Original subtitles

'On a cold, fretful day

'in October 1874, a young woman rose early

'to join her aunt for breakfast,

'as she had done every dreary day now for the last two months.

'Her name was Miss Sally Lockhart.

'And within an hour, she was going to kill a man.'

I'm sorry, Mrs Rees. I overslept.

Aunt Caroline, Aunt Caroline.

How many times must I tell you, Veronica?

Veronica is not my name. You think I do not know my own niece?

You must consider me very stupid.

Of course not... You were christened Veronica, I believe?

Yes.

But my father always called me Sally.

Sally is a servant's name.

And your father is dead.

A letter? For you? Whatever can it be?

It is a private matter. Private? Excuse me.

Why, it's Miss Sally!

Is Mr Selby here? He's in the West India Docks on business.

But Mr Higgs'll look after you.

Yeah? What d'ya want? Take Miss Lockhart up to Mr Higgs.

And mind yer bleedin' manners.

Oi! That's mine! You get on and do what you're told!

Forgive him, Miss. He weren't caught young enough to tame.

This way, Miss.

Miss Lockhart to see you, Mr Higgs. Miss Lockhart!

Your father was a tragic loss.

A terrible thing, the Lavinia going down like that... What are you hanging around for?

My dear, what can I do for you?

Mr Higgs, what was the business that took my father to the East?

Hardly the sort of thing to interest a young girl,

especially one as pretty as you.

But I assure you I AM interested.

He was checking a cargo and meeting our agent in the East, Mr Van Eeden.

It was all purely routine.

Did my father ever mention a man named Marchbanks?

Marchbanks...

Well, there's a ship's chandler in Rotherhithe named Marjoriebanks,

but I don't recall Captain Lockhart having any dealings with him.

Mr Higgs...

...have you ever heard of something called the Seven Blessings?

The Seven Blessings?

What do you want from me?

You have the wrong man - the wrong man entirely.

Mr Higgs?

Mr Higgs!

Mr Selby.

I... What the blazes are you doing here?

A bad business about your father.

We were talking.

He just... fell.

What's the old fool done to himself now?

Dead as mutton.

What are you doing here, anyway?

I just came to see my poor father's office...

Please.

You're not going to faint, are you?...No.

You'd better wait in the porter's room.

You'll have to give a statement to the police.

Don't worry. I won't tell the police you killed old Higgsy.

I didn't kill him! Course you did!

I was watching through the keyhole.

He died of fright.

Struck dead on the spot with terror.

Let's have a look at this letter of yours. Which letter?

Give me some credit. And don't worry.

My ticker's in better nick than his.

Whichever bugger wrote this wants to get himself some education.

Sally with an "i"?

C-H-A-T-T-U-M.

That must mean Chatham in Kent.

Ain't you worked that one out yet?

The name's Jim Taylor, by the way.

I'll keep an eye out for ya.

Miss Lockhart? 'She never meant to kill him.

'But she did, just the same as if she'd taken her gun and shot him. And that wasn't all.

'Without knowing it, she'd shaken the edge of a web,

and far away the spider at the heart of it had woken.'

I assure you, Major Marchbanks, the will is quite in order.

If you would be good enough to witness the signature, Mrs Thorpe?

And the item in question?

Everything will be done as your client directs.

Get straight to business, shall we?

Mr... give you the word? I beg your pardon, Mrs Holland?

Hold up, hold up...

Always forget me teeth indoors.

Pure ivory, these are. Made out East 25 years ago. Look at the workmanship!

When my husband was took with the cholera, these was going into the grave.

I whipped 'em out of his mouth before they shut the lid.

"Years of wear in them teeth," I thought. Right, now,

Mr Blyth, what have you got for me?

Major Marchbanks agreed the terms as discussed.

The ruby will be deposited with Hammond and Whitgrove, bankers, Winchester Street.

All legal, is it? The will was witnessed by myself...

...and the Major's housekeeper, a Mrs Thorpe.

She drinks, but her signature's valid.

My clerk will prepare your account.

Good day, Mrs Holland.

Yeah, good day. Good day, Mr Blyth.

Next time, you make sure the pot is fresh!

Last girl served me stewed tea once too often,

and you know what happened to her. Now, get out!

"The only witness to this sad event was Miss Veronica Lockhart,

daughter of the late Captain Lockhart,

"whose own death in the wreck of the schooner Lavinia...

...was reported in these pages last January."

You must have had some education, Veronica.

Surely you can sew, or play the pianoforte?

What books have you read?

None that I can recall immediately.

Well, what accomplishments DO you have?

Look, Ellen. Miss Lockhart is endeavouring to communicate by means of thought alone.

I am supposed to understand her without the intervention of language.

I am afraid I have no accomplishments.

So even the modest goal of governess is barred to you.

I am surprised your father should leave you so unprepared for the world.

He taught me how to fire a pistol and speak Hindustani.

