The Honourable Harriet “Hattie” Alexander was born in 1849 in the village of Garvald in East Lothian. Her family were well-established, titled land owners, and from an early age, Hattie took an interest in the business of farming. Unusually for the time, she was an only child, and inherited the farm on the death of her father in 1871. Against stiff opposition from all sides, she managed, and grew the farm business, eventually selling it in 1880 for a very substantial sum. Rather than live off the proceeds, she invested them into an import-export business, trading mainly with the far east. In this, she became well-travelled and provided herself to be tough, resourceful but fair. In 1895, she heard that a rival business man was building a remarkable, slightly eccentric house on the seafront in North Berwick, on a parcel of land Hattie herself had bid for. She realised that the businessman was much over-extended financially, and, just as the house was finished, offered to “rescue” him by buying both the house and his business. Hattie, and her friend Lydia moved into Marine Drive in the summer of 1896. In 1913, Hattie sold much of her business interests, leaving her with “more money than I know what to do with”. Anonymously, she donated large sums to many charitable causes, mostly relating to women.

Hattie had grown up spending her summers at Whittinghame House, family home of future Conservative Prime Minister Arthur Balfour and his brother and sisters. Although Arthur spent much of his adult life in England, he and Hattie became life-long friends, although they argued constantly about politics, business and (Arthur’s particular hobby-horse) philosophy. Both were formidable debaters, and Arthur’s albeit increasingly infrequent visits were usually a cue for everyone to have an early night with ear plugs.

Hattie, like Lydia, was a passionate supporter of women’s suffrage, and was in favour of radical, direct action. She was arrested on a number of occasions, and spent a few nights in the cells, although she managed (to her slight disappointment) never to receive a prison sentence.

Hattie’s manner was forthright, blunt and challenging, at least on the outside. To her friends, however, she was intensely loyal and generous. One example is that, in 1918, Hattie signed over half of the Marine Drive house to Lydia for the sum of 1d in order that her friend could, as a property owner, be eligible to receive the vote. It is of note that, for the previous 22 years, Hattie had refused to accept a penny of rent from Lydia (or, latterly, Verity). Lydia, unbeknownst to her friend, had made a donation equal to her rent annually to the town’s poor fund.

As book one opens, Harriet is semi-retired, although still dabbling in trade, toying with the idea of re-launching her business to take advantage of what she felt would be a myriad of opportunities. Like many though, she is worried about the wider economic outlook of surging unemployment and weakening economic growth.