A car horn beeps, an engine revs and a car starts to drive away from the house. I hadn’t noticed it arriving. The neighbour’s dog barks.

‘She’s early.’ Simone is standing now, facing the door. ‘She has her own key. Never bothers to get it out. Always expects us to open the door. Bloody teenagers.’

Faye turns the TV off. Outside, Annabel unzips a bag. Her keys jangle as she sorts through them.

I’m standing beside Simone, beside Simon. I put my hand on her shoulder, his shoulder. The silicone dents softly under my fingers. I can feel heat coming through it, body heat.

Simon turns Napoleon in his hand, over and over. For a moment, the only sound is breath, leaving the mask in a whisper.

Acknowledgements

I can’t imagine writing this book without a reasonable broadband connection, the thousands of websites it took me to and all the people who chose to use the web as an outlet for their niche fascinations. I’m also indebted to the authors of several books. John Hanbury-Williams’ The Emperor Nicholas II, as I Knew Him provided intimate insights into the Romanovs and life around Stavka and the court in Mogilev in the final weeks of 1916. David R. Francis’ Russia From the American Embassy: April, 1916 – November, 1918 gave me the perspective of a senior official on the US intentions in Russia at that time. John H. Gill’s 1809: Thunder on the Danube: Napoleon’s Defeat of the Habsburgs, Volume II: The Fall of Vienna and the Battle of Aspern provided a meticulous account of all matters military in and around Vienna in April and May of 1809. Karen Downing and her book Restless Men: Masculinity and Robinson Crusoe 1788-1840 arrived at just the right time to inform me about the approach young British and Irish men of the early nineteenth century took when keeping journals of their travels. I also want to thank Chris Flynn for his pioneering work in taking Northern-Irish Australian literature to Girdwood and the Merc.

As always, I’m indebted to Pippa Masson, Caitlan Cooper-Trent and the team at Curtis Brown in Sydney for their wise counsel and for keeping many of the non-writing parts of the writing job on track.

Apologies to my editor, Rachel Scully, for handing her a job that took her down quite so many rabbit holes, but huge appreciation always for the meticulousness, support and contagious enthusiasm she brings. Big thanks also to my publisher, Meredith Curnow, for seeing what I was on about, and being this book’s champion. And to the audio experts at Penguin Random House and the Voice Plant, who led me through the labyrinth of details and accents that the author decided to toss into this book.