Episode 28
Episode 28: Thanksgiving, 1875
Scene 1: Libbie and Philip's house, early morning. Christopher, with disheveled hair and his robe still on, is walking down the hall. A lullaby can be heard.
Christopher follows the sweet music, a whimsical expression on his face. He softly opens a door to find Lydia, hair down with only her night gown on, rocking her five-month-old nephew, Bobby, in a rocking chair before a low fire. He watches her for a short time until she looks up and serenely smiles at him. Christopher soon joins her, kneeling at her feet. Lydia continues singing as Christopher holds her hand while stroking his nephews cheek. Philip appears at the door, but remains silent and unnoticed as he watches the young couple together with his youngest son.
Cut to: Joe and Olivia's house, a short time later. Joe is fast asleep in his bed, lying on his stomach with his arm around his son. Joey is wide awake, lying down but smiling at his father's sleeping face.
Joe slowly opens his eyes, frowning when he sees his son in place of his wife. Joey breaks into a chorus of giggles, and Joe attacks and tickles him before pinning him to the bed.
Joe: Where's your mama?
Joey: I dunno.
Joe: Did you come in here all by yourself?
Joey: Nods. Mm-hmm. Mama wasn't here.
Joe grabs his son again and wraps him tightly in the blankets, making him unable to move. Joey struggles but is unable to escape.
Joe: You wait here. I'll find your mama.
Joe leaves the room and hears a coughing noise when he enters the hall. He follows the noise till he finds Olivia, in the bath room, retching into the toilet. She finishes, then sits on the floor and wipes her mouth with a cloth. Joe sits on a chair beside her.
Joe: How long have you been in here?
Olivia: About ten minutes. I feel just awful! It was never this bad with Joey.
Joe: Maybe you are sick, as well.
Olivia: Shakes her head. I don't think so.
She returns to the toilet for a short time and Joe cringes but stays in the chair.
Joe: Maybe we should stay home.
Olivia: No, of course not. It is Thanksgiving and they need me to be excited about it. If I'm really ill I can stay there.
Joe: Whatever you say. Will you be all right just now?
Olivia: I think my supper is completely gone, yes.
Joe: I must liberate our son.
Cut to: Tess and Nick's house at the same time. Stuart is just waking up, but stays in her bed.
She sits up slowly, but soon slaps her hand over her mouth, nearly falls from the bed, and runs to the chamber pot, banging her hand on the wall as she reaches it. On the other side of the wall, the noise has woken Tess. She sits up, careful not to wake Nick, and listens at the wall and hears what sounds like vomitting. Just as the noise ceases, Nick rolls over and opens his eyes.
Nick: What was that noise?
Tess: Startles. Noise?
Nick: Mmm.
Tess: You must have been dreaming, Nick.
Scene 2: The library at Belleterre, mid-morning. Freddie and Sally have just entered the library and sat down in two closely-situated chairs by the fire.
Sally: His Grace mentioned that your father sent you on a Tour.
Freddie: He did. I suppose I enjoyed myself, but not as much as I could have. I found myself wishing you could be there with me, or I at home with you. You would have loved all of those lovely old places. Rome, Venice, Vienna. I did France last to avoid the war. I was miserable there without you.
Sally: I was miserable without you, especially when Ricky...
Freddie: I would have been there had I known.
Sally: How did you know?
Freddie: Uncle Charlie wrote me when I returned. You had left by then, of course.
Sally: Freddie, I—
The door opens and Richard enters with Belinda close behind. Freddie and Sally dart to their feet and Richard and Belinda eye them suspiciously. Richard soon begins to chuckle.
Richard: Who's your lady friend, Freddie?
Freddie: Nervous.We were acquainted in England, so I was surprised to find her working here as the girls' tutor.
Richard: Perhaps you would like to introduce us?
Freddie: Looks sideways to Sally, who nods her approval. You may remember her, Father. Sally Mason, my father, Richard Marshall.
Sally: Shakes his hand. We have never met, Lord Richard, but Freddie spoke of you.
Richard: Obviously not. I would remember meeting a lady as lovely as you.
Sally glances at Freddie, who shrugs his shoulders. Belinda steps forward to greet Sally, a devilish smirk on her thin lips.
Belinda: I, too, have not had the pleasure of meeting you, Sally, but I do remember when you and Freddie were "acquainted," as he put it. Though, I was but thirteen or fourteen years old at the time. Her voice takes on a sarcastic tone. I would be positively delighted to get to know you better.
