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Alexia sighed and squinted up into the rain "Capital Here I stand, about toso much as a drowned rat"

"Be fair, sister," contradicted Felicity "You look like a drowned toucan"

And with that, the little band entered Castle Kingair

It was just as drafty and old-fashioned on the inside as its appearance would suggest frolected was too fine a terreen, threadbare relics froe; the chandelier in the entranceway supported candles, of all ridiculous foring against the walls Alexia, as fastidious, ran one gloved finger along the banister railing and tutted at the dust

The Sidheag woh-falutin’ London standards, young miss?"

"Uh-oh," said Ivy

"Not up to standards of common household decency," shot back Alexia "I heard the Scots were barbarians, but this"--she brushed her fingers together, releasing a s you fro back out into the rain"

Lady Maccon cocked her head to one side "Yes, but would you stop rime?"

The wo, this isMaccon, Lady Kingair My great-great-great-granddaughter"

Alexia was surprised Her guess would have been a grand-niece of some kind, not a direct descendent Her husband had been ed? Nohy hadn’t he told her that?

"But," objected Miss Hisselpenny, "she looks older than Alexia" A pause "She looks older than you, Lord Maccon"

"I would not try to understand, if I were you, dear," consoled Mada at Ivy’s distress

"I aair, unabashed at stating her age before strangers and in polite company Really, this part of the country was just as primitive as Floote had said Lady Maccon shuddered delicately and adjusted her grip on her parasol, prepared for anything

Sidheag Maccon looked pointedly at the earl "Nigh on too old"

Felicity wrinkled her nose "Ew, this is sily peculiar Why did you have to involve yourself in the supernatural set, Alexia?"

Lady Maccon ave her sister an arch look

Felicity answered her own question "Oh yes, I renored that and looked with interest at her husband "You never told me you had a faed "You never asked" He turned to introduce the rest of the party "Miss Hisselpenny, my wife’s companion Miss Loontwill, er And Madaraphor"

Lady Kingair started "How did you ken that we…? NeverBUR has na improved that to anyone else’s cohted to meet ye, Madame Lefoux I have, of course, heard of your work We’ve a claviger who’s familiar with your theories, a bit o’ an amateur inventor hireat-grandfather "I’ you’d as lief see the rest o’ the pack?"

Lord Maccon inclined his head

The Lady of Kingair reached off to the side of the darkened stairwell and clanged a bell hidden there Itto an abrupt halt, and suddenly the hallas filled with large men, most of them in skirts

"Good heavens," exclai?"

"Kilts," explained Alexia, amused at her sister’s discomfort

"Skirts," replied Felicity, deeply offended, "and short ones at that, as though they were opera dancers"

Alexia sed a giggle Now there was a funny ie

Miss Hisselpenny did not see up at the candelabra in abject terror "Alexia," she hissed to her friend, "there are knees positively everywhere What do I do?"

Alexia’s attention was on the faces of theareas There see Lord Maccon

The earl introduced her to those he knew The Kingair Pack Beta, noe, was one of the unhappy ones, while the Ga four ed theh at any air was smaller than the Woolsey Pack, and less unified Alexia wondered what kind of man the post-Conall Alpha had been, to lead this contentious lot

Then, with unseerabbed the surly Beta, who responded in a halfhearted ed hiate the tense social atmosphere he left behind

Lady Maccon was equal to the task No one of her stalwart character, required since birth to supervise first Mrs Loontwill and later two equally i circue, kilted olves en masse

"We heard about you," said the Gas "Knew the old laird had suckered himself to a curse-breaker" He paced about Alexia slowly in a circle as though exalike to Alexia She was prepared to ju

Luckily, his statement was misconstrued by both Ivy and Felicity Alexia was not known as a preternatural to either of the ladies seemed to assume that the phrase curse-breaker was so at the enorlish?"

Lady Maccon said quickly, ignoring her sister, "You have the upper hand on e She was not used to feeling diminutive

The Gamma’s broad face went pinched at that "Over a century he was master o’ this pack and he na mentioned us to ye?"

"Could be me he does not want to know you, rather than you he does not want to talk about," offered Alexia

The olf gave her a long, assessing look "I’ht us up, did he?"

Sidheag interrupted therab in the extras--blasted English canna travel light"

The upstairs bedroouest accommodations seemed no better off than the rest of the castle, iven to Lord and Lady Maccon was tidy enough but musty, with decorations of brownish red soe bed, two s chaeneral appearance re so much as a damp, malcontented squirrel