7 November 2024

Eileen prepares for court

Eileen is preparing herself for court when Sioned joins her, 

"You look smart, Mam"

commenting that she looks smart.   

"I'm coming to court with you"

“I took Jac and Lili over to DJ’s, so I can come to court with you.   I know you said you didn’t want anybody to go, but you need the support and you can’t go on your own.”

"Siôn's going to be with me"

Eileen replies that Siôn is going with her, 

"Ooh – Siôn, is it?"

adding, 

"I want to show you a few things"

“Before I go, I want to show you a few things, in case.”   Sioned tells her to stop this, 

"You'll be coming home from court"

as she will be coming home from court today;  now she is going to get changed.   

Huwi-John eats his breakfast 

Meanwhile in the background, Huwi is quietly eating his breakfast.

Rhys arrives to clear up the brewery . . .

Rhys comes into the brewery to clear up after the night before and notices a bleeping sound;  

. . . but has an unpleasant surprise

a temperature alert on one of the vats.   

He immediately gets out his phone

He quickly gets out his phone.

Lleucu is in her uniform

At Y Felin, Lleucu comes downstairs in her school uniform 

"Have you seen my English book?"

and asks her father, “Have you see my English book?”   He is looking at the Western Post and seems totally oblivious to her.   “Dad!   My English book?”   

He gives it to her

He finds it, concealed under his paper and hands it to her.

She has no time for breakfast, as she cannot be late, not today;  

"You don't remember, do you?"

“You don’t remember, do you?   I’ve got my English exam resit.”   He maintains, unconvincingly, that he was simply pulling her leg to get her to relax, but she points out that it is not helping.

She notices that he is still in his dressing gown and asks whether he is going in today.   

"Ffion's told me to work from home"

“No – Ffion’s told me to work from home for a while,” he says.

"Are you going past the school?"

Siôn comes downstairs, picks up his keys and is about to go out;  “Are you going past the school?” Lleucu asks and he regrets that he is not today.   

"I can't be late for court"

He has to be at court and cannot be late.   

"You've got that date tonight!"

“Oh, you’ve got that date tonight, haven’t you?” she grins, but he protests that it is a meal, not a date – and only if things go in their favour.

"Did you hear about the other night?"

At number 9, Jinx asks Gwern, “Did you hear about the other night?   Britt losing it?   She lost her temper – I’ve just heard that she was shouting in Ceffyl Du.”   

Gwern does not seem concerned

Gwern does not seem interested.

“Were you there?” Jinx goes on, “Why didn’t you tell me?”   

"I didn't want to upset Dani"

Gwern answers that he did not want to upset Dani.   

"MY HOUSE, NOW!"

Then he receives a text from Rhys, with the message, in capitals, ‘MY HOUSE NOW!’

"It's not ideal, is it?"

Jinx adds, “It’s not ideal, is it – your aunt making a scene at your workplace?”   

"That's what Auntie Britt is like"

Gwern points out that is what Auntie Britt is like – losing her temper and shouting.   

"Rhys wants a chat"

Now he is going to see Rhys, who wants a chat.

"I'm going to see the undertaker"

Dani comes downstairs and grabs her coat, informing Jinx that she is going to see the undertaker.   

"I'll come with you"

“Give me five minutes and I’ll come with you,” he offers, 

"I can't wait"

but she maintains that she cannot wait as she needs to make arrangements and will not listen to any reasoning, as he urges her to think.

"I haven't thought about anything else!"

“I haven’t thought of anything else!” she snarls and he mentions that she has not been talking very much about Seren.   

She's my daughter, not yours!"

“She’s my daughter, not yours!” she snaps, “So there’s nothing to talk about.”

Gwern arrives at number 21

When Gwern reaches number 21, 

"Did you disconnect one of the vats?"

Rhys says, “Right, I’m only going to ask you once and I want you to be honest with me.   Did you disconnect one of the vats last night?”   

"No, I didn't"

Gwern immediately confirms that he did no such thing, 

"Are you sure about that?"

with Rhys continuing, “Are you sure about that?   This is your opportunity to admit if you did something wrong.   The beer is spoiled – the temperature hasn’t regulated so the beer cannot be sold.”

"Why won't you believe me?"

“Why won’t you believe me?” Gwern demands 

"You;'re the only one who could have done it"

and he is told that he is the only one who could have done it.

"You have heard all the evidence"

The Judge begins his summing up;  “You have heard all the evidence and there is no argument that Howard Owen was shot in the back of his leg.   But what you have to consider and decide is how that happened.   

"The defence claiming that it as an accident"

“You have heard Eileen Probert and the defence claiming it was an accident – that the gun was fired accidentally.”

It sounds good so far

Eileen nods her head 

Siôn and Sioned watch

and in the gallery Siôn and Sioned are intently watching the proceedings.

"On the other hand . . ."

“On the other hand, you’ve heard the prosecution and their witnesses claiming Eileen Probert knew exactly what she was doing and that she shot Howard Owen deliberately.

The jury are listening carefully

“It’s your job now, on the basis of the evidence we’ve heard, to decide who is telling the truth and to decide what exactly happened on the night of the 29th of March this year.”   

