This programme contains some strong language
SIGHS SOFTLY
BREATH TREMBLES
SCOFFS
SIGHS DEEPLY
PHONE RINGS
Dr Hale is on her way up.
Good. Good. Has... Has Zander left?
LIFT DINGS
Well done on the rail case.
Make sure you celebrate tonight.
We certainly will. Have a good evening. And you.
Thanks, Maya.
Have a good night. And you.
I just avoided Zander. I'm sorry.
I thought he'd already gone.
Did he see you? No.
Shall we? Yes.
I appreciate you seeing me so late in the day.
I'm liking the dress. Ha!
Are you going somewhere?
Er, Thai food with parents from Liv's old class.
Felix always used to drag me to those.
And Nathan?
We're meeting for a drink, before.
He - he wants to chat.
A date? Ha.
Sounds hopeful.
What?
Heart rate's a little raised.
It's only a drink.
And that's a surgeon talking. I'll take your word for it.
But have it on record -
I think it's a mistake...
Thanks.
..you and Nathan breaking up.
I cheated on him, Leni.
Perhaps there are some things you just can't forgive.
And if he could?
I'm not talking about this any more.
My brother tells me Liv's...
Ah, South America, gap year. Back late tomorrow, in fact.
She's going to... Study law.
Zander said.
Oh. Note to self - do not tell Zander anything.
How are you?
How's Felix?
Doing something rather complicated
with cryptocurrencies.
Work's been crazy.
I'm juggling surgical with my cardio research.
PHONE PINGS Ah. Sorry.
I have a patient in dire need of a heart.
So...
..how can I help you, Leni?
Same as you do with everyone.
I want a divorce.
LAUGHS
Why, Leni?
But it's Felix.
Leni, there must...
There must be something.
I need to know I can trust you.
Always.
How do you know when a marriage is over?
When is the moment to call it quits?
If marriage is the conquest and divorce the inquest,
can there ever be the good divorce?
I am Ruth Defoe
and I'm a family lawyer at Noble Hale Defoe,
one of London's leading family law firms,
and this is NHD's LoveCast,
the podcast that each week talks to real couples
about real marriage
and real divorce,
and asks, "How did we get here?"
and, "Where do we go now?"
Coming to you live from London,
the divorce capital of the world.
Well, you're not actually live. LAUGHS
Yes, thank you, James.
Do you have to do that? I've got to lay the table.
Well, yes, but I'm just finishing my thing.
Er, just let me... That's very kind of you.
Are you touching up your roots?
What?! No. What?!
I'll deny that in court.
I have asked my father
to snip out a little bit of the grey.
Did you FaceTime the kids?
Yeah - child three was making dubious TikToks
about some lyrics I really hope she doesn't understand.
Child two is still giving me the cold shoulder,
but he did let me help him with his homework last week,
so it's fine.
Although variables in algebra, that's...
Now, that's challenging, even for me.
Until I reminded him
that algebra is a lot like relationships.
Do you ever look at your X and wonder Y?
Why is that funny, again?
Tomorrow - Liv.
Yeah, five o'clock, Stansted -
I'll be there. I'll pick her up, drive her home,
act casual, say nothing, cos little does she know...
Yay!
..the entire Defoe clan will be waiting for her...
..to welcome the traveller returned.
Was that your attempt at Attenborough?
It's Hardy - Tom. Not Thomas.
LAUGHS
Have you signed it yet?
Um...
Not yet.
Appreciate the movement on Christmas, though.
Oh, well, there's a lot to be said
for taking up the slack on Boxing Day.
They'll have been fed, presents given.
What's not to like?
Family home to be retained by Mrs Stern.
Mr Stern to reside elsewhere till...
..last child heads to college.
And/or prison - delete as applicable.
So...
..technically, we're really doing this.
Technically...
..almost there.
Lot to be said for...
..a good divorce - yay for us.
Yay.
Um...full transparency on relationship status
for the first...two years.
There's only so many swipes to the right a girl can ignore.
