It was the band on her left arm that first caught my attention. She had been persuaded to sit by my friend Roger who had told me that she was a bit of a bohemian. Intrigued, I slipped into the studio and watched while he performed his magic with a paintbrush. Halfway up her forearm, not on the wrist like the ordinary people.  She was special and she knew it. Even the style of her hair, bobbed in this way, took an element of confidence to carry off. With friends like Modigliani, Ezra Pound and Picasso, what chance could I have? But I had to try. ‘Come to the Fitzroy Tavern tonight’ she replied. I hid my surprise but as I took my leave, called back ‘a plus tard’. See you later.