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Transcript

The Woman In White - Limmeridge · A Different Telling

0:00
Annabel (production disclosure): This audio drama uses AI-generated character voices, music and sound effects, created using ElevenLabs.
0:08
Anne: They buried me yesterday.
0:10
Nora: Laura Fairlie?
0:11
Anne: Yes.
0:13
Nora: She's the patient. I was supposed to be looking after her.
0:18
Anne: Nora. Laura was in that coffin yesterday.
0:21
Marian: I've had a message from her.
0:23
Nora: A text?
0:24
Marian: A video. She's talking to me. She says my name.
0:29
Nora: Can you play it?
0:31
Marian: Not while I'm speaking to you. It's on this phone.
0:34
Nora: Send me a copy, then.
0:36
Marian: I don't know you.
0:37
Nora: No. You don't.
0:39
Nora (Narration): Anne was still holding my wrist. I turned my hand so she could hold that instead. On the other end of the call, Marian moved away from something running. A tap, perhaps. The sound stopped.
0:51
Marian: Anne, are you really there?
0:54
Anne: Yes.
0:55
Marian: Can we do a video call?
0:56
Anne: I don't want you to see where I am.
0:59
Marian: I only want to see you.
1:01
Nora: We can put the camera against a plain wall. If you want to, Anne.
1:05
Nora (Narration): She let go of my hand. I showed her what the camera would show before I connected it. Her face, the white wall, the edge of my sleeve. Marian appeared in a kitchen, wearing a cardigan over her nightclothes. She brought the screen so close I could see only half her face.
1:22
Marian: Oh, Anne.
1:23
Anne: You can see me?
1:25
Marian: Yes.
1:25
Anne: Then please stop saying I've died.
1:29
Marian: I'm sorry.
1:30
Nora (Narration): Anne handed the phone back. I turned the camera off.
1:34
Marian: Is someone looking after her?
1:36
Nora: Yes. She's had medical attention. We've spoken to the police.
1:40
Marian: The police?
1:42
Nora: About what she says happened. They have the funeral details and my booking.
1:46
Marian: Can I speak to them?
1:48
Nora: I'll pass on your number. Anne, is that all right?
1:51
Anne: Yes.
1:52
Marian: I need to ring Laura.
1:53
Nora: Have you tried this morning?
1:55
Marian: Before you called. It went to voicemail.
1:58
Nora: And yesterday?
1:59
Marian: The same. Then the message came.
2:02
Nora: From her number?
2:04
Marian: From Percival. Her husband. He said she couldn't face a call.
2:08
Anne: Did she say anything about me?
2:10
Marian: No.
2:11
Anne: Did she say she was upset?
2:14
Marian: She said she needed some quiet. Percival said it was because of the funeral.
2:19
Nora: Those were his words?
2:20
Marian: Yes. But she looked tired. I believed him.
2:24
Nora: I'm trying to understand what she actually said.
2:27
Marian: I know what you're doing.
2:29
Nora (Narration): For a moment I thought she'd hang up. Then I heard a chair scrape.
2:34
Marian: I could show it to you here. At Limmeridge. The address is on your booking.
2:38
Nora: Is Laura there?
2:39
Marian: She's supposed to come back on Monday. That's why I arranged the nurse.
2:44
Nora: Where is she now?
2:45
Marian: Percival says she's somewhere quiet. I thought that meant the clinic. I haven't been able to get a straight answer this morning.
2:52
Nora: I need to sleep before I go anywhere.
2:55
Marian: Of course. Later today. Please.
2:58
Nora: I'll ring first.
3:00
Marian: Will you bring Anne?
3:01
Nora (Narration): Anne shook her head before I'd looked at her.
3:04
Nora: No.
3:05
Marian: Tell her I understand.
3:07
Anne: I can hear you.
3:09
Marian: Sorry. Yes. I keep forgetting.
3:12
Nora (Narration): After the call, Anne wiped the screen with the cuff of my jacket. She'd left a damp mark where she'd held it against her face.
3:19
Anne: You won't tell him where I am?
3:22
Nora: No.
3:23
Anne: Even if he's nice.
