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SHARPE’S Justice
Richard Sharpe and the
Peace of the Congress of Vienna
Screenplay Written by Patrick Harbinson and Bernard Cornwell.
Novel Adapted by Paul Kaster
PART THREE
1815 JANUARY 2
Chapter 17
KEIGHLEY
WORKHOUSE
Sally Bunting is happy today. For a winter day, the temperature is mild. The sun has come out. She has already washed one load of her clothes. They have been drying on the line outside her house. It is time to bring them in.
As she goes outside, she sings,
“My mother said I shouldn’t marry a weaver,
She pauses to pick up the basket that she will use to collect the clothes.
and if you do, he’ll break your heart.”
As she prepares to collect a sheet from the line, she is scared when the sheet is struck down.
Sally gasps when she sees who stands in front of her.
From behind the line Saunders steps up to her.
“I want to talk to a friend of yours, Sally”
“Matt Truman.”
Concerned, Sally shakes her head sideways, then says, “Don’t know ‘im, sir.”
“Oh, but you do. And, you know where he is.”
Sally shakes her head again.
“No I don’t.”
Saunders screws up his face and anger. Then lashes out with his right hand to hit Sally’s face.
Sally is forced to the side from the blow and sobs.
Saunders stands back up. He raises his head to look authoritative.
Sally recovers to stand up.
“Where’s Truman, Sal.”
Sally sobs, “I don’t know.” She fears what Saunders will do to her, yet she doesn’t want to betray her friend.
Saunders winds his arm back, then punches Sally with enough force to driver he to the ground. She sobs while trying to stand. She looks for help or refuge.
Saunders marches towards her. She backs away towards the door of her house.
She is unable to get in to lock the door faster than Saunders. He holds the door open as she retreats inside. Then he follows her.
Sally’s sobs and screams continue as Saunders beats her until she gives him what he wants.
ELSIE’s GRAVE
Sharpe and Harper have been busy since morning. Sally had delivered a stone headstone with Elsie’s names and dates.
ELSIE MYERS
1778 – 1812
REQUIESCAT IN PACE
They borrowed a shovel and pick from the caretaker of the cemetery to dig a new hole deep enough to secure the stone.
The hole is ready. Together, they place the stone into the hole then stomp their feet to pack the soil around the stone so that it will remain upright regardless of weather.
When they are satisfied, Sharpe steps in front of the stone to observe the results.
Patrick moves behind him. As he looks at the stone, he makes the sign of the cross.
They stand there solemnly for a few moments. The sounds of the morning bring the chirps of birds to them. Sharpe nods several times.
While they are intent on the grave, Matt Truman and Nate Crowley approach from behind. He picks up the wooden cross that had formerly marked Elsie’s grave.
He says to Sharpe. “I’ll take this.”
Sharpe and Harper both turn quickly. Neither likes to be taken by surprise.
Truman says, “Salving your conscious are ya?”
Share replies, “Maybe.”
“Maybe yours too.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell ya?”
Nate watches from behind Truman.
“You were so high and mighty riding with your gentlemen.”
“You’d ‘ave shot me, as soon as talk to me.”
Sharpe nods in agreement. “Aye, I probably would.”
“She knew nothing about me?”
“The famous Major Sharpe?”
“No chance.”
Truman looks away.
“Elsie’s universe run in a gin bottle.”
“One day when she was near her end, she was very drunk and very sick. I helped to Sally’s. Sally went to get her something to eat.”
“Elsie started to mumble about Mr. Eagleton. I asked her what happened. She struggled to say that he raped her.”
Truman looks at Sharpe. “You knew didn’t you.”
“Aye. Did she tell you anything else?”
“Aye, she told me you saved her. Killed Eagleton to get him off’n her. Then took Eagleton away. No one has seen him since.”
“Is that why ya left?”
“Aye, she made me promise to run away. She didn’t want me to hang.”
“Difficult to tell this, eh Dick? All these years, I wasn’t sure whether it was you that made her crazy like she got.”
