Outlander: Blood of My Blood (2025) s01e01 Episode Script
Providence
1
[dramatic music plays]
[Gaelic singing]
[clock ticking]
[crying]
[hooves clopping]
[soft music playing]
If I had my way,
I'd have put him out to sea
with his sword and sent him
on his way with flames.
We must find comfort in
the fact that Red Jacob
is with the Lord now.
I should have been able
to decide what was done.
What we're doing.
It's what he would have wanted.
I'm the eldest.
Aye, but not the eldest son.
Yer father's untimely death
has shaken us all, lass.
But one thing at a time.
Let's see ye dressed and ready
to face the day before us.
We must do our best to
get through the funeral.
How can we talk of putting
my father in the ground
when Clan MacKenzie is vulnerable?
No successor was named.
Someone else, not of our
name or of our blood,
could come in and take charge
of the clan, of our home,
of our money, of our reputation,
of everything we have.
Ye ken that Colum and
Dougal are both bidding
for the lairdship.
The Gathering will decide.
Yer brothers may no' have been named,
but folk will see
that they are MacKenzie
through an' through
an' choose one of them.
And in the meantime?
Our strength is being tested.
What's to come will be
a trial for all of us.
And even worse for you, my dear.
Your father protected ye for a reason.
[Jacob] This, my bonnie wee lass,
is for you.
Bonnie, perhaps.
Not so wee now.
Nah, maybe not.
May any man who looks at you
with more feelings than he ought
be cursed and have his eyes
burnt out with hot coals.
[laughs]
I know I canna stay
here at Leoch forever.
I have a duty to marry eventually.
But you've given me the knowledge
to break free of certain chains
and taught me that true freedom
is the ability to think.
How can I willingly
walk into such a prison?
Ye need say no more, lass.
This is a MacKenzie brooch.
To be worn with MacKenzie plaid.
Man's plaid?
Our clothes tell a story, m'annsachd.
Yer bodice and yer skirts tell us
what's expected of ye as a lassie.
This cloth stands for something else,
tells a different tale.
Wear it as you would wear armor,
as my promise to you.
A MacKenzie ye are,
and a MacKenzie you'll always be.
Try not to worry about
it too much, not yet.
How can ye say that when you ken that Da
sought my opinion on every matter?
I live and breathe to
protect this family.
[Mrs. Fritz] I'm sorry.
I only meant that we must wait
to see what will become of us.
Oh, thank God that both
your sisters are married,
taken care of.
Perhaps 'tis time you considered,
well, doing the same thing.
I'll have no talk of weddings
on the day of my father's funeral.
[somber music plays]
[sighs]
[Gaelic singing]
[Janet] He's so pale.
I hate seeing him like that.
'Tis how we'll all look when we go.
He died in a manner
befitting the way he lived.
Hush, Jocasta.
Not now.
Dying mounted on a maidservant.
'Tis a stain on the family name.
I am only speaking the truth.
And wielding it like a sword.
I'm being sisterly.
[mournful bagpipes playing]
Come now.
It's time.
[distant thunder rumbles]
As married women, surely we should
take precedence in this procession.
Especially you, Leticia.
You should be beside Colum,
leading the way,
setting an example for what's to come.
Perhaps.
But Colum is no' yet Laird.
And I wouldna want to
cause my sister-in-law
any further sorrow today.
Aye. Leave her be.
She has a particularly
heavy burden to bear.
Ye ken she loved Da more than
more than most,
perhaps more than anyone.
And I suppose we have
no burdens of our own?
Are we not grieving as well?
If anything, ye ought to pity her.
For I doubt she'll ever love
any other man half as much.
And wi' him gone, she's lost her power.
[Letitia] Aye.
She could do no wrong in yer Da's eyes.
Her every word was more
precious to him than gold.
He listened to her.
[Gaelic singing]
[soft music plays]
[thunder rumbling]
[Jacob] What's troubling ye, lass?
Thinking of me next move, so.
You would normally have me
begging for mercy by now.
Janet's been wed.
Jocasta will be married before long.
Am I next?
Am I a problem to be solved,
a burden to be rid of, a pawn in a game?
I had Ned teach you and
your brothers chess
because it forces you to think,
to plan ahead,
to be patient, to lure, manipulate,
strike without mercy.
It's a lesson about life,
what it is to be a laird.
Well, I'll never be a laird.
A laird's wife, perhaps.
Aye, it's true.
The tanists will never
bend the knee to you
or take a lassie's word as law.
But then lassies are
nothing but trouble,
or so they say.
You're disappointed.
Your mother, she was worried
that she'd disappointed me as well.
All men want a son, I suppose,
to carry on the family name,
the bloodline.
Aye. We even had a name for you.
James.
[chuckles]
Why Ellen, then?
I ken it's from the Greek.
It means torch.
Torch.
[Jacob] And no just because
of the flaming red hair
that you have on your head,
but because from that first moment,
I knew that you would always
be what lights my way.
Most blessed day of my life
was the day you were born.
Luceo non uro.
I shine, not burn.
Aye, you do,
the brightest of us all.
[thunder rumbling]
[somber music plays]
[dramatic music plays]
Long the way ♪
O'er the bridge I crossed ♪
For my love ♪
For my love that's lost ♪
By the brae ♪
In the verdant moss ♪
Where I watch. Where I wait ♪
For my love that's lost ♪
Hi a bho ♪
Hoireann eile o ♪
Hi a bho ♪
Fair a leo fair a lè ♪
Hi a bho ♪
Hoireann eile o ♪
'S tu mo run. 'S tu mo ghràdh ♪
Agus m' eudail o ♪
[mooing]
[dramatic music plays]
Oi!
Oi!
[all yelling]
[grunts]
[grunting]
[man groaning]
Give me yer name.
Which clan?
All right, lad.
If ye willna tell me
[screaming]
[Dougal] Take this message home with ye.
I'm Dougal MacKenzie.
And if you come to
plunder MacKenzie lands,
reive MacKenzie kine,
then you'll leave with
less than you came with.
[screaming]
[bellowing]
[bellowing]
[grunts]
[bellowing]
[all bellowing]
Could have been Fraser's men.
Surely he can still manage a raid.
That bastard's been holding a
grudge against us for years.
I'll take a few men and
return their visit.
Doubt he'd be wanting to pick a fight.
Simon Fraser of Lovat
is not much of a threat
considering his lack of status.
He hated Da, despises MacKenzies.
Ye just as your father raised you
to loathe the Frasers in return.
[Dougal] Aye, and with good reason.
The Grants, then.
[Colum] You're quick
to cast blame, brother.
You hate the Grants
because they have money.
I hate the Grants because they think
they're better than us.
Mind your tongue.
There are folk hereabouts
who'd relish hearing
that the MacKenzies and the Grants
are at each other's throats.
They've wanted us under
their thumb for ages.
They see opportunity.
If it was the Grants
If.
Now that-that your father has passed,
there are plenty of folk more than eager
to see the demise of Clan MacKenzie,
for the abundant grazing lands alone.
Unfortunately, there will be many
whose cups will be raised in celebration
rather than grief at
Red Jacob's passing.
He wasn't a beloved man in these parts.
[stammering] And I say
that as his trusted advisor
and someone with deep respect for him.
God rest his soul.
Have you heard anything, Ned,
about which way the clan is leaning?
[Dougal] Well?
[sighs]
It's too early to draw conclusions.
[chuckles]
But your father died
without naming someone
to follow in his stead.
And most of the tanists
and-and the chiefs
arriving for the gathering seem torn
which of you to choose as Laird.
Well, a dirk across the belly
might change a few minds.
Yes, well, it's that sort of talk
that has them worried, Dougal.
May I remind you being Red Jacob's sons
doesn't guarantee a thing
in terms of the lairdship.
[Dougal] The Clan will never choose
from outside this family.
They'll vote to ensure they have
a strong leader whose actions
speak louder than words.
[Colum] Dougal.
[tense music plays]
I'm not sure what's worse,
your cheap talk
or ill-thought-out deeds.
Not everything can be solved
with a brawl and some beer.
You lack diplomacy, brother.
And you lack the simple
ability to walk straight.
When the time comes,
now that Da is laid to rest
and all the ayes are
counted at the Gathering,
one man will have the most
me.
You dinna want yers to
be cast out of pity,
now, do you, Colum?
Time to put such matters to bed.
I'm no' going to the
MacKenzie Gathering with ye.
You'll miss a once in
a lifetime occurrence.
[laughs]
And just what would that be, huh?
Finally seeing you muster
the courage to talk
to this lassie you've
been harping on about?
Brian, come on.
Canna. Too many chores to do.
