Andrew Durham

Andrew Durham hails from Colchester in north Essex, where he spent his younger days in a comfortable country house with his mother Felicia and his stepfather Albert.

Andrew is aware of the fact that Albert is not his real father; Felicia has hinted that a very wealthy gentleman of some distinction used to court her about 20 years or so ago, and that they enjoyed some "good and adventurous times" together. However, one day he was gone, leaving nothing but a note and a generous amount of cash for Felicia.

Since reaching the age of fifteen, Andrew has received a monthly allowance from an anonymous man, assumed to be his long-gone father. Occasionally, a book on poetry, literaure, military history or other studious subjects arrived along with the funds. Obviously, his mysterious benefactor wanted Andrew to learn something of the finer arts.

At age 18, Andrew finished his studies at the renowned Colchester Royal Grammar School and went on to enjoy a quite relaxed life in the rural environs, working as a personal secretary to a town architect.

A few years later, in the early autumn of 1780, the architect retired from active work; thus denied of a meaningful occupation, Andrew decided to try his fortune in the great city of London. He had read the battle reports from the Prussian front with great interest, and Andrew's attention had been especially drawn to the intricacies of field engineering. His mind set on writing a dissertation on the subject, he was scratching down notes even as the carriage made its way over the uneven roads to London…