Magdalena...
Mr District Commissioner...
Is Clara not coming down?
I'm afraid she still has her cold.
Poor child.
She visits the city and catches a cold.
Clara...
Clara?
Clara!
What do you think you're doing? Are you out of your mind?
What were you thinking of, child?
- Magdalena? - Yes?
What's going on?
Nothing.
What was that noise?
I dropped a basin.
Clara's washing.
I see.
Magdalena...
Please, help me.
You're a midwife.
You're the only one who knows what to do.
You're the only one with the skill.
It's too dangerous.
You can also die.
Not just the baby.
It's a difficult procedure
and whoever performs it will be condemned to death if it gets out.
Forgive me.
- A latte-Vs come for you. - A letter?
An invitation to...
Lady Wahlstedt's birthday. perchance?
Yes.
What will you give her by way of a present?
What would you deem appropriate?
A book of prayer.
Or a flower.
There's a winter nursery at Vituna farm.
Your senses are failing you.
I trust my senses!
I've sworn to God never to raise a hand in anger.
But this is the last straw!
I curse you and your pity!
Is this the way to Vituna.
Yes, it's straight ahead.
Whoa!
Hello!
Who are you?
I came to buy an amaryllis.
- Are you the son of the household? - No. I'm the menial.
It's my master.
Calm down...
Where is everyone?
Edvard was off to the clearing
and Mrs Esperson and Miss Elouise are usually here on the farm.
I'll get my horse and fetch them.
There, there...
I found him like this.
My condolence.
I found a horseshoe nail - this one - in the softest part of the hoof.
I can see why the horse was wild.
It must have hurt.
It could have been an accident. of course.
I shall give this to Magdalena for her birthday.
What do you think... Maybe it can hang here.
Even if it's a coincidence that the nail was there rather than anywhere else
I cannot understand how a fully grown, healthy man
couldn't just escape.
- No. - Maybe you can hold it?
Odder things have happened. Up a bit...
I imagine he fell and hit his head. Down again.
The menial doesn't seem at all surprised that his master's dead.
- Maybe it can hang here... - Nor anyone else.
Sounds like an accident to me.
If a crime has been committed. someone has to be held to account...
If?
You suspect murder?
That's what I want to investigate.
Good. Do that.
- Yes? - Allez.
By the way. Dåådh...
This is for you.
A token of appreciation. For the party.
It is too much. Mr Wahlstedt sir.
You can try it on at home.
Of course.
My humble thanks.
Such succulent pheasant.
I thought I might take Clara out on an excursion tomorrow.
To one of the islands.
The ice is thick enough to walk on.
It sounds like an excellent idea.
We will be away for most of the day.
My dear child. I see you are up and about again. Good!
Yes, thanks to the Lady Magdalena.
Please, sit down.
Magdalena has just told me of your plans for a little excursion.
That's right...
It will be lovely.
I... I long to get out...
Might I join you, perhaps?
- That sounds wonderful. - Ah, sorry.
I have no time for walks and idle pleasures.
But don't miss the opportunity to see all the local delights on my account.
And if it pleases the young miss we might play a little Twist later on.
Lovely. Do that.
I am not one for games.
I am such a poor loser!
My father is to be buried today. Please come back another day.
Mother and Elouise wish to be left in peace.
You cannot simply do as you please.
Do you not have an ounce of shame in your body?
Dåådh is a commissioner and he needs to examine your father's body.
Mrs Esperson. Miss.
Commissioner Dåådh.
This need not take long.
I've found what I was looking for.
Does that mean we've finished here?
No. On the contrary.
- Murder? - Your husband's wrists had been bound.
Who are you saying did that?
That's what I want to ask you.
Eberhard was an honest man.
He went about his business. He had no quarrel with anyone.
No.
Joel.
Yes. Mr Commissioner... sir.
You're the menial here on the farm.
Yes, sir.
You'd been sent to buy a new sugarloaf.
From a city grocer on Väster Långgatan.
You may be seated.
We passed a little cottage on the way here.
That's the crofters.
We have almost nothing to do with them.
We never speak to them.
But you must know who they are.
Åberg.
A man and his wife.
Are they good people?
I've not had any trouble from them.
But someone else has.
That's not what I said.
Mrs Esperson, has anyone had trouble from the crofters?
They're here.
