Funny you should ask because my new non-fiction book is due out on 28 November
The insults that drew men to duels were often petty – a splash, a scrape or a disparaging word could all lead to pistols at dawn.
When Charles Hawkey watched James Seton make a play for his beautiful wife, there was only one way to respond. The two men were honour bound to meet in a duel, but only one of them could return.
Theirs was the last fatal duel on England’s soil, and newspapers clamoured to give news of the death and scandal. Was Isabella Hawkey as blameless as she seemed or did she draw the rich Seton into a fatal romance? Did Charles Hawkey ever doubt his wife’s fidelity? Was honour served?
Martyn Beardsley has unearthed new information on this captivating story, details which finally separate villain from victim and tell the tale in full for the very first time. For those with an appetite for duelling etiquette and a curiosity concerning unusual duels, this book reaches past the story of Hawkey and Seton to tell tales of other sword, knife and gunfights.
Martyn Beardsley has written twenty-five books including including the popular Sir Gadabout series for children, and Deadly Winter, a biography of the explorer Sir John Franklin.
A Matter of Honour – The Story of England’s Last Fatal Duel
