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Alexia had no olf’s hearing to be able to note so clatter Even without the Frenchwoman in residence, some machines never ceased their activity But she definitely heard another sound, an underlying keen to the rattles that ht also be a very excitedinvolved She also conte her parasol--after all, soed in so that could not afford to be paused nified bythe action she would have taken, contemplation or no

She took her parasol firh above her head, and activated thedown on the appropriate lotus leaf in the handle with her thumb

Silence descended--the unnatural silence of work stilled irl, she would have said it was like ti, but she wasn’t, so she didn’t She merely listened for the one sound that didn’t stop

It ca wail, and Alexia realized that she was fa, but still a sound made rather than a sound manufactured It was the interood guess as to as suffering it

CHAPTER TWELVE

Formerly Beatrice Lefoux

Formerly Lefoux Forentle

The silence stretched and then the faraway screa inexorably sad about the sound, as though it were that much worse to die a second time It moved even Lady Maccon’s practical heart "Formerly Lefoux, please, I will not har you peace, if you would like, or simply be here with you I promise, no soulless touch unless you request it Don’t be afraid There’s nothing I could do I don’t even knohere your body is kept"

The netic disruption wore off at that juncture, and the contrivance chaht next to Alexia’s head, a contraption that looked like a tuba, a sleigh, and asound of reverberating flatulence Lady Maccon started in disgust and moved hurriedly away

"Please, For I need your help"

The ghost lass valve to Alexia’s left Or, more properly, she materialized as much as she was able into existence, which wasn’t all thatfuzzy tendrils Her shape was no longer human, but ht against the aether currents Many of those currents were now centered in on Lady Maccon, so the ghostly parts were carried toward Alexia The vampires called preternaturals soul-suckers, but science was co of them more as aether absorbers This particular phenoy was only really visible when she shared the roohost

"Soulless!" screamed Formerly Lefoux once she had found her voice, or possibly, found her voice box She spoke in French "Why are you here? Where is my niece? What has she done? What have you done? Where is the octo? Is thatto you? You Soulless? What are you doing here? Where is my niece?"

It was like some broken symphony destined to repeat the saht up in a loop of reasoning Periodically, For low ony to accompany the wail of second-death Whether it was pain of the spirit or pain in truth was difficult to tell, but it sounded to Alexia not unlike poor Biffy being forced into olf shift

Alexia straightened her spine Before her lay her preternatural duty, staring her in the face That didn’t occur very often Under ordinary circumstances, she would have asked Genevieve for perone She had abandoned her poor aunt in this state The ghost was suffering

"Formerly Lefoux," she said politely, "I am in the unique position to offer you????that is, I could????Oh, dash it, would you like an exorcis host twirled like a child’s toy, spiraling all the way up to the bea The tendrils of her fleshless body swirled around like the feathers of one of Ivy’s host becaht Not et to say that I have touched lives I have finished them all And I have done it after I died as well" She paused and drifted back down "Not that I like children all that ent girl, becaone Then the boy Just like hisa boy child? And now Look what it has all co ood are you to ive you serenity" Lady Maccon’s eyebroas quirked Really, ghosts in near poltergeist phase did ramble ive me that?"

Sympathy, so far as Alexia was concerned, only went so far "Very well, then, this is getting disturbingly philosophical Formerly Lefoux, if you’d rather not have my aid in the matter of your existence, or lack thereof, I should probably be on my way Do try not to wail so loudly They will hear you in the street above, and then BUR will be called Frankly, the Bureau really doesn’t need this kind of additional work on full host floated back down For afrolish "No, wait I will????What will I? Oh, yez, I will show you Followslowly across the rooh the devices, instruments, and tools of Madaht line Alexia, asof the word, host on more than one occasion, but eventually they ended up in a corner of the e barrel that rested on its side and was o of a well-respected pickled onion manufacturer

As Formerly Lefoux neared the barrel, she became more and host Alexia had firstolder wo years out of date and small spectacles, who bore a ht even once have been dih it still see fro froize I can’t stop that," said the ghost at Alexia’s wince

"No, you wouldn’t be able to Your tihost nodded, an action that was visible now that she had ave hosts are so fortunate They usually have only months I had years"

"Years?"

"Years"