The Ostrich

I have to talk to you.

One of your courtiers kicked me in the stomach.

What?

Who was it I will-I will call the guards and they will be banished from-- -Really?

-Yes.

[laughs] Careful.

Mmm.

Do you like figs?

So sorry I-- What are you doing?

We couldn't wait for you any longer.

But that's my job.

[Marie Antoinette] Uh, it's the other way around-- No.

-I think a bit tighter.

Yep.

-[Yolande] Tighter?

[Marie Antoinette] Ah, not so tight!

[Yolande chuckles] Sorry.

[gasps] [Marie Antoinette giggles] [Yolande] Thank you.

[Lamballe sobs] [indistinct chattering] You do know my heart is shattered?

It is with the greatest happiness that I can announce the Queen is pregnant with our first child.

[courtiers applaud] We'll never get rid of her now.

Not unless it's a girl.

If it's a boy we're finished.

[theme music playing] So?

You have grown two inches since the 27th of August.

Is that normal or?

For a pregnancy of six months perfectly normal.

[Marie Antoinette exhales] God help us if it's a girl.

We will have plenty of opportunities to have sons.

Please tell that to my mother.

Don't worry about Mama.

You have me now.

I do.

[giggles] I'll go.

What is it?

Louis?

Is this what they think of me?

[Victoire] Poor Louis.

Mind you Chartres does look impressive.

[laughs] [Victoire] Extremely.

[both laugh] Well, you know what they say.

There's no smoke without fire.

-Mmm-hmm -Mhmm.

[Victoire] What do you think, Provence?

I couldn't possibly comment on that filthy smut.

[all giggle] This isn't just about me.

This is a grotesque attack on us.

I will deal with it.

Like you dealt with the white doves?

I wasn't in charge of that investigation, Majesty.

Steps were taken but unfortunately, they were not completely successful.

That is why I have asked Maurepas to begin his investigation immediately.

How can I trust him?

He wanted to lock me up in a convent, and throw away the key!

We have to put the past behind us.

We must act swiftly, before the libelle spreads to Paris and to Europe.

Let me protect you.

And how do you propose to do that?

We close the gates.

Nobody enters, nobody leaves.

Not until we find answers.

We'll show this court that we mean business.

Search Versailles.

[soldiers marching] [guard shouts] [guard] Go upstairs.

This is simply outrageous.

Have you any idea who I am?

[courtier] Keep your hands off me.

Stop it!

Your distain for the Queen is hardly a secret.

Is that a crime?

[mumbles] It's...

It's certainly a sign of... disrespect.

How far are you prepared to go, Madame de Noailles?

The libelle is the product of a warped mind.

My mind as you're well aware Maurepas, is far too straight.

[Maurepas chuckles] [guards shouting indistinctly] [snickers] The public rooms have been scoured, hundreds of courtiers questioned, and what have we found?

Nothing.

What do we do now?

We move closer to home.

Well we have no choice.

Very well.

Do it.

[Maurepas groans] Thank you, Maurepas.

[door opens] -Do you have a moment?

-I'm working.

I feel obliged to voice my concern.

Do you now.

Your sense of duty truly knows no bounds, brother.

What is it?

It's about the investigation.

Have you even considered the possibility that Chartres is the father?

Your concern is unwarranted.

Come on!

You've seen the way he looks at her.

The man is á*á*á*á* struck.

[Saint-Georges] The question that's on everyone's lips.

Tell me.

Is this an accurate depiction of the Duc du Chartres?

Stop that.

It's in the ballpark.

Though I'm not sure the artist captures Antoinette in her best light.

I wonder how she's taking it.

She's not like us Saint-Georges.

She's a sensitive soul.

Do I detect an air of wishful longing?

Am I speaking to a man who has fallen in love?

Love is not a word I recognise.

Lust then.

Primitive insatiable lust.

[Saint-Georges laughs] Monseigneur, come with us.

What's going on?

Thank you for coming to see me.

Did I have a choice?

I invited you here because you're depicted in the libelle.

Has it caused you distress?

On the contrary it has lifted my spirits no end.

Do you have any idea who may be responsible?

None at all.

As the heir to the house of Orleans, wouldn't you benefit from casting doubt on the Bourbon line?

It's not me who calls her the Ostrich Bitch.

Why aren't you investigating the Bourbons?

I'm investigating everyone.

This is an outrage.

