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Dusty said, blushing, "Oh, now, Mr Sid, I’m quite happy as a stoker"

"Very well, then, ill try to arrangeoff with this train doesn’t affect your stoking career in any detrimentalwords but disposed to be amenable

Monique said, froaze, "You won’t be working for a vaain, that’s for certain"

Dusty looked asha her nose up at Monique, "I’ll make certain the olves look after you"

Dusty said, "Never knew I’d end upthe wrong train at the wrong time"

"Good stokers are hard to coet it"

Sidheag agreed with hi a puff of black dust to rise into the air

"Thanks, lads," said Dusty, dipping his head to hide his pleasure

After that, they let themselves down and trailed off to various coaches Now that they had all six carriages to the a separate coach in a kind of private hotel scenario But in the end, they decided it was better to stick together While Soap sat first watch, Monique safely trussed up in the cab, Dusty and Sidheag slept in one coach with Dimity and Sophronia in the next one down They chose the carriage closest to the loco untoward occurred Bumbersnoot stayed in the cab, where Soap could keep an eye on hiht have protested that Sidheag should not be alone with Dusty, even if it was a first-class conveyance, but as far as they could tell, Dusty still had no idea they were girls Should anyone hear any details of this escapade, Sidheag’s reputation would be ruined, if being alone with Captain Niall hadn’t already done the trick Sophronia was eager for ato learn ood captain seeotten close Unfortunately, Sophronia suspected even she didn’t have the necessary cos froht-lipped Frustrating, as other people’s finer feelings were fun to talk about

After such an exciting day, Sophronia thought she would fall asleep easily, but herof the coach, thinking about the vaht Dimity was asleep already until her friend spoke into the silence "Will Felix come back to you, do you think?"

"Oh, Dimity, he won’t do, not forsize no matter what I do"

"But Sophronia, he’s a duke’s son"

"He’s a Pickleet close Why was I so taken by those blue eyes? I wonder if, all along, it was Felix who thought he could change me

"Not one for the Picklemen, then?"

"I simply feel that world dohted?"

"No I thought you ainst them"

"You did, why?"

"They don’t feel Sophronia-ish Soreen-banded top hats I reen-banded top hat?"

"No one said I would have to wear one They shouldn’t have started with , if they hadn’t tried for the prototype…"

"So are we going to ith the vampires in this? Join up with Monique?"