When he awoke, Martin suspected the hour was later than his usual time to rise. Back home in his uncle’s London townhouse, he often rose as early as most of the staff. Over the past few years, the staff diminished at a steady pace as Uncle Claiborne’s financial situation became ever more perilous. At last, the unfortunate gentleman’s gambling debts exploded and Martin’s world with them.
With no home to return to and his uncle facing debtors’ prison if not a bad end at the hand of some of his creditors, Martin had no choice except to make his own way in the world. As a result, here he was in Wales, embarking on a career he had never envisioned. Not that he’d expected a brilliant future, although when he’d become his uncle’s ward at the age of fourteen, he’d anticipated at least a comfortab
