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After a few moments, the door opened just a crack, and I had never been happier to be in hiding The housekeeper had never liked in with and had probably danced when she heard of my disappearance and supposed demise Her eyes narrowed at Casper, and she looked him up and doith an air of superiority that had been cultivated at ht hand I couldn’t hear as said between theht to absorb local servants at her request, and I could only hope she found hih to send away

He finally bowed, the door sla inches frorinned

"She’s living with a daughter-in-law on Belila Avenue, running a groomery Do I even want to knohat that is?"

"You’ll see soon enough Corand storefront filled with ribbons and giant wheels of soap I could smell the lavender and clementines and cloves even from the street, the familiar work of the Tsarina’s formergirl in a fancy dress minced forward to meet me

"My lady, welcome Have you an appointment?" She looked Keen over with professional disdain, probably calculating what it would take toappointment with Verusha Please tell her the pup has returned"

Her nose wrinkled up in confusion, but she knew better than to contradict a custo and sh a filmy curtain and into the back room, and I smiled to see her hair done in the fancy braids that I remembered from my own childhood at Verusha’s patient but iroomery and claim--!"

She pushed the curtain aside and stopped mid-rant I put backout her ar with suds, her eyes rimmed with blud tears

"My little ermine pup, you are returned?"

I threw myself into her embrace She had always been shorter thana boulder

She pulled away and caught a twisted claw in my curls "Oh, tut, darleenk! Your hair What have you done?"

"I think you know a disguise when you see it I need your help"

She drew back to inspect me and murmured, "Oh, I see that you do Much help But come back into the parlor for a dra, those two?" She stared skeptically at Casper and Keen and clicked her tongue Keen put a hand on her hip as if daring the old Bludwoh "That one needs to be dipped for fleas, I think, ether, the wild laugh of Bludan to turn as it should I was home, I was understood, and now I had a friend

We didn’t talk of is at first, of course That would have been terribly iainst her protests, I handed Keen off to Verusha’s daughter-in-law for a good groo, but Casper I kept withhimself clean and relatively dapper, but in reality, I wanted him close And I hoped Verusha would break the news to hi

Verusha put a chunk of bread in Casper’s hands and patted him on top of his hat He couldn’t eat it, of course, but he thanked her with tolerant beine how Keen would react to the treatment of Freesia’s Bludmen toward a messy and rebellious servant If she wasn’t careful, she would find herself trussed up and dangling upside dohile they shaved her head for nits

I sat in one of the indulgently cushioned chairs that Verusha had always favored, glad to sink back into the embroidered pillows She put a dainty teacup in lowed pink with the blood within

Sitting across fro cup, she took a sip and said, "Now, darleenk, my pup, tell old Verusha what you have done"

"What I’ve done?" I resisted the urge to throw the cup at her head like the spoiled child I’d been when last under her care "I’m the victim here, old woman! I was kidnapped, nearly drained, and shipped all over Sang in a used valise"

She nodded slowly and said, "There were suspicions, of course Your sister, too?"

My head dropped "I found her in London Her head, at least We were both shipped to the same destination, but she actually arrived there"

"And you?" She sipped her tea as if I hadn’t just announced Olgha’s murder

"I woke up in a blud bar because of him" I nodded at Casper

Verusha’s sharp eyes narrowed at Casper, as busily turning the bread over and over in his hands as if trying to remember its purpose

"You were the one who found the lost" She cleared her throat "Young lady?"

"He knoho I am, Verusha"

"Tut, darleenk! Will you tell all the world your secrets?"

"Not all the world Just hiht me here, all the way from London"

Her eyes narrowed to slits "And what are they wanting as a reward, eh?"