And he said I had the best head for figures of anyone he knew.

I can read an accounts ledger as easily as a newspaper.

Possibly one of my friends could, in charity, find room for a lady's companion.

Excuse me. I'm looking for Foreland House.

Funny. You're the second person to ask me that in the past half hour.

It's just over there, beyond the trees.

Dismal, isn't it?

I'm experimenting with new combinations of chemicals to try and find something

a little more sensitive in recording this kind of high contrast.

Something better than collodion, you mean?

I must be dreaming!

A perfect vision of beauty with a knowledge of photography?

My father was interested in the subject.

Frederick Garland. Photographic "artiste".

Major Marchbanks?

Come with me. Quickly!

You are Veronica, um...

...Lockhart? Sally.

My father always called me Sally.

Did he?

Such a pretty name.

Your letter said it was urgent.

Do you know something about the Seven Blessings? Seven Blessings?

Never heard of them. That's not why I asked you here.

Your life is in danger.

I have a deadly enemy.

That enemy is now yours, too.

She's in the house as we speak.

This will explain everything.

What it contains will shock you very deeply.

I wish I could protect you from the truth, but I cannot. She's calling for you, sir.

Who is this enemy?

Why does she hate me? Tell me her name, at least. Mrs Holland.

Her name is Mrs Holland.

You have no idea how dangerous she is.

For God's sake,

get away from here as quickly as you can.

How beautiful you are!

Forgive me.

Not very gentlemanly, Major, leaving a lady on her own.

But then, you never was much of a gentleman.

I was that put out when Blyth told me you was trying to welch on our deal,

I come all the way down 'ere to the bloody seaside, which I hate!

Ain't you sorry to put me to so much trouble? You're too late.

You'll never get hold of the ruby now.

You signed the will, fair and square.

Your lawyer was a charlatan.

The will was riddled with errors.

No judge will take it seriously.

I want that ruby.

It's mine by right.

It's gone and you'll never find it!

It's over, Mrs Holland.

You've taken everything I have.

But now, I have finally defeated you.

Well...

...up to a point, dear.

Don't scream, Mrs Thorpe.

I do abominate loud noises.

There was a young girl here. Her name was Lockhart, Sally Lockhart!

Lockhart? Major gave her something - a bag.

If you hurry, you'll still catch her.

I'm being followed. There's an old woman just behind me. She's very dangerous.

Er... in here.

Don't move, or you'll knock something over.

Don't say a word. She's coming.

You seen a young lady pass this way, sir?

Dressed in mourning clothes?

A young lady? You mean that remarkably pretty blonde girl!

Trust a handsome gentleman like yourself to notice.

Yes, she's the one, bless her.

She asked for directions to the Swan - wanted the Ramsgate coach.

Ramsgate?

I see.

The Swan - where might that be, sir?

Left, right,

a few minutes' walk, then right again.

You'd better hurry. The Ramsgate coach leaves in five minutes.

Thank you, sir. I won't forget this.

Don't move yet.

All right. She's gone.

There was no need to flatter me.

I apologise. I take it back.

Now I see, in the light, you are as ugly as she is.

So, what have you done to upset the hideous old witch? I wish I knew.

If you're frightened, I'm finished... I'm not frightened.

No...

...I don't believe you are.

You must let me pay for the use of your tent.

Not everything in life has to be paid for.

Thank you.

Goodbye.

I don't even know your name.

It's Lockhart.

Sally Lockhart.

All aboard! London Bridge.

All stations to London Bridge!

All aboard!

'In 1856,

'a few months before the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny,

'I, Arthur George Marchbanks, had occasion to visit the Maharajah of Agrapur

'in company with my brother officers, Colonel Brandon, Major Park

'and Captain Lockhart.

'On the second evening of our visit, the Maharajah gave a banquet in our honour.

'I had never witnessed such splendour,

'but it paled by comparison with the magnificent ruby of Agrapur.'

I see the ruby intrigues you, Major Marchbanks.

It was discovered in Burma six centuries ago

and given in tribute to the princely house of Agrapur.

It is beautiful.

A fatal beauty, alas, and the cause of many deaths.

Only a few years ago, it was stolen by a French adventurer,

who tried to escape detention by swallowing it.

My father had him torn open while still alive

and plucked the stone warm from his belly.

Would you care to examine it?

Hold it close to the light and look inside.

'Something in its depth and beauty,

'its blood-red liquid fire,

fascinated me beyond all rules of delicacy and good manners.'

Travelling alone, Miss? Yes.

I see.

You see nothing.

London Bridge! Change here for Waterloo!

My book!

London Bridge! Change here for Waterloo!

Been at sea long?

A year. What ship?

The Lavinia. The Lavinia went down with all hands.

Come with me.

Number one smoke. Best in Limehouse!

Lockhart and Selby.

I got to find Lockhart and Selby.

You need sleep, my friend.

Mrs Holland's boarding house close by. Clean bed, very cheap. I take you there.

