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"That’s Manchester" She gave a rueful wink "But what is lost is lost We’ve never wanted for food or spending et off the street And now look at us, two old ladies on an airship, with more money than we can ever spend in one lifeti to convince me or yourself?"

She chuckled "You’re quicker than you look It’s just that I’ve dressed a thousand girls for dinner andAnd didn’t Miss May tell you to stay in your room?"

"She’s not our boss," Keen said

"She is if you’re on her ship without paying"

"Someone needs to stand up to her"

"I did once, and she stabbed me in the back"

"She betrayed you?" Keen asked

"No, darling She stabbed me in the back With a knife Said if I ever left her, she’d spend every copper she had hunting e Have you ever taken a bath in chaentle s her face as she watched the bee twirl in circles at the end of its shining tether

"That’ll never be me," Keen muttered

"Just don’t do what I did and sell yourself too cheaply, darling" Kitty save me a pointed look "You’re worth more than diamonds, no matter what anyone tells you"

But of course, I already knew that And I wasn’t planning on selling oes to you, lass" She chucked Keen under her chin "If they won’t leave you alone, claim to have a stomachache and come find me I’ll keep you hidden At the very least, keep busy with fetching food, and don’t trust a single one of the a sot up to open the door for us, but soed under her dress, then held up a ser

"Take this, and if anyone tries to force you, use it," she said to Keen "But you didn’t hear that froer into the top of her boot

"I didn’t hear nothing," she said

"Here we go" Keen paused at the bottoht sky The last time I’d been up on deck, I’d been covered with blood and helping to dispose of an unconscious pirate Quite frankly, I was more scared of the dinner party I could hear Casper’sand the clink of glasses In an unusual show of solidarity, I linked h Keen’s and ascended the stairs to the windy deck

For some reason, I had expected a banquet like the ones at the Ice Palace That was foolish of me, of course Dinner on the deck of the Maybuck was a messy, tawdry affair, and no a other than an excuse for brazen misbehavior

"And so the Maestro’s niece finally decides to join us" Miss May a us in a lavender-scented and a intoyour room, Miss Carol?"

After atofor ht breaking her e by airship, I’m surprised to find it doesn’t feel as if round"

Miss May threw her head back and cackled "Oh, bless you Ain’t nothin’ maiden about this old boat, and never was But the Maestro says he’s shown you the library If that’s not enough freedoers of your own, if you knohat I mean"

"My niece is all booked up" Casper’s arled her eyebrows at us "Being on the Maybuck is sure to loosen her up a bit, one way or the other Now, be sure to dance with soet a tip or two" She waved a hand at thewith any of the overme away from Miss May, and I took in the full view of the deck for the first tie for a play, with paintedand for eyes Instead of one big table, there were a few s plenty of room for couples to entwine And on the far side of the deck stood a long glass tank, about waist-high, filled with rocks and the flash of fins Beside it, an aged gra waltz that didn’t hold a candle to Casper’s talents

The deck was beautiful, but it seeesture when the wealthy customers were clearly just there for the woet the blood for free?"

I was just about to ask Casper about it when a fa yourself, Anne?"

Cora’s cool hand slid down my shoulder and squeezed my arm I recoiled with a snarl

"I was"

Casper’s arhter around me as we faced her side by side

"Can’t afford the professionals, so you have to go for the free wares, eh, Maestro?" Leaning close, she whispered, "You get what you pay for, you know" She sly down her dress