Author’s Note

I would like to thank Susan Rabson, whom I met at the Pennsylvania bookstore where she works, helpfully recommending books to wandering readers—or in my case, a wandering parent looking for books to bring home for her sons. I was instantly drawn to her friendly smile and beautiful accent. Turns out Sue is not only passionate about books but is also a native of Maidstone, Kent, where I had already planned to set this book. She generously offered to pick up information for me on her next visit home, which she did, sending me several books and pamphlets about Maidstone and its history. Thanks so much, Sue!

I would also like to thank author Anne Elisabeth Stengl and her husband, Rohan de Silva, for their gracious help with the fencing scenes. (Any errors about either Maidstone or fencing are mine alone.)

I enjoyed the research for this book and learning about servant life. I attended a class through the Beau Monde chapter of Romance Writers of America, read many books on the subject (the sources of many of the epigraphs in the novel), and toured the belowstairs world and attic servants’ quarters of several country houses and town houses in England. (For example, Lanhydrock in Cornwall, Number One Royal Crescent in Bath, The Georgian House in Bristol, and Tredegar House in Newport, Wales.)

As interesting as the research was, I found writing about servant life somewhat daunting. A great deal of information is available, but some of it conflicts. Different houses had different rules, schedules, and ways of doing things. For my purposes, I have simplified the servant routines and duties. And really, how much do you want to read about polishing brass and emptying chamber pots? Also, the staff of Fairbourne Hall is fairly skeletal compared to the number of servants a large country house would have actually needed to operate smoothly in the early 1800s. But I didn’t want to give you too many characters to keep track of! I hope those more expert than I will forgive the liberties taken for fiction’s sake.

On another historical note, the Barbados slave revolt mentioned was an actual event which began on Good Friday (April 14) 1816.

Also, the plaque quoted in chapter 7 was an actual plaque in the servants’ hall of the manor in Lower Slaughter, one of my husband’s favorite Cotswold villages.

As always, I would like to thank my husband and sons for their love and support. My first reader, Cari Weber, for her honest and helpful feedback. My diligent editor Karen Schurrer, as well as the entire family at Bethany House Publishers, for whom my love and gratitude know no bounds.