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"Which," interrupted Alexia, "she does at this veryanyone, Lord Maccon Least of all me"

She held up her hand when he would have protested "We have been caught in a co to do the best by me" She stubbornly refused to believe his interest and intentions were genuine Before her fa all previous encounters, no ht sadly, had the word love "I do appreciate your integrity, but I will not have you coerced Nor will I be manipulated into a loveless union based entirely on salacious urges" She looked into his yellow eyes "Please understand , he touched the side of her face, stroking the cheek her ht for far too long that you are unworthy"

Miss Tarabotti felt inexplicably like crying She turned her face away froe done could not be mended with a feords fro

"Ma expansively, "I will not have youthis situation No one need knohat has occurred in this rooues for once" She glared at her sisters "My reputation will remain intact, and Lord Maccon will remain a free man And now I have a headache; please excuse nity and swept from the room She retreated upstairs to the sanctity of her own boudoir to indulge in a most uncharacteristic but blessedly short-lived bout of tears The only one who caught her at it was Floote, who placed a sy some of Cook’s extra-special apricot puffs, and issued orders with the household staff that she was not to be disturbed

Lord Maccon was left in the bosoht to do as she says," he said to them

Mrs Loontwill looked stubborn and lared at her "Do not interfere, Mrs Loontwill Knowing Alexia, your approbation is likely to turn herelse possibly could"

Mrs Loontwill looked like she would like to take offense, but given this was the Earl of Woolsey, she resisted the inclination

Then Lord Maccon turned to Squire Loontwill "Understand, ood sir, that my intentions are honorable It is the lady who resists, but she must be allowed to make up her own mind I, too, will not have her coerced Both of you, stay out of this" He paused in the doorway, donning his hat and coat and baring his teeth at the Loontwill girls "And, you two, keep quiet Your sister’s reputation is at stake, and never doubt that it drastically impacts your own I aood day" With that, he left the roo down heavily on the couch "I am not sure I want that man for a son-in-law"

"He is very powerful, my dear, no doubt, and ato establish a silver lining of some kind

"But so rude!" persisted his wife "And all that, after eating three of our best chickens!" She gestured limply at the carcasses in question, a blatant reminder that, whatever it was that had just occurred, she had clearly e to attract flies She pulled the bell rope for Floote to come and clear the of the Alexia is definitely not attending the duchess’s rout tonight Even if I had not already forbidden her, today’s behavior would have sealed it Full- and hard on her ressions!"

Mr Loontwill patted his wife’s hand sympathetically "Of course, my dear"

There was no "of course" about it Miss Tarabotti, knowing her family’s propensity for the dra to her roo to leave it even to see theedy of it all, her two sistersnoises outside her closed door and proossip She would have been ossip of their own Mrs Loontwill refused to speak to her, an occurrence that did not tax Alexia in the slightest Eventually the house fell silent She breathed a prodigious sigh of relief So

She stuck her head out of her bedroom door and called, "Floote?"

The butler appeared on cue "Miss?"

"Hail a cab, please, Floote I a out"

"Are you certain that is wise, ht never leave one’s rooave her a skeptical look but went downstairs as bidden to flag down a hackney

Miss Tarabotti su into one of her owns It was an ivory taffeta affair with small puffed sleeves, a modest scooped neckline, and triold lace edging True, it o seasons old and probably should have been made over before now, but it was coht of the dress as an old friend, and knowing she looked passably well in it, tended to don it in tirandeur, but Miss Tarabotti siy for her russet silk fancy, not tonight She curled her hair over her still- part of it up with her two favorite hair pins, one of silver and one of wood She braided the rest loosely with ivory ribbon It contrasted becoly with her dark tresses

By the time she was ready, it was dark outside herAll of London nested safely in those few hours after sunrise, before the moon climbed into the sky It was a h tiet olves under lock and key before the moon herself appeared and drove theave Miss Tarabotti one lance as he handed her up the steps of the cab He did not approve of her going out on such a night He was certain she would get into mischief Of course, Floote tended to be under the iood whenever she was out of his sight But on full moon in particular, no possible benefit could co exactly what the butler was thinking, despite his face rehtly She must admit, he was probably correct in his opinion

"Be careful, miss," Floote instructed severely but without much hope He had, after all, been butler to her father before her, and just look what happened to Alessandro Prone to willful and proble It is e and profession I will only be gone a few hours, and I will be perfectly safe Look" She pointed behind Floote to the side of the house, where two figures appeared out of the night shadows like bats Theyto stand several feet from Alexia’s hackney, obviously prepared to follow it