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"Lady Danbury!" Elizabeth exclai up her accounts, but still, there was no need to discuss such bodily functions

Lady D shook her head "Too et to be so prissy?"

"When we decided that vomit wasn't a pleasant topic of conversation," Elizabeth retorted

"That's the spirit!" Lady Danbury chortled, clapping her hands together "I declare, Elizabeth Hotchkiss, you sound more and roaned

"Even better Exactly what I would have said" Lady Danbury sat back, tapped her index finger to her forehead, and frowned "Now, then, as I talking about? Oh, yes, anted to make sure that you wouldn't have to walk home in the rain Don't fear, we'll find soer, if need be Lord knows he won't be able to get anything done in this weather"

Elizabeth gulped "I' forked through the sky--just to spite her, she was sure--followed by a clap of thunder so loud Elizabeth jumped a foot "Ow!" she yelped

"What did you do to yourself now?"

"Just my knee," she replied with a patently false smile "Doesn't hurt a bit"

Lady Danbury snorted her disbelief

"No, really," Elizabeth insisted "Funny how I never noticed that end table there, though"

"Oh, that Moved it there yesterday Mr Siddons suggested it"

"That figures," Elizabeth ," she said, a little too loudly

"Hmmph," was Lady Danbury's reply "I'm thirsty"

Elizabeth i to do besides stare out theand worry that Mr Siddons was going to make an appearance "Would you care for tea, Lady Danbury? Or perhaps I can have Cook prepare so for lemonade," Lady D barked "Too early for tea, as a matter of fact, but I'll have some anyway"

"Didn't you take tea with breakfast?" Elizabeth pointed out

"That was breakfast tea Different entirely"

"Ah" Soht, she would receive a sainthood for this

"Make sure Cook puts biscuits on the tray And don't forget to ask her to fix so for Malcolm" Lady D craned her head this way and that "Where is that cat?"

"Plotting his latest scheme to torture me, no doubt," Elizabeth muttered

"Eh? What was that?"

Elizabeth turned toward the door, still looking over her shoulder at Lady Danbury "Nothing at all, Lady Danbury I'll just--"

Anything else shelarge, warroaned Mr Siddons It had to be She had never been a particularly lucky woman