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Irene suppressed a groan How ? Hoas she supposed to conduct a rational investigation with this sort of interference? ‘Who’s doing the striking?’ she demanded in a murmur ‘And can we use it as a diversion to search the Earded her from under lowered eyebrows ‘Miss Winters, that’s a very felonious suggestion’

‘But it’s a very practical one,’ she said, reh he didn’t see Perhaps it was the fact that she’d suggested it, rather than him, which had forced him to condemn it

‘Hmph’ He shovelled estion ‘In answer to your first question, the protestors are the Iron Brotherhood They are notoriously anti-Fae, so it wouldn’t be out of character for the the Embassy staff?’ she asked

Vale shook his head ‘They’ll already be expecting so like this I checked earlier, and they have all the usual precautions – anti-zeppelin guns, glamours, whatever But do be careful, Miss Winters Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak to that lady who just came in’

The lady in question was currently invisible behind a squadron of e across the ballroom, and tried to hide her overstuffed plate behind a bowl of soup

‘There’s so on,’ Kai said from behind her shoulder

Irene very nearly spilled the soup ‘Really,’ she said through gritted teeth

‘Absolutely,’ Kai said ‘Let et you some of those blinis’ He picked up a new plate and started depositingprocess’

‘I also need to be able to ithout falling over,’ Irene said, watching with growing unease as he ladled on soed a little closer ‘Have you found out anything yet?’ he muttered

Irene considered the facts she’d picked up so far ‘I think Silver’s waiting for so distracted by the glitterati’ She could see hi to a voluptuous pair of wo on each other’s shoulders, clearly already half-drunk ‘I’ve been talking to a couple of other people Apparently it’s odd that Silver hasn’t invited any other vaht have been anti-vampire rather than anti-Fae, and I’d like to ask Vale a few more questions about his family and if they have any links to va to be an attack on the Liechtenstein Embassy by an anti-Fae society called the Iron Brotherhood, and – oh, Kai, please not the sour cream’

‘You need it for a proper contrast with the blinis,’ Kai said fir definite,’ Kai said slowly ‘And – well, I haven’t actually been trying to talk to any of the other Fae here I don’t think they’d tell us anything useful’