‘I understand. If I see you with them, I will not scratch their eyes out.’

‘That’s my Princess.’

‘Besides, I’ll be out of the way up here,’ I said.

He stood and paced once, twice across the room before kneeling at my feet and taking my hands in his own.

‘I must have you there tonight, Zillah.’

My heart sang. Paving the way to declaring us a couple would take time. Vincent would suffer for it as well as me, so having me in the same room as his friends was surely a good sign. It didn’t matter that we hadn’t gone to Richmond after all. What do you think of that, Ellen? I thought, perhaps a tad spitefully. But what would I wear? The party would start in less than an hour. I jumped up to look in the wardrobe, wishing I had something in there even half suitable, and Vincent smiled.

‘It will be a difficult night for you, but I’m glad that you agree.’

He understood. That was so important to me.

‘Here, I borrowed this for you, from that maidservant you like.’

We were the same size but what could Grace possibly have that would be suitable for a party? She had even less than me. As I stared at the outfit in Vincent’s hands, I realised what he wanted. I wouldn’t be at the party as his guest at all. I would be there in the guise of a servant. He held up a black dress and white apron.

‘Is something wrong, Zillah?’

The red flea bites on my arms were still fresh; the itching reminded me of why I must keep my temper. Stupid girl. Be glad that he wants you there at all. But I knew I couldn’t do it. My mother had not given me much, but I felt compelled to abide by the one rule she’d handed me. Never be a servant. It was a maxim I’d lived my life by. Even in the leanest times, I’d ignored the listings in the paper for kitchen maids and maids of all work. Instead, I’d got myself the role at Crillick’s, built on my performance until Crillick saw fit to make me the headliner. Vincent wanted to undo all that work in a moment just for his own comfort.

‘It’s only for an hour or two. It would mean a lot to me to have you there. You can tell me what you think of everyone.’

It was all a game to him and I knew how it would be. I’d serve drinks to his friends and, when he thought no one was looking, he’d touch me where he shouldn’t. But tonight I wasn’t playing. I couldn’t.

‘You don’t need me there. You can tell me all about it afterwards. I’ll be up here waiting for you.’