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Sophronia pulled back her sleeves, showing the bandage on one side and the complete absence of the hurlie on the other "I’m afraid I lost it in that very scrabble You see, I had to leave it behind, hooked on, in order to get through the hatch"

Lady Linette was skeptical

Sophronia stood quietly, no elaboration that ht betray a direct falsehood She was applying, with great expertise, every one of the lessons that Lady Linette herself had taught her

"So you too well"

"Is that possible, Lady Linette?"

"I don’t know I suppose in the end it will ride on where your loyalties lie"

"I suppose it will"

"Where do they lie, Miss Teh to h to leave this school, should your parents wish it"

"I haven’t learned everything yet"

"Nor have you finished properly That is not the point"

"What is the point?"

"You are old enough to know your own e will you undertake? Queen and country, supernatural, Pickle in the pursuit of our ends, or those of your beau?"

"And what of my oishes?"

Lady Linette was not so foolish as to answer that "Or the va uess the answer to your question is, I don’t know yet" Sophronia felt eh working for queen and country see"

"The one is tied to the other, I’enuinely contrite, either because of the potentate hirettable personality--or the fact that Queen Victoria’s governrated the supernatural eleht now h not my vampire friend hi at Sophronia with more respect than she had ever shown before "He is not so bad a choice We would be sad to lose you, but he could absolutely afford your indenture Although he is a va extra for it"

Sophronia felt almost like an equal What, she wondered, had just happened in that class to cause this shift in her own social standing with her teacher? Whatever it was, she hoped to capitalize on it She rather enjoyed the novelty of garnering respect fro and responded as it dictated

"When I have made up my mind, Lady Linette, you’ll be the first to know" Well, after Di, and Soap And Bumbersnoot Bumbersnoot will have to be included in any of my future plans

"Very considered response, Miss Tee him, Miss Temminnick"