Free The Parasol Protectorate Boxed Set by Gail Carriger Page A

idiot.
    The Alpha continued. “He could have been a direct metamorphic from one of Countess Nadasdy’s bite-daughters. But then again,
Lyall also noted that the countess has not managed to change over a female drone in his lifetime. She is understandably bitter
over this fact.”
    Miss Tarabotti frowned. “So you have a genuine mystery on your plate. Only a female vampire, a queen, can metamorphose a new
vampire. Yet here we find ourselves with a new vampire and no maker. Either Professor Lyall’s nose or Countess Nadasdy’s tongue
is lying.” Which explained more than anything else Lord Maccon’s haggard appearance. Nothing was worse than werewolf and vampire
at cross purposes, especially in this kind of investigation. “Let us hope Professor Lyall finds you some answers to these
questions,” she said with feeling.
    Lord Maccon rang the bell for fresh tea. “Indeed. And, now, enough of my problems. Perhaps we might press on to what brought
you to my doorstep at this ungodly hour.”
    Alexia, who was poking through another pile of rove paperwork she had scooped off the floor, waved one of the metal sheets
at him. “
He
did.”
    Lord Maccon grabbed the metal she had gesticulated with out of her hand, looked at it, and huffed in annoyance. “Why do you
persist in associating with that creature?”
    Miss Tarabotti straightened her skirts, draping the pleated hem more carefully over her kid boots. She demurred. “I
like
Lord Akeldama.”
    The earl abruptly looked more livid than tired. “Do you, by George! What has he been luring you in with? Little pip-squeak,
I shall wallop his scrawny hide to ribbons.”
    â€œI suspect he might enjoy that,” murmured Alexia, thinking of what little she knew of her vampire friend’s proclivities. The
werewolf did not hear her. Or perhaps he simply chose not to use his supernatural auditory abilities. He paced about, looking
vaguely magnificent. His teeth were now definitely showing.
    Miss Tarabotti stood, marched over, and grabbed Lord Maccon’s wrist. His teeth retracted instantly. The earl’s yellow eyes
went back to amber-brown. It was the color they must have been years ago before he yielded to the bite that made him supernatural.
He also appeared slightly less shaggy, although no less large and angry. Remembering Lord Akeldama’s comment on the subject
of using feminine wiles, Alexia placed a second hand pleadingly above the first on his upper arm.
    What she wanted to say was,
Do not be an idiot.
What she actually said was, “I needed Lord Akeldama’s advice on supernatural matters. I did not want to disturb you for anything
trivial.” As if she would ever willingly go to Lord Maccon for help. She was only in his office now under duress. She widened
her large brown eyes, tilted her head in a way she hoped might minimize her nose, and lowered her eyelashes beseechingly.
Alexia had very long eyelashes. She also had very fierce eyebrows, but Lord Maccon seemed more interested in the former than
repelled by the latter. He covered her small brown hand with his massive one.
    Miss Tarabotti’s hand became very warm, and she was finding that her knees reacted in a decidedly wobbly way to such close
proximity to the earl.
Stop it!
she instructed them fiercely. What was she supposed to say next? Right:
Do not be an idiot.
And then:
I needed help with a vampire, so I went to a vampire for help. No, that was not right. What would Ivy say? Oh yes.
“I was so upset, you see? I encountered a drone in the park yesterday, and Countess Nadasdy has requested my presence, this
very night.”
    That
distracted Lord Maccon from his homicidal thoughts of Lord Akeldama. He refused to analyze why he was so opposed to the concept
of Alexia liking the vampire. Lord Akeldama was a perfectly well-behaved rove, if slightly silly, always keeping himself and
his drones in flawless order. Sometimes too