Page 27 (1/2)

"But you are, nificant fox his attentions The duke contents hi to rule the world and other suchlike nonsense When one is guiding the patterns of the social universe, a single spinster preternatural is unlikely to cause one undue distress"

Miss Tarabotti fully understood where he was co from and was not in the least offended

Lord Akeldama continued "But, est Dr Caedes is the one to be most wary of More mobile than the countess, and he is How do I put this?" He stopped spinning his aer "He is interested in minutia You know he takes an interest in modern inventions?"

"That was his collection on display in the hallway of the hive house?"

Lord Akelda and collecting like-ether coht sense of the term"

"As opposed to?" Alexia was confused Sanity was sanity, was it not?

"Ah"--Lord Akeldama paused--"we vampires tend to have an unfettered approach to the concept of ers in the air "One’s oes a little fuzzy after the first two centuries or so"

Miss Tarabotti said, "I see," although she did not

There ca roo sound disrupter device "Corinning young men, captained by the one Lord Akeldama had referred to earlier as Biffy All of theh spirits They bustled into the roo out to enjoy the full moon," said Biffy, top hat in hand Lord Akeldama nodded "The usual instructions,bloods nodded, their shtly They were all dressed to the nines--dandified gentry of the kind welco and noticed at none Alexia reasoned no man of Lord Akeldama’s household would ever be less than perfectly fashionable, entirely presentable, and patently invisible as a result A few favored his , but most were toned-down, less eccentric versions of their lord A few looked faintly familiar, but Alexia could not, for the life of her, pinpoint where or when she had seen the exactly as expected

Biffy looked hesitantly at Miss Tarabotti before asking Lord Akelda, led a wrist lias I depend upon you all to play it with your usual consulike they had already got into Lord Akeldane, and trundled out

Biffy paused in the doorway, looking less jolly and ht without us,in his eyes that suggested he would very much like to do just that, and not only out of concern for his master’s welfare

Lord Akelda ently with the back of his hand, which was not "I must know the players" He used no excessive emphasis when he spoke: no italic intonation, no endearments--just the flat sure voice of authority He sounded old and tired

Biffy looked down at the toe tips of his shiny boots "Yes, h she itnessing an intimate moment in the bedchamber Her face heated with e sudden interest in the piano

Biffy placed his top hat on his head, nodded once, and left the room

Lord Akeldama closed the door behind him softly and returned to sit next to Miss Tarabotti

Greatly daring, she put a hand on his ars retracted The human in him, buried by time, surfaced at her touch Soul-sucker, the vampires called her, yet Alexia always felt it was only in thesethe true nature of Lord Akeldama’s soul

"They will be fine," Miss Tarabotti said, trying to sound reassuring

"I suspect that state would tend to depend on what my boys find out, and whether anyone thinks they have found out anything of ionerefuge at the Westone

"Is that the official word? Or infor the top of her hand with one of his appreciatively

Alexia kneas asking about BUR records Since she did not know, she explained "Lord Maccon and I are currently not on speaking terracious me, why ever not? It is so much more fun when you are" Lord Akeldaument, but neither had ever resorted to silence before That would defeat the purpose of their association

"My reed!" said Miss Tarabotti, as though that explained everything

Lord Akelda once more like his old frivolous self He stared down into Alexia’s upturned face to determine the veracity of her words Upon realization that she was in earnest, he threw his head back and let out a quite unva his hand at last, is he?" He chuckled further, extracting a large perfumed mauve handkerchief fro eyes "Lordy, ill the dewan have to say about such a union? Preternatural and supernatural! That has not happened in my lifetime And Lord Maccon already so powerful The hives will be outraged And the potentate! Ha"

"Now, hold just a moment," insisted Alexia "I refused him"

"You did what?" Now Lord Akelda him on for so many years! That is just plain cruel, my rosebud How could you? He is only a olf, and they can be terribly emotional creatures, you understand? Quite sensitive about these things You could do pere!"