Chores ye should be helping me with.
You dinna need me to go wi' you
and hold your hand, Murtagh.
Not hold my hand,
just stand there next to me.
Ask yer Auntie Glenna to help ye.
She'll be more than glad
to see you there, I'm sure.
And you may come and go as you please.
Ye ken well enough
I'm no' welcome in that household.
Well, they've never seen
yer face before, have they?
[Brian] Exactly.
A hatred for my father
that runs so deep,
they'd spit in the face of the
son they've never even met.
And they say hatred and love,
two sides of the same coin.
Hm.
Well, just as well.
Dinna have any coin to spend.
So no, I willna go, thank ye very much.
I'd prefer to keep my
head attached to my neck,
if that's all the same to ye.
Think of the feasts we could have,
and the games.
I've attended feasts before
and have nothing to prove at the games.
You could find a lassie
with my help and a wee bit of luck.
[laughs] I kent that would do it.
[chuckles]
Now see, there ye're wrong.
I'm no' a fool like you are, cousin.
I know better.
The love of a beautiful woman is
a balm for all man's troubles.
And you have a lot of those.
[upbeat music plays]
Brian! That'll be supper, then.
Murtagh, you're welcome to join us.
[Brian] So a lassie can
solve all my troubles, eh?
I'll tell you who's trouble. You.
[Davina] Don't keep yer
father waiting, Brian.
[Brian] Pain in me arse. [laughs]
[Murtagh] Get off me!
I'm the best friend you ever had.
[Brian] Or the worst.
[Murtagh] I think you mean the only.
[both laugh]
[indistinct chatter]
[laughs]
'Tis a time for celebration, is it not?
[chuckles]
At long last,
God has answered my prayers.
I wish only that the news
had reached me sooner.
Not knowing that he died a time ago
kept me from this rapture.
You prayed for a man's death?
Well, I prayed that
justice would be done
and that any man involved
in removing my title
or stealing my lands would
receive fiery judgment in hell.
Ye're sure Red Jacob betrayed you?
He admitted as much when last we met.
If the devil has seen fit
to call Seumas Ruadh home,
then who are we to question it?
Father, you hold on to yer grievances
like a dog holds on to a bone.
Brian, you're not too old to be lashed
for an insolent tongue.
Ye'd better remember who you are
and who yer not.
Murtagh knows his place at my table.
He knows to listen and to speak
only when spoken to and-and not before.
I assume you'll be leaving soon
for the MacKenzie Gathering.
After I finish my meal.
I'll want to know who's in attendance,
who's talking to whom.
I was going for the feasting and games
and to see my auntie.
Hmm.
Maybe pay my respects to
the elder Miss MacKenzie
and her sisters.
Didna have it in mind to spy.
Oh, not spy.
Merely open yer eyes and ears
of what ye may learn of value.
[tense music plays]
Their clan will choose a successor.
Many will be vying for the position
[scoffs]
but canna imagine they'll choose
the lame-legged one.
[laughs]
Or his brother, whose cock will
be the death of him one day.
Doesna sound like ye're
in need of a spy.
[Lovat] I've suffered
indignities all these years.
Lost land, wealth, favor.
I've been ostracized and
cast out of good society.
So I'll no' miss this chance
to reverse my position.
Take yer cousin wi' ye.
Two lads on the scent of lassies,
it's more likely to go unnoticed.
Murtagh doesn't need
anyone to watch over him.
[Lovat] Och, there'll be
hundreds at the Gathering
to pledge their oath to the new Laird.
The MacKenzies may know
I have a bastard son.
But they surely dinna
ken what he looks like.
Ah!
At last. I'm famished.
I thought I'd have to
fetch my own supper.
Apologies, milord.
Thought I'd keep it warm for you
until you're ready to eat.
[Lovat] Ah. [chuckles]
Father, she hasna been here long enough
to ken your habits.
Indeed.
Aye.
My son is right.
Forgive me.
Stay a while, me doll,
and I shall do my best
to acquaint you with them.
Allow me, Father.
I'll spare ye the trouble.
[Davina] Lass, please
come now to the kitchen.
There's work to be done.
I ken ye've much to
learn about this house
and those who live here,
but I've told ye time and again
not to linger in the Laird's
presence without me.
Master Murtagh and
Master Brian were there.
Aye, but he doesna care who's witness.
Ye have to be unseen.
'Tis best he think of you as furniture.
You dinna want the alternative.
Yes, mistress.
Now get along to your work.
[lively music plays]
[indistinct chatter]
If Dougal is chosen
ye'd have to go?
Kind way of putting it, aye.
I'd be forced out.
Or mebbe I'd be seeing Da again
a wee bit sooner than I thought.
Do you think Dougal has enough support?
I dinna ken.
Ye have mine.
[lively music plays]
[cheering]
[grunting]
[Rupert] Oh, my Lord!
[Angus] What? What is it?
[Rupert] May the devil take my eyes.
[Angus] Let me see, Rupert.
Och, you've seen enough,
ye wee little rat bag.
'Tis my turn.
- [man panting]
- Oh, my word!
[Rupert] Told ye.
[panting]
[Angus] I canna look away.
[Rupert] What? What's happening now?
[Angus] I dinna ken.
'Tis like they were rabbits.
- [Rupert] Rabbits?
- [Angus] Aye.
Or kine. One or the other.
[Rupert] Well,
kine or rabbits? Which is it?
[Ned] Angus, Rupert.
We werena doing anything.
Aye, and if we were,
'twas Angus that made me do it.
Just like I said, Rupert,
you are a wee rat.
I willna tell, boys, if you willna.
- Aye, sir.
- Yes, sir.
Now be gone with ye,
before the devil does take yer eyes.
[panting, moaning]
Dougal?
When you've completed yer task,
could you please oblige your
brother with your presence?
When I've finished.
[panting, moaning]
Dinna do this.
Dinna ken yer meaning.
[Colum] I will not so much as beg ye.
But I ask ye as my brother,
blood of my blood,
withdraw any challenge.
Yield.
Do what you ken is right.
I am the eldest, the wisest of us.
I've been preparing
for this all my life.
Let me be laird.
[chuckles] Let ye?
What are ye, looking
for my permission now,
now that ye canna run clypin' to Da?
[Colum] Dinna bring him into this.
Since when have you
ever valued his opinion?
Da always kent I was stronger.
Aye.
And stupid enough to have forgotten
how he beat you endlessly
to make you so.
You will bring disgrace to us all.
I will bring glory to this clan.
[tense music plays]
The men will need a chieftain
to lead them in battle
if there is a rising, a war.
If the war does come,
Clan MacKenzie will need
a laird who can bring order.
Blood of my blood,
we are cut from the same cloth,
forged in the same fire,
and yet ye canna understand
that I'm deaf to your words.
All I hear is fear, excuses,
a desire to talk me
out of challenging ye,
for ye ken you'll lose.
We'll stand before all the septs
and their leaders,
and they'll swear
allegiance to one of us.
If you could hear yourself,
you'd ken you're not ready.
I ken all I need to.
And I ken they willna bend
the knee to a cripple.
If ye can manage it,
bend your knee to me.
Dinna turn your back on me, Dougal.
I'm talking to ye.
Time for talking is over.
[tense music plays]
[cheering]
[Ellen] I miss our daily
walks in the garden.
Perhaps we can take them more often.
- Be good for your legs.
- [Colum] Mebbe.
But I have a wife to walk wi' now.
Aye, ye do.
Colum, terrible news about Seumas Ruadh.
Yer father was a great man,
much loved hereabouts.
Are ye acquainted wi' my sister,
Ellen MacKenzie?
[MacKinney] I've not
yet had the pleasure.
May I introduce James MacKinney.
[Ellen] Mr. MacKinney.
Lady Ellen, the rumors
about your beauty are true.
Kind compliment. Thank you.
But no' enough to raise a smile.
I'm still in mourning.
You willna always be.
I'll leave you to grieve in peace, then.
He's not hiding his
intentions very well.
A keen observation.
He's no' here to pay respects.
He's here to ingratiate himself.
He wants control of Clan MacKenzie.
[light music plays]
Murtagh.
Aye.
Go. Pay your respects.
I'd stay to give ye a push,
but I feel like a hare out in the open,
about to be someone's supper.
Go, then.
See if I can manage a
step or two without ye.
What were ye thinking,
bringing him here?
Not now, Auntie.
Ye ken better.
If the MacKenzies find
that Fraser in their midst,
there'll be no mercy for him.
He will wish he hadna been born.
[sighs] Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser.
I see.
Now you've lost your wits.
She's a lady, and you are no gentleman.
