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Lucienne Boyce
Follow the Colours: A Play in Two Acts
By Lucienne Boyce
“When women have their proper place there’ll be an end of the wars you men think are so important.”
When working-class typist Esther Grove joins the suffragettes, she discovers a strength she didn’t know she had. The campaign for votes for women gives her life new purpose, excitement and comradeship.
But not everyone approves of the “new” Esther. Despite hostility from family, friends and lover, Esther continues to fight for women’s rights. Even when her suffrage comrades fail her and abandon the struggle, she remains true to the cause.
Then the greatest betrayal of all comes from the place she least expected.
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Available in paperback and Kindle.
Author Bio
Lucienne Boyce writes historical fiction, non-fiction and biography. Her meticulously researched historical fiction reflects her interest in stories of “ordinary” people, and histories of reform and protest. She has a particular interest in women’s history and the women’s suffrage movement, and is keen to tell the stories of the lesser-known individuals involved in that movement. She is also a speaker, and blogs about the eighteenth century, suffrage and women’s history, books, and writing.
Author Links
Website:
Bluesky:
@luciennewrite.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/luciennewrite.bsky.social
Substack: This Writing Life With Lucienne Boyce,
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| read an excerpt |
On the previous evening, typist Esther and her lover, John, attended a meeting of the Women’s Social and Political Union – the suffragettes. John was not impressed, but Esther was profoundly moved by the speeches.
Act 1, Scene 3: Evening of the same day. Esther and John’s flat.
An untidy room: magazines, books, posters for Labour Party, photo of Keir Hardie on mantelpiece, mirror over mantelpiece, table in bay window covered in books, papers. Door back of stage leads to bedroom.
Esther is sitting in a chair by the fireplace, staring into the cold hearth. She still has her coat and hat on, and her shopping bag on floor by her feet. Enter John, and takes off his coat and scarf.
John: Hallo, Esther! No fire going yet?
Esther: I’ll do it in a minute.
John: (Dumps pile of books on table.) I’ve got a load of marking to do tonight. French, 4B. They don’t know their infinitives from their participles.
Esther: I don’t know my infinitives either.
John: You don’t need to, you’re not one of my boys in 4B. Can we have supper early?
Esther: I’ll start it in a minute.
John: (Looks at her.) What’s the matter with you? Oh. You’ve been to see your mother.
Esther: Yes.
John: I don’t know why you always come back like this.
Esther: Because it depresses me, that’s all. Sarah was there and said what she always says: ‘How’s Keir Hardie?’
John: (Laughs.) I don’t know why it bothers you. I’m flattered.
Esther: She isn’t trying to flatter you. Mum didn’t say what she always doesn’t say: ‘When are you going to get married?’ She tries to understand, but...
John: You just have to explain that we don’t want to be bound by outmoded laws and rituals.
Esther: Then Sarah and I argued because she wants Mum to babysit so she can go back to work, and I said why should Mum be treated as unpaid labour, and she said why should she pay a stranger to look after her children, and they might do things like that in Clifton but not in Bedminster, and if she had to pay childcare there wouldn’t be any point going back, and you couldn’t expect Tom to pay it out of his wages. And Mum tried to keep the peace as usual, and said she likes having the baby, but she looks so tired. Then Sarah went on about how working at Wills Tobacco with her friends was good enough for her, and Tom might only be a miner but at least he was her husband, and she didn’t have to go to evening classes to learn fancy shorthand and how to forget her family. Mum said, ‘Hush, Sarah, Esther’s alright doing what she wants, but she knows, you never forget your roots.’ And I had to smile at her, but all the while I was thinking, but that’s what I want, to forget my roots.
John: Honestly, Esther, I don’t know why you say things like that. Your mother’s a fine, working woman. Why would you want to forget her?
Esther: She’s a worn-out woman and my sister takes advantage. And that isn’t what I said. I don’t want to be like her. I don’t want to be like Sarah. I want women to have better lives than that.
John: That’s a rather selfish point of view, isn’t it? Shouldn’t everyone have better lives?
Esther: Yes, I just meant…don’t you think there are things that women themselves have to sort out? Equality, I mean.
John: This is all because of that meeting, isn’t it? The suffragettes. I wish we’d never gone. I only gave in against my better judgement.
Esther: It made me think…I went to their shop at lunchtime. I wanted to find out more.
John: I thought you’d have found out enough last night.
Esther: Anyway, I’m going back on Saturday.
John: But we’ve got a meeting here!
Esther: You can manage without me this once, can’t you?
John: Well, if thinking about equality means letting people down, I suppose I’ll have to. It’s very unfair on everyone, Esther. I’ll be sending them away with empty stomachs, and some of them have to catch two or three buses to get here.
Esther: I’ll make a cake before I go out, and leave some sandwiches.
John: Alright, if you really have to go. Though what you think you’ll find out, I don’t know. Now, I’d better get on with some work.
Esther: (Standing up, tiredly.) I’ll light the fire and get supper going.
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