Acknowledgements

One of the challenges of historical fiction is conjuring a sense of how a place would have looked, sounded and operated in the period you’re writing about. For this reason we are hugely indebted to Gay Hendrickson of the Rowan Tree Heritage and Cultural Services, former president of the Parramatta Female Factory Friends and now vice president of Museums Australia. Gay organised access to t he parts of the Female Factory which few people get to see, walked around with us, and answered innumerable questions over a period of months. She helped us to step out the murder of Robert Church and the escape of his killer, pinpointing the optimal spot for the event to occur. She was also kind enough to read the manuscript and provide feedback. Any errors are ours, not hers.

We’re also grateful to Noela Vranich of the Parramatta Female Factory Friends for her advice, and in particular for sending us a tract by Charlotte Anley, a representative of prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, who visited the Female Factory in the 1830s. The scenes Monsarrat encounters in the Third Class yard are drawn from this work.

Karima-Gae Topp of Topp Tours was also generous in providing information.

We’d like to thank the numerous volunteers at Parramatta historical sites such as Government House, Elizabeth Farm, Experiment Farm and Hambledon Cottage (the kitchen of which was the model for Mrs Mulrooney’s kitchen). These people live and breathe their local history and are a wonderful source of information. We are fortunate to have such custodians of our heritage.

As always, our thanks go to our family – our beloved and insightful first reader Judy; and Craig, Rory and Alex, all of whom have patiently accommodated the intrusion of Monsarrat and Mrs Mulrooney into their lives.