Scene 5 and 6
Nov 21, 2015 2:23:20 GMT
Post by joannem on Nov 21, 2015 2:23:20 GMT
SCENE 5 – DEATH OF SIR MALCOLM
Fade in
CHARLES
It's past two. Perhaps we should...Clean up a little.
HARRIET
I am so sorry darling. I made the most awful mess.
CHARLES
Nothing to fret about. We're good as new now. I must admit, I said I turned my back but...
(FX: DOOR OPENING AND SHUTTING AND FOORSTEPS ON THE STAIRS)
HARRIET
The voices!
(FX: VOICES SLIGHTLY MUFFLED AS IF BEHIND A DOOR. ONE IS SIR MALCOLM, THE OTHER A WOMAN'S, BUT THE WORDS REMAIN OBSCURE. THEY QUARREL)
CHARLES
Is that Sir Malcolm? We should -
HARRIET
Shhh! I trust no-one here.
(FX: A STRUGGLE. A VASE SMASHES ON THE GROUND)
(FX: A BODY THUMPS DOWN STAIRS TO THE FLOOR)
(F/X THE SOUND OF FLEEING FOOTSTEPS. HARRIET AND CHARLES LISTEN BEHIND THEIR CLOSED DOOR)
HARRIET
Oh my goodness.
CHARLES
That is no ghost. Stay here, I will... I will...
HARRIET
Don’t leave me, we'll look together.
(FX: THEY OPEN THE DOOR)
HARRIET
Sir Malcolm! At the foot of the stairs! Is he...?
(FX: THEY HURRY DOWN THE STAIRS)
CHARLES
...I'm fear so. His neck is quite broken. He must have tripped on the stairs.
HARRIET
Tripped? We heard two voices or more.
LADY MILDRED (Laughing)
Fade Out
SCENE 6 – THE TWIN’S DILEMMA
Fade in
(FX: WIND BLOWING AND FOOTSTEPS ON A COLD STONE FLOOR)
HARRIET
You heard that?
CHARLES
I heard... The wind and no more. A delicate matter, but perhaps we should move the body to the cold store.
HARRIET
Won't the constabulary want to see him in situ? Who could believe this was an accident? And yet, there have been so many before.
CHARLES
Sir Malcolm owned the house? Would Rachel be named as beneficiary?
HARRIET
I cannot believe it of her.
CHARLES
People change - where money's involved. They get themselves into a stew and one lie begets another.
HARRIET
These are deaths. We must inform the authorities.
CHARLES
Even though she would hang?
(FX: WIND HOWLING)
HARRIET
That is not for us to decide.
CHARLES
We'd best wait till morning. It would be too easy for an accident to befall us in such weather, two panicked strangers in the dark. We wait here and come dawn the tempest will have abated. I’ve seldom seen winter as brutal.
HARRIET
The savagery of the elements pales before that of man.
CHARLES
Or woman? You will be safe in my protection, tonight, all nights to come.
HARRIET
I cannot bear to see his body.
CHARLES
I will lay him in the cold store. The constable can take our statements.
HARRIET
So be it. Then, oh I can't bear to just wait, and I can't think this of Rachel. There must be some reason we are not privvy too. Let us use these hours wisely. Let us find and confront Rachel.
CHARLES
Yes, perhaps we have misconstrued the situation.
HARRIET
We should ask Lady Mildred after...
CHARLES
I can take him... Perhaps you could take the legs?...
(FX: DOOR OPENING AND THE TICKING OF THE CLOCK)
HARRIET
Lady Mildred?
REBECCA
Oh, you startled me!
HARRIET
Rebecca?
CHARLES
Oh my lord.
HARRIET
No ghosts, Charles... Unless
REBECCA
Oh, yes, yes, Rebecca! I'm so relieved to see you!
HARRIET
Rebecca? Rachel said you were dead!
REBECCA
Rachel is beside herself with grief! She believes I am dead and refuses to accept my existence!
