Fire and Sword (8 page)

‘He’d be amazed, Beatrix.’

‘He’d order me to take it off at once.’

‘Well, you could hardly do any chores wearing that. And – I don’t mean this at all unkindly – you don’t really have the shape for any of the dresses on display here.’

‘But you do, Miss Amalia.’

‘Yes,’ said Amalia with a sigh. ‘I believe that I do.’

‘Then ask Captain Rawson to buy one of them for you.’

Amalia giggled. ‘Oh, I couldn’t do that.’

‘Why not?’ asked Beatrix. ‘I’m sure that he’d oblige.’

‘That’s not the point.’

‘He’s bought you gifts before.’

‘Father might not approve.’

‘That’s not true at all, Miss Amalia. Your father dotes on him almost as much as you do – and with good cause. But for Captain Rawson, all three of us would be lying somewhere in a French grave. And the same goes for Kees.’

‘I know all that,’ said Amalia. ‘What I meant was that Father wouldn’t approve of my choice. He adores colour in his tapestries yet prefers sober hues in everything I wear. I still have dresses in my wardrobe that belonged to my mother.’

‘Your mother was always very smart,’ said Beatrix with a nostalgic smile. ‘You are very much like her in that respect.’

Amalia was about to point out that she was developing rather different tastes but she broke off instead. Talking about her mother always brought back unhappy memories of her untimely death. If the conversation had continued, Amalia knew that she and Beatrix would eventually end up in tears. Turning away from the shop, she put aside any thoughts of a new dress and set off for home. Beatrix, a servant, friend and chaperone, fell in beside her.

‘How much longer will this war drag on?’ she asked, wearily.

‘I wish I knew, Beatrix.’

‘What does Captain Rawson say?’

‘He has no more idea than the rest of us.’

‘Yet he’s very close to the Duke of Marlborough. He must know what’s going on.’

‘The fighting will continue until one side gives in,’ said Amalia with a helpless shrug, ‘and that’s an unlikely prospect at the moment. There was talk of peace after the battle of Ramillies but, as usual, it came to nothing.’

Beatrix was morose. ‘I think it could go on for ever.’

‘Oh, don’t say that, Beatrix. We must never give up hope.’

‘It’s the same thing every year – more killing, more misery. I’d hate to be the mother of sons in the army. You’d never know if they’d come back alive. To be
married
to a soldier would be even worse. You’d spend all your time worrying and…’ Her voice tailed off as she realised what she was saying. She became apologetic. ‘I’m sorry, Miss Amalia. I didn’t mean to upset you. I wasn’t talking about Captain Rawson.’

‘Let’s just change the subject, shall we?’ said Amalia, firmly.

‘He rides beside the Duke of Marlborough so he’s in no danger at all. Captain Rawson is safe. That must be a comfort to you.’

But Amalia was no longer listening. She had drifted off into a private world where there was no comfort at all. As long as the war continued, no British soldier was completely
safe, especially one who took on the hazardous assignments that fell to Daniel Rawson. At any moment, his luck might finally run out. Filled with apprehension, she kept asking herself the same question.

‘Where are you
now
, Daniel?’

Because Daniel had changed out of his uniform, the farmer didn’t recognise him at first. When it dawned on him who his visitor was, however, he became hostile and ordered Daniel to leave at once. After what had happened at the neighbouring farm, he wanted nothing to do with British soldiers. It took Daniel a long time to calm him down and an even longer one to persuade him to bring the boy down from his room. Only when the farmer was convinced of Daniel’s sincerity did he agree that his visitor could talk to Jules, the young lad who’d witnessed the atrocities at his farm.

The boy came downstairs reluctantly. Since the outrage, he’d been weeping into his pillow, convulsed by a grief that was shot through with a burning desire for revenge. Daniel saw something of himself in Jules and was reminded of a time when his own world had been turned upside down by the arrival of soldiers. Daniel had at least been able to defend his mother. Jules had been utterly powerless and was plagued by guilt as a consequence. In the boy’s face, Daniel saw the same anger, hatred and confusion that he’d felt in the wake of the battle of Sedgemoor. The one consolation
was that Jules had not actually seen his family being murdered. Daniel, by contrast, had watched his father being hanged.

