His Honour The Administrator
Dorothy, a maid on the domestic staff at Government House in the Caribbean colony of Kairica becomes pregnant by His Honour the Administrator, Sir John Cumberland, the Queen's representative. He seeks the advice of his confidant, Ronald Martin, the Government Secretary, to help cover up the potential scandal. They persuaded the maid to deceive her boyfriend, Emanuel Hendricks, into believing he fathered the child, gave him a job as gardener with the grounds crew at Government House and planned to increase his wages as soon as the child was born.
The maid and her boyfriend agree to live common-law. However, he refuses to control his drinking and, as a result, becomes abusive to his nagging wife. They fight constantly, and when her baby-girl, Janice, was born, she, too, became the object of his cruelty. The maid can no longer tolerate her child's abuse, and in the heat of an argument, while protecting her, discloses that he was not her child's real father. Drunk and enraged, with a choke hold, he forces Dorothy to divulge her daughter's true paternity.
When the Administrator and Governmenr Secretary were informed, they visit Emanuel at work and issue a strong warning and the possible loss of his job. Emanuel parts company with Dorothy, but spied on her occasionaly. Twice he noticed the Government Secretary handing her a sealed envelope which he was convinced contained money from Sir John. He confronts her on the second occasion and tells her what he saw and suspected.
The next day the Government Secretary holds a formal interview with Emanuel and berates him for interfering in his personal affairs. The gardener becomes agitated and repeats his suspicions to the Government Secretary. The accusation leads to his immediate dismissal.
After several months Dorothy receives a letter from Emanuel demanding money for keeping silent on the paternity of her child. She passes the letter to Ronald who advises her to do nothing about it since the threat revealed no names. Sir John agrees.
The Administrator's wife, Lady Jane, who was growing fonder of her maid, had become obsessed with her pregnancy and longed to meet the baby. Fearing recognition of the child's caucasion characteristics, however, Ronald advises, and Dorothy agrees to find another child whom she would present to Lady Jane as her own.
Two months later Sir John receives a telephone call from the gardener making a direct demand for money for his silence. Sir John discusses this direct threat with Ronald who reports the blackmail attempt to the Police. Emanuel is arrested and brought in for questioning. He refuses to recant, however, and was placed in custody on a formal charge of harassment, pending a hearing.
Emanuel's father, William Hendricks, intercedes on his behalf, demanding to know why his son was imprisoned without trial. The matter was brought before the Chief Minister, Kelvin Dubique, through his Parliamentary Representative. The Police advise the Chief Minister that their orders came from the Government Secretary following an extortion attempt by the prisoner on His Honour the Administrator.
In explaining the necessity for overriding the normal judicial process, Ronald reveals the secret to Kelvin, who seizes the opportunity to discredit his proverbial 'thorn in the flesh', Sir John Cumberland. He connives with Ronald to spread the secret about to create a scandal which would eventually result in the Administrator's recall to England. Kelvin would then appoint Ronald as Acting Administrator in the interim.
Not long after the boyfriend's imprisonment, the Chief Minister sets his sinister plan in motion. The secret of the Aministrator's paternity spreads like wild fire culminating in an inflamatory story in the Kairican Chronicle entitled, "So Whose Chil' Is She?"
The media story became an embarrassment for the Government, the white community and the Administrator's wife. Lady Jane repatriates to England to avoid the ensuing dishonour. The Administrator is encouraged by the Chief Minister and other legislators to consider legal action against the Kairican Chronicle for its libelous attack on his Office. The editor is called upon to retract the allegations and issue a public apology to Sir John or face legal closure.
In the meantime, the scandal spreads far afield to the British Parliament where a member of the Opposition raises the question on 'The Disgrace of Her Magesty's Good Name in the Colony of Kairica'. The member of parliament delivers a letter he received from 'credible sources on the Island' to the Foreign Office, outlining in detail the nefarious scheme perpetrated by Her Majesty's representative to cover up his indiscretion. Sir John Cumberland is recalled and Ronald Martin assumed the Office.
Emanuel Hendricks is released from prison by an act of mercy instigated by the Chief Minister who invites him for refreshments. Under the influence of alcohol, however, the Chief Minister discloses his role in the demise of Sir John. The following day Emanuel shares the entire sordid conspiracy with Dorothy. They are both enraged at the blatant use of political power in destroying the lives of innocent people. They part as friends, but not before expressing sorrow for the pain they caused each other and the lessons they learned.
Nine years later, Dorothy receives a letter from Sir John extending an invitation to her and Janice to his country house in Kent, England. He expressed a desire to legally acknowledge his paternity and become acquainted with his daughter. They accept.
He had been living alone for several years following the divorce from his wife and was happy to welcome Dorothy and Janice into his family. He does the honourable thing and marries his former maid. Later, she reveals the treacherous plot set up by Kelvin Dudique and his friend Ronald Martin to discredit him and instigate his recall to England.
Their daughter, Janice, continues her education to university level graduating in Economics and Political Science at the London School of Economics. There, she meets and falls in love with a law graduate from her native land, Kairica. Sir John chose to resettle his family in Kairica for both health and climatic reasons.
Their return was reported in the local media as a fairy tale come true. They became the most popular family in Kairia. It was not long before there were public demands for apologies from both Ronald Martin, now Governor of Kairica and Kelvin Dubique who had retired from the political arena. When apologies were not forthcoming voluntarily, the Official Opposition took up the matter in the House of Assembly.
It became such a hot, political issue in the following general election year, that many believe it was the straw that finally broke the back of the dominant Workers Party. Their defeat led to the call for, and eventual resignation of the Governor. Sir John Cumberland was honoured to act as Governor in the interim. (Top)
Born Too Late