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breakinglight11Governor Gareth Stanton— Mrs. Hawking's father —is a bit of a bugaboo in our story. We know she hates him, and in her opinion he was an awful man. We finally get to meet him in part 4, and see where this rage toward him came from.
Day #17 - "Best Solution"
From Gilded Cages
By Phoebe Roberts
VICTORIA STANTON, daughter to the lieutenant territorial governor
REGINALD HAWKING, hero of the Indian Rebellion
GARETH STANTON, lieutenant territorial governor
~~~
(1859, Bengal. Manor guards drag in the captured PRIYANKA and VICTORIA amid shouting. Enter GOVERNOR STANTON.)
STANTON:
What nonsense is this? You say they were found raiding the grain silo?
VICTORIA:
Let us go! Take your hands off!
STANTON:
Victoria, what in the world’s possessed you? Isn’t someone supposed to be keeping an eye on you? As for this other one, take her to the brig, we’ll sort her out with the others. In the meantime, will someone call for that governess?
(The GUARDS exit, dragging PRIYANKA off with them.)
VICTORIA:
No! You can’t do this!
(Enter REGINALD.)
STANTON:
Captain. I apologize for the clamor. I hope my daughter’s behavior hasn’t disturbed you.
(REGINALD pulls VICTORIA aside while STANTON talks to his guards.)
REGINALD:
I heard what happened! What have you done? Are you all right?
VICTORIA:
You were supposed to order the guards off!
REGINALD:
I did! It was the quartermaster who spotted you, from the window of his office.
VICTORIA:
They’ve taken Priyanka!
REGINALD:
Of course. I’ll go after her. I’ll see to her. I will fix this, I promise.
VICTORIA:
Then do it! Go!
(Pause.)
REGINALD:
Never doubt me, Victoria. Please.
(Exit REGINALD. VICTORIA turns on STANTON.)
VICTORIA:
You, sir!
STANTON:
I beg your pardon?
VICTORIA:
I know what you’ve been doing to those people. Did you think you could let them all starve, and no one would have anything to say about it?
STANTON:
Have you taken leave of your senses?
VICTORIA:
I won’t permit it. I won’t stand for it.
STANTON:
Have you any idea what you’re talking about? I thought the Danvers girl was supposed to be minding you.
VICTORIA:
You’re a monster.
STANTON:
Take care of the tone in which you speak to me, girl.
VICTORIA:
What are you going to do about it? You must lift the law, you must make it right! You must, you must, you must—!
(STANTON slaps her and she staggers.)
STANTON:
What in heaven is all this? Look what has been brewing beneath my very nose. Is this what you’ve grown into? An insolent little wretch? This is what I get for waiting so long to have you settled. I thought all would be well so long as you were kept quiet, for girls are best seen and not heard. You think you can march up and make demands of me? All that you do, all that you’ve dared, is because I turned a blind eye to it. But no more. And if you buck against your traces again, I’ll see that there’s no spirit left in you to buck.
(Pause.)
VICTORIA:
Have mercy. On me, and on them. There must be something you can do. Something to spare them. Please, Governor… Father. I beg of you. Please.
(Pause.)
STANTON:
Fortunately for you, there is a solution to all this. Captain Hawking came to me this week to declare his intentions. He sought my blessing to ask your hand in marriage, and I gave it.
VICTORIA:
What!? He wouldn’t.
STANTON:
We’d best both hope your madness today hasn’t changed anything for him.
VICTORIA:
No. No, I won’t do it. I don’t want to!
STANTON:
You’ll do it. But if you’ll go quietly, like a good little lamb, I’ll make you a wedding gift of the land on which that village of yours is situated. Then you’ll be free to try governing it however you’d like.
VICTORIA:
But… I can’t.
STANTON:
I think you’ll find that you very much can. You should count yourself fortunate. This is the best solution for everyone.
(Exit STANTON.)
Day #17 - "Best Solution"
From Gilded Cages
By Phoebe Roberts
VICTORIA STANTON, daughter to the lieutenant territorial governor
REGINALD HAWKING, hero of the Indian Rebellion
GARETH STANTON, lieutenant territorial governor
~~~
(1859, Bengal. Manor guards drag in the captured PRIYANKA and VICTORIA amid shouting. Enter GOVERNOR STANTON.)
STANTON:
What nonsense is this? You say they were found raiding the grain silo?
VICTORIA:
Let us go! Take your hands off!
STANTON:
Victoria, what in the world’s possessed you? Isn’t someone supposed to be keeping an eye on you? As for this other one, take her to the brig, we’ll sort her out with the others. In the meantime, will someone call for that governess?
(The GUARDS exit, dragging PRIYANKA off with them.)
VICTORIA:
No! You can’t do this!
(Enter REGINALD.)
STANTON:
Captain. I apologize for the clamor. I hope my daughter’s behavior hasn’t disturbed you.
(REGINALD pulls VICTORIA aside while STANTON talks to his guards.)
REGINALD:
I heard what happened! What have you done? Are you all right?
VICTORIA:
You were supposed to order the guards off!
REGINALD:
I did! It was the quartermaster who spotted you, from the window of his office.
VICTORIA:
They’ve taken Priyanka!
REGINALD:
Of course. I’ll go after her. I’ll see to her. I will fix this, I promise.
VICTORIA:
Then do it! Go!
(Pause.)
REGINALD:
Never doubt me, Victoria. Please.
(Exit REGINALD. VICTORIA turns on STANTON.)
VICTORIA:
You, sir!
STANTON:
I beg your pardon?
VICTORIA:
I know what you’ve been doing to those people. Did you think you could let them all starve, and no one would have anything to say about it?
STANTON:
Have you taken leave of your senses?
VICTORIA:
I won’t permit it. I won’t stand for it.
STANTON:
Have you any idea what you’re talking about? I thought the Danvers girl was supposed to be minding you.
VICTORIA:
You’re a monster.
STANTON:
Take care of the tone in which you speak to me, girl.
VICTORIA:
What are you going to do about it? You must lift the law, you must make it right! You must, you must, you must—!
(STANTON slaps her and she staggers.)
STANTON:
What in heaven is all this? Look what has been brewing beneath my very nose. Is this what you’ve grown into? An insolent little wretch? This is what I get for waiting so long to have you settled. I thought all would be well so long as you were kept quiet, for girls are best seen and not heard. You think you can march up and make demands of me? All that you do, all that you’ve dared, is because I turned a blind eye to it. But no more. And if you buck against your traces again, I’ll see that there’s no spirit left in you to buck.
(Pause.)
VICTORIA:
Have mercy. On me, and on them. There must be something you can do. Something to spare them. Please, Governor… Father. I beg of you. Please.
(Pause.)
STANTON:
Fortunately for you, there is a solution to all this. Captain Hawking came to me this week to declare his intentions. He sought my blessing to ask your hand in marriage, and I gave it.
VICTORIA:
What!? He wouldn’t.
STANTON:
We’d best both hope your madness today hasn’t changed anything for him.
VICTORIA:
No. No, I won’t do it. I don’t want to!
STANTON:
You’ll do it. But if you’ll go quietly, like a good little lamb, I’ll make you a wedding gift of the land on which that village of yours is situated. Then you’ll be free to try governing it however you’d like.
VICTORIA:
But… I can’t.
STANTON:
I think you’ll find that you very much can. You should count yourself fortunate. This is the best solution for everyone.
(Exit STANTON.)
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