Another guest interupts the rising tension between Belinda, Sally, and Freddie, but a new tension is soon formed. John Henry and Charles enter with Phil. They are jovial at first, but their mood is soured by Charles' and Belinda's presence.
Richard: The golden son, the honored heir and cherished royal friend, and the perennial tag-along.
Charles: Have you ever greeted someone with pleasantness and dignity, Richard? It sickens me to say, but I believe I enjoyed your presence more when you were a drunk.
Richard: Have you ever spoken to someone without sounding pompous and arrogant.
Charles: One could say the same about you, brother. You're treading on thin ice. As you so lovingly put it, I am a cherished royal friend. I almost disinherited you when you were a drunken bastard, and I'm considering doing the same now. Your reasons for showing up here were far from innocent.
Richard: I wanted my children to know their family.
Charles: You were tired of being ignored and left out. You have always done outlandish things when you felt ignored.
Richard: Perhaps if Mother and Father were as fond of me as they were of you and John Henry I would not have ever felt ignored.
Charles: You always did things to alienate yourself from us. You also wanted to control things, but never could until you were on your own. You started a family of your own and, I must admit, did the honorable thing by supporting your children and their mothers till they married. Now, though, you control even those who are grown adults. Case in point, Freddie.
Richard: You're speaking of the little hussy who got herself pregnant? I did what was best for him. She meant nothing. Hopefully she and the baby died in childbirth.
Sally: Chokes up a little. Excuse me. I have to... I should just go.
She hurries from the room. Charles looks to Freddie, who is standing behind Richard. Freddie mouths the words, "He doesn't remember her."
Freddie: I don't know how you could say such a thing, Father. It disgusts me. It took me a long time to forgive you for not letting me know she was pregnant.
Richard: Then you would have married the strumpet.
Freddie: I was going to regardless. It was not your decision to make.
Richard: You didn't need a greedy little wench and a bastard child to contend with.
Freddie: Like you did three times over? If you felt that strongly, Father, why didn't you stop with me.
Richard: From what I'm hearing, it sounds like you're taking their side of mine.
Freddie: I am.
Scene 3: The front foyer at Belleterre, mid-day. Lazarus and Danielle have just let themselves in.
Danielle: I will go to find Elizabeth.
Lazarus: I think I'll go in search of that little witch I told you about.
Danielle: You really should stop tormenting the poor girl, Laz.
Lazarus: Poor girl? You haven't met her. I'll see you.
The two walk off in different directions, Danielle going upstairs and Lazarus turning down a hallway. He finds no one in the John Henry's office, but stays for a moment to greet Princess and her puppies. Moving on, he was half way around the house when he heard voices, recognized as those of Belinda and Sally, coming from a room. He considers going in, but the voices raise and he realizes an argument is brewing.
Belinda: I must say, I was suprised to find you here. Father really did think you had died. Where's Freddie's brat?
Sally: How dare you speak of him that way?
Belinda: Who? Freddie or Freddie's brat?
Sally: He was your nephew and he only lived for two days.
Belinda: How fortunate for Freddie.
Sally: Shut up! Just shut up! You have some nerve. You're the bastard daughter of untitled gentry, holding little to no social status. You're quite high and mighty for someone who will never find a husband until Daddy becomes duke, unless he buys one for you.
Belinda: You're a fallen woman in a town in the middle of no where. Your chances of finding a husband are quite slim.
Sally: It doesn't mean as much to me as it does to you. You're spoiled. Everyone here detests except, perhaps, your younger brother. I think you are in denial regarding your social status. When your father dies, no one of any importance will acquaint themselves with you. You'd better hope he finds you a husband before then.
Belinda: How dare you speak to me this way?
Sally: I don't consider you in a position that demands respect.
Belinda: You may reconsider that. I know things about you that not many people do. What would my uncle John Henry think if he knew of your past?
Sally: He was told before I even arrived here. He thinks that I was treated poorly. He respects me and welcomes me as a member of his own family.
Belinda: Hmm, he would. His wife, well... And I am also uncertain about those young innocents you tutor.
Sally: You wouldn't dare.
Belinda: Yes. Yes, I would.
Belinda smiles with a sick pleasure as Sally storms from the room. Outside, Lazarus stands quickly to make it appear as if he'd just walked down the hall. He smiles at Sally, then gives her a reassuring pat on the shoulder when he sees her distraught face. He waits till she disappears, then enters the room. Belinda's sour look only amuses him.
