Soap inched one long arm about her waist with the excuse that she might need the support. Sophronia felt somewhat reassured.
The bones of the Crystal Palace and the now empty benches came into view. Everyone was crowded around what could only be the fallen body of Professor Braithwope.
“Man the pull back, swell up inflation,” came a yell over the bullhorn.
“Erp, that’s me!” Soap dashed back to work.
Sophronia felt bereft.
Someone in the crowd below looked up, pointed, and screamed. It must be a truly terrifying thing to see, the massive school hurtling down toward them.
Then Sophronia felt a mighty jolt. They stopped falling and hovered, almost exactly as high above the ground as they had been before the whole thing started.
The sooties cheered.
Several of the young ladies in the crowd directly below fainted. Each faint was, properly, backward and caught by one of the many gentlemen in attendance.
Sophronia let down the rope ladder attached to one side of the hatch and climbed to the ground as quickly as she could.
BALLS AND CHAINS
No one—at least no one who had anything to say about it at the time—noticed Sophronia climbing down. She made her way through the crowd, ending up between Dimity and Captain Niall. She noted with relief that Pillover was still there and nodded gratefully at Sidheag, who would have forced them into continued proximity with the werewolf.
Sidheag smiled back. Genuine pleasure lit up her long, masculine face.
Professor Braithwope’s body was bent in a most unusual way. Someone had removed the helmet of the aether-suit, and the vampire’s face was gray-green in color. His mustache was deflated and floppy.
Monique de Pelouse was bent over the vampire, her face a study in tragedy. Sophronia wondered if it was a calculated expression, intentionally revealing her intimacy with the vampire to other vampires present. Was she saying, in her best Monique way: I’m in the market for a new patron? She might as well have taken out a sign that stretched across Mademoiselle Geraldine’s midship balloon.
Lady Linette was barking orders. “Get those stairs down. Quickly! We must get him onto school grounds immediately!” Sister Mattie was pulling and rearranging Professor Braithwope’s limbs, attempting to get them back into alignment. Professor Lefoux’s normal attitude of strict severity was in place, but her hands shook as she attempted to remove the aether-suit.
Then Professor Braithwope’s eyes snapped open.
The crowd gasped in titillated horror.
The vampire’s skin was drawn back flush against his skull as he opened his mouth in a silent scream, showing yellow gums and the full length of his fangs. They were a stark contrast to his fragility, all that wicked strength in such a small, sickly man.
“Oh my,” whispered Dimity, “how monstrous!”
Sophronia inched closer to the vampire, trying to listen to the quiet conversation between his female attendants.
“Monique!” said Professor Lefoux. “You’ll have to do your duty.”
Monique, composed and regal, nodded and with a single lissome movement swirled off her cape. Without hesitation she pressed one of her wrists to the vampire’s gaping mouth.
He bit down, hard. Blood splattered Monique’s white skin.
The surrounding watchers inhaled as one.
Dimity, as was her custom, fainted.
Monique gave a delicate shudder but no other reaction.
Well, thought Sophronia, that secret is definitely out. It’s a good thing she’s having her coming-out ball and leaving the school, or there would be questions from her parents after this.
It could almost be thought romantic, if it hadn’t been so gruesome. A tiny teardrop of blood leaked out the corner of the vampire’s mouth; his eyes remained wide and staring. Behind him, the great staircase of the school cranked downward, white puffs of steam escaping into the night. The midship balloon was being inflated and the fake scaffolding put back into place.