3:37
Nora (Narration): I gave Marian's number to the officer's contact and said she'd agreed to speak. I also said I might go to Limmeridge that afternoon. There was no reply before I left. I wasn't being sent there by anyone. Marian had invited me to look at a message, and I wanted to see it.
3:53
Nora (Narration): The day nurse introduced herself to Anne and wrote her name on the same piece of paper Ruth had used. They were still checking what Anne might have been given at the clinic. She would stay for the morning, and someone was helping her arrange somewhere to go afterwards. I asked Anne whether she wanted me to come back.
4:09
Anne: If you go to the house, will you tell me what she says?
4:13
Nora: Yes.
4:14
Anne: All of it. Even if you think it'll upset me.
4:17
Nora: All right.
4:18
Nora (Narration): We rang Southbank Frames when it opened. Sal answered before the second ring. Anne said hello, and then had to wait while Sal said everything she'd been saving since Wednesday. I went into the corridor. When Anne called me back, she was crying and almost smiling.
4:34
Anne: She rang the clinic yesterday. They wouldn't tell her anything.
4:38
Nora: Has she finished the football shirt?
4:40
Anne: Apparently that's none of my business at the moment.
4:44
Nora: Sensible woman.
4:45
Anne: She's keeping my job. I didn't ask. She just said it.
4:50
Nora (Narration): Her friend in Leeds had answered too. She was trying to get the afternoon off and would come down by train. Anne had somewhere beyond the hospital to imagine now. A person who would recognise her without being shown a photograph.
5:02
Nora: I'm going home. I've got a taxi coming.
5:05
Anne: What about your car?
5:07
Nora: It can spend the day here. At these prices, they ought to wash it.
5:11
Anne: You'll want your coat.
5:12
Nora: Keep it until I come back.
5:14
Nora (Narration): The driver asked whether I'd had a busy night. I said yes. He left it there, which I appreciated more than I could explain. At home, I texted Maya before taking my shoes off. Home safely. Taxi. Going to bed. She replied with a thumbs-up and a picture of a packet of crumpets. Tomorrow's breakfast. I put an alarm in my phone for Saturday morning, as well as one for that afternoon.
5:38
Nora (Narration): I slept until just after two. There was a mark from the pillow down my cheek. The agency had acknowledged my account and said the day team would be in touch. There was no replacement shift. I ate two slices of toast over the sink, showered, and rang Marian.
5:53
Marian: Come round to the kitchen entrance. The bell at the front doesn't always work.
5:58
Nora: Have you spoken to Laura?
6:00
Marian: No. Percival says he'll explain when he gets back.
6:04
Nora: Does he know I'm coming?
6:05
Marian: He knows I spoke to you. I told him Anne was alive.
6:09
Nora: What did he say?
6:11
Marian: That there'd clearly been a terrible mistake.
6:15
Nora (Narration): Limmeridge was behind a low stone wall, about twenty minutes from the hospital. One wing of the house was covered in scaffolding. Through the kitchen window I could see a woman carrying an armful of unopened post. She saw me, dropped it all on the table and came to the door.
6:31
Marian: Nora? Come in. Mind him.
6:33
Nora (Narration): An elderly dog had put himself across the doorway. He looked up when Marian stepped over him, then lowered his head onto my shoe.
6:42
Nora: Is this the one with the tablets?
6:44
Marian: He remembers Anne more fondly than he remembers me.
6:47
Nora (Narration): She tried to smile. Her eyes were red. She'd changed into trousers and a shirt, but the cardigan was the same. There were three mugs beside the kettle and a piece of toast, untouched, on a small plate.
7:00
Marian: Tea?
7:01
Nora: Thank you.
7:02
Marian: Milk?
7:03
Nora: A little.
7:04
Nora (Narration): She opened the fridge, stared into it, then shut it again.
7:08
Marian: You'll have to remind me what I'm doing.
7:11
Nora: Milk.
7:12
Marian: Yes.
7:13
Nora: Did you manage to speak to the officer?
7:15
Marian: She rang about an hour ago. I gave her the message and the number it came from. She asked when I'd last seen Laura. Last Thursday. Here. We had lunch.
