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‘Mr Strongrock overstates the situation,’ Vale observed, ‘but it isn’t possible in any case I agree that it is worth investigating, but unfortunately on’t be able to get in The affair is strictly invitation only, and even if I can enter the place disguised, I aree that the Fae are probably behind it,’ Kai put in, ‘but there has to be a better way of investigating the to work’
‘No’ Irene said ‘It ork Because I have an invitation’
‘Excellent!’ Vale exclaimed
‘And,’ she added, ‘I’ll need a new dress’
‘And a new hand?’ Kai asked through gritted teeth
Irene ed to catch his eye ‘Trust me,’ she said
‘Oh, I do,’ Kai said ‘I just happen to think that this is one of theplans I have heard of since--’ He broke off ‘Never mind I’m under your orders But that invitation had better be for three people’
‘It’ll do,’ Irene said serenely, and tried to stay cal that she didn’t feel
CHAPTER TEN
Irene stood back and watched Kai at the buffet There was so about the pure, focused dedication that he gave the caviar: it see holy, even divine The curve of his wrist as he scooped it onto a triangle of toast was the last word in elegant efficiency Of course, there were other reasons to watch Thanks to Vale’s tailoring recoreen, but Kaiwell
Kaidress with a personal style thatjealousy – and on stifling a half-forht It was not her business that Kai had such an air of inherent power, or the elegance of a noble air of raffishness
That made her think When she’d first seen hi ruffian attitude to match But once they’d established thee as effectively as any spy (and that wasn’t a co into a more cheerful politeness that had certainly ain without a lass of wine, held in her left hand Dry white, appropriate to the largely fish buffet
She still trusted hi of hiness to accept what he thought was a dangerous course of action, both rang true to her Whoever he hatever he was, he was sincere and he was on her side
He couldn’t be a fully-fledged Librarian He wouldn’t have been so willing to share a bed with her if he’d needed to hide the requisite Library brand That was one thing which make-up wouldn’t cover, as Irene knew from personal experience And she didn’t think he was a creature of chaos His distrust of all things Fae seemed very real A nature-spirit, perhaps? But from what she’d read, nonhu hunificant alternative She stared at the back of Kai’s head and thought about everything that she knew about dragons, and wished she knew ons, after all, who looked like – well – dragons And then dragons could take a partly human form She’d met one of those and sensed a pride so subliraceful There had been the sense of a being apart, and definitely not hunity And Kai looked human Impossibly handsoons could take that shape as well, if they wanted Irene felt a rising sense of outrage at the thought that Coppelia must have known – if this was true So why hadn’t she said – and why had Bradamant wanted him?
‘My little ood of you to corip on herself not to spill her wine Just about And she hadn’t been so engrossed in her student that she’d forgotten to watch the crowd She just hadn’t seen hi a brief glance up at his face before lowering her eyes ‘Lord Silver’ She had no idea whether or not he deserved the title, but it’d probably please him He was as formally dressed as Kai, with some unspecified military order on his chest, and his pale hair was draped loosely over his shoulders ‘Thank you for your kind invitation’
‘You do pick thepeople to accoerous ‘But I appreciate it I’d have invited Leeds ht of it’
‘I didn’t realize you were on those sorts of terms with him, sir,’ Irene said
‘I’m not’ His lips curved in a private shtened out of her curtsey ‘The ball seelanced across the room with a smile of casual ownership He scooped up a plate from the buffet, casually loaded it with a handful of crab pâté puffs, and offered it to her ‘I should hope so,’ he said ‘I’ve invited all the best people Lords, ladies, authors, arave-robbers, perverts, sorcerers, courtesans, deranged scientists, and doll-enerally I receive polite notes of refusal from their parents – or invitations to be horsewhipped’