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"Our little inforh society’s festivities yielded up far more fruit than we had hoped, and more quickly, my lord," said Biffy "When we returned hoone, we proceeded immediately to act upon the information most recently acquired--naht white lights late at night e frorove’s town residence"

"And a good thing we did too," continued Biffy, wrapping a salmon-pink e a knot with his teeth "Not that I doubt your ability to handle the situation, sir," he said respectfully to Lord Maccon, without the sarcas the Alpha was still entirely naked "I will say that the ave us soet one of those installed at the town house, my lord"

"I will think about it," said Lord Akeldama

"You did very well," coiving praise where it was due

Biffy rolled down his sleeve and pulled his evening jacket back on over broad muscular shoulders A lady was present, after all--even if her hair was o to BUR and get a couple of agents over here to handle the for stock: three dead scientists, one new vaall, the other mummylike body intended for Alexia’s blood, and the remains of an automaton The chamber was a veritable battlefield He winced at the mounds of paperwork ahead of him His own three kills alone would not be too much of a bother He was chief sundowner, sanctioned killer for queen and country But explaining the autoht forms that he could think of, and probably a few hed "Whoever we send will also need to tell BUR we need sweeps here posthaste to clean up the host tethered nearby See if it can be recruited to check for hidden chahtmare"

Miss Tarabotti stroked his knuckles with her thumb sympathetically Absentmindedly, Lord Maccon raised her hand to his lips and kissed the inside of her wrist

Biffy signaled to one of the other drones With a grin of eagerness, the man clapped his topper to his head and minced out of the roo to feel the strain of the evening Her muscles were sore, and all the little points of abuse--the rope burns about her ankles, the cut on her throat, the slice on her arm--had started to ache

Lord Maccon said to Biffy, "We will need the potentate if we are to shut this operation down coh rank to get into the Shadow Council without question? Or will I need to do that ave the Alpha an appreciative but courteous once-over "Looking like that, sir? Well, I aht be opened to you, but not the potentate’s"

Lord Maccon, who seehed at this Alexia figured, delightedly, that this meant he did, in fact, tend to traipse around his private apart h, she suspected, such a practiceterm

Biffy continued, unabashed, to rib the Alpha’s appearance "To the best of our knowledge, the potentate’s inclinations lie elsewhere Unless he is with the queen, of course, in which case you nificantly "We all know the queen likes a bit of Scottish now and again" He waggled his eyebrows in a highly suggestive enuinely shocked for the first ti "Those rumors about Mr Brown, they were true?"

Biffy settled in "Every word, my dear You knohat I heard just the other day? I heard--"

"Well?" interrupted Lord Maccon

Biffy shook hi solicitously over Lord Akelda top-to-toe butter-yellow brocade "See the canary over there? That is Viscount Trizdale, believe it or not Heya Tizzy, come over here Got a bit of sport for you"

The yellow-clad dandy pranced over

"Our lord does not look well, Biffy I a you Quite ill, in fact," he said Biffy patted a yellow shoulder reassuringly "Not to worry your pretty head He will be just fine Now, Lord Maccon here has a bit of a task for you Should only take a jiffy Wants you to nip round to old Bucky and rustle up the potentate Needs some political clout, if you knohat Ito be ht Full moon and all, ha Go on now, shove off"

With oneviscount wandered out

Alexia stared at Biffy "Does the Duke of Trizdale know his only son is a drone?"

Biffy pursed his lips in a cagey htfully--so ht!

A different dandy appeared, proffering one of the long gray frock coats sported by the younger scientists around the club

Lord Maccon took it with a grue man that it was quite scandalously short on him without trousers, but it covered the most important bits Alexia was a little disappointed

So, apparently, was Biffy "Now, Eustace, what did you go and do a thing like that for?" he said to his fellow drone

"It was getting incoetic Eustace

Lord Maccon interrupted the forth a series of orders, which, with only entle to arrange matters so that Lord Maccon had to bend over There was a twinkle in the earl’s eye suggesting the Alpha knehat they were about and was hule left to canvas the premises for other scientists, upon whom they pounced and locked away in the very cells forht look like fruits of the first water, but they all boxed at Whites, and at least a half dozen wore clothing specially cut to disguise musculature As per Lord Maccon’s instructions, they left his imprisoned pack alone No need to test Miss Tarabotti’s abilities any further than was necessary The trapped va them to please stay behind and help with the BUR reports A few did, but et home to their respective territories or down to the blood alley for a feeding A few took off about the club tracking down and exter scientists who had until then believed the Lord Akelda this, "ravating"