We should talk about that.
Yes, we should.
I was hoping that's why you wanted to chat.
Hannah...
Right...
There you two are.
I said to Mike, I wondered if we'd see you in here first.
Do you mind if we join you?
Good to get a couple of glasses in before dinner.
Yeah. Can I get you something? Uh-uh.
Fucking hell.
Jesus...
BOTH LAUGH
BELL CHIMES
Well, hello, everybody,
and welcome to this week's fellowship meeting.
It's great to see so many of you here.
This week, we'll be looking at our health and wellbeing
and the challenges that face us
over the next seven days and how to...
VOICE FADES
TOY SQUEAKS NINA LAUGHS
She was wearing... Cheesy!
No, don't be a spoilsport. I need this.
Now, keep on talking. Dungarees.
Why the hell did we decide to walk?
Because that's what you do when you go camping
in the Lake District. Tell him, Ronnie.
Oh, we had some memorable trips.
It was rather wonderful,
not least because Oscar always used to get drunk
on the first night. LAUGHTER
Soon to be recreated again.
So can we go back to my story, please?
Yes. So we were walking
and we climb over this stile,
and then suddenly...she's gone,
halfway down a ravine.
Come on. You're so dramatic. It was a ditch.
Trousers ripped straight through to her...
Bare arse - out.
Yeah, and that's when I knew.
Like I said, it's so cheesy.
No, but you see, this is so interesting.
One of the big questions I ask my clients is,
when do they know a marriage is done?
And they often speak of it in similar terms.
The moment of germination
has unique parallels with termination.
To not killing them.
Yet. Yeah. Yet. Yes. Yeah.
Saving a fortune and charging them rent.
And getting rid of all that shit they accumulate.
Running machine. Oh, my God.
The self-tanning booth.
The loom. The loom! The loom!
You two are so great.
Seriously, how have you done it?
We haven't done it yet. I guess...
We looked at one another and realised we'd spent
most of our life together.
A good life.
And to let that all go to waste...
So a few months of wrangling and heartache
was worth it to be able to still look at one another
and like one another before...
..finally signing on the dotted line.
Aw. Anyway, here's to us.
Cheers. Yeah, cheers.
So you...you signed?
Um, return of post.
Oh, Kate! Should be on Zander's desk
in the morning. At last!
Oh, sorry. Sorry.
Crazy amount of work spilled over into the end of my day.
That's all right. I wasn't sure
you were going to make it. Anyway - Mike.
Hi. And this is Gemma.
- Gemma, hi. - Oh, hi.
- Lovely to meet you. - Lovely to meet you.
And of course, you know Nathan. And then there's Connor...
And this is Hannah, Nathan's ex.
Hannah, Nathan's told me so much about you.
Though you'd never know it.
God knows why they let it end.
Er...
Well, er...
It's, er...
It's...it's probably a lot like, well, algebra.
Relationships are a lot like algebra.
Have you ever looked at your X and wondered Y?
Ooh! Ho-ho-ho!
Not my best.
Would you like something?
Oh, just some water.
She is the most amazing child psychologist.
Do you know, I had to bribe her to get on the school board?
And she writes.
I know. Don't you hate her?
She's got a new book coming out.
Huh.
Hello, cheeky chops.
DOOR SLAMS Sorry.
Is everything OK?
Hmm, yeah.
Down two bottles and lots of nappy action.
Do you want to take her next week as well?
No, don't encourage him - it's your baby.
I know, it's just, you can do it better than me.
And I'm not a salaried lawyer with a Master's.
You're doing great.
Great. Oh, can I have a cuddle?
Yeah.
Hello!
Hannah not home yet?
No, she's at the grand reunion.
Oh! Well, that's a good sign.
Oh, Ma, you found it.
Yeah, one of the advantages
of having your entire life in boxes.
Family christening robe.
Which incidentally you still haven't replied to.
Which incidentally is a bit weird.
You haven't set foot in a church since my wedding.
