Page 22 (2/2)

"And youfor you"

"Oh? He is? How did you know?"

"Please, Alexia, you are wandering around out of bed, with a li you, I’o, hefor you"

"Hoell you know us both, Genevieve"

Lord Maccon was indeed looking for his errant wife The e drew up before their nen residence, he was out the front door, down the steps, and scooping her up into his arms

Alexia withstood his solicitous attentions with much forbearance "Must you make a scene here in the public street?" was all she said after he had kissed her ardently

"I orried You were gone ht to catch ht the dewan, for rowled out in a very wolfish manner for a man whose husbandly duties rendered him not a olf at that precise moment

The earl carried his wife into their back parlor, which five days’ absence had seen adequately refurbished, if not quite up to Biffy’s exacting standards Alexia was convinced that once recovered from this month’s bone-bender, the dandy would see to it the rooht back up to snuff

Lord Maccon deposited his wife into a chair and then knelt next to her, clutching one of her hands "Tell ?"

Alexia took a breath "Truthfully? I sometimes wonder if I, like Madame Lefoux, should affect masculine dress"

"Gracious reater mobility?"

"My love, I don’t think that’s currently the result of your clothing"

"Indeed, well, I mean after the baby"

"I still don’t see why you should want to"

"Oh, no? I dare you to spend a week in a corset, long skirts, and a bustle"

"How do you know I haven’t?"

"Oh, ho!"

"Now stop playing gahed "A little tired, a lot frustrated, but well in body if not spirit My ankle is paining me only a little, and the infant-inconvenience has been re about" She contehts on theshe had little inherent delicacy of speech and that her husband had none at all, she decided he would probably appreciate directness

"Lord Akeldaair plot was a Woolsey Pack e?"

"Now, stay calically I know that is difficult for you But wouldn’t so take--"

Lord Maccon shook his head "No, not Channing He would never--"

"But Lord Akeldaht in the head Couldn’t that have had so to--"

Lord Maccon’s voice was sharp "No But Lord Woolsey himself? That is an idea Much as I hate to admit it The man was mad, my dear Utterly et too old There’s a reason, you know, that olves fight ast ourselves I mean aside from the etiquette of the duel Especially Alphas We shouldn’t be allowed to live forever--we go all funny in the brain Or that’s what the howlers sing of Vampires do, too, if you ask me I mean, you only have to look at Lord Akeldaress"

His wife reminded him of where they were in the conversation "Lord Woolsey, you were saying?"

Lord Maccon looked down at their joined hands "It can take on many forms, the madness--sometimes quite harmless little esoteric inclinations and sometimes not Lord Woolsey, as I understand it, beca for the right word that ht not shock even his indomitable wife--"tastes"

Alexia conte, although he could be quite gentle Of course, with her, he had no real teeth to do dae beyond a nibble or two But there had been one or two times, early on in their courtship, when she had wondered if he ht not actually think of her as food She had also read overally violent?"

"Not precisely, but from what I have been told, he was inclined to derive pleasure from sadistic activities" Lord Maccon actually blushed He could do that while touching her Alexia found it little-boy endearing With the fingers of her free hand, she stroked through his thick dark hair

"Gracious And how did the packsecret?"

"Oh, you’d be surprised Such proclivities are not confined to olves alone There are even brothels that--"

Alexia held up a hand "No, thank you, my dear I should prefer not to know any additional details"

"Of course, lad you killed hio of his wife’s hand, then standing and turning away, lost to his uerreotypes arranged on the mantelpiece That quick, feral quality was back to his movements, a supernatural facet of his olf self "As am I, wife, as am I I have killed many people in e; rarely do I get to say I am proud of that part of my afterlife He was a brute, and I was fortunate indeed that I was just strong enough to see hih tothe passion of battle He allowed himself to enjoy it too much"