An Untrustworthy Army

by Lynn Bryant

  "No, Paul," she said.

  Despite his anxiety, Paul grinned. "How do you know what I'm going to say?"

  "Because I know you."

  "Nan, you could stay in Lisbon for a while. It's very secure now, we have the villa and the children could stay out here with you."

  "I'd love to spend some time with them, Paul, but I am not leaving you."

  "Love, this campaign has been bloody awful for you and I can't promise next year will be any better. It's so difficult to know what we're getting into, you shouldn't have to..."

  "Stop trying to coddle me," Anne said, and there was an edge to her voice. "You once promised me you wouldn't."

  "You once told me that I should tell you if your unconventionality was making things hard for me," Paul said.

  It was an unfair blow and Paul knew it. He saw her eyes widen in shock and he remained there, looking at her steadily. To his horror, the dark eyes suddenly filled with tears. She raised her hands and scrubbed them away.

  "Am I?" she asked, and she sounded suddenly very young and unsure. Paul's resolve melted and he reached to wipe her tears with his own hand.

  "No," he said and heard the unsteadiness in his own voice. "Oh God, no, love, I'm just trying to keep you safe."

  "I am safe when I'm with you, Paul."

  "You might not be. I might not always be there to take care of you, and when I'm not, I am completely terrified of what might happen to you."

  His wife studied him for a long time. Then she said:

  "How do you think I feel?"

  Paul felt himself flinch internally. Anne held his gaze for a long time.

  "Girl of my heart, that has always been the lot of women whose men are at war."

  "Don't prose at me, Paul van Daan, I know damned well what my place is, but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

  "I'm sorry. I'm not being fair, am I?"

  "No, you're not," Anne said flatly. "When we married, we agreed we would stay together through it all. It hasn't always been easy, but we've made it work when everybody else thought we couldn't. It was never part of the deal, that I would sit at home with the children and a piece of pretty embroidery while you risked your life on the battlefield."

  "I know, love."

  "For me, nothing has changed. I love you just as much as I ever have and I want to be here, with you. I'm willing to face anything for that. You're my husband. If you tell me I can't, I'll obey you. But you'll have to make it an order, Paul."

  Paul felt slightly sick. He also felt overwhelmingly certain that he was in the process of making a stupid mistake. Reaching out, he took her free hand and raised it to his lips.

  "I can't really imagine giving you an order," he said. "I'm sorry, I'm an idiot. And a selfish idiot, because you're right. We both worry about each other all the time, it isn't fair for me to ask you to go home to stop me worrying while I'm still here fighting. And I don't want you to. It's just that sometimes I look at you, and what you go through, and I feel so bloody selfish."

  "You're not. It's what I want," Anne said. "Where you are, is where I want to be. Can I still have that?"

  Her voice was tentative, as though she expected him to be angry and Paul was furious with himself for making her feel that way. He reached out and drew her closer.

  "You can have whatever you want. Literally. Love, I'm sorry. There is never going to be a time when I don't want you with me. I just feel so guilty when I know I'm putting you in danger."

  "You aren't. I am. Let me choose, Paul."

  Paul kissed her again. "Always," he said seriously. "Can we forget this particularly idiotic conversation?"

  Anne smiled properly. "Gladly. Although not being an amazon, I will admit that I am thoroughly looking forward to a few months of comfort here. I love this place; it feels like home. Do you think Patience would bring the children out again this winter?"

  "I'll make sure she does, I want to see them. Will must have changed so much. And they'll be able to meet their new sister."

  "Grace will go wild about her; she was hoping for a girl," Anne said. "Thank you, Paul. I know I worry you."

  "I know I worry you as well, bonny lass." Paul hesitated, and then decided to take the plunge. "Look - there is something you can do to help me."

  "What is it?"

  "Let Teresa find a nurse for Georgiana. I know you managed with Will, but this year has been so bloody awful. We're both so tired. It doesn't change how much we love her, it just gives you more sleep. And it give us some time together. I really want that..."

