A Touch of Venus (1968) s01e03 Episode Script
All on Her Own
Thank you for a heavenly party.
-lt was nice of you to come.
-So sweet of you to bring me home.
-Do you live on your own? -Oh, yes.
l'm all on my own now since Henry died.
The boys are still at Eton.
-Don't you ever feel lonely? -No, not a bit.
-l'm sure l would.
-l don't let myself be.
Anyway, who could be lonely in London? (TYRES SCREECHlNG) Oh.
-Well, goodbye.
Thank you again.
-Goodbye.
(CLOCK TlCKlNG LOUDLY) (SlGHlNG) What time did you die? Henry? What time did you die? lt was about now, wasn't it? The police said you'd been dead between eight and nine hours.
And it was eight in the morning when Mrs Avon found you lying there on that sofa.
No, it was before, it was just before.
Because when she called me downstairs, the clock was striking.
That's one of those silly things you remember.
So it must have been about now that you died.
(CLOCK CHlMlNG) A woman at a party l've just been to told me quite seriously that she talked to her husband every night at exactly the hour that he died.
He sends her long messages on a Ouija board or something.
(SCOFFS) Well, l haven't got a Ouija board.
But l'm talking to you, Henry.
And it's more or less the time you died.
You might just answer, you never know.
Then l'd have a story to tell at a party, too.
(SlGHS) Well, talking to a dead you is as good a way as any of talking to myself, l suppose.
Which is roughly what talking to you alive was, too, come to think of it.
Except l hope you're not listening, 'cause that was rude.
l was never rude to you in all our 18 years, was l? (SlGHlNG) "Unfailingly polite", wasn't it? "Unfailingly", you used to say.
Or was it "invariably"? No, "unfailingly".
Oh, poor Henry.
How you hated it.
How you longed for one honest, vulgar, hammer and tongs, husband and wifely flamer.
But l never gave it to you, did l? (SlGHS) l was brought up to be polite, you see.
Unfailingly polite.
Was that so wrong? Yes, it was.
lt was pretty damn bloody awful.
(CHUCKLES) You know talking to you is rather good for me, Henry.
l should do it more often.
Might even make me honest.
Now you be honest with me, Henry.
And tell me if the police and the coroner and the people from the insurance were right when they said it was a drunken accident? Or if l'm right now when l say that you killed yourself? (DEEP VOlCE) "Oh, but Rosemary, darling, why should l want to kill myself? "Had everything to live for, hadn't l? "l'd just sold the business in Huddersfield for a lot of money "and bought this beautiful house in Hampstead.
"And for the first time in my life l could enjoy all the ease "and comfort of a charming, civilised, cultured retirement in London "with a charming, civilised, cultured wife beside me "and two charming, civilised, cultured sons at Eton.
"And my wife's still quite young, as wives go, "and quite attractive in her way, or so it seems to me.
"Oh, l was a very lucky man when l was alive.
"There's no doubt about it.
"Well, why on earth should l want to kill myself?" (NORMAL VOlCE) Well, if l answered that for you, Henry, would you tell me whether you did? (CHUCKLlNG) No.
Of course you wouldn't.
(DEEP VOlCE) "But Rosemary, darling, all that happened that night "was that we had a little tiff "about whether or not l should go out on the town with Alf Haley "from the rugger club, "instead of going with you to the ballet, which l never fancied much, as you know.
"Along with the Fergusons always treating me like some sort of a nit "who'd married a mile above himself.
"They're not the only ones in Hampstead to do that, either, come to think of it.
"But it never seemed to put you out too much, Rosemary, love.
"Be honest now, did it?" (NORMAL VOlCE) Oh, my God.
Oh lt was me, was it? Well Well, no, l'm not as l'm not as honest as that.
Henry? That must have been you.
Henry, are you in this room? Are you in this room, Henry? Are you? Now, let's try again.
(DEEP VOlCE) "Oh, well, we had this little upset, as l told you.
"And afterwards, you went upstairs to bed.
Oh, never a cross word, mind.
"lmpeccably polite.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) lmpeccably Yes, that was it.
Not "invariably" or "unfailingly".
lt was "impeccably".
No, it wasn't.
No, it wasn't.
Well, why was it that time? Oh, Henry, you are here.
You are here, aren't you? You're here with me, in this room.
Go on, Henry.
Go on.
(DEEP VOlCE) "Well, all right, Rosemary, love.
"You went up to bed, like l said, impeccably polite, "as always, and then l'm afraid, well "l got myself at that decanter you're holding now.
