Many thanks to:
My manager and fairy godfather, Marc H. Glick (Esquire); my agent, Liz Darhansoff, and her cohort, Michele Mortimer; my editor, Jennifer Brehl, and her sidekick, Emily Krump, for their critiques and patience with the endless permutations of this project. Never was an author so blessed to have such a tremendous, loyal team.
The eternally generous Alan and (especially) Maureen Crumpler, who introduced me to the story of Edgiva and Sweyn, and (as usual) took me everywhere and showed me everything.
Lindsay Smith, for medieval British equestrian insights, Daniel Donaghue for Lady Godiva: A Literary History of the Legend, and Bill Griffiths for Aspects of Anglo-Saxon Magic.
John and Janet Aldeborgh (and lovely, gentle Orville), for assisting my . . . field research. And Sarah Mayhew, for documenting it.
The Gorgeous Group, especially Kate Feiffer for quipping, “It’s Sex in the Medieval City!”
The readers of the original, and entirely different, concept of this story, including Eowyn Mader and Amy Utstein.
Billy Meleady, for more than words can describe.
Barbara Babcock, for providing a winter writing sanctuary.
Alene Sibley, for helping me to stay the course, and Chrysal Parrot, for listening to me when I thought I’d literally lost the plot.
All the good folks at HarperCollins who market and promote this book; all the people everywhere who work to make it available; and all the people who choose to purchase it, or any other book.
All libraries everywhere. This is, in part, a story about the transmission of information, and libraries reign supreme in that regard. Long may they do so!