Finally, true entertainment! About time that someone here provided it besides myself. The Blue Wench can’t entertain the Blue Wench - not on her own at least.

After my last set for the evening, I took a look for my secret admirer who likes to watch from the trees. I was expecting some hapless farmer’s son with enough muscle to keep me nice and warm for a night. Instead I found this nervous, fidgety young woman trying to hide under a green shawl, and my evening plans went out the window. Men can be seduced while touring. If you find the right dark nook in the right town, anybody looking will just mistake you for a prostitute; I’m rarely recognized when I’m not in costume. A woman is best appreciated privately during a social visit to her home, while everyone else in the house is occupied, ideally after sending her a series of letters detailing exactly what you’ll do to her once you arrive.

Of course, I have taken a few women to dark nooks, back in boarding school. Maybe I would have tried her if I was back home, but this state has been unkind to me for joking about being loose with men. Besides, she turned out to be more entertaining in a different way.

She told me that she was utterly bored with her hometown - born and raised in Henshaw, she said - and she was spying on our campgrounds because she wanted to run away with the circus. Seeing what this place is like, I’d want to run away too, but I’ve never seen a girl less suited for the stage. Pretty, sure, but awkward and a bit off-putting. I’ve seen more charismatic girls than her get chewed up and spat out like tobacco, and I told her as much. She agreed rather quickly but she still wanted to poke around the campgrounds; I can’t recall her reason for doing so, just that it was clearly some kind of lie. I never did figure out what her goal was. Could be an investigator for one of the Marshals. Could be someone trying to catch Marvin on evading taxes. Could be an assassin hired to kill the mule. I couldn’t be bothered to care; the fact that she was lying to me so blatantly took my interest. After getting conned into coming here by Marvin, I wasn’t in the mood to be led on by the nose again.

So, since she was so interested in the circus, I decided I’d show her - I’d just have a little fun with this country mouse while I was at it. I explained to her that the only way I could get her into the campgrounds was in disguise. I took some spare costumes from one of the minstrel acts, stole a pair of pants from Prospero’s wagon, and in half an hour she became Jack Fletcher, a young man interested in becoming a roustabout. Once she was good and ready, I took her disguised to Marvin’s wagon, caught him smoking his pipe and talking to that prude Campbell, and told him that I wanted Jack Fletcher to join the circus…because I took him as a lover weeks ago, he’d gotten me pregnant, and he needed the money to support me. Gave her a big kiss to sell the moment. I don’t know whose face was redder: the girl’s, Marvin’s or Campbell’s. Marvin yelled at me. Campbell yelled at me. Then they started yelling at each other because Marvin wouldn’t let Campbell kick me out of the troupe for impropriety - not for my sake, but because the thought of losing another performer drove him crazy. The whole circus showed up to watch the farce. She’d almost convinced him to kick me out anyways when I told them I was joking, and that set them off again. Duke had to throw a barrel of water over the two to get them to stop.

Marvin settled for docking my pay until we leave. Considering how small the take has been recently, I think I got the better deal. Most fun I’ve had in ages. After that, I realized my Jack had run off in the midst of all the yelling, and went to go find her where she changed clothes. That was the only sore spot of the night. She was upset at the little joke I played; I was upset that she lied to me. I wanted answers that she wasn’t willing to give; I threatened to out her to Marvin but she threatened to out the circus to the Marshals - whatever she found during my personal little show really bothered her. At one point, I might have offered to give her another kiss if she calmed down, and she might’ve slapped me about it. Someone might’ve thrown a dress into a nearby frog pond. In the end, she just left in a huff. I didn’t even get her name.

I did enjoy myself, but now that I’m thinking about it, I worry that I’ll reread this in a year and wonder how I could have ever been this cruel. I’ve been here too long; I’m forgetting something of human kindness. I almost wish I was kicked out so I could return to places and people I actually respect. But I leave now, that shrew Campbell wins.

She disappeared right when the yelling started, I’m remembering. With the whole circus watching me, nobody was watching her; she had free reign of the whole campground. What was she doing? Well, whatever it is, it’s Marvin’s problem, not mine.