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"Oh, she did, did she? And how--"

"Apparently someone named Professor Lyall told Mada and that you would hole up at Lord Akelda delivery Have you con fe her establishment after what happened in Scotland? And who is this Professor Lyall person? You haven’t taken up with academics, have you? That cannot possibly be healthy Education is terribly bad for the nerves, especially for a worappled for some appropriate response

Felicity added, in a blatant atteotten tre supposed to cause you to swell quite so much as all that?"

Lady Maccon frowned "I believe I have increased, as it were, to thedone as thoroughly as possible"

"Well, Mary with anyone The child will end up looking like hi they call it, and--"

"Well, that’s no trouble It will si like my husband"

"But what if it is a female? Wouldn’t that be horrible? She’d be all fuzzy and--"

Felicity would have continued but Lady Maccon lost her patience, a thing she was all too prone toed "This is quite the remarkable abode I never did think I should ever see inside of a va and full of exquisite collections Almost up to my standards"

"This is not a hive--there is no queen Not in the technical definition of the word I will not be so easily detoured, Felicity Why have you shown up at such a tiht? And ould you undertake such pains to discover my whereabouts?"

Her sister shifted on the brocade settee, her blond head tilted to one side and a small frown creased her perfect forehead She had not, Alexia noticed, lets to ummed to her forehead in the very latest style

"You have not paid the family much mind since your return to London"

Lady Maccon considered this accusation "You must admit, I was made to feel rather unwelco it mildly Her family had always been a mite petty for her taste, even before they unilaterally decided to expel her from their midst at the most inconvenient time Since her ill-fated trip to Scotland and subsequent dash across half the knoorld, she had simply elected to avoid the Loontwills as ht, who fraternized olves; inventors; and, horror of horrors, actors, this was a relatively easy undertaking

"Yes, but it’s been positively e Did you know Evylin has renewed her engageh?"

Lady Maccon only stared at her sister, tapping one slipper lightly on the carpeted floor

Miss Loontwill blushed, looking toward her and then away again "I have beco for the correct way of phrasing it--"involved"

Alexia felt a treestion? "Oh, no, Felicity Not with someone unsuitable? Not with soive you!"

Felicity stood and began to wander about the gilded rooitation "No, no, youI have become involved with my local chapter of the"--she lowered her voice drae"

If Lady Maccon hadn’t already been sitting down, she would have had to sit at such a statement "You want to vote? You? But you can’t even decide which gloves to wear of a "

"I believe in the cause"

"Poppycock You’ve never believed in anything in your whole life, except possibly the reliability of the French to predict next season’s color palette"

"Well Still"

"But, Felicity, really this is so very common Couldn’t you start up a ladies aid society or an embroidery social? You? Politicallyfeasible It has only been five months since I met with you last, not five years, and even then you could not change your character so drastically A feathered bonnet does not molt so easily as that"

At which juncture, and without any warning whatsoever, Lord Akelda of le a playbill of so, how are you faring this fine evening? Is ? A relocation can be such a trial on one’s finer feelings, I always find" He paused artfully on the threshold to put down his opera glasses, gloves, and top hat on a convenient sideboard Then he raised his silver and sapphire h it

"Oh, dear me, pardon the intrusion" His keen eyes took in the dated dress and the effusive curls of Alexia’s visitor "Alexia, my dove, you have some sort of company?"