‘Grace, my skirt – you haven’t cleaned it, have you?’

‘Oh yes, all the laundry was done yesterday while you slept. Everything washed and pressed and all in the cupboard waiting for you.’

The paper I’d found at the warehouse and stuffed into my pocket was gone. Rubbed away, no doubt. I growled with frustration. What was it that it had said? I’d never know now. Might as well leave. I was halfway out of the door when Grace called me back.

‘There was one thing, miss. I found this in your pocket. Wasn’t sure if it meant something to you?’

Grace held out a small scrap of white paper in her hand. It hadn’t been destroyed after all. I almost snatched it from her. It was folded in half and when I opened it there were two words on it.

‘The Odditorium,’ I read aloud.

‘What’s one of those when it’s at home?’ Grace said.

I wasn’t exactly sure myself, but it seemed that Crillick had big plans for his new show. It scared me to think that his exhibition of the Leopard Lady wasn’t even the half of it. But at least now I knew exactly what it was I was searching for. I had a name that I could give to Elvira and Lucien and maybe others who might help me. The Odditorium, I said to myself, hoping that the more I said it the more the fear the very sound of the words sparked in me would lessen. For now, I didn’t know where it could be found, but I was determined to be the one to track it down. Hold on, my sister. I’m coming.

‘Will you be leaving now, miss?’

‘One moment.’

The paper on which ‘The Odditorium’ was written bore a crest I hadn’t noticed at first, but that I had definitely seen before. The name was all too familiar.

‘Don’t forget Lord Woodward is waiting, miss,’ Grace said.

Woodward. That was the name at the top of the paper. Woodward Trading. It’s not an uncommon name, I rationalised. But crests were unique to each family.

‘Can I help you at all, miss?’