Jenny, an American young lady in an English hotel goes up to the reception and asks if she has received any mail. As usual the answer is no. She shrugs accepting the situation, she is a lonely girl.
At the hotel a man named Paul Tanner gains entrance to Jenny's room using a credit card on the lock. He rifles through her belongings and finds her passport.
Paul phones an unidentified person and tells of his plans to seduce Jenny for some suspicious reason.
" Yes she's the one, even the hair colour, from Muncie Indiana, I'm about to fall in love with Jenny Frith, ( phone down) a lonely girl."
In the lounge he introduces himself to Jenny and they talk. Jenny is a lonely girl and Paul claims to be great at guessing accents and deduces she's from Muncie Indiana. Jenny is impressed but Paul knew this from when he went through her belongings.
Jenny is in this part of the country to travel to poet Keats birthplace. Paul feigns an interest in Keats and the two of them go together.
A romance starts to form, all the while Paul makes secret phone calls to a third person reporting his progress.
Paul ( phone ) ," just got back, we've been everywhere, I never knew how exhausting poets could be. Well the bait is truly hooked I make my move tonight."
After three weeks Paul says his goodbyes and prepares to leave hotel. Jenny is upset at the romance ending, but it's a ruse by Paul. He knocks on her bedroom door late that night.
Paul, " Jenny, it's crazy I know but I don't think I can leave without you, say you'll marry me."
Jenny accepts they marry and Paul takes her to his house by the sea.
Jenny is thrilled to be there, even though the location is very isolated and lonely. Jenny, who has no English friends other than Paul, seems disconnected from her past, and is now entirely immersed in Paul's world.
Things are not as they appear, however. Paul continues to make secret phone calls to someone, and Jenny becomes aware of it. Paul says it's a business deal he's sorting out, part of his livelihood.
When she surprises Paul by changing her hairstyle and putting on an evening gown and makeup, Paul becomes inexplicably furious, seriously hurting Jenny's feelings. Paul smooths it over by explaining that he does not prefer "sophisticated women", and that he loves Jenny for her simple look.
Paul," sophisticated women scare me I suppose, and when I saw you, well it wasn't you, the girl I fell in love with."
A kiss and cuddle and things are made right. Paul leaves to go into town.
Mrs Bradley, the cleaning lady turns up,
Mrs Bradley, " Colonel Mullard used to own this place, I cleaned for him. The executives, they look after things after you die asked me to carry on."
Jenny, " you mean executors. My husband owns it now."
Mrs Bradley, " not on your life he doesn't ! It's rented, did he tell you he owned it ?"
Jenny a bit defensive, " erm..no I just assumed...thank you Mrs Bradley."
Paul comes home lunchtime and surprises Jenny with a dress he claims he's bought for her, Jenny asks about the house and tells him what Mrs Bradley said.
Paul," aren't you glad we don't own it, in the spring we'll look together for a place, for raising a family in."
Paul goes out again, Jenny notices a cleaning label on the dress and as Mrs Bradley confirms you don't put cleaning labels on new dresses.
There's a knock on the door and a man claiming to be a friend of Paul's introduces himself.
" hello there, I'm sorry I thought I saw a friend of mine just leaving. Followed him from town, but I'm sorry my mistake."
Jenny," who did you think it was.?"
" Paul Tanner "
Jenny ," yes that was Paul."
" well, well, Jack Hardisty is the name, and you must be Toni's sister."
Jenny, " erm..who's Toni.?
Hardisty, " Paul's wife. "
Jenny, " I'm Paul's wife I'm Mrs Tanner."
Hardisty, " never knew he'd remarried never knew he even divorced."
Jenny looks upset and confused
Hardisty " oh sorry, well perhaps Paul won't be so pleased to see me after all."
Hardisty takes out a notepad, writes his number down, " here's my number if he wishes to call me."
He goes to leave then turns and says, " you know you might have been sisters, similar look, superficially you understand, even the Canadian accent."
Jenny ," I'm American Mr Hardisty."
Hardisty, " same to my ear, sorry again."
After Jack leaves, Jenny searches through Paul's things and finds a photograph of Toni. She does indeed resemble Jenny, even to the dress Paul gave Jenny to wear.
Jenny confronts Paul with the photo of Toni in the dress he gave her, a blazing row ensues.
Jenny, " look at that dress and look at me, we could be sisters. Now if you loved her and married me as some sort of replacement, I don't want to be an imitation."
Paul " you're wrong."
Jenny, " you must have loved her very much to want to replace her with someone who looks just like her."
Paul, " loved her? I hated her, I don't know why I wanted you to look like her, perhaps to convince myself someone who looked like her doesn't have to be bad. My way of exorcising her from my mind."
Jenny feels sympathetic and a bit guilty ," oh Paul, if that's true, I'm so sorry, I went through your things and everything."
