An Infamous Army (Alastair-Audley Tetralogy 4)

Only one visitor could have been more welcome. Judith almost sprang out of her chair, and started forward to meet him. ‘Colonel Canning! Oh, how glad I am to see you!’

He shook her warmly by the hand. ‘I have only dropped in a for a few moments to tell you that Charles was well when I saw him last. I have been on a mission to the French King, at Alost, and am on my way back now to Quatre-Bras.’

‘Quatre-Bras! Is that where the action is being fought? Oh, stay just for a few minutes! We have been without news the whole day, and the suspense is dreadful. Sit down: I will ring for the tea tray to be brought in directly. But have you dined?’

‘Yes, yes, thank you! I dined at Greathed’s, in the Park. Seeing me pass by his house, he very kindly called to me to come up and join him. Creevey was there too. I can’t tell you much, you know. I was sent off just before 5.00, so I don’t know how it has been going. However, by the time I left the Brunswickers and the Nassau contingent had arrived, and Van Merlen’s Light Cavalry besides, so you may be sure everything is doing famously.’

Barbara said, with a smile: ‘Confound you, Colonel, you begin at the end! Let us have the start, if you please!’

‘By God!’ he said seriously, ‘we have had an escape! You won’t blab it about the town, but the fact is Boney took us by surprise, and if Ney had pushed on last night, or even this morning, there’s no saying what might not have happened. Prince Bernhard had only a battalion of Nassauers and one horse battery at Quatre-Bras.’ He gave a chuckle. ‘We can guess why Ney didn’t, of course. The French know the trick the Duke has of concealing the better part of his troops from sight. No doubt Ney was afraid he’d come up against the whole Army, and dared not risk an attack without more infantry. But God knows why he delayed so long today! They say the French weren’t even under arms at ten o’clock this morning. We arrived at half-past to find Orange there with two of his divisions, and nothing of a force in front of him. Charles arrived from Ath a little while after—still in his ball dress! He had no time to waste changing it last night, so there he is, in all his splendour. However, he is not the only one. Where was I?’

‘You had arrived at Quatre-Bras to find no very startling force opposing you.’

‘Oh yes! Well, so it was. The Duke inspected the position, saw that Ney was making no move, and rode over with Gordon and Müffling to confer with old Blücher, at Ligny.’

‘We ha

ve not joined the Prussians, then?’

‘Oh lord, no! They’re seven miles to the east of us, and pretty badly placed, too. I don’t know how it has gone with them: they’ve been engaged all day against Boney himself, but we’ve had no news. It appears that General Bourmont deserted to Blücher with all his staff yesterday morning, but the old man would have nothing to do with him! I haven’t heard of any other desertions. As for the Prussians today, Gordon told me Blücher had his men exposed on the slope of the hill, and that the Duke told Hardinge pretty bluntly that he thought they would be damnably mauled. I daresay they have been. Gneisenau was anxious for the Duke to move to his support, which, I understand from Gordon, he said he would do, if he were not attacked himself. But we were attacked, and there was no question of going to help the Prussians. By the time the Duke got back to our position, somewhere between two and three in the afternoon, the French were in force in a wood in front of us. They started shouting Vive l’Empereur! and then we heard Ney go down the line, calling out: “L’Empereur recompensera celui s’avancera!” We’ve heard that before, and we knew we were in for it. I can tell you, it was a nice situation to be in, with only a handful of Dutch-Belgic troops to hold the position, and no sign of old Picton with the reserve.’

‘But how is it possible?’ Judith exclaimed. ‘We saw the regiments march out of Brussels in the small hours!’

‘There was some muddle over the orders: they were halted at Waterloo, and only reached Quatre-Bras at about half past three. By God, we were glad to see them! The French opened the attack on a farm on the main road. I should think Ney had about fifteen or sixteen thousand men opposed to our seven thousand—but that’s a guess. The fields are so deep in rye you can’t make out the exact positions of anyone, friend or foe. In some places it’s above one’s head—or it was, till it got trampled down.’