Yeah. And again, I don't care.
Um, he won't be very happy, upstairs.
Or do you prefer the term "higher power"?
Nice vicar - Glen.
Yes, he of the cock-fumbling incident
says that "God" or "higher power" is fine.
He doesn't give a shite.
Now, shut up and listen because...
Er, James?
Will you be godparents?
Yes!
And yes and yes!
Oh!
Yeah.
Wow. Thank you. Good.
Yeah.
Awesome.
What's wrong?
Pity parents.
Fuck.
DOOR CLOSES
Len.
Leni, what are you doing in the dark?
I'm starving. Want me to cook?
Yeah, I had Tommy on the phone talking to me on the way back.
He really hates that school.
I was thinking we could drive up
for the weekend.
You are the kindest man...
..I have ever known, Felix.
If you tell me you're on damn call tonight, I'm...
PHONE BUZZES
You are. You are. You're on bloody call.
Thank you. I'm just coming.
What? I'm staying at the flat.
It's easier for work.
The boys will stay here.
Leni...
Leonora.
I don't understand.
I'm leaving...
..you.
DOORBELL RINGS
I'm leaving you.
DOOR OPENS
So I turned around...
..and that was it,
my career in Mexican law was over in the first meeting!
She said, "Your evidence is circumstantial
"and your suit is criminal."
LAUGHTER
I needed a nap...
..a taco and several margaritas.
That is hilarious.
So, I'm sorry, I've been banging on.
No, not at all.
No, that's fine. It was...
I didn't know you had children at the school.
I don't have children at all. Not yet.
Don't leave it too long.
Yeah, I'm not sure I could have done the work I do
if I'd had them before.
There's a certain intensity to my job.
I'm not sure it would have been conducive
to being a parent. Really?
CHUCKLES DRILY
Well, if that was the case, then...
..none of us would have done it.
I'm not presuming, of course. It's just...
..when I'm a mother,
I want to be there.
Research has shown, in the early years,
if a mother can be there to maintain stability
for the children and the marriage...
What?
People won't get divorced?
No, but I might argue
that a present mother might be able to mitigate
the damaging effects of a marital break-up.
So what are you saying? That...
EXHALES
..if you're not there, then...
..you're destined to screw up your kids,
if you're a working mother in the midst of a break-up?
Dangerous terrain.
You've got Hannah on her pet subject.
She's on the divorce front line.
In every respect.
LAUGHTER
Specialist subject.
It just seems a little, erm...
CHUCKLES
It's retrograde and, frankly, it's rather anti-feminist
and presumptuous to assume that
the end of a marriage need be carnage.
You will see, I'm...I'm in full agreement.
In my new book,
I argue for ways to avoid marital warfare.
What's the title of your new book?
Divorce And Its Legacy - Does It Have To Mean War?
Well, I can see straight away we're not,
cos you already assume divorce as a state of conflict.
You're already aligning the language of battle,
you know, erm, front line...
..marital warfare, with the end of marriage.
In my work, I find these tend to be appropriate,
often fuelled and perpetuated
sometimes, I'm afraid, by family lawyers like yourself
who thrive on such conflict.
And I'd go as far to say, at times,
it's your raison d'etre. OK, Kate...
With respect...
CHUCKLES DRILY
..you don't know family law.
The principle at the heart of any decent family lawyer
is the quest for the...
..good divorce.
And sure, I believe you believe that,
but every parent wants what's right for their family,
and it is their intention at the start
to do as well and as best they can.
It doesn't serve the legal system to make it easy.
You know, easy means less income,
without questioning the damaging effects
an acrimonious divorce can cause
and the scars it leaves on our little people.
Little people?
But maybe we need to agree to differ.
Yeah, I'll second that.
Right then, more wine?
Yes. Yes.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. There we go.
LIGHT-HEARTED CHATTER
Oh, dear.
FOOTSTEPS APPROACH
Oh, hi.
Isn't Kate great?
DRYER BLASTS
Great.
