servant
couldn’t fail to notice how the map of Britain on the table had been replaced
by one of Gaul. He squinted in the half-light, attempting to read the name of
the town Caesar had recently circled.
Alesia .
End Note.
Since the release of Augustus: Son of Rome I
have received a number of letters asking about when the follow-up will be
published. The reply has been “not yet”. I fear that the reply may remain “not
yet” for some time, due to other commitments. I hope that the Sword of Rome
series will provide some compensation though in the form of a prequel, as
opposed to sequel. For those of you who have read Standard Bearer without
having first read Augustus: Son of Rome you may be interested to know that the
characters of Oppius , Roscius , Tiro Casca and Julius
Caesar all feature heavily throughout Augustus: Son of Rome too.
Thanks as always to Matthew Lynn and everyone
at Endeavour Press.
Should you be interested in some further
reading then I can recommend the works of Adrian Goldsworthy, particularly his
biography of Julius Caesar and also In The Name Of Rome. The works of Cicero,
Suetonius and Plutarch are classics for good reasons too. If interested in
reading more historical fiction on Rome then I can recommend Conn Iggulden , Steven Saylor, Simon Scarrow and Robert Harris.
Should you have enjoyed Standard Bearer or
Augustus: Son of Rome and wish to get in touch I can be reached via [email protected]
This book is dedicated to John McGrath –
courageous, smart, stoical and fun.
Richard Foreman.
Raffles: Stumped
Richard
Foreman
©
Richard Foreman 2012
Richard
Foreman has asserted his rights under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act,
1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
First published 2012 by Endeavour Press Ltd.
1.
“Now Bunny, I am hoping that you have had a
sufficient amount to drink to finally tell me what’s on your mind. You chewed
your nails and bottom lip more than your fillet mignon at dinner. You are also
still looking like a man whose funeral – or worse, wedding – is tomorrow,”
Raffles exclaimed whilst loosening his tie and topping us both up.
We were working our way through a fine bottle
of Madeira back at Raffles’ apartment at the Albany, after dinner at the Savile Club. It was a month or so before our encounter with
Sherlock Holmes (the events of which can be found in Raffles: The Gentleman Thief ). A summer breeze wafted through the
window and cooled my flushed features.
“I am sorry A.J if I have been poor company
this evening. But there’s the rub. I am poor. Indeed to be poverty stricken may
even prove to be an aspiration right now, for I am in a far more perilous
state. I am debt ridden.”
I went on to explain how, despite my “work”
with Raffles over the past few months (as a cracksman’s accomplice) , I had still not wholly freed myself from my financial
straits. My present predicament stemmed from owing a significant amount of
capital to a moneylender called Alexander Cardinal. Cardinal revelled in his
nickname of Shylock. He specialised in targeting gentlemen of leisure. I was
befriended by one of his agents in a casino one evening, who introduced me to
his well dressed , well spoken employer at Cardinal’s house in Notting Hill. I borrowed a sum of money from
him to pay, at a reasonable rate of interest, certain other debts. He called it
a “quick quid” to help tide things over. Although we signed a contract, we also
had a gentleman’s agreement that I would pay off the loan – and interest – when
certain investments I owned matured. These investments were gilt-edged and
served as my security.
“Yet I found out this week that Cardinal is no
gentleman. He has proved a fiend rather than friend. Employing a technical
clause in the contract he is calling in the debt, or else he will be upping the
rate of interest during the interim period before I
couldn’t fail to notice how the map of Britain on the table had been replaced
by one of Gaul. He squinted in the half-light, attempting to read the name of
the town Caesar had recently circled.
Alesia .
End Note.
Since the release of Augustus: Son of Rome I
have received a number of letters asking about when the follow-up will be
published. The reply has been “not yet”. I fear that the reply may remain “not
yet” for some time, due to other commitments. I hope that the Sword of Rome
series will provide some compensation though in the form of a prequel, as
opposed to sequel. For those of you who have read Standard Bearer without
having first read Augustus: Son of Rome you may be interested to know that the
characters of Oppius , Roscius , Tiro Casca and Julius
Caesar all feature heavily throughout Augustus: Son of Rome too.
Thanks as always to Matthew Lynn and everyone
at Endeavour Press.
Should you be interested in some further
reading then I can recommend the works of Adrian Goldsworthy, particularly his
biography of Julius Caesar and also In The Name Of Rome. The works of Cicero,
Suetonius and Plutarch are classics for good reasons too. If interested in
reading more historical fiction on Rome then I can recommend Conn Iggulden , Steven Saylor, Simon Scarrow and Robert Harris.
Should you have enjoyed Standard Bearer or
Augustus: Son of Rome and wish to get in touch I can be reached via [email protected]
This book is dedicated to John McGrath –
courageous, smart, stoical and fun.
Richard Foreman.
Raffles: Stumped
Richard
Foreman
©
Richard Foreman 2012
Richard
Foreman has asserted his rights under the Copyright, Design and Patents Act,
1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
First published 2012 by Endeavour Press Ltd.
1.
“Now Bunny, I am hoping that you have had a
sufficient amount to drink to finally tell me what’s on your mind. You chewed
your nails and bottom lip more than your fillet mignon at dinner. You are also
still looking like a man whose funeral – or worse, wedding – is tomorrow,”
Raffles exclaimed whilst loosening his tie and topping us both up.
We were working our way through a fine bottle
of Madeira back at Raffles’ apartment at the Albany, after dinner at the Savile Club. It was a month or so before our encounter with
Sherlock Holmes (the events of which can be found in Raffles: The Gentleman Thief ). A summer breeze wafted through the
window and cooled my flushed features.
“I am sorry A.J if I have been poor company
this evening. But there’s the rub. I am poor. Indeed to be poverty stricken may
even prove to be an aspiration right now, for I am in a far more perilous
state. I am debt ridden.”
I went on to explain how, despite my “work”
with Raffles over the past few months (as a cracksman’s accomplice) , I had still not wholly freed myself from my financial
straits. My present predicament stemmed from owing a significant amount of
capital to a moneylender called Alexander Cardinal. Cardinal revelled in his
nickname of Shylock. He specialised in targeting gentlemen of leisure. I was
befriended by one of his agents in a casino one evening, who introduced me to
his well dressed , well spoken employer at Cardinal’s house in Notting Hill. I borrowed a sum of money from
him to pay, at a reasonable rate of interest, certain other debts. He called it
a “quick quid” to help tide things over. Although we signed a contract, we also
had a gentleman’s agreement that I would pay off the loan – and interest – when
certain investments I owned matured. These investments were gilt-edged and
served as my security.
“Yet I found out this week that Cardinal is no
gentleman. He has proved a fiend rather than friend. Employing a technical
clause in the contract he is calling in the debt, or else he will be upping the
rate of interest during the interim period before I
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