7:25
Nora: Eight days ago?
7:27
Marian: Yes.
7:28
Nora (Narration): Marian put the milk down between us. There was a folder under the post. Laura's surname was printed along the edge.
7:35
Marian: That's the home-care information. The things I sent the agency. You're welcome to check what I sent you against it.
7:41
Nora: Who asked you to arrange the nursing?
7:44
Marian: Percival. Three nights, starting Monday. Someone who could stay here. He said the clinic would provide the clinical handover separately.
7:52
Nora: Did Laura ask for me?
7:54
Marian: Not you by name. I sent the requirements. The agency sent back your name and availability.
8:01
Nora: And the cancellation?
8:02
Marian: I didn't know about it until you rang.
8:05
Nora (Narration): She moved the folder aside and laid her phone on the table. She'd already opened the message. Above the video was a line from Percival: Laura asked me to send this. Please give her a little space.
8:16
Marian: There. Yesterday. Four seventeen.
8:20
Nora: That's when it arrived.
8:22
Marian: Yes.
8:23
Nora: Does it say when he made it?
8:25
Marian: No. I assumed he'd just been with her.
8:28
Nora (Narration): Marian tapped the picture. A woman sat in a chair beside a window. Her hair was pushed behind one ear. I knew her face from the photograph attached to my booking, but the voice was new to me.
8:40
Laura (Video): Marian, please don't come over today. I know you mean well. I just need a day without everyone asking how I am. Leave the bag at home. I'll ring you tomorrow. And don't let him have my chair. He knows perfectly well which one's his. Love you.
8:57
Marian: The dog. That's what she means about the chair.
9:00
Nora: And the bag?
9:01
Marian: Books. Clean clothes. She'd asked for some things when she first went in.
9:06
Nora: When was that?
9:08
Marian: The Wednesday before we had lunch. A short stay, they said. She came home the next day for a few hours, then went back. I never took the bag. Percival said he'd deal with it.
9:20
Nora: Did she ring you the day after this arrived?
9:22
Marian: That's today. No.
9:24
Nora: Did she ring the Thursday you had lunch?
9:27
Marian: In the morning. To say she was coming home.
9:30
Nora: Did she mention making a video?
9:33
Marian: I don't remember.
9:34
Nora: It could be older than yesterday.
9:37
Marian: It could. Or she could have said the same thing twice.
9:40
Nora: Yes.
9:41
Nora (Narration): She picked up her mug. Her tea had hardly changed colour; she'd taken the bag out too soon.
9:48
Marian: I listened to it six times last night. I was pleased she sounded like herself. Fed up with me, but herself.
9:56
Nora: You don't need to decide when it was made for my benefit.
9:59
Marian: You think I want her alive so much that I'll say anything.
10:03
Nora: I think you've had a horrible morning. I want to know whether anyone's spoken to her directly.
10:08
Marian: I haven't. Since last Thursday, everything has come through him. Calls I shouldn't make. Visits I should put off. Updates about how she was doing.
10:19
Nora: Did that seem unusual?
10:21
Marian: By the weekend, yes. Then he told me Anne had died. And I thought, of course she doesn't want to talk about it. She'd only just got her sister back.
10:31
Nora (Narration): Marian looked towards the window. A car had stopped outside. The dog lifted his head but didn't get up.
10:38
Marian: That's Percival.
10:40
Nora: Do you want me to go?
10:41
Marian: No. I want you to hear him say it.
10:45
Percival: Marian. Is this Nora?
10:48
Nora: Yes.
10:49
Percival: Percival Glyde. Thank you for coming. And for helping Anne last night.
10:53
Nora (Narration): He was younger than I'd expected. There was a wet patch on one shoulder of his coat, and he had a paper bag from a sandwich shop. He set it beside the kettle.
11:03
Percival: Have either of you eaten? I wasn't sure.
11:06
Marian: Where's Laura?
11:07
Percival: Can I take my coat off?
11:09
Marian: Where is she?
11:10
Percival: She's being looked after. Marian, I've spent the morning trying to find out what's gone wrong.
11:16
Marian: You told me Anne was dead.
