After the war there was an African government and a great deal of misplaced optimism, and then Mugabe. When I think of people’s hopes for independence, I want to weep for Zimbabwe. In the early 1990s, Mugabe wanted to take La Rochelle as his country residence. I don’t know why that fell through, but I can see why he hankered after it. He had got to know it quite well when he drew up the ZANU-PF party manifesto there years before, with Stephen’s help.

Ginie had an orchid, a rose and a spider named after her. She was proud of this. The Virginia Courtauld orchid is a deep pink, with delicate white markings and a flamboyant purple bottom petal. The rose is a rich, dark red. The spider is black and silky – frightening to look at, but not poisonous.

It probably bothers you that you will never learn the truth about the snake tattoo.

You will just have to decide for yourself which story is true.

Author’s Note

Author’s Note

This book began with a question from a friend: ‘Have you seen Zimbabwe’s secret Monet?’ The painting was allegedly hidden in the vaults of the Harare National Gallery, she explained, to keep it safe from Mugabe.

My late mother was born in South Africa and on a trip to Harare, I managed to access the ‘secret’ paintings. There was no Monet, but I did see works by Rembrandt, Caravaggio and several others, donated to the Gallery by Stephen Courtauld. My curiosity was well and truly piqued and I began to research Stephen and Virginia. The more I found out, the more I became convinced that theirs was a fascinating untold story.

The Courtaulds did so many extraordinary things, it was impossible to explore every aspect of their lives in depth in just one book. I decided to focus on their time in Rhodesia, partly because it’s the least mined part of their lives, and partly because Southern Africa is in my blood and marrow.

The Dragon Lady is a work of fiction. It broadly follows the known biographical framework of the Courtaulds’ lives, but the skin and tissue is invention. In certain places, I took liberties with the facts and the time frame in order to fit the demands of the narrative.

The meetings with Mugabe and his colleagues happened in real life, and the little girl’s ghost has been seen and discussed. While staying at La Rochelle on a research trip, I discovered the unmarked grave and the intensely sad and eerie atmosphere that hangs around it, exactly as described in the novel. La Rochelle is now run as a hotel and several employees have reported sightings of the girl.