[phone buzzes]
[birds call]
[phone continues to buzz]
[Pip whimpers]
[scraping, clattering]
[sighs]
[exhales, inhales]
[metal clanks]
[whispers] Pip...
Hey.
- [loud knocking] - [gasps]
[barks]
[metal scrapes]
- [Knocking] - [Lulu] Alice?
Alice it's me!
[Lulu] Oh, my God.
We... We had a fight. You know, he got mad and...
- What? - I just...
I just need to call him, you know?
What happened?
- [phone beeps] - No, no...
No, no, it's like... It... [stammers]
[recording] Hi, you've got Dylan...
- Fuck, his phone's off. - No, no, you don't need to call him.
You don't understand, you know...
He saw Aiden give me a hug and he got mad.
- He just told me... - A hug?
Yeah, he just saw me give him a hug
and I just don't think he un... understood kind of what was going on.
I just, you know... If I can just explain it to him...
What are you...
What are you doing?
I need you to see yourself.
[shower runs]
[Lulu] You need to report it.
What's going to happen if you don't?
You... You take some sick days,
try to cover up your bruises, act like nothing's happened?
And then what? You have to keep working with him.
And then he just gets away with it?
[whispers] Did he ever...
...hit you?
He could be...
cruel...
jealous.
He scared the shit out of me a couple of times, but...
...he was never in love with me.
♪ ♪
Can you help get these off?
[grunts softly]
[laughs]
[both cry]
[exhales]
You look different.
Well, I...
...went looking for Alice out in the desert
and ended up out on country with all the aunties.
It was amazing.
I got a message from Alice.
And she said she wasn't ready to talk.
But she's fine.
She's happy, in love.
Thank you.
[door opens]
Um... Thanks for seeing me...
Yeah, look, just before you say anything,
I just want you to be aware that, uh, Dylan's been in to see me...
...and he's made some very serious allegations against you.
Against me?
Yeah, he's saying that the relationship that you were in,
it's become toxic
and he claims that you were both verbally and physically abusive
and that last night you violently attacked him.
No, he assaulted me.
I can see that you're hurt, but, um,
well, Dylan, he's got cuts and bruises go all over his...
Yeah, 'cause I was defending myself.
I mean, he was...
He was going to kill me.
Dylan is also claiming, um...
Alice, I do have to ask you this, I'm sorry.
But he's also claiming that...
[becomes distant] ...you lied to me about your qualifications,
about your degree, just to get this job.
And he's also saying that...
that you've got a violent history,
dating back to when you were a kid.
And he also mentioned a fire.
And these are very serious allegations.
- So I really... - [laughs]
Alice, I...
I really don't think this is funny.
You know, Dylan, he is one of our most senior rangers
and we have never had any problem, not in four years.
But, um, today I...
I've never seen him so upset.
These are up all over Agnes Bluff.
Now, I have to suspend you from duties, pending a formal inquiry.
[becomes distant] That means HR from Canberra...
♪ ♪
[Lulu] I can't believe she said that.
Nah, fuck her.
And fuck the sunset circus.
Someone else can take my tour. I'm taking you to the police.
No, don't get in trouble on my account.
I'll go after. It's OK.
You can't stay here, though.
[Ruby] Hey.
Come on. You're coming with me on the tour.
I'll look after you, OK?
[birds call]
[indistinct chatter]
Hey, what are you doing?
Why don't you mind your business?
It clearly says don't take the flowers!
- Stop! - Jesus!
Alice, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
- [woman] Somebody help me, please! - [Lulu] Alice, stop!
Alice! Alice, get off her!
[both breathe heavily]
[pants]
[men talk indistinctly]
[Thugger] Who knew Alice was such a crazy fucking bitch?
Did you see this?
[indistinct shouting on recording]
- I told you she was fucking crazy. - [woman] Somebody help me...
- [recording continues] - She does this to a tourist?
[Ruby, on recording] Alice, get off her!
[Sniffs]
It's going to be alright, mate.
Knack for trouble, eh?
Let's have a look at you. Come on.
Got to be one headache, I reckon, that.
Jesus. Who's got the beers?
[indistinct chatter]
[man] Get one for me.
[breathes deeply]
[dials phone]
[phone rings]
Alice. Alice?
