All language subtitles for The Blackheath Poisonings - 1993 - Episode 3 - HD Onlx

'I'm telling you
for the first and last time,

'never come here like this again.'

'Are you out of your mind?
Never come here again like this!'

'She died the same
painful death my father did.'

But none of you know
what really caused it.

'Arsenic. Signed - Isabel Collard.'

On the grounds
that you did unlawfully

and maliciously administer poison
to one Roger Vandervent

with intent to cause his death.

'Well, there you have it,
Sir Charles.'

Most illuminating.

However, for a family with
so few secrets from each other

there can be only one source
of information about these letters.

Their good lady authoress herself,

Mrs Collard - Isabel.

What do you make of her chances?
I'm not a bookmaker.

Well, shall we...

Here we are, Robert -
your very own key.

You're late.

Do you feel all right?

How do you think I feel?

Isabel could die, while we sit here

eating breakfast, lunch
and wretched dinner.

How shall we help her?

Don't any of you know anything
that may help her at her trial?

What about those letters Sir
Charles spoke of? What was in them?

Nothing to your taste, I fancy.
What do you think, George?

I neither know nor care. Who knows
what filth my wife may have written.

George, please!
How can you say that?

Because Isabel was a common whore.

How dare you!
Paul! Paul!

She has made her bed,
and now she must lie in it.

My dear Beatrice,
trust you to say it with a cliche.

Only, for once,

the cliche is not only apt,
but witty.

Funny, is it, Uncle George?

Don't you people care at all?

Young man, there is nothing we can
do about this mess

other than what we have done.

Which is to engage
for Isabel's defence

the most eminent
and expensive barrister in England.

So now you grudge the money, do you?

I suppose otherwise you think

it might seep through
to you and Charlotte.

Now you will apologise.

To me and to Robert, Master Paul.

Very well, Aunt Charlotte,
I apologise.

How could I have been so misguided
and so wicked

as to think that my father's death,
to say nothing of Stepgran's,

has helped you all get
what you wanted?

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

And so, to the matter of the letters
you wrote to the deceased.

You wrote them because
you were never alone together

in the family house.

You sent them to the accommodation
he rented,

where he titillated his lust...

And mine.

..by reading them aloud.

And, lastly, you declare that you
meant the letters to be destroyed?

Yes, Sir Charles.

However, some of them went astray
in the post,

were stolen,
and, later, you were blackmailed.

Yes.

You have been candid,
to say the least of it,

about the contents of the letters.

Are you prepared
to have these obscenities

read out before the court?

Yes.

Have you anything to add?

I... I don't think so.

"I do not think so." Come, madam,
you have been forthright so far.

Do not have with me now.

I do not need to tell you that this
is a matter of life and death.

I loved Roger Vandervent.

I loved him with all my heart.

I know I've been foolish and afraid.

I've shamed myself
with lies and secrets.

But my only crime
has been my nature.

Too passionate for the life
I should have led.

There's nothing more.

I'm not a brave woman, Sir Charles.

I only hope that
what you've already heard

will not dispose you
to abandon my defence.

I never abandon anything.

I have accepted your case,

and will fight to the finish
for your acquittal.

And when I fight,

I usually win.

'Well, Sir Charles?'

She should be whipped
for the lewd trollop that she is,

and dunked in the village pond
before that,

but I'll lay my soul
to a dud sovereign

that she is not a murderess.

Would you indeed? I thought you
told us you were not a bookmaker.

(LAUGHS)

We invited you to step this way,
sir,

in order not to embarrass you by
arriving at your house with this.

Which, when found in a locked drawer
in your late mother's sitting room

had this attached to it.

You will perceive, sir,
that it is a letter from the shop

where this was bought,
naming you as the buyer.

I see I shall have to take
you gentlemen into my confidence.

May I?

Thank you. I have a friend
who lives in Hampstead.

Whenever I visit her,
I take her a little present.

Some small article of
ladies' haberdashery, like this.

