Читать книгу Succession - Douglas Schofield - Страница 3

I first conceived this story in the mid-1990’s, while I was living in British Columbia. A television documentary on the life of George III made a fleeting reference to Hannah Lightfoot, the so-called “Fair Quaker” who – the narrator alleged – George had secretly married eighteen months before he ascended the throne. On further research, I discovered that the story of George and Hannah’s clandestine marriage, if it was mentioned at all, was dismissed by most historians as mischievous myth-making.

That may be so, but the potential consequences of such a union led me to imagine the story you are about to read.

A number of people have earned my undying gratitude for their help, suggestions and encouragement in bringing this story to publication. My longtime friend and colleague Robin McMillan deserves special mention, not only for his erudition, but also for his piquant sense of humor and perceptive insights into human nature. And no words can express the depth of my gratitude to Patrol Officer David Conte of the City of Bayonne Police Department, who went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that several critical scenes set in Bayonne are geographically accurate. As well, my heartfelt thanks go to Dirk Crokaert, manager of the Montague on the Gardens Hotel in London, for his cheerful assistance in reconstructing, at least in my mind’s eye, his hotel as it was in 1997 – and for allowing me to christen the Montague’s fictional hotel manager with his name.

There are many others to thank, almost too numerous to count: In the Cayman Islands, attorneys David Dinner and William Helfrecht, former Deputy Solicitor General Vicki Ellis, and court reporters Carol Rouse and Karen Myren. In Florida, Larry and Maria Fernandez, and Dr. Greg Hoeksema. In California, Jayne Wayne. In Holland, Dr. Tamer Tadros. In London, Mustafa, Everett, Anja, Daniella and all the amazing staff at the Montague Hotel, as well as our dear friends Martin and Sue Griffiths and their three astonishing children. Last, but by no means least, those stalwart gentlemen at Miwk Publishing, Matthew West and Robert Hammond. I apologize in advance to any whose names I have inadvertently overlooked. I am truly grateful to you all.

Finally, above all and always, my love, my devotion and my thanks go to my dear wife Melody, whose joyful smile never fades, and whose faith in me never flags.

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”

- Wm. Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part II, Act III, Scene I