The main idea for this novel came to me when I was playing with my children and friends in Mr. Wilkie Collins' play "The Frozen Deep." I was struck by a strong desire to experience this story as if it were a personal experience and to find a way to present it in a way that would be of particular interest and significance to the attentive reader.

As I developed the idea in my mind, it took on a definite form that I ultimately conveyed. And, during the time I was writing it, this book had complete control over me. I have such a strong grasp of what happens and occurs within these pages that it feels as if I myself have experienced all of it.

Whenever there is a reference to the situation of the French people before the Revolution or during it, it is based on the most reliable accounts. I truly hope to contribute even slightly to how the world perceives that terrible period, although it is difficult to add...