Ashleigh Heathcote
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| Portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler | |
| Full Name | Ashleigh James Heathcote |
|---|---|
| Title | Duke of Henley |
| Associated Noble House(s) | Dukedom of Henley, Earldom of Annfield, Barony Kelburgh |
| Date of Birth | 28 March 1782 |
| Father | Matthew James Heathcote |
| Father's Rank | Duke of Henley |
| Mother | Marianne Isobel Heathcote, nee Bowden |
| Mother's Rank | Duchess of Henley |
| Town Residence | Henley House |
| Income | |
| School | Eton |
| University | Oxford |
| Year Attained Title | 1805 |
Ashleigh Heathcote, known as Asher to his friends and family, is the 11 Duke of Henley. He is played by Kristie.
Early Years
Ashleigh James Heathecote was born in the spring of 1782, at their family’s ancestral home, Tallacre, in Norfolk, after hours of labour and years of hope. Her Grace, the Duchess of Henley had tried for years to give her husband a son, finally succeeding, at the age of 45. It was not an easy pregnancy -- for Her Grace was no longer in her prime -- but she knew her duty. By faith she and the baby survived the birth, and the Duke spent the rest of his life lovingly devoted to his wife and family.
Asher followed the same path as most boys in his station, going away to school at Eton, and then Oxford, where he pursued a degree in classics. He was a great reader, and found equal pleasure in books as he did in hunting. When he reached his majority, he attempted to begin a kennel of purebred greyhounds. This was met with success. The breeding programme yielded a steady income, an addition to the extensive Henley coffers, and a rather stellar reputation. Asher, tutored extensively in preparation for is ducal position (though he often questioned the usefulness of this) speaks fluent French and German.
The death of his mother did not come as a surprise. She had caught a fever, and after a month of battling the illness, succumbed to it. The family mourned her, for she was a practical, kind and elegant woman, if a bit strict. By and large, the family proceeded on as usual after the appropriate period of mourning. Asher found it easier to think that his mother — a woman with a great sense of pragmatism — would have rather they all just ‘got on with life’.
The responsibility of being heir (aside from a stupid cousin) to the Duke of Henley, despite his father’s prior instruction, and his sisters’ encouragement, did not suit Asher in the slightest. He had cultivated (painstakingly, some would say) a very particular reputation at university and this reputation soon preceded his appearance in town. Handsome and wealthy, Asher and his group of friends happily cut a swath through London Society — nothing was too risky, too dangerous. Carriage races in the dark of night, sky-high stakes on gambling tables, Asher’s name was on every actress’ lips at Drury Lane. His welcome within polite society was truly firstly on the account of his inheritance, then on the account of his jovial person and happy manners.
Growing up
At the age of 23, Asher inherited the Dukedom from his father, and even then it took him a while to realise that it was time to grow up. It was only recently that Asher finally realised he had a responsibility to the legacy his father, his grandfather, and those before him, had built. For the last two years, he set about re-acquainting himself with the duchy’s holdings, making sure he was as familiar with the land he now owned, as well as with the tenants who depended on his estate.
His six sisters make no secret of their opinion he should marry, and their continued disappointment that he has not done so. Asher however, would be quick to rebuff them. He remains unattached not for the lack of trying, for he has considered marriage to no less than five women, and 'fallen in love' with countless more.
However, each woman he has considered marriage to has been so completely unsuitable to be the next Duchess of Henley that his sisters have collectively vetoed the matches.
He is a single man of great fortune who should marry for love, he says, but his sisters see the truth for what it is — Asher is quick to declare his devotion, but never so steadfast in his affections to pursue a woman after they have criticised her. His marriage to a social climbing waif, or a fortune hunter would not be so bad if he truly loved her.
His sisters think whatever Asher feels cannot be love, for he has never once continued to pursue a woman after they have disapproved of the match. Instead he shrugs off his apparent pain with a night on the town and a drink in his hand, bouncing back as fine as before to the next dance with his usual cheeriness.
Two of his elder sisters are widowed and currently live with him at Henley House. Lady Wilcox has her own establishment and family, but persists (Asher’s words) in choosing to impose her presence on them. Lady Amy, who lost her husband, Mr Hunt, to a rather dire carriage accident some years before, keeps house for him while her four sons are away at school.
Unlucky in love, but determined all the same, Asher has returned to London smack in the middle of the season, after a tour of his estates in the North that took longer than expected. He arrives in Mayfair, with Lady Amy and a full contingent of staff, intent, this season, to find the love of his life.