Secret Desire
In the dramatic monologue Secret Desire, Count Domani speaks to his maid Adelaide to convince her to pursue her dream of being an artist.
COUNT DOMANI: Adelaide, this is almost shameful for me to speak of, especially to—I am still Count Domani; I will die Count Domani, wifeless, childless, and poor. I have already been forced to sell most of my land to survive, you see?
My influence has waned. This new industry diminishes the ways in which I was raised. Everything I know will eventually fade.
The care I have been afforded to give my staff has been a slow and steady sell-off of all the things that have mattered to my ancestors. Eventually, there will be nothing left. I have no other means of generating wealth. My funds have been depleted, and it is but a matter of time before the others, too, will need to seek other means of… I will downsize during the last of my days, hoping there will be enough for bread and water until my bones can no longer manage beneath their own weight.
Letting you leave, Adelaide…that is, in some way, a gift. You will venture into this world, and you will walk your own path.
You will fare far better than you would should you stay here. Hear me now, listen, and leave before it’s too late. You are young and gifted, and your future is still unwritten.
You must leave here tomorrow morning—the coachmen will be waiting for you.
- To read the full one-act ePlay, find purchase link below:
In the one-act eplay Secret Desire, Count Domani invites his maid Adelaide to visit him in his study with the intention of seeing her pursue her dreams of being an artist. 1 woman, 1 man. Drama. Period Drama.