  "Yes."

  Paul stopped. "Yes?"

  "Yes. I'll talk to Teresa tomorrow. She'll ask around, we'll find somebody. If that's going to make you feel happier, I'll pick something else to be stubborn about."

  Paul drew her closer. "Thank you," he whispered. "Oh, Nan, thank you."

  She had relaxed back into his arms again and Paul could feel the tension leaving her body. He thought, not for the first time, how ridiculous some people might find it, for a man of his age and experience to be so completely invested in the happiness of one woman and then he thought again, how completely right it felt, that he should be so.

  "Paul? May I ask you something?"

  Paul kissed her gently, and then nuzzled her ear, making her giggle. "Anything, light of my life. It is almost Christmas, and if I could, I'd give you the riches of the world."

  Anne slid her body down under his with obvious intention. "I wasn't thinking of that," she said. "I thought I might like to learn how to shoot. It could be very useful when faced with a French hussar with a bad attitude."

  Paul lifted his head to look down at her in total astonishment and saw that she was completely serious. After a moment Anne appeared to realise the incongruity of her request at this moment, and she began to giggle. Paul was laughing too and they lay entwined in the bed, stifling their laughter in the pillows until mirth drifted joyously into lovemaking and onwards into deep and contented sleep.

  Author's Note (May contain spoilers)

  Wellington's campaign of 1812 is remarkable. In twelve months, his army managed to storm two border fortresses, advance into Spain, win a spectacular victory at Salamanca and enter the Spanish capital of Madrid. The French must have wondered what had hit them.

  The campaign ended with an attempt on a third fortress city but Burgos proved too much for Wellington's army, and he was obliged to make a difficult retreat, with the French at his heels, back to the border. It was a miserable end to a triumphant year but it did not nullify Wellington's achievements. He had given the Allied army an ascendency over the French which it had not had before, and the next campaigning season had a new purpose to it.

  I have, as always, taken some liberties with history for the sake of my story. The light division was not heavily engaged at the battle of Salamanca, so I have given my fictional brigade something else to do. The skirmish at Alba de Tormes on the day of the battle is entirely of my own invention, although it is true that the Spanish troops holding the town marched out without Wellington realising it. Wellington made much of this in his letters, explaining how the French army managed to escape, but it is hard to imagine how 2000 Spaniards could have stopped the entire retreating French army any more than Paul's brigade could have. Wellington appears to have expected more of the French to make for the fords at Huerta. Even so, darkness and exhaustion made a successful pursuit impossible.

  The mistreatment of the French garrison from the Retiro really happened and is recounted in Thomas Henry Browne's published journal. In reality, Browne rode after the Spanish on his own, and records that the French prisoners made it to Bilbao without further attacks, which tells me something about how effectively Browne must have got his point across. I gave him some help in my novel, but it shouldn't take away from what Browne did.

  The combat on the Huerta, also known as the battle of San Munoz, is one of those confused skirmishes which sounds different in every account. Even the layout of the river and the for
ds is hard to establish; I would like to know how much the landscape has changed between 1812 and now. Accordingly, I have used author's licence and created a different ford and a skirmish of my own.

  As always in my books, I have occasionally stolen the laurels of another officer or another regiment to give my characters something to do. My apologies to the officer who actually led the assault on the Retiro in Madrid, I hope his ghost will forgive me.

  The letter which Paul reads out to Johnny Wheeler at the end of the book taken directly from Wellington's memorandum, which caused enormous resentment among his officers. The light division were especially angry, since their men held discipline very well during the retreat.

  That letter epitomises every reason why his Lordship is such a central character in my books. The man simply will not be ignored.

  About the Author

  Lynn Bryant was born and raised in London's East End. She studied History at University and had dreams of being a writer from a young age. Since this was clearly not something a working class girl made good could aspire to, she had a variety of careers including a librarian, NHS administrator, relationship counsellor and manager of an art gallery before realising that most of these were just as unlikely as being a writer and took the step of publishing her first book.

