Sharpe’s Havoc by Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe looked at Dulong again and he wondered if there was a look of warning in the Frenchman’s eyes. Dulong had said nothing, but just stood a pace behind Christopher and two paces to the side and Sharpe suspected the Major was distancing himself from Christopher’s errand. Sharpe looked back to Christopher. „You think I’m a damned fool, don’t you?” he retorted.

Christopher ignored the comment. „I don’t think you’ve time to reach Lisbon. Cradock will be gone in a day or two and his army with him. They’re going home, Sharpe. Back to England, so probably the best thing for you to do is wait in Oporto. The French have agreed to repatriate all British citizens and a ship will probably be sailing from there within a week or two and you and your fellows can be aboard.”

„Will you be aboard?” Sharpe asked.

„I very well might, Sharpe, thank you for asking. And if you’ll forgive me for sounding immodest I rather fancy I shall sail home to a hero’s welcome. The man who brought peace to Portugal! There has to be a knighthood in that, don’t you think? Not that I care, of course, but I’m sure Kate will enjoy being Lady Christopher.”

„If you weren’t under a flag of truce,” Sharpe said, „I’d disembowel you here and now. I know what you’ve been doing. Dinner parties with French generals? Bringing them here so they could snap us up? You’re a bloody traitor, Christopher, nothing but a bloody traitor.” The vehemence of his tone brought a small smile to Major Dulong’s grim face.

„Oh dear.” Christopher looked pained. „Oh dear me, dear me.” He stared at a nearby French corpse for a few seconds, then shook his head. „I’ll overlook your impertinence, Sharpe. I suppose that damned servant of mine found his way to you? He did? Thought as much. Luis has an unrivaled talent for misunderstanding circumstances.” He drew on his cigar, then blew a plume of smoke that was whirled away on the wind. „I was sent here, Sharpe, by His Majesty’s government with instructions to discover whether Portugal was worth fighting for, whether it was worth an effusion of British blood and I concluded, and I’ve no doubt you will disagree with me, that it was not. So I obeyed the second part of my remit, which was to secure terms from the French. Not terms of surrender, Sharpe, but of settlement. We shall withdraw our forces and they will withdraw theirs, though for form’s sake they will be allowed to march a token division through the streets of Lisbon. Then they’re going: bonsoir, adieu and au revoir. By the end of July there will not be one foreign soldier remaining on Portugal’s soil. That is my achievement, Sharpe, and it was necessary to dine with French generals, French marshals and French officials to secure it.” He paused, as if expecting some reaction, but Sharpe just looked skeptical and Christopher sighed. „That is the truth, Sharpe, however hard you may find it to believe, but remember ‘there are more things in … ‘ „

„I know,” Sharpe interrupted. „More things in heaven and earth than I bloody know about, but what the hell were you doing here?” His voice was angry now. „And you’ve been wearing a French uniform. Luis told me.”

„Can’t usually wear this red coat behind French lines, Sharpe,” Christopher said, „and civilian clothes don’t exactly command respect these days, so yes, I do sometimes wear a French uniform. It’s a ruse de guerre, Sharpe, a ruse de guerre.”

„A ruse of bloody nothing,” Sharpe snarled. „Those bastards have been trying to kill my men, and you brought them here!”

„Oh, Sharpe,” Christopher said sadly. „We needed somewhere quiet to sign the memorandum of agreement, some place where the mob could not express its crude opinions and so I offered the Quinta. I confess I did not consider your predicament as thoroughly as I should and that is my fault. I am sorry.” He even offered Sharpe the hint of a bow. „The French came here, they deemed your presence a trap and, against my advice, attempted to attack you. I apologize again, Sharpe, most profusely, but it’s over now. You are free to leave, you do not offer a surrender, you do not yield your weapons, you march out with your head held high and you will go with my sincerest congratulations and, naturally, I shall make quite certain that your Colonel learns of your achievement here.” He waited for Sharpe’s answer and, when none came, smiled. „And, of course,” he went on, „I shall be honored to return your telescope. I clean forgot to bring it with me just now.”

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143

Leave a Reply 0

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *