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Kingair’s aethographic transs above the stone floor of the castle It looked somewhat like two attached privy houses with footstool feet Everything was brightly lit with gas lamps, as the pack had clearly spared no expense on this room It was also clean

Lady Maccon craned her neck to see into the darkened interior of the chamber that Madaproblematical The Frenchwoman had with her a hatbox that appeared to be no hatbox at all but a cleverly disguised toolkit Lady Maccon instantly coveted one herself--so much less obvious than a dispatch case

The bespectacled claviger, with the ever-present expression of panic, crouched nearby, passing the inventor, one after another, a string of exciting-looking tools

"Theadjustor, if you please," Mada, sticklike object with a corkscrew of copper at one end and a glass tube full of an illuminated liquid at the other was passed over Shortly after, there would eer, and a new one called for

"Goodness gracious," exclai?"

There cas jerked, and further cursing ensued Moments later, the Frenchwo her head The action only added to a vast collection of grease s her pretty face

"Ah, Lady Maccon, how lovely I did wonder when you would track us down"

"I was unavoidably delayed by husbands and Ivys," explained Alexia

"These things, regrettably, are bound to occur when one is married and befriended" Madame Lefoux was sy her parasol as a prop, tried to see underneath the contraption Her corset made this action mostly impossible, so she turned back to the Frenchwoman "Have you determined the nature of the proble cha room seems fully operational It is hard to tell without an actual transer for confir man nodded He did not appear to have er to help The best kind of person, felt Alexia

"Well," said Lady Maccon, "what tientleman took out a small pocket watch and flipped it open "Half past ten"

Lady Maccon turned to Madaet it ready by eleven, we can try to raise Lord Akeldaave me the codes, a valve frequensor, and an eleven o’clock time slot for open-scan transood is that? He willna be able to receive" The claviger snapped his watch closed and stashed it once more in his waistcoat pocket

"Ah," Madame Lefoux jumped in, "he has acrystalline compatibility protocol All he need do is scan for a trans the allotted time We can receive back because Lady Maccon does have the appropriate valve coer looked even more surprised than usual

"I understand they are dear friends" Mada

Alexia s, I held his hand so he could watch the sunset"

The claviger looked confused Again, more confused than usual (his was a difficult face for expressing the full range of human emotion)

Mada asped "He trusted you with his life?"

Lady Maccon nodded "So trusting ically vital, is no very great thing by coed "I do not know about that, ; one’s technology is an entirely different matter"

"Nevertheless, I can provide you the raphor’s effectiveness, once it has been repaired"

The claviger gave her a look of burgeoning respect "Efficient female, aren’t you, Lady Maccon?"

Alexia was not certain whether she should be pleased or offended by the stateet to it, hadn’t I?" Madame Lefoux turned and crawled back under the trans

Muffled words emanated a few moments later

"What was that?"

Madame Lefoux’s head reappeared "I said, would you like to inscribe a ?"

"Superb idea" Lady Maccon turned to the claviger "Would youe While she waited for the supplies, Alexia poked about looking for the pack’s valve frequensor library Who did Kingair coraphor at all? She found the crystalline valves in a small set of unlocked drawers off to one side There were only three, but they were all entirely unlabeled and without any other identification

"What are you doing, Lady Maccon?" The claviger ca suspicious (an expression entirely unsuited to his face)

"Just pondering why a Scottish pack would need an aethographor," replied Alexia She was never one to disseuard