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"I do hope she grows out of this dislike for soap suds"

Lord Akeldanificant sort of once-over where he lurked behind his wife in the hallway "My darling chamomile bud, we can but hope"

Lord Maccon took mild offense and sniffed at himself subtly

"Conall and I have been sue without us for the reht?"

"I believe we may, just possibly, survive, my little periwinkle"

Lady Maccon sohen so already in the hallway and hoping to keep Prudence fro, Lord Maccon dashed to answer the door despite the fact that this wasfor a olf of his station, and it was someone else’s house

"Oh, really, Conall Do try not to behave like a foot her, Lord Maccon opened the door with a flourish and a tiny bow--as behooved a footman

Lady Maccon cast her hands up in exasperation

Fortunately it was only Professor Lyall on the stoop If any ard for all laws of propriety and precedence, it was his Beta "Oh, good,to catch you here"

"Randolph"

"Dolly darling!" said Lord Akeldama

Professor Lyall didn’t even twitch an eyelid at the appalling moniker

"You had a visitor,refined

Alexia was confident enough in her assessment of Lyall’s character to spot a certain tension He displayed quick efficiency under most circumstances Such forced calm as this indicated a need for caution

Her husband knew this, too Or perhaps he sht "BUR or pack business?"

"Pack"

"Oh, must I? Is it terribly important? We are required out of town"

Alexia interrupted "I alone am required You, as I understand it,out of curiosity"

Conall frowned His wife knew perfectly well that the real reason he wished to acco her into a hive alone Alexia waggled her reticule at him As yet, there was no new parasol in her life, but she still carried Ethel, and the sundowner gun was good enough when pointed at a vampire queen

"I’m afraid this is important," said a new voice from behind Professor Lyall, in the street

Professor Lyall’s lip curled slightly "I thought I told you to wait"

"Dinna forget, I’m Alpha You canna order ht that a tad unfair Professor Lyall was s, but he was not at all tyrannical That was ht be better said that Professor Lyall arranged everyone and everything around him just so Alexia didn’t earden and into the light cast by the bright gas chandeliers of Lord Akeldama’s hallway Professor Lyall, polite man that he was, shifted to one side to allow their unexpected visitor to take center stage

Sidheag Maccon, the Lady of Kingair, looked much the same as she had almost three years earlier, when Alexia had seen her last Iiven her skin a certain pallor, but her face was still griraying hair back in one heavy plait, like a schoolgirl She wore a threadbare velvet cloak that would do nothing to ward off the evening’s chill Alexia noted the woman’s bare feet Clearly, the cloak was not for cold but for air to Lord Maccon, and then, "Gra she looked older than both, it was an odd kind of greeting to anyone unfamiliar with the Maccon’s fahter," responded Lord Maccon tersely "To what do e this honor?"

"We have a problem"

"Oh, do we?"

"Yes May I coesture back at Lord Akelda the va people in Lord Akelda about imbalance in the tether ratio after Lady Maccon entertained Mrs Ivy Tunstell overly long in his drawing room He seemed to have adjusted tolerably well to Prudence and her parents living under his roof, but after the Ivy tea incident, Alexia always uests next door, in her own parlor

Lord Akelda on tiptoe "I don’t believe we have been introduced, young lady" His tone of voice saidhis doorstep with plaited hair, a Scottish accent, and an old velvet cloak

Alexia pivoted slightly and, after a quick consideration, decided Lady Kingair was just lady enough to warrant the precedence, and said, "Lady Kingair, may I introduce our host, Lord Akeldaair Pack"

Everyone waited a breath

"I thought as ave a little bow "Enchanted"

The female olf nodded

The two immortals evaluated each other Alexia wondered if either saw beyond the outrageousness of the other’s appearance Lord Akeldaair sniffed at the air

Finally Lord Akeldae of triumph at the achieve social circumstances Introductions had been h-treble query from behind the, " Lord Akeldama turned away from his new acquaintance to look fondly down the corridor