Slim and slender, ten companions arranged by the clock

Liana favours a hotel lounge at half past five, tea before wine and a paperback within reach. Margo likes a long lunch on Kensington Church Street that drifts quietly into evening. Cindy wants the last hour of daylight beside the river, and Vanessa the ivy lined avenues of Brompton Cemetery just before the gates are locked.

Karolina and Samanta are both musicians, one at the piano and one with the violin, and both plan around recitals: Cadogan Hall on Sloane Terrace for Karolina, the Royal College of Music for Samanta. Patricia times her evening to a classic at the Electric Cinema, and Lucy to the monthly late opening at the Science Museum on Exhibition Road.

Violetta begins among the crowded shelves of John Sandoe on Blacklands Terrace and moves to a small Kensington dining room at eight; long evenings suit her particularly well. Stacy is the grouping's night owl, relaxed about short notice and perfectly content with a plan that changes twice before midnight.

If the hour is flexible, choose by subject instead. Liana talks about French novels and balcony gardens, Margo about contemporary art and the piano, Karolina about who built what and why. Samanta is fascinated by hotel design and is learning several languages at once, and Vanessa collects phrases from every language she meets. Patricia will discuss film noir and watercolour, Lucy the planets, Cindy the light over the river, and Stacy and Violetta, independently of each other, the stand-up acts they have seen lately.

Calm temperaments make the best company over ten hours, and Liana, Margo and Samanta are all comfortable with the quiet stretches any long booking contains. An overnight until the museums open costs £1,800 and is held with a 50 percent deposit, the travel component non-refundable, and the balance changes hands in cash when she arrives or goes by transfer beforehand.

Six of the ten also appear with the statuesque companions. By colour, Cindy is the only blonde, Karolina and Violetta are raven haired, Patricia's hair is auburn brown, and Liana, Lucy, Margo, Samanta, Stacy and Vanessa are brunettes. Lucy, at 163 cm, is the one slender companion also filed as petite.

Hourly bookings start at £250, and every companion above works to the same printed ladder. When you write, say what time she should knock on your door. For a recital or a screening, add the performance time too, and she will plan the evening backwards from it, allowing for the walk and a drink beforehand.