  She now lives in the Isle of Man and is married to a man who understands technology, which saves her a job, and has two teenage children and two labradors. History is still a passion, with a particular enthusiasm for the Napoleonic era and the sixteenth century. When not writing, she reads anything that's put in front of her and makes periodic and unsuccessful attempts to keep a tidy house.

  By the Same Author

  An Unconventional Officer (Book 1 of the Peninsular War Saga)

  It is 1802, and two new officers arrive at the Leicestershire barracks of the 110th infantry just in time to go to India. Sergeant Michael O'Reilly and Lieutenant Johnny Wheeler have seen officers come and go and are ready to be unimpressed, but neither of them have come across an officer like Lieutenant Paul van Daan.

  Arrogant, ambitious and talented, Paul van Daan is a man who inspires loyalty, admiration and hatred in equal measure. His unconventional approach to army life is about to change the 110th into a regiment like no other.

  The novel follows Paul's progress through the ranks of the 110th from the bloody field of Assaye into Portugal and Spain as Sir Arthur Wellesley takes command of the Anglo-Portuguese forces against the French. There are many women in Paul's life but only two who touch his heart.

  Rowena Summers, a shy young governess who brings him peace, stability and lasting affection.

  Anne Carlyon, the wife of a fellow officer who changes everything Paul has ever believed about women.

  As Europe explodes into war, an unforgettable love story unfolds which spans the continent and the years of the Peninsular War and changes the lives of everyone it touches.

  An Unwilling Alliance (Book 1 of the Manxman Series, Book 1.5 of the Peninsular War Saga)

  It is 1806.

  Captain Hugh Kelly RN returns to the Isle of Mann after fifteen years with a few months leave and a small fortune in prize money to find himself a sensible Manx wife.

  Roseen Crellin is determined to resist her father's efforts to find her a husband. Still dreaming of the young English soldier who sailed away and broke her heart, she has no intention of encouraging Captain Kelly's courtship and certainly no intention of developing feelings for the man.

  Major Paul van Daan is newly promoted and just back from Ireland, sailing with his battalion to Copenhagen under the command of Sir Arthur Wellesley. Paul's courage and talent are unquestioned but his diplomatic skills need some work and in a joint operation with the navy there are many ways for a man of Paul's temperament to get things wrong.

  As Britain hovers on the brink of war with neutral Denmark and the diplomats and politicians negotiate to keep the Danish fleet out of Bonaparte's hands, a more personal drama plays out on the decks of the Royal Navy and in the lines of Lord Cathcart's army which could change the lives of Hugh, Roseen and Paul forever.

  An Irregular Regiment (Book 2 of the Peninsular War Saga)

  It is 1810 and Major Paul van Daan and the 110th prepare to meet the French on the ridge of Bussaco in Portugal. Back on the battlefield only two weeks after his scandalous marriage to the young widow of Captain Robert Carlyon, Paul is ready for the challenge of the invading French army.

  But after a successful battle, Lord Wellington has another posting for his most unorthodox officer and Paul and Anne find themselves back in Lisbon dealing with a whole new set of challenges with army supplies, new recruits and a young officer who seems to represent everything Paul despises in the army's views on discipline and punishment. Anne is getting used to life as the wife of a newly promoted regimental colonel as two other women join the regiment under very different circumstances. And an old adversary appears in the shape of Captain Vincent Longford whose resentment at serving under Paul is as strong as ever.

  It's a relief to return to the field but Paul finds himself serving under the worst General in the army in a situation which could endanger his career, his regiment and his life.

  Given a brief by Wellington which requires Paul to use tact and diplomacy as well as his formidable fighting skills, it's hardly surprising that the army is holding its breath waiting for Wellington's newest and most explosive colonel to fail spectacularly.

