Christine Young, wife of Reverend Young
Felicity Toomer, daughter of John Toomer
Frederick Sweeney, publican
Grant Toomer, shopkeeper
Isaac Lloyd, a gold miner
Margaret Sweeney, wife of Frederick Sweeney
Samuel Sinclair, son of Bryce Sinclair
Saul Hunt, ex convict
Seth Brown, a gold miner
Shrives, a bullock driver
William Price, Warden
Reverend Gregory Young
Christies Auction House
Andrew Harvard, Senior Specialist Costumes and Textiles
Don Claire, Senior Partner
Hamish Brooke
Hannah Gardner
Jay Khosla, Senior Manager of the Indian Art Group
Leo Hayward, a clerk
Dunedin, New Zealand
Amos Wood, army deserter
Annabel Lester, mother of Sarah Lester
Colin Lloyd, younger brother of Isaac Lloyd
Edwin Sutton, Sutton’s General Store
Graeme Greene, police constable
Howard Cummings, a clergyman
Jack Antony, army deserter
Jock Crave, police sergeant
Mervyn Kendall, Collector of Customs
Norman Bailey, assistant to Bishop Dasent
Thomas Dasent, Bishop of Dunedin
Una Neville, on the boat with Colin Lloyd
England
Abdullah Quilliam*, opened England’s first mosque
Arthur, a silversmith
Arthur Sullivan*, composer
Audrey Grey, mother of Richard Grey
Barry Wentworth, a farmer
Benjamin Grey, brother of Edward Grey
Daniel Shalfoon, a clergyman
Edith Grey, ancestor of Richard Grey
Elizabeth Williams (née Grey), daughter of Edward Grey
Garth Moodie, photographer
Grace Williams, daughter of Robert Williams
Jessica Williams, sister of Robert Williams
Jonas Williams, foster father of Robert Williams
Josephine, a prostitute
Lady Laura Grey, mother of Edward and Benjamin
Lord Edward Grey, brother of Benjamin Grey
Lord Henry Grey, husband of Laura Grey
Mary Bellamy Grey, wife of Edward Grey
Melissa Crester, an American
Mr Sutcliffe, manservant to Lady Grey
Mrs Phillips, housekeeper to Lady Grey
Nicole Pilcher, the manager of The Old Curiosity Shop
Noel Glynn, brother of Sally Glynn
Patricia Bolton, a fashion designer, friend of Sarah Lester
Paul de Lamerie*, a master silversmith
Philip Williams, husband of Elizabeth Williams
Ravi Naranyan, security guard
Rebecca ‘Betsy’ Jane Williams,
Richard Grey, businessman and collector
Robert Williams, illegitimate child of Sarah Williams
Samer Kurdi, a trader
Sally Glynn, a converted Muslim in Liverpool
Stokes, employed by Richard Grey
Tracey Humphrey, Royal School of Needlework
Wick Farris, a knocker
W.S. Gilbert*, dramatist
Customs and Excise
Alan Bullard, Surveyor of Customs, London
Clifford Meredith, a customs officer
Mervyn Bulford, Collector of Customs, Liverpool
Paul Shaskey, a customs clerk
France
Clara Bisset, resistance fighter
London Police
Fiona Duodu, Constable
Owen Gibson, Detective Sergeant
Sean Jones, Corporal
Tania Foster, Sergeant
Victor Fujimoto, Inspector
India
Abe Garland, army officer
Ajay Turilay, assistant to Patricia Bolton
Albert Lester, husband of Annabel Lester, father of Sarah Lester
Alice Montgomery, Anglican Missionary School
Amit, servant to Simeon Williams
Christopher Dickens, army officer
Elaine Barker, Anglican Missionary School
Jai Singh*, the Maharaja of Jaipur
James Doulton, army officer
Kalakanya, servant to Sarah Williams
Karen Cuthbert, Fishing Fleet Girl
Layak, servant to the Raja of Nahan
Madame Ye, an opium dealer
Maria, Fishing Fleet Girl
Naomi Abbott, wealthy wife
Navin Pandya, a stonemason
Nirmala, servant to Sarah Williams
Ram Singh II*, the Maharaja of Jaipur
Reverend Montgomery
Sally Brass, Fishing Fleet Girl
Sanjay, a street urchin from Jaipur
Saptanshu, driver for the Raja of Nahan
Simeon Williams, brother of Sarah Williams
Warren Brooke, army officer
Victoria and Albert Museum
Brenda Swift, curator
Eliza Broadhead, Department of Furniture, Textiles and Fashion
Jasmine Gupta, manager
Steph Chinneck, intern
Wales
Annwr Lloyd, mother of Isaac and Colin
* Real historical figures. Their names have been used in a fictional sense, although their achievements mentioned in this novel are real.
Acknowledgments
The publication of Telegram Home ended up being a long and convoluted road, and I would like to thank each and every reader for staying with me, for your patience.
Thank you to Squabbling Sparrows Press. You have been a dream to work with.
I want to acknowledge my daughters, Sasha and Jetta, for being my listening posts when I’ve randomly asked them what they think about the death of X, or the treatment of Y. They may be young but they did steer me away from taking the easy route! Thank you also to Fletcher who kept me on track.
As always, thanks to the star of the book, the inspiration behind The Old Curiosity Shop — Antique Alley, the antique store on Dominion Road in Auckland, New Zealand my father started in 1971, and which my brother now runs. My grandmother did indeed wallpaper the upstairs room before my parents were married, and you can still see remnants of it on the walls in the Frame Room. It’s still as messy as it was when my father was alive, with cartons and plates stacked precariously throughout the rooms. It’s well worth a visit.
About the Author
For years Kirsten McKenzie worked in the family antiques store, where she went from being allowed to sell postcards in the corner, to selling Worcester vases and seventeenth century silverware, providing a unique insight into the world of antiques which touches every aspect of her writing.
Her historical time slip novels have been described as Time Travellers Wife meets Far Pavilions, and Antiques Roadshow gone viral.
She is also the author of the bestselling gothic horror novel Painted, and the medical thriller Doctor Perry.
Kirsten lives in New Zealand with her husband, her daughters, and two rescue cats. She can usually be found procrastinating on Twitter.
You can sign up for her sporadic newsletter at:
www.kirstenmckenzie.com/newsletter/