A Traitor to Memory
Page 89
The words beat against him, but he registered only the sound of her voice. And past that sound was the roar of the future as it rushed upon him, rising like a tidal wave, black and profound. He was rendered powerless as it overcame him. He was caught within it and all he knew was reduced in that instant to a single thought: what he wanted and what he planned to do had been denied him. Again. Again.
He cried out, “No!” And “No!” And “No!” He surged to his feet.
He did not hear Libby cry out in turn as he leapt towards her. His weight fell against her, fell hard upon her. Both of them toppled to the floor.
She screamed, “Gideon! Gideon! No! Stop!”
But the words were nothing, less than sound and fury. His hands went for her shoulders as they'd done in the past.
And he held her down.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I couldn't have completed a project of this size in the time I allowed myself without the contributions and assistance of various individuals both in the United States and in England.
In England, I would like to express my appreciation to Louise Davis, Principal of Norland College, for allowing me to watch nannies in training and for giving me background information on the professional lives of child care givers; to Godfrey Carey, Q.C., Joanna Korner, Q.C., and Charlotte Bircher of the Inner Temple, all of whom were instrumental in assisting me in my understanding of British jurisprudence; to Sister Mary O'Gorman of the Convent of the Assumption in Kensington Square for giving me access to the convent and the chapel and for providing me with two decades of information about the square itself; to Chief Superintendent Paul Scotney of the Metropolitan Police (Belgravia Police Station) for assisting me with police procedures and for proving once again that the most forgiving audience among my readers exists within the ranks of the British police; to Chief Inspector Pip Lane, who always and generously acts as liaison between the local police and me; to John Oliver and Maggie Newton of HM Prison Holloway for information about the penal system in England; to Swati Gamble for everything from bus schedules to the locations of hospitals with casualty wards; to Jo-Ann Goodwin of the Daily Mail for assistance with the laws that deal with press coverage of murder investigations and trials; to Sue Fletcher for generously lending me the services of the resourceful Swati Gamble; and to my agent, Stephanie Cabot of William Morris Agency, to whom no obstacle is too much of a challenge.
In the United States, I'm deeply grateful to Amy Sims of the Orange County Philharmonic, who took the time to make certain I was able to write about the violin with a fair degree of accuracy; to Cynthia Faisst, who allowed me to sit in on some violin instruction; to Dr. Gordon Globus, who added to my understanding of psychogenic amnesia and therapeutic protocols; to Dr. Tom Ruben and Dr. Robert Greenburg, who weighed in with medical information whenever I needed it; and to my writing students, who listened to early sections of the novel and gave helpful feedback.
I am particularly indebted to my wonderful assistant, Dannielle Azoulay, without whom I could not possibly have written the rough draft of this rather lengthy novel in ten months. Dannielle's assistance in every area—from doing necessary research to running errands—was absolutely crucial to my well-being and my sanity, and I extend to her my deepest thanks.
Finally, I'm grateful, as always, to my longtime editor at Bantam—Kate Miciak—who always asked the best questions about the most convoluted turns of plot; to my literary agent in the U.S.—Robert Gottlieb of Trident Media—who represents me with energy and creativity; to my fellow writer Don McQuinn, who gallantly stood on the receiving end of my doubts and fears; and to Tom McCabe, who graciously stepped out of the way of the creative locomotive whenever it was necessary.
About the Author
ELIZABETH GEORGE is the author of award-winning and internationally bestselling novels, including In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner, Deception on His Mind, and A Place of Hiding. Her novels have been filmed for television by the BBC and broadcast in the United States on PBS's Mystery!
She lives in Seattle and London.
A TRAITOR TO MEMORY
A Bantam Book
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2001 by Susan Elizabeth George
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001025488
Bantam Books and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-553-90636-3
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