Miss Austen

BIRDSONG

No, Miss Betty, that is Miss Harriet's breakfast.

Where are your manners?

A letter for you, Miss Austen... Oh.

..from Kintbury. Kintbury?

"My dear Cassandra, I am writing to inform you

"that my father, Fulwar, has only a short time left with us."

It's the Reverend Fowle.

He's dying.

"I know this sad news will concern you deeply,

"but he is in the best of hands

"and there is no need to inconvenience yourself

"with thoughts of coming to Kintbury."

Nancy, my trunk.

Where are you going, Ma'am?

To Kintbury, of course.

"My late mother, Eliza, spoke so fondly of the happy times

"you and your sister, Jane, spent here.

"I am sure you will wish to be of assistance now,

"but, please, I must implore you, do not vex yourself by making

"the long and arduous journey to Kintbury."

I don't like the look of the sky, Ma'am.

Maybe you should wait. Out of the question, Nancy.

I have urgent business to attend to at Kintbury.

There are certain items there of a personal nature

that belong here. Now, look after the goats.

Don't overfeed them.

"I will, of course, write again when the sad time comes."

THUNDER RUMBLES

THUNDER RUMBLES

DOORBELL RINGS

DOG BARKS

DOORBELL RINGS

Ring again!

Someone will answer eventually.

Keep ringing!

HE RINGS DOORBELL

DOG BARKS

Ma'am, you'll catch your death. I shall be fine.

Oh, at last! What is all the commotion?

There's a man dying in here!

Please forgive the lateness of my arrival.

I am here to assist Miss Isabella Fowle.

Cassandra?

Did you not get my letter?

Yes, of course. That's why I'm here.

We weren't expecting you, at all.

Please, forgive me, Isabella.

Time is our enemy.

Your poor father. This is my, my last duty to your dear mother.

Oh, come inside. It's wild out there. Oh, yes.

Ah... What about her trunk? We'll leave it here, in the hall.

We'll take care of it.

Ah...

How long is she staying, Miss?

I don't know, Dinah.

Oh!

Oh!

DOOR CLOSES We'll put her in the blue room.

God save us, Miss.

As if we don't have enough on our plate!

Come along, then, my dear.

We must take you out of these wet clothes.

Oh, thank you, thank you, my dear.

I know my demeanour may not suggest it,

but I hope that I'm still capable of untying a ribbon.

If you will forgive me, I really must get back to my father.

Dinah will see you to your room. If you don't mind,

I would like to see Fulwar now, if I may?

Very well.

You may look in on him, briefly.

Mr Lidderdale, our surgeon, will not want my father disturbed for long.

Mr Lidderdale, we have a visitor.

Miss Cassandra Austen, a dear family friend.

She will not linger long.

Mr Lidderdale.

Miss Austen.

How is he?

Much the same, Miss Fowle.

He's been in and out of sleep.

I've given him something for the pain.

He should rest better now.

Fulwar...

..it's Cassandra.

Cassandra Austen.

Cassie.

Oh, my apologies, I cannot greet you as befits you.

Worry not.

Isabella served you well...

..and I am here now to assist her.

Good.

Isabella? Papa.

Send the surgeon away.

I have no more need of him.

Then I shall take my leave for now.

Try to rest, Reverend Fowle. Rest?

Where I'm going, I'll get plenty of rest.

I will show you out, Mr Lidderdale.

There is no need, Miss Fowle. I insist.

Cassie.

Now you're here, you must do something for me.

You promise me?

What? Isabella...

..must live with her sisters.

You promise me?

Worry not.

There is no greater comfort in this world than a sister.

Come now, Miss.

Master needs rest.

I'll show you to your room.

I'll return tomorrow, Miss Fowle.

But if your father worsens in the night, you must send for me.

I will. Thank you.

How long...

..until...?

Death, like birth, dictates its own course...

..but it should not be much longer, Isabe...

..Miss Fowle.

Till tomorrow, Mr Lidderdale.

If you'd let Miss Isabella know you were coming, Ma'am,

we'd have prepared a more welcoming room.

My weary bones will rest wherever they are put, Dinah.

DOOR OPENS

DOOR CLOSES

SHE SIGHS

DOG GROWLS Sh!

Can I help you, Ma'am?

Oh, Dinah!

I'm sorry. I...

I quite lost my bearings for a moment.

Were you looking for something in particular, Ma'am?

Do you know? I can't remember why I came out in the first place.

Must be tiredness, Ma'am.

Best get back to bed.

You're down at the other end, remember? Huh...

BIRDSONG

DUCKS QUACK

ISABELLA SOBS

Oh, Isabella, I am so sorry.

The end was peaceful, at least.

If you'll excuse me, I have the arrangements to make.

Of course.

If there's anything I can do...

BELL TOLLS

I'm surprised your sisters could not stay longer.

Surely it would have been the ideal opportunity

for the three of you to converse, would it not?

Isabella?

It appears my sister, Beth,

has more important business elsewhere.

Oh...

I, for one, am grateful

we women were not allowed to stand by the graveside.

Our grief laid bare for all to witness.

MR DUNDAS CLEARS THROAT

Uh, Miss Fowle, my heartfelt condolences.

Thank you, Mr Dundas.

Uh, may I introduce my aunt, Mary Austen, and our dear friend,

Miss Cassandra Austen?

Mr Dundas is to be Kintbury's new vicar.

A position I'm deeply honoured to fill.

Austen? Are you perhaps some relation to Miss Jane Austen,

the great lady novelist?

I am delighted to say I am.

She is...was my sister.

And my sister-in-law.

Oh, I am her greatest admirer!

You cannot imagine my despair when she was taken from us so early.

Then allow me to say how sorry I am for your great personal loss.

Most kind, most kind.

I've read all her works.

What is the one with the clergyman...?

Well, they all have... Mansfield House!

That's the one.

It's my favourite of all.

The thing about your sister, Miss Austen - and, sadly, so few people

seem to grasp this - is that her understanding of people

of a certain...milieu was so profound as to be almost unique.

That is indeed true.

It strikes me as a great shame there has not been more public

acknowledgement of her genius.

In my view, she warrants a substantial biography.

One, perhaps, where we might discover the real Jane Austen.

Everything one needs to know about Jane Austen is to be found

within the pages of her novels.

There is nothing more.

Oh, come, Cassandra.

You know that is most certainly not true.

My sister-in-law exaggerates somewhat.

There is nothing more to learn.

If you say so, my dear.

If you'll excuse me, I must prepare my father's study

for the reading of his will.

Before you go, Miss Fowle...

Ahem.

..I wish to inform you that my wife and I will be taking up residence

in the vicarage in a fortnight.

A fortnight?

I trust it will be more than enough time to make arrangements

for the removals? No. It...