Page 23 (2/2)

Lady Maccon closed her eyes at the very idea "Oh, he ize, Genevieve He is so very bad about these things I’ll have it sent over as soon as he returns"

"Oh, no trouble I do, after all, own a hat shop" The inventor flashed a die bu since Genevieve had smiled fully

Floote saw the Frenchwoman to the door, but before he could even atteular duties, Lady Maccon called him back into her presence

"Floote, a moment of your time"

Floote came to stand before her, wary His face, as always, was impassive, but Alexia had learned over the years to watch the set of his shoulders for clues as to his real feelings

"Floote, I wouldn’t wish to be an eavesdropper, not on hts, your provenance However, I couldn’t help but overhear some bit of your conversation with Madame Lefoux before I entered this room Really, I didn’t know you had it in you Several sentences in a row And some of them quite sharp"

"Madam?" The shoulders twitched

Floote really didn’t have much of a sense of hu hi my father, weren’t you?"

"In a ood deal of conspicuous attention"

"Yes I always figured it was her way If you takemore?"

His shoulders tensed and Floote looked, if such a thing were to be conceived, uncomfortable "I havea conversation with Floote was about as easy as explaining the formulation of the counterbalance theore

"On the nature of preternatural interactions, if you would, mada his words with care "I have arrived at certain conclusions"

"Concerning what, exactly?" Coaxing, coaxing, thought Alexia Never her strong point in a conversation, letting others take their ti to a point Still, the coht her much in the way of it

"There may be attraction between those who have excess soul and those who have none at all, madam"

"You mean preternatural and supernatural?"

"Or preternatural and natural folk with supernatural potential"

"What kind of attraction?" asked Lady Maccon rather injudiciously

Floote raised an eloquent eyebrow

"Didto coe sensation for her, thinking before she spoke Her husband was ht never have tolerated each other Floote was notoriously reluctant to talk about his for classified protection of international relations and the safety of the eain "Did my father exercise this appeal on purpose?"

"Not toinformation in a most unexpected and un-Floote-like ave up their preternatural breeding prograine caught on the wrong track "Uh, no"

"They never could entirely control preternaturals It’s your pragic matic nature was confused as to why norht now "Is that what happened to my father? Did he lose faith?"

"Not exactly faith, h shilly-shallying"

"He engaged in an exchange of loyalties"

Alexia frowned She was beginning to suspect there were far fewer coincidences in life than she had previously believed "Let o?"

"Nearer to thirty, but if you are asking if the three events are linked, the answer is yes"

"My father rejecting the Teair assassination atteair Pack tried to kill the queen, he was already dead"

"My point exactly,came at the front door Lady Maccon would have liked to query Floote further, but pressing noises seelided out, all calnity, to see what the fuss was about Whoever it was, however, pushed past hi, "Lady Maccon! Lady Maccon, you are needed ently!"

The intrusion resolved itself into the for viscount by the naht and disheveled--conditions highly out of character for any of Lord Akeldareen jacket was torn, and Tizzy’s boots actually looked to be scuffed in places Scuffed, indeed!

"My goodness entlemen, has there been an incident?"

"Oh,assaulted!"

"Oh, naled the--help me to rise What can I do?"

"Well, my lady, we are under attack from a olf!"

Alexia paled considerably "In a va to?"

Boots said, "That’s just the thing, ht it best to fetch you The creature is on a bender"

Lady Maccon grabbed up her parasol and her reticule "Of course, of course I’ll come directly Lend me your arm, please, Mr Bootbottle-Fipps"

As quickly as possible, the two young dandies helped Alexia to waddle out the front door and along the path past the lilac bushes into Lord Akeldama’s house