31 Plays in 31 Days, #19 - “My Life As It Is Now”

[breakinglight11]

This scene directly follows #16 - “All I Can Do”. Again, this is more spoilery than I prefer to post. But I’m getting very close to a complete first draft of Hawking 7, and need to move into editing. So I’ve kind of got the fill out the challenge without assigning myself too much random drafting that will take away from that more important work.



Day #19 - “My Life As It Is Now”
From Mrs. Hawking 7 by Phoebe Roberts

MARY SWANN, society avenger, early thirties
ARTHUR SWANN, MI6 agent and her husband, mid thirties
OLIVER WARREN, a joiner, early thirties

New York, New York, 1890
~~~

(ARTHUR shows OLIVER out. ARTHUR reenters.)

ARTHUR: You all right?

MARY: I will be.

ARTHUR: Do you really think that solicitor will do it? That they’ll let him see her?

MARY: It’s the best chance he has. Both of them.

ARTHUR: I suppose. Must say, though… it’s not what I thought you’d do.

MARY: What did you think? That I’d find some way to break into the house and rescue the girl?

(Pause.)

MARY: It’s not what madam would have done. She would have found some way to bear Daisy away, no matter the cost. But that wouldn’t solve things between them. And even if I thought I ought to… I can’t. Do you fault me?

ARTHUR: Of course not, love.

(Pause.)

ARTHUR: Do you?

MARY: I have done the best that I can with my life as it is. That’s all that I can do.

ARTHUR: That’s certain. But shall that be enough for you?

MARY: It shall have to be.

(He holds her. From offstage, TORY begins to cry.)

MARY: Now. Let’s see to the baby, then, shall we?

(The exit.)