The terrible injustice of what and who the world remembers struck me immediately: the man who once made dresses is so famous that most people, if asked to name a couturier, would mention Christian Dior. But his sister, who fought for freedom for her country and who nearly lost her life in that struggle, had been forgotten.
I embarked on a quest to find out more, a quest that uncovered very little concrete information about Catherine, who rarely spoke about her wartime experiences after the end of the hostilities. Still, I wanted to find whatever I could, and my journey took me to Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, and to Paris and Granville in France.
An exhibition about the House of Dior in Melbourne, besides allowing me to revel in the beauty of the gowns, revealed only that the perfume Miss Dior was named for Catherine. Christian had been uncertain about what to call his very first fragrance, and then, one day in 1947, Catherine had walked into a room while he was discussing that very problem. Someone said, “Ah, here is Miss Dior.” And thus the perfume was named.
In Paris, there was another exhibition of beautiful Dior gowns, and, amid the glamour, one small piece of paper that caught my eye: a letter from Christian Dior to his father, advising the latter that Catherine had been liberated from Ravensbrück concentration camp. The letter was dated April 1945. But what had happened to Catherine in the preceding years, both at the camp and while she was working with the Resistance, and what had happened to her afterward?
More questions. Seeking answers, I went to Granville in Normandy, France. Villa Les Rhumbs, the ex–Dior family home, sits atop a cliff there and is now a museum dedicated to the Diors. Here I saw several photographs of Catherine, read a little about her life in the house as a child, and saw what was once her bedroom. But there still remained a huge gap of time between child Catherine and hero Catherine, the woman who, against all odds, left Ravensbrück with her life.
That gap has not yet been filled extensively by any writer or archive, but there is, thankfully, a biography of Catherine scheduled to be published in fall 2020. In the meantime, I had to use much imagination and some fabrication to work Catherine into my story because I desperately wanted people to know about this other, arguably more important, Dior sibling.
The Dresses
As you read through The Paris Secret, you’ll see the names of many House of Dior gowns. All of these are gowns that I saw at the Dior: Couturier du Rêve exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, or on my two visits to Villa les Rhumbs in France.
My phone is almost weighed down with an excess of the photographs I took of so many of the gowns at each museum in order to refer to them during the writing of the book. I encourage you to go online, search the names, and take a look at them—and try to choose a favorite!
Searching for Skye’s Home
After France, I went on to England and spent several days driving through idyllic Cornish villages, trying to find one that would be just right for Skye’s home. St. Ives was too busy. Fowey was divine but lacked the kind of rugged coastline I had in mind.
I don’t know what made me drive into Porthleven—a whim or an intuition—but as soon as I walked to the end of the pier, looked back at the small but pretty town, and then along the shore toward a clifftop on which perched a lonely house or two, I knew I had found Skye’s home.
I walked along the beach and then clambered all over the clifftop, near the few houses there, taking lots of photos of the view and the surrounds. Luckily nobody came out and asked me what I was doing!
There is no cave on the beach at Porthleven like there is in the book—I stole that from the beach at Tintagel, also in Cornwall. The moment I saw the cave there, I could clearly imagine Skye and Nicholas inside it, so I added an element of make-believe to Porthleven Beach. On my travels around Cornwall, I also visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan, which are truly delightful. I was fascinated by the idea of a lost garden that had been found and resurrected and knew I had to use that in the book too. Many of the objects in the lost garden in The Paris Secret are stolen from Heligan, including the rope bridge over the lake and the statue of the sleeping woman.
Learning to Fly
Then it was time to learn about planes and pilots. This was the most difficult area to research, as I knew nothing about the mechanics of flight before I began.
Luckily, the National Archives in Kew, England, still has all the papers from the Air Transport Auxiliary and 161 Squadron. This meant I could look through photographs of all the women in the ATA, see how much they were paid compared to the men, and read the many letters Pauline Gower wrote exhorting those in charge to employ more women in the ATA.
In 161 Squadron’s papers, I read through the Air Transport forms that detailed where in France each evening’s pickup operation was to take place, how many agents were to be dropped off and how many collected, and how many containers of supplies for the Resistance were to be unloaded. Also on file were the reports after each mission that detailed weather conditions; problems encountered en route, such as enemy fire or planes; mechanical issues; and problems at the landing field. These papers were a treasure trove and, without them, much of the necessary detail would have been missing from my story. It was also quite thrilling to be handling papers stamped “Secret” and “Most Secret”!
From there I traveled to Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, located at the former RAF Tangmere, the base where Nicholas works in the book. So I was able to walk in the footsteps of my characters and climb into and out of Spitfires and Lysanders and see the L-shaped flare path lit by Resistance torches, signaling to the Lysanders in the sky.
I also visited Hamble, where Skye is based for much of the book. The air base is now gone and all that remains is a small and rather sad memorial attesting to the fact that women once ruled the skies there.
Getting My Hands on a Dior Gown
The very last stop on my research trip was back home in Australia, in Sydney. I wanted to touch a Dior gown from the late 1940s, to look inside it and really examine it. I also wanted to understand more about what a fashion conservator does so that I could write Kat’s part of the book authentically.
I sent an email asking for help to a museum in Sydney called the Powerhouse, which has the best fashion collection of any museum in Australia. As luck would have it, at the exact moment that my email landed in the inbox of the fashion conservator at the Powerhouse Museum, she was reading one of my previous books, The Paris Seamstress! So she knew who I was and was more than happy to help me.
I donned a pair of rubber gloves and descended with her into the depths of the museum. She explained all the many different methods conservators use to store precious old gowns and items of clothing. Then the conservator pulled open a large drawer. Nestled inside in acid-free paper was the Christian Dior Moulin à Vent, or Windmill dress, from 1949!