No doubt this was sent to my mother
by mistake.

She also has - had -
an account with the same shop.

My friend's address...

..is 16 Heath Mansions.

I'm sure she will confirm
our long association.

I'm sure she will, sir.

Please.

A small token to show our esteem.

Thank you, sir.

(SOBS)

Who is it?

Police.
Police.

Just a minute.

Oh, yes, Inspector.
Mr George is a regular visitor.

We discuss things together,
you know.

Mostly French literature.

SQUEALING AND GIGGLING

He often brings us a nice pressie
in token of his appreciation.

Makes things
that bit more realistic.

Come.

Beatrice.

How charming you look today.

What is it you want, Robert?

I need you.

I need your support
for a radical business venture.

An expansion of Collard
and Vandervent.

Is that wise?

Mother would turn in her grave

if anything were to go wrong
with the firm.

Robert, do George and Charlotte
know about your plans?

They cannot but act
in the best interests of the firm.

They cannot but act
in the best interests of themselves.

I understand you, Beatrice.

You're a creature of duty.
I respect that.

But the life of duty must be rather
dull. Let me give you a new life.

Freedom.

Under my new proposals, I could
guarantee you a private income.

You need never see
Albert Villa again.

What do you say, Beatrice?
Help me to help you.

Constable!

Come on, Constable.
Good boy, good boy.

Wrap this up,
and take it back to the villa.

So, that is apparently all there is

to the George Collard
and corset affair.

A mere sideshow to the circus.

Very curious spectacle, sir.

Oh, yes, indeed.

But we must not allow prurient
curiosity to dictate to us.

George Collard's dalliances
have no bearing on the case.

His wife's, however,
form its very substance.

These letters are full of goings-on.

Members of juries
do not approve of goings-on.

Even so, sir, goings-on by
themselves don't add up to murder.

Some juries will think they do.

GAVEL BANGING

And so, Mr Morley, you are ready
to swear that voice, dress,

height, figure and general demeanour
of the woman in the dock

corresponds absolutely
with the woman

who purchased 3oz of arsenic
from you on the aforesaid date?

Yes, sir. Old soldier's honour, sir.

Your oath will suffice,
Mr... er... Morley.

The only fault I have to find
with your identification, Mr Morley,

is that, by your own deposition,

old soldier's honour and all,

the woman who bought arsenic
of you on the aforesaid date

was veiled.

Veiled as to her head.

But not her feet.

Have you seen these boots before,
Mr Morley?

Yes, sir.
They was worn by Mrs Col...

They was worn by the veiled lady
what bought the arsenic.

M'lud, gentlemen of the jury,

we shall later hear
conclusive evidence

from members of the household
at Albert Villa

that these boots
belonged to the accused.

And to think they fell God's trees
to print such filth!

Filth and lies, Bertie.
Filth and lies.

Paul, I admire
the Christian innocence

of your steadfast loyalty to Isabel.

It's time you accepted the truth.

Isabel was deranged with passion.
I...

I saw her with my own eyes

in your father's office.

He was furious.
He was shouting at her,

telling her
never to come here again.

It was a lovers' quarrel.

Bertie, Isabel would never
have come here.

She was in disguise.

Some great hat and dark veil.

Bertie, don't be absurd.

Absurd, am I?
Well, let me tell you something.

It was the day of the great storm.
I remember it very clearly.

What?
Oh, yes. Thunderclouds on the heath,

rantings and ravings in the office.

All hell breaking loose on earth.

Where are you going?
Mr Bertram, sir.

What?
Could you tell me...

No! These are not to go until later.

Aunt Charlotte, you were there,
you saw Isabel with me -

the storm, don't you remember?

Vaguely.
That day,

Bertie saw a woman in the office.

It couldn't have been Isabel -
she was with me.

Haven't your
unceasing investigations

caused enough trouble?

But this woman is the real suspect.

She may have had something to do
with your mother's death.

