31 Plays in 31 Days, #26 - "Her Own"

[breakinglight11]

This is a very rough, quickly banged out scene from an idea I had for possible use in Hawking part 7. It occurred to me that Beatrice Hawking, Clara and Nathaniel's older child, will be 13 years old, which may be old enough to finally depict. It might be interesting in part 7 to include her as a character, growing increasingly interested in Mrs. Hawking's detective work. I also thought it could be a good challenge for Clara to have to confront feelings she's having about her daughter being drawn to Auntie's unconventional world, as opposed to the more typical genteel existence she imagined for her. I think it could be really compelling if hammered out right.

Finally caught up again.



Day #26 - “Her Own”
From Mrs. Hawking
By Phoebe Roberts
~~~

London, England 1890

NATHANIEL HAWKING, Mrs. Hawking’s gentleman nephew and assistant, mid thirties
CLARA HAWKING, his society wife, late thirties
~~~

NATHANIEL: Now what’s all this, love? I thought that you and Auntie had long since made your peace.

CLARA: That was before. Before she… she took Beatrice from me.

NATHANIEL: Took Beatrice? Whatever do you mean?

CLARA: She’s— she’s won her away. Dazzled her with heroics and made her want to live that life. A life of danger and solitude and rejection of everything in society.

NATHANIEL: Oh, come now, that’s a little extreme.

CLARA: Of course you say that; you love it. You wanted this for her!

NATHANIEL: She caught onto this all on her own. She’s a brave and brilliant girl; she wants to do something with it.

CLARA: But what if she ends up like Madam? Alone and suffering the injuries of years?

NATHANIEL: No one can see the future, dear. But you know Mary is proof that not everyone has to do it like Mrs. Hawking.

CLARA: But she wasn’t supposed to be like this at all!

(Pause.)

CLARA: I remember listening to Ambrose all those years grinding over Aunt Victoria. I used to grow so tired of it— wish he’d just let it all go. But now I understand; the wound was too deep for that. She took his boys from him.

NATHANIEL: I beg your pardon? I suppose he might put it like that. Though I’d say it’s rather melodramatic. After all, Justin’s terrified of her—

CLARA: Not you and Justin. You and Reginald.

NATHANIEL: What?

CLARA: Think on it. Your uncle meant the world to your father. And you were always his favorite.

NATHANIEL: If you believe what Justin says.

CLARA: He’d know better than you. And tell me— when your aunt came into the picture, what changed?

NATHANIEL: Well…

CLARA: Neither of you ever fought more with him than you did about her. Nothing pushed you farther apart than your loyalty to her.

NATHANIEL: It isn’t going to be a choice of who Beatrice is loyal to.

CLARA: I knew Reggie was going to grow up and make his own way. He was going to travel like Justin or enlist like Reginald or even take up heroics like you. But Beatrice… is my girl. Beatrice was supposed to be mine.

NATHANIEL: That’s just it, darling. She’s not yours, not mine, and not Aunt Victoria’s. She’s her own. And she has to do what she must. If I’ve learned nothing else from all this, it’s that you can’t force a woman you love into a box.

CLARA: I only want the best for her.

NATHANIEL: I know you love her. But that means you must love the Beatrice you have.

CLARA: I do. I do.

NATHANIEL: Then you must let her be the person she is. Not who you want her to be.

(NATHANIEL holds CLARA as she cries.)