It was a lad – the carter’s apprentice I guessed from his age and the homespun trousers and leather apron that he wore. He stood in the doorway of the tradesman’s entrance. Grace must have offered him a drink while his master was working.

‘I was only looking.’

I walked up to the door and indicated for him to step aside, but he made himself bigger, blocking off the entrance.

‘Get on. You’ll not be pilfering anything here.’

‘Out of my way. I live here, you know.’

He didn’t believe me. There was a tense moment while we faced off with one another, while he waited for me to slink away, but I was going nowhere. Here I was, dressed in my best, but he hadn’t even hesitated to order me away. Beggar, thief, whore. He saw my colour and couldn’t imagine I was anything more than that. On cue, Grace came out and nodded in my direction.

‘Can I get you anything, miss?’ she asked.

The apprentice looked from one to the other of us, his face clouding in confusion. Then it came, the down-mouthed dismay and horror that I’d been waiting for, and I fancied his head whirring through the consequences of not paying me the respect I deserved.

‘I have all I need, but please leave me the name of this trader. I doubt we’ll be using him again.’

Grace nodded and spoke to the apprentice coldly.

‘Cook’s just settling the bill with your master; he’ll be along in a minute.’

The boy sloped away, looking sheepish. So why was I the one left feeling like I’d been bested? I might have taught the boy a lesson but little good it did me to have the love of a viscount if I needed a servant to vouch for me in order to enter his home.

The kitchen table was piled with covered baskets, punnets of fruit and jars of preserves. There were almost as many groceries as I’d seen in Lucien’s shop.

‘Is this all for the party?’ I asked Grace.

Crillick never did things by halves. There was lots to dislike about him, but you couldn’t grudge him that. I was so busy nosing through all the items Crillick had bought, I didn’t notice him enter the kitchen.

‘Zillah, what have you done with my friend the Viscount?’

Grace jumped up and curtsied to her master, but he ignored her.

‘He went out with you, remember?’ I said.

‘So he did, and spoilt all your plans. I’m terribly, terribly sorry,’ Crillick said.

There was a laugh in his voice and I hated him for it. A fishy smell about him too, which I recognised but for the moment couldn’t place.