Not that she's in mind of marryin'.
Dinna need to be a maidservant
to be privy to that.
Aye.
Jacob swore to her
that she doesna have to take a husband.
And 'tis no secret that
she doesna wish to.
There are plenty of lassies here
who'd be delighted by attention
from a man such as yerself.
Mebbe.
I can only see her.
[light music plays]
Then close yer eyes
or cast them in another direction.
[cheering]
[person] Mebbe give someone else a go.
Where ye from, man?
What family?
Dinna recognize ye.
Canna recall if I've seen
hair so dark in my life.
[tense music plays]
I'm gonna go.
My arm's, uh it's
nearly falling off, see.
And I'd very much like
to lift a tankard later.
Gentlemen, will ye have a throw?
[Gaelic singing]
[person] Dinna like the look of him.
[Gaelic singing]
[upbeat music plays]
[indistinct chatter]
[animals braying]
[sighs]
[Ellen] If ye're thinking
of bedding down here
for the night,
I can suggest better places.
Ye can speak?
Aye.
Just, uh, dinna expect to
hear a voice hereabouts.
Not many kine or horses speak.
Many?
I didna ken they were endowed
with that power at all.
[soft music plays]
Aye, of course they are.
They dinna speak to you
the horses?
I find some to be very wise.
And, eh, much better company
than, say uh, chickens.
Well, no one likes the
company of chickens.
Why are you here,
hiding amongst the beasts?
It's been a long day.
And I'm afraid I have very
little social grace left.
Ah.
Suitors?
Aye.
Unwanted.
I could ask ye the same.
I, too, have, uh
suitors.
I wager ye do.
[person] Keep looking.
[indistinct chatter]
Oh, that'll be the suitors
ye were talking about.
Aye.
And I dinna think they
have courtship in mind.
Ye should probably make haste, then.
Aye.
[soft music plays]
I ken this may be forward,
but will you meet me
in a more uh, suitable place?
Aye.
There's a bridge at the
edge of this estate,
as if you're traveling to Inverness.
Aye. I ken it well.
During the tynchal.
Tomorrow.
[person] He couldna have gone far.
Find the bastard!
[Ellen] Go.
[laughing] Go.
[dramatic music plays]
[indistinct chatter]
[Ned] Welcome to Leoch, Mr. Grant.
Colum, Dougal,
my deepest and most sincere condolences.
Seumas was a friend.
His loss will be felt for many years.
Thank you.
He will be missed.
You'll remember my son, Malcolm.
And this is our spokesperson
and bladier, Henry.
Gentlemen.
[indistinct chatter]
Where have ye been?
Am I not free to mourn as I wish?
[Malcolm] Lady Ellen.
Ye may no' remember,
but we met long ago.
I'm Malcolm Grant.
We were no more than wee bairns.
[laughs]
My father had business
here wi' your own father,
and we were scolded for running around
and screaming like
banshees in the courtyard.
[laughs]
I do have a vague recollection,
now that you mention it.
I'm glad to hear it.
Thank you for coming.
[indistinct chatter]
Ye're new to the Grants.
That's right.
English?
I'm a Grant by name now.
Ah, thereby hangs a tale.
In spite of appearances to the contrary,
the mood between us
here is one of unease.
[Henry] Indeed.
Is there anything I can do to,
say, lighten it?
Well, perhaps you have
something in mind already.
A bond of friendship between our clans.
[Henry] A financial bond.
[Ned] You say financial,
I say friendship.
Makes little difference
in the end, perhaps.
Well, money does have
a way of transforming
an enemy into a friend almost overnight.
Before we continue, may I inquire
as to what happened to your predecessor?
I'm told he left in haste
to the American colonies
in the interests of our laird.
Unaware of the precise details.
Perhaps land.
They say the King is granting
land to all and sundry
in the provinces of North
and South Carolina.
Strange, 'cause he didna
mention it when last we spoke.
We were negotiating toll rates.
Well, I am at your service.
Ah, we can discuss that
at a more suitable time.
Agreed.
And how is it ye came into
the service of the Grants?
Met Malcolm in Inverness.
He was impressed by my uh, acumen,
ability to conduct myself.
Offered me a position
as advisor and scribe,
asked me to be their bladier.
Isaac must have been impressed as well.
Nothing happens amongst the Grants
without his approval.
[string music playing]
When next we meet, you can uh,
you can tell me all about how you came
to be in bonnie Scotland.
Well?
I'm meeting with their
new bladier later.
I don't think the raid
was the Grants' doing.
They could, if they so choose,
take all that we have.
True.
'Twould be my pleasure to
welcome the Grants properly.
[Ned] Their retribution would
be swift and unmerciful.
The Grants have over 300
men at their command.
Ah.
Well, three of my men
are worth 300 of theirs.
We need their support, Dougal,
if one of us is to be laird.
Hell will come to Leoch
before I ally with the Grants.
'Tis no' your decision.
You are not laird.
Stop acting like one.
[tense music plays]
[hooves clopping]
[lively music plays]
[dogs barking]
[percussive music plays]
Excuse me.
I didn't mean to startle ye.
Mr. Grant.
Were you leaving?
May I escort ye?
Um, no.
Thank you, but I'm not feeling well.
I was going to retire to my chamber.
Well, may I see you there, then,
in case you fall ill along the way?
[laughing] No.
Ye canna miss the tynchal on my account.
I will live.
There's a thousand boars to hunt.
But the chance to be
in the company as one
so bonnie as yourself is rare indeed.
[drums beating]
[Gaelic singing]
[drumming intensifying]
[boars grunting, squealing]
[Ellen] It was kind of
ye to see me home safely.
[Malcolm] An honor.
Mebbe there's still time.
Ye could return to the hunt.
Lady Ellen
I hope ye can find some rest.
Until we meet again.
[soft music plays]
[tense music plays]
Yer father has departed, as he intended.
Good.
We're leaving too.
I thought ye wanted to stay.
There's no reason to stay any longer.
[soft music plays]
[Gaelic singing]
It's not usual for a lady
to meet a strange man
without a chaperone.
And yet, here you are.
Well, I didn't wish to be rude.
I simply came to say farewell
and that I canna stay.
No, please.
Stay,
even if just for a moment.
But I willna have yer honor,
yer virtue questioned.
Mebbe today the bridge
could be our chaperone.
You stay on that side,
and I'll remain here.
Very well.
I'll stay.
But only for a moment.
Well, with what little time we have,
let me remove an obstacle.
I never asked yer name.
[soft music plays]
Ellen.
I'm Brian.
Do ye have a surname, Brian?
I do.
[chuckles] Of course I do.
But you havena told me yours.
Ellen MacKenzie of Leoch.
You do not approve?
No, it's
I'm Brian Fraser
bastard son of Simon Fraser,
formerly Lord Lovat of Beaufort,
presently of Leathers.
That is unfortunate.
'Tis.
I must admit, since our encounter,
I've tried to forget ye.
Strange.
I could do nothing but think of you.
You've haunted my every thought.
I didn't say I succeeded.
Forgive my boldness,
but I had to touch ye.
Nothing more than yer hands.
Am I too bold?
Shall I return to my
place across the bridge?
[Ellen] No.
What can we do?
My father detested yours.
My brothers
surely will not allow it,
allow us.
I'm sure your father
will be of like mind.
There'll be more obstacles ahead.
Many, nae doubt.
Where do we go from here?
I dinna care if it's fate
or divine intervention
that brought us together.
If I had to bargain
with the devil himself
to spend a moment more with ye,
I would.
[cheering]
[person] Come on!
Isaac! Look at it!
[cheers and laughter]
Thank you!
Thank you.
[upbeat music plays]
[water splashing]
Yer hands are ye hurt?
'Tis the boar's, not mine.
[laughs]
A formidable beast.
Ye must have been afeared for your life.
[chuckling] Nay.
In the eyes of many a hunter,
my sister, Ellen, is the prize.
'Tis she you're looking for, is it not?
She's likely fending
off her other suitors.
Shall I say you were looking for her?
No, thank you.
More formidable than your boar, though.
And I should ken,
for I'm forever walking in her shadow.
The sun shines upon her, 'tis true.
Though I've never met a MacKenzie
who dwelled in any shadow.
[soft music plays]
[lively music playing]
[Mrs. Fitz] She's still not returned?
[maid] No.
[Mrs. Fitz] That's a worry,
with all that talk.
I thought Ellen was
intending to dine with us.
Where is she?
Mistress Fitz, have ye seen Ellen?
Nay, she's no' in her
chambers or anywhere at Leoch.
Was she not at the tynchal this morning?
Aye.
She was. I saw her there.