When the farmer explained that their visitor was a British soldier, Jules lost his temper and hurled himself at Daniel, managing to land a few punches. He had to be restrained for a while. Daniel took his time, letting the boy’s rage die down a little.

‘I come as a friend, Jules,’ he said at length. ‘I want to catch the soldiers who attacked your farm. They were not acting on orders. I’m as anxious as you to make sure that they’ll pay for what they did to your family.’

‘Go away!’ said the boy.

‘Listen to him, Jules,’ coaxed the farmer. ‘I believe what he says. He wants to stop these men from killing anyone else.’

‘He’s lying. I don’t trust him.’

‘Hear him out.’

‘No…he’s just as bad as the others.’

Daniel was grateful that the farmer was present. Though he had a good grasp of their Flemish dialect, Daniel found it easier to talk through the farmer than directly to Jules. It spared the boy from the feeling that he was being interrogated by an enemy. Daniel whispered the first question into the farmer’s ear.

‘Tell him what you saw, Jules,’ urged the farmer.

‘I don’t want to speak to him,’ retorted the boy.

‘Do you want those soldiers to get away with what they did?’

‘No…I want to kill them myself!’

‘I can understand why you feel like that,’ said Daniel. ‘But you need us to hunt these fiends down.’

‘Tell him everything,’ said the farmer.

Jules scowled. ‘He already knows what his soldiers did.’

‘He doesn’t. Captain Rawson says that they were not part of a British patrol. He thinks they were renegades.’

‘They wore red uniforms,’ asserted the boy, sullenly.

‘That doesn’t mean they were British,’ said the farmer then he paused to take a prompt from Daniel. ‘Did you hear them speak? Did you recognise their language?’

‘I’m saying nothing.’

‘You must help the captain.’

‘He’s like all the rest of them.’

‘Just tell us, please. This is important, Jules. You want these men hunted down, don’t you?’

‘I want them burnt alive!’ shrieked the boy.

‘Captain Rawson tells me that, if they’re British soldiers, they’ll face execution. Now, what language did they use?’

Jules glowered at Daniel then spat out his reply.

‘English,’ he said. ‘They spoke in English.’

Daniel’s heart sank. He fed another question to the farmer.

‘Did you get a good look at them?’ said the man.

‘No, there was smoke everywhere.’

‘Yet you were able to see their uniforms.’

‘Yes, I was.’

The farmer turned to hear another whisper in his ear.

‘Did you hear any names being called out?’ he asked.

‘No.’

‘Think carefully, Jules. This could be helpful. Someone must have been shouting orders to the others. Did he mention any names when he did so?’

‘All he did was to laugh,’ said Jules with a shudder.

‘Who did?’ pressed Daniel.

‘Their leader.’

‘How do you know he was their leader?’

‘He shouted at the others to ride off.’

‘Then you must have been able to see him properly.’

‘Is that right, Jules?’ added the farmer. ‘You saw their leader?’

‘What did he look like?’ asked Daniel.

‘Describe him for us.’

The boy recalled the mad eyes and the blood-curdling laugh.

‘He was a big, ugly man with a red beard,’ he said, gritting his teeth, ‘and I’m going to tear out his heart one day.’

The Duke of Marlborough was finally starting to look his age. Now in his late fifties, he had always defied the passage of time and retained his boundless energy and resilience. Years of campaigning, when he sometimes spent twelve hours a day in the saddle, had not weakened him to any degree. His zest for battle remained intact. Now, however, it was different. Looking at Marlborough as he sat hunched over his desk, Adam Cardonnel was worried about him. Their commander was clearly unwell. He’d been afflicted by a series of pounding headaches that were difficult to shake off. He had a fever of some sort and was unable to sleep. Fatigue had painted deep lines on his face. What disturbed his secretary even more was the fact that Marlborough had
become so uncharacteristically downhearted. It was almost as if desolation had eaten into his soul.