Lifted it right out of her hands, didn't I?

She didn't feel a thing!

Dear me, I'd like to have seen her face when she woke up.

Stuck-up little thing.

I showed her, all right. A book?

Is that all?

Interesting, is it?

Well, the young lady, I dare say, might find it fascinating.

If she was to read this, it would be a first-rate disaster.

Just as well she ain't got it, then.

Do you like a nice story, Mr Hopkins?

Shall I read to you?

"I have therefore withdrawn the ruby from the bank.

"This is the only chance I have of redeeming myself,

"and I mean you to have it.

"I have hidden it

"and, to make doubly sure, I shall conceal its hiding place in a cipher.

"You will find the jewel in..."

Not much of an ending.

Of course it's not the end!

There's a bleedin' page missing!

And she's got it!

Now, you go back and get it,

and make sure she has a nasty accident.

I ain't no killer, Mrs H.

Didn't you know? There was a stabbing in Kent this morning.

Only eye-witness is in shock, poor soul. Ain't breathed a word.

But one nod from me and...

...she'll swear it was a sharp young feller in a check suit and a bowler hat she saw

standing over the body with a knife in his hand. You vicious old cow!

Charmed, I'm sure(!)

Now, do we understand each other or not?

I need opium!

I must have a pipe. I must have a pipe!

If you don't get me one, the demons'll kill me!

Another few days and you'll feel better.

Look at me!

Look at the state of me! What would my brother say?

You got a brother, sir?

Yeah. Nicholas. He's my twin.

He's a man of the Church.

You must find a girl called Sally Lockhart.

I got a message for her.

Mrs Holland don't let me leave the house.

Her father was Captain Lockhart of Lockhart and Selby.

Shh! Shh... Shipping agents.

She's got spies everywhere.

She'll know! She knows everything!

Oi! No beggars here! Go on, clear off!

Miss Lockhart, please?

What d'ya want her for?

Who's your lady-love, short arse?

Shut your bum and give your face a chance, Skidmore!

Who sent ya? She'll kill me if she finds out I'm here.

Who will? Mrs Holland.

You'll be all right.

Just tell me what's up.

I got your message. We can't stay here.

Someone might see us. Come on.

I come up 'ere to the attic when I need a bit of time alone to think.

Now, who is this Adelaide?

And the opium addict, Bedwell - what does he know about the Seven Blessings?

Something. And he's got a message for you.

He's staying with some evil old cow called Mrs Holland. Mrs Holland!

You know her?

I know she wants to kill me.

SHE SCREAMS Where've you been? Nowhere! Nowhere, is it?

I'll show you nowhere!

I'll teach you to lie to me. It'll be the last lesson you'll ever learn!

I'm gonna cut you up and I'm gonna put you down there with the other one.

Then you can keep each other company.

Don't kill me, Mrs Holland. I'll tell you everything!

Don't put me in the ground, please!

I only had time to read a few pages, but it had something to do with my father,

Marchbanks and a ruby.

Only I don't see how it ties in. Marchbanks had never heard of the Seven Blessings.

And Bedwell's said nothing about a ruby.

Maybe there's two mysteries and they ain't connected.

But there is a connection - me.

You and Mrs Holland. She pinched your book.

No, it was a man, a spiv...

She clocked your photographer was winding her up,

waited till you was asleep, then nicked it.

Or got this bloke to do it. But what does she want the book for?

Come on, girl, keep up!

It's the ruby she wants. What else can it be?

Read us that bit of paper again.

"A place of darkness, under a knotted rope.

"Three red lights shine clearly on the spot when the moon pulls on the water.

"Take it. It is clearly yours by right, and by the laws of England.

"Antequam haec legis, mortuus ero; utinam ex animo hominum

"tam celeriter memoria mea discedat."

There you go. He's hidden the ruby and he's telling you where it is.

It's some kind of code. What the bloody hell does that last bit mean?

I don't know. I don't speak Latin.

One good thing - if it is the ruby Mrs Holland wants,

she ain't going to find it without this.

My message is for Miss Lockhart alone.

Quite right, dear.

We can't just blurt out our secrets to all and sundry, can we?

No. No...

Dear me, you do look poorly.

Bring the pipe, Adelaide.

All this suffering when there really is no need.

Just one little puff of medicine and you'll be right as rain.

Right as rain.

That's it.

Fetch me when he starts talking.

Bugger!

Robbed? I do not understand.

Are there any shattered windows?

Any other rooms disturbed?

Anything missing? No, ma'am.

Why should this robber select you alone for his attentions?

What do you have that anyone could possibly want? Some papers.

Lies now as well as ingratitude.

This whole business has been got up to make yourself the centre of attention.

Why are you smiling in that impudent fashion?

I will not be smiled at!

I am smiling because I am leaving.

I can't stay in this house another second. You can't leave.

Where will you go? You have nobody and nothing.

If I stay here I will have you, which is much worse.

