Reginald Ruttinge-Stoat

 

Reggie is the second son of Randolph Ruttinge-Stoate, a landed Baron whose
moderate influence would be less, but for the fact that he is filthy rich and
throws rather fine parties.

Upon his arrival in London with his imperturbable manservant, Chives, Reggie
immediately joined the Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards, as the King's Own were
not recruiting.  Reggie had always had a sneaking liking for the POWDG, in any
event.  After all, the Prince of Wales would, one day, become...

Shortly before leaving for the front, Reggie found out that Percy Beaufort and
the notorious, if entertaining, Clarence Marshall Witherspoon IV, had also
arrived in London and they made certain plans and bets between them.  Reggie
knew that he'd lose the first bet-- the "Mistress" bet-- as he was heading for
the Front straight-aways.  But he was not loath to lose a few pounds to an old
acquaintance.

August, 1777, proved bloody and, almost concomitantly, excellent for Reggie's
prospects.  He was promoted to Major and mentioned for valour in his first
attempt at command of a squadron, after his Major, alas, was killed in action.

September found him back in London with the Notorious Nobles, to whose number
was shortly added Charles Armstrong Darling.  Percy, Marshy, Darling and Reggie
spent several enjoyable evenings at clubs, as the former planned the rescue of a
captured fellow-soldier.  Reggie's plans to carry the fray back to the Frogs
precluded him going on that mission, but he conducted a small, personal campaign
in September, sparing no charm and no money to win the heart of the fair, and influential, Kelly, a fiery woman with a
fine head on her shoulders and an infrastructure to match.

 

By October 1777, Reggie had assumed command of the POWDG, after Lt. Col.
Roadblocke stepped aside.  To his dismay, Reggie found that command of
his Squadron, and now the entire Regiment, was likely to
greatly-diminish his social life: it was work!  Another Mention was a
consolation, but Reginald realised that, to maintain the escutcheon of
the Ruttinge-Stoate's blot-free, he would have to persevere at the Front
and try to score a telling blow against the French and the Spanish.

 

November saw Reginald promoted to Lt. Colonel.  He had become de facto
commander of the entire regiment.  However, losses for England, both by
land and sea, had been devastating.  Reggie found himself back in
London, with the prospects of either a furlough for recuperation, or
of heading back to the Front, for a Winter Campaign that looked to be
a bloody and hard-fought one.  Which would he choose?

After much deliberation with the Coldstream Coterie, with Kelly, and
with his superiors, Reggie opted to stay in London to build up the
regiment and to serve as an instructor, at least for a while.  He and
Percy gave each other a hand with their applications, or, rather,
their ladies did.

Reggie threw himself into his Instructorship with a vengeance,
literally, hoping that he would be helping to train those who would
return England to its rightful, pre-eminent state.  While he taught,
the Coldstreams, and others of his friends from London, went overseas
to take up the gauntlet.  Sadly, the fortunes of war in December were
no more joyous than those of the last few months, save for one great
victory at sea.