11:18
Percival: That's what I was told.
11:20
Nora: By whom?
11:21
Percival: The clinic. I'm still trying to establish how they could have made that mistake.
11:26
Marian: You went to the funeral.
11:27
Percival: Yes. On the information I'd been given.
11:30
Nora (Narration): Marian turned her phone face down. Until then, Laura's face had been visible on the table between them.
11:37
Marian: Did you see her? The person who died?
11:40
Percival: No. I didn't ask to. I thought we were respecting the family's wishes.
11:45
Marian: Which family?
11:46
Percival: Laura's. Anne wasn't someone I knew well.
11:50
Nora: Anne says she saw Laura at the clinic. Under a sheet. On Wednesday.
11:55
Percival: Yes. Marian told me.
11:57
Nora: What's your explanation for that?
11:59
Percival: I haven't got one. I wasn't in the room. Anne has been through something dreadful. I'm not going to pretend I can account for everything she says.
12:07
Nora: Have you spoken to the police?
12:09
Percival: I've had a call. I'll give them whatever I can. I've asked the clinic to do the same.
12:14
Marian: Then tell us where Laura is.
12:16
Percival: I can't hand out her location while she's asking for privacy.
12:20
Marian: To her cousin?
12:21
Percival: To anyone. She's my wife, Marian. I have to think about what she wants.
12:26
Marian: Let her tell me that herself.
12:28
Nora (Narration): He took his coat off and folded it over a chair. One sleeve trailed on the floor. He picked it up before answering.
12:36
Percival: I'll ask her to call you.
12:37
Marian: Now.
12:38
Percival: I can't promise now.
12:40
Nora: When did you last speak to her?
12:42
Percival: Yesterday.
12:43
Nora: In person?
12:44
Percival: Yes.
12:45
Nora: When you made the video?
12:47
Percival: Yes. At the clinic. Before the move.
12:50
Nora: And she asked you to send it to Marian?
12:53
Percival: That's why I sent it.
12:54
Nora (Narration): There was no hesitation. I wanted to ask him the same thing a different way, as if the right arrangement of words might make him give a different answer. I drank some tea instead.
13:05
Percival: I'm sorry about your booking, by the way. After the night's events, I thought we'd better pause the arrangements.
13:11
Marian: You cancelled it?
13:12
Percival: I asked the coordinator to. We didn't know where Anne was. Everything was uncertain.
13:18
Nora: It was a booking for Laura.
13:20
Percival: Of course. But this affects her too.
13:23
Nora: The cancellation reached me before we arrived at hospital. Who told you I was with Anne?
13:28
Percival: Dr Reed. He was concerned about where she'd gone.
13:32
Nora (Narration): It was the first time I'd heard the doctor's surname. I remembered his torch shining on my badge.
13:38
Nora: Did he tell you I'd said I was taking her to emergency?
13:41
Percival: He said you drove away.
13:43
Nora: I told him where we were going. He could have sent her notes.
13:47
Percival: I'll make sure that gets clarified.
13:49
Nora: I've already put it in my account.
13:51
Percival: Good. Then there's a record.
13:53
Nora (Narration): He sat down. I could smell coffee from the paper bag. There were three sandwiches inside. He'd expected me to be there.
14:01
Percival: Nora, I know the agency work can be precarious. If you've lost money because of the cancellation, send the invoice through the usual route. You shouldn't be out of pocket because of our family.
14:12
Nora: I'll discuss it with the agency.
14:14
Percival: Naturally.
14:15
Marian: This isn't about her invoice.
14:17
Percival: No. I'm trying to deal with one thing I can deal with.
14:22
Nora (Narration): I believed he could get me paid. Three nights. The tyres, the direct debit I'd moved, a little room at the end of the month. It was an offer I could have accepted without doing anything wrong. I still wished he hadn't made it with Marian watching me.
14:36
Percival: Where is Anne staying?
14:38
Nora: She hasn't asked me to share that.
14:40
Percival: I could arrange somewhere comfortable. At our expense.
14:44
Nora: She has people helping her.
14:46
Percival: Has she got her phone?
14:48
Nora: No. She says the clinic kept it.
