Hair Rising, Heir Raising, Erasing
Terah Wilton-Cough
Father of Abraham Wilton-Cough, Terah is just mentioned by him with great pride. This character is not elaborated in this story.
From the association of two powerful families, the Wiltons and the Coughs, Terah is a member of the third generation. His important wealth handed down to his son made him own half of Wilton Town. Still not enough, Abraham endeavoured to increase his fortune by creating the first bank of the town.
Terah married a Cough, the sister of aunt Josephine, Juliette. Juliette, like her sister was a renown beauty in her days. If we do not know in this story, the childhood Abraham bestowed with Juliette as a mother and Terah as a father, if it is not mentioned, I can however reveal that it was pretty much a loveless family. Abraham is the only child of the couple. Blamed by his mother for ruining her figure and her happier partying days, he is given to the care of nannies then sent and forgotten about in a boarding school. Aunt Josephine is the only one who picks up occasionally her nephew for his school holiday.
If the unremarkable child, Abraham is, is refused the entry to the drawing room when his mother is entertaining guests, he is accepted as an important guest by his own aunt to her tea parties.
Where was Terah? He was hunting. Living from his abundant territory and tenants, Terah was a man who lost his interest in his wife and her beauty almost as soon as she fell pregnant. His little boy did not interest him either: Abraham was meek and far from a physically strong boy that could follow in his hunts without crying from a tear in his pants to watching a deer dying and butchered.
Terah had no care in the world apart his passion for hunting and guns. Juliette had no care in the world apart her own self and the attention she got from a string of lovers. From his background, Abraham Wilton-Cough can be better understood, his actions, his intrinsic fears, his bitterness.
What Terah represented to Abraham was a strong masculine figure, he admired but could not mimic positively. He was no hunter, yet knew his guns and how to handle one because of Terah, although this failed to protect him when faced by one in the midst of his own bank.
Terah’s character gave the pride of the Wilton-Cough to Abraham but also the legacy of a faltering family life which was pretty much denied, or non-existent.
Following his bad example or not, the main character was defined by his father’s attitude to everything.
The first name of Abraham’s father was inspired by his biblical namesake. His false idols which drive him out of love are his guns.