A Short Play in Three Scenes
Setting: England, 1642–1643, in the early months of the Civil War.
Dramatis Personae:
• SIR THOMAS FAIRCHILD: A Royalist landowner, traditionalist, late 40s.
• ELIZABETH FAIRCHILD: His daughter, sympathetic to Parliament, early 20s.
• CAPTAIN RICHARD HALE: A Parliamentarian officer, idealistic, mid-30s.
• SERGEANT JOHNS: A rank-and-file Parliament soldier, dutiful, late 20s.
• LADY MARGARET: A local gentlewoman aiding wounded on both sides, late 30s.
SCENE I: The Fairchild Manor, Morning Parlor
[Morning light filters through mullioned windows. A half-packed trunk lies open by the hearth. SIR THOMAS studies a royal proclamation pinned above the mantel.]
SIR THOMAS (reading aloud)
“By His Majesty’s command, all able men shall bear arms against the rebels…” Rebels! (he tears it down) Have we become rebels in our own land?
[ELIZABETH enters with letters in hand.]
ELIZABETH
Father, you must see this. (hands him a pamphlet) Sir John Pym urges resistance against royal absolutism—tyranny he calls it.
SIR THOMAS (snorts)
Pym and his Parliament—traitors in velvet, stirring sedition under pretence of liberty.
ELIZABETH (pleading)
But they defend our rights: no taxation without consent, no bishops meddling in every sermon. England needs balance, not a king who rules by whim.
[SIR THOMAS slams the pamphlet down.]
SIR THOMAS
I raised you to honor Crown and altar! You spout rhetoric like a tavern radical.
ELIZABETH (softly)
I love our family, our home—but I love England more. The king must heed his people, or else…
[She trails off as a distant drumbeat sounds.]
SIR THOMAS (stern)
That drum calls to war. I cannot have you waltzing with traitors while my men ride to Oxford.
[He turns away. ELIZABETH stares after him, torn.]
SCENE II: The Village Green, Afternoon
[A temporary Parliamentarian billet. Tents dot the green. CAPTAIN HALE addresses a small group, including SERGEANT JOHNSON. LADY MARGARET aids a wounded soldier.]
CAPTAIN HALE
Keep your powder dry—and your conscience clear. We fight not to dethrone the king, but to curb a crown grown too large.
SERGEANT JOHNSON
Aye, sir. But the Fairchild manor overlooks this green—Sir Thomas’s banner flies high. Must we take it?
CAPTAIN HALE (sighs)
Orders come from London. That fortress of aristocracy must yield or be broken. The Fairchilds hold more sway than any wood-fired cannon.
[ELIZABETH appears at edge of green.]
ELIZABETH
Captain Hale—please, a word.
[HALE steps aside with her.]
CAPTAIN HALE
Miss?
ELIZABETH
Elizabeth Fairchild. I begged my father not to garrison here. If you attack, this village will burn.
CAPTAIN HALE
Madam, war spares few. Yet… your plea matters. If Sir Thomas surrenders the house, we need not storm it.
ELIZABETH
He will never bow. He fears for honor above all else.
[HALE regards her, conflicted.]
CAPTAIN HALE
Then forgive what we must do. I wish it were otherwise.
[ELIZABETH turns away, tears in her eyes.]
SCENE III: The Fairchild Manor, Twilight
[Smoke drifts in from the outskirts. SIR THOMAS lounges before a hearth aflame. ELIZABETH paces.]
ELIZABETH
Father, the enemy demands the gate. They won’t raise siege machines—they’ve the village at their back.
SIR THOMAS
Let them camp on our green. They’ll starve or freeze.
ELIZABETH
We’re short on provisions—and winter comes early.
[Knock at the door. A battered MESSENGER staggers in.]
MESSENGER (breathless)
Parliament’s flag flies on Carisbrooke Hill. Sir Thomas—they’ve cut off all relief.
[SIR THOMAS reels.]
SIR THOMAS
Then we stand or we fall. (pauses, softer) Elizabeth… I heard you pleading with their captain.
ELIZABETH
Yes. I begged mercy for the village.
SIR THOMAS (bittersweet)
You stand by freedom, even against your blood. I…I admire that in you.
[ELIZABETH moves to him.]
ELIZABETH
Father, if you yield the manor, your honor endures through mercy. Lives will be spared.
[SIR THOMAS studies her fiercely, then nods.]
SIR THOMAS
Then by your counsel—and for England—let it be so.
[He crosses to a window, draws back a tapestry to reveal Parliamentarian soldiers massed.]
SIR THOMAS (calling out)
Captain Hale! We surrender the house. Please spare the village!
[CAPTAIN HALE enters with SERGEANT JOHNSON and LADY MARGARET.]
CAPTAIN HALE
Sir Thomas—your house stands. My men will occupy the east wing, but none shall harm your people.
[SIR THOMAS inclines his head. ELIZABETH exhales relief.]
LADY MARGARET (approaching)
I will see to the wounded on both sides. War makes no distinctions between blood and belief.
SERGEANT JOHNSON
My thanks, milady.
[CAPTAIN HALE and ELIZABETH exchange a look—respect, unspoken affection.]
CAPTAIN HALE
Madam…
(softly)
Your courage saved this place.
ELIZABETH
And your mercy lifted its shadow.
[They stand apart in the flickering torchlight as the curtain falls.]
