31 Plays in 31 Days, #2 - "The One"

[breakinglight11]

I'm not totally posting these scenes from Mrs. Hawking part 4 in the order they were written. Sometimes that results in the connective tissue bits that don't have a scene arc to them. I also don't necessarily want to throw out the huge plot points, though I have drafted moments like that for 31P31D in the past. I'm not sure yet, I haven't decided. So I'm going to choose day by day what to show here.

But one thing I wanted to have in part 4 is a focus on character interaction. We've spent the three previous installments building these relationships into something you care about. It's time to pay that off a little, and just spend time letting the characters be themselves and interact. I hope this scene is interesting to audiences because they've become invested.

Day #2 - "The One"
From Gilded Cages
By Phoebe Roberts

MARY STONE, apprentice society avenger
NATHANIEL HAWKING, her friend and another apprentice

(1884 in London. MARY and NATHANIEL work to clear out the Colonel’s study.)

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

Look at all this. Clara won’t be pleased if I haul it all home, but I don’t know if I can bear to get rid of it.

 

MARY: 

 

So many medals. I worked for a major in Tellicherry, but he didn’t have anything near like this.

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

He served all over the world. Even after he and Auntie came to live in London, he was always off on some mission or campaign. 

 

MARY: 

 

I’ll pack them up for you. They won’t take up much space.

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

The photographs too. There’s Uncle as a young man, fresh in deployment to India. And… I’m not sure about this one, but I think it was some special command he had later. 

 

MARY: 

 

My goodness. He really was your double, wasn’t he?

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

That’s what they tell me. I suppose it’s the only way I’ll ever see myself in uniform.

 

MARY: 

 

What of the papers?

 

NATHANIEL:

 

I’ll have to sort through them. I think my father has all the financial documents, but there’s likely something important left in here. 

 

MARY: 

 

Nathaniel, could I ask you… how did you know that Clara was the one for you?

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

That would be when she broke things off with my brother.

 

MARY: 

 

Beg pardon?

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

(Laughing) Well, not quite. But that is how we met, you know. Justin brought her ‘round when they were courting. 

 

MARY: 

 

Oh, my goodness.

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

That’s putting it mildly.

 

MARY: 

 

Nathaniel Hawking, do you mean to tell me you were in love from afar with your brother’s girl?

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

As melodramatic as it sounds. It was the great drama of my life, you know. Of course I told myself that I wasn’t, that she was just a very pretty young lady that I was happy to spend time with. He certainly saw his share of them. But she was the only one I thought about in my odd hours. 

 

MARY: 

 

How romantic. However did you win her away?

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

Oh, you know. My boundless charm and boyish good looks. And, lucky for me, Justin helped. Before long she tired of his wandering eye and had quite enough of him. 

 

MARY: 

 

And that was when you pounced?

 

NATHANIEL:

 

Hardly that! I was on my way to Newcastle at the time, so I asked if she might write me now and then to relieve the tedium to keeping the books at the armory. We had at least a letter a week for the rest of the year, and by the time I got home I was head over heels. We were married not long after. 

 

MARY: 

 

That’s astounding. 

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

Well. I write quite the letter. Do you ask because… you’re thinking of that nice policeman of yours?

 

MARY: 

 

He’s not my nice policeman. 

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

Not yet, perhaps. I take it things are going well?

 

MARY: 

 

Nathaniel!

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

Well, forgive me that I’d like to see you happy.

 

MARY: 

 

Am I silly?

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

No! Why ever so?

 

MARY: 

 

Well… with what I do…

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

You can’t fall in love?

 

MARY: 

 

I can’t tell him about it. 

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

I told Clara.

 

MARY: 

 

It’s different. 

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

How? Because Mrs. Hawking was already cross with me all the time?

 

MARY: 

 

It wasn’t right to go behind her back. And madam was angry enough as it was.

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

Oh, I see. So this is about what madam will think.

 

MARY: 

 

She won’t like me bringing a man around. She doesn’t like… well…

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

Men. You needn’t tell me.

 

MARY: 

 

So you see my trouble.

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

Well. Madam isn’t the one to decide this for you. No matter how angry it makes her, it is possible to weather that storm. Take it from me, Mary, if it weren’t, I’d have been lost a long time ago. 

 

MARY: 

 

Thank you, Nathaniel.

 

NATHANIEL: 

 

I’m a romantic; I can’t help it. You know, I’d like to meet this nice policeman of yours properly someday. He seems like quite the fellow. After all, he managed to catch your eye.