MARGARET. I thought I was an old barren stick of a bush and I needed flowers to soften me. That’s what I always thought.

She stretches out her hand to her own reflection.

I’m soft enough. I’m young enough. I like my face.

JAMIE. I always think you’re beautiful.

MARGARET. I’m not. I’m not at all, but it doesn’t matter. I like my face, Jamie. I like her.

(Points.) Look, she’s not frightened of anything.

JAMIE touches her neck.

JAMIE. You’ve one left.

MARGARET. Ah… this little gold cross was my first jewellery. My mother gave it to me.

She tucks it into her dress.

I’ll put it next to my skin.

You know what I think, Jamie? I think who you are in just your skin is all you are. What you wear next to your skin should remind you of that.

He doesn’t know what to say to that.

I’ll put those jewels away safe. We might need them if your father decides he needs an orchestra.

MARGARET is looking at her reflection.

I like this woman. I don’t know her but I like her.

I don’t know what she’s going to do.

I can’t wait to find out what she’s going to do. First she’s going to find her darling boy Ross. Have you seen him?

JAMIE. He was hanging about in the garden.

MARGARET. Oh, go and find him, Jamie. I can’t wait to see him.

JAMIE hurries off. MARGARET considers herself in the mirror a beat longer, then covers it and leaves.

The Garden, the Next Day

JAMIE is practising his moves in the garden. ROSS is stalking him. After a while JAMIE notices.

JAMIE. I can see you there.

ROSS stops trying to sneak up on him and moves closer. When he’s close he launches himself at JAMIE. He has a knife. He tries to stab him.

JAMIE fights him off easily. He pushes ROSS down and kicks at him.

What are you doing!? What are you doing!?

Give me that!

He grabs the knife off ROSS. ROSS is hurting and very upset. Close to tears.

ROSS. He told me to.

JAMIE. You could have killed me!

ROSS. He told me to.

JAMIE. Who told you to?

ROSS says nothing.

Dad told you to kill me?

ROSS says nothing.

Dad told you to stab me?

ROSS. He says stuff like that and then he says he doesn’t mean it. I don’t know what he means.

I told him you’d be too strong for me.

He says if I loved him I’d at least try.

A pause.

JAMIE. Well, I suppose you love him.