His Majesty's Dragon

Acknowledgments

I OWE THANKS FIRST and foremost to the group of beta readers who saw His Majesty’s Dragon through to completion, from the very first chapter to the last, and who gave me not only an enthusiastic audience to write for but enormous quantities of excellent advice: Holly Benton, Dana Dupont, Doris Egan, Diana Fox, Laura Kanis, Shelley Mitchell, L. Salom, Micole Sudberg, and Rebecca Tushnet; and to Francesca Coppa, for telling me to do it in the first place. Thanks also to Sara Rosenbaum and everyone else on livejournal who contributed title suggestions.

I’ve been lucky enough to have the help of a wonderful agent, Cynthia Manson, who is also a friend; and the advice of not one but two terrific editors, Betsy Mitchell at Del Rey and Jane Johnson at HarperCollins UK. Many other friends and readers gave me encouragement and advice along the way, and helped with everything from title suggestions to catching out-of-period words; I wish I could list them all but will settle for saying a general and heartfelt thank-you. I’d also like to thank several people who went out of their way to help with my research: Susan Palmer at the Soane Museum in London, Fiona Murray and the volunteer staff at the Georgian House in Edinburgh, and Helen Roche at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin.

To my mother and father and Sonia, much love and gratitude; and last and most important: this book is dedicated to my husband, Charles, who has given me so many gifts that I can’t even begin to mention them all, the first and best of which is joy.