[Mrs. Fitz] But then
What?
Speak if ye ken something.
Some saw her going off with
Malcolm Grant.
I told ye.
They must think we are weak
if they think they can
take Ellen from us.
Malcolm could be having his
way with her as we speak.
We can't leap to conclusions
on the basis of mere gossip.
Well, I canna be certain.
That's why I'm so
hesitant in telling ye.
Where else could she be?
I dinna ken.
Dougal, where are you going?
To retrieve our sister.
Wait.
Let us think on the matter.
After all, folk no'
blessed with much sense
are apt to be sent on fools' errands.
And this is surely a
fool's errand, Dougal.
Better a fool than a knave.
You use your head to solve the problem.
I'll use my blade.
[Ned] Dougal.
Dougal.
Dougal!
If Malcolm Grant did take Ellen,
would we have just cause
to demand reparations?
Aye.
And could even be lucrative
if he were to violate her.
What you're doing is risky,
riling Dougal up.
He could upset the Grants,
or-or he could get himself killed.
Aye.
And in either case,
'tis another problem solved.
[tense music plays]
[dramatic music plays]
Go on. Go 'round.
[person] Halt. I said halt!
What is this?
Why are ye impeding us?
[grunts]
[grunts and shouts]
Enough!
Dougal!
Dougal, have ye lost yer way? [grunts]
[Malcolm gasping]
Stop!
Relent or I will slit his throat.
Do you wish to lose a man for no reason?
Well?
[groans]
[Malcolm] Why in God's
name have you done this?
Where is my sister, Ellen?
[Henry] Have you not eyes?
She is not here.
She was last seen in your company,
and now she is missing.
Oh, and you were of the mind
that we'd kidnapped her?
[breathing heavily]
I'm not yer sister's keeper.
If I was, I'd ken where she is.
And rest assured, this incident
will no' be forgotten easily,
Dougal MacKenzie.
[tense music plays]
[door clicks]
[Mrs. Fitz] Oh, thank
heavens ye're safe and well.
[Ellen] All is well, Mistress Fitz.
Such dramatics. Worthy of Shakespeare.
Gone without a word to me, to anyone.
If yer father was here
Then none of this would
be happening at all.
I'm sorry.
I'm doing my best to
put on a happy face.
I did nothing more than want
to be alone in my grief.
There may be more grief to come.
What do ye mean?
Well, when ye didna come to dinner
and we couldna find ye,
Dougal thought ye'd been
taken by Malcolm Grant.
And he went to find him and
[Ellen scoffs]
I must speak with my brothers.
Where in God's name have ye been?
What does that matter?
Oh, it matters.
Curse you to hell and back,
Ellen MacKenzie.
Don't speak to Ellen that way!
You you should be
thanking the Lord for her safe return.
You are no' my damn father!
Dinna tell me how to
speak to my own sister.
[Colum] Safe return?
She'd be better off dead.
All of us will be when
the Grants come for us.
Where were ye?
What's happened?
Well, ye vanished without a trace.
We imagined the worst,
that that villainous Grant had raped ye.
We fought in yer name, for yer honor.
[Colum] We?
You.
You did,
bloody reckless, damnable fool.
What?
Beat Malcolm Grant to dust.
I wasna with Grant.
I would never.
Christ, ye think we dinna ken that now?
[Colum] If not wi' Grant, then who?
Where were ye?
You may ask me a hundred times,
and on principle alone,
I will not tell you.
Not now.
I don't owe you anything.
One of us will soon be laird.
Then you'll owe us everything.
A place to rest yer head,
a full belly, your books, your gowns
all of it.
Because it will be one of us
that'll be keeping you in the luxury
to which you've become accustomed.
If that's true
and that's yer attitude,
let the Grants come.
Let them come
and put us all out of our misery.
[door slams]
Who will ye name as yer heir, Da?
One canna walk.
One canna think.
Each one has what the other lacks,
but neither have the necessary
traits to be a laird.
But
nota res mala optima.
The evil that you know is best.
And the author?
[both] Plautus.
[chuckles] Slainte.
[Ellen laughs]
[soft music plays]
Ye ken your brothers and
how to influence them.
As for my heir,
'tis a problem for
another day, a leannan,
as I have no intention
of dying any time soon.
[sighs]
Your wit and your tenacity
are a blessing to me, mo chridhe.
You have more of me in you
than both yer brothers put together.
If only you had a cock.
[somber music plays]
[whispering] Brian.
[water dripping]
[Ned] Ye're not listening to me, Dougal.
Word from Alec is that
half the chieftains here
already ken what happened.
Soon, everyone in the
Highlands will know.
Colum, have you heard a
word we've been saying?
[bird chirping]
Colum?
I gave this bird to our father.
I never once saw him look at it
or speak to it
or even deign to give it a name,
for that matter.
Your father had many things on his mind.
He may have been a
good friend to ye, Ned,
but he was deficient as a father.
We must make amends with
the Grants without delay.
Oh, ye're making the decisions now?
I'm merely thinking of the clan.
And your head.
Ye got what you wanted.
I tried to dissuade him.
You heard me.
Come now, Colum,
playing coy doesn't suit you.
You lit the fuse.
Now you'll put out the fire,
proving to all that you
are the rightful laird.
My father kept you close all
these years for a reason.
I'd do the same.
I'll send word to the bladier,
see if there's something we
could offer as recompense.
There is something.
I remind you the coffers are low.
The-the kine we have
will fetch a good price,
but that is-well,
it's money we don't yet have.
We have something far more valuable
than money or livestock.
A wife.
Give Ellen to Malcolm Grant.
[tense music plays]
You saw the way he looked at her.
Your father promised her
she'd never have to marry
for the sake of the clan.
He gave her his word.
[bird chirping]
My father is dead.
And so is his word.
[bird chirping]
[bird chirping]
[both panting, moaning]
[both moaning]
[both breathing heavily]
Well, that was worth it.
Thank you, Mr. Beauchamp.
[scoffs] You know what I meant.
Coming out here for a bit of privacy.
That woman who runs the inn,
always lurking about.
Yes, I've pictured her with her
ear pressed against our door.
Well, thank you.
I didn't have that image until just now.
[laughs]
I'm famished.
So I wasn't enough,
Mrs. Beauchamp?
[chuckles]
[lively piano music plays]
[Julia] Claire would love all of this.
Some spectacular hedgerows back there
full of wild raspberries.
I told her we'd go
picking when I get home.
Promised her we'd make some jam,
maybe even some homemade wine.
Ugh, from raspberries?
Yes.
You just need a bit of water,
some sugar, yeast.
Leave it to ferment.
A wife who can turn water into wine.
A lovely fringe benefit.
[Julia] Even better than that,
an infusion of raspberry leaves
has been used for centuries
to help women in childbirth.
What?
I didn't say anything.
Well, no, my darling, but your face did.
What are you worried about?
You know I really hate
it when you do that.
I believe you used the wrong verb.
I think you meant "love."
Yeah, that's it.
Well, come on.
Don't keep me in suspense.
I'm just a little
concerned about Claire.
Oh, she's fine, my darling.
A couple of weeks with dear Uncle Lamb?
Goodness me, if I'd ever been so lucky.
They're probably in the
British Museum this minute
having a grand old time.
Well, knowing my brother,
he'll have her learning hieroglyphics,
trying to translate the Rosetta Stone.
[both laugh]
You're worried how she'll
react when we tell her?
Yes.
Well, we've got time.
I won't be showing for
a few more months.
[Henry] I don't know.
She's been our whole world.
I do hope she'll get used to
having a little baby sister.
Brother.
Sister.
- Don't even start.
- [Julia] Brother.
- [horn honks]
- [Julia gasps]
[tires squealing]
[Julia screams]
[dramatic music plays]
- [Julia] Henry!
- [Henry] Julia!
- [Julia] Henry!
- [Henry] Julia!
[coughing, sputtering]
[soft music plays]
Are you hurt?
No. Are you?
No. No.
[Julia] The motorcar?
[both breathing heavily]
Here. Come here.
Come here. Come on.
That's it. Come on.
[dramatic music plays]
[Julia] Goodness me.
We've been walking for hours.
While I know we said we wanted
to get away from it all,
this isn't quite what I imagined
our holiday to be like.
Well, you said you wanted an adventure.
Goddamn stone in my shoe.
Hang on. [grunts]
[Julia] Well, why don't I go up here
and see if I can get
the lay of the land?
Well, hold on. I'll come with you.
Just let me get this rock out first.
I'll be back before you know it.
It was a boulder.
[Julia screams]
Julia?
[tense music plays]
Julia!
[buzzing]
Sweetheart?
