The lean handsome face was familiar. I was sure I knew him.

Of course! He was one of the cheekbones whod been chatting to Lucca at the dance hall the night previous. Now I looked proper, I realised that they all all the Russians that is had luminous pale hair and slanting pale eyes set into wide angular faces. They were striking, I couldnt deny it, that was surely the right word for them all, but there was something fierce about them too.

The man stood and raised his own glass in reply to Joey. Then he raised it to me, smiled and winked. He was tall and muscular his gesture had a sweeping grace.

'Ilya. He is one of The Moikas principal dancers. Joey nodded his head in reply and took a sip from his glass. 'On stage he jumps so high that sometimes you hold your breath watching, wondering when or even if he will come down again. I met him last winter during their first season in Paris and he introduced me to his friends. Akady is to his left, in the blue gown, Stefan to his right, in red, and directly opposite Akady, our friend Lucca is talking to Misha, who is the leader of the orchestra, not a dancer. He is a very clever man, a linguist Misha is also The Moikas fixer in chief.

'I wondered who that was. He doesnt look like a dancer. I smiled. 'Luccas hardly said a word to me all night.

Joey looked down the table to the midpoint where Lucca was engaged in deep conversation with a broad-shouldered man whose hair was so fair it was almost white in the candlelight. Lucca was sitting with his back to me, elbow on the table, resting the scarred half of his face in his hand. I knew he was trying to cover the worst of it, but it didnt seem to matter to the intense young man with him. I remembered that Giacomo, Luccas great love, had been a musician too.

'I . . . introduced them on the second day you were here, when you had a headache or said you did. Joey adjusted one of his dangling earrings which had got twisted up in a ringlet. 'You were right. There were things Lucca and I needed to say. It was clever of you. He paused. 'You know, he told me a lot more about you, that afternoon what youd done, how you really saved those girls.

He smoothed a wrinkle in the starched white tablecloth, the gemstone bracelet at his wrist glittered in the candlelight. 'She chose well. The words were almost a whisper.

I covered his hand with mine. 'From what I heard, I dont think she had much choice.

He shook his head. 'Our grandmother knew exactly what she was doing. She always does.

There was a shriek as a log burning in the depths of a huge marble fireplace halfway down the room spat out a shower of golden sparks. A man who was sitting with his back to the hearth erupted from the table and made a great show of flapping out the trailing skirts of his lacy dress. When he was satisfied he wasnt incendiary, he stood to one side and fanned himself most energetically as the Monseigneur moved his chair to a safer place.

I wondered if the old boy had come with the house, and if so I wondered what I was paying him. I watched as he ushered flustered Fanny back to a seat and discreetly arranged her skirts so they were folded away from any possibility of ignition. He was almost like part of the furniture. Perhaps hed been in Lady Gingers employ here long before Joey came? The thought came to me then that he still might be. Perhaps the old cow had set a spy on my brother? I wouldnt put it past her.

'Do you know where shes gone? It was the question I asked the Beetle every time he scratched up another legal piece for me to sign.

Joey shook his head. 'I didnt even know she had gone until you came. I do know this she had another place. My guess is that it was somewhere far away from Limehouse and Salmon Lane. She went there once when she was taken with the winter sickness and didnt want people to know how frail she was. If the Barons . . . He paused and his fingers tightened round the stem of his glass. 'She came through and she came back, but she never told me where shed been. Lady Ginger doesnt like to show weakness and she never makes mistakes.

He turned to look at me directly. His blue eyes darkened and his mouth twitched into a sort of smile. 'And I dont think you will either, Kitty.

Mistakes?

For a moment another face swam into my head. James Verdin looked at me in just the way hed done when he sat at the end of my bed after that first time, after that only time. Of a sudden I felt my cheeks burn up.

'So, youre running an establishment here? The question tumbled out of my mouth before Id had time to phrase it more elegantly. Fact was, I didnt want James in my thoughts and I said the first thing that came into my mind to replace him.

Joey was silent. He frowned and turned the glass about in his hand so that the cuts in the crystal caught the light. I cursed myself.

'I like to think of it as a refuge.

