Henry Crowe…. Who is this rogue?
Not much is known of Mr Henry Crowe except for his close friendship with Lord Babbington and Mr Sidney Parker. He was a wealthy man in his own right, who appeared to enjoy the excesses of his wealth.
It seemed that nothing really worried him but no one really had questioned the reason why he drank so much?
Drinking to excess was what he was known for and not even his best friends thought to ask. They did make sure he got safely home but never attempted to encourage their friend to drink less. Henry Crowe had had a difficult year since the previous summer… and upon reflection noted that everything had changed when Sidney Parker had dragged them down to a small seaside resort called Sanditon.
Babbington and Parker always seemed to be wrapped up in their own problems. Since Babbington had married 'Esther Denham' and Parker 'Eliza Campion' the men no longer had time for him. In a blink of an eye he was the only bachelor left and he had to admit to himself that he felt left out. The women they had married didn't approve of him and he found himself spending more time alone with the bottle.
Out of boredom he had accepted an invitation… knowing the host Lord Best had an excellent liquor cabinet. The house party was everything he had expected, and he was not disappointed with the quality of the liquor.
There was one moment at the party that disturbed him. One of the young children of Lord Best had found him drunk lying on the lawn with a drink in his hand …. the child asking "Sir, why are drinking at this time in the morning? Nanny tells us that we must eat healthy food so we can be strong?". Crowe was speechless and it was the first time anyone had asked him why he drank?. The young child was found by his nanny and it saved Henry from answering this uncomfortable question.
With no one to monitor his behaviour he drank so he could forget.
After dinner the gentlemen had taken advantage of his inebriated state and convinced him to get on his horse and ride back to London. They laughed as they watched him wobble on the saddle...heading towards the main entrance of the gate. Lord Best thinking nothing of it and expected to find Crowe passed out somewhere on the property the next morning. He and the other gentlemen returned to the house to continue their socialising.
The next day Lord B noticed that Crowe had not come to any of the activities and started becoming concerned when he was reminded about the horse incident. He sent out his servants but they returned with no news….. the man and the horse had disappeared. The household of Lord B were in a buzz as the information about Crowe spread throughout the house and eventually London society. Many people were not surprised and others just drank in his honour.
In reality no one really missed Henry Crowe as he had little family and those closest to him were too busy with their own lives.
In fact, the horse had been so startled by its rude awaking and slap on its backside it had picked up speed and left the confines of the estate. It started travelling along a road unknown to Henry Crowe. In his current state of inebriation all he could do was hold on. Finally, after a number of hours the horse threw him… resulting in Crowe falling head first and hitting his head on a broken tree trunk.
Before falling into unconsciousness his last thoughts were…"so this is how my life is to end cold… lost… and alone"