31 Plays in 31 Days, #5 - "Dangerous"

[breakinglight11]

This piece follows directly after Day #4 - "Not Sleeping." As I mentioned yesterday, in Mrs. Hawking VI I want Nathaniel to be dealing with some lingering trauma from his ordeal in the previous installment. He's also negotiating a different status in his relationship with Mrs. Hawking. She was hurt that he and Mary lied to her about Arthur and doing cases behind her back for so long, but in her eyes Nathaniel's captivity sort of served as a penance for it. As a result, between him and Mary, now he's the one who's currently closer to Mrs. Hawking. This closeness means a lot to him, and he doesn't want to jeopardize it. But he's also struggling to manage the effects of his trauma, and it's going to sometimes be at odds with what Mrs. Hawking needs from him— especially as her own emotional breakdown progresses.



Day #5 - "Dangerous"
From Mrs. Hawking VI
By Phoebe Roberts

London, England, 1888

VICTORIA HAWKING, lady's society avenger, late forties
MARY STONE, her housemaid and protege, late twenties
NATHANIEL HAWKING, her gentleman nephew and assistant, mid thirties
~~~

MARY:

I wanted to ask… how did you know where to find this Mary Jane Kelly?

MRS. HAWKING:

I’ve been studying the inquests, you know that.

MARY:

Yes, but… it isn’t as if she’s mentioned in them.

MRS. HAWKING:

I made a consultation. The idea of workhouse infirmaries arose.

NATHANIEL:

You consulted with someone? Who?

MRS. HAWKING:

Elizabeth Frost.

(Pause.)

NATHANIEL:

I beg your pardon?

MRS. HAWKING:

This is an opaque problem with lives at stake. I thought the circumstances demanded it.

NATHANIEL:

You… still see her? You still go to see her?

MRS. HAWKING:

On occasion.

NATHANIEL:

Why?

MRS. HAWKING:

To keep eyes on her.

MARY:

Because she’s so dangerous.

MRS. HAWKING:

They can't take that away from her, even in there.

(Pause.)

NATHANIEL:

You know what she did to me.

MRS. HAWKING:

I know.

MARY:

Then how can you trust her?

MRS. HAWKING:

It can’t be helped. We are at a severe disadvantage investigating this. More lives may be lost if we can't track this killer down.

MARY:

But she's a monster.

MRS. HAWKING:

And that's why I can't let her out of my sight.

MARY:

Still— after all she put Nathaniel through—

NATHANIEL:

No. The circumstances are dire. We must use every advantage we have.

(The bell rings. MARY lets in MARY JANE KELLY with VIOLET STRALLAN.)