I'm afraid we have to go.
I'm District Commissioner Dåådh.
I'm looking for your husband.
I've not seen him since yesterday.
Do you know where we can find him?
He threatened to join the army.
You don't see particularly worried.
Why should I be?
He's far too cowardly to be a soldier.
If he had a backbone he wouldn't have grovelled to that swine like he did.
- Which swine? - Eberhard Esperson, of course.
Eberhard?
Seems as if old Esperson wasn't as popular as the woman claimed.
Let's ride back to the farm now that everyone's away.
This crofter...
- Sven Åberg... - Yes?
What was his quarrel with Mr Esperson?
- I shouldn't want to gossip. - You wouldn't be. I'm a commissioner.
And him?
The crofter cursed this place.
He said that if he and his wife hadn't been dragged into Esperson's secrets
he'd have been a happy, thankful man.
Do you know what secrets he meant?
No. Anyway, everything was ruined, he said.
Dåådh.
Come here. Look at the tracks.
They lead in, but not out.
These tracks aren't from any of those we've spoken to.
Stand guard here.
Calm down!
Freund?
Freund!
Take the boy.
Where are you taking him?
He's coming with me to the city.
Is that really necessary?
Who is he?
They say he's a beggar-child who they've taken pity on.
They call him Goose.
Goose?
Someone who's a halfwit.
Sven Åberg.
What's he wanted for?
Murder. He's suspected of murder.
Murder. Ha! Do you know where he lives?
Yes, but he's not there.
And so where do you suggest I look for him?
Amongst the new recruits in our regiments.
And the boy. Is he suspected of anything? Don't touch that!
Nordin, leave him alone. Let go!
I won't have people behaving as they like here in the jail.
Can someone lock the boy up?
Let me question him first.
Make sure to find Sven Åberg.
- Who is it? - Me.
Clara.
- Did anyone see you? - No.
I told Johanna that we shall be bleaching the laundry.
Come. I won't be long.
Don't be afraid.
Are you afraid?
Whatever happens. I'm grateful to you.
There's no need to worry.
Johanna!
Have Magdalena and Clara returned?
They are in the basement. bleaching the laundry.
There, my dear Clara.
The worst of the pain is over.
Now you just need to lie still.
Mag... Magdalena...
Clara? Clara!
Clara! No, no...
Clara! Wake up!
Say something! No, no, no!
Clara!
She won't stop bleeding! I don't know what to do!
Chocolate?
It's like a sweet.
Taste it.
No.
Were you in the stable when the accident happened?
If you can tell me what happened in the stable
you can have some more chocolate.
- Dåådh, you must come. - What is it?
- She's bleeding, it's urgent! - Who's bleeding?
Clara.
She won't stop bleeding. I don't know what to do!
Raise her womb higher.
It must...
Stay there.
...must be higher than the heart.
Clara...
I have to give a lesson.
I'll take him away from here.
Just make sure he doesn't run off.
Of course.
What have I done?
- Lady Wahlstedt... - What have I done?
I will be punished as a murderess.
Don't worry. Nobody will know anything.
My children!
Magdalena, nobody will ever know.
We shall clean everything up and burn all the linen.
- Good. - Everything will be fine.
Clara?
Clara! She's breathing.
Miss Clara...
My darling child...
It is all my fault.
I asked Freund to fetch him.
He has no part in this.
- He saved Clara's life. - My Lady did what she thought best.
Obviously that is what she thought!
But she forgot to ask me if I was of the same opinion.
If I thought that the wife of the Chief of Police could perform...
infanticide in my laundry room!
The punishment...
that this...
No one will be reporting Lady Wahlstedt.
Never a word about this...
Ever, to anyone.
For both your sakes I shall never utter a word of it.
Please leave now. Dåådh.
Clara tried to hang herself up in her room.
It was so close.
The child in her belly was not her fault.
She was ravished by three unknown men in the woods.
Why did she have to go walking in the woods?
Forgive me.
I must tend to Clara.
Damn!
He's here now.
Who?
That soldier you were looking for. Sven Åberg. He's waiting in the cell.
She was forever going up to the farm.
I wanted to know what she did there.
So what did she say?
That she couldn't stand me, the way I crawled and fawned up to that man.
Eberhard?
I was a coward.
So you wanted to show her that you weren't a coward.
