Afterword

Most of the characters in Come Looking for Me are fictional, but several require a word of explanation.

HENRY, DUKE OF WESSEX: George III had a large family. Six daughters and seven sons lived to adulthood, including his eldest son, George, the Prince Regent (later George IV), and his third son, William, the Duke of Clarence (later William IV), both mentioned in Come Looking for Me. The two youngest sons of George III, Octavius and Alfred, died when very young. The character of Henry and the title I bestowed upon him, “Duke of Wessex,” are both fictitious. George III did not have a son named Henry, but even if he had, Henry would not have been given the title of Wessex. In creating the fictitious father of Emily, I initially considered an “if only he had lived” scenario with Prince Alfred, but as his date of birth would have made it impossible for him to have fathered Emily, I chose instead to take literary licence and imagine a son that never was. I gave him the name of Henry as it is a popular name among the royal family, and I borrowed Wessex from the present Earl of Wessex, Queen Elizabeth’s son Edward. I imagined Henry to have been born between the Duke of Cumberland and the Duke of Sussex, as Queen Charlotte – who was pregnant most years of her early marriage – had a window of child-bearing opportunity between these two sons.

FLY AUSTEN: The novelist Jane Austen had two seafaring brothers, Francis and the younger Charles. Francis in particular had a most distinguished naval career. Many of the personal details I ascribed to the fictitious Fly are true to the real Francis Austen. For example, his nickname was “Fly,” his eyes were described as being “alert,” and he did – to his great disappointment – miss seeing action at Trafalgar. Still, I took literary licence with the character I ultimately created. Francis Austen did fight the Americans in the War of 1812, but not in the Atlantic, and not as the commander of a ship of seventy-four guns known as the Isabelle; in 1813, he had long since been promoted to captain. I do like to think, however, that the well-respected, intelligent, courageous, and humourous Fly Austen in Come Looking for Me is very similar to the man that once was.

WILLIAM, DUKE OF CLARENCE: William was appointed Admiral of the Fleet by his brother the Regent in December 1811, and maintained the post until 1821 when it passed to the Earl of St. Vincent. It was more of a titular position than an active role for him, although he was known to seek permission from the Regent and Parliament to go off on various missions now and again – thus lending credence to his mounting of an expedition to find his fictional niece, Emily. When at sea, he flew his own “Duke of Clarence” flag. William became the Lord High Admiral in 1827.

While researching over the course of writing my book, I found intriguing revelations in Philip Ziegler’s biography King William IV. Although William was known as being hot-headed, impulsive, silly, and boorish, he also had a generous heart. It is well documented that he helped two penniless orphans – one in Newfoundland and one in Plymouth – by financing their clothing, schooling, and training as midshipmen. In time, one of these lads became a rear admiral, and William had the pleasure of signing his commission. I was delighted to discover that my fabricated storyline of Clarence’s generosity towards young Magpie is in line with the man’s true character.

SHIPS: Although there have been several ships known as HMS Amelia, HMS Amethyst, and the USS Liberty, the vessels and their crews in Come Looking for Me are fictional.