Alice.
[sniffles] I need to come home.
Darling girl...
What is it, sweetheart?
- What's happened? - [sniffles]
[sighs]
[sobs] I... I need you to come get me.
I need to come home.
[sobs] I don't... I don't want to be here.
[sobs]
I'm here.
[birds call]
Now I get to go back to Thornfield, another fucked-up flower.
[whispers] Not so.
Not so.
♪ ♪
[breathes shakily]
[cries]
[dials]
Sally.
Um, it's June.
I'm, uh, calling to...
♪ ♪
[June continues indistinctly]
[pants softly]
[Gasps]
[waves roll on the beach]
[Alice] Why are we here?
[June] A long time ago, I...
I lied to you about something very important.
Your brother didn't die in the fire.
Your mother went into labour,
and he was born much too soon and very sick.
- And they took him to Sydney... - What?
...to try to save him, and eventually they did.
I gave him up for adoption to Sally Morgan.
She's the librarian who took care of you in the hospital here.
[stammers]
I have... I have a brother?
[June] You have a wonderful brother.
And I'm so sorry I kept you apart.
You see...
Are you fucking kidding me?
No.
Agh...! [screams] You are not...!
Fuck!
Do you want me to go after her?
No, just watch her.
[sighs]
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter]
[woman] Like a little alleyway crossing this way.
- [birds call] - [indistinct chatter]
Looking for this?
What's he like?
He's kind of hard to sum up.
Probably better to let Charlie speak for himself.
He's so excited to meet you.
He's... He's waited a long time for this day.
- He knows about me? - Of course.
He's always known about you, Alice,
his big, beautiful sister.
I'm...
I'm a bit of a mess, hey? I don't know that I'm...
I'm not quite ready.
How about I just make us a nice cup of tea? We can eat some cake.
I made you lamingtons.
You knew I was coming?
June.
[boys chat and laugh]
- Hey, Twig. - Hey, Charlie.
- I'll leave these for Alice. - OK.
- Thank you. - That's alright.
Give us a hug, bub. Hey.
- See you. - Bye, Twig.
[boys continue laughing and chatting]
[exhales]
Where to? Home?
Come on.
Watch your step.
Don't you go dying on me, woman.
I've got to get you up these bloody steps.
Trapped...
Want to go home...
Children...
Escape...
Returned to...
...her sisters...
What the hell is this?
It was the only way we could communicate without Clem knowing.
He kept...
He kept a close eye on your mum.
So you sent messages through books?
You were friends?
I wanted to help her.
She was trying to leave your dad...
...take you away to somewhere safe,
you and Charlie.
Was she going to go, or was it just talk and more fucking fairytales?
No. She had a definite plan.
She knew where she wanted to take you.
It's all in here.
I only realised when I went to Thornfield and I saw the sign.
You ended up exactly where your mum wanted you to be.
So it is all my... my fault?
No, Alice.
- I fucked the plan. I fucked the plan. - No.
[sobs] I fucked the plan, with the... with the fire and...
I fucked the... [sobs]
No, no, no. This is... This is not your fault.
I...
With the fire in the shed, I didn't... I didn't mean to kill them.
I... I didn't...
Alice, there's something you need to see.
Trust me, it's not your fault.
I didn't know the plan...
♪ ♪
[inaudible]
It's OK.
"An inquest is not designed to apportion blame.
It's an inquisitorial process.
"The aim is to obtain a full and frank account of what happened
"in the lead-up to Agnes and Clem Hart's deaths,
"and determine whether lessons have been learnt
"so that lives can be saved in the future.
"At the time of inquest, Alice Hart was unable to be interviewed,
"as she was still recovering from her injuries in hospital.
"The sustained assault by her father
"resulted in broken bones, collapsed lung,
"head and neck trauma.
"Alice Hart has not spoken since the day of the fire.
"Agnes Hart lived in fear for her life
"and the lives of her daughter Alice and her unborn son.
"Her husband, Clem Hart,
"was both a committed partner and also deeply controlling.
"Despite these impediments, Agnes befriended librarian Sally Morgan
"and made plans to leave Clem and take her to a refuge known to her,
"somewhere she believed they'd be safe.
"On 7 January 2007,
"Agnes attended her pre-natal check-up at the Wyuna Base Hospital,
"accompanied by Clem."
