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Miss Tarabotti looked grave "I already accepted Countess Nadasdy’s invitation It would be churlish to refuse now"

"Why must you always be so difficult?" wondered Lord Maccon in utter exasperation Alexia grinned "No soul?" she suggested "No sense!" corrected the earl

"Nevertheless"--Miss Tarabotti stood--"so on If the hive knows anything about this dead vampire, I intend to find out what it is Lord Akeldama said they wanted to kno much I knew because they either understood ure out which is the case "

"Lord Akeldaain"

"His advice is sound, and he finds my company restful"

That surprised the olf "Well, I suppose somebody athered up her brass parasol and made to leave

Lord Maccon slowed her with a question "Why are you so curious about thisyourself?"

"Because so gloomy "Well, by my own parasol," she amended

Lord Maccon sighed He figured soument with this extraordinary wo your own carriage?" he asked, ad defeat with the question "I shall hire a hackney, not to worry"

The Earl of Woolsey reached for his hat and coat in a very decisive manner "I have the Woolsey coach and four here At least let h concessions out of Lord Maccon for one"If you insist, my lord," she acquiesced "But I must ask you to drop me a little ways from the house My mama, you see, is wholly unaware of my interest in this ht froe without a chaperone We would not want to compromise your reputation in any way, noould we?" Lord Maccon actually sounded riled by the idea

Miss Tarabotti thought she understood the reasoning behind his tone She laughed "My lord, you could not possibly think I have set hable idea?"

Alexia’s eyes sparkled inon the shelf, and you are a catch of the first water The very notion!"

Lord Macconher behind him "Don’t ken why you should find it so devilish funny," he e than most of those so-called inco at me"

Miss Tarabotti let out another trill ofwhat? Two hundred? As if e-htful nonsense" She patted hily on the ar of herself and him Then he realized what a ridiculous conversation they were having and how nearing dangerous it had become Some of his hard-won London social acuue detere" he had notThen he wondered at his own recklessness in thinking any such thing What rong with him today? He could not stand Alexia Tarabotti, even if her lovely brown eyes twinkled when she laughed, and she sure

He hustled his lady guest down the passageway, intent upon getting her into the carriage and out of his presence as quickly as possible

Professor Randolph Lyall was a professor of nothing in particular and several subjects in broad detail One of those generalities was a long running study on the typical human behavioral response when faced olf transforht hie out of wolf shape away from polite company, preferably in a corner of a very dark alley where the only person likely to see him was equally likely to be crazy or drunk

While the population of the greater London area, in specific, and the British Isle, in general, had learned well enough to accept olves on principle, to be faced with one engaging in the act of conversion was an entirely different ood at the change--elegant and graceful despite the pain Youngsters of the pack were prone to excessive writhing and spinal gyrations and sometimes a whimper or two Professor Lyall sie was, at its root, not natural Mind you, there was no glow, no ed itself, but that was usually enough to giveheebie-jeebies Screa the operative word

Professor Lyall reached the Canterbury BUR offices just before dawn still in wolf shape His animal form was nondescript but tidy, rather like his favorite waistcoat: his pelt the same sandy color as his hair

but with a sheen of black about the face and neck He was not very big,human, and the basic principles of conservation of mass still applied whether supernatural or not Werewolves had to obey the laws of physics just like everyone else

The change took onlyup to beco froentle hazel He had carried a cloak in hishis run, and he threw it on as soon as he was back to human form He left the alleyith no one the wiser to the arrival of a olf in Canterbury

He rested against the BUR office’s front doorja caused the first of the standard-issue clerks to make his appearance

"Who are you, then?" the man wanted to know

Professor Lyall eased himself away from the door and stepped aside so that the clerk could unlock it "Well?" The man barred the hen Lyall would have followed him inside

Lyall bared his canines It was not an easy trick in the h olf to ent Who is in charge of vaistration in this office?"