DRYER STOPS
What?
Great!
DRYER BLASTS
EXHALES
Hannah, I'm so sorry.
Tonight was so awkward,
and I really wanted us to get along.
I'm a huge admirer of your work.
I often cite one of your cases, Blake and Newton,
as an extraordinary example
of a family lawyer's perseverance to reunite
an estranged mother with her child.
And I didn't know
that Nathan hadn't told you that I was coming.
But he did tell you that we're still married?
Hannah! Mike can drive you home.
Goodnight.
Thanks.
Hannah...
..I, er, did try to tell you. Not hard enough.
Thanks, Mike.
EXHALES
BREATHES RAGGEDLY
WHIMPERS
Fuck!
Fuck.
WAILS
Agh!
DOG BARKS IN DISTANCE
Hannah?
Hannah.
Christ, I thought somebody had broken in.
Sorry, didn't mean to wake you.
SIGHS
SNIFFLES
How was dinner?
And Nathan?
He wasn't supposed to fall for someone else.
Oh, Hannah!
Are you sure?
Oh... Oh, yeah, yeah.
Oh, darling...
SOBS
Is she a contender?
Hmm?
SNIFFLES
Oh...
Why can't they ever just stick with meaningless sex?
SOBS TURN TO LAUGHS
RUTH CHUCKLES
Oh...
If it's of any interest...
...I had a call from Christie last week.
He was picking my brains about a client of his.
Right.
How's, erm...?
New York? Yeah.
Good.
He asked about you.
I said you were doing fine.
I am. I am. I'm fine.
CLEARS THROAT
My soon-to-be ex-husband is screwing
possibly one of the most sanctimonious women
I've ever met. Oh, prick.
DOOR SLAMS
Vinnie?
Your dad loves you.
Us. Vinnie...
Hannah hasn't texted yet.
Do you think that's a good sign?
Er...
..I don't know.
You know something.
What?
Don't you think they could get back together?
I-I don't know.
CLEARS THROAT
What are you not telling me?
James?
Nothing. Just leave it.
You were so...
..excited about the whole...
..Nina "will you be godparents?" thing.
I didn't get "so" excited.
But it is pretty cool.
It's humiliating.
It's like...a booby prize.
Oh, great, you guys -
just need to go through the humiliation of proving
you can look after someone else's sprog
and then maybe, maybe,
you can adopt.
Are you delirious,
or do you seriously believe the crap coming out
of your mouth right now?
It's true. It's amazing.
It's humbling, it's astonishing...
..that we have been charged with providing love
and godly advice. No, no, no.
Not the God as we know it. Our version.
The "peace, love,
"eat all you want, smoke what you want,
"dance all you want, love, hug..." buffet,
before the two little perfect ready-made muggers
we're going to adopt arrive to keep us busy.
Two?
Possibly three.
Maybe even four.
Four?!
Just need Nathan to check the adoption papers
and post the bloody thing,
and then...
We'll be parents. Hmm.
Say it.
You're the good daddy.
BOTH LAUGH
Louder, louder.
You're the... You're the...
JAMES LAUGHS HEARTILY
I love you.
SIGHS
MUSIC
# Easy come but hard to go
# People stare... #
PHONE CHIMES
# Why do I feel so alone?
Oh, please!
# Don't you wish
# We could just let go of this? #
Hi, this is Christie Carmichael's answerphone.
Please leave a message, or you can...
Mum, Mum! She's back.
You might want to see this.
Oh!
..Sao Paulo, in Brazil.
Yeah.
Fantastic. And then to Cartagena.
Liv!
Hola, Mama!
Oh!
Gael, this is my mum.
Hola, madre de Livvy.
Oh, erm... Hola.
Oh!
Your dad was picking you up at...
There was an earlier flight
and there were some spaces, so we...
Hopped on it.
He is from... Argentina,
and I'm already going to apologise
for my bad English.
No, no, he speaks English fine.
No, I'm bad at English.
No. Si! No!
