* Jane Dee, his disgruntled wife
* William Cecil, Lord Burghley, the Lord High Treasurer of England
* Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex
* Elizabeth I, Queen of England
* Elizabeth (Bess) Throckmorton, maid of honor to the queen
Karolína andTereza, vampires and servants
* Tadeáš Hájek, physician to His Majesty
* Ottavio Strada, Imperial librarian and historian
* Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia
Frau Huber, an Austrian, and Signorina Rossi, an Italian, women of Malá Strana
* Joris Hoefnagel, the artist
* Erasmus Habermel, maker of mathematical instruments
* Signor Miseroni, who carves in precious stones
* Signor Passetti, his majesty’s dancing master
* Joanna Kelley, a woman far from home
* Edward Kelley, a daemon and alchemist
* Rabbi Judah Loew, a wise man
Abraham ben Elijah of Chelm, a wizard with a problem
* David Gans, an astronomer
Herr Fuchs, a vampire
* Melchior Maisel, a prosperous merchant of the Jewish Town
Lobero, a Hungarian dog sometimes mistaken for a mop, probably just a Komondor
* Johannes Pistorius, a wizard and theologian
* Vilem Slavata, a very young ambassador
Louisa de Clermont, a vampire and sister to Matthew de Clermont
* Master Sleford, who watches over the poor souls of Bedlam
Stephen Proctor, a wizard
Rebecca White, a witch
Bridget White, her daughter
Sarah Bishop, a witch and aunt to Diana Bishop
Ysabeau de Clermont, a vampire and mother to Matthew de Clermont Sophie Norman, a daemon
Margaret Wilson, her daughter, a witch
Rima Jaén, a librarian of Seville
Emily Mather, a witch and partner to Sarah Bishop
Marthe, housekeeper to Ysabeau de Clermont
Phoebe Taylor, very proper, who knows something about art
Marcus Whitmore, Matthew de Clermont’s son, a vampire
Verin de Clermont, a vampire
Ernst, her husband
Peter Knox, a witch and member of the Congregation Pavel Skovajsa, who works in a library
* Gerbert of Aurillac in the Cantal, a vampire and ally of Peter Knox
* William Shakespeare, a scrivener and forger who also makes plays
Acknowledgments
So many people helped bring this book into the world.
First, thanks to my always gentle, always candid first readers: Cara, Fran, Jill, Karen, Lisa, and Olive. And a special thanks to Margie for claiming she was bored just as I was struggling with the last edit and offering to read the manuscript with her discerning writer’s eye.
Carole DeSanti, my editor, served as midwife at certain stages of the writing process and knows (literally) where all the bodies are buried. Thank you, Carole, for always being ready to lend assistance with a sharp pencil and a sympathetic ear.
The extraordinary team at Viking, who alchemically transforms stacks of typescript into beautiful books, continues to astonish me with their enthusiasm and professionalism. And to my publishers around the world, thank you for all you have done (and continue to do) to introduce Diana and Matthew to new readers.
My literary agent, Sam Stoloff, of the Frances Goldin Agency, remains my most steadfast supporter. Thanks, Sam, for providing perspective and doing the behind-the-scenes work that makes it possible for me to write. Thanks are also due to my film agent, Rich Green, of the Creative Artists Agency, who has become an indispensable resource for advice and good humor even in the most challenging of circumstances.
My assistant, Jill Hough, defended my time and my sanity during the past year with the fierceness of a firedrake. I literally could not have completed the book without her.
Lisa Halttunen once again readied the manuscript for submission. Though I fear I will never master more than a few of the grammatical rules at her command, I am eternally grateful that she continues to be willing to straighten out my prose and punctuation.
Patrick Wyman provided insights into the twists and turns of medieval and military history that took the characters—and the story—in surprising directions. Though Carole knows where the bodies are buried, Patrick understands how they got there. Thank you, Patrick, for helping me to see Gallowglass, Matthew, and above all Philippe in a new light. Thanks also to Cleopatra Comnenos, for answering my queries about the Greek language.
And last, but not least, I am sincerely grateful to my long-suffering family and friends (you know who you are!) who saw very little of me during my sojourn in 1590 and welcomed me back when I returned to the present.