You must have seen something.
Anything!

No.

Paul, wait.

Going to church, there was something
odd. That woman on the heath.

'Mr Vandervent,'

if your invalid father's drinks
had been tampered with,

be it tea, whisky, or whatever,

Mrs Collard was in an excellent
position to tamper with them,

being constantly in and out
of Mr Vandervent's bedroom

in her capacity as nurse, I mean.

The same could be said
of every single person in the house.

Yes, but not every single person
in the house, Mr Vandervent,

had been out buying arsenic
a few days before

at Mr Morley's dispensary.

Whatever anyone did or did not do
at Morley's dispensary...

..I for one never saw a grain
of arsenic in Albert Villa.

Now, Mr Vandervent,

let us turn our attention to the
business of Mrs Collard's letters.

She gave you, I believe,
a notion of what was in them

and why she was so anxious
to retrieve them

from the butler, Jenkins.

She said...

She gave me to believe

they were highly personal.

That they were...

love letters written to my father.

Love letters written to your father.

Of whose murder she stands accused
in this court. Absurdly accused.

For, surely, these letters
were written by

an infatuated
but not a violent woman.

All I really know

is that they were letters written
from the heart, as she put it.

From the heart of a woman in love.

By a fool, then,
but not by a murderess.

By a tender and open-hearted woman.

Let me repeat,
gentlemen of the jury,

by a fool, a gullible fool.

But not a murderess.

Thank you, Mr Vandervent.

But there is new evidence.
Sir, I have new evidence.

There was another woman.

A veiled woman.
Objection! Objection!

Just answer the questions,
Mr Vandervent.

No flights of fancy, please.

Simply answer the questions.

I think, in any case,
that we should adjourn.

Sir Charles? Sir Charles, I have new
evidence. There was another woman.

There are always other women.

A veiled woman, who fought
with my father in the office

and with my stepgran on Blackheath.

This woman is vital to your defence.

Find her, produce her,
let her speak.

M'lud, gentlemen of the jury,...

..these letters are obscene.

Such letters
as the vile Empress Messalina

might have penned
to some common soldier of her guard

before rutting with him and his
comrades in the palace barracks.

M'lud,

as my learned friend has already
promised the jury,

there is scandal in the letters.

They are bound -
such is human nature -

to find it even if it is not there.

I therefore submit

that these letters be not now
admitted as evidence at all.

Mr Makepeace?

It must be clear, m'lud,
to any man of understanding

that this jury consists of men
of intelligence and experience.

All amply qualified to make an
objective judgement on this matter.

Well... they all seem to have
two legs to walk on

and a head to talk with.

No doubt God did his best.

CHUCKLING

So, let's be having the letters,
Mr Makepeace.

But, m'lud,...
No buts, Sir Charles.

I'll have the letters.

READS: "Oh, Roger..."

Ah, Price, Mr Makepeace does
indeed wish to see the letter,

if you'd care to follow me.

I deserve something,
with four weeks' rent owing.

Mr Wilson, he never came back.
I knew he wouldn't.

Well, he's dead, isn't he?

And now, let us sign the contract.

Let me just get these little family
difficulties sorted out first.

And then, full steam ahead.

George is the only problem now.

Hardly surprising, given
this squalid business with his wife.

I trust that your word
will be honoured.

Come, come. What sort of question
is that for an old friend?

I've come this far.

Do you really think anyone else can
stop me going all the way?

Same again. Look sharp.

"How I worship every part
of your body, your manhood,

"as it begins to flower
in the crevice

"between the slender columns
of your thighs.

"Columns which flare,
like those of a temple of Egypt,

"to bear up your ripe, round fesses.

"And the hips, which are the power
behind the probing to and fro,

"so strong and yet so kind,
of your magic wand of love.

"How shall I describe the feeling
that comes over me then?

"My whole flesh quivers.
My breast throbs like a drum.

"My belly starts to sweat

"and judder."

