Episode 5: Late July, 1875

Scene 1: Stancliff Manor, northern England. The Marshall family estate, the home of John Henry's eldest brother, Charles Marshall, 4th Duke of Stancliff. The estate house is built on a hill over-looking the sheer cliffs that drop down into the North Sea. It is afternoon, and Christopher Marshall and Lydia Elliot have led their horses down the long path so they could ride along the beach.

Christopher: It's hard to believe we finally have a moment alone.

Lydia: I would rather go with no clothes than have a new wardrobe sewn. I will not be able to wear half the gowns they made. They are entirely unsuited for ranch life.

Christopher: Your brother is certainly going to be more surprised to see us than your mother thinks. Are you sure you want to go through with our plan? It is not exactly traditional. And without any of your family there?

Lydia: I want to be with you now, not four or five years from now. I'm nineteen years old and I've been waiting for you for six years.

Christopher: Hell, Lydie, I've been ready for four years, but it would have been absolutely unforgivable for us to elope at eighteen and fifteen. But are you sure you don't want to at least give your family the chance to give their blessing?

Lydia: Our fathers may be the best of friends, but Lord Denbury has become like a second son to him and you know how desperately Father wanted his children to marry someone with titled bloodlines. Howard will likely propose before we leave, and I will have to tell him I'll consider it while I'm visiting Philip. I hate to lie to all of them, but I know if I tried to wait even longer for you I would eventually find myself betrothed to the ass.

Christopher: We wouldn't have this problem if I had been born in Will's place. He'll eventually be the Duke of Stancliff.

Lydia: The duke could still have a son.

Christopher: Shakes his head. Unlikely. Uncle Charlie's had six daughters, and it's unlikely he and Aunt Mary will have another child. She's past forty, and she had her last child eight years ago. Even if she died, Uncle Charlie would never remarry.

Lydia: Lord Richard could still marry and have children.

Christopher: Oh, Uncle Richie's had children. Three, as far as we know, and he supports them, but he'll never marry. He enjoys the life of a bachelor too much. Father realizes all of this, and that is why he hopes to die before Uncle Richie. Will is indifferent, and refuses to think about the prospect, as does Marietta. Nick won't admit it, but he wants Marietta and Will to have all girls so he can be a duke some day. And Libbie, well, she just wants father to become the duke quickly so she can have Lady Elizabeth Elliot printed on her calling cards.

Lydia: I believe I'll enjoy being a member of your eccentric family. Perhaps Father would be satisfied with the future Lady Elizabeth as his daughter-in-law.

Christopher: Mention it to him in the letter you'll send before we get on the ship.

Lydia: It's hard to believe we're leaving tomorrow.

Christopher: We'll be setting sail in just a few days.

Lydia: I can't wait.

Scene 2: Near Belleterre, afternoon. The unkempt man from San Francisco is working with Nick and several other men, including Benjamin and Joe Kincaid. He has introduced himself as Jed Smith. They are building a small house several miles from the big house. The foundation has been lain, and the framework is complete.

Jed: If you don't mind my askin', Mr. Marshall, why you buildin' such a small house? You seem like the kind of man that would go for somethin' bigger.

Nick: I don't mind your asking. And please, call me Nick. My father's the only Mr. Marshall around here. Tess and I will only live in this house for a year or two. If I built a bigger house, there would be no place for us to live while its being built. No, I'll build something somewhat like Will's house, perhaps slightly smaller.

Jed: So why don't you live in your house, Will? I've seen it in passing, and it looks mighty nice.

Will: The outside is finished, but the inside is not. There's still floor covering, lighting fixtures, and furniture to arrive.

Nick: And that's the exact reason I'm building this little house first. I don't want to spend my first months of married life in my parents' home.

Jed: Can't imagine I'd wanna do that, neither.

Nick: Are you going to settle in Liberty Creek, Jed? There's plenty of work around here.

Jed: Naw, I got business back east. He smiles slyly to himself. I suspect I'll be outta here before August is up.

Nick: What sort of business are you in back east?

Jed: I own a small tavern. I s'pose you could say I'm takin' a holiday. You plannin' on a honeymoon?

