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Irene tried to think of a way to respond which wouldn’t seeain – froain She wondered if he’d noticed it himself Possibly the influence of the Library, cohts aside for later consideration, and did her best to sht Really You aren’t the only one who’s had problems with chaos But we can’t assess how to handle the situation until we have a full picture of it Please tell me more about Liechtenstein and the Embassy’

Kai returned a thin smile, but it was clearly a duty rather than a pleasure ‘Well, as I was going to say, the Fae infestation in Liechtenstein see countries Maybe because they’re not sure what the Fae could do, orinto their countries And Liechtenstein’s a peach that a lot of people would otherant to pluck from the branch and sink their teeth into’

Irene raised her eyebrows

‘Okay,’ Kai said, waving his spoon, ‘a dramatic simile, but have you noticed how very balanced and counterbalanced this whole world is? If you take Liechtenstein, there are mad scientists everywhere The people I questioned implied some kind of mad scientist race I know I’m just a trainee, but surely the influence of science there could only be to balance the a to the table – especially in Liechtenstein itself?’

‘Orstories about science,’ Irene hypothesized ‘Or being involved in stories about science Or ium in this alternate My father once did a check on it in as et invaded, fall prey toand don’t look now, but so at us’

‘Ithis spoon in a vain attempt to catch a reflection of the roo odd and see if he reacts’

‘He’s co this way,’ Irene said briefly He appeared every inch the wealthy aristocrat From the top hat to the silk-lined cape to the silver-headed cane (a sword cane, she suspected) His eyes were fixed on Kai ‘Quickly,’ shethat you should have told aze ‘Hm Wait I saw him at the Embassy’

‘As I saw you, sir,’ thehis top hat in a small bow to Kai, then a subsidiary one to Irene ‘May I join you at this table?’

Kai flicked a glance to Irene She nodded slightly He turned back to the h I don’t think we’ve been introduced?’

A waiter had co up with an extra chair, and withdreith the man’s hat and cloak

The ers ‘I trust I may speak freely before your associate?’ He nodded towards Irene ‘Some of what I have to say entler sex’

Kai looked at Irene for a moment Irene hesitated, then looked down at her plate in a docile h ad a junior at the same time ‘Please let me stay, sir,’ she said to Kai ‘I will simply take notes as normal’

Kai nodded to her in a lordly uest ‘I assure you that Miss – ’ he barely faltered – ‘Winters here is entirely trustworthy, and is a valued associate of h I would be interested to knohat you propose to discuss’

Part of Irene’s ance of speech He’d shifted again into that extreme fore such linguistic shifts easily enough froht that he’d be so capable Stranger and stranger from a boy who claimed to be from a cybered-up alternate, where he was a petty criminal She very much wanted to talk to Coppelia about this The other part of her mind wondered why he’d dubbed her ‘Winters’ and what the cultural reference uest from under her eyelashes He had relaxed a little now, and was leaning back in his chair He was a very aquiline physical type, with a well-defined nose, deep-set shadowy eyes, high cheekbones and long delicate fingers The perfect exaonist in certain types of detective fiction In fact, she wondered if

‘Very well,’ the stranger said ‘Perrine Vale, fifteenth Earl of Leeds’

Kai gave a little nod ‘Kay Strongrock, at your service Might I ask the nature of your business?’

The waiter cleared away the soup course and brought the lass for the visitor, filling it unbidden, before retreating again The intrusion allowed Irene to bite her lip and refrain froed to work out where he was getting his pseudonyrock – Rochefort Winters – De Winter She would have to explain to him why it was a bad idea to pull pseudonyms from literary sources If the other person had read the book, it gave the around for three possible Musketeers or mysterious Richelieu-like le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">