19
Role:
Second Son & Recently Discharged Naval Officer
Bio:
Although Marcus has always been close to his older brother, he's felt as though he's lived in DJ's shadow. Every where he went, he would be identified as "DJ's Little Brother," not Marcus. This lowered Marcus's self-confidence and self-esteem. Until he found out it got him in to places he never would've been able to gain access to by himself. Though he was still not as out-spoken and confident with new people as his brother seemed to be, Marcus played the field well. He learned from DJ how to woo a lady in to his bed for a night and became a playboy himself, yet his reputation never did match up to his older brother's. Marcus likes to think it's his good humor that helped him win people over. His brother has charm; he has humor. Together the two made a good pair at the pubs.
During one particularly warm summer evening, Thomas decided to remain home instead of go out with brother. He observed the going-ons of his home while the rest of the family was out doing who knew what. That was when he met Hannah and her sister. Sure he had seen them working around the house before - they did, after all, work for the family estate - but he'd never paid either of them any attention. From his brother's descriptions of a certain young miss he had been recently spending time with, Marcus deduced that Hannah's younger sister - Catherine was her name - was the woman. Not wanting to prey on DJ's already claimed territory, Marcus turned his attention towards Hannah.
Marcus had every intention of merely wooing her and then bedding her, making the woman his mistress as DJ had Catherine, but fate, or whatever else it may be called, had other plans. Marcus began developing feelings for Hannah, feelings he thought were being reciprocated. One day he decided he wanted to take the next step in their relationship, but he wanted to do it properly, despite how unconventional their relationship may have been. Excited by the prospect of the idea brewing in his mind, Marcus searched for Hannah, and he found her. Marcus couldn't believe what he saw through his father's partially opened door. Lord Gregory and Hannah were in bed together. Marcus was furious. How could this woman toy with him like that?
That afternoon, Hannah sought Marcus out. She found him in his study drinking heavily and already quite foxed. Before she could even speak he started yelling at her, accusing her of betraying him. Hannah tried to explain herself to Marcus, but he wouldn't listen. In his drunken rage he let his anger get the best of him and he ended up raping Hannah.
Marcus felt awful about what he did afterwards, and Hannah's heart wrenching sobs made him feel much worse. He fled from the study and straight to his mother to whom he confessed the horrid act he had just done. Lord Gregory walked in on the confession half-way through and knew that the young lady would have to be dismissed if she were to breathe a word about the incident. When Hannah finally accused Marcus of what he did several days later, the Gregorys were quick to send her on her way.
By the scathing looks Catherine would give Marcus whenever he passed, he knew that she knew what he did to her sister. The guilt he bore grew and grew until finally he just couldn't take it anymore. He packed up his belongings late one night, tracked down DJ in a pub, said goodbye to him and only him, and then enrolled in the Royal Navy the very next morning. Marcus used the pent up guilt as an incentive to excel.
While he was away, Marcus wrote back to his parents often. In one letter he requested they re-employ Hannah as part of the staff. It was his fault she had to leave and it was severely unfair to her to make her leave after what he did to her. Besides, he planned to be gone for a long while. He hoped to be able to come to terms with what he had done before coming back home.
Unfortunately, the Crimean War broke out and he was sent off to fight. There Marcus lost part of his right leg after a cannon ball hit the wall he and a couple of his buddies were taking shelter behind, knocking it down. Marcus shoved one guy out of the way only to have part of the wall topple down on to his leg, crushing it from the knee down. After having his leg amputated, Marcus was no longer able to fight and was sent home, honorably discharged.
Now Marcus is back home, having to deal with Hannah's cold stares, the phantom pains in his lost leg, and the murder of his father. Plus, to top it all off, his younger brother Thomas has disappeared and is the prime suspect, not that anyone but the police actually believe that theory.
Who do you think did it?:
"You know, I've never really liked that Ms. Mis. She's too much of a prude and a hardball. I can see her doing something like this, especially if she had a reason why."
Marcus thinks the housekeeper Ms. Mistran could have easily killed his father with the right motive.
Lover:
Hannah is the only person Marcus has his eyes (and, secretly, his heart) set on.
Anything else we should know?:
- Determined not to let loss of leg keep him from living life. Will have prosthetic made as soon as possible and learn how to walk again.
- Wants to make amends with Hannah any way possible.
- Marcus has no idea that Hannah ever had a child, especially one that Lord Gregory, his own father, fathered.