Nick: Not right after the wedding. We want to stay away from people, you know. Our family has a private little cabin up on the mountain. We're considering traveling to England and France so Tess can meet my family.

Jed: Stifles a snicker. I expect you and your intended'll be right happy together.

Scene 3: Belleterre Ranch house, Marietta's sitting room, afternoon. Tess and Marietta are there along with all of Nick's sisters–Libbie, Victoria, Olivia, Julia, and Grace–and his mother, Elizabeth. Three young babies are sleeping in a row in baskets on a floor.

Libbie: Tess, your dress is gorgeous. Your friend Georgie certainly has a flair for design. She sets the sketch on the table atop several other sketches on the table in front of her Her designs rival those of Worth.

Tess: I'm sure she'd love to hear you say that, though she would deny it, of course. The dress is already completed. Apparently, she's been working on it since early April. And just today I received the sketches for the designs of the attendants' dresses. She's even drawn people in them and they look surprisingly like you considering the meager description I was able to give. She begins passing out the sketches. Mari, Libbie, Victoria, Liv, Julia, and Grace.

Grace: And mine's full length!

Elizabeth: In thick French accent. You are lucky we live away from society, ma chère. If we lived in a city you would be wearing calf-length skirts and practicing piano and sewing all day, not chasing cattle across the fields wearing trousers and sitting astride a horse.

Grace: I would prefer chasing cattle to sewing any day, Maman.

Elizabeth: You will never catch a husband chasing cattle.

Olivia: I did, Maman.

Elizabeth: Men such as Joe are few and far between. Tess, is your friend sure she will be finished on time?

Tess: Of course. She hired extra help so she could keep up with all the work she's been getting. She is working on the gowns for another wedding party, too, in addition to that young woman's trousseau. And she claims to be sewing a trousseau for me, as well, though I've already wired her not to.

Libbie: Perhaps Miss Randall could be persuaded to move here. I'm sure the eight of us could supply her with more than enough work to keep her living comfortably.

Tess: As much as I'd like to have my best friend living so close, I think Georgie enjoys living in the city. Her grandmother is there, and they're the only family either of them have.

Victoria: Well, it certainly is a good thing Georgie is coming six days before the wedding. There's bound to be adjustments required on Libbie's and my dress. Our figures are changing every day.

Libbie: I'm just glad the weight didn't stay on me as long as it did the last time. Why, I'm almost back to the waist size I was before I had little Philly.

Olivia: That's only because it's exceptionally hot this summer and you spend much of your day chasing after your children. It's only natural that you would lose more weight.

Libbie: You sound like Miss Olson. It is not becoming.

Tess: Who's Miss Olson.

Libbie: One of our old tutors. She was always saying things like, "It is only natural that you'd assume that, but..." Every time we got an answer wrong, she would begin her correction just like that. I hated it.

Olivia: Didn't like her much either, if I recall. Perhaps you would like to tell Tess of the shoe incident?

Libbie: Groans and buries her head in her hands. Liv told this story at my wedding for all the guests to hear. By all means, Liv. Tell it again.

Olivia: Libbie and Vic were thirteen at the time and I was eight. We'd only been living here for six months, but Miss Olson came with us from Nevada. She had her own suite of rooms in one of the empty corners of the house. One day Libbie got a series of Miss Olson's questions wrong, and every time Miss Olson would start her correction in the usual way. That night Libbie dragged me out of bed--because I was the tomboy. She told me that she'd tell our parents that I'd been racing Nick bareback on our horses across the fields if I didn't help her. She snuck into Miss Olson's room and stole her shoes, then we went outside together and she made me stuff fresh horse manure in the toes. Then I had to sneak back into Miss Olson's room and put the shoes back.

Tess: Did you get caught?

Olivia: No, and I'm surprised Nick hasn't told you this story. From Miss Olson's room we went to Nick's and spread some manure on the bottoms of his moccasins. When we woke up the next morning, Miss Olson has already reported the incident to Papa. He had us all come into this upstairs office before we got dressed for the day. It was cold, so Nick put on his moccasins first.