Good day to you, Mrs Rees.

Good afternoon.

These bills have been waiting since Easter! Where's all the money gone?

We have to invest in the business. How else do you think I bought the polarising lens?

And the gelatin process? Damn the gelatin process!

If we don't pay these bills there won't be a business left to run!

I don't need advice on how to run MY business by some ranting puppet!

If it's about a sitting we can fit you in any time.

And I don't do babies!

You! You? Who's you?

The ugly fright from Swaleness I told you about.

Miss Lockhart, this is my sister, Rosa.

She's an actress, so you'll have to forgive the vanity and hysteria.

I'm also the only person who actually earns any money in this establishment.

Something tells me you're not here for a picture.

I have nowhere to live.

An old woman I barely know is determined to kill me,

and I have no-one left in the world to turn to.

Well...

You'd better come in, then.

Mr Berry.

This calls for a celebration. There's gin in the cupboard.

I signed the Pledge in Dartmoor, Mrs Holland.

Alcohol is the cause of madness, hallucinations,

softness of the brain and moral decay.

I think the damage is already done in your case.

I was formerly very wicked. But I intend to lead a good life now.

Always excepting the odd murder or two.

So this was it, was it?

Nothing else?

"...A place of darkness under a knotted rope..."

Don't make sense.

Here... I reckon that's a riddle.

I know it's a bleedin' riddle!

I just don't know what it means.

If I didn't know the Major's writing...

...I'd say that little cow'd made this up just to throw me off the scent.

It's our guest calling for his medicine. Honestly,

I feel like Florence bleeding Nightingale sometimes.

You'll get your reward in heaven, Mrs H.

I'll take it on Earth thank you very much, Mr Berry.

Just to be on the safe side.

Do you remember what the last page said?

I kept a copy in my notebook.

"A place of darkness under a knotted rope.

"Three red lights shine clearly on the spot when the moon pulls on the water..."

It's Latin.

My brother's a scholar, you know.

He only pretends to be stupid.

"Antequam haec legis..."

By the time you read this,

I shall be dead.

May my memory be... no, may I be as swiftly forgotten.

Looks like he knew what was coming.

At least we know this Matthew Bedwell is at Mrs Holland's. The problem is getting at him.

Jim said he had a twin brother. A man of the Church.

Then he'll be in Crockford's Clerical Dictionary.

Which you know intimately.

Permanently glued to it.

You can stay here as long as you like.

We'll let you pay rent if it'll make you feel respectable.

I have no money yet.

But I couldn't help overhearing before...

I could look at your books for you, help sort things out.

I used to do my father's accounts. We accept. Enthusiastically.

And if you can make any sense of the business

I don't suppose we'll ever let you leave.

Bedwell... Bedwell... Bedwell... Here we are.

"The Reverend Nicholas Bedwell,

born 1842, curate of St John's, Summertown, Oxford. That must be the man.

I shall write to him immediately.

Well, come on then, are we bankrupt?

Nearly. But you're owed a total of 76 pounds and 7 shillings.

If you get that money in, you can pay off most of your debts.

And what you really need is someone to find you ways of making you more money.

You've hardly begun to exploit the business side.

Of course not. I'm an "artist".

Well, why don't you do it? I have no formal qualifications...

I'm not even 20 yet...

That's better than Fred. He'll be ten for the rest of his life.

As long as you're absolutely certain you wish to employ me...

There are no employees here.

Only equals.

My mother died during the siege of Lucknow.

She was holding me in her arms when she was shot...

managed to kill the murderer before she died.

She gave her life for me.

She was the most beautiful woman in the regiment, and the most notorious.

She could shoot better than any soldier,

curse like a navvy and she would smoke these... um...

these tiny black cheroots from an ivory holder.

The army wives were scandalised and of course all the men loved her.

But my father was the only one she ever loved.

Do you remember all this?

No, um...

I was just two years old when it happened.

All I had left of her was the pearl-handled pistol she used to save my life.

The one that was stolen with the papers?

You don't have to worry about me, you know.

I'm quite capable of protecting myself.

Free book-keepers don't grow on trees.

If anything happened to you, I'd...

have to pay someone.

There's no need to scowl at me. I'm not scowling.

Your letter said you had important business, Mrs... Holland.

God only knows what it might be.

Straight to the point, Mr Selby.

Well, I respect that. I'm the same myself.

Do you know a sailor named Matthew Bedwell?

I can't say I do. He knows you.

And that ain't all he knows.

The schooner Lavinia ring any bells?

I've no time for sailor's gossip...

Then perhaps you'll have time for the Seven Blessings...

...and an oriental gentleman named Ling?

Have I got your attention now? Go on.

Mr Bedwell knows things about the shipwreck, you see, shocking things.

And he says the only thing for it is to publish them in the newspapers.

How much do you want?

Your letter said you had important news for me, Mr Garland.

It concerns your brother.

