Nothing Like Murder

This is a short one act play that I wrote for a creative writing class. It really isn't very good to me, but I thought I'd post it because there were people who disagreed with my opinion.

 

Scene One

 

 

A cold night in late November in nineteenth century England.

 

The study of Martin Spencer, shortly after his funeral.

 

Dr. Stephen Hoskins and Ellen Spencer enter the room. They are arguing.

 

Stephen: It must be so, there is no other choice.

 

Ellen: By why Stephen? Why can we not stay? I love it here, even if it was his home.

 

Stephen: If we stay it we could not be together, not now and I'm not sure ever. It would raise too much suspicion.

 

Ellen: How?

 

Stephen turns and grabs Ellen by the shoulders.

 

Stephen: Do you not see that it would look suspicious for us to be seen together so soon as man and woman. The idea may come that we have been lovers for some time. Were his death under different circumstance, but they are not.

 

Ellen: I do not care.

 

Stephen: You do not care. How can you not care, if is said that he was in good health one moment and the next he falls fatally ill. Does that not point an accusatory finger?

 

Ellen breaks free of his grasp and walks to the wind.

 

Ellen: Do you wish that we had let him live?

 

Stephen: Never, I would not change a thing. I would kill a thousand men like him. Cowards, woman beating cowards. But that does not make it right in the eyes of the law. Justice is blind, but constables are not.

 

Stephen approaches her at the window.

 

Ellen: And where would you have us go?

 

Stephen: Not we, my dear, me. I shall go away for a while. To the states mayhap. Perhaps there you shall join me in say a month.

 

Ellen turns to him looking appalled.

 

Ellen: A month! What am I supposed to do for a month?

 

Stephen: Play the grieving widow. I shall go back to my rooms and begin making preparations immediately. I shall call on you in a few hours to see how you are doing.

 

Stephen turns and starts toward the door, but is stopped by Ellen who is running after him.

 

Ellen: Wait. I love you.

 

Stephen: Ssshhhhhhh… I love you too, but Keep your voice down. You still have servants who may hear us. Need I remind you of everything? This seems funny as it was you who planned it. How could you be so careless?

 

Ellen: I am sorry, but I do not care who hears, I only wish to convey my love to the world.

 

Stephen: You’ll care when you facing the hangman’s noose.

 

Stephen walks out of the room and Ellen follows.

 

 

Scene Two

 

The kitchen. Rose Garrett the old maid and Jennie Addams the younger maid are talking.

 

Rose: The good ol’ days are goinna be long behind us now that the witch is in charge.

 

Jennie: Ayuh, it’s sad. Master Martin was such a nice man. He always treated us well. I would suppose that was because you practically raised him and him and I played together since we were only but children.

 

Jennie begins to cry.

 

Rose: I know this is hard on ya, child, but you have to let ‘im go. No use crying. It won’t bring him back.

Jennie turns to Rose suddenly angered.

 

Jennie: You’d cry to ‘twas the love of your life that was lost.

 

Rose: The love of… Christ on bisque. You loved him?

 

Jennie: Yes I loved martin. And he, he love me as well. If it weren’t for me being a servant girl.

 

Rose: Madam Nancy would have never allowed such a thing.

 

Jennie: That was why he married the witch.

 

Jennie begins to cry even harder. Rose comes over to comfort her.

 

Jennie: We had a child.

 

Rose: What is God’s name are ya talking about? Arthur, he’s master Martin’s son?

 

Jennie looks up into Rose’s eyes.

 

Jennie: Yes. It happened, before he met her. He made love to me. He even talked about running away with. Asked if I would accompany him to the states. He said classes didn’t mean anything there.

 

Rose is stunned. She takes a step back.

 

Rose: Why didn’t ya go?

 

Jennie: It was shortly thereafter that madam Nancy was taken ill. Martin could not leave her not like that. He knew she was not long for this world and he felt obligated to fulfill her wish to see him wed before she passed. So, he married her.

 

As she said these final words she begins to cry once more. Suddenly there are footsteps on the stairs.

 

Rose: Quiet, child, someone’s coming.

