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Alexia congratulated her friends on yet another fine perforht never leave, the group wended their way back to the hotel on foot, followed by a collective band of sycophants and adh the otherwise quiet streets of Alexandria

It was only a few hours before dawn, but Alexia was not surprised to find, when she inquired after her key at the hotel, that Lord Maccon had not yet returned Still angry, she supposed

They were , Mrs Tunstell solicitous in her care for Lady Maccon’s low spirits, particularly in light of the buoyancy that ad to eject the legion of Tunstell devotees, when a vision of horror came down the stairs and into the hotel reception area

No one would have described poor Mrs Dawaud-Plonk as attractive, even at the very best of times The Tunstells’ nursemaid had not been selected for her looks but for her ability to tolerate twins plus Mrs Tunstell, while not cru under a strain that would have felled lesser feray, but not so old that her lith needed to carry two infants at once She wasn’t particularly tall, but she was sturdy, with the ar Mrs Dawaud-Plonk, Alexia supposed, had some species of hearty leather armchair somewhere in her ancestry However, the Mrs Dawaud-Plonk who ca was far from sturdy In fact, she looked to have cracked at last Her face was a picture of horror, her norraying hair fell loose about her shoulders She clutched Percival to her breast The baby boy was crying, his face as red as his hair

Upon catching sight of Lady Maccon and the Tunstells’ party, she cried out, raising her free hand to her throat, and said, on great gulping sobs of terror, "They’re gone!"

Alexia broke free of the crowd and went up to her

"The babies, the babies are gone"

"What!" Alexia brushed past the distraught nurseed up the stairs to the nursery room

The chamber was in an uproar, furniture overturned, probably by the distraught nursemaid in her panic The Tunstells’ two bassinets were empty, as was Prudence’s little cot

Alexia felt her stomach wrench up into the h her whole body She whirled away froh the hallas empty behind her Her voice was hard and authoritative Then she heard, from behind her, a querulous little voice say, "Ma out from under the bed, dusty, tear-stained, but present

Alexia ran to her, crouching down to wrap her in a tight eirl"

"Mahtly, grabbing on to her shoulders and speaking at her straight on Grave brown eyes rave brown eyes "But where is Primrose? Did they take Primrose? Who took her, Prudence? Did you see?"

"No"

"Bad men took the baby Who were they?"

Prudence only tossed her dark curls, pouted, and burst into unhelpful tears Partially a response to herto calirl wailed She broke free of herback to look at her mother "Dama Home Home Dama," she insisted

"No, dear, not yet"

"Now!"

Alexia ling form She strode back down the stairs into the hotel reception rooan to weep openly upon seeing Prudence clutched safely in Lady Maccon’s arms and dashed over to coo over the toddler

"Prudence hid under the bed, but it does look as though they took Primrose," announced Alexia baldly "I am so very sorry, Ivy Who knohy or what they want froone"

Mrs Tunstell let out a high keening wail and fainted back into her husband’s arht be in favor of fainting His freckles stood out starkly against his white face and he stared at Alexia with desperate green eyes

"I don’t knohereat the nature of the plea in those eyes "Of all the times for him to be off in a huff!"

The Tunstells ell loved by their troupe, so this misfortune threw all the other actors into sympathetic paroxysms of distress The ladies fainted or had hysterics, whichever better suited their natures Soht with a fake sword, deteran stuffing his face with those little honey pastries and blubbering into hishis head off, only pausing to spit up all over anyone who came near

Lady Maccon really could have used her husband’s boo the onus fell on her, and relieved her own daughter was accounted for, she took charge Alexia was quite worried for Primrose’s safety, but she was also clear on two fronts Either the baby had been kidnapped in order to extract a ransom, in which case they could expect contact relatively soon, or they had the wrong baby, in which case they could expect her return hter of an actress? No ypt

Alexia cast a desperate look about for the only other person who ht still have as level a head as she under such circumstances, but Madame Lefoux was nowhere to be found She inquired of the hotel clerk, interposing herself in front of the poor man as he atteood man"--Lady Maccon pulled him away from one of the hysterical actresses--"have you seen Madame Lefoux? One of our fellow travelers, the Frenchwoht be useful at this juncture"

"No, one, one?" Alexia did not like this turn of events Noo ladies were ! Well, Primrose was barely half a lady and Madaether they made up only one whole lady, but--Alexia shook herself out of spiraling thoughts and returned to the clerk