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Eventually, however, it became necessary for everyone but Tunstell to leave the still-unconscious Frenchwo her chamber, Lady Maccon received her secondshe was a woain Probably looking for the dispatch case Shoes and slippers were everywhere, and the bed had been torn apart; even the mattress was slashed open Feathers coated flat surfaces like so much snow Hatboxes lay broken, hats disemboweled, and the contents of Alexia’s wardrobe lay strewn across the floor (a condition faowns)

Alexia propped her parasol safely to one side and took stock of the situation The chaos was greater than it had been on board the dirigible, and the crisis was compounded shortly thereafter when Lord Maccon discovered the carnage

"This is a gross outrage! First we are shot at, and now our roo always happen around a pack without an Alpha?" wondered his wife, nosing about, trying to deterrunted at her "A terrible bother, leaderless packs"

"And messy" Lady Maccon picked her way delicately about the room "I wonder if this was the information Madame Lefoux had to i to find raphor Perhaps she disturbed the culprits in action when she caan to forelique to repair, and the undaed

"But ould someone shoot at her?"

"Perhaps she saw their faces?"

The earl pursed his well-for The dinner bell is about to go, and I’ry We shall tidy later"

"Bossy britches," said his wife, but she did as she was bid It wouldn’t do to get into an argument with him on an empty stomach

He helped her unbutton her dress, so well distracted by the day’s proceedings that he only fluttered kisses down her spine and did not even nibble "What do you believe they were looking for? Your dispatch case again?"

"Difficult to know Could be someone else, I suppose I " Alexia was confused Initially, on board the dirigible, she had suspected Madame Lefoux, but that lady had been asleep and in coed it before she was shot at, this chaos must be attributed to sos certainly were getting co for? Did you bring so I should know about, husband?"

Lord Maccon said nothing, but when Alexia turned about and gave hiuilty sheepdog He left off unbuttoning and went to theThrowing aside the shutters, he stuck his head far out, reached around, retrieved so, and returned to her side with a look of relief, carrying a se wrapped in oiled leather

"Conall," said his wife, "what is that?"

He unwrapped and showed her: a strange chubby little revolver with a square grip He clicked open the chamber to display its arelike pattern and capped to take the powder explosion Alexia wasn’t big on guns, but she knew enough about the mechanics to realize this little creature was expensive to y, and was capable of taking down either a vampire or a olf

"A Galand Tue Tue This is the Sundowner model," he explained

Lady Maccon took her husband’s face in her hands His skin was rough with a day’s growth of beard; she would have to remind him to shave, now that he was human all the time "Husband, you are not here to kill someone, are you? I should hate to find out that you and I orking at cross purposes"

"Simply a precautionary measure, ers tightened about his jaw "When did you start carrying the deadliest supernatural weapon known to the British E it for ht I o of his face and watched as he wrapped the deadly little device back up and returned it to its hidey-hole just outside the

"How easy is that to use?" she asked, all innocence

"Dinna even consider it, wife You’ve got that parasol of yours"

She pouted "You are no fun as athe subject, "where did you hide your dispatch case, then?"

She grinned, pleased that he would not think her so feeble as to have kept it where it could be stolen "In the least likely place, of course"

"Of course And are you going to tellher eyelashes and atteht want?"

"That’s the odd thing I really have no idea I took the ss out and stashed the too valuable left: the royal seal; my notes and paperwork on this latest issue with the huot pinched; the codes to various aethographors; a stash of eave her his version of the look

Lady Maccon defended herself "You would not believe how long those Shadow Councilas the dewan and the potentate are supernatural, they don’t seem to notice when it’s teati our rooersnaps"

"They are very good gingersnaps"

"I suppose it could be soed "This is useless speculation for the tielique?"

In the absence of the maid, Lord Maccon buttoned his wife up into her dinner dress It was a gray and creaathers all up the front and a long, rather deown, except that it had a cravatlike bow at the neck, and she wasn’t entirely behind this latest fashion for incorporating ain, there was Madame Lefoux

Which reuard detail, she would have to help her husband dress It was a mild disaster: his cravat caned She had, after all, been a spinster enerally acquired by spinsters