There’s the sound of a carriage rumbling along the drive, towards the house. Abruptly he leans forward and squints through the trees.
‘Well then,’ he says. ‘Let’s go.’
Acknowledgements
The generosity, wisdom, enthusiasm and expertise I’ve encountered while writing and editing The Binding has been overwhelming, and the list of people I want to thank is still growing as I type – which means I’ve almost certainly missed someone out! My apologies to you, whoever you are. Remind me to buy you a drink in person.
I’m hugely grateful to Sarah Ballard, my brilliant agent, whose intelligent, incisive and tactful feedback transformed the first draft into … well, the second. And third. Thank you so much for your support, warmth and humour – I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you in my corner! Thanks too to Eli Keren, and the rest of the team at United Agents.
I also have to pinch myself that I get to work with Suzie Dooré, my editor at The Borough Press (who is not only a fantastic editor but an excellent person to have cocktails with), and the same goes for everyone else at The Borough Press and HarperCollins – from the moment I first met you all, I was swept away by your energy and passion. Thank you all so much for everything! It’s also been wonderful to work with the HarperCollins cousins in the US, especially Jessica Williams at William Morrow.
Thank you to Abby Fenton, who gave me not only space and time to write in her house in Galicia, but also a lovely photo of myself trying to write that I can now stare at while I’m trying to write. Also, thanks to Paul Jarvis, who has put up with me asking silly questions in his bookbinding class for several years. (Any mistakes about bookbinding are definitely my own.)
And finally, thank you to Nick Green, the most generous person I’ve ever met, without whom The Binding would never have been written.
About the Author
Bridget Collins trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art after reading English at King’s College, Cambridge. She is the author of seven acclaimed books for young adults and has had two plays produced, one at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Binding is her first adult novel.
Also by Bridget Collins
YOUNG ADULT
The Traitor Game
A Trick of the Dark
Gamerunner
The Broken Road
MazeCheat
Love in Revolution
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