The Wicked Lady

In rural England, Caroline invites her beautiful friend Barbara to attend her marriage to the wealthy Sir Ralph Skelton. Barbara uses charm and beauty to set her sights on becoming Lady Skelton. Her plotting begins to tilt the balance of power within the marriage arrangements. The arrival marks the first step toward the ensuing drama.

Barbara wins Skelton's affection and is elevated to Lady Skelton during the wedding celebration. Caroline watches as Barbara takes her place beside the wealthy magistrate. The marriage ceremony solidifies Barbara's new social standing and begins a shift in the household's dynamics. The audience sees the price of manipulation start to rise.

At the wedding reception, Barbara meets Kit Locksby, a handsome stranger, and instant attraction sparks. Both feel love at first sight, though the wedding will not be undone easily. The encounter hints at a possible future away from the corral of marriage and duty.

Henrietta, Barbara's sister-in-law, visits and challenges Barbara in a game of Ombre. Henrietta wins Barbara's jewels, including her mother's ruby brooch, fueling Barbara's later schemes. The loss plants the seed of Barbara's later disguises and crimes.

A remark about the notorious highwayman Jerry Jackson inspires Barbara to disguise herself as him. She stops Henrietta's coach and retrieves the brooch and other jewels, reclaiming her status by theft. The disguise marks the turning point where she becomes a roving criminal rather than a disgruntled wife.

Barbara begins to waylay coaches and eventually meets the real Jerry Jackson, who is amused to find his imitator is a beautiful woman. They become lovers and partners in crime, with Barbara insisting he remain faithful to her. Their alliance tightens as they plan more lucrative robberies.

They plot a raid on a large gold shipment, but the plan goes awry. Barbara shoots and kills one of Sir Ralph Skelton's tenants in the confusion. The murder marks a deepening descent into violence and danger.

A Skelton servant discovers Barbara's involvement but she convinces him that Jackson forced her to be his accomplice. She exploits the servant's religious piety, claiming she wants to live an honest life and needs him to guide her.

Pretending to be devout, Barbara secretly poisons the servant. When he falls gravely ill and sees through her ruse, she smothers him with a pillow. Her ruthlessness becomes more evident as she eliminates a key witness.

Ecstatic at her renewed freedom, Barbara travels to the inn where she and Jackson stayed and discovers him with another woman. She betrays his whereabouts to Ralph, leading to Jackson's capture and his sentence to hang.

In London, Barbara attends Jackson's execution with Caroline, who refuses to watch. Jackson's speech focuses on faithless women and does not name Barbara. A note from a priest sends money to the other woman, triggering a riot when her carriage is attacked.

Kit Locksby rescues Caroline and Barbara after the hanging. Jackson's accomplices cut him down and revive him. He later breaks into Barbara's bedroom and rapes her, illustrating the danger that persists behind their alliance.

Late at night, Barbara, in highwayman's gear, waits for Sir Ralph's coach with a pistol. Jackson arrives, tries to warn Ralph, but Barbara shoots him. The coach finally arrives; Kit emerges from the coach and fires first, wounding Barbara. She rides off as Caroline stops Kit from firing again.

Back at the estate, Barbara is mortally wounded and confesses all to Kit, including the murders. Kit is horrified and leaves the estate, while Caroline and Skelton reconcile and vow to move on from the past. The story closes with the two couples choosing to live with the consequences of Barbara's crimes.