14:50
Percival: I'll enquire. She must want her things back.
14:54
Marian: She wants her sister.
14:56
Percival: I'll speak to Laura. I know this is frightening. Give me a little time.
15:00
Nora (Narration): His phone vibrated. He looked at the screen, stood up and went into the hall to answer. He pulled the kitchen door almost closed behind him. We could hear his voice, but not the words.
15:12
Marian: He still hasn't told us where she is.
15:14
Nora: No.
15:16
Nora (Narration): Marian came out with me while I waited for a taxi. She had the bag of Laura's clothes in one hand. A canvas shopping bag, full enough that the handles pulled together. She put it on the bench beside the door.
15:28
Marian: I kept moving it out of the way. Every time I came through here. Nine days.
15:34
Nora: Have you asked anyone else when they last spoke to her?
15:37
Marian: A couple of friends. They'd had messages saying she'd be in touch when she felt better. I didn't ask whether they'd actually heard her voice. I will now.
15:46
Nora: And tell the officer what Percival said today. That he saw her yesterday, at the clinic.
15:52
Marian: Do you think he's lying?
15:53
Nora: I can't check his account. Neither can you, at the moment.
15:57
Marian: You can say what you think.
15:59
Nora: I think I'd be frightened if I were you.
16:02
Nora (Narration): She nodded once. From inside the house came a muffled laugh. Percival's. It stopped quickly.
16:09
Marian: I work with these people. The care business. Staffing, complaints, buildings that need fixing. There's always a problem someone wants me to sort out quietly. I'm quite good at it.
16:22
Nora: This is something to tell people about.
16:24
Marian: Yes. I'm beginning to grasp that.
16:27
Nora (Narration): She took out her phone and opened Laura's video again. Her thumb hovered above the screen.
16:33
Marian: Does Anne want to see it?
16:34
Nora: I'll ask her. You can send it to me if you're comfortable with that.
16:38
Marian: I've already given it to the police. Anne should have it too.
16:42
Nora: Keep the conversation it came in. His message as well as the video.
16:46
Marian: I have.
16:47
Nora (Narration): My phone sounded in my bag. Marian had sent the clip, then a picture of the message above it. She typed something else, stopped, and put the phone away.
16:56
Marian: I was going to tell you not to show anyone else. How ridiculous is that?
17:01
Nora: You can still ask people to be careful with it.
17:04
Marian: Just don't let her disappear into this. Laura. Between all our explanations.
17:10
Nora: I won't pretend I've met her.
17:12
Marian: She'd have liked that answer.
17:14
Nora (Narration): The taxi turned in at the gate. Marian lifted the bag off the bench and took it back into the house. This time she carried it through the kitchen, instead of leaving it by the door.
17:25
Nora (Narration): Anne's friend was due at the station after six. The hospital was helping them settle the arrangements for the evening. When I came back, Anne had changed into a borrowed tracksuit. Her white clothes were folded in a clear bag. My jacket lay across the bed, with the sleeves tucked in.
17:41
Anne: I tried to get the blood out. Just water.
17:44
Nora: Thank you.
17:45
Anne: Was he there?
17:47
Nora: Yes.
17:48
Anne: Did you tell him where I was?
17:50
Nora: No.
17:51
Nora (Narration): I told her about the kitchen and Marian's questions. About Percival saying he'd seen Laura yesterday. I told her he'd offered to get her belongings back, and that I hadn't agreed to anything for her. She listened with both feet on the floor.
18:04
Anne: Did Marian believe him?
18:06
Nora: She asked him to get Laura on the phone. He didn't.
18:09
Anne: Have you got the video?
18:11
Nora: Yes. Marian sent it for you to see, if you want.
18:15
Anne: I want to hear her.
18:16
Nora (Narration): I sat beside her and held the phone where we could both see. This time I watched Anne.
18:22
Laura (Video): Marian, please don't come over today. I know you mean well. I just need a day without everyone asking how I am. Leave the bag at home. I'll ring you tomorrow. And don't let him have my chair. He knows perfectly well which one's his. Love you.
18:39
Anne: That's her.
18:40
Nora: You're sure?
