Page 21 of Fortune Favors the Frivolous
“Will you… can you help me get to London?” Caroline asked, hardly daring to hope.
Rosalind and Master Aldrich, who had appeared in the wagon’s doorway, exchanged glances.
“We’re heading in the opposite direction,” Aldrich said slowly. “But…” He studied Caroline thoughtfully. “You’ve got a good ear for voices, haven’t you? I noticed how you changed your accent when you spoke to that brute.”
Caroline nodded, confused by the direction of his questioning.
“We’re short a player for our Millford engagement,” Constance said, appearing beside her husband. “Our ingénue ran off with a traveling merchant last week. Young Edgar here has been forced to play all the romantic scenes with himself, which is rather less than effective.”
“You want me to… to act?” Caroline stared at them in amazement.
“Why not?” Edgar grinned, clearly delighted by the prospect. “You’re the right size, you’ve got a lovely speaking voice, and after watching you fool those ruffians, I’d say you have a natural talent for performance.”
“Three days in Millford,” Aldrich mused, “then we head toward the London road for our winter engagements. We could have you back in town within the week.”
“But I’ve never acted before,” Caroline protested, though excitement was beginning to bubble up inside her.
“Nonsense,” Constance said briskly. “You’ve been acting all morning. Besides, most of our audiences are more interested in the spectacle than the subtleties of performance. A pretty face and a clear voice will suffice.”
Rosalind placed a gentle hand on Caroline’s shoulder. “It would keep you safe,” she said quietly.
Caroline thought of Henry, possibly even now making arrangements to marry Venetia to preserve her reputation.Oh, dear Lord, no!She thought of her mother, expecting her home for dinner and completely unaware of the adventure her daughter had undertaken. She thought of the conventional life waiting for her in London—balls and morning calls and eventual marriage to some suitable gentleman.
Then she looked around at these remarkable people who had taken her in, fed her, protected her, and were now offering her something she’d never dreamed possible: the chance to be someone completely different, if only for a few days.
“What sort of plays do you perform?” she asked.
Master Aldrich’s smile was answer enough.
“Oh, my dear girl,” he said, his voice warm with approval, “I do believe you’re going to fit in perfectly.”
Outside, she could hear Edgar beginning to rehearse again, his voice carrying on the morning air. “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?”
For the first time since this whole adventure began, Caroline found herself smiling with genuine anticipation. Perhaps fortune really did favor the frivolous—or in this case, the theatrical.
Chapter Twelve
Henry stared upat Windermere’s hunting lodge, gray and forbidding in the cold light of morning. Mist clung to the stone walls like ghostly fingers, while a solitary raven perched on the chimney, watching his approach with predatory eyes.
He really didn’t know where to start. He just knew that he could never live with himself if he did not do everything in his power to rescue Caroline.
How could he have not recognized his dearest friend? She’d been pressed close against him on his horse, her slight form fitting perfectly against his chest, and he’d spoken to her for miles. Yes, there’d been that jolt of familiarity—something that had made his pulse quicken in a way he hadn’t understood. But she’d been dressed as a boy, playing her part with such conviction that even her voice had fooled him completely.
The foolishness of her quest. The breathtaking bravery of it.
That was so like Caroline—rushing headlong into danger for someone she loved—consequences be damned. If she were here right now, he’d shake her for taking such risks.
And then he’d probably kiss her senseless.
The thought struck him like a physical blow. He’d never kissed Caroline before, but suddenly the idea seemed not just appealing, but inevitable. When had his feelings for his childhood companion shifted into something so much deeper, so much more dangerous?
He’d never felt such overwhelming concern for anyone’s safety before. The very thought of Caroline in Windermere’s clutches made his blood boil.
Now he had to decide how to approach this carefully. Windermere had nearly put a ball through his chest last night and would probably shoot first and ask questions later if he recognized Henry on the premises again.
Which was why he’d found new clothes and borrowed a horse, intending to make his investigations without Windermere’s knowledge. Hopefully, he’d not be recognized by anyone in the stables as the man who’d had an altercation with the master. Only the household staff would have seen him.
“You there, lad!” He hailed a groom who was leading a limping horse from the stables. Windermere’s carriage was conspicuously absent, which suggested the master was not currently in residence. Still, Henry couldn’t afford to be complacent.
