KB Inglee
If you are writing a short story, your first two pages are a significant percentage of the whole. There is a lot of introduction to be done right off the bat. I try to get all the significant characters and a feel for the setting on those two pages. In the case of this story, I set a difficult task for myself. I combined a fictional and a real character and ended up with two men named Charles.
It’s a lovely story, nevertheless. But yes, it’s a tricky problem when a real and fictional character or when two real personages have the same name. I like the way you solved your problem:your reference to ‘the two Charles’ is the perfect way to erase any confusion
I’ve had to deal with Joseph the composer and Joseph the emperor!
I’m glad you approved of the editor! I’m also glad to learn the background of the characters–nice post!