Arm in arm they left the elegant restaurant and made their way up Regent Street, stopping to look in shop windows. The well-dressed men and women they saw made Judy very conscious of her old-fashioned clothes, and she did not argue when Rob insisted that she must try on a number of bonnets, ending with a pretty little confection of net, feathers and silk flowers. The hat she had fallen in love with was the height of fashion in London, but she could not imagine wearing it in Little Creek. Rob, however, saw no such problem and he insisted on buying it for her.

She hesitated, gazing at her reflection in the shop mirror. ‘I can’t accept it, Rob. Look at me. I look like a servant who’s parading around in her mistress’s bonnet.’

‘It’s not you, Judy, it’s those drab garments you’re wearing.’ Rob glanced at the prim sales assistant. ‘Perhaps you have a more fashionable mantle that might suit the young lady?’

‘I’ll fetch my colleague, sir.’ The woman marched off to where a group of shop girls were waiting for prospective customers. She returned minutes later with another, much younger woman.

‘I think I have exactly the right thing for you, miss. Will you come with me, please?’

‘Go on, Judy. I’ll wait here, but I want to see you in it before you commit yourself.’ Rob settled back on a spindly gilt chair, leaving Judy little option but to follow the eager saleswoman.

‘I believe you’re enjoying this,’ Judy said over her shoulder.

He smiled and tapped the side of his nose. ‘I’d be lying if I denied it. Go on, choose something you really like.’

‘I’m not letting him spend a fortune on me,’ Judy said in a low voice as she followed the assistant into the next department.

‘I wish I had a gentleman friend who was generous and good-looking.’ The young woman winked saucily, and then her smile faded. ‘Pretend you didn’t hear that, miss. I’ll lose my position here if Miss Banks finds out I’ve been familiar with a customer.’

Judy followed her gaze and saw the prim woman, who was standing with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, and a sour expression on her face. ‘I won’t say a word. Let me try on something and then we’ll go on our way.’

Judy waited while the girl went through a rack of elegant outer garments and her breath caught with a gasp of admiration when she was shown a velvet mantle in a glorious shade of deep blue. ‘It’s like the midnight sky,’ Judy breathed. ‘And the silver buttons look like stars, but it must be every expensive.’

‘It’s the latest Paris fashion, miss.’ The girl shot a wary glance at her superior. ‘I haven’t sold anything today and I’ll lose my job if you walk away empty-handed.’

Judy fingered the material and sighed. ‘It’s far too good for me. I would love to have it, but I don’t know when I would have occasion to wear such a fine garment.’