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"Mmm, and how do I smell?"

"Vanilla and cinnamon baked puff pastry," he answered prorinned

"But not of child I’ve never been able to srin faded

Her husband returned to his examination of the drawer "I suppose the constabulary will have to be called"

"I don’t see why It was only the odd bit of paperwork"

"But you kept them" The earl was confused

"Yes, but that doesn’t"Like all your nore this "It ed for the theft"

"Hhtfully onto the bed

"I saw him enter He was after that drawer in particular I don’t think he was expecting us to be here--he seemed more than usually startled to see me He must be intimate with our family, or acquainted with some member of Woolsey staff, to knohere our room is located and that ere not supposed to be in residence"

"Or it iselse or did so to do with those papers"

Alexia pondered, still standing on one foot, like an egret, propped back against the sill "Or he is after soive to the popular press There has been remarkably little scandal since you and I reconciled I wouldn’t put that kind of thing past old Twittergaddle and the Chirrup"

"Well, idle speculation is getting us nowhere Perhaps he got the wrong roo drawer Nohy are we not both back in bed?"

"Ah, yes, there is soer appears to be functioning as designed" Alexia gave Conall a weak smile, and he noticed, for the first time, her aard stance

"God’s teeth, why?" The earl strode over to his wife and offered his own substantial forratefully

"Well, I did take a little bit of a tumble just now Seems I have twisted my ankle"

"You never????? Wife!" He half carried her to the bed before bending over to exa carefully His hands were ientle, but still Alexia winced The joint was already starting to swell "I shall call for a surgeon immediately! And the constabulary"

"Oh, now, Conall, I scarcely think that necessary The surgeon, I mean You may, of course, summon the police if you think it best, but I hardly require the services of a physician for a twisted ankle"

Lord Maccon entirely ignored this andat the top of his considerable lungs for Ruht be awake

Lady Maccon, ankle throbbing dreadfully, tried to go back to sleep, knowing that in very short order her rooeons and police tiot very little respite that day, which barely ht after the surgeon pronounced her unfit to walk She was confined to her bed with a splint and barley water and told that on no account was she to move for an entire week Worse, she was also told that she was to lay off tea for the next twenty-four hours, as i Alexia called the doctor a quack and threw her bed cap at him He retreated, but she knew perfectly well that Conall and the rest of Woolsey would see that his instructions were obeyed to the letter

Lady Maccon was not the kind of woman who could be easily confined to bed for seven hours, let alone seven days Those who knew her ere already dreading her confinement, and this, so close to that fated time, was seen as a preliminary test as to both her behavior and everyone else’s ability to cope with it It was pronounced, by Rus, to be an abject failure on all counts No one survived it intact, least of all Alexia

By the second day, she was chafing, to put it politely "Queen Victoria could be in ier and here I lie, confined to my bed by that fool of a physician because of an ankle It is not to be borne!"

"Certainly not with any grace," nored this and continued with her ranting "And Felicity--who is keeping an eye on Felicity?"

"Professor Lyall has her well in hand, I assure you"

"Oh, well, if it’s Professor Lyall He can handle you--I have every confidence in his ability to restrain my sister" Her tone was petulant, for which she wasn’t entirely to be bla-in translating to actual rest She was too far along for the infant-inconvenience to per more than a few fitful minutes of shut-eye at a time

"Who says he can handle ht on his independence

His lady wife arched an eyebrow at him as if to say, Oh, now, Conall, really She continued on to a neorry, without further disparagenity "Have you had the lads check the aethographic trans some very important inforether in conteripe about "Oh, I do hate being cooped up" She picked at the blanket draped over her belly

"Now you kno Biffy feels"

Lady Maccon’s temper softened at the mention of the dandy "How is he?"

"Well I have taken your suggestion under adviseentler approach--less firmness of manner"

"Now that I should like to see"