And a woman nearly falls over on Penitence's petticoats. For the first time in her life, the idea of trousers flash through her mind, but she dismisses them immediately. Not even Dorinda wears trousers, and she was an orange-seller.

She catches the other woman in a grip that may be surprisingly hale. Penitence has not spent the last few years retiring in a goose-down bed. "My apologies," she murmurs, "I seem to have caught you off guard."

It's almost a joke.