Virginia Dare set the rather informal letter down atop the pile of other papers and letters, her usual morning reading.  She raised her black-lace gloved hand to cover her pretty mouth as she thought.  Washington Hale, her massive black manservant and majordomo stood off to the side, but he could see just how hard she pressed her hand to her lips.  There were no other servants around and the butler was off haranguing the maids, no doubt.  He pulled out the chair next to his mistress and sat with a fluidity and grace that belied his massive bulk.<br/><br/>“Another invitation?” he asked, his voice as deep and gravelly as one would expect from such a giant.<br/><br/>She did not answer for a time.  When her blue-gray eyes finally snapped up to lock into Hale’s bright brown eyes, she still did not release her grip on her jaw.  Finally, after another long moment, she seemed to regain some composure and sat up straight.  But before she spoke, she looked away from her oldest friend and stared out the windows at the bright, west Texas sunshine.<br/><br/>“Have you heard of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?” she asked.<br/><br/>Hale arched a dark eyebrow and his large, flat nose flared at the wide nostrils.  Normally, the implacable giant was not prone to even such minor displays of emotion.  Of course he had heard of the League.  He was aware of the Illuminati, the Knights Templar, the Masons, the Grimm Sidhe and at least a dozen other groups.  He was more than a mere bodyguard, after all.  He nodded gravely in response to Virginia’s question.<br/><br/>“And the Æther Knights?” she asked.<br/><br/>“Technically, they are ‘Her Majesty’s Royal Order of Psionic Knights’” he answered instantly, though quietly.  “Another trap?” he added finally.<br/><br/>“Some one calling himself Mr. O and claiming to represent the League – unofficially, of course – warns that ‘Her Majesty’s Knights’” she said the name rather sarcastically, “have started another round of inquisitions and that the new consular knights arriving shortly in Washington have specific orders to interview me.”<br/><br/>Hale leaned forward and the little round table complained with a creak as he settled his elbows on it.  “We have to move carefully,” he said needlessly.  His mistress was nothing if not careful and deliberate.  “They could be great allies, or…” he trailed off.  He was not saying anything she did not already know.