But for some reason her mind went to the way she and James had often pinched cake from the kitchen as children and run off giggling into the grounds to eat it in their favourite tree. That girl seemed a million miles away from who she was now. Beatrice couldn’t remember the last time she had giggled. Or enjoyed the company of any person apart from Rosa. The memory made her feel suddenly very lonely.

‘I u-understand you have a g-garden l-laboratory at your h-home,’ she hurried on. ‘To c-create h-hybrid or-orchids.’

‘Yes.’ James set down his empty plate.

‘W-Will you t-teach me? It w-will not b-be enough to c-collect s-specimens. I m-must p-produce s-something entirely n-new.’

‘I will gladly share with you everything I know if you think it will help.’

‘I am d-delighted to h-hear you say s-so, b-because there is s-something. In p-particular. I n-need.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I w-want a f-f-fate orchid.’

‘Ah.’ James gazed at her steadily for a moment. ‘But, Lady Beatrice, you know I don’t deal in fate orchids. Not for anyone.’

This was common knowledge. It was the only rare orchid that James refused to hunt, no matter the price. Beatrice had never seen the flower in real life, but she was familiar with the almost legendary plant, found only in India. Its petals were made of paper but it smelled of rain and, most of the time, the flower remained tightly closed, as if it were not yet ready to bloom. But if a person held it by the stem, then its petals would unfurl to reveal the story of their lives, from beginning to end.

‘It may seem wondrous,’ James said. ‘But I have known that flower to ruin lives. It does no one any good to know the future. Besides which, the whole concept of fate is distasteful to me. We must be agents of our own lives, or else what is the point?’

‘I m-must have one,’ Beatrice said. ‘I must.’

‘But why?’ James looked genuinely puzzled. ‘I saw your paper at the Linnean Society. I know the extent of the incredible discoveries you’ve already made. Why is the fate orchid so important?’

‘It is one of the t-two m-most m-magical s-specimens kn-known in the w-world. I w-want it for my h-hybrid. I already t-told you, I m-must c-create something entirely n-new to w-win.’

‘You mean you would not display the fate orchid itself?’

Beatrice shook her head.

James still looked unconvinced. ‘Well, what is the other plant? The one you hope to combine it with?’

‘A p-plum t-tree.’

‘What kind of tree is this exactly?’

‘I d-discovered it in Ch-China.’