I need to thank several people whose advice and help were invaluable while I was writing. Natalie Jenner, thank you for your careful beta-read, and for pointing out that George deserved an extra scene. Laurel Ann Nattress, thank you for your thoughtful comments on my early draft. Thank you to Dr. Julian North for sharing your expertise on laudanum addiction. Rebecca Howe, thank you for the many (many) late-night texts encouraging me to keep going when I was stuck.
To my incredible agent, Jennifer Weltz: thank you for being the advocate you are, and for helping me prune that out-of-control first draft. Thank you to the entire team working behind the scenes at William Morrow—we authors, and our books, owe so much to your hard work. In particular, thank you to Shelly Perron, copyeditor extraordinaire; and to my editor, Rachel Kahan, for your enthusiasm for Anne’s story from the very beginning.
And finally, thank you to my husband, Stuart Campbell. You wrangled our children, listened patiently to half-finished passages, and let me moan about edits. I (really, truly) could never have gotten this book written without you.