Kitty giggled but didn’t say anything as she followed the assistant from the room.

Ruby blinked with surprise when she emerged while Max stared at her, openly admiring.

‘It’s perfect,’ he decided. ‘But now she will need some long evening gloves and satin slippers to go with it.’

‘Of course, sir.’ The assistant hurried away as Kitty did a twirl for them.

‘I wasn’t that keen when you chose this one,’ she admitted then. ‘But now I have to say I love it.’

Ruby was feeling more than a little miffed. She could well remember the time when she would have fitted into that gown, but those days were long gone and suddenly she felt old and frumpy.

The assistant arrived back then and Kitty lifted the hem of the gown and slipped her foot into the dainty satin slipper. ‘I feel like Cinderella,’ she joked, and Max laughed with her. The long gloves completed the look and Kitty felt sad when she was led back to the changing room to have her new finery taken off. While the assistant gave orders to have everything wrapped in tissue paper and boxed, Kitty got dressed and rejoined Ruby and Max.

‘The next thing we need to do is get some photographs of you taken,’ Max told her as they stepped out of the shop.

‘Photographs?’ Kitty was puzzled. ‘What do we need them for?’

‘Publicity, of course.’ Max smiled at her broadly, revealing a set of straight white teeth. For a split second, the image of a wolf flashed through the girl’s mind. ‘We shall need one for a poster advertising your appearance at the club, and then my journalist friend will want one for his newspaper if he likes you.’ Personally, he failed to see how anyone could not like Kitty, although he wisely didn’t say that in front of Ruby. He had an idea that she was feeling a little put out and for now was keen to stay on the right side of her. ‘Luckily,’ he went on, ‘I know just the chappie. He has his own little studio in Mayfair and he’s photographed quite a few of my clients for me. We’ll go there now, I think. There’s no time like the present.’

‘But I’m feeling rather tired,’ Ruby objected peevishly. Max had informed her when he’d arrived at the house earlier that he’d not managed to secure any further bookings for her as yet and she was still stinging about that.

‘Not a problem, my pet.’ He patted her hand and she smiled sweetly at him until he went on, ‘We’ll just hail you a cab to get you safely home and then I shall take Kitty myself.’

‘No, no.’ The smile slid from her face. ‘I wouldn’t dream of allowing poor Kitty to go without me.’ Inside, she was seething. There had been a time when Max had danced attendance on her, and her wish had been his command … but lately she had been seeing less of him. She’d also noticed the way he looked at Kitty and didn’t like it one little bit! But then she also knew that she must be sensible. She wasn’t getting any younger and needed to think of the future. Kitty was capable of earning her a lot of money, so for now she would remain all sweetness and light, but it would be woe betide him if Max tried to push her too far.