He looked down the table. Someone was playing a piano now in the next room and a couple of Joeys friends rose from their places, wrapped their arms around each others tightly corseted waists and drifted off in the direction of the sound. The Monseigneur appeared with another bottle of champagne and began to fill glasses lined up on a tray set to the side of the door. The room was filled with the murmur of conversation punctuated by laughter. Youd have taken it for a society feast if you didnt look too close at some of the ladies present.

Joey took a sip and placed the glass carefully back on the table, moving it a little to cover a stain on the cloth. 'The world isnt kind to people like us, Kitty. My friends come here because they know they will be safe and for a short time they will feel . . . ordinary. Do you . . . can you understand that?

I looked down at my hands in my lap as he continued. 'I was blinded by her, you know our grandmother. When she told me about Paradise and all the doors that were going to be opened it was as if a kind of madness descended on me. It was the same at first with- He broke off and filled my glass to the brim.

'I . . . Ive done a lot of things Im not proud of, Kitty, but I am proud of this. He gestured at the room and the easy, comfortable people settled around us. 'Its one thing I am not ashamed of.

I knew then that I would never tell him who really owned 17 rue des Carmelites. Better that he thought The Lady had allowed him, trusted him, to prove himself here without any strings attached.

'Its a fine place, Joey. You should be proud. I raised my glass as a toast, and champagne fizzled over my fingers. Tell truth, I didnt like the stuff much. It didnt taste clean like gin and it gave me a roaring head.

'To you and to your friends, J . . . Josette. Im glad youve introduced me to them.

'Are you? He sounded oddly eager and there was something else there.

I nodded. 'This is your home now. Theyre your family too, arent they?

He reached for my hand and squeezed it. 'Yes . . . yes, I suppose they are. He looked down the table at the people still lingering in the room. His perfectly arched brows knitted together for a moment as he ran a thumbnail over his full lower lip. I recognised the gesture when we were kids and played at cards together I always knew if he was about to take a risk. He was turning a question in his mind.

'Actually, theres someone else I want you to meet, Kitty. Hes been waiting upstairs.

Chapter Seven.

Joey knocked twice on the door and pushed it open. He stood to one side and let me go in first. The room beyond was in darkness apart from a small fire burning in the grate. I could smell apple wood again, laced with a rich leathery scent, and I could hear the soft ticking of a clock.

I was confused, the room appeared to be empty. Joey followed me in and closed the door behind us.

'David?

I wondered who he was speaking to, but then a tall figure rose from a chair set in shadow by the window. As he stood, the man put a tumbler down on the small table next to the chair.

'Will you tend to the lamps, Josette, a little more light? The voice was low and I recognised a Scottish burr. Joey took a taper from a spill pot in the hearth and crossed the room to light a pair of oil lamps set either end of a long low table pushed up against the wall. The flickering light showed up a painting of a woman in a black evening gown. She was in profile, one hand clutching a string of beads to her chest, the other raised to her forehead. I was minded of Mrs Conway striking one of her tragical attitudes and the guilty thought came to me that it was very likely the old girl would look something similar after wed had the little chat Id been putting off.

Joey blew out the taper. 'Kitty, this is my friend David David Lennox.

There was a rustling noise as the man closed the curtains. He turned to look at us.

'There, thats better. I can see you both now.

More to the point, I could see him.

Truly, David Lennox was the most handsome man Id ever set eyes on. He was almost a head taller than Joey, well put together, but lean with it. His skin was dark, not as black as some of the sailors who put in at the docks in the soft glow of the lamps it had a smooth russet quality like a roasting chestnut. He had a broad forehead and close-cut dark, wiry hair. It was his eyes I remember most from that first meeting, they were an odd shade of green, like broken bottle glass thats been turned against the stones in the river. Set against his skin they didnt look right, only they didnt look wrong neither.

He smiled and his wide full lips revealed perfect even teeth. I thought he looked like a prince from one of them Arabian tales Ma used to tell us.

'Its true then. You two are almost identical.

I glanced uncertainly at Joey. I hadnt really thought too deep about it, but in the dim light of the room, now I looked, I could recognise the line of my own features in his. Was that how others saw me?