"Going my way, are you, love? "Be careful of the whisky, love, it's bad stuff for widows living on their own.
"You had two before you went to the party "and now this will be three since you got home.
"Yes, that's better.
You can't be too careful, l always say.
(CHUCKLlNG) "Look what happened to me that night.
" (BREATHlNG HEAVlLY) "You think it's not me talking to you, don't you? "You think you're just talking to yourself?" (NORMAL VOlCE) But l know l'm talking to myself in a bad Huddersfield accent.
(DEEP VOlCE) "But l didn't talk in Huddersfield accent, love.
"l was born in Walsall.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) Did l know that? Well, yes, l suppose l must have.
Well All All right, Henry.
What happened to you that night? Tell me.
Oh, yes.
Yes, of course.
l begin and you take over, huh? (DEEP VOlCE) "All right, Rosemary, love.
"Well, you went to bed, see, "and then l'm afraid l got at the decanter and got myself a bit tipsy.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) No, that wasn't the word you used.
What was the word you used? "Whistled"? (DEEP VOlCE) "Woozled".
(NORMAL VOlCE) Oh, yes, "woozled".
(DEEP VOlCE) "Aren't you going to say, "'l wish you wouldn't use that awful word, Henry.
"'lf you mean drunk, why don't you say drunk?"' (NORMAL VOlCE) Because you weren't drunk.
No, not that night.
When you came to bed, you You were quite sober.
lf you hadn't been l'd have smelled it on your breath.
l knew the smell of whisky on your breath.
l'd had enough experience of it in the last 15 years.
(DEEP VOlCE) "Ah, but not much in the last 10 years "and not at all that night.
Not from very close.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) But, you said that that you wanted to sleep down here.
And l told you to please yourself.
(DEEP VOlCE) "Ah, you did.
And l did please myself "and that's when l got really woozled.
"Oh, boy, did l get woozled.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) But you mean You mean that you expected to come to bed with me? (DEEP VOlCE) "Not expected.
"Hoped, you might say.
"And l'd said l was sorry, hadn't l? "And it was a Friday night, after all.
"Oh, not like, like back in Huddersfield, l know, not working on a Saturday.
"Not working any bloody day down here.
"l know things like that had, well, had lapsed a bit between us.
"But it's always a good way to make up a quarrel, isn't it? "Oh, don't cry, love, there's no need for that now.
"l told you l hadn't expected, only hoped.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) Yes, but what What about those pills? Henry? Henry, what about those pills? (DEEP VOlCE) "Well, this sofa's not much of a place to sleep on, a man my size.
"And in a bit of a state, oh woozled, l'll admit, but still in a bit of a state.
"So l went up to the bathroom and l found that bottle of pills you use, "Nembutal or some such name.
Oh, little yellow things.
"And l took just enough to make me sleep, two or three.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) No.
Six.
(DEEP VOlCE) "Oh, was it six? "Well, l told you l was woozled, didn't l? "Yeah, doesn't that show it was an accident? "lf l'd wanted to kill myself l'd have taken 16, wouldn't l?" (NORMAL VOlCE) No.
Not if you wanted me to think it was an accident.
And for me to get the money from the insurers.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Do you think that money could make up for you? Oh, you bloody, bloody fool.
How were you to know? Here, another whisky.
Oh, Henry Henry, why did you do it? l know why you did it.
lf you did it.
Did you? Oh, what's the point? lt'll only be my own brain answering for you.
And thinking no.
And believing yes.
Yes and no.
No and Until l die.
When will that be, Henry? Are you allowed to know these things? And Would you Would you tell me if you were? (CHUCKLlNG) You'd never say anything to hurt me, would you? Doesn't matter.
Yes.
Yes, l'm lonely.
And l do miss you.
Terribly, l miss you.
Does that surprise you? l expect it does.
lt certainly surprised me.
So you had everything to live for, did you? The work that you loved.
Finished, by me.
All your friends lost, your life uprooted, by me.
Your children whom you might have loved, made to despise you, by me.
And a wife who only knew she loved you after you were dead.
And whom you loved and went on loving No, it's all right, it's all right.
in spite of in spite of her driving you to your death.
l did, Henry, didn't l? l want the real truth now.
l'm not going to answer for you any longer.
You must find some other way.
Well, now open a door or break a window, upset a table.
Make some sign, but do something and tell me the real truth.
Did l kill you? l l killed you, didn't l? Oh, say it.
Say it, Henry.
