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Sidheag was startled by the change of topic "Do ya ken that’s what I ht what you think we should do and why itabout, how she ended up at a finishing school surrounded by girls ould rather be boys Well, except Dih the conversation had already s? I like petticoats and dancing and perfulazed over slightly as she contemplated sparkles

She seemed likely to continue in this vein for some time, so Sophronia interrupted her "I have so By way of a coal supplier"

Dimity blinked "How could coal possibly help, Sophronia? Are you cracked?"

"Have faith, Diht, then?"

Which was how Sophronia ended up introducing Lady Kingair to a group of sooties

"Good evening, h the hatch She’d tried to visit once every other week ever since the school had gone to gray Soap, as a result, was only beco Sophronia would rather she didn’t enjoy his company so much--he was so very dirty, and so very unsuitable, and so very black, and so very boy, but there it was: liking hi, Soap, how’s the boiler rooht a friend You’ve never brought a friend afore now I figured you didn’t have any Save us, a’course" He chuckled

"This here is Miss Maccon Sidheag, this is Soap, and these are the sooties" Sophronia esture to include both the s back and forth behind hi’s title, afraid Soap and the othersdidn’t object to the deh the hatch and inside and was looking around with eyes as big as saucers "What is this place?"

"Boiler roorand? Lifeblood of the ship down ’ere How-d’ye-do? I’rinned at hirin, with no caution or stiffness to it That’s ht Sophronia

While Soap pointed out the wonders of the boiler rooreat pride, Sophronia turned to the other sooties She emptied her pockets of the treats and nibbles she’d filched at high tea the day before, passing theroup It had taken her a few visits to realize the sooties were not, in fact, fed so well as the students, instead subsisting e, bread, and stew

She pretended to be fully absorbed in distributing tiny lemon tarts so that Soap could work his inexplicable char No one could help but like Soap Anyone not iainst him for the color of his skin or his station in life was bound to enjoy his cos, but Sophronia didn’t think her particularly bigoted

The tarts were Direed to distribute the else altruistic Nevertheless, Diht with an expression that was part fear and part jealousy "Why take Sidheag, but not me?"

"But Dimity, you can’t cli dirty"

"I could wear my oldest dress"

"And you aren’t interested in boiler rooms"

"But they clearly need my help! If I am to be a proper lady I must practice charitable endeavors as soon as possible I want to be good"

"Be sensible instead!"

Di out le and Soap that when the scuffle started, it took her a e Sidheag?

But a quick observation proved the fight was not with any real intent

Sidheag and Soap were squared off, fencing, each with a stoking poll and a fierce expression They were alht, and they were also causing a stir of excite the lemon tarts Sophronia had taken such care to distribute fairly

"What are you two up to?"

"This is brilliant, Sophronia Did you know this boy knows proper streetside fisticuffs?" Sidheag’s dour face was aniht

"Does he?" Streetside, but he lives in the air?

"Dirty fighting It’s capital! Look at this!"

Soap ducked in under Sidheag’s swing and kicked her ankle

Sophronia was shocked One is not entlemanly, isn’t proper, isn’t done! "Soap, that’s unscrupulous!"

Soap stopped and turned to grin at her "Yes,poked him in the side with her pole

Soap let out a woof and doubled over

Sidheag cahten, threw a companionable arm around his soot-covered shoulders She was more relaxed than Sophronia had ever seen her "It entle entleencers We should learn to fight dirty We should learn to fight any e can"

Sophronia tried to put her doubts aside and be sensible It was ht "That’s reasonable, I suppose But kicking?"

"Well, miss, not to be rude, but you ladies aren’t sooties or soldiers You don’t haves, don’t ya? And you’re usually wearing them sharp-toed boots"

Sophronia nodded "Good point But we’re also wearing lots of skirts"

"Could get special boots

"Sidheag Maccon, did I just hear youa fashion accessory?" Sophronia , Vieve could do sorinned Another one of those genuine smiles that made her look, if not pretty, at least less plain It crinkled up her remarkable caramel eyes and softened her normally harsh features Sophronia, at thatthe sooties was a resounding success

But then a loo shadow appeared above them and said, "What’s this, what’s this?"

"Greaser--scatter!" yelled Soap

Sophronia and Sidheag did as directed, running hard alongside the sooties down and around the back of one of the coal piles and squeezing into a crevice

Soap, as a noble idiot, intercepted the greaser

"He isn’t going to get booted off school grounds for this, is he?" Sophronia asked, her heart sinking

"What, Soap? For stopping and engaging in someas they didn’t ," added another

"Greasers like him He keeps us all in line, and he works harder than any two of us put together," explained the first

Sophronia and Sidheag both let out sighs of relief