She held out her hands before her and looked at the heavy rings. ‘He used to take my rings off and kiss each one of my fingers,’ she said. Her voice was heavy with longing. ‘And every time the tip of his tongue touched that little place between each finger I used to tremble all over.’ She glanced at me. ‘All over,’ she said.

I was thinking of Will Tyacke and how I had warned him that I had no love to give a man. I was thinking of the time he had peeled down my glove and kissed me on the wrist and pulled the glove up again as if to keep the kiss warm. I was thinking of how he had followed me to Gower’s show that night and seen me wrecked with grief for her. I was thinking that even though he had Becky and her love, he had come to London whenever I asked him. It was me who named our meeting days. He never failed me. He never promised me one thing he did not do. And at the end he said that if I married Perry I would not see him again.

He had kept that promise too.

‘I shall never forgive them,’ Maria said. She suddenly smiled, a hard bright smile. ‘I shall never forgive those two,’ she said, nodding towards her husband and her mama. ‘That fat old bawd and that cheap lecher. She sold me and he bought me, and he is making her keep to her side of the bargain.’

Lady Clara and Basil had risen from their seats and were coming towards us.

‘You should have run when you had the chance,’ Maria said to me. ‘When I first met you, when you were just up from the country. I thought then that if you’d had any wit you’d have got out of Mama’s clutches. But you wanted to be a lady, didn’t you? I hope it brings you much joy!’ she laughed, a hard bitter laugh which made a few people turn around and look at us, and made Lady Clara come to her side.

‘It’s time to hear La Palacha sing,’ she prompted. ‘I’m longing to hear her, Maria, Basil has been telling me how charming she is.’

Maria nodded obediently and turned to summon one of the footmen.

‘I have to go,’ I said firmly. Lady Clara turned to me with a frown.

‘Don’t you start,’ I said warningly and she heard the old toughness in my voice and hesitated. ‘It’s my first time out and I can’t abide standing around,’ I said. ‘Perry said he’d take me home. I’ve come as you bid me, and I’ll be staying in London as you wish. But don’t push me, Lady Clara, I won’t have it.’