Free Wicked and Wonderful by Valerie King

affected her so powerfully, whose mere presence caused her heart to flutter, and whose character was more complex than she would have thought possible. How much she wished such a man did not exist.
    “Judy,” Margaret called to her softly. “Ye have washed that un fer the last five minutes.”
    She felt a blush rise on her cheeks. “I fear I was thinking of other things.”
    Margaret, who was drying the dishes, reached up and wiped a tear from her cheek. “So I see,” she murmured gently.

Chapter Four
    “We would not press you, Aubrey, but she is absolutely perfect, you can have no notion, though you shall see for yourself when she arrives with the rest of the party shortly.”
    Kelthorne regarded his elder sister quite coolly, his arms folded over his chest. Mary and Amy had arrived this morning, much to his surprise.
    Upon returning from another hunting expedition—brought short by a sudden downpour, but from which he had still been able to provide Mrs. Marnhull with several rabbits—he returned to the stables only to find Mary’s carriage on the drive. They had arrived several days earlier than expected and the disappointment he felt was profound since he not only had been enjoying himself enormously with the troupe but he was right in the middle of his most precious scheme to tear down Judith's defenses. He felt as though a bucket of ice water had just been dumped over his head. Worse still, his prospective bride-to-be was due to arrive within the hour.
    “You know I do not like to be surprised,” he said coldly. “Why did you not stay with our original plan?”
    “I fear it is Radsbury. He has been required to go to London in three weeks’ time rather than six and we felt we should step up our plans. I do apologize for not informing you sooner, but a letter sent post would not have arrived before us.”
    “Where are Radsbury and the others?”
    “One of the wheels in the third coach was loose,” Amy explained. “Radsbury and Newnott stayed behind to see the task accomplished. He begged us to go on ahead so that you might be given a fair warning of our change of plans.”
    “Well, it is most inconvenient,” he said, thinking how Judith had looked this morning.
    When he had left the rabbits with Mrs. Marnhull, he had caught sight of her in a gown of pink muslin, her chestnut hair hanging to her waist as she swung little Shelly in circles. At the time, he had known the strongest impulse to leave his horse and even if she protested violently, to gather her up in his arms and kiss her. What fortitude it had required to merely tip his hat to her, to feign an indifference he was far from feeling, then to ride away.
    “Aubrey,” Mary snapped.
    He turned to look at her and saw that her eyes had narrowed suspiciously.
    “What is it?” he inquired.
    “Have you got up a tryst with one of those actresses? I have already been given to understand by your most exceptional butler that you have permitted an entire troupe of actors to camp in your pasture beyond the orchard. We saw them as we drove by. I was never more shocked to learn you had done so.”
    “It seemed a harmless request to oblige, particularly since the troupe has promised us an entire month's entertainment. So far their performances in the local theater have exceeded our expectations. Have they not, Laurence?”
    “Very much so,” Laurence said. He was seated by the fire reading a newspaper and did not bother to look up as he spoke.
    Mary rolled her eyes at both of them. She was but three years Kelthorne’s senior yet had always treated him as though she was a great deal older. She had large hazel eyes, sharp features and light brown hair looped in several very tight narrow braids. She would have been accounted a beauty had she not been in the habit of keeping her lips pinched tightly together as though to keep her thoughts and feelings from streaming out of her all at once.
    “Have you forgotten that we have a prospective bride with