Sister Mattie settled into life in a small seaside resort, where she grew prizewinning foxgloves and had a thriving business in medicinal herbs, common pest poisons, and fancy soaps.
Lady Linette opened an acting school in London and produced a bevy of successful female dramatists who all had a habit of treading the boards for more years than was natural, marrying above their station, and ending it badly—for the husband. She numbered the well-known stage siren Miss Mabel Dair among her graduates. Although Sophronia saw her old teacher occasionally, she never did find out Lady Linette’s true age. Nor how she had become a lady. Nor where she was born, accent notwithstanding. By then Sophronia had learned to accept that there were limits to even her abilities. So Lady Linette kept her secrets—or possibly other people’s.
It took a year, but in 1855 the dewan finally saw his Clandestine Information Act voted into law. All mechanicals were declared a threat to the commonwealth. However, antisupernatural members of parliament were able to include a line naming supernatural creatures enemy intelligencers. In order to prevent vampires and werewolves from accessing mechanical and mechanimal technology, they were forbidden to see the patents. The dewan was livid, but Sophronia, who suspected that control over the technology had been Countess Nadasdy’s—and possibly Lord Akeldama’s—end game all along, was happy to see mechanicals outside of everyone’s control.
“I understand a certain mysterious butler was integral to the signing. Will you ever tell me about him?” Sophronia asked the dewan, sipping a small sherry after dinner one evening.
Soap smiled and looked up from his snifter of brandy. “I told you she wouldn’t forget.”
The dewan huffed in pleased exasperation. “Of course not. How did you find out he was at the CIA signing, little miss?”
“You indentured me for my discretion, sir.”
“Mmm. Only with my own secrets.”
Silence met that.
He snorted and let the matter drop. “Funny you should ask about him. He’s your first assignment. Somewhat.”
Sophronia straightened. Since moving in, he’d given her the odd task around town, but nothing that stretched her training. She was getting bored, and the butler character was intriguing.
“He’s the guardian of the child who inherited the mechanical patents. I’ve had to guarantee his signature and his silence over an Egyptian affair by agreeing to protect his ward.”
“Egypt?”
“No, I’m not sending you abroad. The child lives here in London. Certain unsavory Italians are interested in the toddler and steps must be taken to protect her. You are to be those steps.”
Sophronia grimaced. It sounded excessively dull. “You want me to watchdog an infant?”
“Worse. For the sake of propriety, I’m installing you as nanny. There is a ball tomorrow night that the mother will be attending. She’s frivolous. You are to become friends, and then a family connection will be miraculously discovered. You will be invited to stay for an indefinite time.”
Sophronia nodded. Right now she was supposedly traveling abroad with Agatha, as her parents would not approve of her living with the dewan under any circumstances but marriage. Installing her as a semipermanent companion with a respectable family was the single best way for her mother to utterly forget about her.
She reached across the table and took Soap’s hand.
His dark eyes were pleased. “You won’t be here, but you’ll be living close.”
“Pup’s not trained yet,” said the dewan.
“I take it the plan is to set us into motion as field agents as soon as he is?” Sophronia was hopeful.
The dewan nodded. “Between the two of you, there are few infiltration gaps. What parts of society you can’t get into, he can. You’ll be a good team, so long as you are circumspect.” He was glaring at their entwined fingers.
Sophronia did not move her hand from Soap’s. “I am always circumspect.”
The dewan sighed. “Children, if you persist in this you’ll be stuck living in shadows all your lives.”
Sophronia lifted Soap’s hand to her lips and kissed it. “We like the shadows. That’s where all the power is.”
Soap looked to his Alpha. “We’ll spend many happy years together in sinful incognito, interfering with the world for the greater good.”
Sophronia added, “Once Soap’s safely loaner status, and I’ve served out my indenture to you, we shall run around having adventures overseas and contribute to Her Majesty’s cause in an entirely unnoticed way. It will be delightful.”
Soap lifted and kissed her hand in turn. “It will, won’t it?”
The dewan sniffed. They were prone to shocking the old wolf. “Young people these days. Incorrigible.” He stood and left the dining table in pursuit of less modern sensibilities.
Sophronia and Soap turned their chairs to face one another. Sophronia put both her hands on Soap’s thighs, warm and hard under her palms. She leaned forward to kiss him. She liked it so much, and got to do it so often, she was becoming quite brazen about taking advantage of his proximity. No wonder the dewan was shocked.
“I’ve been thinking about endearments.” Sophronia looked serious. “I have settled on popsey.”
Soap was surprised into laughter. He scooped her up and settled her into his lap. “Oh, have you, indeed?”
“Yes, and you shall endure it manfully.”
“If that’s the worst I have to suffer from you, my heart, I’m grateful for it.” Soap nuzzled her gently.
Sophronia quite agreed. But then Soap was sensible like that.
The End
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Contents
COVER
TITLE PAGE
WELCOME
DEDICATION
CRISIS 1: INCOGNITO IN CHARACTER
CRISIS 2: INVASIONS AT A BALL
CRISIS 3: ENEMIES IN THE ROSES
CRISIS 4: CHARTING AN UNSTEADY COURSE
CRISIS 5: SISTERS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES
CRISIS 6: AN INVITATION TO DINE IN OR ON?
CRISIS 7: A PROBLEM OF MOTIVATION
CRISIS 8: RECORDS AND REGRETS
CRISIS 9: TEA EMBARGO
CRISIS 10: IN A PICKLE AT A TEA PARTY
CRISIS 11: EVACUATION SITUATION
CRISIS 12: ABANDONED SHIP
CRISIS 13: A CLASSICAL EDUCATION
CRISIS 14: NOT WITH A BANG BUT A WICKER
CRISIS 15: FALLING DOWN ON THE JOB
CRISIS 16: OUT OF THE FLYWAYMEN INTO THE FIRE
CRISIS (NO MORE) 17: IN WHICH WE ARE ALL FINALLY FINISHED
AFTERWORD
COPYRIGHT
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Tofa Borregaard
Schematic illustration copyright © 2015 Mike Schley
Cover design by Tracy Shaw
Cover photography © 2013 Carrie Schechter
Cover © 2015 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and 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 the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First ebook edition: November 2015
ISBN 978-0-316-29978-7
E3
Manners & Mutiny Page 27