June 1813
The South Essex is a depleted Regiment, and Wellington's chief
of staff, Maj. Ross, receives a letter from the Secretary
of State at War, Lord Fenner, informing him that the second
battalion has been reduced to a holding battalion and the
regiment will be disbanded. Sharpe and Harper are
sent back to England to find replacements and save the
regiment.
When they arrive at Horse Guards, Sharpe hears there are
700 men at Chelmsford. But when he gets there, he finds less
than a dozen men, all too young or too disabled. The
Officer of the Day, Capt. Carline, tells him nothing, but a
veteran of Talavera, Sgt. Ted Carew, is able to prove the battalion
is still recruiting. Except the new recruits haven't
been seen at Chelmsford.
Sharpe's investigation is cut short by a summons to attend
the Prince Regent at court. There, Sharpe retells how
he won the French eagle. At dinner in the evening, Sharpe
has a chance to tell 'Prinny' of the missing battalion. When
the Prince Regent demands an explanation, Lord Fenner stalls
him, saying they only march 'on paper'. As Sharpe leaves,
he is approached by Lady Anne Carmoynes, Fenner's mistress. Later
in the evening, she tells him not to trust Fenner.
After
visiting some of his old haunts, Harper finds Sharpe and
warns him he is being followed. When set upon, Sharpe and Harper kill the culprits
and swap identities with them, then they go and enlist in the South Essex. They
end up at a training camp run by Col. Girdwood, where they discover that men
are being auctioned to other regiments. He also meets Sir Henry Simmerson's
Niece, Jane Gibbons, who confirms his suspicions. Sharpe
has to prove the conspiracy in order to get his second battalion
back to Spain in readiness for the invasion of France. |
