Good Earl Gone Bad Read Free Page A

carriage with one hand and her pretty bonnet with the other. “Leonora promised me that they would be there to cheer you on. And if they are not I shall be quite put out since I planned to stand with them as we watch the procession.”
    It was with a sense of unreality that Hermione had had her beautiful matched grays harnessed to the curricle that morning. She had spent so long applying and being rejected by the most prestigious clubs in London that finally achieving her goal of membership was still a little unbelievable.
    â€œGood,” Hermione said with some relief. She wasn’t sure why, but having her friends there to cheer her on was of the utmost importance to her. Perhaps it was because her only family to speak of was her father, and he had proved himself to be indifferent at the best of times. Much better to count on the affection of Leonora and Ophelia, who had on more than one occasion shown they were not as fickle as her father was. “I wonder if there will be a crowd. There are only twenty-four club members but I should like to think that a day as pretty as this will command a few onlookers at least.”
    â€œYou only wish for the world to see your splendid carriage and even more glorious horses,” Ophelia teased. Since Hermione had spoken nonstop about the pair since she’d acquired them a few months earlier there was little danger Ophelia would forget them. “Though I must again complain that you really ought to give them to me, considering that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were clearly destined to be mine.”
    â€œIf you had the least inclination of what to do with them, my dear,” Hermione said with a laugh, “then perhaps I would agree with you. As it is, you will have to content yourself with loving them from afar. Or at the very least, safely from the ground, for I am not convinced that you are not terrified now as they convey you through the streets of London.”
    Since Ophelia continued to grasp the side of the curricle like a shipwreck victim does a lifeboat, she did not disagree.
    Fortunately for her, they were nearing the Queen’s Gate of Hyde Park where club members had been instructed to muster.
    To Hermione’s pleasure, quite a number of onlookers, on foot, by carriage, and on horseback had gathered around the gate to watch the splendidly colored carriages. The members of the Lords of Anarchy were distinguished by the red and yellow striped waistcoats each driver wore. Hermione’s driving costume was a lovely fitted crimson and yellow striped spencer over a sturdy riding habit of light wool. She’d had it specially created for today’s outing and was glad for it as soon as she saw how many curious looks she received as the only female member of the notorious club.
    â€œHermione!” she heard a familiar voice shout from a nearby open barouche. “Ophelia!”
    A quick glance to the left revealed Leonora seated beside her husband and waving her handkerchief in the air in order to attract their attention.
    Pulling alongside her friends’ carriage, Hermione felt the scrutiny of the newcomers. “What?” she asked with a frown. “Have I got dirt on my face?” She lifted a gloved hand to brush her cheek.
    â€œNothing like that, you silly creature,” Leonora said with a grin. “I was just taking in the sight of someone who is living out her greatest dream. How does it feel?”
    Since her own thoughts hadn’t been too far from her friend’s on the matter, Hermione grinned, too. “It feels wonderful,” she said, barely stopping herself from crying out a huzzah. “Better than I could have possibly expected.”
    â€œYou’d better divest yourself of your passenger before you gallop off into the sunset,” Freddy said wryly. “For I fear Miss Dauntry is not experiencing the same sort of bliss as you are at the moment.”
    Turning, Hermione saw with a start that