[dramatic music plays]
Sub extracted from file & improved
[dramatic music plays]
[Gaelic singing]
[clock ticking]
[crying]
[hooves clopping]
[soft music playing]
If I had my way,
I'd have put him out to sea
with his sword and sent him
on his way with flames.
We must find comfort in
the fact that Red Jacob
is with the Lord now.
I should have been able
to decide what was done.
What we're doing.
It's what he would have wanted.
I'm the eldest.
Aye, but not the eldest son.
Yer father's untimely death
has shaken us all, lass.
But one thing at a time.
Let's see ye dressed and ready
to face the day before us.
We must do our best to
get through the funeral.
How can we talk of putting
my father in the ground
when Clan MacKenzie is vulnerable?
No successor was named.
Someone else, not of our
name or of our blood,
could come in and take charge
of the clan, of our home,
of our money, of our reputation,
of everything we have.
Ye ken that Colum and
Dougal are both bidding
for the lairdship.
The Gathering will decide.
Yer brothers may no' have been named,
but folk will see
that they are MacKenzie
through an' through
an' choose one of them.
And in the meantime?
Our strength is being tested.
What's to come will be
a trial for all of us.
And even worse for you, my dear.
Your father protected ye for a reason.
[Jacob] This, my bonnie wee lass,
is for you.
Bonnie, perhaps.
Not so wee now.
Nah, maybe not.
May any man who looks at you
with more feelings than he ought
be cursed and have his eyes
burnt out with hot coals.
[laughs]
I know I canna stay
here at Leoch forever.
I have a duty to marry eventually.
But you've given me the knowledge
to break free of certain chains
and taught me that true freedom
is the ability to think.
How can I willingly
walk into such a prison?
Ye need say no more, lass.
This is a MacKenzie brooch.
To be worn with MacKenzie plaid.
Man's plaid?
Our clothes tell a story, m'annsachd.
Yer bodice and yer skirts tell us
what's expected of ye as a lassie.
This cloth stands for something else,
tells a different tale.
Wear it as you would wear armor,
as my promise to you.
A MacKenzie ye are,
and a MacKenzie you'll always be.
Try not to worry about
it too much, not yet.
How can ye say that when you ken that Da
sought my opinion on every matter?
I live and breathe to
protect this family.
[Mrs. Fritz] I'm sorry.
I only meant that we must wait
to see what will become of us.
Oh, thank God that both
your sisters are married,
taken care of.
Perhaps 'tis time you considered,
well, doing the same thing.
I'll have no talk of weddings
on the day of my father's funeral.
[somber music plays]
[sighs]
[Gaelic singing]
[Janet] He's so pale.
I hate seeing him like that.
'Tis how we'll all look when we go.
He died in a manner
befitting the way he lived.
Hush, Jocasta.
Not now.
Dying mounted on a maidservant.
'Tis a stain on the family name.
I am only speaking the truth.
And wielding it like a sword.
I'm being sisterly.
[mournful bagpipes playing]
Come now.
It's time.
[distant thunder rumbles]
As married women, surely we should
take precedence in this procession.
Especially you, Leticia.
You should be beside Colum,
leading the way,
setting an example for what's to come.
Perhaps.
But Colum is no' yet Laird.
And I wouldna want to
cause my sister-in-law
any further sorrow today.
Aye. Leave her be.
She has a particularly
heavy burden to bear.
Ye ken she loved Da more than
more than most,
perhaps more than anyone.
And I suppose we have
no burdens of our own?
Are we not grieving as well?
If anything, ye ought to pity her.
For I doubt she'll ever love
any other man half as much.
And wi' him gone, she's lost her power.
[Letitia] Aye.
She could do no wrong in yer Da's eyes.
Her every word was more
precious to him than gold.
He listened to her.
[Gaelic singing]
[soft music plays]
[thunder rumbling]
[Jacob] What's troubling ye, lass?
Thinking of me next move, so.
You would normally have me
begging for mercy by now.
Janet's been wed.
Jocasta will be married before long.
Am I next?
Am I a problem to be solved,
a burden to be rid of, a pawn in a game?
I had Ned teach you and
your brothers chess
because it forces you to think,
to plan ahead,
to be patient, to lure, manipulate,
strike without mercy.
It's a lesson about life,
what it is to be a laird.
Well, I'll never be a laird.
A laird's wife, perhaps.
Aye, it's true.
The tanists will never
bend the knee to you
or take a lassie's word as law.
But then lassies are
nothing but trouble,
or so they say.
You're disappointed.
Your mother, she was worried
that she'd disappointed me as well.
All men want a son, I suppose,
to carry on the family name,
the bloodline.
Aye. We even had a name for you.
James.
[chuckles]
Why Ellen, then?
I ken it's from the Greek.
It means torch.
Torch.
[Jacob] And no just because
of the flaming red hair
that you have on your head,
but because from that first moment,
I knew that you would always
be what lights my way.
Most blessed day of my life
was the day you were born.
Luceo non uro.
I shine, not burn.
Aye, you do,
the brightest of us all.
[thunder rumbling]
[somber music plays]
[dramatic music plays]
Long the way ♪
O'er the bridge I crossed ♪
For my love ♪
For my love that's lost ♪
By the brae ♪
In the verdant moss ♪
Where I watch. Where I wait ♪
For my love that's lost ♪
Hi a bho ♪
Hoireann eile o ♪
Hi a bho ♪
Fair a leo fair a lè ♪
Hi a bho ♪
Hoireann eile o ♪
'S tu mo run. 'S tu mo ghràdh ♪
Agus m' eudail o ♪
[mooing]
[dramatic music plays]
Oi!
Oi!
[all yelling]
[grunts]
[grunting]
[man groaning]
Give me yer name.
Which clan?
All right, lad.
If ye willna tell me
[screaming]
[Dougal] Take this message home with ye.
I'm Dougal MacKenzie.
And if you come to
plunder MacKenzie lands,
reive MacKenzie kine,
then you'll leave with
less than you came with.
[screaming]
[bellowing]
[bellowing]
[grunts]
[bellowing]
[all bellowing]
Could have been Fraser's men.
Surely he can still manage a raid.
That bastard's been holding a
grudge against us for years.
I'll take a few men and
return their visit.
Doubt he'd be wanting to pick a fight.
Simon Fraser of Lovat
is not much of a threat
considering his lack of status.
He hated Da, despises MacKenzies.
Ye just as your father raised you
to loathe the Frasers in return.
[Dougal] Aye, and with good reason.
The Grants, then.
[Colum] You're quick
to cast blame, brother.
You hate the Grants
because they have money.
I hate the Grants because they think
they're better than us.
Mind your tongue.
There are folk hereabouts
who'd relish hearing
that the MacKenzies and the Grants
are at each other's throats.
They've wanted us under
their thumb for ages.
They see opportunity.
If it was the Grants
If.
Now that-that your father has passed,
there are plenty of folk more than eager
to see the demise of Clan MacKenzie,
for the abundant grazing lands alone.
Unfortunately, there will be many
whose cups will be raised in celebration
rather than grief at
Red Jacob's passing.
He wasn't a beloved man in these parts.
[stammering] And I say
that as his trusted advisor
and someone with deep respect for him.
God rest his soul.
Have you heard anything, Ned,
about which way the clan is leaning?
[Dougal] Well?
[sighs]
It's too early to draw conclusions.
[chuckles]
But your father died
without naming someone
to follow in his stead.
And most of the tanists
and-and the chiefs
arriving for the gathering seem torn
which of you to choose as Laird.
Well, a dirk across the belly
might change a few minds.
Yes, well, it's that sort of talk
that has them worried, Dougal.
May I remind you being Red Jacob's sons
doesn't guarantee a thing
in terms of the lairdship.
[Dougal] The Clan will never choose
from outside this family.
They'll vote to ensure they have
a strong leader whose actions
speak louder than words.
[Colum] Dougal.
[tense music plays]
I'm not sure what's worse,
your cheap talk
or ill-thought-out deeds.
Not everything can be solved
with a brawl and some beer.
You lack diplomacy, brother.
And you lack the simple
ability to walk straight.
When the time comes,
now that Da is laid to rest
and all the ayes are
counted at the Gathering,
one man will have the most
me.
You dinna want yers to
be cast out of pity,
now, do you, Colum?
Time to put such matters to bed.
I'm no' going to the
MacKenzie Gathering with ye.
You'll miss a once in
a lifetime occurrence.
[laughs]
And just what would that be, huh?
Finally seeing you muster
the courage to talk
to this lassie you've
been harping on about?
Brian, come on.
Canna. Too many chores to do.
Chores ye should be helping me with.
