Dear Bernard I just wanted to thank you for signing my book after your talk in Chelmsford which btw had excellent chemistry and banter between you and Mr (or is that major now!) Monk. Anyway at the signing I heard you say you are tempted to write about the burning of Washington in 1814 but that you said it would not be Sharpe I was curious who it would be???????

Now in regards to the Peninsular war have you ever thought of getting Sharpe to some of the operations under Murray and Bentnick on the east coast against Suchet which has long be seen as the ignored part of that war?????

And finally in regards to Starbuck you said in your talk you liked the complexity of him fighting on the wrong side. Yet it must be said Lee was very much a an honourable man and in the sense quite safe any chance of getting him to the west under say someone like Forrest and really making it complex. Anyway thank you again for an excellent talk yours sincerely Geraint