Authors Comments:
I could not continue with this series without incorporating a story that included a close reference to the Battle of Trafalgar; a furrow that has already been well ploughed. Of necessity this story, like all the rest in this series is pure fiction... lies if you like. But even with that latitude it was the most difficult I have ever written. The truth of the battle is so well known every scenario I raised collided with the truth.
But there had to be a story, so I researched the subject back and fore, up and down; one thing soon became apparent, many of the accounts of what happened prior to Trafalgar do not agree. So I had to steer between the significant truths and conjure up something that sort of fitted, and came up with this novel.
In two researched accounts of the build up to Trafalgar there were a few words, about which little was said but which I found quite odd. Under the direct orders of Napoleon, the Combined Fleet commanded by Admiral Villeneuve was to sail into the Bay of Biscay and meet up with Admiral Allemand and the Rochefort Fleet. They were then to sail to Brest, confront the Blockading Fleet of Admiral Cornwallis and release all the trapped French ships of the line, thereby creating a fleet of something like sixty ships-of-the-line, which would then continue on up the channel releasing ever more French ships as they went along.
Now this is where the narrative falls apart; Allemand leaves Rochefort, Villeneuve leaves Ferrol and they meet... now comes the dodgy bit. They meet up as planned, but each Commander thinks he has run into the Fleet Commanded by Nelson and they both retreat returning to the starting blocks.
I simply cannot believe that... so I have inserted something that is a little more credible; therein lays the basis of my story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.