude's in danger, do what I do." "Challenge Catherine to a duel?" "Gather evidence." "Test your theory." "Mary, Queen of France and Scotland." "Prince Louis of Condé and Lady Castleroy." "Brother, what a delightful surprise." "Now, Queen Mary, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." "Louis speaks very highly of you." "King Antoine, I apologize for us dropping in on you unannounced." "Nonsense." "You were just announced." "In fact, as you can see, we're planning a gathering here tonight." "You'll grant us the privilege of being our guest of honor?" "Uh, we wouldn't want to delay the queen, Antoine." "I was planning on continuing my journey." "Well, not without a rest for your horses, surely?" "And somewhere to sleep?" "Oh, come, how often do the queen of France and the king of Navarre get to meet?" "Grace us with your friendship." "Allow our two nations to share more than just a border." "Of course." "I would be honored." "Wonderful." "We'll ready you a chamber at once." "Louis?" "Let's get you settled in, shall we?" "You were supposed to be getting close to Francis." "My eyes and ears." "Yet you're here, absconding with his wife." "How do you think he'll respond to that?" "I didn't have a choice." "What could possibly have prevented you from...?" "They weren't able to arrest Condé." "He'd already got word and fled." "I heard." "I questioned one of Condé's servants." "And finally got him to understand we were friends of his master." "He said that Condé escaped in Mary's carriage." "Mary got him away?" "So she just swooped in and grabbed him under the Vatican's nose." "I wonder where she's taking him." "She has the heart of a warrior." "Yes, despite everything that's happened." "You know." "Kenna was troubled and needed to talk." "Is Mary all right?" "I've been worried." "I don't know." "It's my fault." "Every choice I made led to what happened." "They were Narcisse's choices." "But now that he is out of the picture, it's still Mary that's doing what must be done." "It's time that I worked with her." "She's fighting the cardinal's witch hunt." "And I must, too." "You can't go to war against the Vatican," "Francis, you know that." "There must be some way to at least loosen their grip." "When Mary returns, I don't want her to see me cowed and powerless, pretending that I am blind to injustice." "I want her to see the man and the king she thought she married." "Cardinal Perazzo claims the brand is the infallible sign of a Protestant traitor." "But I wonder how he'd explain it if a loyal Catholic were branded." "I sent a page to your quarters." "He said you weren't receiving messages." "I was preparing for the party." "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." "You shouldn't stay just to be polite." "My brother's parties have a tendency to become somewhat scandalous." "Well, now I'm intrigued." "This is awkward." "Yes, it is." "Thank you all for coming." "A toast to our guest of honor." "Queen Mary, you're radiant." "Like Venus rising from the foam-flecked sea." "And tonight..." "I will select one nobleman and one lady." "Now, they may be married, but not to each other." "It is to your benefit to wear your hearts on your sleeves tonight because my game, as always, will be to pair those who share a secret desire for each other." "For my first couple," "I call upon Lord Lepine... and Lady Malbouef." "I'm beginning to see why your brother's wife prefers to remain in Navarre." "Good heavens." "What if the king chooses me to be paired with someone?" "We should leave." "Yes, uh, one of us should leave." "The married one." "Good night, then." "I think I may retire to my chambers." "My curiosity has been satisfied." "And I don't think this is an appropriate party for me to attend without my husband." "Where are you off to, brother?" "Why don't I have a normal family?" "Well, because you're a prince of the blood and the brother of a king." "You're not charming me tonight." "Well, then may I apologize?" "I was wrong earlier." "Bringing Mary here was a brilliant idea." "Navarre is like you at French court, a... a small Protestant presence, surrounded by powerful Catholics." "And Spain on one side of us, France on the other." "To survive, we must know every step our friendly neighbors are taking." "I already know why you need me to spy." "Forget Francis." "He's a Catholic hardliner." "There's enough blood spilled to make that clear." "We'll never win him over." "But Mary, you say, is open." "A sympathizer." "Mary is the royal you should be" " getting close to." " Are you asking me to seduce the queen of France?" "She has influence over her husband." "No." "Oh, come now." "She saved you at her own risk." "She clearly likes you." "Now, take her to your bed." "They all fall in love with you after that." "And once she falls, the rest will follow." "Mary has no romantic feelings for me." " You never changed a woman's mind before?" " It's not possible." "This is not even close to the right time." "And why is that?" "Look." "I'm just not interested in her." "To be honest, she's a bit prudish for my tastes." "I heard you were ill, so I put together some of the finest cheeses and croissants to help you feel better." "Perhaps I might read to you as well." "Have you heard of this fellow Chaucer?" "This is a barbarous country." "I hope our next assignment's in Italy." "If that's a hint, put it out of your mind." "We go where the Pope sends us." "Perhaps one day... when you've climbed so high that no