by Isabel Wolff
I think of how much I’ve come to like Annie in the six months since I’ve known her. ‘Yes. She’s a good friend.’
‘Perhaps I’ll come back and see it,’ Lena says. ‘With Monica – if we can, we will. But for now …’ She puts the coat and photo carefully into the bag. ‘It’s been so good to see you Phoebe.’ She smiles. ‘Thank you.’
‘I’m glad I’ve met you,’ I say. We stand up.
‘So … is there anything else?’ Lena says.
‘No.’ I reply happily. ‘There’s nothing else.’ Then we say our goodbyes, and promise to keep in touch. As I walk away my phone rings. It’s Dan.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The following books provided helpful background during the course of my research:
France: the Dark Years by Julian Jackson; Oxford University Press.
Vichy France and the Jews by Michael R. Marrus & Robert O. Paxton; Stanford University Press.
People in Auschwitz by Hermann Langbein; University of North Carolina Press, with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
It’s Vintage, Darling! by Chrisa Weil; Hodder & Stoughton.
Shopping for Vintage by Funmi Odulate; Quadrille Publishing Ltd.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I’d like to thank the following people for their help in the planning and writing of this book. For their expertise on vintage clothing, Kerry Taylor of Kerry Taylor Auctions, Sonya Smith-Hughes and Deborah Eastlake of Biba Lives, Claire Stansfield and Stephen Philip of Rellik, Marianne Sundholm of Circa Vintage, Dolly Diamond of Dolly Diamond, and Pauline and Guy Thomas of Fashion Era. For information about Provence I’m grateful to Frank Wiseman, and to Georges Frechet of the Avignon Media theque for making available to me research material about Avignon during the war. For educating me about viticulture I’m indebted to the Boiron family of Bosquet des Papes, and to Nathalie Panissieres of Chateau Fines Roches. I’d also like to thank Rich Mead, assistant editor of Metro newspaper, Carole Bronsdon, G.P., Jonathan and Kim Causer, Peter Crawford, Ellen Stead, Louise Clairmonte, yet again, the staff of Blackheath Halls and Sophia Wallace-Turner for correcting my French. Any mistakes or inaccuracies are my own.
I’m indebted to my brilliant editor, Claire Bord, and for additional editorial input I’m very grateful to Rachel Hore and Ann O’Brien. Huge thanks to Clare Conville, Jake Smith-Bosanquet and all at Conville and Walsh and to Ailsa Macalister. At HarperCollins I owe a debt of gratitude to Amanda Ridout, Lynne Drew, Fiona McIntosh, Alice Moss, Victoria Hughes-Williams, Leisa Nugent, Lee Motley, Bartley Shaw, Nicole Abel, Wendy Neale and all in sales.
Finally I would like to thank Greg, Alice and Edmund for their love, support and endless patience during the writing of this book.
About the Author
A VINTAGE AFFAIR
Isabel Wolff was born in Warwickshire and read English at Cambridge. She is the author of seven other bestselling novels, which are published in 23 languages. She lives in London with her family.
For more information on Isabel Wolff, visit her website www.isabelwolff.com
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Copyright
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
Harper
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A Paperback Original 2009
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Copyright © Isabel Wolff 2009
Isabel Wolff asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
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EPub Edition © JANUARY 2009 ISBN: 9780007313686
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