Perhaps it is not as rosy as she thought

Now Eileen is looking less confident.

How are things going, Jinx?"

Colin has come to number 9 to ask Jinx how things are going;  

"To be honest, I'm not sure"

“To be honest, Colin, I’m not sure – Dani’s gone to see the undertakers on her own – there was hardly any welcome for me.   She said that I wasn’t Seren’s father and all that.”

"It was the grief talking"

Colin insists that it was the grief talking, something which Jinx understands;  

"I'm just scared to open my mouth"

“I’m just scared to open my mouth in case I say the wrong thing.”   Colin maintains that things will get better;  Jinx certainly hopes so, as it feels as if they are drifting apart.   

"Am I the right person to be supporting her?"

“Am I the right person to be supporting her?”

"Dani is lucky to have you"

Colin assures him that he is doing a special job of looking after everyone – he must not forget that – and Dani is lucky to have him.   

"I'm here to listen any time"

“Remember, I’m here to listen any time you want.”

Rhys walks along the street

Rhys walks along the street as Colin comes out of number 9;  “Oh, Rhys, just the boy,” he says, 

"I called into the brewery last night"

“In case you were worried, I called into the brewery last night – Britt wanted me to check the meter readings.   I know I shouldn’t have done it.”

"So you disconnected the vat"

Rhys comes to the conclusion that he disconnected the vat, but Colin does not think he did, 

"The beer is spoiled!"

and is told that the beer is spoiled.   

Loose wires – trip hazard – Health and Safety!

“Well, I did trip over some wires when I walked in – look, I’ll pay for any damage!   

"But not a word to Britt!"

“But not a word to Britt – we’re under a lot of pressure – I’m sorry!”

"Don't do it again, Col"

Rhys tells him that he does not have to pay but must not come in without permission again, to which Colin readily agrees.   

Gwern comes out of the alley

Then Gwern comes out of the alley 

"I've got some apologising to do"

and Rhys groans, “Now I’ve got some apologising to do.”

"Sorry I haven't been in touch"

Gwern meets Lleucu, who says, “Sorry I haven’t been in touch – I've been busy – English resit, but I’ve done it now.”

"Nothing important's happened to me, has it?"

He tells her not to worry, “Nothing important’s happened to me, has it?” but she assures him that she is here now and she really is sorry;  she thought that he would perhaps want a bit of space.

"What we saw will stay with us for ever"

“What happened – what we saw – will stay with us for ever,” she continues, 

Here comes trouble

but unfortunately her father is approaching 

"Told you to stay away from my daughter!"

and again instructs Gwern to stay away from his daughter, maintaining that they are not supposed to see each other.   

"Dad, you're so embarrassing!"

“You’re so embarrassing!” she complains.

Gwern walks away 

Gwern simply walks away, in spite of Lleucu begging him to stay.   

"There's something wrong with you!

“There’s something wrong with you!” she snarls at her father, “He’s lost his sister and needs help.   

"I though you, of all people, would understand!"

“I thought you, of all people, would understand that!”

Gwern goes into the brewery . . .

Gwern returns to the brewery, 

. . . thinks for a moment . . .

where he stands by a table, 

. . . and swipes the glasses off the table 

then, in a fury, swipes all the glasses off the table and they smash on the floor.

"Jinx told me you're starting to plan the funeral"

Now Colin is speaking to Dani;  “Jinx told me you’d started planning the funeral.”   

"The end of next week at Bethania"

She replies that everything is sorted – the end of next week at Bethania, which Colin regards as rather
soon.

“It has to be done,” she says 

"This is how I was after losing Izzy . . ."

and he looks at her, recalling that this is how he was after losing Izzy.   

". . . I wanted to carry on at full speed . . ."

“I wanted to carry on with the arrangements at full speed, so I didn’t have to think of anything else.   

". . . but we didn't bury her for a year"

“But we didn’t bury her for a year.”

"You can't compare this with Izzy"

“You can’t compare this with Izzy –she was a woman, she’d had a chance at life,” Dani insists, 

"Losing a child is losing a child"

but Colin maintains that losing a child is losing a child, no matter how old they are.

Dani says that she is trying to move on – thinking about Gabs and Gwern – but she cannot, 

"I keep seeing it over and over again"

“Because I’m stuck in that warehouse – I keep seeing it over and over again.   I see her screaming – and I don’t do anything.”

"I wanted to go up to Coed y Mynach"

Colin tells her, “I wanted to go up to Coed y Mynach to spend time in the place where it happened.   At the start, I’d go up twice, three times a day, just standing and staring at the flowers that people had left there – as if that would bring Izzy back.   

"I had forgotten about everyone else"

“I had forgotten about everything else, everyone else – the people who were still here, who needed comfort and attention.”

"I'm never going to see my Seren ever again!"

“I can’t accept that I’m never going to see her again – that I’m never going to see my Seren ever again!” Dani sobs, “I can’t think of anyone else – I don’t want to think of anyone else.”