  An Uncommon Campaign (Book 3 of the Peninsular War Saga)

  It is April, 1811 and Lord Wellington has led his army to the Spanish border where the French occupy their last stronghold in Portugal at Almeida. As the two armies face each other in the village of Fuentes de Onoro, Colonel Paul van Daan finds himself in command of a brigade and is trying to manage resentment at his early promotion. His young wife is carrying her first child and showing no signs of allowing her delicate situation to get in the way of her normal activities much to the disapproval of the rest of the army.

  With General Craufurd not back from leave and Lord Wellington's army looking uncomfortably stretched, Paul is concerned that for once his commander in chief has made the wrong decision which might endanger not only the light division but the whole Allied army. And if that is not enough, Paul encounters a French colonel during battle who seems to have taken their rivalry personally with potentially lethal consequences for his brigade.

  A Redoubtable Citadel (Book 4 of the Peninsular War Saga)

  In the freezing January of 1812, Lord Wellington pushes his army on to the fortress town of Ciudad Rodrigo and a bloody siege with tragic consequences. In the aftermath of the battle Colonel Paul van Daan and his wife Anne take a brief trip to Lisbon to allow Paul's family to take their young son back to England. With his career flourishing and his marriage happy, Paul has never felt so secure. But his world is shattered when his young wife is taken prisoner by a French colonel with a personal grudge against Paul. As Wellington's army begins the siege of Badajoz, the other great Spanish border fortress, his scouts and agents conduct a frantic search for the colonel's wife. Meanwhile Anne van Daan is in the worst danger of her life and needs to call on all her considerable resources to survive, with no idea if help is on the way.

  A Regrettable Reputation (Book 1 of the Light Division Romances)

  In 1816 war is over, Napoleon in exile and Regency England is at peace.

  Mr Nicholas Witham, land agent at the Yorkshire estate of Lord Ashberry has found a haven of quiet, far from the bloodshed of war and the horror of Waterloo. With poachers and lost sheep his most pressing concerns, Nicholas is not seeking anything more exciting than the occasional trip to York and a game of cards with friends.

  The tranquillity of Ashberry is about to be disrupted by the arrival of Miss Camilla Dorne, a young woman of doubtful reputation, sent away from London by her guardian to avoid the consequences of a disastrous and very public love affair with a disreputable officer which has broken her heart.

  The
last thing Camilla wants is to be thrown into the company of another army officer, past or present. But she discovers that a lost reputation can bring unexpected freedom and possibly a second chance at happiness.

  With the shadow of war firmly behind him, Nicholas is ready to move on, but poverty and rising prices bring rumblings of discontent and rumours of Luddite activity in the industrial towns, and as violence erupts, the land agent of Ashberry finds himself swept up in a new conflict where the enemy is hard to identify. Faced with a stark choice between love and duty, Nicholas is beginning to realise that he may not have left the regiment behind at all...

  The Reluctant Debutante (Book 2 of the Light Division Romances)

  Cordelia Summers is the only daughter of a wealthy City merchant. Strong willed and clever, she has a horror of being married for her money and resists her father's attempts to push her into society in the hope of making a good marriage.

  Giles Fenwick, Earl of Rockcliffe is a scarred, cynical Waterloo veteran who unexpectedly inherited the title and has no interest in making the society marriage that the polite world expects of him.

  An inauspicious first meeting in a common inn leads to a surprising friendship between the Earl and the merchant's daughter. Neither are looking for romance or marriage, but thrown together during the London Season, both Giles and Cordelia begin to realise that not all marriages are created equal...

  A Respectable Woman (Book 1 of the Alverstone Saga)

  Philippa Maclay is the daughter of a missionary who is left alone to make her way in the restricted society of mid nineteenth century London. Taking a post at a charity school in the East End she is torn between her love for her work and the girls in her care and her relationship with Major Kit Clevedon, a man to whom she can never be more than a diversion.