18:41
Anne: Nora, yes. That's how she talks when she's trying not to lose her temper.
18:47
Nora (Narration): She took the phone from me and went back to the beginning. Before Laura spoke, Anne stopped it.
18:53
Anne: That's the room.
18:54
Nora: At the clinic?
18:55
Anne: The room they put me in. Look behind the chair. The curtain doesn't reach the end of the rail. There's a bit of window you can't cover.
19:04
Nora: Could there be another room like it?
19:06
Anne: Maybe. But look at the window handle. It hangs down. You have to lift it before it'll turn.
19:13
Nora (Narration): In the paused picture, a small metal handle pointed towards the floor. Anne enlarged it with two fingers.
19:20
Anne: I put a folded leaflet in the gap at night. Otherwise you could see in from the path.
19:25
Nora: Did Laura ever come into your room?
19:27
Anne: No.
19:28
Nora: Could this have been made while you were out of it?
19:31
Anne: I don't know when it was made. I wasn't there all the time. They took me downstairs on Wednesday. I've told you what I saw.
19:39
Nora: I know.
19:40
Anne: You want it to be yesterday.
19:42
Nora (Narration): I looked at the picture again. It was difficult to believe that woman could be dead when she was sitting there, irritated about visitors, with a bit of hair caught under her collar.
19:52
Nora: I wish someone could ring her and settle it. That's what I want.
19:56
Anne: So do I.
19:57
Nora (Narration): Anne let the last few seconds play. Love you. She closed the video before it could start again.
20:03
Anne: Will you send Marian a message from me? Tell her thank you. For letting me hear it.
20:09
Nora: Yes.
20:10
Nora (Narration): A nurse knocked and came in. Some information had arrived from the clinic in response to the hospital's request. There was a problem with the identity on one of the pages. The team was checking it. They wanted Anne to look at the photograph, and asked whether she wanted me to stay. She said yes.
20:26
Nora (Narration): The nurse left a copy of that page with Anne and went to fetch the doctor who'd been reviewing it. Anne waited until the door had closed.
20:34
Anne: That's me.
20:35
Nora (Narration): The picture was small, printed in colour. Anne sat against a pale wall, wearing the same white top that was now folded in the bag. Her hair was tucked behind her ears. One shoulder was higher than the other.
20:47
Anne: They said it was for the file. I asked if I could have my phone back afterwards.
20:52
Nora: When did they take it?
20:54
Anne: Wednesday morning. Before they took me downstairs.
20:57
Nora (Narration): She touched the corner of the photograph. I looked at the heading above it. Planned transfer of care. Beneath that was a name.
21:06
Nora: Laura Fairlie.
21:07
Anne: Read the rest.
21:08
Nora: Proposed destination. Limmeridge. Planned arrival, Monday. Overnight nursing arranged through agency.
21:16
Nora (Narration): It was a proposed handover, prepared before the escape, attached to the clinic's reply. My name wasn't on it. The address and the three nights were the same as my booking. Where Marian's information had shown Laura sitting on a garden wall, this page showed Anne sitting in a clinic.
21:33
Anne: She showed it to me before she took the photograph. The woman with the tablet. She said to sit up a bit.
21:40
Nora: Showed you what?
21:41
Anne: Laura's picture. The one you've got. She wanted my hair out of my face.
21:47
Nora (Narration): Anne put the page flat on the bed. Then she pulled the bag of white clothes closer and laid it beside the photograph.
21:54
Anne: I kept telling them I wanted to go home.
21:57
Nora: I know.
21:58
Anne: That's where they meant to send me. Her house.
22:01
Nora (Narration): The doctor at the car had called her Anne. I'd heard him. He'd known the name she answered to, whatever this page said. I reached for my phone, then stopped.
22:11
Nora: Shall we show the officer?
22:13
Anne: Yes. But let me tell her.
22:15
Nora: Tell her what?
22:16
Anne: You weren't coming to look after Laura. They'd booked you for me.
22:24
Nora (Closing Credit): The Woman in White. A contemporary adaptation inspired by the novel by Wilkie Collins. Voices created using ElevenLabs. End of Episode Two.