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"Only the ghost I have to find her, and soon, for she was getting rather unsubstantial"

"Why you?" demanded the dewan

"Clearly it has to befor, so I aht do ood I’ about without hed "Thank heavens he never hears you talk like that, petunia"

"What makes you think he doesn’t?" Alexia continued her line of reasoning "A ghost left untended, no preservation enacted, in the dead of su would the specter remain sane under such conditions?"

The dewan answered, "Only a few days"

"And if she were given regular formaldehyde treatments?"

"Several weeks"

Alexia pursed her lips "That is a rather broad "

Lord Akeldaertips over the tabletop "Did she have any kind of accent, n?"

"No, snowdrop I mean, could you make out her place in society?"

Lady Maccon considered this "Good but not particularly well educated I should say perhaps upstairs staff? Which could explain why she did not get proper preservation, burial????or registry with BUR" Alexia was snified potential "So I airl or perhaps a housekeeper or cook One who has died within the past teeks Few or no fa radius of the potentate’s town house"

Lord Akeldama shook his head in distress "You have my deepest sympathies"

Alexia knew this for the sham that it was Lord Akeldama liked to pretend he attended only the best parties and fraternized with only the right kind of people His drones were certainly drawn frohest society had to offer But Biffy, in his day, had unexpectedly turned up in more unsavory locales than a housekeeper would ever frequent, and Lord Akeldao anywhere in London he had not vetted first himself

The dewan kept the conversation on course "But, Muhjah, that’s hundreds of houses, not to mention shops, private clubs, and other places of interest"

Lady Maccon considered Madaround contrivance chamber, just outside the radius of inquiry "In addition, it does not take into account cellars or attics built with subterfuge in ers will tell me if someone within their household has recently died Nevertheless, can you think of a better approach?"

Neither Lord Akeldama nor the dewan could

The infant-inconvenience kicked out in apparent punctuation to this statelared down at her stomach, then cleared her throat when the others looked at her inquiringly

"Do we inform the queen in the meantime?" Now that they had so about was no longer necessary He came to sit at the table

Lord Akeldama took a stand at that He always took a stand over control of information "Not just yet, I think, fluffy Not until we have s of a host"

Lady Maccon, a ree with his point "Very well, I’ll investigate those residences that look to be nighttime inclined, as soon as we have finished here I’ll sleep toht households"

Lord Akeldama winced and then took a deep breath "Thisto hear, my flower, but I’m afraid it simply , but as you are searching for soly"

Lady Maccon winced, thinking of Felicity and her knitwear "Are you suggesting that I pretend to be a servant?"

"I areater success with subterfuge" The va to recommend such a horror

Alexia took a deep breath to firm her resolve "Oh, the actions I must undertake for my country"

So it was that Lady Maccon, dressed in son and shapeless cut, accouise of husband, becahborhood than she had previously iy, lower-class Sunday best than Alexia had ever seen hih the collar Nevertheless, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the role of out-of-work butler with pregnant housekeeper wife At each new door, they asked politely after places recently vacated At each they were treated with a modicum of compassion by the respective butlers--partly due to Alexia’s condition but mostly due to the excellent references they were able to provide from one Lady Maccon of Woolsey Castle

Still, after the eleventh cup of tea, they turned reluctantly back toward Lord Akeldaht have gone to ghost Although, they had received, much to Alexia’s surprise, the offer of positions in the respectable town house of a minor baronet