Red coats; bloodied, bearing scars and bad news
The eldest son of Lord Thornleigh, Earl of Sussex had left home and disappeared. Second in line, Hugh joined the Army and action against rebel irregulars in the front line in America. It left him disfigured – permanently scarred down one side of his face.
For many of his men, fierce skirmishes and hand-to-hand fighting ended in death on the field of combat, or in hospital from the wounds or the crude surgery. Added to that, bad news from home about the family threatened dishonour, or at least diminished standing. His father had taken a new wife – a whore by all accounts. Certainly not a lady, although she now held that title.
Worse still, dreadful secrets came to light from someone who had been employed by the Thornleigh family. Hugh was not the only one to know them or to witness how he dealt with such news. Others who could profit from the downfall that would follow were eager to call in that debt.