Acknowledgements
My mother only remembered to tell me after I’d completed all the research and written the first draft of this novel that a member of our family had a tea plantation in Darjeeling! I wanted to scratch at my face in frustration when I heard. Having made the long, often challenging journey to discover as much as I could ‘on the ground’ in Calcutta and the foothills of the Himalayas around Darjeeling, it would have been a special experience to walk among the tea bushes whose planting by our family can be traced back 100 years or more.
It was a coincidence that I chose to write a story set in and around this region of the foothills of the Himalayas, the same neighbourhood in which my grandmother and my mother taught orphans in the 1950s at Dr Graham’s Homes. I had hoped to take Isla Fenwick into Kalimpong, but as it turned out there was too much story in and around the tea gardens to do so. Nevertheless, it felt satisfying to walk in the footsteps of the important women in my life and I am wishing Dr Graham’s Homes another hundred years of care and education for the children who live in these scattered foothills.
There are always people to thank who make the journey of the book easier and who contribute a part of themselves to the story. These include the wonderful historian Alex Hutchinson. Together we got thrown out of the British Library’s Asia Reading Room because our whispers were getting far too excited for the boffins around us as we read and discovered how the story might unfold. Alex has now collaborated on the research for three of my novels and I can’t see her interest waning, for which I’m enormously grateful.
A lovely gentlemen, Ken Staynor in England, answered my plea for help with the history of trains in India. What a wealth of knowledge he has. Since we had to ruthlessly edit this big book into a more manageable size, a lot of the train journeying was lost. However, it wasn’t lost in my heart and without first learning it from Ken, I might never have fully understood Isla’s journey from Calcutta into Darjeeling. I was lucky enough to ride on the world-famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway known as the ‘Toy Train’ between Ghum – the highest railway station in India – and Darjeeling. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and truly the most extraordinary feat of engineering in any era, but given it was built before the turn of the previous century, it leaves you slack-jawed. Ride it if you ever get the chance.
At my side, keeping me safe and making all my varied travel connections, is Ian. No book is ever written without him in the background handling all the planning that goes into one of these enormous research trips, which usually cover a remarkable amount of geography with endless flights, buses, trains, accommodation, professional guides, etc. to be found, organised and dovetailed into a workable itinerary. Meanwhile, I just turn up and hope he’s organised train seats that don’t point backwards and plane seats that offer a quick getaway for this impatient soul. He’s also my first and most ruthless reader. I’m sure I never thank him enough.
My other stalwart is Pip Klimentou; she has travelled every book’s journey with me and is always ready to drop her tasks to read quickly and offer that first, all-important feedback on the early drafts that I count on. Her thumbs-up means plenty.
Big thanks to Ali Watts – my publisher, editor and my friend – who is so generous and supportive, as well as the other talented people who are intrinsic to making my job enjoyable, including Saskia Adams and especially Lou Ryan. Thank you to the team at Penguin Random House . . . so many hands touch the story at some point and in such a variety of capacities. You know who you are and I hope you also know how grateful I am.
Booksellers and librarians across Australia and NZ, often unsung heroes in the face of all sorts of ups and downs in our industry, but look at you now . . . brilliant, flourishing, ever supportive. Thank you for always looking after my books with such generosity.
Finally, and especially, all of you readers out there in every corner of Australia and New Zealand . . . you are the most important to thank and celebrate. Without you, what’s the point?
Fx
Almond, sweet cherry and Darjeeling tea cake
This is getting close to our family’s favourite slice to go with an afternoon cuppa and nothing pairs better than a light and sparkling pot of golden Darjeeling. It also feels sentimental; if you’re a baby boomer, then this is the sort of cake your grandmother baked.
Hunt around and find the Amerena cherries – these are black cherries, originally from Bologna, that have a wildly sweet and intensely genuine flavour. Don’t buy them in syrup. You want the slightly candied variety. They’re sold in delicatessens and really good supermarkets. I’m trying to avoid you buying the fire-engine-red glacé cherries that also come in green when you want a Christmas theme . . . but if you have to buy glacé cherries, go to a delicatessen and buy the very best. You’ll thank me and so will this cake.
