Thanks are due—as ever—to my agent, Clare Forster, and my publisher, Annette Barlow, for your invaluable and continuing support, guidance and belief in me; to my editor-extraordinaire, Ali Lavau; to my dearest friend and supporter, Tricia Dearborn; to my dear friends Liz Brigden and Sharon Mathews who will appreciate the underground/overground reference; to my mother Sheila Joel who made the arduous journey with me by public transport to Chalfont St Giles, and my aunt, Anne Benson who was on the train that got stuck outside Neasden; to Peter Brigden for allowing me to use the story of the midwife; to Brian Christie who supplied invaluable information on Chalfont St Giles; to all the wonderful people at Curtis Brown and Allen & Unwin for your assistance, support, expertise and encouragement during the writing and publication of this book; and to the fine people at the Australia Council for the Arts who continue to provide me with encouragement and inspiration and who allow me the space to write, in particular Carolyn Watts and Michelle Brown.