Belinda: Don't mothers teacher their children how to knock in this country?
Lazarus: Actually, my parents were both English. I was born here, but I lived in England from the time I was two till the time I was ten.
Belinda: I thank you for that lovely glimpse into your childhood. I always wondered what it was like before the birth of Christ.
Lazarus: Such biting wit from such a young woman! I must say it is beginning to bother me.
Belinda: Yes, well...
Lazarus: There are a variety of things I could do about it and neither of your uncles would bat an eye.
Belinda: Enlighten me.
Lazarus: I'll just tell you that, though I am retired, I still retain all the powers I had before. I was known as the hangin' judge in Boise.
Belinda stares at him angrily, then leaves in a huff. She stops in the doorway, giving another of her disgusted looks.
Belinda: You were eavesdropping? Really, Sally, I thought you were above that. Just remember what I said before.
Lazarus: Miss Marshall, I, too, advise you to remember what I just said.
Belinda grits her teeth and takes long, hard strides down the hallway. Sally stands just inside the door and smiles at Lazarus.
Sally: Thank you, sir.
Lazarus: You are very welcome. I took much pleasure in it.
Scene 4: The large dining room at Belleterre, night. People are milling about the long, decorated table, but not many have taken their seats. All the children except the infants are there. Platters of food are still being delivered to the table.
Olivia, seeing a steaming dish of stuffing pass before her, clutches her stomach and runs from the room covering her mouth. All eyes follow her outside. Only Nick, Tess, and Joe, who are standing near her at the time, see Stuart run from the room doing the same. Joe looks on, dumbfounded, while Nick looks questioningly at Tess, who shrugs her shoulders. Joe is shocked out of his startled daze by Benjamin, who points to the door where Olivia disappeared and gives him a shove. Five minutes later, people begin taking their seats. Wine is served for those who can drink it, then John Henry stands at the head of the table.
John Henry: Some of you may think this is an American holiday, and I think the majority of us are not American, but Thanksgiving is more than a holiday. It is a time to give thanks. Perhaps we should do that at every meal, but I'm sure none of us do that. And, so, in a lovely tradition introduced to my family by Kenneth Kincaid, Benjamin and Joe's late father, and a wonderful man he was, we come together for one heartfelt outpouring of thanks. Before we begin our meal, I ask everyone to join hands and take turns sharing what we're thankful for. I will go last, then say the blessing. And, so...
He turns to right as everyone join hands and smiles at Julia.
Julia: I'm thankful for my family, all of whom, save Robert and Cousin Maggie, can be here tonight with us.
Samantha: I'm thankful for the... love of my family and for the opportunity to see my cousins once again.
Libbie: I'm thankful for my children, holy terrors that they are, including the sleeping angel upstairs.
Philly (Libbie's cheery five-year-old): I'm thankful for my grandma and grandpa.
Billy (Libbie's three-year-old): Me, too!
Marshall (Libbie's two-year-old): His father whispers the question again. Apple pie!
Philip: I am thankful that my beautiful baby sister found such a loving husband. She couldn't have found a better man.
Lydia: Squeezes her brother's hand. I'm thankful that my father and mother and brother love me so much that they were willing to forgive my running off to get married.
Christopher: I'm thankful my brother-in-law finally forgave me for running off with his sister, and now I'm thankful for the little miracle my wife will give me in May.
Carey: I'm thankful for the opportunity to observe a knew way of life and for my youngest cousin who is introducing me to it.
Adam: I'm thankful for my... parents who have supported me despite the circumstances surrounding my birth.
Danielle: I am thankful for my husband and lovely friends, and for my children who are enjoying this holiday with their own families right now.
Lazarus: I'm thankful for my loving wife, my retirement, and my new friends.
Connie: I'm thankful I met my other family, and for the new friends I made, too.
Benji (Victoria's four-year-old): I'm thankful Teddy stopped making smellies.
Victoria: I'm thankful for that, too, but I'm also thankful for my other children, including the one who is making smellies while sleeping upstairs.
Teddy (Victoria's two-year-old): My mama!
Lizzie (Victoria's three-year-old): I'm thankful for... everything.
Benjamin: I agree with with Lizzie. I'm thankful for everything.
Eleanor: I'm thankful that both my children are happy in their marriages, and I'm thankful I have finally met my four grandsons.