He's in a boarding house in Wapping.

He's been there at least a week. I knew he was alive!

Thank God.

But why has he not contacted me himself?

He is smoking opium. Again?

Thank you. I'll go fetch him this minute.

It's not that easy I'm afraid.

The boarding house belongs to a woman named Mrs Holland, who, for her own reasons,

is keeping your brother captive and will not give him up lightly.

The opium must have weakened his mind.

She couldn't hold him otherwise. There is something else.

My father drowned in the wreck of the Lavinia.

Your brother knows something about it.

He has a message for me.

Then we shall have to get him and find out what it is.

I must ask you to do me a service first.

My brother has been an addict for a long time.

Cutting off his supply too quickly might well kill him.

I'm afraid you will have to buy me some opium.

I've been looking into the background of the Ruby of Agrapur,

and it turns out it's something of a legend.

And no-one has seen it since the Mutiny.

What else did you discover?

The Maharajah was slaughtered by his own people during the uprising.

They said he was a collaborator.

At least, that's the official account. Who knows?

Perhaps Marchbanks killed him.

No! I don't believe it.

He was a very sad man, but there was something gentle about him.

He wasn't capable of murdering anyone.

I see you adopt a vigorously logical approach to evidence.

This is the place.

I photographed it last year.

Madame Sheng's establishment is just a bit further on.

Don't the police know about it?

Probably. So what?

Opium isn't illegal.

But it's so dangerous.

It's mostly the poor and helpless that become addicted.

And why ban it when it earns the country a fortune?

How can you be so cynical?

I'm not the cynical one. Don't you know anything about history?

The British government cultivates opium in India,

then exports it to the rest of the world.

My God, when the Chinese Emperor tried to ban it a few years ago

we even went to war to make him change his mind.

That's how much the British government cares about the Bedwells of this world.

Are you sure you want to go through with this?

Good afternoon, sir.

Welcome. Can I help you?

Good afternoon, Madam Sheng.

We're not here to smoke. We're here to buy.

As you wish. How much would you like?

Sally? Wake up.

Thank God you're here.

You all right?

You must have inhaled the smoke.

But it... shouldn't have affected you like that.

It was not your first time.

I've never smoked opium in my life!

The smoke never lies.

It knows you, as you know it.

I was in my nightmare...

one I've had since I was a child.

Only this time it felt more real than ever.

I'm going mad. The power of the smoke is beyond limit.

It hides the secrets of the past so well,

the sharpest eyes in the brightest daylight would never find them.

It reveals them like buried treasure.

I heard a man being killed...

...then I saw two men.

They were always like ghosts before, but this time they were real.

One of them was Major Marchbanks.

He was younger but I know it was him.

But the worst thing...

...the worst thing of all is that the other was my father.

What you saw was not a dream...

it was a memory.

10,

20,

30,

40... 50.

Satisfied?

I can't speak for my gentleman. We shall have to see how the wind blows.

You think you can tap me for money whenever the mood takes you?

What a common turn of phrase. You'll upset me if you carry on like that.

You'd kill me as soon as look at me, wouldn't you?

Wait a moment, Mrs Holland.

I could use a woman with your connections.

Suppose I had a proposal?

One that was worth a lot more than blackmail money.

What game are we talking? Protection.

A man in my position can't be too careful.

And what position might that be?

You're not coming. Why not?

Because... I'm a woman?

I was going to point out that you have no experience in fighting.

Whereas Mr Bedwell boxed for his university.

And what fighting have you done? I was fencing champion at school.

Useful when Mrs Holland challenges you to a duel(!)

This is my battle as much as yours.

While Fred and Sally were preparing to rescue Mr Bedwell, I decided

to take a little trip to the coast and do some investigating on my own.

Yes, Jimbo!

Is Mrs Holland here?

You must be Adelaide.

Matthew?

It's me, Nicholas.

We'll have to carry him.

You can't take him. She'll kill me.

He doesn't belong here.

Is that really you?

Can you walk?

We can't leave her here. Adelaide!

Go! Go. I'll buy you some time.

Adelaide!

Mr Berry?

Well, now I've seen everything.

You ain't him.

You are, but you ain't.

Don't just stand there! Kill him!

I hope you don't intend to take communion looking like this.

I shall preach a sermon on the church militant by way of explanation.

How is my brother? He's still asleep.

Ai! Now don't be a baby.

You'll be safe here. She'll find me.

If I went to the bottom of the sea she'll find me and drag me back out.

Well, at least she won't be able to use this.

My gun! Yours? How?

Henry Hopkins took it.

She sent him to nick your stuff and murder you,

but only, he wasn't the killing sort,

so she done 'im in.

She's got a knife

what she sliced the last girl open with.

I've seen her where she put 'er in the yard.

She said that she would put me next to her. She'll do it now, an' all!

Go to the window. Quickly!

Is there anyone watching the office?

A gentleman, clean-shaven, fair hair, sunburned complexion, quite tall.

