I’m equally indebted to a number of living writers and their scholarly books on late-eighteenth-century France and the French Revolution. Professor David Andress’s work The Terror and his general counsel on the Revolution between 1792 and 1793 was enormously useful, as was Nina Kushner’s Erotic Exchanges: The World of Elite Prostitution in Eighteenth-century Paris. Evelyn Farr and her book Before the Deluge were both very helpful to me in painting a picture of Paris on the edge of revolution. The knowledgeable David Downie and Alison Harris must be thanked for taking me on one of their tours through what remains of eighteenth-century Paris (not a great deal, sadly), and Agnès Montenay for generously offering me a peek into a set of Palais-Royal apartments.

For those interested in learning more about the French Revolution, life in Paris and the real characters in my book, I can recommend:

Godfather of the Revolution: The Life of Philippe Égalité, Duc d’Orléans, by Tom Ambrose (Peter Owen Publishers, 2008)

Liberty: The Lives and Times of Six Women in Revolutionary France, by Lucy Moore (Harper Collins, 2006)

Panorama of Paris: Selections from Le Tableau de Paris by Louis Sébastien Mercier, edited by Jeremy D. Popkin (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999)

Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution, by Simon Schama (Penguin, 2004)

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my wonderful editor, Jane Lawson, for her never-faltering belief in me. She and the team at Transworld have been supportive from start to finish. Gratitude is also due to my agent, Hellie Ogden, for cracking the whip over my back and holding my hand in equal measure. Finally, I would never have crossed the finish line were it not for the unwavering support of my husband, family and devoted friends.

About the Author

Hallie Rubenhold is a historian and broadcaster and an authority on women’s lives in the eighteenth century. She has worked as a curator for the National Portrait Gallery and as a university lecturer. Her first novel, Mistress of My Fate, was received with great acclaim and her biography Lady Worsley’s Whim was made into the BBC drama The Scandalous Lady W. She lives in London with her husband.

Chat with her on Twitter @HallieRubenhold.

Also by Hallie Rubenhold

The Covent Garden Ladies

Harris’s List of the Covent Garden Ladies

Lady Worsley’s Whim (reissued as The Scandalous Lady W)

and also featuring Henrietta Lightfoot

Mistress of My Fate