one will bring you down." "No one climbs that high." "Prince Condé is the most prominent" "Protestant in France." "If you can bring him in, discredit him, the Pope will show you favor." "Who knows where that could lead?" "There's only one rung above cardinal." "Your dreams do reach high." "I'll be sure I'm not seen." "For my next selection, the lovely" "Lady Atley... and the Prince of Condé." "Another of your games?" "Well, you told me you that weren't interested in Mary." "Not that you'd given up living." "Or is it that only one woman could satisfy?" "I hope this isn't unwelcome to you." "You seem more surprised than pleased." "I was surprised the king paired us." "I didn't know he was aware of my attraction to you." "Oh." "You're very polite, but I..." "That gathering downstairs is awful." "King Antoine has a lot of nerve, inviting a woman like you..." "It's not the party." "It's not anything here or at home." "It's me." "Everything feels so distant." "And I cling to that distance, Greer." "I can't stand any man trying to touch me." "Even a courteous touch of the hand." "It's normal." "After what happened." "It will pass." "Will it?" "How do we know what's normal?" "All I have to go on is Catherine." "If there are any other noblewomen who have been..." "Well, they're keeping it to themselves." "As am I." "All of us alone." "What if this is what my life is going to be like from now on?" "That's not true." "You will recover fully." "Because you're strong." "I don't feel strong." "I feel like I'm sleepwalking and I don't know how to wake up." "If your heart wants to sleep, let it." "Many things can be forced out of duty." "But not the heart." "I can't do this." "Well, your body tells a different story." "You're beautiful, Lady Atley." "But... another holds my heart." "I can't get her out of my mind." "You love her, but you can't have her, can you?" "Well, that's when a man becomes truly obsessed." "What a pity." "A man like you should not go unclaimed." "What are you doing?" "Now I'm her." "I've watched you for so long." "Never daring to speak." "I want everything you want, everything you imagined." "Oh... you again." "Well, you seem more talkative." "You look better, too." "No new meals from your mother?" "Not since a clumsy visitor knocked over the last two." "Sorry about that." "I'm all thumbs." "Try the brie." "It's delicious." "Why am I your patient?" "Are you a healer?" "No." "Did I ask for your help?" "No." "My mother's taking perfectly good care of me." "You are so foolish!" "Catherine is poisoning you, and I'm trying to save your life!" "What?" "How dare you suggest..." "Think about it." "Catherine's soup... when did you first eat it?" "When did you first start feeling ill?" "And how have you felt since I took it away from you?" "You feel better, don't you?" "Or, at least good enough to act the horrid bitch and only after you've eaten the safe food that I've brought you." "Get out of here." "Has Catherine ever been this solicitous of you before?" "Get out." "I can't imagine how it must feel." "For your own mother to want you dead." "I'm so sorry, Claude, I truly am." "What do you know?" "You're only a tart my father lost his taste for and pawned off on his bastard son!" "I'm so sorry." "You think you're so clever!" "You think you know me so well!" "Well, if you knew anything, you'd know that Bash and I were lovers." "What is the meaning of this?" "I was told my cleric Randall was arrested." "A servant informed on him." "He was seen placing a bandage over the mark of his guilt." "He's one of them." "A radical." "I was branded against my will!" "I was attacked!" "Who attacked you?" "I don't know." "Uh... he wore a hooded cloak." "You see?" "All he has are fairy stories of Dark Riders." "You won't deceive the cardinal with that." "This is my cleric, a man I've known for years." "His loyalty is indisputable!" "No one's loyalty is that, I'm afraid." "Take him to the dungeon, let the torturers do their work." "Your..." "Your Majesty, this is an ecclesiastical matter." "I'll have the man questioned myself." "No, I insist." "I want to show the Pope that no nation is more loyal to him" " than France." " Listen, please... please!" "I wounded my attacker!" "Search the castle for someone with a cut on his right arm!" "I know this must be a blow." "Your trusted cleric." "But you yourself laid out the logic of what the brand means, and we must accept the truth, however hard." "Unless you've changed your mind about your theory." "But you were adamant earlier." "I will pray for Randall's soul." "Excuse me." " Is he really going to let us go through with this?" " There's still time." "Right now, he's in shock, but let him live with the picture of what will happen to Randall." " He'll back down." " And if he doesn't?" "I know that he and Randall are lovers;" "it's the worst kept secret in France." "But that doesn't guarantee he actually cares." "I believe he does care for him." "I hope you're right." "Otherwise, we'll have to execute an innocent man." "I came to say good-bye." "After tonight, I'm sure you don't wish to linger." "Thank you for helping me." "I was glad to do it." "Will you really go back to French court" " when you leave Chambord?" " Where else would I go?" "Have you considered Scotland?" "You might be safer there than France." "There is unrest in both countries." "But here you have a husband whose decisions endanger you." "I'm sorry, but it's true." "If it is true or not, it is for me to deal