Say it! (CLOCK CHlMlNG) (CLOCK BONGlNG MlDNlGHT)
-lt was nice of you to come.
-So sweet of you to bring me home.
-Do you live on your own? -Oh, yes.
l'm all on my own now since Henry died.
The boys are still at Eton.
-Don't you ever feel lonely? -No, not a bit.
-l'm sure l would.
-l don't let myself be.
Anyway, who could be lonely in London? (TYRES SCREECHlNG) Oh.
-Well, goodbye.
Thank you again.
-Goodbye.
(CLOCK TlCKlNG LOUDLY) (SlGHlNG) What time did you die? Henry? What time did you die? lt was about now, wasn't it? The police said you'd been dead between eight and nine hours.
And it was eight in the morning when Mrs Avon found you lying there on that sofa.
No, it was before, it was just before.
Because when she called me downstairs, the clock was striking.
That's one of those silly things you remember.
So it must have been about now that you died.
(CLOCK CHlMlNG) A woman at a party l've just been to told me quite seriously that she talked to her husband every night at exactly the hour that he died.
He sends her long messages on a Ouija board or something.
(SCOFFS) Well, l haven't got a Ouija board.
But l'm talking to you, Henry.
And it's more or less the time you died.
You might just answer, you never know.
Then l'd have a story to tell at a party, too.
(SlGHS) Well, talking to a dead you is as good a way as any of talking to myself, l suppose.
Which is roughly what talking to you alive was, too, come to think of it.
Except l hope you're not listening, 'cause that was rude.
l was never rude to you in all our 18 years, was l? (SlGHlNG) "Unfailingly polite", wasn't it? "Unfailingly", you used to say.
Or was it "invariably"? No, "unfailingly".
Oh, poor Henry.
How you hated it.
How you longed for one honest, vulgar, hammer and tongs, husband and wifely flamer.
But l never gave it to you, did l? (SlGHS) l was brought up to be polite, you see.
Unfailingly polite.
Was that so wrong? Yes, it was.
lt was pretty damn bloody awful.
(CHUCKLES) You know talking to you is rather good for me, Henry.
l should do it more often.
Might even make me honest.
Now you be honest with me, Henry.
And tell me if the police and the coroner and the people from the insurance were right when they said it was a drunken accident? Or if l'm right now when l say that you killed yourself? (DEEP VOlCE) "Oh, but Rosemary, darling, why should l want to kill myself? "Had everything to live for, hadn't l? "l'd just sold the business in Huddersfield for a lot of money "and bought this beautiful house in Hampstead.
"And for the first time in my life l could enjoy all the ease "and comfort of a charming, civilised, cultured retirement in London "with a charming, civilised, cultured wife beside me "and two charming, civilised, cultured sons at Eton.
"And my wife's still quite young, as wives go, "and quite attractive in her way, or so it seems to me.
"Oh, l was a very lucky man when l was alive.
"There's no doubt about it.
"Well, why on earth should l want to kill myself?" (NORMAL VOlCE) Well, if l answered that for you, Henry, would you tell me whether you did? (CHUCKLlNG) No.
Of course you wouldn't.
(DEEP VOlCE) "But Rosemary, darling, all that happened that night "was that we had a little tiff "about whether or not l should go out on the town with Alf Haley "from the rugger club, "instead of going with you to the ballet, which l never fancied much, as you know.
"Along with the Fergusons always treating me like some sort of a nit "who'd married a mile above himself.
"They're not the only ones in Hampstead to do that, either, come to think of it.
"But it never seemed to put you out too much, Rosemary, love.
"Be honest now, did it?" (NORMAL VOlCE) Oh, my God.
Oh lt was me, was it? Well Well, no, l'm not as l'm not as honest as that.
Henry? That must have been you.
Henry, are you in this room? Are you in this room, Henry? Are you? Now, let's try again.
(DEEP VOlCE) "Oh, well, we had this little upset, as l told you.
"And afterwards, you went upstairs to bed.
Oh, never a cross word, mind.
"lmpeccably polite.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) lmpeccably Yes, that was it.
Not "invariably" or "unfailingly".
lt was "impeccably".
No, it wasn't.
No, it wasn't.
Well, why was it that time? Oh, Henry, you are here.
You are here, aren't you? You're here with me, in this room.
Go on, Henry.
Go on.
(DEEP VOlCE) "Well, all right, Rosemary, love.
"You went up to bed, like l said, impeccably polite, "as always, and then l'm afraid, well "l got myself at that decanter you're holding now.
"Going my way, are you, love? "Be careful of the whisky, love, it's bad stuff for widows living on their own.