I think we have grasped the essence
of the matter, Mr Makepeace.

No need to go on and on, sir,
like a parrot.

By your leave, just one more passage
from the last of these letters.

A letter that I have just received.

I object, m'lud.
This evidence is late.

It contains a particular passage

which bears most significantly
on the accused's motive for murder.

Objection overruled. Continue.
M'lud.

READS: "I have noticed
several times of late

"that you have made excuses to
postpone or cancel our meetings.

"How can you reject me now?

"Promise me that you will keep
our next assignation.

"I will not wait in vain.

"My only happiness is you.

"Is there someone else?

"I demand an explanation."

It is, then, as clear as day, m'lud,
gentlemen of the jury,

that the old worm
was gnawing its way in

to poison the succulent red apple.

No.

'Life can be full of
disappointments, false hopes.'

'She was in disguise.
Some great hat and dark veil.'

'Couldn't have been Isabel.'
'A woman on the heath.'

'Find her, produce her,
let her speak.

'Find her, produce her,
let her speak.'

Steady, sir.

Careful.

'Mrs Collard was in an excellent
position to tamper with...'

Careful.

'Absurdly accused.'

'How can you reject me now?'

'Infatuated, but not violent woman.'

'I will not wait in vain.'

'By a fool, then,
but not by a murderess.'

'The old worm
was gnawing its way...

'The old worm...

'..to poison...'

Come and sit over here with me.

You need looking after, don't you?

Oh, that's nice. Who's that?

You've had too much to drink.
I've got just the thing for you.

We can do a bit better than this,
can't we? You come with me.

That's the way.

There's a sporting event, governor.
Only three crowns a ticket.

Something out of the way, guv.

Hit him!

Punch him!

Push him!

(SCREAMING)

'You care a great deal for her,
don't you?'

'No more questions, unless you want
to hear some very ugly answers.'

You can have a lot of fun abroad.

Stop playing at Hamlet, Paul.

Your father was my lover.

Lot of fun abroad.

Isabel was a common whore.

You surely wouldn't wish to follow
in your father's footsteps.

I feel a far closer member
of this family.

Not for me the haunts
of Belial and Beelzebub.

My only sin was to love.

Common whore.
Father's footsteps.

This family. My lover.
Whore.

'But how say you, Isabel Collard?

'Are you guilty or not guilty
of the crime?'

'I am not guilty, my Lord,
upon my honour.'

You would like something
less painful than this?

Much excitement, but no blood.

After you, sir.

LAUGHTER

This is Flossie and Dolores.

Our Lady Of Pain.

And this is Georgina.

Hands off. He's mine.

Now, don't be upset.

You're just as good as she is.
You really are.

You look very pretty.

Go and get him.

Now just relax.

Let me do all the work.

Yes...

Yes...

Yes...

ISABEL: 'Listen,
I swear it on my life.

'You must believe me. I'm innocent!'

Where on earth have you been?

As a member of our family,
your place is by our side - my side.

Hush, woman. I've been slaving over
your family business, remember?

Erm, a word in your ear, George.

If it's about business, you need
hide nothing from us, Robert.

I need an answer.

Oh, yes. We have here a proposal
from Napier Novelties.

They wish to amalgamate
with Collard and Vandervent,

thereby relieving us of our
managerial responsibilities

and no doubt creating new shares
for our dear Robert.

In view of
our present circumstances...

..I suggest we decline.
Without consultation?!

Well, as your conversations
were without consultation,

yes.

Charlotte?

You should have learned by now,
Robert,

that the power of the firm always
rests in the hands of the family.

There is no choice.

Isabel Collard,

the finding of this jury is

that you are guilty of the crimes
with which you are charged.

I therefore decree

that you should be taken hence
to the place from which you came

and thence to another place

where you may make your peace
with God.

And thence to the yard
where stands the gibbet

from which you shall
be hanged by the neck

until you are dead.

And may the Lord
have mercy upon your soul.

