Although Gates never married, he did have two sons by the same woman. It was a complicated relationship – she was married to his closest friend, and the two were unable to conceive together, so he was asked by the two of them to provide some assistance due to his friend’s rather desperate need for heirs. It would have been a horrendous scandal if the true parentage of the boys was ever discovered, so the three of them did take care to ensure the secret never left the bedchamber.
The boys themselves ( Rowland being the eldest and Barnaby the younger of the two ) both proved to be exceptionally healthy and robust lads, much like their biological father. Luckily for the three of them, Hal looked near enough to a brother of his friend that the similarities between himself and the boys were easily attributed to their acting father.
Still, their mother began to grow paranoid that rumors might start, and to put an ease on the small family, Hal distanced himself physically and eventually stopped visiting altogether. Though he maintained a friendly exchange of letters with his friend and the boys, it was ultimately deemed for the best when those eventually stopped as well.
Having never mentioned his boys to anyone, or much at all about his origins, the fact nobody saw fit to inform his next of kin of his death is not all too surprising.
Ocean Archive 