Someone was trying to kill Lady Alexia Maccon. It was most inconvenient, as she was in a dreadful hurry. Given her previous familiarity with near-death experiences and their comparative frequency with regards to her good self, Alexia should probably have allowed extra time for such a predictable happenstance.

Classic author moment, "Oh dear, did I kill that character or not?

As if being a former vampire drone in a werewolf household were not shocking enough, the maid then opened her mouth and proved that she was also, quite reprehensibly, French.

The ill-informed masses included her own family among their ranks, a family that specialized in being both inconvenient and asinine.

It's no good choosing your first husband from a school for evil geniuses. Much too difficult to kill.

These things, regrettably, are bound to occur when one is married and befriended.

Follow that porcupine!