Next, I would like to thank the people who made my own months in England so fun to revisit. Kelly Smith, of course, made the whole thing possible. She also helped me work out some of the earliest ideas for this book as well, since she and Ann Shaw walked me through my first lessons in succession of peerage, along with some complex details around land and titles. Joanne, Barry, and Ethan helped us explore a beautiful castle and kept my family entertained (and fed) during my initial research visit for this spin-off. Jane, Hilary, Kristen, Max, and the entire Red Lion Friday Club welcomed us back and continued to serve as inspiration for the wonderful people Vic takes Sophia to meet at the pub. Our good friend Dr. Karen Randell served as my British proofreader, who caught all my embarrassing Americanisms. I also want to thank the tour staff at Alnwick, Warwick, and Warkworth castles, who took the time to explain so many details about castle walls, budgets, and land conservation, as well as who does what and when, and how much everything costs. I suspect they found me a rather suspicious character by the time I left, but they remained polite and engaging without ever once calling security, even when I took the same tour twice in a row.

Again, as was the case with Full English, while this book very much takes place in England, it is also half American, and the same goes for my creative team. Thank you to the entire Bywater crew, who continues to be top notch in every aspect of the business. Salem, Marianne, Elizabeth, Nancy, Kelly, and Ann McMan regularly put together the best books in the business, and they were incredibly kind and patient with me on this one. I especially want to thank Ann McMan for designing a cover that reflects the unique story I tried to tell, the region that inspired it, and its strong ties to Full English. Oh, and she made it a truly beautiful work of art as well. Thank you to Lynda Sandoval, who loved these characters as much as I did and treated both them and me with care. Thank you to Barb and Toni, my most trusted first readers, who always let me know when I’m on the right track. And of course, thank you to my awesome page proofers (Diane, Ann, Marci, and Melissa), because no matter how many professionals approve a book before typeset, they always manage to catch a few more mistakes before we send it off to the printer.