[Victoire] Father would spin in his grave.

[Victoire gasps] [voice trembling] Ostrich Bitch.

Those words first came out of your mouths, did they not?

Oh, dear lord have mercy.

[voice trembling] What will happen to us?

Bugger all!

We're not criminals.

But you must admit you said it.

-Yes.

-No!

We admit nothing.

You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Maurepas.

Without us you wouldn't be sitting in that chair.

Oh, for which I am immensely grateful, Mesdames.

Nevertheless I intend to be thorough in my investigation.

Are you responsible directly or indirectly, for the libelle?

[voice trembling] Perhaps inadvertently we might-- [gasps] Be quiet!

Antoinette only has herself to blame.

Are you suggesting that there is some truth in the libelle?

That is all we are prepared to say.

[knock at door] [door opens] No!

Are you insane?

We can't be seen together.

I only want to know how you are, my love?

They won't give up.

Not until they destroy me.

It will all blow over, I promise you.

Please, please, Chartres.

You can't stay.

Imagine yourself drifting, on a calm and sunlit river.

As your body relaxes, you can let go.

Drift and let go.

Now turn your thoughts to the source of your distress.

How do you do this?

How do you manage to calm me down even in the middle of this nightmare?

It's my job.

When will you stop being so stubborn?

Accept a position in my household.

[Tibetan bowl rings] Hold her image in your mind.

She is a small fly.

And you can flick her away.

[Tibetan bowl rings] Try it now.

Flick the Polignac fly away.

[high-pitched laughs] There is somebody you have to meet, Toinette.

Well you're looking extremely flushed.

Who is it?

I'm intrigued.

Doctor Mesmer.

[scoffs] He was all the rage in Paris, and now, he is all the rage at Versailles.

Doctor Mesmer is an imposter.

He is a charming man.

And what do you know about charming men, superintendent?

[scoffs] How do I look?

Ah, don't answer I've been eating for Austria.

France.

You've been eating for France.

[Antoinette whispers] France.

I'm sorry.

Maurepas has been interviewing Mesdames this afternoon.

Well I wouldn't be at all surprised if those vicious old goats were behind this.

They would never do anything to hurt me.

You perhaps.

They would revel in my downfall.

It could be anyone.

Come on it could only be a member of your family.

And what exactly makes you so certain about that?

It's obvious to everyone except for you.

I need to know if there's any truth in it.

Truth in what?

You and Chartres.

-[courtier] Your Majesty.

-[woman] Your Majesty.

Good evening.

So tell me.

Who's next in the firing line?

I don't want to talk about the investigation.

Oh.

what shall we talk about then?

The weather.

[Josephine and Provence laugh] Oh!

-Shall we eat?

-Yes, let's.

Will you have something?

I am not hungry.

Oh.

Try this.

It'll do you good.

Have another oyster.

You're eating for two now.

I need you to keep digging.

She might be hiding something.

Chartres for example.

Leave it to me.

This will barely keep me in stockings.

If you're looking for financial security, why don't you take a position in her household?

A position.

What do you suggest?

Lady of the bedchamber?

Mistress of the robes?

What more do you want?

I will accept nothing that requires me to grovel to the superintendent.

You must be so excited about the new arrival?

We are very happy.

-May I touch your bump?

-I don't...

Isn't it a joy to be pregnant?

When did you last feel it kick?

I can't be certain.

Perhaps this morning.

What?

Well I don't feel anything.

No.

Nothing at all.

Are you quite sure it's still alive?

[gasps] [runs away sobbing] I would have expected better of you, Madam.

[Provence whistles] Bravo.

That was remarkably callous.

Even for you.

Why should she have a baby if you won't let me have one?

[Louis-Auguste] May I come in?

How are you feeling?

Oh, I feel on top of the world.

Please.

Please forgive me.

Forgive you for what?

For accusing me of committing adultery, or for your monstrous family?

Both.

How is life at Versailles, Madam?

It can be a lonely place.

So far from your own family.

It's been such a difficult time for you.

Pain, suffering, the failed pregnancy.

A strain on your marriage no doubt.

How is this relevant to your investigation?

There has been talk about some distance between you and Provence.

But still he is your husband.

You clearly feel a great sense of loyalty towards him.

Do I?

Casting doubt on the legitimacy of the heir would work to his advantage.

If you suspect my husband, why don't you speak to him?