Paul " course it's true."
Jenny, "where is she now?"
Paul," dead, her death brought me nothing but relief."
Jenny, " it was just such a shock hearing it from a stranger."
Paul, " what stranger?"
Jenny, " Jack Hardisty, here's his number."
Paul dials number, but no answer, he looks at the tearful Jenny, dress torn.
Paul ,"perhaps he's left the district, ( smiles) for God's sake , get rid of that dress."
Close to midnight Hardisty returns, apologises for being so late, but he has business to discuss with Paul. Jenny retires to bed.
Hardisty, " congratulations on your new wife Paul, you know I've checked with the registry office and there's no record of your divorce from Toni and you're a bigamist."
Paul ," really."
Hardisty, " I couldn't work out where the profit was, because there's always a profit. Then it hit me, your new wife and how much she resembles Toni. It's good Paul one of your best."
Paul, " I've no idea what you're on about."
Hardisty chuckles, " come on Paul this is Jack Hardisty you're talking to, shall I spell it out."
Upstairs Jenny is falling asleep meanwhile,
Hardisty, " I may have the finer details wrong but that's roughly the plan , I want half."
Paul, " HALF!"
Hardisty points to ceiling, " ssshhh, half it is, I don't even have to bargain, I know the strength of my cards and you've never dealt a better hand Paul."
Paul, " I have to talk to Toni."
Hardisty, " sure, won't change anything because I know what the answer will be, must be."
Paul reluctantly agrees and suggests they celebrate their renewed partnership with a drink. While pouring the drinks Paul unseen removes a sock, places the whisky decanter top inside it, and when Jack isn't looking smashes it down on his head.
Jenny is asleep now and Paul drags the body to his car and goes to the clifftop throwing the body over edge. Next day Paul meets a woman in secret, in a church, it is Toni, Paul's real wife.
Toni is concerned about Hardisty.
Paul, " I had no choice, he wanted to squeeze us."
Toni," but the body!?"
Paul," I threw it over the cliff. Isn't that the plan all along, to let the sea do our job for us.....hell!"
Toni," what is it?"
Paul," his car, I left it parked at the cliff road."
Toni " I'll take it, put it in some multi storey car park, it'll be there for months probably before anyone gets suspicious. "
Paul," fine."
Toni " what about the old man and his dog?"
Paul," no problem, he walks the same time every day the same place. He'll be close enough to see it but not close enough to say exactly how it happened."
At the hotel a man named Paul Tanner gains entrance to Jenny's room using a credit card on the lock. He rifles through her belongings and finds her passport.
Paul phones an unidentified person and tells of his plans to seduce Jenny for some suspicious reason.
" Yes she's the one, even the hair colour, from Muncie Indiana, I'm about to fall in love with Jenny Frith, ( phone down) a lonely girl."
In the lounge he introduces himself to Jenny and they talk. Jenny is a lonely girl and Paul claims to be great at guessing accents and deduces she's from Muncie Indiana. Jenny is impressed but Paul knew this from when he went through her belongings.
Jenny is in this part of the country to travel to poet Keats birthplace. Paul feigns an interest in Keats and the two of them go together.
A romance starts to form, all the while Paul makes secret phone calls to a third person reporting his progress.
Paul ( phone ) ," just got back, we've been everywhere, I never knew how exhausting poets could be. Well the bait is truly hooked I make my move tonight."
After three weeks Paul says his goodbyes and prepares to leave hotel. Jenny is upset at the romance ending, but it's a ruse by Paul. He knocks on her bedroom door late that night.
Paul, " Jenny, it's crazy I know but I don't think I can leave without you, say you'll marry me."
Jenny accepts they marry and Paul takes her to his house by the sea.
Jenny is thrilled to be there, even though the location is very isolated and lonely. Jenny, who has no English friends other than Paul, seems disconnected from her past, and is now entirely immersed in Paul's world.
Things are not as they appear, however. Paul continues to make secret phone calls to someone, and Jenny becomes aware of it. Paul says it's a business deal he's sorting out, part of his livelihood.
When she surprises Paul by changing her hairstyle and putting on an evening gown and makeup, Paul becomes inexplicably furious, seriously hurting Jenny's feelings. Paul smooths it over by explaining that he does not prefer "sophisticated women", and that he loves Jenny for her simple look.
Paul," sophisticated women scare me I suppose, and when I saw you, well it wasn't you, the girl I fell in love with."
A kiss and cuddle and things are made right. Paul leaves to go into town.
Mrs Bradley, the cleaning lady turns up,
Mrs Bradley, " Colonel Mullard used to own this place, I cleaned for him. The executives, they look after things after you die asked me to carry on."
Jenny, " you mean executors. My husband owns it now."
