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There was nothing unusual about finding a dead utter The odd part was that this particular man still had all of his clothes and skin Even more bizarre, he was an almost exact copy of Frannie’s brother Bertra slender fingers to the foppish cut of his expensive boots, Frannie was half-terrified to roll him over and find Bertram’s face as she had last seen it: proud, shocked, andthroat

Sprawled in the alley as he was, he should have been stripped to bones by the bludrats But he was perfect--and still breathing After glancing up to make sure the Copper was still at his post across the square should she need hiure with a toe, curious to see if she was rousing a lost Blud a human corpse The color and cut of his flashy clothes were all wrong for a London Blud closer and closer to Darkside and the expanding Daiain Much to her surprise, the man leaped into a crouch and spun to face her, teeth bared and beautiful hands curled into claws He looked less like Bertrarowled, a strange look of confusion came over his beautiful blue eyes Frannie stepped away just in time to avoid the splatter of vo back her skirts, she considered hier was terribly handsoly of red wine From hair to dimples, they could have been twins, except for the eyes Hers were a dark shade of green, while his were alht sapphire blue Bertram’s had been Her heart twisted She couldn’t walk away

"Had a nice night, did you, duck?" she asked

He wiped his mouth with a fine handkerchief and stood His posture went froned and a little sheepish as he knocked the filth off a rich ain, his eyes ry, and his sht was fine, darlin’ It was thethat caused all the problems"

He looked past her into the darkness of the alley, then across the open square, where brisk business was happening under the watchful eye of a Copper and a splutter of watery sun "We anywhere near the Vauxhall?"

She chuckled "Nowhere close"

"That’s damned inconvenient"

Frannie watched as thethe trash and bins aside and growing angrier by the entleranderabout him made her stay, curious, as if he were some new animal whose habits she had yet to learn by heart

He kicked the wall "Hellfire! Have you seen a suitcase?"

"A what now?"

"Valise Port, filled with my clothes and bottles? All oing to give ht before he kicked estured to the narrow alley and filthy bricks, careful not to upset the basket over her arone Welcoone? Bloody thieves Isn’t anything in this stupid world easy?"

"Losing what you’ve got’s a good bit easier if you’ve been drinking"

"Imore sinister was at hand" The man rubbed his head and winced "There’s a lump on the back of my skull the size of an apple And this isn’t my usual side of town"

A hiss cut the air froht red eyes eher up than they should have been Another pair appeared behind it, and the hiss grew louder The basket over Frannie’s arled and jerked, and she unhooked the parasol fro red-furred el to the head makes you easier to rob, my lad You must be new to London, to have fallen for that But whateveryou alive, your luck’s run out I suspect in ot here, it’s time to leave"

She backed out of the alley with a confident sently to her basket Thehis head and following He looked lost, the poor creature Just like Bertram As if the little boy inside was constantly aet to work like a allant about hiold-stitched waistcoat--she just knew it

"Do you needher suspicions "I think this part of town erous"