Original subtitles

I said, well, Doctor, we've been married 15 years, and he loves wearing his hat

and his boots in bed.

Don't believe a word of it. It's true. I swear it's true. I have expected the

baby to be wearing a baller hat and booties.

You've been married nearly 15 years, haven't you, Mary?

It feels longer.

Nonsense, darling.

It's not nonsense. It's true.

Here. Oh, why don't you get the pudding, darling?

Why don't you?

It's just behind you.

Oh, yes, right.

Coming up.

Margaret.

Can I have a dog? No, no, no, John. Sit down there.

Who'd be a doctor's

wife?

I don't know how you manage it, Carl.

No, I find it quite easy.

Oh.

I can imagine.

Mary, you mustn't. I'm not. I mean it.

I don't think you should have any more to drink, darling.

Oh, do shut up. I'll drink what I like and say what I like. Eat your pudding.

You do feel a bit fed up sometimes, Mary.

And Steve's late at the hospital. I think Mary needs a holiday, Roger.

And what he earns?

He's doing great well.

What's the matter?

Oh, God.

What's the matter?

Bits your tongue?

I nearly broke a tooth.

I'm sorry. Excuse me. Are you all right?

What's that?

Oh, no. A ring.

I hoped you'd swallow it.

Oh, Mary, come on.

Yes, it is a ring.

It's our ring.

It's our wedding ring.

Is this your idea of a joke?

A joke?

Don't you understand?

I'm so sorry.

Is it Mary's ring?

Oh, yes.

It has our names engraved on it.

And the date of our wedding.

Well, that's worth that.

Roger.

Oh, hello.

How are you?

Fine.

My last three come nights. Good time being, thank heaven.

How's Mary?

Haven't seen her since.

No, we... Morning. I haven't seen her.

go through these little patches.

Quiet.

Mary went to stay with her sister for a while.

She?

What?

Joan, that we met at the dinner.

Oh, yes. Yes, of course she did, eh?

Anyway,

since she got back, she's been much better.

Oh, God.

Morning, Ellie.

Certainly, yes.

She's even wearing a ring again.

I'll tell Carol. She'll be delighted.

I think he was just putting right face on it.

Poor Roger.

I'm very glad you're here.

You coming to fish?

Mrs. Hutchins?

Have I got to come and get you?

Mm -hmm.

Who's funny?

Hutchins.

Oh.

I'd really love you to have taken on a name like that.

Are all the neighbours to see it?

No.

Want to look at the moon?

Me? It's a conspiracy.

The white babies always arrive in the middle of the night.

They're just consistent with the time they're made.

Hutchins.

Hello, Roger.

She's left me.

Mary, she's left me.

I'm so sorry to ring at this hour, Steve, but there isn't anyone else I

talk to.

She's taken her jewellery and some clothes.

Nothing else.

And there's a note.

Oh, Steve, I'm so sorry.

Just take it easy.

Get yourself a very large drink.

Look, tell him we'll come over.

Hold on.

It's five to three.

Carol says why don't we come over?

I'm sorry.

I really did try to make a go of things.

You've never understood me.

I guess you're a bit of a failure.

I see.

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have rung you. I didn't know what else to do. It's

typically Mary.

So bitter.

I'm sorry, Roger, but I don't think she'd be satisfied anywhere with anyone.

Darling, kettle.

And it's true, too, in a way, isn't it?

I am a bit of a failure. You're not.

May I have a black, darling?

This is such a dull place.

I quite like this town.

It's hardly the metropolis, though, is it?

And you know Mary.

So vital, so full of life. You mean selfish, Roger?

No. In a way, she's never really grown up. She expects so much. She never

of you.

evening. She might have spared you in front of us all. Shut up, darling. No, I

owe it to Roger to say what I honestly think.

Can't be such a surprise, can it? The way she behaved.

To say those things.

That was just the wine.

She didn't really mean it.

She wasn't drunk when she put her wedding ring in your pudding.