Mrs Bradley, " not on your life he doesn't ! It's rented, did he tell you he owned it ?"
Jenny a bit defensive, " erm..no I just assumed...thank you Mrs Bradley."
Paul comes home lunchtime and surprises Jenny with a dress he claims he's bought for her, Jenny asks about the house and tells him what Mrs Bradley said.
Paul," aren't you glad we don't own it, in the spring we'll look together for a place, for raising a family in."
Paul goes out again, Jenny notices a cleaning label on the dress and as Mrs Bradley confirms you don't put cleaning labels on new dresses.
There's a knock on the door and a man claiming to be a friend of Paul's introduces himself.
" hello there, I'm sorry I thought I saw a friend of mine just leaving. Followed him from town, but I'm sorry my mistake."
Jenny," who did you think it was.?"
" Paul Tanner "
Jenny ," yes that was Paul."
" well, well, Jack Hardisty is the name, and you must be Toni's sister."
Jenny, " erm..who's Toni.?
Hardisty, " Paul's wife. "
Jenny, " I'm Paul's wife I'm Mrs Tanner."
Hardisty, " never knew he'd remarried never knew he even divorced."
Jenny looks upset and confused
Hardisty " oh sorry, well perhaps Paul won't be so pleased to see me after all."
Hardisty takes out a notepad, writes his number down, " here's my number if he wishes to call me."
He goes to leave then turns and says, " you know you might have been sisters, similar look, superficially you understand, even the Canadian accent."
Jenny ," I'm American Mr Hardisty."
Hardisty, " same to my ear, sorry again."
After Jack leaves, Jenny searches through Paul's things and finds a photograph of Toni. She does indeed resemble Jenny, even to the dress Paul gave Jenny to wear.
Jenny confronts Paul with the photo of Toni in the dress he gave her, a blazing row ensues.
Jenny, " look at that dress and look at me, we could be sisters. Now if you loved her and married me as some sort of replacement, I don't want to be an imitation."
Paul " you're wrong."
Jenny, " you must have loved her very much to want to replace her with someone who looks just like her."
Paul, " loved her? I hated her, I don't know why I wanted you to look like her, perhaps to convince myself someone who looked like her doesn't have to be bad. My way of exorcising her from my mind."
Jenny feels sympathetic and a bit guilty ," oh Paul, if that's true, I'm so sorry, I went through your things and everything."
Paul " course it's true."
Jenny, "where is she now?"
Paul," dead, her death brought me nothing but relief."
Jenny, " it was just such a shock hearing it from a stranger."
Paul, " what stranger?"
Jenny, " Jack Hardisty, here's his number."
Paul dials number, but no answer, he looks at the tearful Jenny, dress torn.
Paul ,"perhaps he's left the district, ( smiles) for God's sake , get rid of that dress."
Close to midnight Hardisty returns, apologises for being so late, but he has business to discuss with Paul. Jenny retires to bed.
Hardisty, " congratulations on your new wife Paul, you know I've checked with the registry office and there's no record of your divorce from Toni and you're a bigamist."
Paul ," really."
Hardisty, " I couldn't work out where the profit was, because there's always a profit. Then it hit me, your new wife and how much she resembles Toni. It's good Paul one of your best."
Paul, " I've no idea what you're on about."
Hardisty chuckles, " come on Paul this is Jack Hardisty you're talking to, shall I spell it out."
Upstairs Jenny is falling asleep meanwhile,
Hardisty, " I may have the finer details wrong but that's roughly the plan , I want half."
Paul, " HALF!"
Hardisty points to ceiling, " ssshhh, half it is, I don't even have to bargain, I know the strength of my cards and you've never dealt a better hand Paul."
Paul, " I have to talk to Toni."
Hardisty, " sure, won't change anything because I know what the answer will be, must be."
Paul reluctantly agrees and suggests they celebrate their renewed partnership with a drink. While pouring the drinks Paul unseen removes a sock, places the whisky decanter top inside it, and when Jack isn't looking smashes it down on his head.
Jenny is asleep now and Paul drags the body to his car and goes to the clifftop throwing the body over edge. Next day Paul meets a woman in secret, in a church, it is Toni, Paul's real wife.
Toni is concerned about Hardisty.
Paul, " I had no choice, he wanted to squeeze us."
Toni," but the body!?"
Paul," I threw it over the cliff. Isn't that the plan all along, to let the sea do our job for us.....hell!"
Toni," what is it?"
Paul," his car, I left it parked at the cliff road."
Toni " I'll take it, put it in some multi storey car park, it'll be there for months probably before anyone gets suspicious. "
Paul," fine."
Toni " what about the old man and his dog?"
Paul," no problem, he walks the same time every day the same place. He'll be close enough to see it but not close enough to say exactly how it happened."
Last edited:
