‘I’m off out now, it was lucky you caught me. See to yourself. There’s a bit of bread, some cheese I think, a slice of ham. I’ll be back in the morning.’

And he left the room before I could ask him where he’d be all night.

XXIII

Inside Crillick’s Office

The next day, Saturday, I arrived at the theatre at ten o’clock in the morning. Most of the other performers wouldn’t be there for another hour or so and it helped that I wasn’t expected. No one would be looking for me or wondering where I was.

My plan was to search Crillick’s box before the show started. He had commandeered the two to the right of the stage at the level of the dress circle. In the first he had installed a desk and treated it as his office. The second he used for entertaining. It had been from that second box that Vincent had first watched me. He’d told me later that’s where he’d fallen in love with me, but the Zillah who had loved him back felt long gone. It wasn’t just how his father made his money, or even that he’d kept it from me – Vincent couldn’t help his background any more than I could help mine. But good intentions or not, he was a coward. The Leopard Lady’s plight had shown that, when it came down to it, I couldn’t count on him.

As I’d hoped, the theatre was quiet. Only Barky seemed to be in. He must have come straight here from wherever he’d spent the night. I would quiz him on his mistress later. As I walked through the empty auditorium, I heard him harrying the rigging man who helped Aldous with his special effects. Aldous – there was one man who wouldn’t be pleased to see me back. It had been strange to see his name chalked on the boards when I arrived. Ellen’s would be front and centre when they were updated for tonight’s performance.

I climbed the stairs to the dress-circle level, my feet sinking into the thick carpet. Backstage it was all bare floorboards but this was where the better off took up their seats and it had been furnished accordingly. With no windows, it was gloomy, but I knew that from seven o’clock the gas lamps would be turned on, the band would be in full voice and the excitement of the audience would be running high. The door to Crillick’s office box was open. I ducked inside and closed it softly behind me. No need to act all furtive, Zillah. There’s no one here. But I couldn’t help it. It would be a disaster if I got caught.