with." "There are things you don't know about my marriage, things I will not share with you." "I admire your loyalty, but..." "You have no idea what Francis' intentions are, or how he's suffering because of what happened." "But beyond that," "I don't trust your motives in this advice." "I read your letter." " Oh, you never said..." " Because I know that you tried to get that letter back." "One of the servants you sent to retrieve it told me so." "You wished that letter had never been sent, and I respected your wishes." "I wrote that letter thinking I'd never see you again." "That was not an attempt at seduction." "I know." "None of us are responsible for our hearts, only our actions." "I'm not accusing you of anything." "There isn't much to say, is there?" "I suppose honesty does that." "Good-bye, then." "If we meet again, it'll be at a distance, at some court gathering somewhere." "Good-bye, Prince Condé." "May you have better fortune than France has offered you thus far." "Where have you been?" "I've been waiting and waiting." "What have I missed?" "Well, for one, your sister Claude told me that you were lovers." "Half sister, and it was years ago." "We were very young, very drunk, and Claude managed to briefly convince me that Henry wasn't her father." "Well, now I understand your insistence on the word "half."" "It was a mistake." "A very brief mistake." "And once I learned she was lying, it never happened again." "I was mortified." "There is nothing between Claude and me, and what little there was... it's long in the past." "I feel like such a fool." "I tried to be her friend." "When she was cold to me," "I thought it was because of my past with Henry." "But no, it was your past." "Your secret." "What happened?" "Are you all right?" "It's nothing." "I was riding and I fell." "It's just a scrape." "That's not a scrape." "That's a cut from a blade." "You're lying to me." "Yes, I am, Kenna." "Now, please stop questioning me, because I can't answer." "Claude is "nothing."" "Your wound is "nothing."" "If they were nothing, you would talk to me." "I've shared so many things with you... how trapped I felt with your father, how scared, how ashamed..." "You want honesty?" "Very well." "I got this cut while framing an innocent man who's probably going to die." "And I did this for what they call "the greater good."" "I kill when it's expedient." "I lie when it's expedient." "That's who I am." "I gave him the last rites." "Please." "I can't explain Randall's brand, but I know he's a good and loyal soul." "Perhaps you could speak to your brother." "Ask him for mercy." "You convinced my brother the brand is a mark of a secret league of radical traitors." "Perhaps you could convince him that you were wrong about all of this." "If you want to spare Randall, try." "There must be another way..." "Representatives from the Vatican have arrived!" "Call your master." "Tell him we've come for Prince Condé." "It seems Antoine's been throwing so much money around for these parties of his that the inquisitors heard he was here." "He's stalling them downstairs." "But if you don't appear soon, they'll force their way up." "My brother doesn't have enough soldiers here to stop them." "I'll surrender." "They'll hang you." "It's the only way to keep everyone here safe." "No." "There's another way." "Give me your sword." "The brand is what brought them here." "We'll have to get rid of it." "Burn if off?" "They won't be fooled." "They'll know what we did" " or at least suspect it." " They will." "But all we need is enough doubt to prevent a hanging." "With that, and with my support, we may convince them to arrest you and take you back to court, where Francis can help." "Ordinarily, I wouldn't tell you this, knowing your feelings." "But as I may be dead shortly..." "You have a higher opinion of the king than I do." "He's hand-in-glove with the Vatican." "Louis, please believe me." "Francis will help when help is needed." "Very well." "I'll do it." "You've done this before?" "No, but I saw cauterizations done during my recovery, after the war." "His quarters are this way." "Do it now." "In the name of the Holy Cross, open up!" "Hold on to me." "Aah!" " I have you." " In the name of the Holy Cross, open the door!" "It's all right." "You're all right." "Open the door in the name of the Pope!" "Open the door!" "You removed the brand." "That must have caused you a great deal of unnecessary pain, since you'll die regardless." "Lord Condé had a wound that needed cauterizing." "The result of a drunken sparring accident with my guard, Leith." " Isn't that right, Leith?" " It is." "At the risk of offending, Your Grace, I'm here to see that Cardinal Perazzo's orders are carried out." "Then we'll face Cardinal Perazzo together." "We'll all go back to French court to ensure that proper justice is served." "Will Condé be all right?" "I don't know." "But I will keep fighting for him." "Because I am strong, Greer." "Burning off the brand," "I had to touch someone else." "To connect." "And I was able to help." "I don't want to go to Chambord." "You said you wanted time alone." "No." "Enough distance." "I've been so deep in a well of my own pain," "I couldn't see anything else." "I forgot I'm not the only one who's hurt." "Francis is suffering as well." "Are you rethinking your decision then?" "To lead separate lives with separate rooms?" "I don't know." "Oh, Mary." "What we had once had, it was so natural." "I missed how easy it was." "We'd make love