You dinna need me to go wi' you
and hold your hand, Murtagh.
Not hold my hand,
just stand there next to me.
Ask yer Auntie Glenna to help ye.
She'll be more than glad
to see you there, I'm sure.
And you may come and go as you please.
Ye ken well enough
I'm no' welcome in that household.
Well, they've never seen
yer face before, have they?
[Brian] Exactly.
A hatred for my father
that runs so deep,
they'd spit in the face of the
son they've never even met.
And they say hatred and love,
two sides of the same coin.
Hm.
Well, just as well.
Dinna have any coin to spend.
So no, I willna go, thank ye very much.
I'd prefer to keep my
head attached to my neck,
if that's all the same to ye.
Think of the feasts we could have,
and the games.
I've attended feasts before
and have nothing to prove at the games.
You could find a lassie
with my help and a wee bit of luck.
[laughs] I kent that would do it.
[chuckles]
Now see, there ye're wrong.
I'm no' a fool like you are, cousin.
I know better.
The love of a beautiful woman is
a balm for all man's troubles.
And you have a lot of those.
[upbeat music plays]
Brian! That'll be supper, then.
Murtagh, you're welcome to join us.
[Brian] So a lassie can
solve all my troubles, eh?
I'll tell you who's trouble. You.
[Davina] Don't keep yer
father waiting, Brian.
[Brian] Pain in me arse. [laughs]
[Murtagh] Get off me!
I'm the best friend you ever had.
[Brian] Or the worst.
[Murtagh] I think you mean the only.
[both laugh]
[indistinct chatter]
[laughs]
'Tis a time for celebration, is it not?
[chuckles]
At long last,
God has answered my prayers.
I wish only that the news
had reached me sooner.
Not knowing that he died a time ago
kept me from this rapture.
You prayed for a man's death?
Well, I prayed that
justice would be done
and that any man involved
in removing my title
or stealing my lands would
receive fiery judgment in hell.
Ye're sure Red Jacob betrayed you?
He admitted as much when last we met.
If the devil has seen fit
to call Seumas Ruadh home,
then who are we to question it?
Father, you hold on to yer grievances
like a dog holds on to a bone.
Brian, you're not too old to be lashed
for an insolent tongue.
Ye'd better remember who you are
and who yer not.
Murtagh knows his place at my table.
He knows to listen and to speak
only when spoken to and-and not before.
I assume you'll be leaving soon
for the MacKenzie Gathering.
After I finish my meal.
I'll want to know who's in attendance,
who's talking to whom.
I was going for the feasting and games
and to see my auntie.
Hmm.
Maybe pay my respects to
the elder Miss MacKenzie
and her sisters.
Didna have it in mind to spy.
Oh, not spy.
Merely open yer eyes and ears
of what ye may learn of value.
[tense music plays]
Their clan will choose a successor.
Many will be vying for the position
[scoffs]
but canna imagine they'll choose
the lame-legged one.
[laughs]
Or his brother, whose cock will
be the death of him one day.
Doesna sound like ye're
in need of a spy.
[Lovat] I've suffered
indignities all these years.
Lost land, wealth, favor.
I've been ostracized and
cast out of good society.
So I'll no' miss this chance
to reverse my position.
Take yer cousin wi' ye.
Two lads on the scent of lassies,
it's more likely to go unnoticed.
Murtagh doesn't need
anyone to watch over him.
[Lovat] Och, there'll be
hundreds at the Gathering
to pledge their oath to the new Laird.
The MacKenzies may know
I have a bastard son.
But they surely dinna
ken what he looks like.
Ah!
At last. I'm famished.
I thought I'd have to
fetch my own supper.
Apologies, milord.
Thought I'd keep it warm for you
until you're ready to eat.
[Lovat] Ah. [chuckles]
Father, she hasna been here long enough
to ken your habits.
Indeed.
Aye.
My son is right.
Forgive me.
Stay a while, me doll,
and I shall do my best
to acquaint you with them.
Allow me, Father.
I'll spare ye the trouble.
[Davina] Lass, please
come now to the kitchen.
There's work to be done.
I ken ye've much to
learn about this house
and those who live here,
but I've told ye time and again
not to linger in the Laird's
presence without me.
Master Murtagh and
Master Brian were there.
Aye, but he doesna care who's witness.
Ye have to be unseen.
'Tis best he think of you as furniture.
You dinna want the alternative.
Yes, mistress.
Now get along to your work.
[lively music plays]
[indistinct chatter]
If Dougal is chosen
ye'd have to go?
Kind way of putting it, aye.
I'd be forced out.
Or mebbe I'd be seeing Da again
a wee bit sooner than I thought.
Do you think Dougal has enough support?
I dinna ken.
Ye have mine.
[lively music plays]
[cheering]
[grunting]
[Rupert] Oh, my Lord!
[Angus] What? What is it?
[Rupert] May the devil take my eyes.
[Angus] Let me see, Rupert.
Och, you've seen enough,
ye wee little rat bag.
'Tis my turn.
- [man panting]
- Oh, my word!
[Rupert] Told ye.
[panting]
[Angus] I canna look away.
[Rupert] What? What's happening now?
[Angus] I dinna ken.
'Tis like they were rabbits.
- [Rupert] Rabbits?
- [Angus] Aye.
Or kine. One or the other.
[Rupert] Well,
kine or rabbits? Which is it?
[Ned] Angus, Rupert.
We werena doing anything.
Aye, and if we were,
'twas Angus that made me do it.
Just like I said, Rupert,
you are a wee rat.
I willna tell, boys, if you willna.
- Aye, sir.
- Yes, sir.
Now be gone with ye,
before the devil does take yer eyes.
[panting, moaning]
Dougal?
When you've completed yer task,
could you please oblige your
brother with your presence?
When I've finished.
[panting, moaning]
Dinna do this.
Dinna ken yer meaning.
[Colum] I will not so much as beg ye.
But I ask ye as my brother,
blood of my blood,
withdraw any challenge.
Yield.
Do what you ken is right.
I am the eldest, the wisest of us.
I've been preparing
for this all my life.
Let me be laird.
[chuckles] Let ye?
What are ye, looking
for my permission now,
now that ye canna run clypin' to Da?
[Colum] Dinna bring him into this.
Since when have you
ever valued his opinion?
Da always kent I was stronger.
Aye.
And stupid enough to have forgotten
how he beat you endlessly
to make you so.
You will bring disgrace to us all.
I will bring glory to this clan.
[tense music plays]
The men will need a chieftain
to lead them in battle
if there is a rising, a war.
If the war does come,
Clan MacKenzie will need
a laird who can bring order.
Blood of my blood,
we are cut from the same cloth,
forged in the same fire,
and yet ye canna understand
that I'm deaf to your words.
All I hear is fear, excuses,
a desire to talk me
out of challenging ye,
for ye ken you'll lose.
We'll stand before all the septs
and their leaders,
and they'll swear
allegiance to one of us.
If you could hear yourself,
you'd ken you're not ready.
I ken all I need to.
And I ken they willna bend
the knee to a cripple.
If ye can manage it,
bend your knee to me.
Dinna turn your back on me, Dougal.
I'm talking to ye.
Time for talking is over.
[tense music plays]
[cheering]
[Ellen] I miss our daily
walks in the garden.
Perhaps we can take them more often.
- Be good for your legs.
- [Colum] Mebbe.
But I have a wife to walk wi' now.
Aye, ye do.
Colum, terrible news about Seumas Ruadh.
Yer father was a great man,
much loved hereabouts.
Are ye acquainted wi' my sister,
Ellen MacKenzie?
[MacKinney] I've not
yet had the pleasure.
May I introduce James MacKinney.
[Ellen] Mr. MacKinney.
Lady Ellen, the rumors
about your beauty are true.
Kind compliment. Thank you.
But no' enough to raise a smile.
I'm still in mourning.
You willna always be.
I'll leave you to grieve in peace, then.
He's not hiding his
intentions very well.
A keen observation.
He's no' here to pay respects.
He's here to ingratiate himself.
He wants control of Clan MacKenzie.
[light music plays]
Murtagh.
Aye.
Go. Pay your respects.
I'd stay to give ye a push,
but I feel like a hare out in the open,
about to be someone's supper.
Go, then.
See if I can manage a
step or two without ye.
What were ye thinking,
bringing him here?
Not now, Auntie.
Ye ken better.
If the MacKenzies find
that Fraser in their midst,
there'll be no mercy for him.
He will wish he hadna been born.
[sighs] Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser.
I see.
Now you've lost your wits.
She's a lady, and you are no gentleman.
Not that she's in mind of marryin'.
