During her time in Edinburgh she is believed to have acted on the stage for a short period which may have influenced her to later write two operas and a farce.

On 12 January 1824 her husband, who was bankrupt, died after contracting tuberculosis, leaving Ward to apply for financial support from the Royal Literary fund in order to cover the cost of the funeral.

Again Ward applied to the Royal Literary fund for help with funeral costs and the necessary travel expenses for her to return to her native Scotland.

We do, however, know that it died around 1816, as in May of that year Ward wrote to the Royal Literary fund, thanking them for aid in burying her child.

Family Portraits: The Fisher's Daughter (1812) was the continuation of The Mysterious Marriage (1810) showing that the reading public was interested in her work.

[1] The London Literary Gazette described The Eve of St. Agnes as containing "mysteries, love affairs, rewards and punishments, death to one hero, and a wife to the other.