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"My, someone certainly has an affection for cephalopods" Alexia waddled over, all casualness, to exalass anda se of colors Otherwise, there was no mention made of the content

She reached to pick one up only to find that the butler, in the silent manner customary to the breed, had sidled up next to her "I should not, Mrs Floote, if I were you Our previous cook had an interest in rather more hazardous forms of distillery and preservation as well"

"What happened to the good lady, sir?" Alexia asked with a forced lightness in tone

"She stopped If I were you, I should take particular care with that yellow octopus there"

Alexia moved hurriedly away fro that they were precariously placed on their shelf

The butler looked her up and down "There are many stairs in this house, you understand, Mrs Floote? You will not be able to remain in only the kitchen How am I to be convinced you are capable of your duties?"

Alexia seized upon this as a perfect opportunity to further her investigations "Well, I a the accoe my services If you would be so kind as to show me to the staff quarters, I can deestured her toward a back staircase that wound up through the house to the attic apartments The room he eventually shepherded her into was a tiny, cramped cell that still contained some remnants of its previous occupant, just as Alexia had hoped More s vials lay about A handkerchief was spread across the sill, upon which bunches of herbs lay drying

"Of course, ill clear out these quarters prior to new occupation" The butler curled his lip as he looked around

Small cloth-bound notebooks were scattered here and there; several were quite dusty with neglect There were also bits of scrap paper and even what looked to be soer

"Your previous cook was literate, sir?"

"I warned you she was peculiar"

Alexia took another look around and then, thinking rapidly, maneuvered toward the sivenrather oversti back dra It was a paltry performance

Nevertheless, the butler seemed convinced "Oh, I say, Mrs Floote This simply isn’t on Really, we can’t consider anyone who--"

Alexia cut hinificantly

The man blanched

"Perhaps if I could have a little moment to recover, sir?"

The butler looked like he would prefer to be anywhere else but there "I shall fetch you a glass of water, shall I? Perhaps some, er, jelly?"

"Oh, yes, capital idea Do take your time"

At which he hurried out

Iht, an exercise that an searching the rooards to the occupant’s personality, but there were even more notebooks and mysterious bottles tucked away in the bedside drawer and the wardrobe She tucked anything that looked to be secret or significant into the stealth pockets of her parasol Then, knowing she must limit herself, she took what seemed to be the most recent notebook and one that looked to be the oldest and er and bundled thehtly and drooping froht the knitwear bundle must look very suspicious, but when the butler returned, he was so overjoyed to find her recovered he didn’t notice either

Alexia decided toshe felt weak and had best hurry hohtfall, she moved toward the door The butler led her downstairs, declining to offer her the position, despite her calf’s-foot jelly, but suggesting she call round in several months when she had recovered fro prospect

He was just letting her out when a voice stopped theracious me Miss Tarabotti?"

Alexia clutched her loot closer to her breast, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath Then she looked upward

The gentle slowly down the staircase toward her was an iconic exaray muttonchops were untended, his eyes bespectacled, and his attire too far into tweed for midsummer and midtown Unfortunately, Alexia was all too faht you were dead"

"Ah, not quite Although Lord Maccon did do his level best" Thewith a pronounced li that last battle in the Hypocras Club’s exsanguination chamber As he closed in upon her, Alexia noted his eyes were very hard behind those spectacles

"In which case, shouldn’t you be serving a sentence for intellectual misconduct?"

"I assure you, it has been served Now, I think perhaps you should co"

"Yes, I am certain you were"

The butler, at a bit of a loss, was looking back and forth between the up her parasol in a defensive position and pressing her thu the tip with one of the nuuns, by and large, were farthan parasols

Nevertheless, Dr Neebs looked at it ary respect "Madame Lefoux’s work, isn’t that?"

"You know Madah she were an idiot Of course, thought Alexia, this is a chapter of the Order of the Brass Octopus Madame Lefoux is also athe Hypocras Club I must tell Conall

The scientist tilted his head to one side "What are you about, Miss Tarabotti?"