Naive of me to think that he watched the show. All this time it was the life of the theatre that entertained him, the tawdry seediness of it all.

He lifted my hair to put his lips to my neck. ‘You smell like roses,’ he said half to himself.

This was it. But just as I tensed to push him off me, I heard a voice that made me want to cry out with relief as much as it caused Crillick to swear.

‘Marcus, are you up there?’

It was Ellen.

‘Damn that wench,’ Crillick said. I could sense him half-consider whether or not to carry on, but he decided against it.

‘Go back into my office for now. I’ll get rid of her.’

I did as he said and heard him call to her from the second box.

‘I’m in here.’

This was my chance to get away. I stepped over the ink stain and felt a perverse pleasure to see the expensive Turkey carpet all but ruined. I cast one look behind me before leaving and that was when I saw it. A folder of papers. Crillick must have carried it under his arm and I hadn’t noticed. Quiet as I could, I opened it. I could hear Ellen and Crillick murmuring together in the next room. The first item that slipped out was a folded sheet of blue paper. I recognised this from the breakfast Crillick, Vincent and I had shared when he first returned. The other papers looked like invoices; there wasn’t time to take them in, at any moment Crillick might send Ellen away and return for me. But what was this? A page of notepaper filled with Crillick’s crabby handwriting alongside inked illustrations. This must be his plan for the Odditorium.

Dare I take it? It was near the top of the pile so Crillick would realise quickly that it was gone. It was risky but hadn’t I already taken a chance in coming up here? With a trembling hand, I extracted the sheet and stuffed it into my pocket along with the blueprint for good measure. I had got what I’d come for. It was time to leave. I turned the key in the lock slowly, careful to make as little noise as possible, but it was well oiled and did not betray me. Out I stepped into the corridor. Everything in my being told me to run but there was no sense in that. I was almost away. I headed for the stairs, took the first two. When I’d heard Ellen’s voice before it had been a relief. This time it had the same effect on me that it had had on Crillick.

‘Hey, Zillah, is that you?’