They were alone in the tent. While Cardonnel had been writing some letters, Marlborough was poring over a map of Flanders. He was so motionless that his secretary began to wonder if he’d dozed off from exhaustion. Cardonnel reached out to touch his shoulder.

‘Are you still awake?’ he asked, softly.

Marlborough stirred. ‘Of course I am, Adam. I can’t
but
be awake. At a time when I most need it, I seem to have forgotten how to sleep.’ He used a palm to suppress a yawn. ‘If my wife knew how ill I feel, she’d probably rush here with a brace of physicians and a bag full of potions. That’s why I keep the full truth about my condition from her.’

‘You can’t hide it from
me
, Your Grace.’

‘I know. What you see is what I see in the mirror every day and it’s a dispiriting sight. But for this periwig,’ he went on, toying with the elaborate curls, ‘you’d notice how grey my hair has become. I’m sinking into senility.’

‘Yet you still have more vigour than the rest of us.’

‘I don’t feel that I do, Adam. But enough of my ailments,’ he said, sitting up and trying to marshal his thoughts. ‘Beside the work we have to do, they are an irrelevance. And I’ll wager a king’s ransom that the French army won’t suspend their activities simply because the enemy commander is feeling a trifle unwell.’ He indicated the map. ‘What’s their next move? That’s what I want to
know. What are Burgundy and Vendôme up to?’

‘They are probably asking the same question of you.’

‘And so they should. We must keep them guessing.’

‘They are probably still wondering how we managed to thwart their planned attack on Antwerp. That was a setback for them.’

‘Thanks to good intelligence, we nipped that plot in the bud and it was vital that we did so, Adam. We can’t let a citadel like Antwerp fall into their hands. It’s so well fortified,’ said Marlborough. ‘It’s the reason I want it to become the capital of the Spanish Netherlands. Brussels is too difficult to defend for any length of time. Antwerp would be a much more secure base.’

‘I agree with you, Your Grace, but the idea did not exactly win favour with the Dutch.’

Marlborough groaned. ‘None of my ideas ever excite them,’ he complained. ‘I know I’ve said it a hundred times before, Adam, but trying to lead a coalition army is like fighting with my hands tied behind my back. I can never do exactly what I want at a precise time of my choosing.’

‘Granted – then it’s all the more credit to you for achieving such remarkable victories in this war. You’ve overcome both the might of the French army and the shortcomings of our Allies.’

‘We may have to do so again, Adam,’ said Marlborough, placing a finger on the map. ‘Latest reports place the French here at Soignies. I’d hoped to divert part of their army by
a feint to the Moselle but Prince Eugene’s force is not even fully assembled yet. Do you see what I mean about having my hands tied?’ he went on. ‘We need Eugene here this very minute. Instead, he’s held up in Vienna on government business. Don’t they realise that this war is government business as well?’ he asked, slapping the table for effect. ‘While our best ally is still in Vienna, we are left facing the entire French army.’ He took a deep breath then smiled apologetically. ‘Forgive me, Adam. I’m telling you nothing you don’t already know. It just eases my mind a little if I vent my spleen in private.’

‘You certainly never do so in public, Your Grace,’ said the other with admiration. ‘Your forbearance is an example to us all. In your dealings with our allies, you always contrive to appear gracious and accommodating.’

‘And you know the reason why.’

‘Yes…we’ll never win this war without them.’

‘Too true, alas,’ said Marlborough. ‘That’s why we have to tolerate Dutch caution and Prince Eugene’s delay. Allies are such a crucial component of any success in the field – and it’s high time we
had
a real success.’

‘Nobody will ever forget Blenheim,’ said Cardonnel, stoutly, ‘and Ramillies was, I reckon, even more significant. The French have achieved nothing comparable in this war.’

‘Yet they still keep coming back at us, Adam, turning our gains into losses. Even though they’ve sustained enormous casualties, they’ve somehow mustered an army of 100,000
men. Think how much money and sheer effort went into recruitment. They must have scoured every corner of France. And while they were rebuilding so furiously, how did our Parliament react?’

‘Disappointingly, Your Grace.’

