Francesca Browne (nee Nicholson)

Pretty, fashionable and middle-class, Francesca worked as a typist in London and had a keen interest in amateur dramatics and a fine singing voice. An avid reader of novels - with a taste for the fantastic - she was a fan of Nathaniel Browne's work before meeting him aboard the Viceroy of India (where she was travelling with her friend Patricia Berry to holiday with relatives in India).

After this encounter:

• Francesca and Nathaniel became inseparable after just their first meeting, and its was clear to all who knew them that they were quickly falling in love.
• Nathaniel married Francesca after his return from Drakmar, in 1931, and two had their only child, Andrew Frederick Browne in 1937.
• Francesca unfortunately died during a blitz raid in 1941.