"The roads were deserted." (January 29, 1814)

When I wrote to the British Met Office many years ago to inquire about the weather in early 1814, a kind officer photocopied several pages from Ian Currie’s Frosts, Freezes and Fairs for me, along with tables of average mean temperature and precipitation.

That is how I learned about the extremely heavy snow that made the Great North Road all but impassable in mid-January 1814. My protagonists' meetings and partings are carefully timed around these weather events: Claire is safely ensconced at her brother's house in London when the snow sets in, while Justin has to struggle through it. Their first encounter takes place on the ice of the frozen Thames ... but more of that when the time comes.

For the meteorologically minded, Ian Currie's own website is well worth a visit.