She must have worked it all out and sat there waiting for you to find it.

She didn't change her mind all evening, did she?

I think Carol was right, Roger.

Come on. Don't miss.

Yes.

Thank you, darling.

Yes, yes, I suppose so.

Oh.

I just... I just couldn't live up to her, you see.

I'm a bit of a fatter. You're not ambitious.

None the worse than that.

It's too many people shoving and pushing to get to the top.

Have you any idea where she might have gone?

Back to Jones, perhaps?

It was the first thing I thought of.

She wasn't there.

Though just the two of them, you see, both her parents are dead.

Joan said, why didn't I drive over? But it... Well, it's miles away.

And I never really cared for Joan.

When did she leave? When did you find the note?

Well, I'm supposed to be off night duty at the moment, but I got a call from

casualty to say that someone hadn't turned up.

A car had broken down, something.

Anyway, I did his first shift.

Ten till two.

I rang Mary. I explained.

She took it beautifully.

That was the funny thing.

She wasn't annoyed as I'd expected her to be.

Come on, Roger.

Come on.

Your face has only taken a few things, hasn't it?

It's practically nothing at all.

She must have had it all planned, you see.

To go to someone else.

Another man.

I've been blind to let it go like that.

But these last few weeks, it's all been sweetness and light.

I should have known it was too good to be true.

You didn't know, I don't suppose?

No.

No, of course you wouldn't know if it was someone else. She was so secretive.

I never really understood it.

We get a divorce now?

No.

I want her back.

I suppose you must despise me.

But I'd have her back any time.

You would too, wouldn't you?

Yes.

I love her so much, too.

Well, you've been knocking this bag a bit, haven't you?

Go on, don't change my mind about the police. I think you ought to go and see

them after all.

But when I asked you before, you said you didn't think they'd be able to help,

but she's a missing person.

She's been gone how long is it now?

Three weeks, two days.

Well, isn't it worth a try?

Yes.

Yes.

I've applied for a job in a bigger hospital.

Have you?

Where? Cambridge.

I can't go on living here without her.

I can't take the gossip anymore.

You shouldn't worry about the gossip.

You'll find something else to talk about, won't you?

The thing about Mary.

I know they're being horrible about her.

Oh, Carol wants to know if you're eating properly.

Are you?

Yes.

Yes, lots of muesli and yoghurt. I'll be yodelling soon.

Right.

You go to the police.

See what they can do.

Yeah.

Well, I'd better go.

put it clearly enough, didn't she?

Yes.

I'm sorry, Dr. Ashburn, but if a lady is determined to leave her husband, then,

quite frankly, the role of the police is minimal.

But surely she's a missing person.

No. She hasn't tried to contact you at all?

No. Nor relatives?

Not a word.

But surely the police must be... For the most part.

We act after events, not before, like you do, Doctor.

And if, as you believe, you've found someone else to support her,

then that really is a personal matter between you and her.

I'm sorry, Doctor, but she could be anywhere.

Hello?

Hello, Carol?

It's Roger.

I'm just off.

If Mary should get in touch with you.

Carol? Yes, yes, I'm here.

Of course we'll let you know.

And listen, you take care of yourself, OK?

And if we hear anything, I'll ring you in Cambridge at once.

Promise.

Morning, sister.

Good morning.

Oh, I thought it was your day off, Dr. Ashburn.

Ah, yes, it was.

But Dr. Greenwood said he'd quite like to see the vastly magic trick in him, so

I said I'd do this shit for him.

Good Lord, you are keen.

Well, it isn't as if I've got anything else to do.

You know me, I like to meet people.

What was that?

Hello.

Is that yours?

Is that yours?

Oh, what luxury.

I must get pregnant more often.

You only had to ask, madam.

I think it was that night before Roger phoned.

What, that night?

I've got another letter.

Again? Mm -hmm.

He is loyal.

Can I read it to you?

As for living...

I have my butler doing that for me.

Who said that?

I don't know.