David stepped forward and bowed. He took my hand and raised it to his mouth. 'Forgive the darkness. I find it easier to think when I stare into a fire. There was a relaxed warmth to the tone of his voice.

'And its safer. Joey went over to the window and adjusted the curtains to make sure they covered the glass completely. He turned. 'Youre sure you werent followed?

David shook his head. 'No, I was careful. Anton took my hat and cloak and left The Chapeau Rouge immediately after I went off stage. I waited for half an hour and then I left from the back of the theatre. If anyone had followed I would have known.

Joey frowned. 'Anton took a risk?

'Yes, I am grateful to him. But Im certain that if he was followed they would realise it wasnt me soon enough. He was going on to The Lapin dOr, so once inside- Joey interrupted. 'Kitty, sit down please. Theres something we . . . David must ask of you. He gestured to a chair by the fire, but I didnt move. The pair of them were talking over my head. They were deadly serious about something and it didnt sound like a stroll in the park.

'Whats going on? I planted my hands on my waist and waited. 'Well?

'So, you want me to take this baby back to London?

David nodded and leaned forward. He was sitting on the opposite side of the hearth from me, half in shadow. He took a pull on a long dark cigarette. 'Youre leaving tomorrow, thats right, isnt it?

I looked up at Joey standing behind my chair. 'I dont think its going to be as easy as you two suppose. The kidll need travel papers for one thing. And what the bleedin hell are they going to say back home when me and Lucca turn up with a Moses basket?

'Youll think of something, Kitty. Say youre looking after him for a friend. Joey put his hand on my shoulder. 'It wont be far from the truth.

'And what is the truth? I think Ive a right to know a bit more before I agree to anything. Its not like taking a stray dog back with me, is it? I pushed at the ringlets that were springing free from the elaborate coil the hotel maid had pinned to my head. It was beginning to pull at my temples. I longed to tear it all apart and shake my hair free.

'There is more, isnt there? You two are keeping something from me. For one thing, whose baby is it?

I saw a look pass between the pair of them. 'Its complicated- Joey began, but David cut in.

'Hes mine. The boy is mine and his name is Robbie after my father.

'But I thought you were . . . I bit my lip, unsure what to say next. Tell truth, I thought he was one of Joeys mates, only not tricked out on this occasion.

David smiled and shook his head. 'No, Im not . . . what you think, Kitty. Ive known your brother since he came to Paris two years ago. Our circles crossed. I make my living as a performer a ballad singer. I came here from Glasgow in 76 and the city has been good to me . . . until now. Joey and I have many friends in common in the halls, in the theatres- 'In the ballet. Joey cut in sharp there. I saw another old-fashioned look pass between them.

David threw the cigarette into the fire and took my hands in his. 'Its the old story. I . . . got a girl into trouble. It wasnt supposed to happen, but we werent careful. She cant keep the child.

'Why not? I was indignant. 'Theres plenty of girls back home in that position and they get by. Are you telling me they keep their morals knotted up so high in Paris that a working girls never had a misfortune?

David stared hard at me. I blinked and looked down. His eyes were the most unusual shade against his dark skin. Sitting so close, I realised that the deep leather scent in the room was his cologne.

'Its not that, there are thousands of infants in Paris without benefit of a father. His Scottish accent came more distinct now. I could smell the faint sweetness of brandy on his breath as he continued. 'I didnt realise until just before Robbie was born who his grandparents were. They are an old family a . . . powerful family who wouldnt want the dark-skinned son of a singer from the halls among them. And now they . . .

'They are searching for him. Joey finished the sentence off, but I could tell there was a lot tucked in behind those words.

'Thats why we need to get Robbie away. Behind me Joey moved closer to the hearth. I watched him twist about a china figure perched on the edge of the marble mantle. It was a shepherd boy with a lamb curled close to his heels. I realised with a jolt that it was Nanny Pecks fortune piece, the one she always rubbed for 'the luck of it. Hed taken that as well.

Joey shifted the ornament a fraction to the right, running the pad of his thumb across the boys pottery rump. 'When you arrived this week, Kitty, I saw that there was somewhere he could go. Weve all been trying to shield him. Our people are close, but its getting more difficult. This will confuse them no one would think of looking in London. Not if we are careful and move quickly.

