The Privateer's Revenge Read online

  Philippe d’Auvergne’s story is a less happy one: at the end of the war, exhausted and in debt, he crossed Europe to enter into his princely inheritance—only to have it bartered away by the Great Powers in the readjustment of borders after Waterloo. He died days later.

  As usual, I owe a debt of gratitude to three women without whom there would be no books: my creative partner and wife, Kathy; my literary agent, Carole Blake; and my editor, Alex Bonham. I’ve consulted many in the Islands, and I apologise for not naming them all. However I would be remiss in not mentioning Dr Gregory Stevens Cox, whose peerless work on the period started me on my quest and whose personal tours stripped away the layers of years; the Lt Governor of Guernsey, Sir Fabian Malbon, who as an admiral and commander-in-chief himself shares my respect for Sir James; and Captain Eric Gill, the Queen’s harbour master, whose insightful observations on navigation in those waters informed my writing. My thanks are due, too, to Captain A. J. Holland, Nicholas Gold, Peter de Sausmarez and the staff of the Priaulx Library.

  I do hope you enjoyed this story: in the next book Kydd will be sailing into shoal waters of quite another kind . . .