Maynard Charles held up a hand and Hélène saw she was in for a lecture. ‘Graf and Gräfin Schecht have been patrons of this establishment longer than you or I have graced its halls. They are, as you understand, personal friends of Lord Edgerton. I don’t have to remind you of the choppy waters this hotel is sailing, Hélène. We pulled ourselves through the Depression by hook and by crook. With the good King Edward’s patronage, our reputation is restored. But that doesn’t mean . . . Trust me when I tell you, things can change in a moment. We court the great and the good so that this hotel’s reputation soars. Every time the King takes afternoon tea with us, I can tell in the ledgers the way this hotel thrives. Let us pray he sees sense and foregoes his infatuation with Mrs Simpson so that he may be king ever after. The hotel needs a benefactor like this. It is how we present ourselves to the world. That’s why we are throwing the New Year ball in his honour. That’s why we have the Queen of Norway and her retinue in attendance for the Yuletide season. And that’s why we need guests like the Hamburg Schechts. You must give them what they want, Hélène, for if we get a different kind of reputation, a reputation for cutting corners and letting our patrons down, well, worlds have imploded for less. There are twelve hundred members of staff in these halls, and do you know what? Not one of them is bigger than the hotel, Hélène. You do understand?’

He phrased the last as a question, but in truth it was no question at all.

‘I understand.’ Hélène nodded, defeated, while inside she felt herself erupting.

‘Hélène, don’t be sore. You are one of this hotel’s most prized assets. I might even say you are the jewel in the Buckingham’s crown. To have you in our ballroom has been an untold delight for our patrons. Hélène Marchmont: the glamorous model who turned down the silver screen for the ballroom. It brings us an air of enchantment. I haven’t forgotten the season we opened and were suddenly indulged with guests from the Hollywood Hills, still courting you for their pictures. It means a tremendous amount to this establishment that you chose your love of dance over a shot at stardom. But, when our patrons need you, I need you, Hélène. With great beauty like yours, there comes a great responsibility.’

Hélène was not listening. She had stopped listening after Mr Charles had called her a prized asset. I’m more than an asset, Maynard. I’m a woman. This hotel might be all you have in your life, but I have more in mine. And I needed those days.