Yes. A woman's infidelity drains all the life from a man's body.
So you went to seek him out.
He didn't even bother to deny it.
And it made you angry.
I didn't know what to do.
You got so angry that you struck him down.
- Yes... - What did he do then?
He laughed in my face.
He said. “Don't think you can scare me with your fists.
“I'm used to it.“
- And everything just went black... - You beat him unconscious.
You bound him.
Then wedged a nail into his horses hoof
and waited for the beast to do your work for you.
What?
You killed Eberhard Esperson.
No. No. Why should I kill Mr Esperson?
Because he was the man your wife wanted.
No! Anna-Katarina didn't care about him!
It was Mr Esperson himself who told me what she was up to.
- But you said that she... - With his son.
Young Mr Edvard.
Commissioner...
Commissioner!
Clara has woken.
We shall have word sent to the guests that the party is cancelled.
It is not cancelled.
Please. Carl-Fredrik...
I am ashamed.
- I cannot go through a masque tonight. - You shall.
You shall greet the guests cordially.
You shall laugh at their jests.
You shall smile and say thank you for all the presents.
And you shall conduct yourself like the excellent hostess you are.
Do I make myself clear?
The menial is telling the truth.
- Have you spoken to the grocer? - Yes.
He remembers him all too well.
He'd apparently been there two days before to buy the same thing.
I asked the grocer
if it was common for people to buy that much sugar.
The answer was no. it was extremely uncommon.
So the menial was sent to the city to get him out of the way.
Then let us pay another visit to the farm first thing tomorrow.
I saw your carriage.
There's one thing I don't quite understand.
Why did the menial go to purchase a new sugarloaf
when he'd done so two days earlier?
I dropped it on the floor.
So you're the one who sent him to the grocer's to buy a new sugar loaf?
Yes.
Was that before or after
you pleasured yourself with Mrs Åberg?
You don't need to deny it. I know.
I wasn't going to deny it.
What did your father think about it?
He didn't know.
If he didn't know. how could he have told Åberg?
I dropped the sugarloaf. that's all there is to it.
It was unfortunate, naturally.
So it was you who sent Joel to the grocer's to buy a new sugar loaf?
Yes.
Tell me about your husband.
He is dead and a blessed memory.
Was he blessed in life too?
Let the dead rest in peace.
How is your leg?
It is how it is.
I just have to live with it.
I'm a doctor. Maybe I can help you.
What are you doing, man?
What happened?
I fell.
I'm not always so steady on my feet.
I don't think you'll be falling again.
What do you think?
I should be very surprised.
You have a good hand with flowers.
Have you seen the orchid?
It is quite beautiful, is it not?
I was given it by a man, a well-wisher.
So not by your father.
Did you know that orchids
breed differently depending on the weather?
When it's warm they breed like flowers do with other flowers.
But in the cold, they self-breed.
Its own pollen with its own pistil.
Even so, it is the most beautiful flower I know of.
Nature has room for both beauty and repugnant things.
I have but one question for you.
Why did the menial buy a new sugarloaf
just two days after having done so?
It was my fault. I managed to drop it.
So you were the one who sent Joel to the grocer's?
Yes.
The man who gave you the orchid, is he the father of the baby you're expecting?
No.
Thank you. I have no more questions.
Shah“ .
Hussberg.
We're taking all three of them to Stockholm.
Dåådh, do you know what your little prisoner got up to while you were away?
- Sit down. - The halfwit pissed all over his cell.
You all have. quite independently.
Claimed to have dropped the sugarloaf
and sent the menial to the grocer's.
Who it was is of no concern to me.
What I want to know is which one of you murdered Eberhard.
Who?
If none of you confesses it will eventually fall to a scapegoat.
One who will not be able to speak for himself.
A child.
I shall go and fetch the boy.
It was I.
Elouise, no...
Father forced himself on me. I hit him.
Pay no heed to her.
He fell and I dragged him into the stable.
- It was I who hit him. - Edvard...
He'd crept up on me and Anna-Katarina.
He lost his mind!
He shouted and screamed
about the Lord and how he'd beat the catechism into my skull...
Pay no heed to either of them.
It was me. I'd had enough.
- No, it wasn't! - Twenty years of that man.
- She's lying. - They're just trying to protect me.
