Some of my fictional characters were prompted by real people who lived and worked in London’s Henrietta Street in the 17th century. Susannah and Raphael are based on married couple Susan and Michael Rosse, a portrait miniaturist and jeweller to the court. Susan Rosse’s father, Richard Gibson, was – like Susannah’s – a miniaturist himself. Samuel Cooper, my inspiration for Sam Carter, was another portrait miniaturist resident of Henrietta Street and Susan’s close friend all her life. Interestingly, Cooper painted Barbara Villiers in 1661 and James Scott, Duke of Monmouth in 1659 aged ten.
Susannah Gresham suffers from what is now recognised as agoraphobia and selective mutism, though at the time these were all seen as character flaws.
The Palace of Whitehall was the principal royal reside
