'I would, but...'

'But what?'

'I'll fall.'

'No you won't,' David said. 'You won't fall. Because I'll hold you, Miranda. I'll hold onto you.'

I looked at him, then reached up and kissed his cheek. 'Yes,' I said quietly. 'I think you will.'

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

I am indebted, as ever, to my brilliant agent, Clare Conville, and to my wonderful editor, Lynne Drew. I would also like to thank Rachel h.o.r.e for the additional editorial guidance she provided. Without these three women, there would have been no book.

I am also very grateful to animal behaviorists Roger Mugford, Emma Magnus, Fiona Redworth, Sarah Whitehead and to Celia Haddon, whose website on pet problems, celiahaddon.co.uk, was a very useful resource. For background on life as a vet, I'd like to thank Russell Horton of the Canonbury Veterinary Practice; I'd also like to thank Meg Henry for inviting me to her puppy parties there.

Steve Waxman of The Main Event kindly gave me the lowdown on life as a party planner, and Richard Simmonds of Golf International patiently answered my questions on golf.

For my extensive research into llamas, I'm extremely grateful to Steve Young of Southdown Llama Trekking, and for their detailed explanations of the art of photography I'd like to thank Joe Cornish and David Mossman.

For political background, I owe a debt of grat.i.tude to George Jones, political editor of the Daily Telegraph, and to Patricia Constant. Any inaccuracies are entirely my own.

Geoff Finchley, A & E Consultant at Barnet Hospital, provided me with very useful information about skin grafts and burns. I'm also grateful to Ben b.u.t.tery of London Zoo, and to Joy and Martin c.u.mmings of Amberley Castle, who would like me to point out that although they themselves are animal lovers, dogs are not actually welcome at the hotel.

As usual, I would like to thank my father, Paul, for his very helpful feedback along the way, and I am very grateful too, to Louise Clairmonte, Ellie Haworth and Katy Gardner, who all helped me in different ways.

I am profoundly grateful to everyone at HarperCollins for the wonderful job they do, for their friends.h.i.+p, for the unflagging support they give me and for their very touching enthusiasm for my books. I would like, in particular, to thank Amanda Ridout, Nick Sayers, Fiona McIntosh, Maxine Hitchc.o.c.k, Sarah Walsh, John Bond, Venetia b.u.t.terfield, Jane Harris, Martin Palmer and James Prichard. For polis.h.i.+ng my prose with such skill and sensitivity, I am indebted to Jennifer Parr.

Finally, I would like to thank Greg, who has helped and encouraged me throughout the writing of this book, which I dedicate, with much love, to him.

ISBN: 978-1-4603-1100-4.

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