I smooth down my dress. Pinch my cheeks. Walk slowly to the consulting room. Elise is sat on the desk. Amethysts fir eyes. Her hair is even longer than mine. It is the reddest hair I’ve ever seen. She wears a green silk dress. Fingernails stained red as if she has dipped them in blood. I fancy she does exactly that each morning. Bare feet. They are tiny. I take the long ornamental pipe she holds out toward me. There is a wicked tilt to her smile. Behind them a huge bay window looks out across the entire city. Views of the skyline sparkle brighter and brighter as I put the pipe to my mouth and inhale.

Mr Udnam smiles.

I hold the pipe back out, unsure that I can stop myself from dropping it.

He turns to kiss his fiancée’s neck and puts his hand out toward me. She leans her head down to hear my heart beat – lays her hand on my throat and strokes it. She takes a long drag and whispers.

– Open yer mouth.

She blows smoke deep into my lungs – heaviness descends through each part of my body taking every bad memory far away.

– How pretty she is, Elise, do you think this one will take?

– Yes, I think she’ll do more than fine.

An entire wall of books curves to inspect us. All those characters, plots and locations look toward each other and then me. There is a gap in the top row that looks like a black tooth. An electric hum in the air that is nothing to do with his fancy Tiffany lamp. Mr Udnam pours each of us a drink, green, in a tiny crystal glass. It is sweet and sharp and soothes as much as the smoke from the pipe does.

– You know why your father sold you to us, Jessie?

– Yes, I do.

– The child will be named by my wife.

– Of course.

– We will raise the infant with no knowledge of who you are.

– I understand.

– Do you? You will not approach the child if you see it in the street. You won’t speak to us again afterwards. My wife will go into confinement during your containment. When the baby is born Elise will say she gave birth in America. We will never let anyone know the child is not completely ours. You have my word that I will pay you in full and raise the child in the best manner possible.

– Thank you.

– Are you happy to do this?

Elise sounds like she smokes a lot of cigarettes.

– Yes.

– Together? All three of us?

It would be hard not to nod to anything she says – the woman is a walking spell.

– The money was due to go to your father.

– God rest his soul.

– As law sees it, he is sadly not alive any more so that can’t happen.

– I understand.