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As if her thoughts had summoned him, the antiquity in question joined her on the forecastle

"Lady Prudence" He greeted her with a painfully forht fall over with the effort He looked so frail, the slightest breeze could tip him spout over handle in the manner of a porcelain teapot

"Mr Panettone How are you this estured for him to sit in a nearby deck chair He did so with relief Rue was syned with the aged or infir been conceived of by an ageless valy healthy drones

Rue turned back to their surrounding flock "I find it interesting that these dirigibles of yours are all painted red with black spots Newly painted, unless I uess Surely this is no coincidence? Not that I think my taste unique, simply eccentric"

The "

"And so decoys?"

"You may be different from your mother, but not that different"

If that wasn’t the perfect opening for hteen fifty-five was the date Mother would have been around eight How did you--?"

"I was in service to your faeneral dereat need of decoys"

Rue wrinkled her nose Truer words were likely never before uttered

She prodded "Grandmother’s household?"

He inclined his head "Butler"

"I do apologise" Rue had little to do with Grandmother Loontwill over the years, first at her mother’s insistence and later at her own Grandmother Loontas unpleasantly silly and had produced two equally silly follow-up daughters to Alexia Aunt Evelyn came to the pack’s Sunday roast once or twice a year but Grandmother Loontasn’t welcome in the Maccon household There was another aunt, Felicity, but she and Mother did not speak She’d left London and was reputed to be worse than the whole rest of the faether "That could not have been a very pleasant house to work in"

Mr Panettone did not acknowledge this staterandfather as valet"

Rue was totally floored by this "The Italian one?"

"Alessandro Tarabotti"

"Is that why you have an Italian name?"

"That’s why I use one"