There's 'undreds of people out there. What's he wearing?

How do I know, you idiot!

I can't see no-one.

Deliver this.

Now.

Mrs Holland? Are you sure? Of course I'm sure!

And what the blazes has it got to do with you?

You read Selby's letter? No.

That would be dishonest.

Of course I read it.

All he said was he wanted their arrangement to start immediately.

Who is he frightened of? Listen, there's something else I've got to tell yer...

What sort of crimes can a shipping agent commit?

Smuggling? Fraud. Sinking ships and claiming on the insurance.

What I was going to say...

They're not owners, they're agents. They only have one ship.

Surely that kind of thing is too easy to spot. This is important.

You think the Lavinia was sunk on purpose? Why would anyone do that?

I can tell you.

What were you going to say, Jim? It'll keep.

I want to hear this.

I know it's not what you crave,

but if the urge becomes too great, we have what you need.

You'd do that for me?

I'll never smoke opium again.

Are you Mr Lockhart's daughter?

I'm sorry. He's dead. I know.

He drowned in the Lavinia.

He didn't drown.

He was murdered.

South China Seas are home to every kind of smuggler,

pirate, murderer.

Worst of all are the Triads.

Lockhart and Selby was hand-in-glove with all these societies.

Whole company had the stench of corruption.

Not my father! No.

But he'd heard the rumours.

That's why he came out to the East.

He was going to see the company agent, Hendrik Van Eeden.

He trusted him. Van Eeden had the reputation of an honest man.

Your father met him in Singapore when he came aboard with his Malay servant, Perak.

The very first afternoon out we saw the black junk.

Could have outsailed her easily, but the captain,

he just seemed to be dawdling on purpose.

It was the second night it happened.

Your father was attacked in his cabin.

Stabbed.

I heard him calling for help.

When I found him he was barely alive.

He told me his murderer was the ship's captain...

...and that he was in the pay of a man named Ling.

I knew then we was all doomed.

Ling heads the most brutal Triad gang in the South China Seas.

Did my father say anything about me?

He told me to tell you what had happened.

And something else.

"Keep your powder dry".

He always said that.

It was his way of telling me to be prepared for anything.

Captain scuttled his own ship while Ling's men slaughtered the crew.

Nothing could wipe the cries of those dying men from my mind...

...nothing but opium.

The Triad gang that corrupted Lockhart and Selby,

what was its name?

It's called the Fan Lin Society.

Seven Blessings.

Oi! Stop, thief!

Stop that man!

There's no-one in.

Ain't you the sharp one(!)

"A place of darkness under a knotted rope.

"Three red lights shine clearly on the spot..."

There's a kind of sense in it,

but damned if I can see what it is.

I need a drink. You could use one, an' all. Might oil your brain.

I ain't drinking no beer.

I signed the pledge and I got my principles.

You know, for a thieving murderer,

you do come across very strong on principle, Mr Berry.

All right, you can have a lemonade.

And I hope that little maggot of a thing

you call a conscience is satisfied.

That's stupid, that is.

If it's the Turk's head, you want a head, not a rope.

Yeah.

Let's go in.

Lemonade, for a big feller like you?

My son's got a very delicate stomach.

Alcohol quite upsets him.

That's a very unusual sign you've got out there.

It don't go with the name.

Turk's Head.

Course it does.

Turk's Head is a kind of sailor's knot.

Didn't you know that?

Well, I never did.

Well, that explains it, then.

Have one yourself, love.

Might as well.

I was looking for a friend of mine.

Mrs Thorpe, housekeeper to Major Marchbanks.

Well you've had a wasted journey, then.

She packed her bags after what happened.

Didn't you know? He was murdered.

No!

What is the world coming to?

Stabbed.

A burglar, they reckon.

He was a regular of mine. Quiet sort.

Came in most days for his brandy and his newspaper.

Did he, though?

Is that the privy, dear? No. That's the cellar.

Privy's outside. Course it is.

D'you know, I think I could eat something.

I've got some nice boiled beef.

Just the thing.

Bring the bag.

She comes back, break her neck.

A place of darkness under a knotted rope.

That's this cellar.

Three red lights.

There's a buoy out there in the creek what flashes three times.

When the moon pulls on the water...

When the tide comes in, you see?

It all fits.

Never mind.

That's it!

There's a box.

I was promised this a very long time ago, Mr Berry.

I'm only taking what is rightfully mine.

It's empty!

It's bleedin' empty.

It's her.

The Lockhart girl. No-one else knows it's here.

I will have that ruby, Mr Berry. You see if I don't.

I'm owed it and I will have it,

and then I will cut her heart out and dance on it!

Nicholas?

Where're we going? I'm looking over a replacement for the Lavinia.

Not that it's any of your business.

Only two in the boat. Company rules.

I'm supposed to stay with him.

Get a move on, will you?

I'm a busy man.

You stay here, and don't move till I get back.