We'll pick you up some more books from the library if we have time.
Can we keep the Selkie story?
We've already read that.
OK, please try to be good.
"After the hospital, they visited the local library,
"where Agnes updated librarian Sally Morgan
"of her plan to leave Clem,
"the message contained in a book."
"Agnes then returned home with Clem.
"From forensic reports,
a small fire had broken out in the shed."
[barking]
[Clem] Alice!
[Agnes] Alice!
- Clem... - [shouts] Alice!
[Agnes] Clem! Please, Clem!
Clem, please!
Please don't hurt her, Clem!
[gasps]
Alice!
[Agnes] Clem!
- Alice! - Clem!
[barking]
[screams] Clem!
Clem, stop it!
Clem, stop it! Please!
[barking continues]
[Alice gasps]
[Agnes shouts] Stop it! Clem!
[Alice gasps and chokes]
[screams]
[Alice struggles to breathe]
[Alice reads] "Agnes then left the house and returned to Alice,
"going into early labour.
"First responders found her suffering from severe smoke inhalation
"and in distress.
"It is the finding of this inquiry
"that Agnes Mary Hart... killed Clem Hart
"to save her daughter's life as she was attacked by her father,
"her final actions borne out of years of violence and abuse
"at the hands of her husband."
[breathes heavily]
♪ ♪
[♪ "O Waly, Waly" plays]
[Twig] How's Alice?
[Sally] Uh, better, I think. Still processing.
I spoke to her about Clem and Gemma.
How did that all play out?
Well, it was fine.
She and Charlie are making up for lost time.
How's June doing?
She's still here.
Still sleeping.
I think she can here hear us.
We've loved hearing Charlie's messages.
But if you could get Alice to give us a call,
I know June would love to hear her voice.
I can't promise anything, Twig, but I will try again.
Speak soon.
[Nurse] Keep up the fluids. Don't worry about food anymore.
It's just about keeping her comfortable at this stage.
Thank you.
Come on.
Boo, you're up.
I know you prefer poker,
but we're playing patience.
No cheating.
I know what you're like.
[♪ "O Waly, Waly" continues]
What about Clem?
Do I look like him a bit or...?
I kinda hate that idea.
You do look like him a little bit.
But it's...
It's not a bad thing.
'Cause he wasn't all bad, you know?
There was good too.
He was artistic and strong.
But, you know, just when you were feeling safe and happy...
...he'd turn...
...as if some invisible slight or...
Are you ever going to charge him?
With assault?
Dylan.
Aren't you going to be late for school?
Hi.
Not to pile on too much pressure,
but... Twig called this morning.
June's not doing well.
They'd love it if you gave them a call.
Or even left a message for her.
What do I say in that message?
"Thank you so much for telling me my brother was dead the last 14 years?"
[♪ Sycco: "Germs"]
[phone dings]
[♪ Sycco: "Germs"]
[Twig] You always said honey could cure anything.
Um...
♪ ♪
[Clem] We're going to get married at Thornfield
and then afterwards get a place of our own.
But we wouldn't go far.
I couldn't imagine living without you guys.
Well, actually, I was thinking I could build a us a cottage.
Here.
Down by the river.
[Agnes] Really?
Yeah.
Thornfield has been rundown for so long.
The whole place needs to be modernised.
There's so much land here. There's so much...
so much opportunity.
Maybe we could even renovate this place.
Just think about what it could become.
Clem, I would like to see you privately.
Now.
You will not be building anything at Thornfield because it is not yours,
and never will be.
Why are you saying that?
You know why.
When I die, Thornfield goes to Twig and your sister Candy.
Not you.
The Candy stuff, it's nothing.
Well, if it's nothing,
you won't mind me telling Agnes that you raped your little sister.
- [shouts] - Agh!
[June groans and gasps]
You won't tell her a thing.
Not a word.
[June gasps]
Clem! Get off her!
[June gasps]
- Get out of here! - [coughs]
- [Clem] Agnes! - [coughs]
[Clem] Agnes!
[June coughs] D... Don't... Don't let him take Agnes!
[coughs]
[wind chimes tinkle]
[Agnes] It had to be this way...
...for Alice.
[Twig] June.