Ingredients
250g Amarena cherries, cut in half and lightly floured to stop them being sticky and to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of your cake.
250g self-raising flour (2 cups)
220g unsalted butter, room temperature
185g raw caster sugar (¾ cup)
3 extra large eggs
120g ground almonds (I use unrefined, 1 cup)
pure almond essence to taste
3 tablespoons cream
½ cup cooled Darjeeling tea
Method
Bake this in a standard-sized loaf pan. I like to use those loaf pan liners for easy turn out but take the precaution to butter and line the tin if you don’t have a non-stick tin and a loaf liner.
Get your oven up to around 170°C.
Cream the butter and sugar. Now, I have a stand mixer and so I just get it on and walk away for about ten minutes until the sugar and butter have turned extremely pale and are fluffily combined. But you do what you prefer. The main thing is cream the mixture well.
I then whiz my eggs with a fork in a cup or jug and then gradually pour the egg as my beater is going. Do this slowly or you’ll end up with glug . . . the patience ensures the eggs are incorporated fully into a mixture that just desperately wants to curdle on you. But it won’t if you go slow. Add in your almond essence to taste. I won’t give an amount because when it comes to vanilla or almond essence, I always want to pour six times as much as most recipes want, so you do it to suit your palate.
Mix the almond meal and flour together and then gently, in perhaps four loads, fold these dry ingredients into the cake mix. It’s going to feel thick but keep a light hand. Now, add the halved and floured cherries you prepared. You’re not going to think it will work but it will, especially now when you add three tablespoons of single pure cream (or full cream milk if you prefer) and then another three tablespoons of cold Darjeeling tea.
Then into the tin it goes. Smooth the top and pop it into the oven for an hour at least. I’ve always found this cake takes longer than I expect so keep checking and then let it cool fully in the tin before you tip it out. Then, dust with icing sugar, flounce with some fresh flowers and serve it with a fresh and steaming pot of Darjeeling.
Enjoy the explosions of cherry flavour in your mouth that go with the tea in a delicious manner!
Book Club Discussion Notes
Is The Tea Gardens a story of true love or devastating betrayal?
Do you think Jove was kind, clever or cunning when he allowed Isla to follow her heart to India? Could you appreciate his motives?
As a physician, Isla is driven by an intense need to save others. In what ways does she learn that this is not always possible?
Matron tells Isla that rank is given but respect is earned. Do you think Isla earns respect during her time in India?
Do you agree that faith is far stronger than medicine?
In his letter, Jove tells Isla to ‘leave nothing behind’ in India. Was this good advice, in your view?
‘No one ever leaves Kangchenjunga unchanged.’ Discuss.
What is the significance of the book’s remote location?
Ident
ify some of the many different ways in which tea is used throughout the novel.
Do you agree with Saxon when he says, ‘You can still make a good life even if you’re not with that person you truly love’?
How did Isla change through her experiences?
Do you find Saxon the hero or the villain of this story?
Is this a book about people maintaining control of their emotions – or losing control of them?
If you were Isla, would you have chosen Saxon or Jove?
PRAISE FOR FIONA Mc INTOSH’S BESTSELLERS
‘A blockbuster of a book that you won’t want to put down.’
BRYCE COURTENAY
‘McIntosh’s narrative races across oceans and dances through ballrooms.’
SUN HERALD
‘This book is fast-paced, beautifully haunting and filled with the excruciating pain of war.’
WEST AUSTRALIAN
‘A fine read . . . The moral ambiguity McIntosh builds into the novel gives it a depth that takes it beyond a sweeping wartime romantic thriller.’
SUNDAY HERALD SUN
‘McIntosh weaves a diverse cast together, and you gain an appreciation for her depth of research.’
BOOKS+PUBLISHING
‘A captivating saga of love, loss, and the triumph of the human spirit . . . Fiona McIntosh is an extraordinary storyteller.’
