Thornton
Decker, Vice-Admiral Ralph – Commander, West Africa Squadron
Winton, Major – Commissar of Fort Thornton
Babington, Mr. Charles – partner, Macauley & Babington Trading Company
Macauley, Mr. – senior partner, Macauley & Babington Trading Company
Ross-Courtney, Lord Peter – wealthy and influential visitor
Neill, Mr. Frederick – well-born and wealthy associate of Ross-Courtney’s
Undoto, Obo – local priest
Muldoon, Mr. Silas – the Naval Attaché
Winton, Mr. William – Assistant Commissar at Fort Thornton
Hardwicke, Reverend – minister of Church of England
Hardwicke, Mrs. – minister’s wife
Sherbrook, Mrs. – lady-employer of Katherine Fortescue
Dave – Cockney coachman
In the Mining Compound:
Mercenaries:
Dubois – leader of the mercenaries, presumed French
Arsene – Dubois’s lieutenant, second-in-command, presumed French
Cripps – Dubois’s second lieutenant, English
Plus twenty-eight other mercenaries – of various ages and extractions
Captives:
Frobisher, Captain Caleb – youngest Frobisher brother and captain of The Prince
Fortescue, Miss Kate (Katherine) – ex-governess of the Sherbrooks and Caleb’s intended
Quilley – quartermaster of The Prince
Foster, Martin, Ellis, Quick, Mallard, Collins, Biggs, Norton, and Olsen – experienced seamen from The Prince
Lascelle, Captain Phillipe – longtime friend of Caleb’s, privateer captain of The Raven
Ducasse – quartermaster of The Raven
Fullard, Collmer, Gerard, and Vineron – experienced seamen from The Raven
Dixon, Captain John – army engineer
Hopkins, Lieutenant William – navy, West Africa Squadron
Fanshawe, Lieutenant – navy, West Africa Squadron
Hillsythe, Mr. – ex-Wolverstone agent, governor’s aide
Frazier, Miss Harriet – gently bred young woman, Dixon’s sweetheart
Wilson, Miss Mary – shop owner/assistant, Babington’s sweetheart
McKenzie, Miss Ellen – young woman recently arrived in the settlement
Halliday, Miss Gemma – young woman from the slums
Mellows, Miss Annie – young woman from the slums
Mathers, Jed – carpenter
Watson, Wattie – navvy
Plus eighteen other men – all British of various backgrounds and trades
Diccon – young boy, eight years old
Amy – young girl, six years old
Gerry – boy, eleven years old
Tilly – girl, fourteen years old
Simon Finn – boy, twelve years old
Plus sixteen other children – all British, ranging from six to ten years old
Plus three other boys – all British, ranging from eleven to fourteen years old
On board The Trident:
Latimer, Mr. Jordan – first mate
Hurley, Mr. – master
Wilcox – bosun
Miller – quartermaster
Foxby, Mr. – steward
Various other sailors
On board The Cormorant:
Caldwell, Mr. Joshua – first mate
Johnson, Mr. – master
Grimsby – bosun
Elliot – quartermaster
Henry, Mr. – steward
Various other sailors
On board The Prince:
Fitzpatrick, Lieutenant Frederick – first mate
Wallace, Mr. – master
Carter – bosun
Hornby, Mr. – steward, carries information to London and returns on The Corsair
Various other sailors
On board The Raven:
Reynaud – bosun, on ship, but returns to the jungle compound
Plus four other seamen – on ship, but return to the jungle compound
Various other sailors
Aberdeen
August 9, 1824
Royd Frobisher stood behind the desk in his office overlooking Aberdeen harbor and reread the summons he’d just received.
Was it his imagination, or was Wolverstone anxious?
Royd had received many such summonses over the years Wolverstone had served as England’s spymaster; the wording of today’s missive revealed an underlying uneasiness on the part of the normally imperturbable ex-spymaster.
Either uneasiness or impatience, and the latter was not one of Wolverstone’s failings.
Although
