Robert Blackwood

Sir Robert Blackwood is a former army colonel and the father of Benjamin, William, Mary, Eugene, and Anne. He saw extensive service with the 37th Foot during the Seven Years War and the American Revolutionary War, eventually becoming an aide-de-camp to General Charles Lord Cornwallis. He served with the earl during the latter's time as governor-general in India and in 1794 retired on full pay.

Appearance
Sir Robert has the typical appearance of one who, despite being late-middle aged, is still reasonably active and robust. That he enjoys outdoor pursuits is all too plain as well. Not for him is a less-healthy sedantary lifestyle. It is obvious that he is getting on in years, though. His hair is noticeably thinning but has not yet begun to grey, and there is the inevitable paunch of age around his middle. His face is ruddy and wrinkled, with jowls beginning to sag what was once a firm jawline. Worry lines are apparent at the corners of his mouth and eyes. Across the lower part of his left cheek is a thin, slashing scar, which has in recent years somehow become more visible. All in all, it's easy to judge that Sir Robert was a handsome fellow in his youth. He does not smile or laugh quite as often as he used to, but when he does it's possible to see glimpses of what he must have looked like as a young man.

Personality
That the army was his career is apparent in how he manages his household. Everything is done in a tight, smart manner, from the preparations for a simple family dinner to the interactions between siblings and parents. He was never quite able to grasp the idea of gentleness when dealing with his children. He is also almost unbearably stubborn. What Sir Robert believes is invariably the truth and he can bear no opposition or argument when he declares something to be a particular way. It confuses and frustrates him when others, particularly his children, object to this.

Family and regimental loyalty are centrepieces in his world. He was the proudest man alive when his son Benjamin took a commission in his old regiment, the 37th. Equally, he felt horribly and irretrievably betrayed when he learned that Benjamin had purchased a captain's vacancy in another regiment. His attempts to express his anger and hurt to his son resulted in the most blazing of rows, and when Benjamin stormed from the house, Sir Robert made it very clear that he wished to hear no further mention of his eldest's name, regiment, or doings. That he might possibly have been wrong has occurred to him in the years since, but this feeling is weak at best and never persists. He is almost equally as dissatisfied with his youngest son, who chose to take up a commission in the Royal Marines.

Perhaps because he is aware that no man lives for ever, he has begun making the necessary arrangements for the disposition of his estate. With Benjamin and Eugene effectively unwelcome at Hawks Hill, he has more or less decided to make William, his second son, his acknowledged heir. The unified objection to this choice from his wife and both daughters has, however, utterly surprised him, such that he has not yet made the declaration official and thus binding. He cannot understand their resistance, which has made him somewhat short-tempered and reclusive.