Mabel chuckled as she went to do as she was asked. No wonder Miss Kitty was in such a good mood. So would she be an’ all if she were to be woken with a bunch of flowers such as these. She wondered who they might be from as she went to find a vase big enough to accommodate them all.

Kitty’s mood improved further when Max arrived while she and Miss Fox were breakfasting to tell her triumphantly, ‘I have you a booking for next week at the Gaiety Theatre in Westminster.’

‘Really?’ Kitty leaped out of her chair and did a little twirl. After the success of her first performance she could hardly wait. Miss Fox merely looked on, saying nothing, and sensing her disapproval, Max left soon afterwards, promising to return that afternoon to take Kitty and Ruby shopping.

‘You know, you mustn’t get carried away by all this,’ Miss Fox said stiffly when Max had gone.

‘What do you mean?’ Kitty dared to ask.

‘The adulation soon passes,’ the older woman warned like a prophet of doom. ‘And then you could find yourself alone, like your mother. She should have married a decent man while she was younger and had the opportunity, but she was too busy having her head turned.’

‘But singing is so enjoyable!’

‘It may well be, but there’s more to it than that. It’s the whole way of life. The late nights, the sound of the applause, the men who queue up to pay court to you – most of them married, by the way – it can become addictive.’

Kitty thought for a moment before asking tentatively, ‘Did you know my father well?’ All she had been told about him so far was that he had been a well-known politician and married into the bargain, but she was curious to know more.

As always when the girl asked any questions about her father, Miss Fox closed up like a clam. ‘The least said about that the better,’ she muttered and without another word on the subject she left the room.

Kitty felt a little annoyed. She had only been trying to find out a little more about her father, after all. She didn’t even know his name – and if it was left up to Miss Fox, no doubt she never would! Still, she had all the time in the world to discover who he was, she consoled herself, and humming merrily she tripped away to find Arthur and ask how Maggie was before getting ready for the next shopping expedition.

She found him in the shed cleaning his tools.

‘Your mate is right as rain,’ he told her, before Kitty could even ask. ‘When I left this morning, Mum was just doing her a bit of breakfast. She’s been very quiet though. Mum reckons there’s something on her mind that’s troubling her.’

‘I think your mother is right, but I’m hoping there will be a position here for her. My aunt has promised to meet her tomorrow afternoon, after which Maggie may be set on as my lady’s maid. Will your mother mind her staying another night?’