Suffragette Page #12

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VIOLET:

Come on Maud.

Beyond through an open doorway, several women stand in

preparation for a jiu-jitsu lesson.

EDITH:

Come on everyone, find a partner.

The women start to practice holds and throws on each other.

MAUD V/O

Both fighting for our cause.

EDITH turns to MAUD.

Maud.

EDITH:

MAUD:

I’m alright.

EDITH:

You have to participate if you want

to change the way the world is run.

ON EDITH as she flips MAUD onto the floor.

EDITH (CONT’D)

Jolly good.

MAUD laughing, flat on her back, the women clapping around

her.

INT. MAUD’S ROOM.BEDSIT. BETHNAL GREEN. 1913. EVENING.

MAUD burns the list of targets over a candle, watching as it

dissolves into ash.

MAUD V/O

I won’t betray mine. Would you

betray yours?

INT. OFFICE. POLICE STATION. BETHNAL GREEN. 1913. DAY.

STEED looks up from the letter. He turns to the wall behind

him, now a mad collage extending like an demented spider’s

web over his entire office, an intricate network of string

and photographs and cuttings covering every inch.

MAUD V/O

If you thought I would, you were

wrong about me. Yours sincerely,

Maud Watts.

EXT. STREET. CENTRAL LONDON. 1913. DAWN.

MAUD, in disguise, loiters close to a pillar box. Across the

street, VIOLET, also in disguise, stands, seemingly waiting

for a bus, shopping bag in hand. Surreptitiously VIOLET looks

up and down the street, nodding to MAUD.

VIOLET watching MAUD post a ‘letter’. MAUD’s narrow hands

discreetly slipping it through the mouth of the pillar box.

ON MAUD, her heart beating fast. SUDDENLY an almighty sound.

MAUD and VIOLET flee the scene, leaving behind a sense of

commotion.

The glow of flames, thick smoke pouring out of the pillar

box.

EXT. STREET. LONDON. 1913. DAY.

EDITH, in disguise, approaching a pillar box carrying several

letters.

Looking about her, EDITH feeds the letters and a paraffin rag

quickly lighting it before shoving it into the pillar box.

She turns, hurriedly walking back to a BICYCLE leaning close

by.

BANG! LETTERS BLOWN SKY HIGH.

INT. OFFICE. POLICE STATION. BETHNAL GREEN. 1913. DAY.

STEED staring at the wall. WALSOP enters.

WALSOP:

(cutting in)

Another explosion in Cadogan

Square. It’s happening all over

London, sir, and telegraph wires

cut.

WALSOP reaches into the file in his hand pulling out a

surveillance photograph-

WALSOP (CONT’D)

Miss Withers was seen in the

vicinity.

On STEED staring down at a photograph of MISS WITHERS,

clearly pushing something back into her handbag.

STEED:

Have you got a warrant?

STEED peers closer, a second photograph of MISS WITHERS

hurrying away. A pair of wire cutters just visible pushed

into her handbag.

INT. ELLYN PHARMACY. BETHNAL GREEN. 1913. DAY.

The JANGLE of the bell-

In the back room, EDITH starts at the sounds of STEED’s

voice, quickly hiding papers she and MISS WITHERS are looking

at. HUGH, stacking shelves, turns, unsettled on seeing STEED

with WALSOP-

STEED:

That’s a lot of worming tablets, Mr

Ellyn.

HUGH:

One of life’s great parasites,

Inspector Steed.

STEED catches on this - clocking HUGH’s quiet contempt.

STEED:

Is your wife in?

HUGH:

(calling out)

Edith-

From behind the back room door-

EDITH OOV:

I am just concluding a treatment,

Hugh-

STEED looks beyond, already moving through-

STEED:

I can go through-

WALSOP hangs back as STEED enters the back room-

INT. BACK ROOM. ELLYN PHARMACY. BETHNAL GREEN. 1913. DAY.

The door is wrenched open, STEED enters stopping on seeing-

MISS WITHERS’s breast covered in a thick cream but exposed to

STEED. He averts his gaze.

EDITH:

(to STEED)

Er, Mastitis.

MISS WITHERS pulls on her shirt, begins to button it.

STEED:

You’re a wet nurse now, Miss

Withers?

MISS WITHERS wavers, looks away.

STEED‘s eyes silently search the room, travelling over tiny

details as EDITH packs away the medicine left from ‘treating’

MISS WITHERS.

EDITH:

Shall we get this over with?

EDITH reaches for her keys-

EDITH (CONT’D)

You have searched before and found

nothing, but I am happy to comply

again.

STEED:

You’re a very clever woman Mrs

Ellyn. I’ll give you that. The way

you seduce these women, draw them

in, train them in destruction.

MISS WITHERS now dressed, makes to exit. EDITH catches her

eye on the way out.

POLICE OFFICER (O.S.)

You’re under arrest Mrs Withers I’d

advise you not to struggle.

MRS WITHERS (O.S.)

Get off. GET OFF ME.

STEED looks on at MISS WITHERS just visible behind the

counter, mid arrest with WALSOP.

On EDITH, determined to stay calm.

EDITH:

Am I also to be arrested?

STEED:

Not today Mrs Ellyn.

EXT. REGENT’S PARK. LONDON. 1913. DAY.

MAUD, EDITH and VIOLET walk alongside the lake.

VIOLET:

Miss Withers will get six months at

least. I can do a few weeks, Edith,

but-

EDITH:

What are you saying? This is not

the time to stand down. No, we push

on. Capitalise on the press

interest.

VIOLET:

The press do nothing but scorn and

mock us.

EDITH:

They scorn and mock us because they

feel our threat.

VIOLET wavers, EDITH’s eyes follow her gaze to ALICE who

waits nearby, hair awry and a little distracted.

They affect casual conversation with one another.

EDITH (CONT’D)

(hushed)

Mrs Haughton.

ALICE:

Ladies.

EDITH takes a long look around.

EDITH:

Have you got the information I

asked for?

ALICE:

Lloyd George’s summer house is not

yet completed. He was complaining

about it at dinner just the other

night. It’s being built next to the

golf course at Walton-on-the-Hill,

paid for by the owner of The News

of the World.

EDITH:

(hushed)

Invaluable information, thank you.

VIOLET darts a look of concern to MAUD and EDITH.

VIOLET:

Edith, come here.

She leads EDITH away. MAUD goes to follow.

ALICE:

(interrupting)

Mrs Watts. How is your son?

MAUD:

It’s his birthday tomorrow.

ALICE nods, smiles, clearly on the edge, absently watching

SCHOOLBOYS playing across the grass.

ALICE:

I am so sorry for you... I trusted

in my husband... and this

Government. I was wrong.

(faltering)

I have to go.

ALICE leaves, disappearing across the park. MAUD catches up

to VIOLET and EDITH deep in conversation-

VIOLET:

(hushed)

Please just listen to me Edith. A

minister’s home- it’s going too

far.

EDITH:

(hushed)

Why too far? It’s unoccupied, it is

empty, no one will be harmed-

VIOLET:

Your commitment, Edith...I have

always known you would take it as

far as it must go but this...

EDITH:

Mrs Pankhurst, she asked us-

VIOLET:

(angry)

Then Mrs Pankhurst asks too much.

VIOLET hesitates, looks at MAUD, then determinedly heads off.

MAUD:

(calling after)

Violet! Vi!

EXT. REGENT’S PARK. LONDON. 1913. DAY.

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