breakinglight11 | 31 Plays in 31 Days, #17

Today's piece is also part of "Disgraced," my idea for a series about an upperclass English girl in 1914 who is forced to move with relatives in Newport, Rhode Island to escape the shame of a scandal and build a new life.

Elise has a fraught history with Marcus Loring, a scion of the Loring family that first appears in The Tailor at Loring's End. He is cousin and something of a rival to Rowan Loring, who in 1917 will be Alice's father and eventual hero in WWI. I've always really liked the Rowan character and wanted to include him in more than just the backstory of Tailor, so I thought it might be fun to include him in Disgraced. I think he's interesting because he's a really decent guy who lives very strictly by principle, but has lived such a privileged life he hasn't yet been challenged to uphold them under serious circumstances. Around this point he just married Elizabeth, the protagonist of Mrs. Loring, and I think both characters could reasonably be in Newport to factor into Elise's story.

Here we enter right after Marcus has done something that upsets Elise.

No One's Cad
by Phoebe Roberts

ELISE CHARNMORE, niece to the earl of Brockhurst
ROWAN LORING, heir to Loring Textiles, Incorporated

Newport, RI, 1914
~~~

(ELISE cries quietly in the corner. ROWAN enters from behind her and keeps a respectful distance.)

ROWAN: Are you all right?

ELISE: More of my usual nonsense.

ROWAN: He's a bastard.

ELISE: I ought not to spare him a thought.

ROWAN: It isn't as simple as that.

ELISE: Oh, you know us fallen women, sir. We bring it on ourselves!

ROWAN: You'll get no judgment from me.

(She turns to look at him.)

ELISE: Truly?

ROWAN: That's not my place.

ELISE: Well. That's kind of you.

ROWAN: I should think there's precious less I could do.

ELISE: It's more than I get from most around here.

ROWAN: I'm sorry for that.

(He draws near.)

ROWAN: Here, now, Miss Charnmore--

ELISE: Elise.

ROWAN: Elise. I won't be in town long, but...

ELISE: Yes...

ROWAN: While we're here, if there's ever anything I can do...

ELISE: You are kind. Mr. Loring... Rowan...

(She leans in to kiss him. He pulls back sharply.)

ROWAN: Elise! What's this?

ELISE: You know.

ROWAN: No, Elise, I don't.

ELISE: Come now, surely you've thought of it.

ROWAN: I'm newly married. You've met my wife.

ELISE: I see. Your wife.

(She draws away in embarrassment.)

ELISE: You've been very solicitous for a married gentleman with no intentions.

ROWAN: I thought you could use a friend. So did Elizabeth.

ELISE: Isn't she a saint. Small wonder you're so devoted.

(ROWAN sighs.)

ROWAN: Elise, you're distraught.

ELISE: You can change that. You can make me forget all about that cousin of yours.

(Again she goes in for a kiss, but he stops her with a hand against her shoulder. His demeanor grows stern.)

ROWAN: Elise-- Miss Charnmore. Stop.

(She draws in on herself and glares.)

ROWAN: I know you're suffering, and you see no way out. But this isn't how you ought to be handling it.

ELISE: How do you know what I need?

ROWAN: Perhaps I don't. But I know I won't be part of your war against Marcus. And I'm not about to play anyone's cad.

ELISE: I thought you didn't judge me.

ROWAN: It's nothing to do with you.

31 Plays in 31 Days, #17 - "No One's Cad"