Oh yes, of course.

How could I forget?

Monsieur's above the law.

Madame isn't.

Nobody, apart from the King, is above the law.

But only the King can interview his brother if he feels there is reason to do so.

I admit my marriage is not as happy as I'd hoped.

I admit to feeling lonely in this soulless place.

And I admit to grief not being able to hold my own child.

[sobs] [exhales] But I am not so bitter in my misfortune to accuse an innocent man.

Why should I suffer the indignity of being interviewed?

I am your wife!

Perhaps it was unwise to upset my brother.

You upset him all the time.

That's different.

You should know that Maurepas was more interested in you than me.

He can't touch me.

Sir, there is news.

[Maurepas] A tip-off enabled us to locate the printing press in the town.

I can finally confirm that the court is now clean.

Thank you, Maurepas, thank you.

However, uh...the original's still missing.

So it can come back to haunt us?

Oh.

Heh.

-Who is behind this?

-Oh, no.

Don't take it personally.

Versailles is a snake pit spewing out poison.

The snakes generally end up destroying each other.

If they don't destroy us first.

We must narrow down the investigation.

The Orleans threat is obvious.

-Is it?

-Uh... on the other hand, the birth of a Dauphin makes the crown slip further away from your brother's reach.

♪ What do you suggest?

We close in on them.

♪ The question of who is responsible looms large in my head.

Provence or Chartres?

I think I know the answer.

♪ This was discovered in your apartment.

What?

Well obviously, it's been planted.

You would say that, wouldn't you?

Whatever you may think of me I am not capable of this.

My feelings for her run far too deep.

Are you confessing your love for my wife?

I'm pleading my innocence.

That doesn't answer my question.

I am not responsible for the Libelle.

[Maurepas] But the evidence cannot be disputed.

-Let me speak to him.

-You can't [Marie Antoinette sighs] He's been placed under armed guard.

What is this really about, Louis?

Chartres guilt or your jealousy?

Does your loyalty to him come before your trust in me?

You owe me an apology.

I have nothing to apologise for.

My apartment was ransacked.

What the hell were you playing at?

It wasn't a game.

It was crystal clear from the start your wife's lover was responsible.

One more word about my wife and you will regret it.

How can you be so naive?

Not so naive actually.

Josephine's miscarriage?

There was never a pregnancy, was there?

If you can lie about that, what else are you capable of?

[metal hisses] [Yolande] I refuse to believe for a second that he is guilty.

[Lamballe] Chartres is a scoundrel.

I know him better than you do.

[Yolande] Yes, of course.

Just like you knew that Mesmer was a genius.

[Lamballe] You can tease me as much as you like, Yolande.

It is like water off a duck's back.

[Yolande] You look pretty wet to me!

Shut up!

Leave me alone.

-Toinette.

-Both.

Both of you.

[knock on door] Thank you.

[Tibetan bowl rings] You know your own mind, Majesty.

I can't change that and nor do I wish to try.

Please I need you.

I need your help, Doctor Mesmer.

I'm overwhelmed with anxieties.

I don't have the spirit to face them alone.

Oh but you do.

The Princess de Lamballe was simple to treat because she's suggestable.

She lacks what I call animal magnetism.

Hence, her delicate nature.

In your case it courses through your veins.

Then why am I so terrified?

Because you don't believe in your own strength.

Trust your instincts, and you will find it.

[Provence] Well, you must have told someone.

Who was it?

Why would I discuss my fake baby with another living soul?

Because you are a witless hysterical fool.

Is that the work of witless hysterical fool?

You?

Yes.

Me.

[both laugh] [distant giggling] [sighs] Look at me, look me in the eye and tell me it wasn't you.

No.

Of course not.

But unless you believe me then what good is a clear conscience?

[sighs] I believe you.

You know how I feel about you, Antoinette.

Yes.

Yes.

You merely tolerate me.

[chuckles] [screams] [water breaks] [distant screaming] [screaming gets closer] [Marie Antoinette continues to scream] [screaming] [Doctor] Push, push.

[scream intensifies] [Doctor] Push, push.

-Push -[continues screaming] [ominous laughs] [ominous growls] [incoherent screaming] Shh... [Doctor] Push.

-[groaning] -[Louis-Auguste] Shh.

It's me.

Hold my hand.

Hold my hand.

Breathe.

Breathe.

It's okay.

It's...

It's okay.

