‘And you hid on the canal boat. But why?’

‘Well, Peter had borrowed books from the Archdeacon’s brother without telling him and we were afraid he might have thought they were stolen and told the police. That’s why we had to run away but I’d meant to anyway, the orphanage was truly terrible.’

‘Why did you leave the canal boat?’

‘The work was very hard. You see, we were leggers.’ Margaret saw Lady Teaser did not know what the term meant. ‘You know how canal boats are pulled by horses? Well, we led the horses, cruel hard work it was in wet weather and Peter fainted, so Mrs Smith put him to bed and said we couldn’t go on being leggers.’

‘So what did you do then?’

‘Mrs Smith had a sister called Ida who called herself Mrs Fortescue, but it wasn’t their real name. She and Mr Fortescue had a fit-up company which played in a tent all the summer and we were put to work for them. Peter was meant to be Lord Fauntleroy but he couldn’t act, so instead I was Lord Fauntleroy, and Horatio, he was the little boy, acted the wrong Lord Fauntleroy.’

‘And where are the boys now?’

‘Oh, their grandfather, only they didn’t know they had one, came for them and took them all to Ireland where he has a castle.’

‘A castle! What is his name?’

‘The Marquis of Delaware. Their mother, who died, had been Lady Phoebe Milestone. Lavinia looked like her mother and Lord Corkberry guessed who she was and went to Ireland to tell Lord Delaware he had found her.’

Lady Teaser managed to hide her delight but it was difficult. She had always said that Katie was not to be an actress but be brought up to be a fashionable young lady but she had never been sure how she could do it and now, through this most unlikely source, she could see a way.

‘Do you ever hear from the children now?’

‘I had one letter from Lavinia but I haven’t answered it yet. I wanted an address to give her. Lord Delaware wanted me to go to Ireland too, he wanted to adopt me. But I wouldn’t go. He said if I’d go he would treat me as a daughter. But I don’t want to be treated as anybody’s daughter. I’m Margaret Thursday and I’m going to make my name famous.’

Lady Teaser got to her feet.

‘I’m sure you will, dear. Now come up to the schoolroom and make friends with Katie. I hope you two will do lessons together and become great friends.’

The stage-door keeper at The Dolphin was a well-known figure in his own right. To his inferiors – such as window cleaners, inexperienced dressers, tradespeople who delivered at the stage door and any persons he did not accept as his equal – he was known as Mr Todd. To the actors and countless others he was just Bill. Sometimes, when he could step out to have a glass of porter, a friend full of good spirits might slap him on the back and call him Toddie. When this happened he would say quietly, ‘The name is Bill.’ No one ever argued with this.