31 Plays in 31 Days, #24 - "A Few Days' Leave"

[breakinglight11]

Wrote this after struggling figuring out what to write for today. I've been pretty gangbusters with the ideas this month, but for some reason was stuck today.

This piece is from somewhere in the Hawking timeline, though I'm not sure what story it could be part of, if any. It involves Nathaniel's two children, Beatrice and Reggie, who are five and three when the story starts in 1880, but pictured here as adults. This is the first time I've written about them theatrically, but their real first appearance was in my new larp Brockhurst, where Beatrice is a detective and Reginald is a Major in World War I in 1915.

I liked the idea that one of Nathaniel's kids would someday marry one of Mary's kids. The most appealing options are his son Reginald and her daughter Victoria. This scene came out of the fact that there is a slight issue in that Nathaniel's children would have to be at least twelve years older than Mary's due to the timeline, which personally bugs me because I prefer relationships that do not have large age gaps. But in Victorian England that happened all the time, so for the period it's not really weird. Still, I wanted to explore the issue a little, especially given that Reginald's choice of career with the military establishment is at odds with the revolutionary sentiments of Mrs. Hawking's eventual crew.

Of course the best reason to get them together is articulated by Beatrice here in the last line of the scene. ;-)

A Few Days' Leave
by Phoebe Roberts

BEATRICE HAWKING, a member of the Hawks, Reggie's sister
REGINALD HAWKING, a young British soldier, Beatrice's brother

London, England, 1907
~~~

REGGIE: And then I'll be seeing Mother and Father for Sunday dinner. I'm due back in a few days.

BEATRICE: And what then? Shipping out?

REGGIE: Perhaps. I shan't know until they assign me.

BEATRICE: Is that all you've planned to do?

REGGIE: What else is there?

BEATRICE: You could visit Tory.

REGGIE: Oh, Bea.

BEATRICE: She misses you. She'd like to see you.

REGGIE: I don't know.

BEATRICE: Why not? I thought you were... fond of her.

(Pause.)

BEATRICE: Aren't you?

REGGIE: You know I am. I'm only... not certain it's proper.

BEATRICE: What? We've known them since they were children.

REGGIE: Precisely, Bea.

BEATRICE: Is that what's troubling you?

REGGIE: I remember when she was in braids. I'm sure that's not right.

BEATRICE: You've, what? Twelve years' difference? I know plenty of women married to men far older than them than that.

REGGIE: I've no desire to model myself on every other man.

BEATRICE: Well, I'm pleased to hear that. But, Reg, she's not a child anymore.

REGGIE: What would Aunt Mary or Uncle Arthur think?

BEATRICE: I can't help but think they'd be delighted. Mother and Father too. We're already practically family as it is.

REGGIE: Please, Bea, you're not helping.

BEATRICE: Is that really what's troubling you? You're afraid to... despoil a young girl?

REGGIE: Beatrice, I'm about to go back on duty in a few days. I could be deployed at any time.

BEATRICE: I thought that was what you wanted.

REGGIE: I know the family's not exactly delighted by it.

BEATRICE: Father couldn't be prouder of you.

REGGIE: And what about everyone else?

BEATRICE: I admit it, I've never understood what drew you to enlisting.

REGGIE: I want to serve, you know that.

BEATRICE: There are other ways to serve people than to become complicit with the establishment.

REGGIE: That establishment will never change unless it chooses to. I want to make that change.

BEATRICE: So you've said, little brother. But I don't see what that has to do with you and Tory. She cares for you, too, Reg.

REGGIE: That's what I'm afraid of.

BEATRICE: Oh, heavens.

REGGIE: No, Beatrice! I could be sent out to the front at anytime, to any distant corner of the empire. For God knows how long, to God know what end. I could be dead or gone in the blink of an eye. It's not... right, to bind a girl with her whole life ahead of her to a man like that.

(Pause.)

BEATRICE: Do you love her, Reg?

REGGIE: By Jove, Bea.

BEATRICE: Do you love her?

(Pause.)

REGGIE: Heaven help me, I think I do.

BEATRICE: Does she know that?

REGGIE: I don't know.

BEATRICE: Then... oughtn't you tell her?

(Pause.)

REGGIE: Jolly well doesn't seem fair.

BEATRICE: Only if you decide for her.

(REGGIE sighs.)

REGGIE: Bloody hell, Bea.

BEATRICE: Who knows now? It might just all work out for the best.

(BEATRICE laughs.)

BEATRICE: Besides, brother, it will positively infuriate Great-Auntie to hear that Reginald and Victoria were happy.

Comments

[lisefrac.livejournal.com]

Given that I played Beatrice, I definitely wanted to let you know I read and enjoyed this one :) I didn't have anything else intelligent to add, however.