"You had two before you went to the party "and now this will be three since you got home.
"Yes, that's better.
You can't be too careful, l always say.
(CHUCKLlNG) "Look what happened to me that night.
" (BREATHlNG HEAVlLY) "You think it's not me talking to you, don't you? "You think you're just talking to yourself?" (NORMAL VOlCE) But l know l'm talking to myself in a bad Huddersfield accent.
(DEEP VOlCE) "But l didn't talk in Huddersfield accent, love.
"l was born in Walsall.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) Did l know that? Well, yes, l suppose l must have.
Well All All right, Henry.
What happened to you that night? Tell me.
Oh, yes.
Yes, of course.
l begin and you take over, huh? (DEEP VOlCE) "All right, Rosemary, love.
"Well, you went to bed, see, "and then l'm afraid l got at the decanter and got myself a bit tipsy.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) No, that wasn't the word you used.
What was the word you used? "Whistled"? (DEEP VOlCE) "Woozled".
(NORMAL VOlCE) Oh, yes, "woozled".
(DEEP VOlCE) "Aren't you going to say, "'l wish you wouldn't use that awful word, Henry.
"'lf you mean drunk, why don't you say drunk?"' (NORMAL VOlCE) Because you weren't drunk.
No, not that night.
When you came to bed, you You were quite sober.
lf you hadn't been l'd have smelled it on your breath.
l knew the smell of whisky on your breath.
l'd had enough experience of it in the last 15 years.
(DEEP VOlCE) "Ah, but not much in the last 10 years "and not at all that night.
Not from very close.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) But, you said that that you wanted to sleep down here.
And l told you to please yourself.
(DEEP VOlCE) "Ah, you did.
And l did please myself "and that's when l got really woozled.
"Oh, boy, did l get woozled.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) But you mean You mean that you expected to come to bed with me? (DEEP VOlCE) "Not expected.
"Hoped, you might say.
"And l'd said l was sorry, hadn't l? "And it was a Friday night, after all.
"Oh, not like, like back in Huddersfield, l know, not working on a Saturday.
"Not working any bloody day down here.
"l know things like that had, well, had lapsed a bit between us.
"But it's always a good way to make up a quarrel, isn't it? "Oh, don't cry, love, there's no need for that now.
"l told you l hadn't expected, only hoped.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) Yes, but what What about those pills? Henry? Henry, what about those pills? (DEEP VOlCE) "Well, this sofa's not much of a place to sleep on, a man my size.
"And in a bit of a state, oh woozled, l'll admit, but still in a bit of a state.
"So l went up to the bathroom and l found that bottle of pills you use, "Nembutal or some such name.
Oh, little yellow things.
"And l took just enough to make me sleep, two or three.
" (NORMAL VOlCE) No.
Six.
(DEEP VOlCE) "Oh, was it six? "Well, l told you l was woozled, didn't l? "Yeah, doesn't that show it was an accident? "lf l'd wanted to kill myself l'd have taken 16, wouldn't l?" (NORMAL VOlCE) No.
Not if you wanted me to think it was an accident.
And for me to get the money from the insurers.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
Do you think that money could make up for you? Oh, you bloody, bloody fool.
How were you to know? Here, another whisky.
Oh, Henry Henry, why did you do it? l know why you did it.
lf you did it.
Did you? Oh, what's the point? lt'll only be my own brain answering for you.
And thinking no.
And believing yes.
Yes and no.
No and Until l die.
When will that be, Henry? Are you allowed to know these things? And Would you Would you tell me if you were? (CHUCKLlNG) You'd never say anything to hurt me, would you? Doesn't matter.
Yes.
Yes, l'm lonely.
And l do miss you.
Terribly, l miss you.
Does that surprise you? l expect it does.
lt certainly surprised me.
So you had everything to live for, did you? The work that you loved.
Finished, by me.
All your friends lost, your life uprooted, by me.
Your children whom you might have loved, made to despise you, by me.
And a wife who only knew she loved you after you were dead.
And whom you loved and went on loving No, it's all right, it's all right.
in spite of in spite of her driving you to your death.
l did, Henry, didn't l? l want the real truth now.
l'm not going to answer for you any longer.
You must find some other way.
Well, now open a door or break a window, upset a table.
Make some sign, but do something and tell me the real truth.
Did l kill you? l l killed you, didn't l? Oh, say it.
Say it, Henry.
Say it! (CLOCK CHlMlNG) (CLOCK BONGlNG MlDNlGHT)