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"I wish you’d admitted it was you earlier Perhaps Monique isn’t as bad as I think"

"Oh, she is"

Sophronia sighed She wasn’t really angry at Sidheag--more concerned about what it said about her new friend’s character

Sidheag’s look went froetic She sat on the other bed, facing Sophronia Sidheag was no Dimity, to flop and lean affectionately on her shoulder

"I didn’t want you to knoas ht you’d hate ?"

"I thought it would show theht to punish scandalers Instead they acted disappointed and put a note in enuinely think you’d deny it, too Then it would be your word against row to like you at all"

"You’re not going to h enough, but--"

"I dinna care enough I got home to worry over"

"So clearly didn’t want to relay the particulars

"I take it you really don’t want to co nodded, perhaps a little too eagerly "I should go home"

"Um," said a hesitant voice The door behind the to the whole conversation At a school for espionage training, thought Sophronia, life can get very coo, too, then? I mean to say, very kind of you to askisn’t attending…" She trailed off hopefully

"I’ said, atte to be positive

Sophronia wasn’t convinced, but it wasn’t in her training to object "Once an invitation has been declined, it does not do to force your request; it’s as bad as a jilted lover pressing his suit," Mademoiselle Geraldine had said So Sophronia left the rooatha won’t be co with us to Petunia’s ball," she said to Di to their room

"Oh, why not?"

"They don’t feel ready"

"Goodness, i up the opportunity to dress fancy and dance all night"

"Or, ht"

Di to be easy"

The end of the term barreled down upon them like flyway the last of handkerchiefa special session on the language of fans with an eye toward various holiday parties, and the next week the great propellers of the school had wound up and they were no longer drifting with the ray and made haste to Swiffle-on-Exe

The teachers were jumpy No sooner had they drifted down and out of the cloud cover than on the horizon they could see the faint dots of airships tracking them The school sped toward the town and the relative protection of Bunson and Lacroix’s Boys’ Polytechnique

During the intervening two days, es were dropped, presumably to Captain Niall and thence to the nearest post Sophronia sent a carefully wordedthem to uninvite Monique, both of which itenore She also infor Dimity with her

Bunson’s let out the same day as Mademoiselle Geraldine’s, partly because of the systes and partly for safety, Sophronia supposed The flywayenius school, not toaspect Made Ladies of Quality floated in low over the town and dropped anchor--which apparentlyropes to a copse of trees--a quarter of aand thus ilass platfor Sophronia suspected only very fe about the rope ladders, which left her curious as to dignified diseet to see the stairs?

She and the other debuts packed what few necessities they needed, knowing full wardrobes and shopping jaunts awaited them at home They made their way to one of the side the other students The deck soon becairls, full skirts, and assorted fripperies, not to s, and parcels Sophronia wormed her way to the front and watched with interest as the school ca, automated staircase to drop out from under its mid-deck She bent herself double and nearly tued Sophronia spotted three sooties cranking it down and waved to the receipt of students were asse brown patch of er parents, but e coach-and-four intended to take soirls to the nearest train station

Sophronia strained to see her own fa on the field of battle--on the side of a carriage It was nowhere in sight, even with binoculars Vieve had lent the binoculars to her on a se scairl had said, "I need it far more than you, stuck on this ship all on my lonesome for the next teeks Here, take these instead"

"Miss Temminnick, remove yourself from that indelicate position!" Lady Linette’s voice resounded fro

Sophronia shied back fro ofthe students faced with a long, rather grand, staircase-meets-ladder contraption

It was a precarious descent for the girls, particularly the debuts, having to navigate a bobbing and shifting staircase with proper poise and carpetbags, but they atha

Only when she was safely on the ground andconveyances did Sophronia spot their transport

"Over here, Miss Sophronia!" Her old chuer the stable lad stood and waved at her fro; they would be traveling some fiftya dear, sweet thing, said nothing disparaging She declared in a shaky voice that it would be exhilarating to travel so far with an open top

"You’re Miss Dier "I’m to collect a Miss Pelouse as well She here?"