It' okay, it's me, it's me.

Just breathe.

Keep breathing.

It's alright, it's alright.

Just-just breathe.

Only a few more.

Right, only a few more.

Okay you can push, push, push.

Push.

-I don't think I can.

-Yes, you can.

Come on, push.

Push.

[Marie Antoinette gruffly] Alright.

-Hold my hand.

-Come on.

[Marie Antoinette straining] [screams] [screaming continues] [baby cries] See what it is?

What is it?

[gasps] Toinette?

Toinette?

Boy or girl?

Boy or girl?

Toinette?

-[Louis-Auguste] Madam?

Madam?

-[Lamballe] Toinette?

[Louis-Auguste] Someone do something!

[Lamballe] Toinette?

[Louis-Auguste] Madam.

Madam Listen to me, listen to my voice, Madam.

Please.

[thuds] [baby cooing] Is it all right?

Is it all right?

May I present to you, Madam Royale.

[Marie Antoinette] Oh, my God.

My little girl.

Oh, you may not be the Dauphin, but you are no less precious to me.

[Marie Antoinette chuckles] She's so warm.

She's so beautiful.

Welcome.

Thank you.

You have brought me great joy.

Good work, Yolande.

To Madame Royale.

To us.

Our positions are secure.

For now.

I have no doubt one way or another you will outlive your brother and become the King of France.

Well, it won't be for lack of trying.

And I will be your Queen.

Dear God.

I pray you'll be dead before then.

[Josephine exclaims] Try to be your best self just to amuse me.

We make a good team.

[knock at door] Come in.

Monsieur.

The King has asked to see you urgently.

[Marie Antoinette humming] [humming softly] Hello.

Chartres.

I have been liberated to offer my heartfelt congratulations to my Queen.

Louis finally came to his senses.

I am so happy.

Have they found the bastard?

Not yet.

I don't believe you.

I give you my word.

It was all her I-I had nothing to do with it.

You are a liar.

I could have you both executed for treason.

Louis.

But I can't do that to my brother.

The court will be informed that a disgruntled Equerry was arrested fleeing with the original engraving.

Thank you.

[grunts] [groans] But don't think for a minute that I am going to forgive you.

You may still be the heir to my throne, but you'll never play a role in the government of this country.

Do you understand?

Yes.

Yes, sire.

Yes... Sire.

Get out.

Get out!

Oh she's a beauty.

Just like her mother.

My daughter is a Bourbon Princess.

From the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

Of course.

Oh Chartres, you're back.

How did you manage to slip the guards?

Oh, I persuaded them to release me into your custody.

I refuse to take responsibility for you.

However, this little one.

Meet Madame Royale's Governess.

[Duc de Chartres] You trust her with your child?

[Marie Antoinette] I trust her with my life.

[all giggle] [all fussing over baby] [Yolande] Oh, she is just beautiful.

[imperceptible conversation] -[Marie Antoinette] Stop it.

-[Duc de Chartres] It's true.

[Marie Antoinette] No.

it's not true.

[Lamballe silently sobbing] [Duc de Chartres] She's got your mouth.

[imperceptible conversation] [Duc de Chartres laughs] [sniffs] [silently sobbing] It's unbelievable.

How could she let us down again?

I doubt she was planning to, Ma.

If she's anything like you, this is the beginning of a long line of Bourbon babies.

We will hold off on Bavaria.

Why?

We can't rely on France to send us troops until our alliance is sealed.

And we can't wait any longer.

Prussia is closing in.

On my territory.

We can and we will.

When do I get to make a decision around here?

Not until I'm dead.

[Theresa] Mercy has informed me of the new arrival.

I implore you to stop wasting time, Toinette.

I can't wait another eight years to deliver the Dauphin.

I suppose there's a strange sort of comfort in knowing who your enemies are.

[Louis-Auguste] They won't step out of line again.

[townsfolk clamouring] Thank you.

[woman] You're so beautiful!

[woman] Ostrich Bitch!

[officiant speaks in French] [baby cries] [Theresa] I am delighted that you named the child after me.

But producing a daughter is like producing a mouse.

It counts for nothing in diplomatic relations.

It's time for you to do your duty to Austria, Toinette.

[officiant chanting] [baby fussing] [officiant continues praying] [repeats officiant's words] [all speaking in French] [ominous music playing] [woman in flashback] Ostrich Bitch!

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