Before Prisoner:Cell Block H, before Bad girls, before Wentworth…there was Within These Walls, it set the bar for the others to follow. I loved this series and this pairing so much. I recently got the box-set for my birthday and I love watching it again. Beth Harris who played Miss Clarke was always my favourite, and it saddens me to know she's now no longer with us. This is just a starter, but I may do more for her, she won't be forgotten by me.
Worth A Shot
Peter Mayes/Liz Clarke
…
Liz Clarke, Welfare officer for Stone Park Prison. A tough lady, loved her job, even if at times it was hard going and often under appreciated by the women she tried to help. She was a very private person, not much about her life outside of the prison was known by her fellow colleagues. All that Faye Boswell, the governor of the prison and Dr Peter Mayes had managed to discover was that Liz had an elderly mother who was in a care home in Brighton, other than that, the woman was a mystery.
…
The rain battered down to the pavement as Peter came to a stop outside a luxury block of flats. He looked to his side for a moment before he stepped inside, getting in the lift that would take him to the fourth floor. When he stepped out, he walked to the door at the end of the hallway and knocked a few times. He looked up when the door opened, smiling that he had finally got it right. Liz looked at the doctor, hair dripping, his long coat soaked right through as he smiled at her.
"Hello Liz."
"What are you doing here, how did you find out where I lived?"
"With difficulty, may I come in?"
Liz stepped aside to allow him inside, she took out a hanger from the cupboard by the door, taking his wet coat from him before taking it through to the bathroom, grabbing a towel on her way back out. Peter looked around her flat, seeing how minimalist it was. She came up beside him as he looked at her, smiling a thank you when she gave him the towel.
"Oh thanks."
Liz went over to the record player, turning down the volume before she turned around to see Peter now sitting at the dining table, drying off his hair. She folded her arms, a little defensive, Peter noted before he spoke again.
"Well, your flat's nice?"
"Peter, what are you doing here?"
"I just thought I'd stop by."
"I don't remember giving out an invitation?"
Peter got to his feet, placing the towel on the back of the chair, as Liz took a seat on her chaise lounge.
"You're right, I'm sorry I should have called first."
"I just don't understand why you're here, all you have done for the past week or so is needle me, and make the work I do out to be some kind of a joke."
"Oh come now, I've never done that, I wouldn't."
"Well that's not how it's come across, it's as though you are deliberately trying to pick a fight with me, and for the life of me, I can't begin to imagine why."
Peter lowered his head a little before he came over to join her, his hands clasped in front of him.
"You're a mystery Miss Clarke, a complete mystery?"
Liz looked at him confused, as Peter turned to her, giving her his full attention.
"I don't understand?"
"We have worked together now for what, nearly four years now and yet I am still to really know the real you. It's very rare that we socialise, unless we are attending one of the governor's dinner party's. You're a closed book?"
"I'm private, there's nothing wrong with that."
"I didn't say there was."
"It sounds as though you are, so I don't share every aspect of my private life, so what? It's a deterrent, can you imagine just for a moment what would happen if any of the women were to discover something about us, about us personally. The things they could do…"
"Such as?"
"Well blackmail for a start, god only knows what else."
"You have a very dark view of our women?"
"Can you blame me? Anyway, it doesn't matter really. I am who I am, I can't change that and frankly I'm not sure I want too. Why should I, and for who."
"That's what I'm getting at, personal lives….the work we all do, leaves us all little time for one, and that's wrong."
"I have a personal life."
"Ah, but..do you share it with someone."
"Well no but I…"
"That's my point, the work we do can affect us in ways we don't realise, my god, the nights I go home and wish I could talk about my day with someone, complain about everything that's wrong about the prison work."
"You were married once, yes?"
"A long time ago?"
"Children?"
"Two, a son and a daughter."
"Do you see them?"
"Not very often, mainly because their mother won't allow me to see them."
"You have a right to see your children Peter."
Peter laughed at Liz's words, watching as the defensiveness appeared on her face again.
"It wasn't meant as joke."
"No, no that's not why I'm laughing."
"Then why?"
"In the time I've been in your flat, you've called me Peter twice, maybe three times."
"Right, I'm assuming there's a point?"
"Why don't you call me Peter at work?"
"Well I…"
"Everybody else does, Mrs Boswell, Miss Parish, Mrs Armitage, Charles but you…with you it's always Dr Mayes, why?"
"Well I don't know really, it's just always been that way."
"I always call you Liz."
"Among other things."
"Now that's unfair, look…if I've ever criticised your work or your profession personally then I apologise, sometimes I don't know I'm doing it…if it helps, I do it with Charles as well."
"I know I'm not the most popular colleague, or well liked. I can be defensive about my work and I know I tend to offend people when I feel that they're overstepping in to my domain."
"You're more liked than you know, believe me."
Liz looked at him, seeing the way he smiled at her.
"Have you eaten?" She asked. "I mean I have myself but there is some left over that I can heat up for you?"
"I'd like that very much."
As Liz got her feet, Peter took hold of her hand.
"Perhaps after that, we could get to know one another better, the real Peter and Liz, if you'd like too?"
"Yes, I'd like that very much."
Peter got to his feet, Liz never taking her eyes off him as he placed his hands on either side of her face and gave her kiss he'd waiting to offer for a very long time.
…
-Fin