“Now I know, I thank you.”
They both stand silently until Truman changes the subject.
“England’s not what you expected, is it?”
Sharpe turns away, embarrassed by the question. But, he decides to share with Truman what he will do next.
“I’m going to take Parfitt on.”
Truman is surprised by this.
“You’re going to fight ‘im?”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“I’ll wreck one of his schemes anyway.”
“That means changing sides, Dick.”
“And there are precious few on this one.”
“And there’s no changing back, either.”
Sharpe snorts, with a wry smile, he replies, “Those are my sort of odds.”
Truman nods, “Aye.”
With his own smile, “Mine, too.”
“I’ll be glad to ‘ave ya.”
Matt strolls towards Sharpe. “Welcome back friend.”
Truman embraces Sharpe.
While Truman and Sharpe have been talking, Crowley has been both watching them and the road to the cemetery. He hears the sound of horses and stands.
Quickly over the hill above the cemetery rides Wickham with his troop of the yeomanry.
Crowley points and shouts. “Yeomanry!”
Sharpe, Truman and Harper follow where Nate points.
Harper is the first to offer, “Sally, she was meant to be here.“
Before he can finish, Sharpe takes charge. “Forget her.”
“This road. Follow me.”
They grab their weapons and head down a trail into the woods.
When Wickham arrives at the grave, he watches the four disappear into the trees.
“Sergeant, take half the men to your left.”
“I want Sharpe!”
The sergeant, wheels his horse right directing the riders behind him to follow.
Wickham leads the remaining riders into the woods to follow the path that Sharpe used to escape.
The path led to another road that runs along a stream. Truman runs in the lead. Harper is next. Sharpe follows. But Nate is slow to keep up. One of the yeomanry has ridden ahead of Wickham. With his sword in hand, he prepares to strike Crowley.
Sharpe had turned to make sure Nate was staying with them. When he sees the trooper, he raises his rifle. Taking aim, he shoots the trooper from the saddle. It is a clean shot. The trooper rolls to the ground and into the stream.
Sharpe collects Nate, to help him towards the others.
As they run, they are pursued closely from behind by Wickham. Ahead, the see the sergeant’s troopers emerge around a corner.
“We need to get off the road.”
Truman yells, “Here!”
They follow him down a path to the stream.
Truman is first into the stream. When he reaches the other shore, he pauses to help the others. Harper is next.
Sharpe has been pushing Crowley in front of him. Nate clears the bank.
While Sharpe makes his way across, Wickham pulls a pistol, cocks it to shoot Sharpe.
Sharpe is a slow target in the stream. As he approaches Truman, he stumbles. Truman catches him. Then turns him to the bank.
At this point, Wickham fires.
The bullet intended for Sharpe strikes Truman in the leg above the knee.
Sharpe catches him and drags him onto the shore. Truman resists his help.
“Go Dick.”
While they struggle, Wickham’s lieutenant fires a pistol at them. The bullet strikes Truman in the side.
Wickham hasn’t time to reload. He takes the carbine from the saddle of a nearby trooper. Before he pulls the trigger, he yells “Sharpe!”
Intending to hit Sharpe, his aim is again off. A third bullet hits Truman. This time in his chest.
Sharpe falls to the ground with Truman on top of him.
Truman gasps, then is finished.
Sharpe holds him.
Harper and Crowley realize they need to go. There is nothing more that can be done here. They are armed and trained to fight. But fighting the Yeomanry will only make them look guilty to others later. For now, they must flee.
They see that none of the other troopers are prepared to fire.
Harper looks to Crowley and down to Sharpe, “Let’s go, now!”
They rush down to Sharpe.
“For God’s sake, let’s go.” Patrick offers as they pull Sharpe away from Truman.
Truman’s lifeless body floats off with the stream.
At the top of the hill, they pause to look back. Sharpe watches Truman go, then turns to Wickham. Wickham smiles an evil smile. While he didn’t get Sharpe, he has finished Truman. T
he troopers have now pulled their carbines to fire at Sharpe’s group.