Paul!

Oh, Paul!

I've come to ask
for your forgiveness, your charity.

Charity is the old word for love.

As for my forgiveness,
what is there to forgive?

I tried to help.

I interfered.
Only because I asked you to.

I bungled.

I thought I could help,
but I was stupid and willful.

I did what you asked me not to.
I tackled Jenkins myself. I...

Paul.

Darling Paul, the letters
were bound to come out anyway.

All the gold in the world
would not have bought off Jenkins,

because blackmailers
always want more.

Why did you have to go
to my father's bed?

Would you have come to mine
if I'd asked you?

Then you should understand
why I went to his.

And yet, I could never have
loved you like that, Paul.

I'm deeply sorry if ever
I made you think I could.

I loved you.

I loved you
like the son I didn't have.

Then I am honoured.

And ashamed.

No need to be ashamed, Paul.

Our bodies yearn to follow
their true nature.

I followed mine.

And I am to be punished.

Punished for a crime
I didn't commit.

Society wants to see me damned.

And damned I'll be. But at least
I've lived my life to the full.

As you must yours.

Promise me.

My only comfort

has been my love of your father.

And you.

(CLICKS TONGUE)

Uncle George?

Aren't they pretty, Paul?
So pretty and amusing.

I know.

Know what?

You like to dress up as a woman,
don't you?

What about the tram, Paul?
Do you think it would sell?

The tram?

You like corsets, Georgina.

And rings on your fat fingers
and your ugly hands.

Oh, Paul. I'm proud of my hands,
my lovely hands.

And my arms.

I have to shave them so smooth.
I have to shave them, you see?

Well, you would, wouldn't you?

Father saw you in the office.
It was you here dressed as a woman!

My whore of a wife told Roger about
my ridiculous attempt at marriage.

So you killed him and avenged
yourself on her at the same time.

You dressed up as Isabel and
signed her name for the poison.

Clever Georgina!
What a wise and clever girl she is!

A little bedtime drink for Roger,
that's all.

And everybody thought
it was my darling wife, Isabel.

How could you do it?
Not my fault.

Mother.

Oh, she loved me
when I was a little boy. Oh, yes.

Georgie Porgy, pudding and pie.
Kissed the girls and made them cry.

All I ever wanted
to be was like her.

Like Mother - my mother.

But then she turned against me.
Caught me on the heath.

A nasty man with nasty habits.

That's when I knew
I had to cope with her, as well.

Yes, the night of
the birthday party. You...

No, no. Not me.

Georgina.

She gave Mother a little something
extra with her supper.

One oyster, rotten.

Just the thing to do.
And nobody even noticed.

Isabel is innocent.
She's going to die.

That's right.

Isabel was unkind to me.

She wouldn't play with me,
but she would play with your father.

Filthy games!

And filthy letters!

(COUGHS)

# Doo la loo la lu-la-by-by.

# Does your mama
Want you to know?

# With the stars
Up ahead and the water... #

Oh, little Paulie!

I'm really very fond of you.

Georgina loves her little nephew,
and she'd hate to hurt him.

Hurt him badly.

Hurt him like his Auntie Isabel,

who's going to get a rope
around her dainty throat.

But Paulie mustn't have any ideas
about going to the police.

Oh, no, no.

Because Georgina saw him scatter
the poison all over the park.

All gone.

All gone away.

I would be grateful, Mr Vandervent,

if you'd take me through this
one more time.

Sergeant Davis
is having difficulty...

There's no time.

Well, he must have cleared up.
This is where he changed.

And this is where you say
the garments were housed?

They must have been!
I saw him come in here.

We've got to get back to the house.

Just a teeny weeny signature,
Georgie.

Paul.

Yes.

I've come with the police
to arrest the real murderer.

Uncle George?
Steady on, lad.

We're here to investigate some
highly perspicacious allegations.

Uncle George confessed to me.

To what?

Sergeant Davis will explain.

