Finally, I would like to thank my editor at John Murray, Kate Parkin, for helping me shape the story; Caroline Westmore for easing the book’s passage to publication in a tight time frame; Jane Birkett for copy-editing the manuscript; Lyndsey Ng for publicity; my agent, Julian Alexander; friends and family, in particular Kate, Lachlan and Finn for their enthusiasm and patience. I hope the reader finds enough of the spirit of the times in my story to forgive the liberties I have taken with the history.