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exploring his world. After all I’ve been in his position,
having been pursued by women relentlessly for my
fortune and title, played cards and drank to excess, just
so that I could find my way in a confusing world.’ He
looked at Charles. ‘The hardest thing in the world to do
is say no. No to the most beautiful woman, no to the
temptation of a high wager and no to another bottle of
claret. Wisdom or caution was something that Robin
never learned. Too many times I rescued him from
disaster. This last escapade nearly cost him his life,’ he
shook his head. ‘He had been tupping the Duchess of
Albany and the Duke found out about it and challenged
him. Like an idiot he accepted the challenge and
dutifully turned up in Hyde Park. He shot the Duke
between the eyes, before Albany even had time to lift
his pistol!’ Both Charles and Richard gasped at the
blatant disregard to the rules of duelling. ‘Of course, he
didn’t know I was watching from the trees and I saw
him stand over the body and laugh like a hyena.’ He
looked up at Charles. ‘I actually wondered if he was
mad.’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘I had never
considered insanity as a reason for his wildness, not
until that morning. Anyway, he was seen leaving the
park by a Runner. Being Robin, of course, he came
straight to me for assistance, but what assistance could I
give him? He had killed a Duke in an illegal duel, not
even I could save him from the gallows! I told him to
leave the country and not return.’
Charles looked at the horror in his father’s eyes
and wondered exactly what that discussion had been
like. He knew what his brother was like if he was
refused anything and on more than one occasion had to
intervene before he beat somebody to death at Eton. ‘It
must have been a difficult decision.’ Charles muttered
helplessly.
‘Not the decision. That wasn’t hard. It was the
execution that took courage. There is nothing more
devastating than looking your first born son in the eye
and telling him never to come to your house again.
Never to use the title Marquis again and tell him there
would not be any more money and he had to make his
own way in the world.’ Thomas sobbed suddenly and
Charles was astounded to see tears fall from his father’s
eyes. ‘He raged and threatened so much that Kitty came
to see what the shouting was about. He turned on her
with such vitriol that she ran from the room crying and
that was when I hit him.’ Thomas admitted softly. ‘I
could put up with many things, but not how he spoke to
Kitty, sweet gentle Kitty who had always been there for
him, to excuse him and forgive him.’ He took a deep
breath. ‘I punched him in the face so hard, that I broke
his nose. I genuinely thought he would kill me after that,
he was so enraged, but he turned on his heel and
stormed from the house.’ Thomas slipped a piece of
vellum from his waistcoat pocket and handed it over to
Charles.
Charles accepted it and looked evenly at his
father before he opened the note. It had the Royal Coat
of Arms on the top and he started to read in dread.
    Colonel Sidney Bostwick,
Royal Militia,
Kingston,
Jamaica.
Dear Thomas,
    I know you will be devastated by this news and
I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but Robin is dead.
He arrived here on the 7th of March, was given
all respect of his position and ensconced at the
Governor’s residence. I received your letter a week later,
but it was already too late for Robin. As usual he
couldn’t keep out of the gambling establishments and
lost heavily in that first week, but unfortunately he was
accused of cheating and unlike in England, duelling is
not illegal here. There was no grass for breakfast, the
parties concerned went out into the square and did the
deed there and then. But unfortunately for Robin, he
picked a fight with the wrong man and Clark
Ravenswood blew the back of his head off!
I have interred his body in a local cemetery with
all due ceremony and will have a headstone set