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"You were going to fetch me some punch, sir?"

"Was I?" He lowered his voice to a whisper "I don’t think Queen Victoria likes punch In fact, I know she doesn’t Would a glass of resin do? For the wood A nice sealant Necessary in weather like this They’re collecting crystals, did you know? Pretty round ones, crystals to rule the world Then there are mechanicals to think about I don’t trust them, do you? No, exactly! Not with punch, at any rate"

Sophronia remembered Westminster Hive "Do any vampires trust mechanicals?"

"No Nor do our brother olves Why should they, whot? I mean to say, why should we? I am a vampire, am I not?"

"Yes, Professor, have been for hundreds of years"

"That long? Miss Temminnick, you should come with me" With that, Professor Braithwope picked Sophronia up bodily under one arm and carried her away fro the plank

The pilot’s bubble was the size of two very large bathtubs, one overturned on top of the other It was supported fro but was otherwise far from the safety of the airship

Professor Braithwope set her down on top of the bubble on a flat area big enough for two

"Nohat, sir?" Sophronia asked politely

"Miss Te on top of the pilot’s bubble?"

"You just put me here, sir"

"Oh, yes Noould you like to dance?"

"If you insist There doesn’t seereat deal of space"

"It is quite the rout, whot? I’ve never known Buckingham to be so crowded Usually, the queen is ers present I ers are little more than prison wardens! Not to worry, little bite, I’ll do entle waltz on top of the bubble He was inhu and unbelievably well balanced Sophronia trusted in his ability to hold her up and hoped he wouldn’t suddenly forget about her, or think she was a hat and try to wear her instead of the flowerpot

"Professor Braithwope, really!" caatha had returned with Lady Linette

"Put Miss Temminnick down and come back here this instant Shameful behavior, sir"

The va Mademoiselle Geraldine was the official headmistress, but everyone knew Lady Linette held the real power Accordingly, the va the beam

Sophronia slipped on the bubble roof Her feet went out from under her, and she slid over the side Her petticoats bunched and snagged on a loose nail, but not enough to doladies screaallivanting about the hull of the ship Her instincts kicked in Instead of grappling for purchase, she reached one hand over to the opposite wrist Pointing that wrist up, she ejected her hurlie The hurlie looked a bit like a turtle one wore as a bracelet, but when it was deployed, two grappling hooks sprang out fro hold on the other side It trailed a rope, so Sophronia fell only that distance before her left arht hand around the rope to relieve the strain and found herself dangling like a fish at the end of a line

"Miss Temminnick," she heard Lady Linette cry, "report your condition"

"Sophronia," shrieked Diht? Oh, dear, oh, dear"

Shocked and winded, Sophronia needed a moment before she could answer either