CHARLES
Sir Malcolm lies dead on the stairway. We moved him to the -
REBECCA
She - She pushed Sir Malcolm! She wants the house I'm sure of it. Oh What am I to do?
HARRIET
I don't know what to believe anymore. Where is Lady Mildred?
REBECCA
Perhaps she took her too!
HARRIET
Can we lock this door? From the outside?
REBECCA
But she is not here.
HARRIET
To protect you in here Rebecca. There is only one door.
CHARLES
Keep the key in the lock and -
REBECCA
Yes, there is only one key.
HARRIET
So we will take the key Charles. Rebecca, for your protection. We will return here with Rachel and trust the truth will out.
(FX: DOOR SHUTTING AND BEING LOCKED)
CHARLES and HARRIET
Rachel! Rachel!!
(FX: FOOTSTEPS AND TICKING OF CLOCKS)
CHARLES
Darling this is futile. We've been through the house and -
RACHEL
There you are! I heard footsteps!
CHARLES
We've been shouting for you.
RACHEL
I... Heard, I was afraid.
HARRIET
We have Rebecca locked in Lady Mildred's room, what is afoot here?
RACHEL
Rebecca? Rebecca is dead.
HARRIET
She is alive and I will prove it.
(FX: THE DOOR BEING UNLOCKED AND OPENING)
CHARLES
Opon my word. But she was here... We locked her in here. See, I have the only key!
HARRIET
We only had her word for that. Rachel, where have you been?
RACHEL
We... We must wake Sir Malcolm. Inform him what is -
CHARLES
We laid his body in the cold store not an hour ago.
RACHEL (Sobs)
His body? Impossible… It's all beyond the bounds of reason. You said you have seen Rebecca?
HARRIET
We locked her in this room.
RACHEL
She died. At least we went to her funeral. But... what if she were alive and some poor wastrel of the parish was interred in her place?
HARRIET
Then...
RACHEL
We are twins, identical in every superficial aspect. What if Rebecca did for Sir Malcolm and is pretending to be me?
Fade Out
Fade in
CHARLES
It's past two. Perhaps we should...Clean up a little.
HARRIET
I am so sorry darling. I made the most awful mess.
CHARLES
Nothing to fret about. We're good as new now. I must admit, I said I turned my back but...
(FX: DOOR OPENING AND SHUTTING AND FOORSTEPS ON THE STAIRS)
HARRIET
The voices!
(FX: VOICES SLIGHTLY MUFFLED AS IF BEHIND A DOOR. ONE IS SIR MALCOLM, THE OTHER A WOMAN'S, BUT THE WORDS REMAIN OBSCURE. THEY QUARREL)
CHARLES
Is that Sir Malcolm? We should -
HARRIET
Shhh! I trust no-one here.
(FX: A STRUGGLE. A VASE SMASHES ON THE GROUND)
(FX: A BODY THUMPS DOWN STAIRS TO THE FLOOR)
(F/X THE SOUND OF FLEEING FOOTSTEPS. HARRIET AND CHARLES LISTEN BEHIND THEIR CLOSED DOOR)
HARRIET
Oh my goodness.
CHARLES
That is no ghost. Stay here, I will... I will...
HARRIET
Don’t leave me, we'll look together.
(FX: THEY OPEN THE DOOR)
HARRIET
Sir Malcolm! At the foot of the stairs! Is he...?
(FX: THEY HURRY DOWN THE STAIRS)
CHARLES
...I'm fear so. His neck is quite broken. He must have tripped on the stairs.
HARRIET
Tripped? We heard two voices or more.
LADY MILDRED (Laughing)
Fade Out
SCENE 6 – THE TWIN’S DILEMMA
Fade in
(FX: WIND BLOWING AND FOOTSTEPS ON A COLD STONE FLOOR)
HARRIET
You heard that?
CHARLES
I heard... The wind and no more. A delicate matter, but perhaps we should move the body to the cold store.
