Acknowledgments

There is no such village as St Piran, who was a Cornish saint, and all the characters in this book are entirely fictitious. There is however a small museum in a village called St Agnes on the north coast where a figurehead, the Lady Agnes, stands. She came from a small vessel built in the 19th century and she traded in cargo ranging from coal and china to salt cod. In her early days she undertook the Newfoundland run, although I did not know this at the time of writing.

I am deeply indebted to my friend, Elizabeth Cynddylan, Fine Art Conservator, for her chance remark, ‘I’ve just finished restoring a figurehead.’ It sparked in a flash the idea for this book. She has been incredibly generous with her information and photographs and has given me a fascinating glimpse of the world of restoring. Any mistakes are entirely my own.

I am also grateful to Annabelle and the wonderful Morab Library and Roger Radcliffe, Hon. Secretary, St Agnes Museum Trust for opening up the museum one winter afternoon so that I could view the Lady Agnes, and for letting me use the atmospheric location of the museum, once a converted chapel, for my entirely fictitious Lady Isabella.

Thanks once again to Toby for checking my military facts. To Broo Doherty for her unswerving support. To Jane Gregory and her team, as always, many thanks.

Last, but not least, I wanted to thank that calm and gentle military voice at the end of a phone in 1999 who talked me through days and nights of a nightmare.