- It was I. - It was I.
I tell you it was I.
- It was I. - It was I!
Enough!
An unusual dilemma. it's usually the other way around.
There is a way that's been used when it's been other way round...
- Why did I not think of that? - Think of what?
There was a case not at all long ago
when fate decided who should bear the guilt.
Two farmers were accused of killing a toll officer.
As usual, the villains blamed each other. of course.
So a die was thrown to decide which one was to be executed.
But that is totally arbitrary.
But in this case. everyone is asserting their guilt anyway.
So they should all be freed.
On the contrary. We should execute the lot of them.
Punishments cannot be meted out par hazard.'
If the people cannot trust justice. they will rise!
I apologise, sir.
I do not think Dåådh meant what he said just then.
I suspect that Dåådh...
let his heart speak freely for once.
Someone is guilty, someone shall pay.
Away!
One throw each.
The one who throws the lowest number of spots will be sentenced.
Unless anyone wishes to retract their confession.
Very well!
Then let fate decide.
Does no one feel the urge to begin?
What happens now?
Everyone must throw.
But I threw one.
That means it could be you but not before everyone has thrown.
Unless the young miss wishes
to retract her confession...
Then you will have to throw again.
We have two left.
I wish to see Elof.
- Who? - Her son.
This way...
No...
Guard...
The boy will be looked after properly now.
It was Father who wouldn't let him be in the house with the rest of us.
He made him sleep in the stable.
If he found mother laying a bowl of gruel in the stable.
He'd strike her with his cane.
I shall bear my punishment with my head held high.
So you mean that...
You mean that you are guilty.
It will be my penance.
What really happened?
I lost my mind.
And the others?
Mother saw what I had done but didn't lose her temper.
Was he already dead when you carried him into the stable?
She just wanted to help. She has no blame in this.
Was he already dead when you carried him out?
Guard!
Go to your post.
I shall not report your mother. I just want to know what happened.
Was he alive?
Yes.
And Edvard, did he lose his temper?
I didn't know then. but Edvard and Mrs Åberg...
Father caught them.
He beat Edvard worse than ever.
He couldn't speak for days.
But he bears no guilt in this, either.
It is I who went mad. I who is guilty.
It is your father who is guilty for not leaving you in peace.
Freund?
Welcome.
How delightful!
Charming. Thank you very much. Please, enter.
May I congratulate you?
Thank you for coming.
I bear no gift. I am afraid.
That is just as well.
I have received enough gifts today already.
Adler. Kreutz, welcome.
Thank you so much.
My dearest brothers, sisters, friends.
I should like to propose this evening's first toast.
My dear wife.
As anyone who has known me long enough knows...
you enraptured me
the moment I first set eyes on you.
You were the most beautiful and most virtuous woman a man could wish for.
I proposed to you immediately.
And you immediately said no.
But I asked again and again and again...
and again and again and again...
And you said no, no, no, no...
But I persisted.
Because I knew
you would always stand loyally by my side.
And that I...
could not live without you.
And you said yes!
And since that time you have been the dearest thing to me.
But there are also moments when you are my worst headache!
You are like a disobedient child. Magdalena.
You defy me!
You wear my patience.
But I allow it because...
simply because I love you.
If I lost you. my life would become inordinately
impoverished and void.
So, a toast to Magdalena!
Despite all your flaws and shortcomings.
And now a little piece in your honour.
Composed just for you, my beloved wife.
Yes?
When it suits you. I should like to discuss a matter with you.
Dåådh's conduct at the die throwing today.
I do not know how wise it is to have a commissioner who is so... soft.
And this evening...
This evening?
I could not help but notice his behaviour vis-à-vis...
Lady Wahlstedt.
- How so? - I don't know...
It is as if they shared something. a secret.
It might be wise to have an eye kept on him.
You leave Dåådh alone.
- I just thought it... - No!
Let that be an end to it.
We cannot go around suspecting each other.
Of course.
It was merely a suggestion.
How are you?
I cannot keep this up any longer.
All this playacting.
I understand you.
Believe me.
I know.
You understand.
I cannot continue as commissioner.
Why not?
The gulf between the world I believe possible
and the world I see...
is just too deep.
I am tired of it.
If you leave now. you will be handing over to Nordin.
Maybe that is how it must be.
And you will be leaving me.