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Preshea earing a lovely black goith gray lace ruffles and wine trim It was more modern and stylish than Sophronia could afford, but certainly to her taste Preshea had fashioned a dog-shaped reticule, which she wore slung crosswise across her body She was chatting cooody-goody, as well as a flirt? wondered Sophronia Or is Presheaabout the cloakrooiveaway that she was not obeying the identity shift protocols, Sophronia had soing to loan hiatha twirled past in the ar buck

Sophronia was pleased "I think she’s doing very well"

Pillover subsided into glu his elbows onto his knees and his chin into his hands It was a shockingly lower-class way to sit, as though he were in a public park, or worse, the House of Coested Sophronia quietly It was a non-Agatha suggestion, so she did her best to deliver it in an Agatha tone

Pillover didn’t move "I never," he objected to the floor

"You et anywhere"

"That is a disgusting suggestion"

Sophronia sighed "No, Ilady of your sister’s type"

"Dimity is a type? You mean, there may be others?" Pillover was horrified out of his moroseness

"Do shove off, Pillover How can I be a proper shrinking olive tree with you here? Shrinking olives are solitary creatures Oh, and don’t forget," she hissed, "we have to throw each other over at soed to you"

Pillover looked a ely, he stood and mooched away He could be a bit of a wet blanket, but one had to admire a boy who followed instructions

Sophronia continued to sit, watching her classainst the young men around them It was al man with unfortunate ears who looked most interested in further twirls Diirl, and the young hed appreciatively Diamely on into Preshea’s sour temper

The tall boy was not alone, for as soon as she sat, Dimity was surrounded by interested parties Sophronia illing to wager her friend’s dance card was full Dimity sent various admirers off in pursuit of nibbles and punch,herself accoh the cleared ave the chin-tap fan signal of important information to iree bladed one, safely capped for the evening with a leather guard, and delicate enough to pass for a normal fan

What? she fluttered at Diave the swirl and dip for ene with a pale-haired boy to her left, but really pointing Sophronia’s attention to that side of the room

A woh curls of irls were permitted to practice but not wear in public, so she was no student She faced away fro to Lady Linette Even fros The wo marked her as an aristocrat, or at least trained to the correct posture to pass as one Her hair was naturally blonde, and her dress was certainly Parisian--snohite with rose-pink ruffles, and silk roses sewn into the drapes of the overskirt and clustered at the puff of the daringly short sleeves A coronet of roses, real, not silk, whichexpense for a provincial school ball Instead of a necklace, the stranger wore a lace ruff tied about her neck, likely to disguise the fact that she had vampire bite marks

Sophronia kneho it was before she turned

Monique de Pelouse