Some barman, French aristocrat or other.

You're both.

I'm so busy here, the weeks seem to... What's that?

Disappear. But even so, Mary is never far from my thoughts.

I've made several friends now at the hospital, and Joan wrote last week she

hasn't heard from Mary either. Don't read any more.

What? I don't know. I don't like it. Why not?

It upsets me.

He goes on and on.

Maybe it's just me.

Just give me the gist of it. The rest.

Um... He reckons a couple of the nurses rather fancy him, but to no avail.

Oh, he's got this bed sitter, Cherry Hinton.

Um... Life and death in the casualty.

Goes on.

Love, etc.

Oh, P .S., I'll ring next week in case you've heard from Mary.

It's the way he keeps trying to persuade himself that she's coming back.

When he knows there's no hope.

Well... No, it's wrong.

Too much.

He can't still go on hoping.

Poor sod.

He's devoted to her.

I smell obsessed.

Don't you believe in such devotion?

Ah, dear.

Oh, Roger.

Thank you. Excuse me, Doctor.

The ambulance service has just radioed in. They're on their way with the road

accident victim, and she's got massive head injuries and possible lower limb

fractures. Now, I've put the theatre on standby, and the crash trolley and X

-ray are ready now.

All right. Thank you.

Didn't even talk about it.

Hit and run.

Do you know anything about her?

Nothing.

No handbag, nothing.

I can't get a pulse, Doctor.

Our reference is gone. All right, let's have a look.

She did.

All right, all right. Come on. Come on. Come on.

Nothing more you can do here. Come on.

Come on.

That's it.

Come on.

Turned out to be the doctor's wife.

It's dead.

He'll be wanting her stuff.

Yeah, I suppose so.

My condolences, Dr. F. Burns.

Must have been a terrible shock for you.

Why?

Why Mary, of all people?

You were clearly very fond of her.

Yet you were separated.

Yes.

She left me.

But I'd always hoped she'd come back.

I hadn't heard a word since last May.

I assumed she'd found herself a rich man.

But judging by those... They're pretty cheap clothes, aren't they?

You're proud to ask your commitments, I dare say.

You'd like this back?

My wife and I did that.

Our names and the wedding date engraved on the inside.

Sentimental, but nice.

Miss Hunter?

Yes? I'm sorry about this, but we did ask Dr Ashburn if there were any other

next of kin.

Of course.

If you'd come this way.

Thank you.

Please wait here, Dr Ashburn. We won't be a moment.

In a case like this, we like corroboration of identity.

Awful for you, I know, but the staff here have tidied her up.

Yes,

that's my sister Mary.

Do you know, darling, I think I prefer you with dark hair.

Do you?

I

thought

we might need a little fortifying before Joan arrives.

What shall we drink to, darling?

Oh, we'll drink to the coroner's report and to the insurance policy.

And to the clause doubling the amount awarded in case of accidental death.

Here's to a quarter of a million pounds.

Courtesy of Premier Life Assurance.

I gather I'm welcomed since you left the door on the latch.

Joan, yes, of course. Come in, have some champagne.

No, thank you.

I can't afford to develop expensive tastes.

Not on my share of the proceeds.

Oh, really?

Ten percent?

Twenty -five thousand pounds?

Not enough, darling.

If I hadn't kept you hidden in my flat till the right car crash victim came

along, and if I hadn't identified that victim as my sister, where would you be?

Are you asking for more?

I want half, or I'll go to the police.

Tell them how you slipped Mary's ring onto the dead woman's finger.

Are you? But no crime's been committed.

Fraud. You aren't dead, Mary, are you?

Officially, I am. That's the beauty of it. And I was cremated, too.

The missing Jacqueline Smith was cremated.

She's still missing.

And there's no suspicious circumstances.

There will be.

Unless... You're an accessory to the fraud, Joan.

As guilty as we are.

So don't be greedy.

Or my new wife and I might just have to think of another.

He wouldn't.

We've got the experience now, dear.