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Mason and Mary are having a dinner in the gazebo.
Mary: Mason, you've really outdone yourself. The music is... is lovely.
Mason: I thought it might add something. Not that... anything needed to be enhanced. The minute you arrived the evening was perfect. (Mary blushes) Look at that, I say the slightest thing complementary and you blush. Do you know how few people still blush in this day and age.
Mary: I hate it.
Mason (laughs): You have no idea how very rare you are, do you? I'm very glad you're here.
Mason kisses Mary's hand. Gina sees it all.
Mason: You know we're... we are wasting a lot of lovely music. Shall we dance?
Mary: We have a very erratic track record on the dance floor, don't we? The first time it ended awkwardly, second time it ended angrily...
Mason: Well, I think we should keep trying until we get it right. Common! Another chance?
Mason takes Mary by her hand, she follows and they slow dance, whilst Gina, seething with jealousy, watches them from aside.
Gazebo. Mason and Mary are dancing. Gina is watching them from behind the bushes.
Mason: You know… I have this theory that certain people are meant to dance together. Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers… Baryshnikov and Kirkland… you and I…
Mary: Mason… (with a smile) You're getting a little sickening.
Mason: I know I can't seem to help myself.
Mary: You're lavishing so much attention on me. It's likely to turn my head.
Mason: Well, so are you… ahm… you're going to try to resist?
Mary: You know that there are so many women out there who must have so much in common with you. I mean Santa Barbara alone must be teaming with them.
Mason: No… No. On the contrary, I… searched the world until I found you. You'd be amazed at how many women I've weeded out.
Mary: No, I wouldn't.
Mason: Yeah… I've catalogued your every virtue. Cross-indexed them. I mean, give me a letter of the alphabet and I'll give you something that starts with that letter that I find irresistible in you.
Mary: I think our guitar player is blushing. Tell me something Mason, when you were in college, did you major in Seduction?
Mason: No… I even flunked Beginning Flirtation.
Mary: Yeah? Well, I think you should go back as they will give you an honourary degree now.
Mason (stops dancing): Oh, no. Wait a minute. Ahm… I hope you don't think I'm being insincere.
Mary: Oh, of course, not.
Mason: You do. But you mustn't, because I'm not. Mary, look at me. I… I love being with you. I think you have intelligence… and spirit… and I think you're probably the most honest human being I've ever met.
Mary: Goodness…
Mason: But if you feel you can't return my feelings I'll not only understand but… I'll leave a suicide note exonerating you completely.
Mary: You're… you're hopeless. You are genuinely… hopeless.
Mason: No. No, you got that all wrong. Actually, I'm full of hope… and expectation. Look, I know it might be hard for you to trust any man after what happened in your family, but I want you to feel that you can trust me. I'll be… I'll be gentle… and considerate… (strokes her cheek) whatever you want me to be.
Mary: I… ahm… don't… I don't have lists of requirements really. I sort of take people as they are. But you do frighten me a little. More than a little.
Mason: Then I'll stop.
Mary: Don't you wanna know why?
Mason: I'll slow down. Tell me why.
Mary: Because I don't think you can slow down. That's part of it. I… You… move so fast and so smoothly…
Mason: Well, would you feel safer if I scuffed my foot in the dirt and fumbled around for words?
Mary: Oh, no. No. I love the way you talk. I love to listen to you. I just said it scares me a little. That's all.
Mason: It makes you think I'm insincere? I'm not. At least not with you.
Mary: Oh, may be you're right. May be I do need to… trust people.
Mason: Well… Why don't you let me be the one to teach you? As easy as dancing.
Mary: Well, you have me doing that with a… degree of confidence. All right. Ahm… How do I go about learning to trust people?
Mason: Well, first… first you have to let yourself get very close to somebody… (pulls her toward himself) preferably somebody you're drawn to… (hugs her)
Mary (her head on Mason's shoulder): And then?
Mason: Hello… And then you put yourself completely in his hands. Or… his arms… as the case may be. And… close your eyes. And just… let it happen.
Mary: And… is that all there is to it?
Mason: Not quite. But it's a good beginning.
Mary: I think I could learn to like this.
Mason: I think you could learn to love this.
They keep on dancing.
Mary: I feel like a cloud on a summer afternoon.
Mason: It means you're relaxed. It's good.
