The Juliet Club Read Online Free PDF Page B

couldn’t help feeling sorry for her father, who was probably passed out in his bed across the hall. . . .
    She yawned again. Her own bed, she couldn’t help but notice, was incredibly comfortable.
    . . . while she was ready to explore the town. . . .
    But as her vision blurred and another yawn overtook her, Kate realized that her body had other ideas. A wave of exhaustion swept over her. Her eyes closed, her book fell from her hand, and Kate fell deeply asleep.

Act I
Scene III
    When Kate woke up on Saturday morning, it took several moments of staring up at the brocade canopy to remember where she was. When she did, she sat up with a start, checked the bedside clock, and was astonished to see that she had slept for almost twelve hours. She felt alert, energetic, and remarkably cheerful.
    She jumped out of bed and surveyed her room with great satisfaction. For the past few years, whenever she had fallen subject to a fit of melancholy, she had imagined living in a garret. A charming, light-filled garret, of course, that would comfort her soul by offering her beauty and peace and, most of all, solitude. No one would be allowed in her garret. Absolutely no one—
    â€œNot even us?” Sarah would cry, a note of betrayal in her voice.
    Kate had sighed, aware of how foolish she had been to share this fantasy with her two best friends. “You, of course, would be granted visiting privileges,” she would say to Sarah. And with a nod to Annie, “You, too. Naturally.”
    Annie had merely lifted one sardonic eyebrow. “Thank you so much. No heat in winter, I suppose. Cold water all year round. Only a radish for supper. How dull, and how like you, Kate.”
    But when Kate had imagined her cozy garret, this had been what she had seen. Walls with faded frescoes, bookshelves filled with volumes covered in shades of lemon and ivory, high ceilings with ornate moldings, and warm Mediterranean sunlight slanting through the shutters.
    She jumped out of bed, pulled back the window curtains, threw open the shutters, and discovered that her room faced an enormous garden that stretched out behind the villa. Closer to the house, dark green hedges divided the lawn into neat flower beds; borders of purplish gray lavender edged the paths; and a wide avenue, lined by stately rows of cypresses, bisected the lawn with geometric exactitude.
    But there were hints of wildness and mystery as well: a shadowy forest beyond the hedges; a rustic bench tucked under a rose-covered arch; glimpses of a high stone wall, crumbling with age. A bird suddenly winged from one tree to another, a swift arrow against the sky. Bees hummed drowsily in the hot sun, and she could smell a spicy, sun-warmed fragrance that seemed both familiar and exotic.
    As she was trying to identify it, there was a knock at the door that led to the bathroom. Then a tanned, laughing girl with long blond hair and cornflower blue eyes burst into her room.
    â€œWell, hey there!” the girl said in a Southern drawl. “You must be Kate Sanderson! I’m Lucy Atwell, I’m from Jackson, Mississippi, and I’m real pleased to meet you! My room’s just on the other side of the bathroom; we’re sharing, but I guess you figured that out. I’ve already met a few of the other students—there’s Winnie, who’s super serious, and Jonathan, who’s super intellectual, but Tom across the hall is real nice. At least he’s still in high school, like us.”
    As Lucy paused for breath, she glanced at the suitcase Kate had placed neatly at the foot of her bed. “Did the airline lose the rest of your luggage? ’Cause I’ve heard that happens a lot when you travel overseas and I have to tell you, I was just scared to death it was going to happen to me, but thank the lord all my luggage got here all right—”
    â€œNo, that’s all I have,” Kate interrupted.
    â€œOh.” Lucy looked taken aback but