Codfish!

I give you one simple job...

What did I tell you?

Stay with him at all times.

A bloody stone could understand that.

But it was 'im what told me to wait.

You're a dab hand at killing people, Mr Berry,

you ain't much at keeping 'em alive!

Here are.

Well,

never mind Selby.

He ain't in no position to ask for a refund, is he?

D'you know something, Mr Berry,

this is an interesting game we're in.

I wouldn't miss it for the world.

The pictures can wait, you know. We don't have to do them right now.

We can't sit around moping.

We all need something to think about,

something more than death and unhappiness.

Right. Well, I can take the pictures.

But who's going to sell them?

It will have to be you.

My soul is far too fine for base commercial jousting.

You should do it.

I shall, as soon as I'm old enough to be taken seriously.

I... take you seriously.

You mean as a business woman?

As all kinds of things.

Sally, I...

Look what I've found!

...Then we'll put you in one. Yeah.

You'll like that, won't ya? Yeah. Yeah, you will!

Get your hands off her, you rat bag!!

Don't bite me! Mr Berry, get him! Get off, you big oaf!

Drive on!

...They're only a few minutes ahead of us.

I promised to look after the poor little scrap. I promised her.

Jim, we are going to get her back.

Wait for us. Round here? You must be joking.

They'll have the shoes off me horse in a minute.

Get out!

What's the plan?

Nice tactics, Wellington. Adelaide! Adelaide!

Right, this way, my love.

Go on, kick him!

We can get out by Tobacco Dock.

Up Old Gravel Lane.

Come on, my son.

Come on.

That's him! That's them Mrs Holland's after.

Oi! Come here!

They're going to kill me, Jim. I'm gonna die.

Shut up. No-one's dying.

Split up. You go that way.

You're the two Mrs 'olland's lookin' for, ain't yer?

You'll be all right with me.

We'll have to find a skiff somewhere. Get you down the river.

Why are you helping us?

What's that old cow ever done for me?

We keeps the rats down for rent.

There's an alley that leads down to the river.

They won't find you there.

Just got to get you across the Wapping Wall.

We'll be safe now.

Where do we go from here? Dunno, matey. Not my problem.

Sorry, mate. Gotta live.

You try that again and Mr Berry'll twist your head off.

He practises on chickens.

Sometimes they runs around for a full five minutes after their heads is off.

He'd love to see how long you'd flap about without no head.

Adelaide don't know nothing about the ruby. You don't want her. I want her.

She's going to be sleeping in the yard tonight, ain't you, poppet?

We've got your bed all ready.

Put her down! I'll kill you.

I thought I sorted you out. Mr Berry, you're losing your touch.

Makes four times he's crossed my path. I want him dead.

Adelaide?

Adelaide?

They'll be fine.

This can't go on.

It's not Adelaide Mrs Holland wants. It's me. She hates me.

I still don't know why.

I have to discover the truth about the ruby.

And there's only one way I can do it.

Opium.

Matthew Bedwell left it behind. He said he wouldn't need it.

I have to go back into my nightmare.

I have to finish it.

Only I don't really know what to do.

I do.

Theatre people know a little about this sort of thing.

Sit down on the sofa.

There's no pipe, so you'll have to breathe in the fumes.

Now just breathe normally.

The smoke will do the rest.

I'm scared, Rosa.

What if I grow to like the smoke?

If I became like poor Matthew Bedwell... You won't.

You were talking.

Sometimes in English but mostly in a foreign language.

Hindustani.

I know everything, Rosa.

The whole story.

I have to find the ruby.

I have to have it. It was a dream. It was never a dream.

It was always the truth, buried in my memory all along.

Wait here. There's something you have to know.

Major Marchbanks hid it in a pub in Swaleness.

It was Jim who cracked the cipher.

It seems Black Jack Armstrong does that sort of thing all the time

in Stirring Tales For British Lads.

Why didn't he tell me?

He tried to, the night you rescued Matthew Bedwell.

And after that he gave it to me for safekeeping.

I think he was frightened of what it does to people.

So am I, a little.

Send a message to Mrs Holland.

Tell her to meet me at Hangman's Wharf in an hour's time.

You're mad.

At least wait for Fred... No.

I have to end all this.

Whatever happens, you must promise not to interfere.

You killed my father.

My real father.

Major Marchbanks.

He sold me in return for a ruby, didn't he?

The Maharajah had given the ruby to my...

to Captain Lockhart

as payment for protection during the mutiny.

And Captain Lockhart left the Major guarding the Maharajah in the dark somewhere.

The residency cellars.

Marchbanks deserted his post to smoke opium.

He was an addict.

And somehow the mutineers got in and slaughtered the Maharajah.

I saw it all.

Lockhart knocked him down for a coward when he come back.

Then they heard you crying.

Lockhart was so disgusted and a-feared at what your life might

become, he offered Marchbanks the ruby in exchange for you.

