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  Lady Villentia gave an elegant curtsey of the exact correct depth for a duke and his duchess. Gavin was impressed. He might act and sound provincial (it worked in his favour, to be constantly underestimated), but he’d attended Eton and knew all the forms. Her delivery was perfection itself.

  “It is your dirigible that has seen us safely here. Thank you for the kind attention, Your Grace.” She slid as smoothly into the role of guest as she had into that of fellow traveler.

  Overly perfect.

  “Not at all.” Their host turned to his wife. “My dear, you know Lady Villentia?”

  “I know of her, of course.” The duchess’s tone was frosty.

  Interesting. The addition of the widow to our party must be the husband’s idea. Gavin was seized with a crushing thought: Is Lady Villentia Snodgrove’s mistress? He shook it off. The Duke of Snodgrove was known for his devout leanings.

  How is Lady Villentia acquainted with such a man? And is she really here to kill him by his own invitation? Perhaps she has a different target?

  Gavin dared not allow himself to hope, but he must entertain the possibility. If danger to the duke were coming from another source, he could not focus solely on the known assassin. Much as her buttons might wink and her eyes hide a well of sorrow.

  “I see you have already met your fellow guests. Captain Ruthven, Mr Jackson.” This time, the duke’s voice was cold.

  So, Jack may be the son of a family friend, but his suit is na welcome. And I’m guilty by association, or by birth. There were always some who simply did not like Scotsmen.

  Gavin watched closely as the duke gave the widow the tiniest of nods. Is the duke her employer? Is it possible he knows of his own danger and has hired her as protection? Nay. Such a man wouldna take a lass to bodyguard. There must be somewhat else between them.

  Lady Villentia (a consummate professional) did not acknowledge Snodgrove’s nod.

  Naught for it, thought Gavin, I’ll have to find out the truth myself. No hardship to throw myself on such a sword – she cuts with a bonnie sting.

  But before he could intercede, Jack offered Lady Villentia his arm, to the duke’s obvious delight.

  Interesting.

  Gavin followed them all into the house.

  Let the game begin.

  Read the Rest!

  Author’s Note

  Thank you so much for reading. If you enjoyed this story, or if you would like to read more about any of my characters, please say so in a review. I’m grateful for the time you take to do so.

  I have a silly gossipy newsletter called the Chirrup. I promise: no spam, no fowl. (Well, maybe a little fowl and the occasional giveaway.)

  gailcarriger.com

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks to my pack of pigeons: Alphas, Betas, and even a few Gammas. And thank you to everyone who wrote asking for more Alexia & Conall… and asking about the hedgehog.

  More Gail Carriger?

  You’ve just read a short story set in the Parasolverse. Characters cross over a lot! You could play a rousing game of spot that werewolf.

  STORIES SET IN GAIL’S STEAMPUNK PARASOLVERSE

  The Delightfully Deadly Novellas

  Stand-alones featuring polite lady assassins

  The Supernatural Society Novellas

  LGBTQ stand-alones with proper subversive activities

  The Claw & Courtship Novellas

  Stand-alones featuring werewolves in cravats and the ladies who love them

  The Finishing School Series

  Young adult novels, begins with Etiquette & Espionage features spies, girl power, and flying food

  The Parasol Protectorate Series

  Five novels, begins with Soulless featuring adventure, love, and silly hats)

  The Custard Protocol Series

  Four novels, begins with Prudence featuring world travel, cat shifters, and stolen tea

  The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn’t

  Short story set in steampunk Egypt, featuring one sexy and rather unpleasant Italian

  GAIL’S OTHER WORKS

  Fairy Debt

  YA fantasy comedy short story featuring girl power and dragons who hoard cupcakes

  My Sister’s Song

  High fantasy historical short story featuring a warrior woman taking on a Roman legion alone

  AS G. L. CARRIGER

  The San Andreas Shifter Series

  Stand alone novels in which every werewolf is fabulous - full of blue jokes, raunchy sex, and gentle hearts

  Marine Biology: San Andreas Shifter Prequel

  Short story in which a geeky werewolf meets hot merman

  The 5th Gender

  The sweetest most charming alien of them all

  About the Writerbeast

  New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small-town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in higher learning, a fondness for cephalopods, and a chronic tea habit. She then traveled the historic cities of Europe, subsisting entirely on biscuits secreted in her handbag. She resides in the Colonies, surrounded by fantastic shoes, where she insists on tea imported from London.

  G A I L C A R R I G E R L L C

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, used in a fictitious manner, or in the public domain. Any resemblance to actual events or actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  WARNING

  This work of fiction may contain sexually explicit situations of a romantic and carnal nature between members of the same sex, opposite sex, or both. If love (in its many forms) and love’s consequences (in even more varied forms) are likely to offend, please do not read this book. Miss Carriger has a young adult quartet, the Finishing School series, that may be more to your taste. Thank you for your understanding, self-awareness, and self-control.

  Copyright (c) 2019 by GAIL CARRIGER LLC

  Cover © 2019 by GAIL CARRIGER LLC

  Cover assembled by Starla Huchton, designedbystarla.com

  Formatting by Nina Pierce of Seaside Publications

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or any portion thereof, in any form.

  This book is for your personal enjoyment only. If you are reading this book and it was not purchased for your use, then please purchase your own copy.

  In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the uploading, torrenting, or electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting [email protected].

  The author strives to ensure her self-published works are available as widely as possible and at a price commensurate with her ability to earn a living. Thank you for respecting her hard work.

  Version 2.0

  ISBN 978-1-944751-21-0

  gailcarriger.com