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Alexia and Conall looked at each other for a moment and then left Felicity sluree salts ahost required immediate attention with no time to revive troublesome sisters The Maccons turned the full force of their collective attention onto the specter before them

"Floote," asked Lady Maccon slowly, so as not to startle the creature, "did we know this house ca documentation?"

"I don’t believe so, lided off to find the deeds

The ghost in question was rather fuzzy around the edges and not entirely cohesive in the eist state When she began speaking, it becahost’s h and breathy, sounding as though it emanated from some distance away

"Maccon? Or was it bacon? I used to like bacon Very salty" The ghost paused and twirled about, trailing h the air These eddied in Lady Maccon’s direction, pulled by the preternatural’s attraction for ae Missive Mutton Didn’t like ent? Important Impossible Information"

Lady Maccon looked at her husband curiously "One of BUR’s?"

The Bureau of Unnatural Registry kept a nuents--exhumed and preserved bodies with tethered specters that could be placed in select locales or near key public institutions for infor purposes They took pains to have a noncorporeal cohost’s tether crossed over the lith and breadth of London, although it was not able to cover the city in its entirety Of course, it had to be updated as its members went insane, but such maintenance was practically second nature to BUR’s spectral custodians

The olf shook his shaggy head "Not that I know of, istry to be certain I’ve met most of our noncorporeal recruits at least once Don’t think this one is under contract at all, or so far better care of the body" He braced hihost, arms stiff by his side "Hallo? Listen up Where are you tethered? This house? Where is your corpse? It needs looking to You are drifting, young lady Drifting"

The ghost looked at him in puzzled annoyance and floated up and down "Not ie, that’s what’s important What was it? Accents, accents, everywhere these days London’s full of foreigners And curry Who let in the curry?"

"That’s the e?" Lady Maccon didn’t like to be out of the loop, even if the loop was inside sohost whirled to face Alexia "No, no, no Now, no, what? Oh, yes Are you Alexia Macaroon?"

Alexia didn’t kno to respond to that, so she nodded

Conall, useless beast, started laughing "Macaroon? I love it!"

Both Alexia and the ghost ignored hi attention was now focused on Lady Maccon "Tarabitty? Tarabotti Daughter of? Dead Soulless Problemarole was related to her father or to herself, but she supposed in either context it was accurate enough "The sahost twirled about in e for you" She paused, worried and confused "Custard No Conscription No Conspiracy To kill, to kill???"

"Me?" Alexia hazarded a guess She thought itto kill her

The ghost beca slightly "No, no, no Not you But sohtened suddenly "The queen Kill the queen" The specter began to sing "Kill the queen! Kill the queen! Kill the quee-een!"

Lord Maccon stopped s "Ah, that’s torn it"

"Good Yes? That’s all Bye-bye, living people" The ghost then sank down through the floor of their new parlor and vanished, presumably back the way she had come

Floote returned to the room at that juncture to find a silently shocked Lord and Lady Maccon staring at each other

"No documented apparitions come tethered to this house, madam"

"Thank you, Floote I suppose we should see to?????" Alexia did not need to continue The ever-resourceful Floote was already tending to Felicity with a scented handkerchief

Lady Maccon turned to her husband "And you should--"

He was already clapping his top hat to his head "On my ife She has to be within tether radius of this house There should be a record of her so Professor Lyall and Biffy with me"

Alexia nodded "Don’t be out too late Soet , and you know all I seem to do these days is sleep"

Her husband swept over in the , and administered a loud kiss both to her and then, to her utter e off Luckily, Floote was still seeing to Felicity, so neither witnessed the excessive display of affection

"I suppose that makes Felicity the least of our concerns"

The sun had just set, and the Maccons were awake, across the teplank fro rooht before; it had only paused for Conall to conduct soations and then catch half a day’s sleep

Lord Maccon glanced up froainst the queen seriously, my dear Even if my efforts so far have proved unproductive, that does not host with flippancy"

"You believe I am not concerned? I’ve alerted the Shadow Council We have a special "

Lord Maccon looked disgruntled "Now, Alexia, should you be involving yourself in this e?"