Okay. She was ready. Ivy used a tissue to dab away the excess lipstick. It had been a while since she’d had to put on her war face. The paper-pushers wouldn’t know what hit them – she was ready to impose her will as only a very well-bred lady could. She sighed a sotto voce thanks to her mother and grandmothers for the training. She hadn’t appreciated it enough as a teen.

The artful makeup accentuated her lightly tanned skin and wide brown eyes without looking like she was made-up. The Alexander McQueen ensemble and Louboutin pumps were professional enough, with just enough skin to get the job done. Her hair had always been nice, even without highlights, even though it had been scraped into a wheat-blonde ponytail for most of the last year. She gave it one last fluff in the mirror before grabbing her good black purse. The collar of the suit coat itched a bit, and she cast a longing glance at her usual wardrobe of jeans and hoodies. Once she was done with this appointment, she would change back into comfy clothes and go sweep out the elderly shed that she was planning to use as a hay barn. But this needed to be done. Her horses needed all the paperwork that would allow them to come home. And she was going to get it done today, no matter what anyone else said.