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"May I suggest that you stay quite still, sir?" Sophronia was careful not to forget her ht there Her voice was deadly confident "You, I do not feel so kindly toward as I diddesperately to toss her off

Sophronia pocketed the acid without looking away She brought her free hand to his neck, above where her fan pricked She pressed down fir for the wheeze

"Don’t you worry about hi care of you, too" Without turning, Sophronia asked, "Mademoiselle Geraldine, do you think you can scoot your chair over here? I have a knife somewhere, for your bonds"

Mademoiselle Geraldine’s voice replied, "No need, my dear I’ve had them undone for some time"

Sophronia was unsurprised, but she did not look up "I suggest you unlock Professor Braithwope, then We are, after all, enjoying tea I should think he’d be grateful for a drop or two of the warone theseidea" There was a rustle of skirts as the head about his waistcoat for the keys The man twitched Sophronia pressed doith both her hands A trickle of blood appeared froe of her fan Good That would draw Professor Braithwope’s attention

Deep Voice fell still

The click and clang of the cage being unlocked followed, and then a faint hiss and the sas

"He tapped this contraption into our own gas lighting lines--quite ingenious, actually" Mademoiselle Geraldine seemed most impressed "Best way to hold a vampire at short notice Ah, there we are, ht repast for you to enjoy after such a trying evening I shall find your robe, shall I?"

A force sla her violently aside She rolled with it, away fro the fan at the ready

While Professor Braithwopeinstincts functioned fine They would be the last to go in any creature, Sophronia supposed Although his tableto be desired This was only a casual tea, yet he was positively aniurgled but could do nothing to stop the va been confined without sustenance, Professor Braithas more than a match for ablood hie to feed ht this on hi Professor Braithwope’s yellow banyan robe and looking on with co when a civilized creature becoets technique I had a fancy man like that once"

"Oh?" Sophronia ildly curious, but the headmistress left it there

The two ladies watched silently until Madeust, I suppose"

"Agreed," said Sophronia "But the one is our enemy and the otherlady" Mademoiselle Geraldine spoke to her as if she were al "You have a plan?"

"Of a kind" Sophronia handed the headmistress her spare knife, filched fros here for a moment, would you, please?"

Mademoiselle Geraldine nodded

Sophronia nipped out, retrieved Bu and locking the door behind her

"Do we let him feed the man dry?" The headmistress’s tone was conversational

Sophronia frowned "I trust to your judgment in this I will say, however, that if we did so, a man would be dead, and you likely know better than I how al issues always arise from that"

The headmistress sniffed "He wasn’t very nice to poor Professor Braithwope"