"It's a lonely place, Dani"

Colin knows that it is a lonely place and that she will be there for months, for years, for ever.   “I still go there sometimes, 

"But step by step things will improve"

“but step by step, slowly, things will improve – I promise you that.”

This time, in the brewery, Rhys discovers . . .

When Rhys enters the brewery, 

. . . an inebriated Gwern

he discovers Gwern slumped on the floor with a bottle of Ceffyl Du in his hand;  he is in a seriously inebriated state.   

"How many bottles have you drunk?"

“How many bottles have you drunk?” Rhys demands, but Gwern’s only concern is that Dani must not find out.

He is dragged to his feet

“Don’t worry about Dani, I’ll look after you now,” as he awkwardly drags Gwern to his feet.

They're ready for you"

Eileen is sitting anxiously in a corridor, awaiting the jury’s decision;  suddenly Malcolm comes out and announces, “They’re ready for you.”   

She is very anxious . . .

She is very anxious 

. . . as she returns to the courtroom

and follows him into courtroom.

"I'm fine, Rhys"

Rhys has managed to get Gwern over to number 21, where, despite protesting that he is fine and wants to phone Lleucu now, 

He is unceremoniously dumped on the sofa

is deposited on the sofa.   

"You've done enough damage for one day!"

“You’re not phoning anyone – you’ve done enough damage for one day!” growls Rhys, “You can’t sleep here – we need to work out what to do because Dani will be looking for you.”

Gwern wants him to phone Jinx 

Rhys recognises the signs . . .

and then shows signs of imminently throwing up, 

. . . and rushes to get a bowl . . .

so Rhys hurries to get a bowl

. . . and brings it just in time 

and is only just in time.

Lleucu comes downstairs again

Lleucu comes downstairs at Y Felin and her father demands where she is going.   

"Out – not to see Gwern!"

“Out!” is the answer, “Not to see Gwern – he doesn’t want to see me, thanks to you!”   Cai explains that things are awkward with the Monks, realising that his daughter blames him as well.

"Who cares what I think?"

“Who cares what I think?   That’s not important to you,” she replies, It’s true, Dad – you’ve spoiled everything!” and she leaves the house.

"Oh, it stinks in here!"

Jinx comes to number 21 and is immediately repulsed by the smell;  “Oh, it stinks in here!”   Rhys reports that he has filled the bowl twice already.   “Should I take him to hospital?   Have his stomach pumped or something?” Jinx wonders.

"I'd be surprised if there's anything left"

Rhys would be surprised if there is anything left there;  “He broke into the brewery and has made a bit of a mess as well.   He probably wanted to retaliate – I gave him a mouthful earlier – I accused him of disconnecting one of the vats.”

"And now this – great!"

Jinx is unimpressed;  “And he didn’t?   And now this – great!   How am I going to tell Dani?   Look at the state he’s in.”

"I promised I wouldn't tell her"

“I promised I wouldn’t tell her,” says Rhys, “He asked for you.   Look, he can stay here tonight and you can cover.   Dani won’t be any wiser – say he’s staying with a friend – I don’t think you’ve got a lot of choice.”

Again Gwern utilises the bowl

Gwern appears to be in need of that bowl again, 

"Yes, he'd better stay here"

so Jinx considers that he had better stay there.

A tense moment in the public gallery

The atmosphere is tense in the court as Siôn and Sioned wait for the verdict to be announced.   

"Do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty?"

“Members of the jury, do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty?”   

The answer causes Eileen alarm

The answer is clearly given, “Guilty,” and Eileen gasps;  

The watchers are horrified

the two watching from the gallery are horrified.

Dani looks at a photo 

Dani is looking at a photograph of Seren when there is a knock at the door;  she finds that it is Cai once again.   

Cai wants a chat

“I want a chat about everything that’s been going on recently.   This quarrelling is affecting everybody, not just us.   

"Can we try to be civil?"

“Can we try to be civil?”

"Are you willing to admit it's your fault?"

“Are you willing to admit it’s your fault that I have to bury my daughter next week?” she asks.   

"No, I won't take the blame!"

He is sorry about what happened, but he will not take the blame.

"Arrange your own child's funeral, then"

“Do you know what?   Arrange your own child’s funeral and get back to me,” she tells him.   

"My family would like to come"

He advises that his family would like to come and pay their respects.

Dani angrily answers, “Don’t you dare come to the funeral – do you hear?    Neither you nor your family is welcome.”   Cai maintains that she is getting this all wrong.

"You and the Whites can go to hell!"

“No, you and the Whites can go to hell!” she snarls, so he leaves the house, 

Dani looks again at the photo

while Dani resumes looking at the photograph of Seren.

"This court has found you guilty"

Back at the court, the Judge pronounces, “Mrs Eileen Probert, this court has found you guilty of causing bodily harm with a weapon.   Whatever the circumstances, it is my duty to ensure you receive a punishment that corresponds to the seriousness of the crime.   

"You are sentenced to six months in jail"

“Eileen Probert, you are sentenced to six months in jail to start immediately.”

Siôn and Sioned are stunned . . .

Eileen is stunned, as are her daughter and Siôn in the gallery;  

. . . and Eileen is sobbing

Eileen sobs piteously.