LAUGHS NERVOUSLY It's, erm...
Just can we...
..erm...
..rewind here, Liv?
And we're getting married.
Wow.
Do you want another coffee? Uh-huh.
Cafe? Si.
OK.
Hola.
What the fuck...?
I can't believe you didn't tell me
Nathan met someone. Er...
Uh-uh.
OK. Come on.
Adoption papers are ready to sign and send - check.
RINGING TONE
- Let's go. - OK, the low-down -
she's not answering my texts.
OK, kid shrink. Late 30s, early 40s.
Pretty hot. No kids.
Yeah, then, of course she's pretty hot.
This is Nathan.
Yeah, and he's having sex.
Yeah, but Hannah says it's serious.
Well, it has been ten months.
They're not divorced yet. Are you...
Are you sticking up for him?
No, I'm just saying we don't have all the facts yet.
I know you don't. OK. OK.
Hi.
Good morning.
Morning.
How did this happen?
I presume the same way we met -
bar, booze, hilarious repartee...
Who is he? What's he like?
Tall, dark... Handsome?
Possibly, probably. I was mentally concussed.
And also they brought back some god-awful strong coffee,
so also possibly stoned out of my mind on caffeine.
Has she forgotten that she's got university in three months?
And Durham, the last time I looked,
is several thousand miles from Argentina.
Well, why else do they want to ensure he can stay?
Yeah, he's brainwashed her.
More likely she's brainwashed him, cos he's moving his life here.
What life? Does he have a career?
Possibly something in electronics?
Oh, great. Oh, great - a geek!
At least James'll have some company.
So, what do you want, Nathan?
Yes, it is utterly and obviously crazy.
Kids don't get married any more.
They get... They get ankle tattoos and a TikTok account.
But the one consolation with this whole sorry mess
is that we are best positioned to do both prenup
and divorce for Liv when she comes through this.
She's not going through anything. She's not crossing any threshold.
She's not doing anything ever - period, finished.
You're wearing the same shirt as yesterday.
Er, yeah, I'm wearing the same shirt.
Han...
Two years, full transparency... Oh, for goodness' sake...
..as it says in our agreement. That was part of the parent plan.
I didn't think it literally... We're still married.
Yeah, as you were when... Oh, God, no.
If you're going to... What? Tell it as it is?
Is it serious?
Han...
Coward!
SIGHS
Breathe...
KNOCK ON DOOR
Go away.
Hannah...
I'm... I'm fine.
Er... First Countess of Brode is on her way up.
I called reception to take her straight through.
Shit. Yeah. Shit.
Shit! I was going to be the buffer.
Yeah, it's notoriously unpleasant when they meet.
Countess of Brode.
Yeah. If you'd like to take a seat, they'll be with you in a moment.
Er, no.
It's too late.
Isn't that...? Yeah.
With the second Mrs...? Mm-hm.
I thought we signed that prenup off months ago.
Drawn up, was to be signed,
and then he died two weeks before the wedding,
and now the first countess is making her claim on the estate.
No opposing counsel? Uh-uh.
No, the countess prefers to represent herself.
What's in the box?
A disgusting number of billable hours.
Want to sit in? Oh, hell, yeah.
This is deliberate provocation.
You asked for some of his things.
The fact you find it so upsetting reveals to me
exactly why the earl kept you in the dark.
The fact that you choose to keep the title and the name
even after Andrew divorced you,
that's perverse. The title still remains,
even if the marriage did not.
Let's... Let's calm down.
Now, our client is naturally upset
that this has just been landed on her.
She's grieving.
Well, she's not alone in that.
Officially, I remain a countess,
but then, we were at least married.
It's hard to find the appropriate term for...
What, a...child bride?
Oh, no, not bride. She never got to walk down the aisle.
Let's agree on the earl's bit on the side.
Fiancee. I was Andrew's fiancee.
Countess, I'm going to have to ask you
to refrain from such language, please.
Of course. My apologies.
In the near decade
my client and the earl have lived together
at Brode Hall...
..now, they have allowed you
to stay on the estate, Caroline.
Now, we have asked you, nicely,
to move out of the cottage,
and, in turn, you agreed to kindly ensure
the return of his books, paintings, clothes.
Things I know you have kept of his,
things I know you will try and take,
but now you are refusing to move out,
and this is what you send me.
These are not...
They do not belong to him.
I'm afraid they do.
Some of them... he had made personally.
Do you see? Do you see what I am dealing with here?
Our client is within her rights,
as you are a tenant, to have you evicted.
I'd hardly call myself a tenant.
You, however...
Countess, may we ask you to be respectful?
Andrew has been dead less than a month.
Quite. So, shall we move on to the case in point?
Agreed.
And it is my understanding that, legally,
it is you who needs to vacate the property.
Read my lips, Caroline.
Your relationship with Andrew was over.
Yet still he liked to visit. She's lying.
Regularly. India.
As we said in our last letter,
the terms of your divorce arrangement
were that your former husband
would maintain you in the estate's cottage, but upon death,
that you would need to vacate the property.
As is agreed in his will.
Composed before I knew he was screwing Miss Rossiter.
And, of course, before he started to...
..visit me.
Since then, there have been certain adjustments.
May I advise you to check Andrew's most recent will?
INDIA GASPS
Don't.
If only you had shown the same spirit in the bedroom,
then perhaps, my sweet India,
he might not have come scurrying back to me.
No, actually!
Go back through the first settlement.
Speak to contentious probate
and ask them to send over the latest will.
Let's see what claim the countess has.
Oh, how wonderful!
Unbelievable.
Mm-hm.
Yeah, OK. Bye.
It makes no sense.
I have no answer for you, Felix.
She wants to end our marriage, Zander, with no explanation.
She's never said she was unhappy.
It doesn't make any sense.
I agree.
Please. She's your sister. Tell me...
And this is a mystery.
She's always been more like our father.
What I do know is,
whatever decision she came to,
it has not been done lightly. Are you representing her?
No! Really?
This is the first I've heard of this.
Felix, stay calm. There will be a reason, though.
My advice?
Get yourself the best lawyer.
And I'll talk to my sister.
All pretty basic stuff.
Name and address...
If you like, I can confirm
that you don't have a criminal record.
LAUGHS NERVOUSLY
All in all, A-plus!
I'd give you my kid.
Amazing. Yeah, thanks.
Little bit cold.
You knock one sister, you knock them all.
Hannah told you?
Nice fleece.
Brain on a Bike. Here.
Genius. What is it you do, again?
Everything. IT-based.
James? Ah, coffee.
OK, you should know that I don't approve.
Mindless sex, OK, but Hannah says it's a thing.
The kid shrink's a thing.
Kid shrink - nice turn of phrase. Well?
If this is a chance to get me to talk about my feelings,
it'll take more than a cinnamon bun and a latte.
You still love Hannah. I know you do.
OK. And that's your hour. Who do I bill? You or her?
You are making a terrible mistake. I'm not talking to you any more.
You think she hates you now? Just wait till you tell Hannah.
Tell Hannah what?
Er, that it's crazy...
..Liv getting married at 18.
Just tell her.
Yeah? Do it tonight.
She knows I'm keeping something from her.
She'll get it out of me.
And then, my friend, they'll all know.
Why's my brother-in-law
just been in my office a jabbering wreck?
Did Leni come in to see you yesterday?
You need to talk to her.
I will. Right now, I want to hear it from you.
You know I can't betray a client's confidence.
This is family, Hannah.
And as family, I can only advise you...
Yes, I know the spiel.
Did she come to you about a divorce?
He's distraught.
They're the best marriage I know. It's... It's crazy.
I'm sorry.
SIGHS
I've known that man more than 20 years.
What the hell do I tell him?
What the hell does he tell his kids?
That people have reasons,
and reasons we don't always see,
reasons we don't always know...
She wants out...
..of the marriage.
I'm sorry.
Have you signed those yet?
Melanie left a message, chasing.
I received Nathan's signed copies this morning.
Mm.
I'll tell her she can wait a few days.
No.
SIGHS
No.
Done.
Talk to Leni.
SIGHS
Hey. Hiya.
BLOWS RASPBERRY
Stop doing that.
Doing what? Stalking children,
like smiling at other people's babies - it's weird.
I'm just being nice. No, you're not.
You're being a daddy-in-the-making. It's freaking me out.
Well, now who's being weird?
Look, just find a cake,
or whatever it is you want to give Liv tonight,
and can we please go?
Yeah, I've got to fix some kid's laptop in N16
in 25 minutes, so... I can't.
I can't do this. Can't do it. I'm sorry, I just...
When I think of it, like,
adopting someone else's kid...
I just...
I just don't think I can do it.
Come on. I mean, look at us - you know, we've got it all.
We can do this, Rose.
But you've got to have a bit of courage.
Now, I can't drag you along on a dream you don't want.
So, please, just please, just keep up here.
OK?
You've got to grab it...
..or you'll miss life.
I don't want to miss life.
James?
James!
Shit.
Fucking shit!
Shit.
INHALES SHARPLY
RINGING TONE
Pff...
This is Dr Leonora Hale's voicemail.
Please leave a message after the tone.
BEEP Leni, it's Hannah.
I hope you're OK.
I hear you've told Felix - he was in today.
Your brother's pretty shaken, so you might want to call him.
Um, we've got the initial documentation
for the petition, and I can get that sent over to you
and signed tonight, if that's what you want.
But talking as someone
who knows what it's like not to have all the facts,
there...there is a danger,
when one is economical with truth that, um...
..you can leave people behind.
Felix deserves the truth, he deserves a reason,
because however bad it is...
..it's better for him to know
than for him to be left blindly
sifting through the past, wanting...
..hoping for things to be different.
SIGHS OK...
Call me back.
GROANS Oh, God...
Yeah, just get back to me end of play today.
OK. OK.
Hi. Hi.
What was that earlier?
I heard you and Zander sparring.
Just pissed off I was late for dinner last night.
You should've called him.
I was a little distracted.
SIGHS
You free again tonight? Erm...
Tonight, I will be welcoming my niece back
from South America. Oh.
And newly engaged!
Oh! I know, right?
Now I really feel like the only spinster in the village.
Ha!
You've never even got close?
Mm. What?
No, come on, I don't believe that.
Possibly, drunkenly.
Only when not sober.
Undoubtedly, alcohol-induced,
alcohol being the main accompaniment
to most of my relationships.
Bar this one.
You sure you aren't free later?
No.
This is ridiculous.
Great...
Good. Well, get back to me on that. Yeah, sure, all right.
Leni, what the hell is going on?
I can't talk to you here, Zander.
This doesn't make any sense! Why?
Because it's over!
Because it's the best thing to do,
the only thing to do.
You sound like Dad.
Cold and straight to the point.
I have a man...
..who may die if I don't find him a heart.
So I don't have time for this now, Zander.
Bottom corner.
A new provision for the first Countess of Brode,
signed and dated by the earl two months back.
All the assets reverted back to Caroline.
And India?
Nothing.
Oh, damn.
India will get some sort of provision, of course,
but the house is a...crumbling pile.
Once inheritance tax has taken its whack,
there's not much left.
Well, this isn't about money.
It's about a woman scorned.
Hmm.
You want me to call India? No.
I'll do it. You...
Hmm?
..can get that couriered back to the dowager,
if you like.
Oh, no need.
She's in with Ma, for her podcast.
Wow. Mm.
Wow.
Many people will be asking themselves,
"What was the attraction,
"the hold you still had over your ex-husband?"
I suppose because I was able to show him
what he'd been missing.
With her? No. With me.
He'd beg me to let him go home...
You could see, at the end of our...
..sessions...
He'd arrive all uptight.