and fall asleep in each other's arms." "Like branches growing together." "We didn't have to think about anything." "And now it's so complicated." "I don't know if I'm ready." "Are you ready to try?" "My cleric was attacked!" "His arrest prearranged." "Leave us." "Your brother is behind it... without your knowledge hopefully." "Because a king that makes an enemy of the Vatican will be crushed." "My brother is behind it." "With my knowledge." "And you will not crush me." "The Vatican's brutality is tearing my country apart." "It must end." "I'd hoped the son of Henry would be wiser." "Look around you!" "Once we had a golden age, where all looked to Rome for leadership." "Now it's a bloodbath, brother against brother." "I'm trying to restore order." "By spilling even more blood." "We would've propped up your rule!" "Our enemies are your enemies." "You fool, do you really believe" "Prince Condé is your friend?" "All you had to do was stand back and let me collect him." "That's what all this branding really was, wasn't it?" "Your collection of enemies to be marked and removed." "And Condé was the biggest fish in your net." "It ends." "You will take your men and your myth of the Dark Riders and you will leave France." "Or your lover will die." "You will release my cleric and beg for my forgiveness, or the Vatican will destroy you!" "Why, it all depends on what we really care about, doesn't it?" "You can crush me, but Randall will die." "You can make France suffer, but Randall will still die." "And you love him." "He's not worth the price." "No?" "I understand love, Cardinal." "To see it, you need only the smallest of clues." "Before I chose Randall as our target," "I had to be sure that you couldn't bear to sacrifice him." "So I had the servants in your quarters questioned." "Not about sex but about how you two live." "And found no letters, heard no declarations..." "It's cold here... in Northern France, isn't it?" "A bitter winter." "You brought a silver warming tray with you for your bed... monogrammed, the servants tell me." "But they were surprised when they found it not in your bed but in Randall's." "And when they wake you in the morning, they say you are pale and shivering." "Because you give what little warmth you can to him... don't you?" "That's love, Cardinal." "When you care more about someone else's suffering than your own." "You'll have the victory." "Release him, and we will leave you to your fate." "Thank you." "Congratulations." "You've used your knowledge of the heart's noblest emotion to manipulate and destroy someone." "I see I'm not the only one that's had a long night." "He's miserable." "Nothing works." "All he needed was his father's arms." "Or the poor thing finally exhausted himself." "Well, I like my story better." "I want to put him down, but I don't want to wake him." "Your Eminence?" "What's happening?" "Condé." "Welcome back to court." " Bash, what's happening?" " Ask Francis." "You'll be proud of him when you hear what he did." "You see?" "You were working in tandem, and you didn't even know it." "Come." "So... did you enjoy yourself at King Antoine's gathering?" "Which did you choose, was it the sea bed or the Garden of Secret Desires?" "You're jealous?" "Of course not." "Then don't ask." "I'll respect your choice to wait for Castleroy's return." "But you must put your jealousy aside out of respect for me." "I said I wasn't..." "Because your jealousy... it only gives me hope." "What are you doing?" "Where'd you hide it, Mother?" "What are you talking about?" "Is this the poison you've been using?" "This is what you've been putting in my soup, isn't it?" " Give it to me." " I knew you hated me." "But poison?" "Why?" "You murdered your sisters." "What?" "Emone and Henriette." "Yes." "You resented their very existence." "All the time that was taken away from you, the loss of my constant attention." "Do you know that you used to pinch them when you thought no one was looking?" " You would hurt them." " I..." "I remember wanting your attention." " But I would never..." " You would." "And you did." "You know, one day, the twins, they ripped silk flowers off of your favorite dress." "You know what you did in retaliation?" "You shoved those flowers down their throats!" "I recall that dress." "The flowers torn." "But I wouldn't kill my own sisters." "You may not remember, but I do." "Oh, seeing the look on your face when you heard of their deaths." "Oh, how shocked you seemed!" "Oh, the tears that poured and the love that you espoused for them." "Is it not possible that I was weeping because I had lost my sisters?" "Because I was sad?" "Because I didn't do it?" "I wish that were true." "I told you that I protected you, that I cared for you, and I did." "And that is why I lied for you." "And so convincingly that you've come to believe it to be true." "I suppose there are other monsters in the world." "Their mothers have to lie for them, too." "Oh, there's no other choice, I suppose." "But now you try to kill me?" "After all these years?" "I tried everything else." "I don't understand." "Tried what?" "There's a price to pay for such things." "Is this the price?" "My death?" "Say it, Mother!" "Do you want me to die?" "Claude, please..." "If I'm the murderer you think I am, then I deserve to die." "Don't!" "It's all right." "You were only five years old." "You didn't know what you were doing." "You didn't know." "Do not betray your other children." "She didn't know." "It's all right."