It means that for both of them that delightful old-fashioned thing, the happy ending, is still a practical possibility. The historian serves the truth of his subject. The novelist serves the truth of his tale. Historical fiction isn't history in the conventional sense and shouldn't be judged as such. The best historical novels are loyal to history, but it is a history absorbed and set to music, so to speak, changed into forms akin to opera or theatrical productions.
History is a version of events.
Soon's Historical Fiction Site is the most comprehensive of the WWW sites devoted to historical fiction. Includes a master list of historical fiction writers with a short biography and list of works as well as links. Also a pseudonyms list and current historical fiction best sellers at Amazon. The Historical Novel Society, Great Britain, is a notable source for reviews of books published in the U.K. Reviews are available via their WWW site. Use the search index since reviews are not organized for use.