‘I’m going to wear it for my first stage performance,’ Kitty explained excitedly. ‘And that’s not all. I’ve been and had lots of photographs taken today for publicity.’ Kitty found Mabel very easy to talk to, probably because they were of a very similar age.

‘Really? Where did you have them took?’

‘Mr Thomas took me to a photographer in Mayfair. He’s very well known, apparently. His name is Richard Fitzherbert.’

Mabel snorted. ‘Oh, he’s well known, all right, miss. Always in the newspapers he is, with some pretty girl hanging off his arm. And he’s rich too – has no need to work from what I’ve heard. His father is an earl, I believe. Cor, it must be nice to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth, mustn’t it?’ Then, suddenly remembering who she was talking to, she bit her lip. Ruby liked the servants to stay firmly in their place and wouldn’t approve at all of her talking to her niece like this. And Mabel couldn’t afford to lose this job, as her family in Vauxhall relied on her wages. ‘Begging your pardon, miss. I didn’t mean to talk out of turn.’

‘It’s quite all right.’ Kitty smiled at her as she fetched a hanger from the wardrobe and hung the gown on it. Mabel quickly whisked it off her and placed it in the armoire. ‘Now what’s for dinner this evening? I’m actually quite hungry for a change.’

‘I reckon Cook’s done a leg of lamb,’ Mabel answered as she made for the door, leaving Kitty to think about the handsome photographer and to remember the way he’d looked at her.

When she went down to dinner later on, she found Ruby in a dark mood. Max had left – to have dinner with another client, he had said – and she was none too happy at the prospect of spending an evening without a male companion.

Kitty, however, was still excited about the afternoon they had just spent and chattered away to Miss Fox about it. When she came to the part about the photographs the older woman scowled at Ruby.

‘You took her to Fitzherbert’s?’

‘Yes, why shouldn’t I?’ Ruby snapped, ready for a row. ‘Everyone knows he’s a wonderful photographer and Max needed some photos to use for publicity.’

Miss Fox clamped her lips together and Kitty noticed that from then on the atmosphere became strained. When the meal was over she was glad to escape to her room. The second she had gone Miss Fox turned on Ruby furiously.

‘Whatever made you take that young girl to the likes of Richard Fitzherbert?’

‘Oh, Foxy, don’t start, I can feel a headache coming on,’ Ruby groaned, stroking her forehead dramatically.

Miss Fox glared at her. ‘Don’t come that with me, my girl,’ she scolded. ‘You can develop a headache at the drop of a hat, usually when you’re hearing something you don’t want to hear. But it’s Kitty I’m concerned about. I thought it was strange when you agreed to have her after all these years of never giving her a second thought – but now I’m beginning to see the light. You want to exploit her, don’t you? I’m not daft, you know! Your income is drying up, along with your admirers, because of your fondness for chocolates and gin, so could it be you want your own flesh and blood to go out and earn for you now?’