Tess: Nodding and smiling. So Nick took the blame for it all. What was his punishment?

Olivia: He had to apologize and clean our schoolroom for a week. At the time he had a tendency to walk in his sleep, so everyone, Nick included, thought he had done it in his sleep.

Tess: And when he found out the truth?

Olivia: He didn't do a thing. Father made us both write a letter of apology to Miss Olson, who had left us soon after the incident. I was suspicious of Nick at first, but then I let my guard down. That was my mistake. He got the both of us the same night. I was given the same treatment as Miss Olson. Libbie's was worse.

Libbie: Frowning. He used Philip to exact his revenge. When we returned after our honeymoon, Philip surprised me with our new home. I hadn't had the chance to get a tour, because we were here with family until late at night. When we went to the house, Philip gave me directions to our bedroom and told me to go wait for him. It wasn't really our bedroom, but of course I didn't know that. I went up to the room, removed all of my clothing, and slid into the bed. Nick had smeared my side with horse manure. It was all over my back and in my hair. I screamed, of course, and I heard Nick from downstairs yell that he must be sleepwalking. It was an hour before the smell was out to my satisfaction, but I was so mad at Philip that I refused to let him sleep in our real bed with me that night. I've been waiting for over five years to get my revenge, and now I'm so very close.

Tess: I'm not going to get any of this stuff on me, am I?

Libbie: No, that would be cruel. And I won't do the same thing Nick did because he'll be suspicious. I'm still thinking about it. Libbie smiled. But be forewarned. It will happen, and I won't let anything get in my way.

Scene 4: London, England, two days later. Christopher, Lydia, and Lydia's maid, Delie, are standing at a ship's rail observing the hustle and bustle on the dock below.

Lydia: Will you see to our cabins, Delie? Make sure our trunks are left in our rooms, but don't bother unpacking.

Delie: Yes, Miss Elliot. She walks away.

Lydia: Speaks to Christopher. I'm glad I didn't part with my parents here. It was pure luck that Father's business came up at the last minute.

Christopher: Did you post your letter?

Lydia: Yes. I sent one of the maids to do it this morning. She's illiterate, so she won't know it was addressed to Father.

Christopher: When do you plan on telling Delie?

Lydia: As soon as we're alone in our cabin. She'll be surprised, to say the least. Especially when I ask her to stand up with me. Which reminds me, who will you have?

Christopher: I'll find someone. But we could wait till we reach home. At least you would have Philip.

Lydia: Philip might refuse to let me go through with it. It is better this way.

Christopher: I still can't help but think that you're missing out on the fairy tale. I'm sure when you were a little girl you didn't dream of eloping on a ship.

Lydia: I only dreamt of two things regarding my wedding when I was a little girl. The first was marrying a handsome, princely gentleman who adored me. The second was wearing my mothers veil. Last night when we stayed at my father's house I snuck up to the attic and retrieved my mother's veil. It's packed in one of my trunks. So you see, half my dreams are about to come true.

Christopher: Thinks about what she said for a moment, then realizes what it meant and gives her a playful shove. You little rat.

Lydia: Start calling me names and I might not agree to marry you.

Christopher: Smiles, puts his arm around Lydia's waist and begins leading her away. I'll speak to the captain after we leave port. Perhaps we could be married tomorrow. It would be fitting. The first day of a new month signifying the first day of our new life together.

Lydia: You've never been much of a romantic before.

Christopher: I haven't had much chance to be one. Which reminds me—remember when I went out tomorrow just after arriving at your house? He waits for Lydia to nod. I bought something for you that I should have bought a long time ago. He fishes around in his pocket, then drops to one knee on the deck of the ship, drawing a small audience. Dear, sweet, beautiful Lydia. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?

Lydia waits for him to slip the ring on her finger, then pulls him to his feet. For the first time since their romantic relationship began, she kissed Christopher instead of waiting for him to kiss her. Their audience claps.

Lydia: Pulls slightly away from Christopher, whispers. That was my other dream. I thought you'd never get around to it.

Continue to Episode 6

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