'What about his mother, whats she got to say about this?

David answered me. 'She wants him to be safe. He stared into the flames. I noticed he wore a signet ring on his little finger like the one I still wore on a chain round my neck Joeys ring. I meant to give it back to him. I felt it cold against my skin under the ruffled neckline of my dress as he continued.

'Its hard, but it will be for the best. We cant risk the family tracing him. Thats why I came here alone tonight. The less you know the better. It will be safer that way. I wouldnt want to cause you any harm. He tightened his grip on my hands and I found myself thinking that despite everything, whoever she was, little Robbies mother was a lucky girl.

'Hes almost seven months old and as bonny a bairn as you could wish for. What do you say? Davids voice was thick like he was trying to swallow down a lump of gristle and there were tears now in his wide green eyes.

I had to look away again. I wanted to help him, but the thought of taking a baby back to Paradise was ridiculous. I didnt know the first thing about looking after a kid.

He squeezed my hands. 'Kitty?

I cast around for a reply.

'Listen, surely Robbies mother . . .? I began. 'Surely the two of you could go off somewhere. I dont see how taking him back to London with me is going to make things right? When alls said and done, the best thing is for a child to be with its mother.

'Thats impossible. Davids voice was almost a whisper. 'There are things I cannot tell you. I wish I could, but if you were to know any more it could be dangerous, for you as well as for the child. You must take my word on that. You are my only hope.

I caught at something there, 'my?

'You two still together? You and his mother, I mean?

He glanced up at Joey. My brother shook his head.

David cleared his throat. 'We are not. He paused and made a sound that was almost a laugh. 'And I was sore glaikit to think we ever could be. No, Robbie is my responsibility entirely. The family will never acknowledge him, or me. He slumped and dipped his head. A warm tear splashed onto the back of my hand caught in his. I noticed how his close-cropped black hair spiralled at the crown of his head and I got the urge to stroke it.

'But we are agreed on one thing. If anything were to happen to our boy . . . he faltered. 'Will you help us, Kitty? It would mean the world. He didnt look up.

I could feel something pricking away at me somewhere deep inside, something like a warning I suppose. Nanny Peck would have said that her marrow was calling from her bones. I closed my eyes. Ill say whatever comes into my head, I thought.

David was still holding on tight. Ill admit I liked the feeling of it my hands were cupped entirely in his like a couple of wrens in a nest. Another warm wet drop fell onto my skin. He smoothed it away gently with the ball of his thumb and carried on stroking.

'All right. Ill take him with me. I dont know what theyll think back in Limehouse, but Ill deal with it.

I didnt even know Id said it out loud.

The room went still for a moment, like we was all frozen. Even the clock on the mantle held its breath. I swear it felt that if Id given the wrong answer just then, everything would have shattered and fallen around us.

Joey knelt down beside me. His skirts whispered and breathed out gently as the material folded itself to a new position.

'You neednt worry about papers. Ive already had something drawn up. He grinned when he saw the look on my face. 'I know you, Kitty. I was certain you would help . . . well, almost certain. It neednt be for long . . . He glanced at David, who was still holding my hands. I could feel a gentle pressure as he squeezed my fingers.

'There are things we need to settle here in Paris to make it right. Ill send word when its time. Then well both come to Limehouse to take him back. If there are still . . . difficulties here, you might go on to America with him thats right, isnt it?

David nodded. 'If we can afford the passage. Its a vast country, theyll never trace us there.

'If it comes to it, Ill buy your passage when we are in London, David. Joey placed his hand over mine. 'Thank you, Kitty. Ill be relying on your hospitality when we next meet. It will be . . . interesting to see Paradise again.

'No! You cant. I blurted out the words.

A look of raw pain flashed across my brothers painted face I saw it clear. But he mastered it and then he smiled. 'Dont worry, little sister, Ill come as Joseph Peck, if thats what worries you?

'No! I mean you cant come to London at all. I remembered the peculiar phrase in Lady Gingers letter. The pair of them looked at me like I was a bedlam.