relationship after two years, leaving Kipling devastated, as he had believed that they were engaged. He met her again in 1890 in London and attempted to reignite their relationship. He also visited her in Paris, where she was studying in the Académie Julian. It is not known what happened between them, but he was never to see Garrard again.

Although most of the novel is set in London, the military campaigns are set in Sudan and Egypt, especially in Port Said and Suakin.