The interior of the dress was an absolute marvel—I had no idea how many hook-and-eye closures were used by couturiers like Dior to ensure a dress shaped itself properly around a body, nor that covered lead weights were sewn into such pieces so they would hang correctly. It was just as interesting to see the internal construction of the dress as it was to marvel at its stunning exterior.
As a historical novelist, I’m indebted to archives and museums the world over—without them, my books would be much the poorer, and so much more would have to be imagined, rather than based on truth and fact. And I like to honor the past properly, by doing my research and drawing unknown and fascinating elements into a story that everyone can enjoy. I truly hope I succeeded with The Paris Secret and that you enjoyed reading the book as much as I enjoyed researching and writing it.
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Acknowledgments
I always thank Rebecca Saunders
first but that’s because she is such a big part of each and every one of my books. When I first told her I wanted to write a book about a collection of Dior gowns, and Catherine Dior, and female pilots, and a secret moonlight squadron, and everything else, she told me to go for it, so I did. Rebecca’s inexhaustible enthusiasm and support is what every writer needs, and I’m very lucky to have her as my publisher.
Thanks also to Alex Craig who, as Fiction Publisher at Hachette Australia while Rebecca was on maternity leave, had to suffer all of my meltdowns when I thought that the book was too big, too vast, too complicated and beyond the scope of my abilities. Thank you, Alex, for always listening, for your sage advice, for your brilliant editorial eye.
I want to thank everyone else at Hachette Australia who had a hand in this book, but especially Sophie Mayfield, whose editorial skills are second to none, whom I trust beyond anything, and who helps me sort out all the intricate problems associated with a novel like this. And thanks to Dan Pilkington, who champions each of my books, and to the superb sales team too. To Fiona Hazard and Louise Sherwin-Stark, thanks for always being accessible and supportive as well.
Nicola O’Shea’s copyediting skills made this a much better book, and I thank her for all of her advice and assistance.
My publishing team in the U.S. at Grand Central is the best any writer could wish for and I owe a big thank-you to Leah Hultenschmidt and Jodi Rosoff particularly.
To my family—Russell, Ruby, Audrey and Darcy—I love you all and thank you for always being proud of what I do, for coming with me on weird and wonderful research expeditions, and for all the hugs and kisses.
Sara Foster always reads my novels for me and she has an especial talent for saying just the right thing at just the right time. Thank you for being such a wonderful writing buddy. And Louise Allan, thank you for our fortnightly writing catch-ups where we write a little, and talk a lot.
My readers are the nicest people in the world and I wish I could personally thank every single one of you. Thank you for coming along to my events, for sending me beautiful messages, for your enthusiasm and your joy, for loving my characters as much as I do.
Without booksellers we would have no books, so my last thank-you goes to everyone who has sold, recommended, displayed, promoted or supported my novels. Thank you!
About the Author
NATASHA LESTER worked as a marketing executive for L’Oreal before penning the New York Times and internationally bestselling novel The Paris Orphan. She is also the author of the USA Today bestseller The Paris Seamstress. When she’s not writing, she loves collecting vintage fashion, traveling, reading, practicing yoga, and playing with her three children. Natasha lives in Perth, Western Australia.
For all the latest news from Natasha visit:
NatashaLester.com.au
Twitter @Natasha_Lester
Instagram @NatashaLesterAuthor
Facebook.com/NatashaLesterAuthor
High Praise for Natasha Lester
THE PARIS SECRET
“Lester’s magnetic characters, lyrical writing, and extensive historical research breathe life into this riveting tale. This is a stunner.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A stirring portrait of a daring and courageous group of women willing to risk it all in a time of war, The Paris Secret is historical fiction at its best. A beautiful love story coupled with an intricate mystery, richly detailed and impeccably researched history, and an homage to the strength of the human spirit make this a poignant and powerful read. Natasha Lester has done it again!”
—Chanel Cleeton, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of
The Last Train to Key West
“Extraordinary!”
—Marie Claire
“A dazzling marvel of storytelling, a perfect blend of action, history, and emotional depth. Unforgettable.”
—Erika Robuck, bestselling author of Hemingway’s Girl
“Lester is a master storyteller. In only the way Lester can do it, these seemingly unlinked stories come together in a gorgeously satisfying way that will have you wiping tears from your face in the final pages.”
—Daily Telegraph
THE PARIS ORPHAN
“Rich and riveting…Readers will become engrossed from the very first page as mystery and romance are expertly combined into one emotionally charged, unforgettable story.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“This is a splendid, breathtaking novel, full of mystery and passion…Skillfully told, this passionate tale reveals the best and worst of men, and women, dealing with the brutality of war, and one of the darker secrets of World War II. A must read!”
—Jeanne Mackin, author of The Last Collection
“Those who appreciate historical novels and female leads who break out of the traditional mold will find this tale worth their time.”
—Library Journal
“Powerfully written.”
—Historical Novel Society
“Natasha Lester’s latest historical novel is a drop-dead gorgeous winner!”
—Literary Soiree
THE PARIS SEAMSTRESS
“This rich, memorable novel unfolds beautifully from start to finish.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A fantastically engrossing story. I love it.”
—Kelly Rimmer, USA Today bestselling author of
The Things We Cannot Say
“Excellent storytelling, combined with some amazing characters, made this one of my favorite reads of the year.”
—Books for Her
“Fans of historical romance will eat this one up.”
—Refinery29
“Inspiring and so beautifully written. This was such a well-researched historical fiction that weaved romance, intrigue, and human emotions to create a story that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.”
—The Nerd Daily
“Masterful…The Paris Seamstress is a lush and evocative story.”
—Literary Treats
Other Books by
Natasha Lester
The Paris Seamstress
The Paris Orphan
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Journey to the past with more unforgettable historical fiction. Read the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller everyone is talking about!
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