Mr. Cornwell I do not know how far one can take your riddle regarding the fatherhood of Richard Sharpe. However a few thoughts. First his name. Richard ‘Powerful Leader’ Sharpe ‘..a sharp quick person’ (keen,active,quick.) A quote from Wellington ‘ Being born in a stable does not make one a horse.’ Ours (our army) is composed of the scum of the earth. So…… Take you out. Remove any thoughts about what the ‘Fan’ thinks about the origins of Sharpe. Put me in I believe when you originally thought about Sharpe you thought of him as the ‘scum of the earth’ of course with two names that potentially set him apart. And a horse appears. Apart from the above reference. ‘a hack’ refers to ‘a horse let out for hire or used for varied work’ or ‘a writer who works mainly for hire’ Finally you say( and I believe) ‘This happy person’ I do not hold with the connotation that HACK should be a pejorative. I consider you to be the preeminent author of modern ‘Ripping Yarns’ which is no small feat. Your self and C.S. Forester in the past hundred years have covered the land and sea with the best of adventure prose. Thank You. You are Sharpe’s father.

Patrick May