After a couple of hours with me,
he was fine...
..to go back to the humdrum of life...
..to her...
..to the safety.
Isn't that why we all stray?
To remind ourselves that we can?
But in the knowledge that life...
..real life...
..is at home,
waiting.
I'd done 27 years of that.
I know better than anyone the comfort of normal.
Boring.
Silly fool didn't really understand it until he left me.
And then I reminded myself, once a countess...
..always a countess.
We only have this one life,
and if a marriage still has a pulse,
then it's more than likely worth reviving.
The mistake I made...
..letting him go in the first place.
PHONE VIBRATES
You OK? Yep.
Just finishing off, erm...
..I'll meet you in five? Sure.
Er...don't ever leave me.
Or if you do...
..just be honest about it, OK?
Of course. Hey!
My agreements - can I just check on something?
On my desk.
Enjoy your night. Thanks, Hannah. You too.
LIFT DINGS
Ready?
PHONE RINGS
- Hi. - Hey.
Just checking in.
Have fun tonight. Thank you.
Nathan?
I want to do this.
Love you.
Nathan?
Yes, thank you.
Erm, I've got to... I've got to go. Bye.
LAUGHTER
Hey, you've got a birthday coming up.
Dad!
Livvy! Hey-hey-hey!
Wow!
This is...
Gael. Hi.
Erm... Oh!
Thank you.
So nice to meet you. Thank you.
Did you get a drink? Yes, please. Keep them coming.
LATIN MUSIC PLAYS
Hey, Tills. Dad!
Hi, Vinnie. Hi, sweetie.
Is, er... Is James here yet?
On his way. Hey.
All right? Want a squeeze?
Yeah!
Hi, Cora. How are you?
Wow.
You forget how tiny they are at this age.
Vinnie...
Hey, do you want it over there?
Yes. Yes.
RINGING TONE
Hi, you're through to James at Brain on a Bike.
Please leave a message after the beep.
BEEP Mate, where are you? I need you.
Hurry up.
I, erm...
I...I-I-I can't tell her. I just can't do it.
SIGHS I mean,
a baby...
I barely survived my last three.
I'm just not ready to be a father again.
How do you tell the person you love most in the world
you've screwed up?
RINGING TONE
Hi, you're through to James at Brain on a Bike.
Please leave a message after the beep.
BEEP
Hey, git-face, it's me. Where are you?
Erm, look, I'm sorry.
Hey, I...
..I do want them...
..big, chubby, beautiful, funny kids...
..millions of them...
..with you, because...
INHALES
..oh, you're going to make the best dad, Jimbo.
So if you're in,
I'm in too.
So...
..uh, just hurry up.
Come and save me from my family.
Love you.
Well, I have to say I was really rather impressed,
one way or another.
Well... You don't think so? I don't know.
PHONE VIBRATES
Leni?
Erm, so I can't really talk to you now.
I'm calling from the hospital.
My colleagues are trying to get hold of Rose.
It's James.
CHEERFUL CHATTER
I'm sorry!
What's wrong?
There she is.
GAEL STRUMS GUITAR AND SINGS
Hannah?
Hi.
Never going to happen.
Hannah?
Something's wrong.
I'm so sorry, Rose. It's James.
It's James.
What? No, I...
What?
No, I...
What?
THUD
BRAKES SCREECH
GENTLE SOMBRE MUSIC
Mrs Cutler...I'm sorry.
MUSIC MUFFLES
Erm...
It's OK. I'm OK.
I'm OK. I'm OK.
I'm fine.
I'm OK. I'm fine.
I'm fine...
I'm fine!
SOBS
PHONE RINGS
Hello?
He's gone.
Nathan, he's gone.
It's OK, Hannah. I'm here.
I'm not going anywhere.
MUSIC
# This won't be wasted
# I'll go the extra mile... #
Hey.
# I know you want to chase this into the river wild
# I see the pain in you
# I know you've lost your cool
# After the storm is over
# I'll build a boat for you... #