Madeleine King had lived on three continents before she was three years old. She was then educated in South Africa, England, Switzerland and France. As a barrister she spent ten years fighting for her clients in English courtrooms. Her marriage unexpectedly took her to Western Canada where she settled in Calgary. While her two children were tiny she requalified as an Alberta lawyer and developed a private law practice. Some years later she was elected to two terms on Calgary City council where she led a transformation of the city from its suburban history into a vibrant urban mecca with a strong creative community. And late in life, after fourteen years as a single, she found romance.