Kitty nodded as she swiped the back of her hand across her mouth. ‘Yes, I think I must have eaten something that disagreed with me. I’ll be fine now though.’

‘Hmm.’ Maggie wasn’t so sure but she left her then and went about her chores.

Downstairs, Miss Fox and Ruby were in the middle of another heated argument.

‘What do you mean, you haven’t enough to pay them all?’ Miss Fox demanded angrily. It looked like she was going to have to dip into her own savings yet again. ‘You don’t seem to object to paying the wine bills and they’re sky high!’

‘Oh, so you even begrudge me a drink now, do you?’ Ruby whimpered pathetically. ‘Even though that’s the only pleasure I have left.’

It hit Miss Fox like a blow then just how far Ruby had sunk. The music-hall bookings and her suitors had long since disappeared and now she looked a total wreck. She didn’t even bother to get dressed or brush her hair most days and her skin had taken on a curious yellow tinge, as had the whites of her eyes.

‘Just look at the state of you.’ There was anguish in Miss Fox’s voice. ‘If you carry on like this you’re going to kill yourself!’

Ruby shrugged. In truth, she didn’t much care. She was used to being pampered and adored, but now her lifestyle was slowly catching up with her and she couldn’t cope with not being everyone’s darling. Ruby thrived on attention but that was long gone and her only comfort now was found in a bottle.

‘Who would care if I did?’ she said and Miss Fox was enraged.

‘I would, for a start! And what about your daughter? She isn’t well herself but you haven’t even noticed, have you? You’re too wrapped up in self-pity to care for anyone but yourself and you should be ashamed.’ She took a deep breath then and tried to calm herself. This futile arguing was getting them nowhere. ‘Right, now let’s go through these bills together and deal with the most urgent ones first, shall we? Give me the key to the safe and we’ll see how much money is in there.’

The safe was positioned behind one of the gilded pictures on the wall and once Miss Fox had the key she unlocked it and withdrew what money was in it. She quietly counted it out before seeing what the bills amounted to, then turning to Ruby she told her, ‘We’re going to have to pawn or sell some of your jewellery.’

‘What!’ Ruby was clearly horrified. ‘Oh, Foxy, no, not my jewels!’

‘Do you have a better idea?’ Miss Fox said. ‘I can help out a little with what I have left of my savings, but it will be nowhere near enough to clear this lot.’ She spread her hands to encompass the bills scattered across the table. ‘And that safe is fair bulging with baubles – far more than you need.’