Robert Gerald was the junior secretary to the Prime Minister, and a cousin by marriage to Harry Quarry. He was killed in the middle of a crowded street, and Lord John Grey investigates his murder.
Personal History[]
Robert was invited to join Sir Francis Dashwood's Hellfire Club. He attended one meeting at Medmenham Abbey, but later declined to accept the invitation for permanent membership.
While at Medmenham, Robert met George Everett, though did not learn his name. Somehow, Robert discovered Everett's preference for men – possibly after Everett made overtures to him – and it was this knowledge that ultimately led to his death; Everett murdered him, to prevent Robert from telling anyone.
Events of the Lord John Series[]
"Lord John and the Hellfire Club"[]
In autumn of 1756, at The Society for the Appreciation of the English Beefsteak, a gentleman's club, Robert has an unwelcome encounter with George Bubb-Dodington, who makes an invitation that Robert does not wish to accept.
He joins his cousin Harry Quarry, who introduces him to Lord John Grey, newly returned from a post at Ardsmuir Prison. During his departure, he requests Grey's help and for him to meet him at the Royal Exchange, near the Arcade, just after full dark. Grey, sensing the man's urgency, agrees.
On his way to the meeting, he exits from a stalled sedan chair and is struck down by a blade. Grey, in company with Quarry, witnesses the act but not the perpetrator. Grey urges Robert to reveal the name of his killer, promising to avenge his death. Robert moves his mouth as though to speak, but Grey does not comprehend, and he dies. Later, Grey realizes what name Robert had struggled to impart in his final moments: Dashwood.
Personality[]
Robert was an unassuming young man, with good social etiquette. Still, he must have had strong convictions and a sense of right, as evidenced by his desire to confide to Grey, a new acquaintance, something he deemed too important to keep to himself.
Physical Appearance[]
Described as tall, but not strikingly so, with a slight, almost delicate build. He is younger than Grey, with fair skin and soft, luminous brown eyes. His most striking feature – and what calls Grey's attention to him so viscerally – is his dark red hair, which Grey finds disconcertingly similar to Jamie Fraser's.
Name[]
- Robert is from the Germanic name Hrodebert meaning "bright fame", derived from the Germanic elements hrod "fame" and beraht "bright".[1]
- Gerald is from a Germanic name meaning "rule of the spear", from the elements ger "spear" and wald "rule".[2]
Trivia[]
References[]
- ↑ Behind the Name: Robert - accessed 24 May 2016
- ↑ Behind the Name: gerald - accessed 24 May 2016