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Lord Maccon grinned wolfishly "Is it a nice surprise?"

"Only if you’re in a very good ed his wife

The ghost was in that space again, that insubstantial void She thought she ht float there forever if she could simply stay still Still as death

But reality intruded Reality from her own mind, however little of it was left "You have to tell so You arePut a stop to it You have to tell"

Oh, how inconvenient, when one’s own brain starts issuing instructions

"Who can I tell? Who can I tell? I am only a hen in a chicken coop"

"Tell soirl"

"Her? But I don’t even like her"

"That’s no excuse You don’t like anyone"

The ghost hated it when she was sensible with herself

CHAPTER THREE

Matters Ghostly

Oh, really, must you?" was Lord Maccon’s considered opinion, expressed to his wife upon seeing her sister in residence, as if Felicity were soestive conored her sister, who sat waiting patiently in the parlor, and instead took in her new surroundings The drones and the olves had done Woolsey Pack proud Their nen house was quite filled to bursting with tasteful furniture, pleasingly arranged and minimally decorated As the abode was intended to serve as a way station for those of the pack who had business in town, most personal iteers were left back at Woolsey Castle The result was that the new house had the look of a gentleman’s club, rather than a private residence (but a nicely up-entleman’s club) Lord Macconroo for the sake of it, and everyone knew it Thick curtains kept hars kept heavy footfalls and claw scrapes to a , Floote was to resume the post of butler to the secondary residence He had not even batted an eye at this temporary demotion back to domestic staff Alexia suspected that he had missed his for ability towithin it Personal secretary her position, but it did not carry with it quite the range of a butler’s coossip

The front parlor, where Felicity sat, was decked out in rich chocolate brown leather and cream twill, with only a sree of a gas lae Oriental floor vase to hold Alexia’s parasols, and a periscopic shoe-drying stand in front of the fireplace

It was exactly the opposite of Lord Akeldailt splendor

Lady Maccon was is at such short notice?"

Floote looked at Alexia as though she had asked him the secrets of his daily ablutions

"Noife If Floote prefers to be thought a conjurer, who are we to inquire as to his sleight of hand? We must preserve a sense of wonder and faith, eh, Floote?" Lord Maccon slapped the dignified gentleman amiably on the back

Floote sniffed "If you say so, sir"

Lord Maccon turned to his wife’s sister, sitting in deray, both so utterly out of character as to garner even Lord Maccon’s notice

"Miss Felicity, has somebody died?"

Felicity stood and bobbed a curtsy at the earl "Not that I a How do you do?"

"There’s so, isn’t there? Have you done so different with your hair?"

"No,Only, I had a favor to ask my sister and it couldn’t possibly wait"

"Oh, did you?" The earl turned his tawny eyes on his wife

Alexia tipped her chin up and to one side "She wants to come stay with us"

"Oh, she does, does she?"

"Here"

"Here?" Conall took his wife’s point exactly They could hardly have Felicity stay in their nen house and not actually be living there theot out? Felicity would be known to have resided with a pack of olves and no chaperone

"Why not at Woolsey? Bit of country air? Looks like she could do with it" Lord Maccon grappled for a better solution

"Felicity has involved herself in some"--Alexia paused--"questionable charitable work here in town She seems to believe she may require our protection"

Lord Maccon looked confused As well he ht "Protection????protection fro

Lord Maccon could understand that and was about to deh the plush carpet next to hihosts were too polite to simply appear in the middle of a conversation The better-behaved specters took pains to drift into front hallways at the very least, where a footht notice and inquire as to their business In a startling fashion, this one wafted into existence out of the center of the new rug, directly through the bouquet of flowers depicted there

Lord Maccon exclairip on her parasol Floote raised one eyebrow Felicity fainted