Introductions: Our Hero, Adam Prestwich

Now that we all know the basics of the time period, on to Betrayal...

The first person I'd like to introduce is the hero of our tale, Mr. Adam Prestwich. I wish I had a lovely picture of Adam. I have a new colleague who will be sketching covers for me and I will confer with her on a lovely portrait of Adam. Meanwhile, we will all just have to imagine him. :o)

He is the tall, dark and handsome type with short black hair, pale eyes and a sardonic expression more often than not. He was born in 1785, making him 31 years old at the opening of our tale. His parents were probably quite typical of the time, leaving the raising of their children to the servants. Although being sent off to school at an early age, he learned very quickly how deceptive and manipulative females could be; his mother and sisters were prime examples.

Adam's best friend is Lord Connor Northwicke, the younger son of the Duke of Denbigh. They became friends at Eton, a rather unusual circumstance with their nearly three-year age difference. Taking pity on a small boy who was the target of bullies, Adam taught Connor to defend himself. This was the bonding agent for their friendship. Adam spent his holidays at Denbigh after that, having little reason to miss his family.

In school, Adam was a bookworm. He loved learning and learned anything he could. He graduated top of his class from Oxford University. It was therefore quite odd when he expressed an interest in joining the military. The Duke of Denbigh purchased a commission for him, that man a little disappointed in his own son for adamantly refusing to enlist.

Proving himself to be rather brilliant in battle, Adam rose quickly in rank. After Napoleon's incarceration on Elba, he was sent home on leave, choosing not to resign his commission. He went to his family's home in Cornwall instead of returning to Denbigh. Discovering his entire family had died of illness during his absence, Adam became the reluctant owner of his family estate. Discovering he had a knack for finding people, he occupied himself as an amateur sleuth. He was thus engaged in finding a certain young lady when Napoleon escaped. He returned to war.

At Waterloo, Adam distinguished himself, earning a special reward for bravery. He returned home, bitter and disillusioned. War was not glorious, women were ever deceitful, and family could not be relied upon.

Back in England, Adam immersed himself in his sleuthing hobby, attempting to distract himself from his own problems. That is how he meets our heroine, Bri.

Adam carries secrets with him that haunt him daily. His actions are controlled by his cynical view of women. He does not like our heroine. Not at all.

Where, in the odd meanderings of my imagination, did I dream up Adam?

When I "met" Connor and wrote his story, I realized he needed a friend. Not just any friend, a friend who was not very nice to women. How else would Connor's knight errantry assert itself?

So Adam evolved with his bitterness and angst, always letting Connor's love interest know how much he, Adam, despised her. In a way, I suppose he was a minor villain in Connor's love story.

After he met Bri (in Connnor's story, Angel, yet to be released) and acted so strange, it was only natural, I suppose, to expound on that. Their attraction to each other was from the start but their distrust of each other far outweighed that.

Next article: Introductions: Our Heroine, Bri.

*The preceding is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, to factual events or businesses is coincidental and unintentional.

(c) 2009 Laura J Miller aka Jaimey Grant All rights reserved. No portion of this work may be reproduced in print or electronically without the written permission of the author.