Elizabeth: I am thankful for my husband, my children, my family, and my friends. I am thankful God has chosen to bless me with all of the wonderful people seated at this table, and that He has given them all health and happiness.
Phil: I'm thankful my daughter's forgiveness, and for Christopher and Libbie for making my children so happy.
Laura: I'm thankful for my sister, Maggie, who couldn't be here, because she finally made my an aunt.
Charles: I'm thankful for the opportunity to become reacquainted with my nieces and nephews—all of them—and for my firstborn daughter and grandson in England.
Mary: I'm thankful for the lives and good health of my friends and family.
Joey: I'm thankful for my mama and papa and my little brother or sister who mama says I'm gonna meet next year.
Olivia: I'm thankful for my husband and my children, the one that is here now and the ones that will be here in the future.
Joe: I'm thankful for my beautiful, loving wife and for our handsome son and those sons and daughters who have yet to arrive.
Tess: I'm thankful for my husband and the large, loving family he brought me.
Nick: I'm thankful for my wife, my life, my family, and my friends.
Louisa: I'm thankful for my new family here and for my family in San Francisco. I'm thankful to have my mother's love of painting, and I'm thankful for Stuart, who saved my new mother's life in the summer.
Stuart: I'm thankful for my new friends who have given me a sense of belonging, something I haven't felt for some years.
Marietta: I am thankful for... my life. Yes, I am thankful for all aspects of my life.
Will: I'm thankful for my baby girl upstairs and I'm thankful to the woman who gave her to me.
Belinda: I'm thankful for my father's love.
Richard: I'm thankful my children have the opportunity to meet their family.
Camilla: I'm thankful for my family and for the opportunity to say so here.
Freddie: I'm thankful I have the opportunity to become acquainted with my father's family, and very thankful that they have accepted me. I'm also thankful for so much more I couldn't begin to list it right now.
Sally: I'm thankful for the opportunity to sit down to dinner with this loving family, and I'm also thankful to see my old friends from England once again.
Grace: I'm thankful for so many things I haven't been able to think of any one yet. I'm thankful for all the things I have been allowed to experience, including being outdoors and making a play.
John Henry: I'm thankful, first of all, that this room cannot hold more than forty-two people. I'm most thankful that I can have all the people I love most seated at one table. We are all truly blessed. He bows his head and the rest follow his lead. Dear Lord, thank you for the bounty set before us and for the health and safety of our loved ones near and far. Bless those who are less fortunate, and keep them warm and safe tonight. We thank You for all our blessings and ask only that You continue to bless us for one more year. Amen.
Scene 5: Upstairs at Belleterre, late that night. Freddie is walking in the hallway with a candle, headed for Sally's room.
At her door, he opens it softly and walks through the outer room before knocking on the door to Sally's bedroom. He must knock twice, but she answers the door looking quite angelic in her flowing white gown and long, loose blond hair.
Sally: Freddie? What are you doing here?
Freddie: I wanted to speak with you. I couldn't sleep.
Sally: Come and sit down. I hope you don't mind if I get back into bed. It's quite cold.
Freddie: Not at all.
Sally climbs back into her bed, sitting up. Freddie pulls a chair to her side and takes her hands into his own.
Freddie: Earlier at dinner, when we were giving thanks, I wanted so much to say that I was thankful for you. That is what I meant in saying that I was thankful for so much more.
Sally: I meant the same when I said mine. I have missed you terribly, Freddie.
Freddie: It does me good to hear you say that.
Sally: I want to hug you, and kiss you, in front of everyone, but your family...
Freddie: My family loves you!
Sally: I meant your father and sister.
Freddie: My father isn't worth acknowledgement. As for Belinda... what has she done?
Sally: She threatened to tell Mrs. Marshall and the girls about my past. Mr. Marshall knows, but I don't know how the others would react.
Freddie: Belinda is a bitch. Pay no attention to her.
Sally: She may leave me alone now. Mr. Carrol threatened her for being disrespectful to him, and he did the same when he heard Belinda threatening me. He still has his judicial powers, and led Belinda to believe that he could do a great many things to make her life miserable.
Freddie: Good. She could use a little fear. He pauses for a long while, then takes a deep breath. There is something I have been trying to say since I found you here. I'm not sure I've ever said it. I... I do love you. I hope you have known that.
Sally: Cries. I never knew that. I mean, you never told me so. I love you, too.
Freddie: Oh, thank you. Thank you for telling me so. Now, what shall we do about it?
Continue to Episode 29
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