Come on. [grunts]
You need anything else?
I'm finishing this for Alice.
OK.
♪ ♪
[whimpers]
[♪ The Triffids: "Bury Me Deep In Love"]
[knocks]
[Sally] Hi.
Alice, I don't want to intrude.
I don't think you should be... sucked back into Dylan.
And that stuff is dangerous.
Can make you crazy.
There are ways of blocking that. I can help...
Yeah, no, I... I... I know.
Really, I'm not going back there.
[door closes]
[ song continues]
[phone buzzes]
[bees buzz loudly]
You hear that?
They're swarming.
The bees.
♪ ♪
[grunts softly]
It means a new queen has been born.
[bees buzz]
I could murder a gin and tonic and a bag of chips.
I'll get you one. I'll get you one. [chuckles]
[breathes deeply]
[inaudible]
[♪ The Rolling Stones: "Gimme Shelter"]
[inaudible]
Chips?
[music fades]
Just a little bit.
[exhales]
[Lyrebird calls]
[lyrebird continues]
- One more for the road. - Mmm.
June?
[faintly] June?
[Birds chirping]
♪ ♪
[Candy] Hi.
- I'm sorry. - Oh! It's OK.
It's OK.
Oh, I've missed you.
You're here now.
Oh, my goodness.
Charlie.
[gasps] Charlie! Oh, my goodness.
Hello.
So good to meet you.
- You really do have the blue hair. - I do.
- Hi, I'm Candy. - Sally.
Sally, nice to meet you. Hi. Candy.
- John. - John, nice to meet you.
Welcome, welcome.
- Oh, it's beautiful. - Thank you.
- Isn't it? - Welcome to Thornfield.
[chatter continues indistinctly]
How many people are you expecting?
Just us.
And the flowers.
My mother June would have hated this.
- [All laugh] - Yes, she would!
She made it very clear she wanted a simple send-off,
no fuss, as few words as possible.
Just family and flowers.
Well, I kept my word.
It is the flowers and their families,
and look at how you wildflowers have bloomed.
[Applause and cheering]
- We love you. - [cheering continues]
Can Charlie and Alice come up here, please?
[Applause and cheering]
We all know Alice, June's much-loved granddaughter.
[Applause and cheering]
Welcome back!
And this is Charlie...
...June's grandson.
[Applause and cheering]
They are the children of June's son, Clem,
and his lovely wife, Agnes,
who are no longer with us.
♪ ♪
[cries softly]
[both sob quietly]
[sobs softly]
We all got one.
[June] "My darling daughter...
"What a gift you are..."
[Sniffs]
Oh...
[lyrebird calls]
[cries]
[cries softly]
[June] "Dear Alice...
"When we stay silent, they win.
"In my shed there's a book I've put aside for you
"that I call 'The Lost Flowers'.
"Alice, these are the stories I should have shared with you
"when you were old enough to hear them, and still looking for answers.
"When women started to come here,
"it became almost a ritual that one night they'd come to the shed
"and tell me what had happened to them and watch as I wrote it down.
"A record, there in black and white.
"They're the stories I started to write as a young woman.
"I had my voice taken from me in a brutal crime at the river
"when I was very young.
"I let men silence me.
"Writing down these stories, I found my voice again.
"The stories of 'The Lost Flowers'
"are of women whose lives and histories have been erased,
"mainly by men.
"Men who will never be made accountable for what they've done
"because they are our sons,
"they are our brothers, our fathers,
"our lovers, our heroes.
"To speak out against them,
"people who we love, that we trust,
"who live in our homes,
"who should be there to protect us,
"to tell those stories and be heard, believed,
"it is so hard."
What did she leave you?
A final job to do.
Are you ready?
[Candy] What's lost is found.
My love will never leave you.
Resurrection.
Have courage, take heart.
[June] "But we pay for our silence, Alice.
"The secrets, the shame,
"it eats away at us."
[Twig] Watch your step.
"It lets men like Dylan get to be the only voice.
"They get to rewrite history,
"erase us, define who we are.
"I found my voice again by listening to other women's stories.
"Hearing them speak, I realised I wasn't alone.
"I give you my story, Alice, to add to yours,
"because you have a voice,
"a great big beautiful voice,
"and now is the time to use it."
♪ ♪