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Sharpe's Mission

Epilogue

Epilogue



Two days after the battle was over, Wellington called Nairn and Hogan to his tent. A young man of about twenty years who wears the uniform of a British Major General stands behind Wellington. As Nairn and Hogan enter the tent, they hear Wellington discussing the recent battles with man.

“Hope’s attack against Soult’s right flank to draw him out was successful. When Soult counterattacked, Hill succeeded to cross the Nive on the damn pontoon bridges to attack Soult’s left. Soult’s counterattack stalled against Hope thanks to the Light Division. Perhaps we stopped him too quickly. Before we could move Hill into Bayonne behind him, he quickly redeployed from in front of Hope back to his left. Hill’s ‘corps’ was isolated on the east bank when the Nive flooded and washed out one of the pontoon bridges. Rightly so, Hill did not risk going to far from support. Soult’s attack on Hill made progress, but was held by the six brigades of Hill’s force until the 3rd and 6th Divisions arrived. Even though Soult cancelled his attacks, he had succeeded to blunt Hill’s drive into Bayonne. Now Soult has pulled back into Bayonne.

“Ah, Nairn. We have more work to do.”

“My Lord?”

“Where will we go next? We can go north from Bayonne. But to do so, we must reduce it so that it is not behind us. And we must cross the Adour. Or, we can isolate Bayonne only and then move east to flank the river.”

“Where does Soult expect us, Nairn?”

“To go north. He believes that we will continue to use our navy to support our operations. The only way that we may do so is to advance to the west of Bayonne while storming or isolating the city’s forts. He is now entirely to the north of the Adour. The rains have made the river close to the Bay of Biscay uncrossable.“

“Thank you for your assessment. Oh, and there is another thing. A new colonel is on the way from England to take over the Prince of Wales’ Own.”

Nairn frowns. He looks to Hogan who just sits to wait to hear more.

“So, Sharpe will lose the battalion?”

“Yes, and if he stays with them, he reverts to Captain as his Majority is at the army level only.”

“My God! The man performs miracles for us and we reward him this way.”

“Perhaps MAJOR Sharpe can help us to convince Marshal Soult that we will go north.”

“And, there are a few of our officers with a new assignments. You all know my aide-de-camp, Willem, Prince of Orange.”

Nairn and Hogan turn to the young man. They have seen Willem at headquarters on more than one time since he joined them two years before at age 19. He has been known to most them as ‘Slender Billy’.

“The Prince of Orange has been promoted to Major General yesterday by the Prince of Wales. His father has been named to regent of the Netherlands. Willem will become the commander-in-chief of the new Netherlands army. Soon, he will leave to join General Graham there.

“Ah, it is grand it is for you, your Highness.” Hogan shares as he reaches to shake Willem’s hand.

“Ach, laddy, I wish you well.” Nairn too shakes the Prince’s hand.

“Gentlemen. Thank you. This Major Sharpe, that of whom you speak. If he is so good and he is no battalion here for him to command, would he be available for the Army of the Netherlands?”

Hogan tries to stifle a laugh. “I am sorry, your Highness. I have known Major Sharpe for four years. Your army may not yet be ready for Major Sharpe.”

“My Lord, didn’t Major Sharpe save your life?”

“Yes, Your Highness. When we served in India. He is a damn fine battalion commander. He is a killer who has fought in many battles and survived. He is NOT a gentlemen and lacks patience with officers who are gentlemen.”

“Should you choose to add him to YOUR army, he did fight at Boxtel in ’94, with the 33rd.”

“And, I am very glad that he fights in our army.”

“Thank you my Lord. After I survey what I have as an army, I may ask to have Sharpe. By your leave?”

“Your Highness.”

Wellington, Nairn and Hogan bow as the Prince leaves.

“Now, while I made Sharpe an officer, I can’t give him his battalion. But, I can give this next promotion.”

Nairn grins as he knows what Wellington is about to say.

“Major Hogan, or should I say Lieutenant Colonel Hogan.” Wellington smiles at Hogan.

“As General Nairn will be taking command of a brigade in the Fourth Division, I need a new Chief of Intelligence. Nairn and I think that you are ready.”

“Your Lordship, I am honored.”

“And, now that you will no longer be running around behind the French lines, we will need someone to help you.”

“What do we have that you may use Sharpe’s very capable skills to help Soult to believe that we will attack Bayonne and go north? Do you have something in mind for Sharpe?”

Hogan pauses a moment before answering. “Yes, my lord. I think that I may have something for Major Sharpe and to give trouble to Marshal Soult.”

Sharpe ascends the stairs to go to his room. He gently opens the door to see Jane. Jane stands with her arms folded at her middle. They both stand. Jane moves first. She strides to Richard. When she reaches him, she gently places her hands on his chest. They lean in together to kiss.

Jane and Richard lie in bed. Her head is on his chest.

“Did you think of me?” Jane curls her hair with a finger.

When he doesn’t answer, she turns her head. “All the time?”

“All the time.”

“When we get back to England, we’ll be like this. All the time.”

“We’ll have a house with a garden. Ask friends to stay. We could read books together. Play the piano.”

Outside a bugle sounds. Sharpe hears and raises his head.

“One day.” Jane says disappointedly.

Sharpe talks with Jane.

“You asked me about what I will do when the war is over. What I will do without the army.”

Jane looks attentively to Richard.

“I told you I’ll do what every other officer does. What every husband does.”

“I like to ride. I like to hunt, with guns, not jumping fences while I chase dogs. I don’t like to gamble or play cards. I could work a garden, but would make it bigger. Farm land too. Maybe have A dog.”

He smiles at her. “You can build our library and wine and dine our friends. I don’t know how to make polite conversation. And I don’t care about the figure I cut in society.”

Richard pauses. Jane is surprised that he remembered the points she had shared so many days ago. He did listen to her.

“I would like to buy land in Devonshire near my friend Admiral Joel Chase and his family. I lived with them a while. His family accepted me for who I am. There is land there to farm. We can raise sheep, chickens and grow some maize. When I want to hunt, I can shoot foxes that attack the lambs and chicks.”

Jane listens but had not considered that their life would be a rural place. She doesn’t say anything.

“We can raise children too. You can pick teachers for them and ME to teach us the poets, writers, philosophers and painters.”

Jane looks at him. She is startled as she had not considered children, yet. While she knows that sleeping with Richard could give them children, she is not ready yet to become a mother. “When we want to see London, we can plan trips for us and with the children.”

Sharpe stops as he wants to hear Jane respond.

Jane pauses to collect her thoughts about what she has heard. This is a lot for her to absorb. What she has heard does not fit her idea of a life together. She does NOT want rural. She has lived rural. She wants to live in the city and indulge in society life. For now, she responds.

“Richard, I love that you have thought of the things that I told you. What we both want must wait until this war is over.”

“Did we win?”

“Yes, we won.”

“Then we must be going into France. There can not be too many battles left.”

He had been assigned to blow up a magazine. Brand was found out as a spy. Nairn was saved. Wellington’s plans were kept secret. Pycroft and Nairn renewed their friendship. Jane wants more than being an army wife. She was tempted by Shellington’s artistic trappings, but having Harris with her, helped her to see Shellington as a sham.

“Yes, we won.”

Now there would be new challenges. He would take the Prince of Wales’ Own into France. But as always he would be a soldier. It is his mission, Sharpe’s Mission.

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