The inspiration for The Joubert Family Chronicles came from a visit to the Franschhoek Book Festival in 2012, when I first fell in love with the history of the handful of Huguenot refugees who had sailed to the Cape after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. It is with both satisfaction and sadness that I’m bringing to an end a series whose characters have kept me company for twelve years from the initial glimmerings of an idea to typing the last full stop. Many people have supported me on the way, so my thanks to:
My agent and friend Mark Lucas, and all at The Soho Agency and ILA including Nicki Kennedy, Jenny Robson, Benedict Clark, Alice Saunders, Niamh O’Grady, Sophie Laurimore and Helen Mumby; the amazing team at Mantle, not least my brilliant editor Maria Rejt, and the Pan Macmillan team including Lara Borlenghi, Joanna Prior, Christine Jones, Stuart Dwyer, James Annal for the wonderful jacket, the amazing sales reps, Sara Lloyd, Claire Evans, Lucy Hale, Jamie Forrest, Michael Davies, Jonathan Atkins, Cormac Kinsella, Poppy North, Becky Lloyd, Leanne Williams, Lucy Grainer, Christian Lewis, Nick Lee and copy-editor extraordinaire, Marian Reid.
I am lucky to have so many exceptional foreign publishers.
For this book, a special shout-out to Terry Morris and her team at Pan Macmillan South Africa – and to Veronica Napier, who took me to Jan Joubertsgat. Also, to my friends and long-term supporters at Meulenhoff-Boekerij, especially Maaike le Noble and Frederika van Traa, and everyone at Sonatine, Newton Compton and Planeta. Also in South Africa, a huge thank you to Mark and Deirdre Simpson, who showed me around Stellenbosch and introduced me to so many brilliant people, most especially Gawie Groenwald, who gave brilliant advice on history, language, landscape and Huguenot history, and Pietman Retief, for his fabulous tour and historical knowledge – our Monday trip was one of the most enjoyable research days I have ever spent. Thanks, too, to Anna Rita van Der Westhuizen for showing me her glorious farm in Wellington and advising on flora and fauna; to Duncan Brown, of the University of the Western Cape, for his helpful editing; to Daniel Malan Jacobs, Archivist at Babylonstoren for a wonderful morning in the archives; to Elsa Vogts, Museologist at Babylonstoren, for a superb tour of Soetmelksvlei; to everyone at the Huguenot Memorial Museum in Franschhoek; and, in the UK, Professor Murdoch, Chair of the Huguenot Museum in Rochester. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
In Carcassonne, mille mercis to our old friends Pierre Sanchez and Chantal Bilautou, and to Alain Pignon.
To my friends and neighbours, thank you: first amongst equals are Jon Evans, Clare Parsons, Tony Langham, Anthony Horowitz, Jill Green, Saira Keevil, Lucinda Montefiore, Robert Dye, Syl Saller, Sylvia Horton, Sally Clay and Linda and Roger Heald. Love to the legendary Granny Rosie, to my wonderful cousin Dr Philippa Towlson-Mulbregt (for revolting descriptions of malaria!), my fabulous sisters Beth Huxley and Caroline Matthews, my brothers-in-law Mark Huxley and Benjamin Graham (who helps keep the home fires burning), and my nieces and nephews including Thea Huxley and Ellen Huxley (for the Scrabble!), Rick Matthews, Lottie Ockleton and Bryony Dunk.
Finally, as always, there would be no point to any of this without my beloved Greg Mosse – my first love and first reader – magnificent Martha Mosse and brilliant Felix Mosse, as well as wonderful Ollie Halladay and the joyous Finn. Thank you all for your love, support and care. I am more proud of you than I can say.