Mary: This is where you pounce.
Mason: Lesson two. Learning to trust. Never expect the worst. Certainly not of me.
Mary: I think I am… catching on to this. I'm enjoying it. It's fun. It's educational.
Mason: May be I should've brought a blackboard.
Mary: No, that's not… what I meant.
Mason: You know I'm not quite sure why… but all I seem to wanna do is protect you… and hold you… (hugs her) I think it has something to do with how unspoiled… innocent you seem… compared to the other women I've known.
Mary: You know… I've seen a lot of life Mason. I'm not very worldly in the way that you mean, but I don't think that's such a bad thing. You know there was a time when men… liked women… ahm… unspoiled as you call it. And now it seems like a major character flaw or something… if you haven't…
Mason (astonished): Mary!
Mary: …if you… if you're not…
Mason: Mary! You're a virgin, aren't you?
Mary: Wasn't that what you were talking about?
Mason: Oh, no. No, I had assumed that before you went into the convent there were… Well, I can see that I was wrong.
Mary: You tricked me into saying that!
Mason: I certainly did not.
Mary (crying): You know… there's… there's nothing wrong with the way that I am.
Mason: Did I say there was?
Mary (picks her purse from the table): And I really don't feel like making conversation about my experience or my… my lack of experience. Thank you very much for what was a very nice evening up until now.
Mason: Well, I don't understand why you're so angry about it.
Mary: I'm not angry! I'm… I'm… I'm humiliated. That's what I am. (runs towards the house)
Mason: Mary! Wait… Would you wait a minute.
Mary turns around, but then changes her mind and runs away.
Mason: Mary! (to the guitar player) You can stop now. Thank you. I don't think we'll be needing you the rest of the evening. (gives him a tip and leaves)
In the house.
Mason: Gina, have you seen Mary?
Gina: No. Why?
Mason: Ahh… nothing.
Gina: Well, she wouldn't be up at CC's. It's her night off.
Mason: No, no, she is not with Dad. I was just talking to her. I thought she came back to the house.
Gina: I didn't notice. But I haven't been here that long.
Mason: Well, she's probably… ahm… in her room. Never mind. (runs upstairs)
Gina: Well. They say “You should know your enemy”. May be it's time I got to know Mary a little better.
Mary comes back to the gazebo. She sits down in her chair. Gina comes along.
Gina: Well. Would you look at all of this? It looks like the remains of a party or something.
Mary: The ruins of one actually. You're looking for Mason?
Gina: Mason? No. Brandon thought he left a toy out here, but I was just checking. Are you all right? It looks like you need someone to talk to.
Mary: No, I'd rather not go into it.
Gina (sits down in the other chair): Well, if this is about something Mason said or did, I'm not surprised. You're not the first girl he reduced to tears here in the gazebo.
Mary: He… brings girls here?
Gina: Oh, my! Yes. Just a month ago there was a girl sitting right here crying her heart out. Caviar again? So, he is very predictable when it comes to women. Did he have a violinist here?
Mary: A guitarist.
Gina: Oh…
Mary: I think he left when he lost his audience. He had a violinist here? The last time?
Gina: Yeah. Well, you really can't blame Mason. He is awfully charming but he really shouldn't toy with people's affections so much. Yeah, I'm… just sorry he was doing it to you.
Mary: Oh, no. It was my own fault. I… I've been out of commission so long, I guess I forgot how to deal with men. Well, not that I was ever expert at it.
Gina: Well, he knew you just came out of a convent. He shouldn't have taken advantage of you.
Mary: Oh, no. He didn't. He didn't. I just overreacted to something he said. It… I… I made a fool out of myself.
Gina: Well, as I said, you're not the first one. He's an incurable romantic though. He's really not the kind of man a woman can trust. You know what I mean?
Mary: Oh, that's awfully funny you should say that. Because we were just talking… never mind.
Gina: Yeah! Wha…wha… what? What?
Mary: No. Just… forget it.
Gina: Well, Mary I hope we can be friends. I hope we can… confide in each other. Because ever since you started working for us I… I really like you a lot. And may be I can help you with certain things. You know I… have some experience, have a nose and… and if you have any questions you just ask me. I'm totally discreet.
Mary: That's really kind of you Gina.
Gina: All right. Now just remember I am right here. Any time. Day or night.
Mary: Thank you.
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