With all due apologies to you,
sir... I mean, sirs and madams,

Master Paul alleges that Mr George
poisoned Mr Roger and your mother.

And that he's in the practice
of dressing up in... um...

Carry on, Sergeant.

..women's undergarments.

And what is your informed opinion
of these allegations, gentlemen?

This is an outrage!

How dare you come into our home,
Inspector,

to talk such malicious nonsense?

At the behest of Master Paul.

And since when, Titmarsh,

has the worthy institution
of the Blackheath Police

move at the behest of a lovesick boy
half crazed with passion

for a convicted criminal?

My high office, madam,

precludes me from refraining
to investigate any possibility

that that criminal
might be unjustly convicted.

Do you have any proof?
I saw the clothes.

Be quiet, boy.

Inspector, do you have any evidence?

No, sir.

Then I think you should
leave at once, don't you?

No, wait.

Uncle George, you must tell them
the truth - what you told me.

Well, I don't know what I've done
in my life to warrant this.

I have a nephew that lies,
a wife that kills,

and now, it seems, that
I am a transvestite murderer.

What in heaven's name next?

Leave this to me, George.

Inspector, this young lad
is a little... distracted.

It's understandable.

Yes.

Well, it seems an apology
is perhaps called for,

ladies and gentlemen.

You will, I'm sure,
appreciate our diligence

in pursuing every avenue of
possibility. Yes, quite.

Let's get out of here, Sergeant.

The hand!

Wait! He cut his hand
today at the warehouse.

Oh yes, of course. The lamp.

Nasty.

Good evening, Chaplain.

One more.

# Georgie Porgy, pudding and pie

# Kissed the girls
And made them die. #

(LAUGHS)

(CHOKES)

FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING

DOOR OPENS

DOOR BANGS

I'm honoured, gentlemen.

Your husband, George Collard,
is dead. Poisoned by arsenic.

This time I must be innocent.

The Home Secretary is compelled,
therefore, to grant you a reprieve.

(SIGHS)

Thank you, Sir Charles.

This was not of my doing,
much as I wished it so.

Madam, you are free to go.

Free to go?

Go where?

So now, sir, we shall
never know the answers.

A policeman's lot, Davis,
is not a happy one.

# Happy one
Happy one. #

I swear, it was one of that family.

They all had something to
hide. Something rotten to cover up.

And cast-iron alibis, Sergeant,
don't forget that.

All this evidence,
and still no murderer.

Somebody must be laughing now, sir.

God will make him laugh
on the other side of his face.

I doubt it, sir.

If God enjoys something more
than punishing a murderer,

it's making a fool
out of an inspector.

Yes, Robert, I'm quite clear.
When I disembark at Bombay,

I shall be met by
the senior Indian servant...

The head bearer.
..of your friend, Mr George Coates.

The head bearer will escort me
to Mr Coates.

Coates Sahib.

He will escort me to his estate

where Coates Sahib,
who is in need of a wife...

A memsahib.
..his own having recently deceased,

will do me the honour
of marrying me.

I wish I was coming with you.

But, as you know...

We have not been friends,
Mr Dangerfield.

But you have done me a great service
in disposing of me.

In arranging your future.

I wish you luck with the family,
Robert, and the firm.

You'll certainly need it.
Huh!

WHISTLE

I was sure Paul would be here.

I wanted to tell him how much...

WHISTLE

Don't take him into the firm,
I beg you. He deserves to live.

As you do.

Paul! I thought you weren't coming.

What's this?

I want you to know.

Know what?

I love you.

'My dearest Isabel.

'I have to tell you the truth.

'Your husband killed my father
and stepgran.

'But there was no proof.

'I could not let you die
for his crimes. So I killed him.

'I poisoned him
just as he poisoned the others.

'There was no other way to save you.
We must always believe that.

'Do not question what I did,
Isabel, only why I did it.

'The answer is clear to me.

'It was for love.

'Love of you.'

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