Dear Mr Cornwell, I very much enjoyed the Starbuck Chronicles series to date but I am intrigued by one apparent paradox. You clearly like to write about winners, Sharpe being the prime example, but by virtue of his choice of loyalties, Nathaniel Starbuck is ultimately doomed to be on the losing side. Is there a strategy for dealing with this or shall we just have to wait and see? Thanks, Keith, Retford, Notts.