‘Disgracefully is a better description. When the Recruiting Bill came before the Commons, the provision for a compulsory levy of men was thrown out. It’s heartbreaking. If we get no backing from our own country, how can we possibly equal French numbers?’

‘New recruits are no match for seasoned soldiers.’

‘Burgundy and Vendôme have both at their disposal. They know that they’re stronger than we are. I fear they’re about to venture.’

‘They’ve shown little sign of it so far, Your Grace. French armies in the past have tended to watch and wait.’

‘This time it could be different,’ said Marlborough, gloomily. ‘Vendôme outwitted us last year so he’s full of confidence. Then we have the Duke of Burgundy, fresh to the field, keen to show his mettle, anxious to impress his grandfather, the King. Yes, I know he lacks experience,’ he went on as Cardonnel was about to speak, ‘but Vendôme can provide that. What Burgundy offers is youthful enthusiasm and the natural conceit of royalty – he believes that’s it’s his
right
to win.’

‘You’ll soon relieve him of that misapprehension, Your Grace.’

‘I might do if I had a full complement of men at my disposal. As it is, we’re at a clear disadvantage. We just have to hope that the French don’t launch a major attack in the near future,’ confided Marlborough. ‘Otherwise, we could be in grave danger.’

‘When we left England,’ remembered Cardonnel, ‘you
wanted
to provoke an attack. You hoped that our apparent weakness would tempt Burgundy and Vendôme to offer battle. You even talked about abandoning Brussels, if need be, and withdrawing to Antwerp.’

‘That plan was conceived on the assumption that Prince Eugene would already be on the Moselle and thus able to march north in support of us. But he’s not even here yet. Oh, I would love a battle, Adam,’ said Marlborough rising to his feet with a touch of his old defiance. ‘I’d love to lock horns with the French again. We need a victory that will echo around the whole of Europe. It’s the only way to bring the Grand Alliance back to life again.’

Daniel Rawson had to wait over a week after his visit to the farm before he had the chance to call on Henry Welbeck. The sergeant was in a typical pose, legs apart and hands on his hips as he berated the men who were digging some new latrines. On a hot day, they were positively dripping with sweat. Daniel’s arrival prompted Welbeck to move well away from them. The men heaved sighs of gratitude.

‘Good afternoon, Henry,’ said Daniel, cheerfully.

‘I see nothing good about it.’

‘We’ve got some sunshine at last. Doesn’t that gladden your hard old heart?’

‘No, Dan, it doesn’t.’

‘Oh?’

‘Fine weather might tempt the Frenchies to offer battle,’ said Welbeck, grimly, ‘and we’d be outnumbered. That’s why everyone in the camp is so nervous. They feel an attack is on the cards. From the moment we moved here, we’ve been on the alert.’

‘You’ve not been too alert,’ said Daniel, peering at his friend’s unshaven face. ‘Have you forgotten where you put your razor?’

‘I’ve had far too much to do, Dan. I’ve been so busy that I’ve barely had time to wipe the shit off my arse, let alone shave the whiskers off my chin. Down here in the ranks, we have to toil. It’s only officers like you who know what leisure is.’

‘We know what it is, Henry, we just don’t have any of it.’

‘Your life is much softer than ours,’ insisted Welbeck. ‘There’s no argument about that. Most of our officers wouldn’t last a week in the ranks.’

‘I did,’ Daniel reminded him. ‘I survived for years.’

‘You’re the exception to the rule, Dan.’

‘I daren’t ask what rule that might be. But it’s odd that you should have grown a beard. That’s exactly what I came to talk about.’

‘What – me not shaving?’

‘No, Henry. I’ve brought news about the men who burnt down those farms.’

‘It’s about time!’ muttered Welbeck.

‘There’s been a lot of work to do,’ explained Daniel. ‘But I think we’ve made progress. When I suggested that they might be deserters, His Grace called for details of everyone who’d fled from their colours. There were far too many of them, I can tell you.’

‘Desertion has always been our bane and always will be.’

‘While those details were being gathered in and collated, I spoke to the one reliable witness we had.’

‘Witness?’