Dinna need to be a maidservant
to be privy to that.
Aye.
Jacob swore to her
that she doesna have to take a husband.
And 'tis no secret that
she doesna wish to.
There are plenty of lassies here
who'd be delighted by attention
from a man such as yerself.
Mebbe.
I can only see her.
[light music plays]
Then close yer eyes
or cast them in another direction.
[cheering]
[person] Mebbe give someone else a go.
Where ye from, man?
What family?
Dinna recognize ye.
Canna recall if I've seen
hair so dark in my life.
[tense music plays]
I'm gonna go.
My arm's, uh it's
nearly falling off, see.
And I'd very much like
to lift a tankard later.
Gentlemen, will ye have a throw?
[Gaelic singing]
[person] Dinna like the look of him.
[Gaelic singing]
[upbeat music plays]
[indistinct chatter]
[animals braying]
[sighs]
[Ellen] If ye're thinking
of bedding down here
for the night,
I can suggest better places.
Ye can speak?
Aye.
Just, uh, dinna expect to
hear a voice hereabouts.
Not many kine or horses speak.
Many?
I didna ken they were endowed
with that power at all.
[soft music plays]
Aye, of course they are.
They dinna speak to you
the horses?
I find some to be very wise.
And, eh, much better company
than, say uh, chickens.
Well, no one likes the
company of chickens.
Why are you here,
hiding amongst the beasts?
It's been a long day.
And I'm afraid I have very
little social grace left.
Ah.
Suitors?
Aye.
Unwanted.
I could ask ye the same.
I, too, have, uh
suitors.
I wager ye do.
[person] Keep looking.
[indistinct chatter]
Oh, that'll be the suitors
ye were talking about.
Aye.
And I dinna think they
have courtship in mind.
Ye should probably make haste, then.
Aye.
[soft music plays]
I ken this may be forward,
but will you meet me
in a more uh, suitable place?
Aye.
There's a bridge at the
edge of this estate,
as if you're traveling to Inverness.
Aye. I ken it well.
During the tynchal.
Tomorrow.
[person] He couldna have gone far.
Find the bastard!
[Ellen] Go.
[laughing] Go.
[dramatic music plays]
[indistinct chatter]
[Ned] Welcome to Leoch, Mr. Grant.
Colum, Dougal,
my deepest and most sincere condolences.
Seumas was a friend.
His loss will be felt for many years.
Thank you.
He will be missed.
You'll remember my son, Malcolm.
And this is our spokesperson
and bladier, Henry.
Gentlemen.
[indistinct chatter]
Where have ye been?
Am I not free to mourn as I wish?
[Malcolm] Lady Ellen.
Ye may no' remember,
but we met long ago.
I'm Malcolm Grant.
We were no more than wee bairns.
[laughs]
My father had business
here wi' your own father,
and we were scolded for running around
and screaming like
banshees in the courtyard.
[laughs]
I do have a vague recollection,
now that you mention it.
I'm glad to hear it.
Thank you for coming.
[indistinct chatter]
Ye're new to the Grants.
That's right.
English?
I'm a Grant by name now.
Ah, thereby hangs a tale.
In spite of appearances to the contrary,
the mood between us
here is one of unease.
[Henry] Indeed.
Is there anything I can do to,
say, lighten it?
Well, perhaps you have
something in mind already.
A bond of friendship between our clans.
[Henry] A financial bond.
[Ned] You say financial,
I say friendship.
Makes little difference
in the end, perhaps.
Well, money does have
a way of transforming
an enemy into a friend almost overnight.
Before we continue, may I inquire
as to what happened to your predecessor?
I'm told he left in haste
to the American colonies
in the interests of our laird.
Unaware of the precise details.
Perhaps land.
They say the King is granting
land to all and sundry
in the provinces of North
and South Carolina.
Strange, 'cause he didna
mention it when last we spoke.
We were negotiating toll rates.
Well, I am at your service.
Ah, we can discuss that
at a more suitable time.
Agreed.
And how is it ye came into
the service of the Grants?
Met Malcolm in Inverness.
He was impressed by my uh, acumen,
ability to conduct myself.
Offered me a position
as advisor and scribe,
asked me to be their bladier.
Isaac must have been impressed as well.
Nothing happens amongst the Grants
without his approval.
[string music playing]
When next we meet, you can uh,
you can tell me all about how you came
to be in bonnie Scotland.
Well?
I'm meeting with their
new bladier later.
I don't think the raid
was the Grants' doing.
They could, if they so choose,
take all that we have.
True.
'Twould be my pleasure to
welcome the Grants properly.
[Ned] Their retribution would
be swift and unmerciful.
The Grants have over 300
men at their command.
Ah.
Well, three of my men
are worth 300 of theirs.
We need their support, Dougal,
if one of us is to be laird.
Hell will come to Leoch
before I ally with the Grants.
'Tis no' your decision.
You are not laird.
Stop acting like one.
[tense music plays]
[hooves clopping]
[lively music plays]
[dogs barking]
[percussive music plays]
Excuse me.
I didn't mean to startle ye.
Mr. Grant.
Were you leaving?
May I escort ye?
Um, no.
Thank you, but I'm not feeling well.
I was going to retire to my chamber.
Well, may I see you there, then,
in case you fall ill along the way?
[laughing] No.
Ye canna miss the tynchal on my account.
I will live.
There's a thousand boars to hunt.
But the chance to be
in the company as one
so bonnie as yourself is rare indeed.
[drums beating]
[Gaelic singing]
[drumming intensifying]
[boars grunting, squealing]
[Ellen] It was kind of
ye to see me home safely.
[Malcolm] An honor.
Mebbe there's still time.
Ye could return to the hunt.
Lady Ellen
I hope ye can find some rest.
Until we meet again.
[soft music plays]
[tense music plays]
Yer father has departed, as he intended.
Good.
We're leaving too.
I thought ye wanted to stay.
There's no reason to stay any longer.
[soft music plays]
[Gaelic singing]
It's not usual for a lady
to meet a strange man
without a chaperone.
And yet, here you are.
Well, I didn't wish to be rude.
I simply came to say farewell
and that I canna stay.
No, please.
Stay,
even if just for a moment.
But I willna have yer honor,
yer virtue questioned.
Mebbe today the bridge
could be our chaperone.
You stay on that side,
and I'll remain here.
Very well.
I'll stay.
But only for a moment.
Well, with what little time we have,
let me remove an obstacle.
I never asked yer name.
[soft music plays]
Ellen.
I'm Brian.
Do ye have a surname, Brian?
I do.
[chuckles] Of course I do.
But you havena told me yours.
Ellen MacKenzie of Leoch.
You do not approve?
No, it's
I'm Brian Fraser
bastard son of Simon Fraser,
formerly Lord Lovat of Beaufort,
presently of Leathers.
That is unfortunate.
'Tis.
I must admit, since our encounter,
I've tried to forget ye.
Strange.
I could do nothing but think of you.
You've haunted my every thought.
I didn't say I succeeded.
Forgive my boldness,
but I had to touch ye.
Nothing more than yer hands.
Am I too bold?
Shall I return to my
place across the bridge?
[Ellen] No.
What can we do?
My father detested yours.
My brothers
surely will not allow it,
allow us.
I'm sure your father
will be of like mind.
There'll be more obstacles ahead.
Many, nae doubt.
Where do we go from here?
I dinna care if it's fate
or divine intervention
that brought us together.
If I had to bargain
with the devil himself
to spend a moment more with ye,
I would.
[cheering]
[person] Come on!
Isaac! Look at it!
[cheers and laughter]
Thank you!
Thank you.
[upbeat music plays]
[water splashing]
Yer hands are ye hurt?
'Tis the boar's, not mine.
[laughs]
A formidable beast.
Ye must have been afeared for your life.
[chuckling] Nay.
In the eyes of many a hunter,
my sister, Ellen, is the prize.
'Tis she you're looking for, is it not?
She's likely fending
off her other suitors.
Shall I say you were looking for her?
No, thank you.
More formidable than your boar, though.
And I should ken,
for I'm forever walking in her shadow.
The sun shines upon her, 'tis true.
Though I've never met a MacKenzie
who dwelled in any shadow.
[soft music plays]
[lively music playing]
[Mrs. Fitz] She's still not returned?
[maid] No.
[Mrs. Fitz] That's a worry,
with all that talk.
I thought Ellen was
intending to dine with us.
Where is she?
Mistress Fitz, have ye seen Ellen?
Nay, she's no' in her
chambers or anywhere at Leoch.
Was she not at the tynchal this morning?
Aye.
She was. I saw her there.
[Mrs. Fitz] But then
What?