He paused, for the tea tray was just then brought in. Judith handed him a cup, and he gulped some of the tea down. ‘Thank you. Well, the Dutch were driven out of Bossu Wood, and there was a general advance of the French. I needn’t tell you the Duke remained as cool as a cucumber throughout. There never was such a man! He was always in the hottest part of the fight—no one knows better than he how to put heart into the men! They may not worship him, as they say the French worship Boney, but by God, they trust him!’

Judith smiled. ‘I know how much you value him, Colonel. But go on!’

‘Well, we couldn’t hold the position against such odds, of course. Things were beginning to look devilish black, but Picton came up in the nick of time, which pretty well doubled our strength. But even so it was a ticklish business. The Highland Brigade were cut to pieces, poor devils, but they didn’t yield an inch. However, as I told you the Brunswickers came up from Nivelles, then the Nassauers, and Van Merlen’s cavalry. That was when I left.’ He glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece, swallowed the rest of his tea, and jumped up. ‘I must get back. You’ll be hearing more news, I daresay: someone is sure to be sent in. Goodbye—don’t be alarmed! All’s well, you know.’

He hurried away, and not long after he had gone the noise of the firing, which had sounded closer in the stillness of the evening grew more desultory, and by ten o’clock had ceased. Worth came in, saying that the population of Brussels was still wandering about the ramparts and the Park. Great anxiety was being felt on all sides to know the result of the action. No news had as yet come in; some stout-hearted persons were maintaining that the Allies must have held their ground; others, in a state of growing uneasiness, were preparing to remove instantly to Antwerp.

The ladies gave him an account of Canning’s visit, recalling as well as they were able his description of the battlefield. Worth listened intently, exclaiming when Barbara spoke of the arrival of the Brunswick and Nassau contingent: ‘Then none of our cavalry are engaged!’

‘No. Colonel Canning mentioned only General Picton’s division.’

He looked serious, and said briefly: ‘It is an ill-managed business!’

‘The Colonel said the French had taken us by surprise.’

‘It may well have been so. From what De Lancey told me this morning, it is plain that Wellington, as late as then, was expecting the attack to be directed on his right. Do you say the Prussians have also been engaged?’

‘Yes, at Ligny, but he could not tell us how the day had gone with them. He said Napoleon himself was opposed to them.’

‘I would not give a penny for their chances of success!’ he said. ‘The question will be, can Wellington maintain his communications with Blücher? It is plain Bonaparte has struck this blow in the endeavour to get between our forces. By God, it should be a lesson to those who have been saying he had lost his old genius! It is masterly! The rapidity of his march from Paris, his strategy in launching the attack at our point of junction with Blücher—it is something quite in his old style: one cannot but admire him! If he can succeed in defeating the Prussians, and Ney in carrying our position, it will be a serious business.’ He observed Judith’s pallor, and dropped his hand on her shoulder, saying more quietly: ‘There is no need for alarm. If the day has gone against us we are bound to hear of it in time for me to drive you and the boy to safety. I have given orders in the stables: you need be under no apprehension.’

Barbara, who had walked over to the window, turned, and said in her lively way: ‘Confound you, are you one of the croakers? I’ll tell you what: I have a very good mind to put my horses up for sale, and so burn my boats!’

‘I admire your spirit,’ he said, with a slight smile.

‘You need not,’ she replied. ‘I have merely a shocking love of excitement. Consider! In spite of all my adventures I was never till now in danger of falling into the hands of the French. It is something quite out of the common way, and therefore enchanting!’

Judith was obliged to smile at her nonsense, but said protestingly: ‘How can you talk so?’

‘The devil! How else should I talk? You know, if the French should come I fancy we shall make a hit with them. There is no denying that we are a handsome pair. Neither of us, I am persuaded, need look lower than a Marshal at the very least.’

Such raillery, though it might bring a blush to Judith’s cheeks, had the effect of relieving the oppression of her spirits. Nothing more was said of the chances of defeat, and presently Worth went out again to see if any further news had arrived from Quatre-Bras.