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Miss Hisselpenny blushed beet red but still wanted to know , do you think?"

"I aues are often involved in such exertions"

Ivy was not dissuaded "You knohat I mean Why would he kiss you in the first place? And in a public thoroughfare!"

Miss Tarabotti had puzzled over that question allIt caused her to re family breakfast Statements fro remarks had passed without a murmur She had been so quiet herquite the thing She had acquiesced that she was a little out of sorts It had given her an excuse not to go glove shopping that afternoon

She looked at Ivy without quite seeing her "I must conclude it was done entirely to keep me quiet I cannot think of any other reason As you said, we dislike each otherand blamed me" But Miss Tarabotti’s voice did not carry the same amount of conviction it once had on that subject

Alexia was soon to discover that this did seeiven by Lord Blingchester, Lord Maccon actively avoided talking to her Miss Tarabotti was most put out She had dressed with particular care Given the earl’s apparent partiality for her physique, she had chosen an evening dress of deep rose with a daringly low décolletage and the latest in sed her hair to fall over the side of her neck, covering the biteiron Her mama had even co we can do about the nose, of course, but otherwise quite creditable,her own tiny button speciood color for Alexia’s complexion, in a tone of voice that i Alexia’s olive skin was truly a miracle of the first order

It all went to no avail For had Alexia looked like a vagabond, she was certain Lord Maccon would never have noticed He greeted her with a shamefaced "Miss Tarabotti" and then seemed at a loss He did not deliver her the cut direct, or i; he si at all For the entire evening Alexia alerheads

She felt compelled to conclude that he wasshe would forget it ever happened While knowing any well-bred lady would do simply that, Alexia had enjoyed the experience and did not feel like behaving properly over it Still, she reeable sensations were entirely one-sided, and now Lord Maccon felt nothing ain He would treat her with painful correctness in the ht, what had she expected? She was nothing race Lord Maccon was a peer of the realm, Alpha of his pack, owner of a considerable quantity of property, and, well, so All her hopeful attention to appearance aside, and the fact that earlier in the evening the , even to her critical eye, passably pretty, Alexia now felt utterly inadequate

Sheher, to the best of his ability, with an out He was being agonizingly polite about it Throughout the Blingchesters’ aperitifs, he arranged things so they were in each other’s co to say to her His behavior screamed acute embarrassment He could barely stand to look in her direction

Miss Tarabotti tolerated the ridiculous behavior for about half an hour and then went frory It did not take much with Alexia Italian temperament, her mother always said She, unlike Lord Maccon, did not feel like being polite

From that moment on, every tied to leave it When hearea toward her, Alexia sidled sideways and inserted herself sea inane like the latest perfuirls causing Lord Maccon to balk When she sat, she did so between occupied chairs, and she was careful never to be alone or in any untenanted

When tiinally near hers, had rated to the other end of the table There he spent an unco Miss Wibbley on a string of utterly frivolous topics

Miss Tarabotti, half a world away--eight whole place settings!--still ed to overhear the conversation Her dinner partner, a scientist in some socially acceptable fore Alexia hoped to be seated next to In fact, her ability to converse coed as the main reason a spinster of her shelf life continued to be invited to dinner parties Unfortunately, she found herself uncharacteristically ill-equipped to assist the poor gentle The naall You’d be Miss Tarabotti, correct?" was his opening gaht Alexia, an Aan with an array of petite oysters over ice with cool leht raw oysters bore a remarkable resemblance to nasal excrement, pushed the offensive mollusks away and watched from under her eyelashes in horror as Lord Maccon consumed twelve of them

"Is not that an Italy sort of a name?" asked the scientist tiht her Italian heritage farthan her soulless state, considered this a weak topic--especially from an American "My father," she admitted, "was of Italian extraction Unfortunately, not an affliction that can be cured" She paused "Though he did die"

Mr MacDougall did not seehed nervously "Didn’t leave a ghost behind, did he?"

Alexia wrinkled her nose "Not enough soul" Not any soul at all, she was thinking Preternatural tendencies bred true She hat she was because of her father’s soullessness The planet ought, by rights, to be overrun with her kind But BUR, actually Lord Maccon--she winced--had said that there were simply too few of them to start with In addition, preternaturals tended to live very short lives

Another nervous laugh issued fro a bit of an academic interest in the state of the hu At the other end of the table Miss Wibbley was saying so about her third cousin who had suddenly undertaken horticultural pursuits Her family was evidently distrustful of this develop once or twice down the table at Alexia and her scientist, was now looking down at the vacuous girl with an expression of tolerant affection and sitting far too close

"My particular study focus," continued Mr MacDougall desperately, "would be the weighing andof the human soul"

Miss Tarabotti looked s go The Blingchesters kept a superb French chef "How," asked Alexia, not really interested, "would one go aboutsouls?"

The scientist looked trapped; apparently this aspect of his work did not make for civilized dinner conversation

Miss Tarabotti becaued She put down her spoon, a s that she did not finish the stew, and looked inquiringly at Mr MacDougall He was a plu man, adorned with a pair of dented spectacles and a hairline that looked like it anticipated imminent demise The sudden full force of her interest seeot around to ironing out the specifics, you ht say But I’ve drawn up plans"

The fish course arrived Mr MacDougall was saved fro to elaborate by pike breaded in a rosemary-and-black-pepper crust