And he took it in a second.

His own daughter

in exchange for a jewel.

Now Miss,

I want that ruby.

It's what I come for.

And I got a right to it. What right?

You have no claim over it.

I've got the greatest claim of all.

I was promised that ruby by the Maharajah himself.

You were there as well? Of course I was there.

And the Maharajah were in love with me.

Yeah,

I might be old and ugly now, but I was beautiful once.

Everybody in northern India knew pretty Molly Edwards.

They all paid court.

But it was the Maharajah what wanted me worst of all.

He promised me the ruby if I'd give him what he wanted.

And I did.

I could've had a good marriage.

I had prospects and me good name.

One night with him put paid to all that.

Afterwards, he just...

laughed, threw me out the palace.

It was you who betrayed the Maharajah.

It was no more than he deserved.

Squealed like a pig when they cut him.

I've heard that screaming in my dreams.

You and all them stuck-up army wives would have been next if Lockhart hadn't come back.

All them hypocrites

called me slut and whore behind me back.

Well?

You know something?

We got a lot more in common than you'd like, me and you.

We was both bought for a ruby.

My father left this to me but I renounce my claim.

It has brought me nothing but death and unhappiness and if you want it,

you can go and get it.

It's mine...

my pretty Molly...

she'll have her ruby.

Mrs Holland?

Mrs Holland?! Mrs Holland!

Miss Lockhart...

Get into the carriage.

I have news regarding your father.

What news?

Who are you? I was born Hendrik Van Eeden.

In the East, though, I am better known as Ling.

Now get in the carriage.

Where are we going?

The East India docks.

I don't understand.

My ship sails with the tide.

You may come with me, alive, or you may stay here,

dead.

One way or the other, I must be certain that you will remain silent.

What will happen to me if I come with you?

Surely I don't have to explain that?

You are not a child.

You can't be Ling.

You're not Chinese.

You have my Dutch father to thank for the way that I look.

But my mother was the daughter of

Ling Chi,

a great and noble Chinese businessman,

though you might call him a pirate.

My European looks and education have been a great advantage.

They have made it so much easier to set up an arrangement beneficial

to both Lockhart and Selby and the Seven Blessings.

Opium was the link.

The finest comes from India,

grown under British government supervision.

There is an official stamp, a mould if you like,

to form the drug into little cakes.

All with Her Majesty's blessing and approval.

As luck would have it,

I came into possession of one of those valuable stamps.

After that it was a simple matter of adulterating premium opium

with the low grade stuff from the hills of Penang.

Thus, one shipload became three or four, all certificated

and shipped by the British government

and the reputable firm of Lockhart and Selby.

Alas, Captain Lockhart's intervention

gave me a great deal of trouble.

So you murdered him?

What's one human life

when so much money is at stake?

Thousands, perhaps even millions.

But the gods have been kind.

I killed him!

God, Rosa,

he murdered so many people...

He killed my...

I can't call him Captain Lockhart.

He was my father but...

We have to tell the police.

I killed a man.

How will you explain all this? They'll only have your word for it.

No. We go now and we never look back. You understand me, Sally?

We've got to get out.

Did you leave anything in the carriage they could identify?

I shot him in the heart from a few inches.

He was dead. I know he was.

There's no sign of Adelaide.

God knows what Mrs Holland has done with her,

but at least there was no new grave in the yard.

Poor little mite.

We're going to find her, Jim. Somehow or other, one day

we're going to find her. I promise you.

Course we'll find her. Even if I have to turn detective myself.

Is there anything more in the paper?

Well, the police are convinced

there's a murder but they have no body and no suspects.

Is that for me? Er, no, as it happens. It's for me.

It's from Nicholas Bedwell.

I didn't know you two were corresponding.

Well, that's because it's none of your business.

So, what do we call you now?

Lockhart or Marchbanks?

Whenever I hear the word "father", I know who I think of.

And I don't know what my legal status is, or what rubies count

for in a court of law, but I'm Sally Lockhart,

I work for a photographer,

and that's all anybody needs to know.

Fresh in today, Miss?

My name is Perak, Miss Lockhart.

I was your father's servant.

He said I must deliver this in person.

Apologies. My journey has been long and with many difficulties.

"Look under the clock"?

What does it mean?

Your father said you would understand.

Thank you.

And later Sally did understand.

It was time to pay one final visit to her childhood home,

and for the past to give up the last of its secrets.

"My dearest Sally,

"if you are reading this the worst has happened and I am dead.

"You will have much to bear, but you are strong, and you will recover.

"This money, darling, is for you.

"Ten thousand pounds, my share of Lockhart and Selby.

"Use it wisely.

"You will choose well, I know.

"Goodbye, my Sally.

"By now you will fully understand

"what it means when I sign myself with the deepest love,

"your father,

"William Lockhart."

As she walked home that day, Sally swore she would never give up

the search for the missing Adelaide.

And although she had lost her father,