„You forgot nothing, you bastard,” Sharpe growled.
„Sharpe,” Christopher said reprovingly, „try not to be brutish. Try to understand that diplomacy employs subtlety, intelligence and, yes, deceit. And try to understand that I have negotiated your freedom. You may leave the hill in triumph.”
Shame stared into Christopher’s face which seemed so guileless, so pleased to be the bearer of this news. „And what happens if we stay?” he asked.
„I have not the foggiest idea,” Christopher said, „but of course I shall try to find out if that is, indeed, your wish. But my guess, Sharpe, is that the French will construe such stubbornness as a hostile gesture. There are, sadly, folk in this country who will oppose our settlement. They are misguided people who would prefer to fight rather than accept a negotiated peace, and if you stay here then that encourages their foolishness. My own suspicion is that if you insist upon staying, and thus break the terms of our agreement, the French will bring mortars from Oporto and do their best to persuade you to leave.” He drew on the cigar, then flinched as a raven pecked at the eyes of a nearby corpse. „Major Dulong would like to collect these men.” He gestured with the cigar toward the bodies left by Sharpe’s riflemen.
„He’s got one hour,” Sharpe said, „and he can bring ten men, none of them armed. And tell him some of my men will be on the hill, and they won’t be armed either.”
Christopher frowned. „Why would your men need to be on the open hillside?” he asked.
„Because we’ve got to bury our dead,” Sharpe said, „and it’s all rock up there.”
Christopher drew on the cigar. „I think it would be much better, Sharpe,” he said gently, „if you brought your men down now.”
Sharpe shook his head. „I’ll think about it,” he said.
„You’ll think about it?” Christopher repeated, looking irritated now. „And how long, might I ask, will it take you to think about it?”
„As long as it takes,” Sharpe said, „and I can be a very slow thinker.”
„You have one hour, Lieutenant,” Christopher said, „precisely one hour.” He spoke in French to Dulong who nodded at Sharpe, who nodded back, then Christopher threw away the half-smoked cigar, turned on his heel and went.
„He’s lying,” Sharpe said.
Vicente was less certain. „You can be sure of that?”
„I’ll tell you why I’m sure,” Sharpe said, „the bugger didn’t give me an order. This is the army. You don’t suggest, you order. Do this, do that, but he didn’t. He’s given me orders before, but not today.”
Vicente translated for the benefit of Sergeant Macedo who, with Harper, had been invited to listen to Sharpe’s report. Both sergeants, like Vicente, looked troubled, but they said nothing. „Why,” Vicente asked, „would he not give you an order?”
„Because he wants me to walk off this hilltop of my own accord, because what’s going to happen down there isn’t pretty. Because he was lying.”
„You can’t be sure of that,” Vicente said sternly, sounding more like the lawyer he had been rather than the soldier he now was.
„We can’t be sure of bloody anything,” Sharpe grumbled.
Vicente looked into the east. „The guns have stopped at Amarante. Maybe there is peace?”
„And why would there be peace?” Sharpe asked. „Why did the French come here in the first place?”
„To stop us trading with Britain,” Vicente said.
„So why withdraw now? The trading will start again. They haven’t finished the job and it isn’t like the French to give up so quick.”
Vicente thought for a few seconds. „Perhaps they know they will lose too many men? The further they go into Portugal the more enemies they make and the longer the supply roads they have to protect. Perhaps they are being sensible.”
„They’re bloody Frogs,” Sharpe said, „they don’t know the meaning of the word. And there’s something else. Christopher didn’t show me any bits of paper, did he? No agreement signed and sealed.”
Vicente considered that argument, then nodded to acknowledge its force. „If you like,” he said, „I will go down and ask to see the paper.”