Waistcoats & Weaponry Read Online Free PDF Page B

Despite Soap’s ongoing friendship with Sophronia, Dimity was too much a lady not to see him as all three, all the time.
    Dimity hissed, “Sidheag is
Lady Kingair
. I know that mostlywe forget she’s all over titled, being Scottish and such, but still, should Lady Kingair
be
friends with a sootie?”
    “Oh, Dimity, don’t be so snobbish. Sidheag can choose her own friends. And he might know something.”
    Soap was clearly chuffed at Sophronia’s ready defense. Still, he responded to the meat of the matter. “Know something? About Lady Kingair? Not recently. Why, is she unwell?”
    Sophronia shook her head helplessly. “Something has gone pear shaped. She received a pigeon and now she’s gone off into the moor with Captain Niall.”
    “And she was crying. Sidheag. I shouldn’t have thought it possible,” whispered Agatha.
    Soap considered. “Pigeon, huh? I’ll see what I can dig up. And now, before we all get into trouble, would you mind backing away from the stair, please? We have orders.”
    Much sobered, the three made their way at a run to their next lesson. They had Lady Linette, and even with an emotional crisis of epic proportions, it wasn’t done to be late to a lesson with Lady Linette. They couldn’t even claim fashion as an excuse—Lady Linette forgave tardiness on account of style. But all three of them had grass stains on their gowns, and Sophronia’s sleeve was ripped and bloody. They were certain to get into trouble.
    “Girls, why are you so very late?” Lady Linette’s blonde curls were perfectly arranged to spill over one shoulder in a style ill suited to a woman of her years. She wore too much face paint and a dress overly poufy and of that exact shade of pale green that became no one. But Lady Linette overdressed
with purpose
. She was actually prettier and younger underneath, and wouldbe quite the thing if she actually dressed her age, gave up rinsing her hair, and forayed into jewel-toned fabrics. For a reason Sophronia had yet to fathom, Lady Linette did not. She kept up the facade, and the girls, who had now mostly figured out that it was one, kept it with her. This, too, was part of their training.
    Lady Linette’s anger, however, was not faked. She turned it on Sophronia. “Explain yourself, young lady.”
    “Stairway wasn’t working well. It started to go up while we were still on it, caused quite a ruckus. You might want to have it checked next time you have a mechanic in.”
    “Oh, indeed?”
    Sophronia knew that the sooties would back her up in her fib, so long as she could get to them first.
I guess I’m visiting the sooties this evening.
    Lady Linette probably knew it, too, for she didn’t pursue the reprimand. “I suppose that explains your abysmal attire as well?”
    All three girls nodded.
    “Well, don’t let it happen again. You should have allowed time to change. You’re old enough not to be overset by misbehaving stairways.”
    They all bobbed simultaneous perfect curtsies and chorused in unison, “Yes, Lady Linette.”
    “Or misbehaving vampires?” muttered Sophronia, under her breath.
    Lady Linette flicked a curl at her. “Now that you have reminded me, Miss Temminnick, please stay after class. I must have a chat with you about that thing on your wrist.”
    In the time it took Lady Linette to say it, Sophronia hadunbuckled the hurlie behind her back and passed it surreptitiously to Dimity.
    “Of course, Lady Linette.”
    Lady Linette gestured for them to sit. In her classroom, seats were made up of plush ottomans and sofas. They resided alongside velvet curtains and tables covered in gold brocade. The room had a definite boudoir-of-ill-repute feeling.
    As it turned out, this was well suited to their lesson.
    Sophronia and Dimity took a vacant love seat at the front, Sophronia dislodging a large, fluffy cat with a scrunched-up face. The cat gave her a disgusted look. Or seemed to; it was hard to tell with that face.
    Agatha scuttled to the back, sitting