BOOK’D OUT
‘A perfect blend of romance, action, mystery and intrigue by one of our best known and popular authors.’
NOOSA TODAY
‘Sure to appeal to lovers of period romantic dramas like Downton Abbey.’
WOMAN’S DAY
‘Written with zest and a talent for description that draws you into the world of the novel and its characters.’
THE AGE
‘Everything I want in a curl-up-on-the-sofa read . . . an exquisite story that just bursts from the pages and leaps into your heart.’
WRITE NOTE REVIEWS
‘Meticulously researched and beautifully written, The Perfumer’s Secret solidifies McIntosh’s place as one of Australia’s most loved storytellers.’
BOOKTOPIA
‘Spellbinding . . . [Stella is] reminiscent of our favourite literary heroines of the era, only feistier, sexier and more independent.’
CHERYL AKLE, BETTER READING
‘Beautiful storytelling, emotional depth and complex characters captivated me from start to finish.’
WRITE NOTE REVIEWS
‘A grand historical love story ideal for Francophiles and romantics.’
GOODREADS
‘A lively tale with a rich assortment of ingredients . . . a well-crafted read.’
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
‘Fiona McIntosh is a prolific and superior writer in the genre, and if you enjoy popular romantic fiction, you’d be mad not to try her.’
THE AGE
Alexandra Frobisher, a modern-thinking woman with hopes of a career in England’s famous chocolate-making town of York, has received several proposals of marriage, although none of them promises that elusive extra – love.
Matthew Britten-Jones is a man of charm and strong social standing. He impresses Alex and her parents with his wit and intelligence, but would an amicable union be enough for a fulfilling life together?
At the end of the war, Captain Harry Blakeney discovers a dead soldier in a trench in France. In the man’s possession is a secret love note, tucked inside a tin of chocolate that had been sent to the soldiers as a gift from the king.
In pursuit of the author of this mysterious message, Harry travels to Rowntree’s chocolate factory in England’s north, where his life becomes inextricably bound with Alexandra and Matthew’s. Only together will they be able to unlock secrets of the past and offer each other the greatest gift for the future.
‘McIntosh’s latest offering is an intimate and unusual portrait of wartime France, and of a perfume dynasty . . . A romance for the senses.’
BETTER READING
‘I am at one with Nature’s perfection – her beauty, her colours, her fragrances – and she has allowed me to glimpse it in a man.’
On the eve of the First World War, Fleurette, the only daughter of the wealthy Delacroix perfume dynasty, is being forced to marry a man she loathes, Aimery De Lasset, head of the pre-eminent perfume house in France. It is only the rally to the frontlines that saves her from sharing his bed.
When she receives an unexpected letter from Aimery’s estranged brother, Fleurette is left holding a terrible secret, and the sparks of a powerful passion. Her discoveries risk shattering the two families, bringing tragedy to both their perfume empires.
The Perfumer’s Secret is an intoxicating feast for the senses, a dramatic story of duty, deception and desire.
About the Author
Fiona McIntosh is an internationally bestselling author of novels for adults and children. She co-founded an award-winning travel magazine with her husband, which they ran for fifteen years while raising their twin sons before she became a full-time author. Fiona roams the world researching and drawing inspiration for her novels, and runs a series of highly respected fiction masterclasses. She calls South Australia home.
MICHAEL JOSEPH
UK | USA | Canada | Ireland | Australia
India | New Zealand | South Africa | China
Penguin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies
whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
First published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd, 2017
Text copyright © Fiona McIntosh 2017
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Cover design by Alex Ross and Louisa Maggio © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Text design by Samantha Jayaweera © Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd
Cover photographs: woman by mammuth/Getty Images; sunrise courtesy of
Alexander W Helin/Getty Images; Kangchenjunga peak courtesy of
Emad Aljumah/Getty Images; silk courtesy of Getty Images/gmutlu and Getty Images/jayk7.
penguin.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-76014-284-1
THE BEGINNING
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The Tea Gardens Page 38