Rebel Angels

Ann scribbles away. "Felicity Worthington becomes City Worth Gin If Lento."

Felicity makes a face."What sort of name is that?"

"A ridiculous one," I say.

"Try again, Ann," Felicity orders.

Ann takes pen to paper, concentrating as if she were a surgeon with a patient. "Wont Left in City Groh?"she offers.

"That makes no sense," Felicity complains.

"I'm doing my best."

I'm not faring much better. I've arranged and rearranged the letters of Gemma Doyle and come up with only one thing.

"How is yours coming along, Gemma?" Felicity asks.

"It isn't worth mentioning," I say, crumpling the paper.

Felicity snatches it from me, unfolding the name. "Dog Mealy Em!" The girls laugh uproariously at this, and I am instantly sorry they have it.

"Oh, that is perfect," Felicity says with glee."Henceforth, you shall be known by your secret Order anagram name: Dog Mealy Em."

How delightful."I'm going to try again," I say.

"You can if you wish," she says, grinning like a cat cornering her prey. "But I, for one, shall only address you as Dog Mealy Em." Ann gives a sharp snort of laughter that makes her nose run. She dabs at it, mumbling"Dog Mealy Em" under her breath, which starts Felicity giggling again. I am irritated to be the lucky recipient of their annoying jibe."Well then, what is your secret name, Ann?" I say, taunting her.

Ann's neat, tight script stretches across the white page. "Nan Washbrad."

"That is not at all fair!" I say. "That sounds like an actual name."

Ann shrugs."Wouldn't do to have a conspicuous name, now, would it?" She smiles triumphantly, and in the silence I hear what she is holding back: Dog Mealy Em.

Felicity has been tapping the point of her pen against the paper, concentrating. She growls in frustration."I cannot make heads or tails of my name. Nothing is coming."

"Do you have a middle name?" Ann asks. "That might help. More letters."

"That won't do any good," Felicity says too quickly.

"Why not?" Ann asks.

"Because it won't." Felicity blushes. It's not like Felicity to blush over anything at all.

"Very well, then. You can be known henceforth as City Worth Gin If Lento," I say, enjoying her predicament very much.

"If you must know, my middle name is Mildrade." Felicity turns back to her piece of paper as if she hasn't been saddled with possibly the worst middle name in history.

Ann wrinkles her nose. "Mildrade? What sort of name is that?"

"It is an old family name." Fee sniffs. "It can be traced all the way back to the Saxons."

"Oh," Ann says.

"Lovely," I say, trying desperately to keep the sides of my mouth from twitching.

Felicity buries her head in her hands."Oh, it is awful, isn't it? I simply loathe it." There is nothing polite to say to this."Not at all." I can't resist saying it aloud."Mildrade."

Felicity narrows her eyes."Dog Mealy Em."

This could go on all evening. "Truce?"

She nods."Truce."

Ann has begun to cut out the letters of Felicity's name so that they are like small squares that can be moved about on the desk until they form some semblance of a reasonable name. It is tedious work, and within a minute I am staring at the letters but thinking of what I'd like to have for supper. Felicity pronounces the task impossible and throws herself on the chaise to read more from Miss Wyatt's secret societies. Only Ann is determined to decipher the code of Felicity's name. She concentrates fiercely, moving letters left and right.

"Aha!" she cries at last.

"Let me see!" Felicity throws the book aside and rushes to the desk. I join them. Ann gestures proudly to the desktop, where the uneven squares have formed a new name, which Felicity reads aloud.

"Maleficent Oddity Ralingworth. Oh, how perfect."

"Yes," I say."Evil and odd."

"Dog Mealy Em," Fee snaps back.

I shall have to work on my name. On one corner of the paper, Ann has scribbled Mrs. Thomas Doyle several times, trying out a signature she will never own, and I am ashamed that I've crossed her off Tom's list before she's ever had a chance. I will remedy that. Ann's staring at a name.

"What is it?" I ask.

"I'm trying Miss McCleethy's name," she says.

Felicity and I crowd her."What have you got?"