Crowley and Harper pull Sharpe away as the bullets rip the trees around them.
Sharpe knows that with Harper’s and his rifles, they could kill every one of the Yeomanry here and now. Today is not the day. He looks back at Wickham knowing that he will meet him again.
LATER THAT NIGHT
After spending a day in the woods eluding Wickham and the yeomanry, the three make their way back to Keighley. They wait until dark so they may not be seen.
They can’t return to the inn. Although it is winter, they have slept in the wild before.
Sharpe sends Crowley to find out why Sally gave Wickham their plan. Nate knocks on the door.
Sally replies with a raspy voice, “Who’s there?”
Nate, opens the door and enters. He closes the door behind him.
“Nathaniel Crowley, miss.”
“Major Sharpe sent me. I ‘ave to ask you a question.”
Sally is sitting facing away from the door. She sits in the shadows at the edge of the fire place.
“I know.”
Nate stands with his hands folded in front of him.
“Why did you send the soldiers on ‘im?”
Sally remains facing into the fire. She sobs,
“I’m sorry. I tried.”
Nate cocks his head trying to see what she is doing.
Sally sobs more.
Nate approaches her slowly. When his next to her, he kneels down. As he pulls the hair gently from the side of her face, he sees the bruises.
He gently holds her chin, turns her head to his. She sobs more with the pain.
Nate sees that her face is a mask of purple.
“Who did this? Who did this to thee, lass?”
Sally stutters, “Ssssss, It was Sssssaunders did this to me.”
“Tried…tried so hard to be quiet.”
Nate tries to calm her.
As she raises a hand to stop him Sally says, “I’m alright, I’m alright.”
Nate looks on her with compassion, “No you’re not.”
“Let me look at you lass.”
Sally asks, “Is he all right? Major Sharpe?” she cries.
Nate assures her, “Don’t you worry about ‘im.”
Sally cries, “They’ll have to catch him.”
Nate reaches for a cloth from a bowl on the table.
“He’s used to that.”
Nate dabs the cloth on Sally’s face.
“He’s got some loose ends need tying up.”
“And, it seems to me, that bugger Saunders, is one of ‘em.”
Sally goes from sobbing to crying.
Nate continues to hold the cloth to her face. He nods his forehead to hers.
In woods outside the village.
Sharpe and Harper have a fire.
In the distance, a cow brays.
Sharpe has been lying quiet for a while. Harper asks, “What ya thinkin’?”
Sharpe rocks his head to the side slowly. Offers only, “Aaah.”
Harper decides to continue to dig out of Sharpe.
“About Truman, maybe?”
Sharpe looks into the fire, “No.”
He looks up to Harper, then back to the fire. “Well, yes… and no.”
Sighs, “I was thinking about Lucille.”
He smiles.
“Whether Matt would have liked ‘er.”
“Tsch, I think he would.”
Harper offers, “You’re wantin’ to get back home, so you are?”
Sharpe looks up as if he is already gone.
“Yes, I want to get back.”
“Back to Normandy.”
“Back to the farm.”
Harper changes the subject. With mischief in his voice he says, “She’s a fine figure of a woman, you now.”
“That Lady Anne.”
Sharpe turns suddenly on Harper. “So’s Ramona (Isabella), Patrick.”
“So, you better watch how your tongue wags.”
“Otherwise, you’ll find it wrapped around your ‘ead.” He snorts, then looks back to the fire.
Harper smiles again. He woke Sharpe from his reverie. Which is what he intended.
Sharpe shakes his head again. “All, we need to see how this last goes.”
“We need to get out of this sorry place.”
“Me to France. You to Ireland.” Sighs.
Harper offers, “Aye, that would be grand.”
They hear footsteps approach. Crowley walks up.
“Sir.”
“There’s another score to settle.”
Harper looks to Sharpe.
They signal Crowley to sit so that he may finish his story.
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