Speak if ye ken something.
Some saw her going off with
Malcolm Grant.
I told ye.
They must think we are weak
if they think they can
take Ellen from us.
Malcolm could be having his
way with her as we speak.
We can't leap to conclusions
on the basis of mere gossip.
Well, I canna be certain.
That's why I'm so
hesitant in telling ye.
Where else could she be?
I dinna ken.
Dougal, where are you going?
To retrieve our sister.
Wait.
Let us think on the matter.
After all, folk no'
blessed with much sense
are apt to be sent on fools' errands.
And this is surely a
fool's errand, Dougal.
Better a fool than a knave.
You use your head to solve the problem.
I'll use my blade.
[Ned] Dougal.
Dougal.
Dougal!
If Malcolm Grant did take Ellen,
would we have just cause
to demand reparations?
Aye.
And could even be lucrative
if he were to violate her.
What you're doing is risky,
riling Dougal up.
He could upset the Grants,
or-or he could get himself killed.
Aye.
And in either case,
'tis another problem solved.
[tense music plays]
[dramatic music plays]
Go on. Go 'round.
[person] Halt. I said halt!
What is this?
Why are ye impeding us?
[grunts]
[grunts and shouts]
Enough!
Dougal!
Dougal, have ye lost yer way? [grunts]
[Malcolm gasping]
Stop!
Relent or I will slit his throat.
Do you wish to lose a man for no reason?
Well?
[groans]
[Malcolm] Why in God's
name have you done this?
Where is my sister, Ellen?
[Henry] Have you not eyes?
She is not here.
She was last seen in your company,
and now she is missing.
Oh, and you were of the mind
that we'd kidnapped her?
[breathing heavily]
I'm not yer sister's keeper.
If I was, I'd ken where she is.
And rest assured, this incident
will no' be forgotten easily,
Dougal MacKenzie.
[tense music plays]
[door clicks]
[Mrs. Fitz] Oh, thank
heavens ye're safe and well.
[Ellen] All is well, Mistress Fitz.
Such dramatics. Worthy of Shakespeare.
Gone without a word to me, to anyone.
If yer father was here
Then none of this would
be happening at all.
I'm sorry.
I'm doing my best to
put on a happy face.
I did nothing more than want
to be alone in my grief.
There may be more grief to come.
What do ye mean?
Well, when ye didna come to dinner
and we couldna find ye,
Dougal thought ye'd been
taken by Malcolm Grant.
And he went to find him and
[Ellen scoffs]
I must speak with my brothers.
Where in God's name have ye been?
What does that matter?
Oh, it matters.
Curse you to hell and back,
Ellen MacKenzie.
Don't speak to Ellen that way!
You you should be
thanking the Lord for her safe return.
You are no' my damn father!
Dinna tell me how to
speak to my own sister.
[Colum] Safe return?
She'd be better off dead.
All of us will be when
the Grants come for us.
Where were ye?
What's happened?
Well, ye vanished without a trace.
We imagined the worst,
that that villainous Grant had raped ye.
We fought in yer name, for yer honor.
[Colum] We?
You.
You did,
bloody reckless, damnable fool.
What?
Beat Malcolm Grant to dust.
I wasna with Grant.
I would never.
Christ, ye think we dinna ken that now?
[Colum] If not wi' Grant, then who?
Where were ye?
You may ask me a hundred times,
and on principle alone,
I will not tell you.
Not now.
I don't owe you anything.
One of us will soon be laird.
Then you'll owe us everything.
A place to rest yer head,
a full belly, your books, your gowns
all of it.
Because it will be one of us
that'll be keeping you in the luxury
to which you've become accustomed.
If that's true
and that's yer attitude,
let the Grants come.
Let them come
and put us all out of our misery.
[door slams]
Who will ye name as yer heir, Da?
One canna walk.
One canna think.
Each one has what the other lacks,
but neither have the necessary
traits to be a laird.
But
nota res mala optima.
The evil that you know is best.
And the author?
[both] Plautus.
[chuckles] Slainte.
[Ellen laughs]
[soft music plays]
Ye ken your brothers and
how to influence them.
As for my heir,
'tis a problem for
another day, a leannan,
as I have no intention
of dying any time soon.
[sighs]
Your wit and your tenacity
are a blessing to me, mo chridhe.
You have more of me in you
than both yer brothers put together.
If only you had a cock.
[somber music plays]
[whispering] Brian.
[water dripping]
[Ned] Ye're not listening to me, Dougal.
Word from Alec is that
half the chieftains here
already ken what happened.
Soon, everyone in the
Highlands will know.
Colum, have you heard a
word we've been saying?
[bird chirping]
Colum?
I gave this bird to our father.
I never once saw him look at it
or speak to it
or even deign to give it a name,
for that matter.
Your father had many things on his mind.
He may have been a
good friend to ye, Ned,
but he was deficient as a father.
We must make amends with
the Grants without delay.
Oh, ye're making the decisions now?
I'm merely thinking of the clan.
And your head.
Ye got what you wanted.
I tried to dissuade him.
You heard me.
Come now, Colum,
playing coy doesn't suit you.
You lit the fuse.
Now you'll put out the fire,
proving to all that you
are the rightful laird.
My father kept you close all
these years for a reason.
I'd do the same.
I'll send word to the bladier,
see if there's something we
could offer as recompense.
There is something.
I remind you the coffers are low.
The-the kine we have
will fetch a good price,
but that is-well,
it's money we don't yet have.
We have something far more valuable
than money or livestock.
A wife.
Give Ellen to Malcolm Grant.
[tense music plays]
You saw the way he looked at her.
Your father promised her
she'd never have to marry
for the sake of the clan.
He gave her his word.
[bird chirping]
My father is dead.
And so is his word.
[bird chirping]
[bird chirping]
[both panting, moaning]
[both moaning]
[both breathing heavily]
Well, that was worth it.
Thank you, Mr. Beauchamp.
[scoffs] You know what I meant.
Coming out here for a bit of privacy.
That woman who runs the inn,
always lurking about.
Yes, I've pictured her with her
ear pressed against our door.
Well, thank you.
I didn't have that image until just now.
[laughs]
I'm famished.
So I wasn't enough,
Mrs. Beauchamp?
[chuckles]
[lively piano music plays]
[Julia] Claire would love all of this.
Some spectacular hedgerows back there
full of wild raspberries.
I told her we'd go
picking when I get home.
Promised her we'd make some jam,
maybe even some homemade wine.
Ugh, from raspberries?
Yes.
You just need a bit of water,
some sugar, yeast.
Leave it to ferment.
A wife who can turn water into wine.
A lovely fringe benefit.
[Julia] Even better than that,
an infusion of raspberry leaves
has been used for centuries
to help women in childbirth.
What?
I didn't say anything.
Well, no, my darling, but your face did.
What are you worried about?
You know I really hate
it when you do that.
I believe you used the wrong verb.
I think you meant "love."
Yeah, that's it.
Well, come on.
Don't keep me in suspense.
I'm just a little
concerned about Claire.
Oh, she's fine, my darling.
A couple of weeks with dear Uncle Lamb?
Goodness me, if I'd ever been so lucky.
They're probably in the
British Museum this minute
having a grand old time.
Well, knowing my brother,
he'll have her learning hieroglyphics,
trying to translate the Rosetta Stone.
[both laugh]
You're worried how she'll
react when we tell her?
Yes.
Well, we've got time.
I won't be showing for
a few more months.
[Henry] I don't know.
She's been our whole world.
I do hope she'll get used to
having a little baby sister.
Brother.
Sister.
- Don't even start.
- [Julia] Brother.
- [horn honks]
- [Julia gasps]
[tires squealing]
[Julia screams]
[dramatic music plays]
- [Julia] Henry!
- [Henry] Julia!
- [Julia] Henry!
- [Henry] Julia!
[coughing, sputtering]
[soft music plays]
Are you hurt?
No. Are you?
No. No.
[Julia] The motorcar?
[both breathing heavily]
Here. Come here.
Come here. Come on.
That's it. Come on.
[dramatic music plays]
[Julia] Goodness me.
We've been walking for hours.
While I know we said we wanted
to get away from it all,
this isn't quite what I imagined
our holiday to be like.
Well, you said you wanted an adventure.
Goddamn stone in my shoe.
Hang on. [grunts]
[Julia] Well, why don't I go up here
and see if I can get
the lay of the land?
Well, hold on. I'll come with you.
Just let me get this rock out first.
I'll be back before you know it.
It was a boulder.
[Julia screams]
Julia?
[tense music plays]
Julia!
[buzzing]
Sweetheart?
[dramatic music plays]
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