James Steerforth to be Steerforth; his death brings grief and shock to both his mother and Miss Dartle. At this point Miss Dartle confesses that she had always loved Steerforth and desired to be his wife; she angrily blames Steerforth's associates (including his mother) for having corrupted him and led him to his demise. James Steerforth James Steerforth is a character in the novel "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens. He is a handsome young man noted for his wit and romantic charm. Though he is well liked by his friends, he proves himself to be lacking in consideration for others. David Copperfield
Catherine Dickens death is fictionalised as the death of Little Nell. Catherine's younger sister, Georgina Hogarth, joined the Dickens fam household in 1842 when Dickens and Catherine sailed to America, caring for the young family they had left behind. In 1845 Charles Dickens produced the amateur theatrical "Every Man in his Humour" for the benefit of Leigh Hunt. In a subsequent performance, Catherine Dickens, who had a minor role, fell through a trap door injuring her ankle. In 1851, as 'Lady Maria Clutterbuck', Catherine Dickens published a cookery book, "What Shall we Have for Dinner? Satisfactorily Answered by Numerous Bills of Fare