Wicked and Wonderful Read Online Free Page B

much so that she rather suspected what had happened. She was far too mortified to find out just who had discovered that Lord Kelthorne had caught her in his orchard last night and forced a kiss upon her, so she stayed in her tent.
    She set her brush down on her small dressing table and rose from her chair. She picked up one of the two apples she had in her possession and turned it around and around in her hands. She still could not credit she had actually been kissed by so infamous a rogue nor that she had enjoyed the experience as much as she had.
    Of these two thoughts, the latter caused her the greater distress. She felt vulnerable, wretchedly so. The thought that she would be living for the next month in the relative shadows of Kelthorne’s windows was nearly more than she could bear. And if he kept his resolve, he would find her sooner or later.
    When the arguing turned to shouting, she realized she could hardly remain hidden in her tent forever. She tossed the apple on her bed and slipped on her underdress, a gown she had made from a pale shade of blue calico, then quickly donned the overdress of Swiss muslin, closing the embroidered band in front. The quarreling grew louder still and the voices of John Ash, Henry Thurloxton, and Charles Hemyock could be heard echoing through the narrow valley from one hillock to the next.
    “We ought to be leaving at once.” Henry said.
    “I’ll not give up a promising engagement fer her supposed virtue.” Charles shouted.
    “Enough, Charles,” John said. “Ye as well, Henry.”
    “But Judy is in danger,” Henry returned hotly. “We should never ha’ come here, not with that rake ready to pounce. I saw him riding his horse last night, not far from the camp.”
    “Why is it that only Judy be in danger?” Angelique asked. “Why not the likes of me, fer instance?”
    Freddy called out, “More like Kelthorne ought to be warned of ye.”
    A burst of laughter followed, which Judith knew from experience would have something of a calming influence on the situation.
    Silence followed for a few seconds, after which Charles began to speak, pressing the troupe yet again to be rid of her once and for all, that her presence hindered their opportunities and shortened their earnings. “I’ll be damned before I pull up stakes on her account again.”
    For the past year, Charles had been the troupe’s principal and quite superior actor. He was greatly talented and even more ambitious. Judith understood his complaints perfectly and believed he had cause to be out of reason cross that Henry was demanding the troupe leave Somerset.
    More than one of the actresses as well, of which there were five including Margaret, echoed his sentiments. Generally, both John and Margaret Ash, who had the management of the troupe, ignored his ranting. But this particular engagement had been anticipated by the entire troupe for it meant residing in one place for nearly a month. Given the large size of the market town not a quarter mile from the castle, they were guaranteed a sizeable audience each night.
    There was money to be made in Portislow and Kelthorne’s unexpected but quite pleasing generosity in allowing the troupe to pasture in his field made the situation absolutely ideal. To ask the troupe to leave the vicinity on her account, therefore, was beyond imagining. She shuddered, thinking just how many times they had been required to do so, and always because some “gentleman” or other had become insistent on possessing her. Far too many times, she thought.
    Margaret bid entrance just as she had picked up her brush anew. “Come,” she called out softly.
    When her friend entered rolling her eyes, Judith said, “There seems to be quite a to-do this morning.”
    “Aye,” Margaret said, taking up her habitual seat on the stool by the tent door. She was a tall young woman, four years Judith’s senior, and her dearest friend in all the world. Her hair was a brilliant shade of red, which she wore