 

Rose grabs Jennie and with a sudden feeling of urgency drags her into the pantry and shuts the door. At just that moment Stephen and Ellen enter the kitchen. Stephen is headed for the back door.

 

Ellen: Stephen Hoskins, stop right this second! If you do not I will call the constable.

 

He does and turns to face her.

 

Stephen: What more do you want from me. I told you I call on you later.

 

Ellen: I don’t want later; I want you here with me now.

 

Stephen: How many times do I have to explain it?

 

Ellen: I know, I know. It might raise suspicions. But…

 

Stephen: But nothing, that’s all there is to it. I do not fancy a hanging. If you do that’s your business, but keep me out of it thank you.

 

Ellen: I thought you loved me.

 

Stephen: I do, but that does make two s***s if they find out what we’ve done. That reminds me did you get rid of the poison?

 

Ellen: Not yet, I didn’t know if I would need it anymore.

 

Stephen: Well do it and… What do you mean you didn’t know if you would need it anymore?

 

Stephen is feeling that Ellen may be thinking about poisoning him as well.

 

Ellen: I didn’t know if there would be any complications to our plan. Any lose threads.

 

Stephen: Do you think I’m a lose thread?

 

Ellen runs over to Stephen and hugs him.

 

Ellen: No, never, my love. I was worried that if someone were to find out.

 

Stephen: Oh, well, just get rid of it. I shall be back later.

 

He breaks her hug and leaves out the back door. Ellen heads back the way she came in. Rose and Jennie burst from the pantry. Jennie is outraged. Rose is in shock.

 

Jennie: Did you hear that? She murdered him.

 

Rose: Now, child, you don’t know that…

 

Jennie looks her in the eyes, focused, angry.

 

Jennie: What is all this talk of constables, poisons, and hangings then? We have to do something.

 

Rose: Like what? If we go to the constable, it’s we who are apt to be considered lose threads.

 

Jennie: Then we’ll have to take care of it ourselves.

 

Jennie storms out of the kitchen with Rose hot on her heal.

 

Scene Three

 

 

Later that evening in the study of the late Martin Spencer.

 

Jennie enters the study followed closely by Rose. Rose is trying to reason with Jennie who has found the poison before Ellen can dispose of it.

 

Rose: Jennie, child, you don’t want to do this. We can go and get the constable now. Take this poison with us as evidence and…

 

Jennie: And what? Do you think that they’ll believe a servant girl over the lady of the house? Those darned fools? Nay, I shall take care of this. She killed my love. She’s a murderer.

 

Rose: You may be right, but how will we ever know if we do not at least try.

 

Jennie walks over to the window.

 

Jennie: If only we had more evidence.

 

Rose: That’s a job for the inspector child, not two house maids.

 

Jennie turns and heads toward the door to the study.

 

Jennie: Perhaps you are right. We should go right away. We’ll that this vile and…

 

Just at that moment Ellen enters the room.

 

Ellen: …and what? Go to the constable? Summon the inspectors here to arrest me for murder?

 

Jennie backs away back toward the window. Ellen is bearing down on her. The she turns to Rose.

 

Ellen: And you. What would you do? No, I don’t think either of you are leaving this house.

 

Jennie gains some courage and starts to approach Ellen.

 

Jennie: And how are you going to stop us? We know what you did. We know all about how you poisoned Martin. You might have been able…

 

Ellen turns back to Jennie and pushes her back toward the window. Jennie stumbles backwards falling back against the windowsill.

 

Ellen: You think…

 

A disembodied voice: You shall not harm her.

 

Ellen looks around bewildered.

 

Ellen: Who…

 

Disembodied Voice: Murderer! You killed me, but you shall not harm my love or any other.

 

While Ellen is distracted Jennie takes the moment to move to the other side of the room near Rose.

 

Just then a wraith appears in the doorway. It is the ghost of Martin Spencer.

 

Martin: You have manipulated my best friend and murdered me all for money. You shall never harm another soul.

 

Martin’s ghost begins approaching Ellen who backs the window and in a fit of fright falls to her death.

 

Martin: it is done.

 

He turns to Jennie and Rose.

 

Martin: I have always loved you Jennie. Tell our son that I love him as well.

 

Light fade to black.