‘He’s a lad of ten named Jules.’

Daniel described the visit he’d made to the farm and talked about the difficulty he’d encountered in persuading the boy to speak. Without the farmer’s help, Daniel would have got nothing from him but truculence. Welbeck was sympathetic.

‘You can’t blame him,’ he said, quietly. ‘It was a terrible ordeal to go through. In his shoes, I’d feel much the same – that everybody in a British uniform has supped with the Devil.’

‘He’ll never forgive us, Henry. Nor will the farmer who took him in. The only way to appease them is to catch the villains responsible.’

‘Catch them and skin them alive.’

‘They’ll get their deserts, don’t worry.’

‘So what’s this about a beard?’

‘It’s a red beard, to be exact,’ said Daniel, ‘and there aren’t too many of those. It belonged to the leader of this marauding band. We trawled through the lists of deserters from the cavalry regiments and we eventually found out his name.’

‘What is it – Beelzebub?’

‘No, Henry, it’s Matthew Searle.’

Welbeck scratched his whiskers. ‘Now where have I heard that name before?’ he said, racking his brains.

‘Searle fits the description given by the boy. I’ve spoken to one of the officers in his regiment and he remembered the man well. Searle was something of a menace, it seems. He was always trying to stir up trouble among the other troopers. He was punished a number of times for insubordination and being drunk on duty.’

‘They should have let
me
cut him down to size.’

‘In every sense, he was an unsavoury character,’ continued Daniel, ‘yet not without his virtues. He was strong and fearless. He fought well in battle and could ride a horse as if he’d been born astride one. Also, he had the instincts of a leader. Had he not been so perverse, he could easily have been promoted.’

‘What was the name again?’

‘Matthew Searle.’

‘I remember now,’ said Welbeck, snapping his fingers. ‘It’s
all coming back to me. I used to have a slimy little snake of a man who always wished he’d joined the cavalry instead of the infantry. That’s what his cousin had done. He kept on and on about him. I’m sure that the cousin’s name was Matthew Searle – though he never mentioned a red beard.’

‘Who was this fellow?’

‘A good-for-nothing named Edwin Lock.’

‘Is he still with us?’

‘Not any more, Dan – he deserted months ago.’

‘Can you remember the precise time?’

‘Why?’

‘It may be that he joined up with his cousin.’

‘That’s very unlikely,’ said Welbeck, sceptically. ‘Edwin Lock was bone idle. He was only ever interested in whoring, drinking or doing both at the same time. Lock was a shoemaker by trade. I doubt if he’d know which end of the horse the manure came out of. Besides,’ he went on, ‘he was in a regiment of foot. Where could he get a horse from?’

‘There’s no mystery about that, Henry.’

‘Isn’t there?’

‘It was one of the many ways that Searle endeared himself to the regiment he left behind him,’ explained Daniel. ‘He didn’t merely take to his heels. He stole some of their finest horses as well.’

Inclement weather delayed the attack for day after day and the men became restive. They ate well and drank as much as
they wished but they grew tired of being cooped up in the farmhouse. Edwin Lock once again acted as their spokesman. He found Searle in the kitchen.

‘It can’t go on like this, Matt,’ he complained. ‘We’re fed up.’

‘Do you think I like being holed up here?’ snarled Searle.

‘It’s a fine day at last. Why don’t we go right now?’

‘I give the orders, Edwin.’

‘Yes, that’s another thing.’

‘What is?’

‘They’ve been muttering,’ said Lock, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that nobody was within earshot. ‘They feel that you throw your weight around too much.’

‘Somebody has to be in charge.’

‘But why does that someone have to be you?’

Lock let out a yelp as he was grabbed by the throat, lifted into the air and banged against a wall. When Searle released him, his cousin slumped to the floor, rubbing his neck disconsolately.

‘Does that answer your question?’ challenged Searle.

‘It’s not what
I
said,’ bleated Lock. ‘I spoke up for you. I always do – and not because we’re kinfolk. You planned everything. If it wasn’t for you, we’d still be in the army, having our ears chewed off and our arses kicked. It was you that got us out of there, Matt.’