31 Plays in 31 Days, #6 - “An Interesting Life”

[breakinglight11]

Ugh, this one is very rough. I focused on hammering out the structure of the scene rather than making it sound even a little bit good. Here we have some of the building out of the London side of Hawking part 7, which is basically about getting Mrs. Hawking to the point where she finally owns the mistakes she made with Mary (and others) and comes to a place where she can be open to another way forward with her life. But setting that up needs to be done properly, and I’m still working to make the progression of it make sense.

A key part of that is Beatrice, Nathaniel and Clara’s daughter who has been mentioned several times up to this point, but we’ve never met her. She’ll be like thirteen or fourteen by 1890, and is interested in the cool shit her great aunt does. But Mrs. Hawking has been avoiding any kind of relationship with her because she can’t emotionally deal with another bright young girl she could disappoint. I’m also priming an eventual clash with Clara over her fear of losing her daughter to Mrs. Hawking’s world, but that I’m saving until part 8.

I’m also working to establish how physically rundown Mrs. Hawking has become, to the point where even Beatrice is very aware of it. What I’m hoping to build to is an “out of the mouths of babes” moment where Beatrice forces Mrs. Hawking to deal with her and explain why she’s been shutting her out, and Beatrice tells her something that hits her so hard that she can’t pretend things are working anymore. I’m not sure I have a strong enough thing for her to say yet, but I’m making an effort to set it up here. I plan on posting that scene later in the month, so you can see for yourself how I’ve done.


Photo by Jacob LaRocca

Day #6 - “An Interesting Life”
From the Mrs. Hawking series
By Phoebe Roberts

London, England, 1890

VICTORIA HAWKING, lady’s champion of London, early fifties
NATHANIEL HAWKING, her nephew and right hand man, mid thirties
BEATRICE HAWKING, her grandniece, mid teens
~~~

(BEATRICE sits, bored, in the Hawking parlor. After a moment, she goes to the shelf and begins examining the trophies from the previous cases. Enter NATHANIEL.)

NATHANIEL: Better not let Auntie see you there.

BEATRICE: Why does she have these things?

NATHANIEL: They are mementos of a very interesting life.

BEATRICE: Why does she have a gun?

NATHANIEL: Some of that life has been more interesting than other parts. Now, best take your hands off it while you still can.

BEATRICE: Papa! You’re always working on something, and it seems so exciting. I just want to know about it.

NATHANIEL: Yes, darling, I know the feeling. But we’re nearly done here, Mama will be by with the carriage soon. Might as well get away clean while we can, then, shall we?

BEATRICE: You are working on a case, aren’t you? Have you cracked it?

NATHANIEL: Not yet. But I’ve brought some research, so I’d say we’re making progress.

(Enter MRS. HAWKING.)

MRS. HAWKING: Nathaniel, this plan doesn’t show the servants’ quarters— there may be an entrance that isn’t marked.

NATHANIEL: Oh, you’re right— but I’m fairly certain it’s in the attic, so there needn’t be any extra doors.

BEATRICE: Is that important? The ways into the house?

MRS. HAWKING: Hello, Beatrice. Shall your mother be coming for you soon?

BEATRICE: What are you investigating? A robbery? A murder?

NATHANIEL: A disappearance. An in-between maid’s gone from her bed, and the housekeeper thinks something’s happened to her.

MRS. HAWKING: Nothing you need concern yourself with, girl.

BEATRICE: But, Auntie! I want to hear about it! Why does the housekeeper think that?

NATHANIEL: Because all her things were left behind— except for a copy of, Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. She said it was her favorite novel.

BEATRICE: Just the novel? How mysterious!

MRS. HAWKING: Nathaniel! That is quite enough.

BEATRICE: Oh, come now, Auntie! Don’t be a bore!

NATHANIEL: Beatrice. You know better than that.

BEATRICE: (Sighing) Yes, Papa. Don’t trouble Auntie when she’s hurt.

NATHANIEL: That’s right.

(The doorbell rings. NATHANIEL goes to answer it, letting in CLARA.)

NATHANIEL: And there’s your mother, thank goodness. Not a moment too soon.