HARRIET
Won't the constabulary want to see him in situ? Who could believe this was an accident? And yet, there have been so many before.
CHARLES
Sir Malcolm owned the house? Would Rachel be named as beneficiary?
HARRIET
I cannot believe it of her.
CHARLES
People change - where money's involved. They get themselves into a stew and one lie begets another.
HARRIET
These are deaths. We must inform the authorities.
CHARLES
Even though she would hang?
(FX: WIND HOWLING)
HARRIET
That is not for us to decide.
CHARLES
We'd best wait till morning. It would be too easy for an accident to befall us in such weather, two panicked strangers in the dark. We wait here and come dawn the tempest will have abated. I’ve seldom seen winter as brutal.
HARRIET
The savagery of the elements pales before that of man.
CHARLES
Or woman? You will be safe in my protection, tonight, all nights to come.
HARRIET
I cannot bear to see his body.
CHARLES
I will lay him in the cold store. The constable can take our statements.
HARRIET
So be it. Then, oh I can't bear to just wait, and I can't think this of Rachel. There must be some reason we are not privvy too. Let us use these hours wisely. Let us find and confront Rachel.
CHARLES
Yes, perhaps we have misconstrued the situation.
HARRIET
We should ask Lady Mildred after...
CHARLES
I can take him... Perhaps you could take the legs?...
(FX: DOOR OPENING AND THE TICKING OF THE CLOCK)
HARRIET
Lady Mildred?
REBECCA
Oh, you startled me!
HARRIET
Rebecca?
CHARLES
Oh my lord.
HARRIET
No ghosts, Charles... Unless
REBECCA
Oh, yes, yes, Rebecca! I'm so relieved to see you!
HARRIET
Rebecca? Rachel said you were dead!
REBECCA
Rachel is beside herself with grief! She believes I am dead and refuses to accept my existence!
CHARLES
Sir Malcolm lies dead on the stairway. We moved him to the -
REBECCA
She - She pushed Sir Malcolm! She wants the house I'm sure of it. Oh What am I to do?
HARRIET
I don't know what to believe anymore. Where is Lady Mildred?
REBECCA
Perhaps she took her too!
HARRIET
Can we lock this door? From the outside?
REBECCA
But she is not here.
HARRIET
To protect you in here Rebecca. There is only one door.
CHARLES
Keep the key in the lock and -
REBECCA
Yes, there is only one key.
HARRIET
So we will take the key Charles. Rebecca, for your protection. We will return here with Rachel and trust the truth will out.
(FX: DOOR SHUTTING AND BEING LOCKED)
CHARLES and HARRIET
Rachel! Rachel!!
(FX: FOOTSTEPS AND TICKING OF CLOCKS)
CHARLES
Darling this is futile. We've been through the house and -
RACHEL
There you are! I heard footsteps!
CHARLES
We've been shouting for you.
RACHEL
I... Heard, I was afraid.
HARRIET
We have Rebecca locked in Lady Mildred's room, what is afoot here?
RACHEL
Rebecca? Rebecca is dead.
HARRIET
She is alive and I will prove it.
(FX: THE DOOR BEING UNLOCKED AND OPENING)
CHARLES
Opon my word. But she was here... We locked her in here. See, I have the only key!
HARRIET
We only had her word for that. Rachel, where have you been?
RACHEL
We... We must wake Sir Malcolm. Inform him what is -
CHARLES
We laid his body in the cold store not an hour ago.
RACHEL (Sobs)
His body? Impossible… It's all beyond the bounds of reason. You said you have seen Rebecca?
HARRIET
We locked her in this room.
RACHEL
She died. At least we went to her funeral. But... what if she were alive and some poor wastrel of the parish was interred in her place?
HARRIET
Then...
RACHEL
We are twins, identical in every superficial aspect. What if Rebecca did for Sir Malcolm and is pretending to be me?
Fade Out