“You too, Carr, if you please.”
The four entered the shop, where Bentinck stood before the shop counter behind which was a very anxious shopkeeper, anxious at the sudden influx of soldiery.
“My apologies, but may I make use of your counter? I have some urgent letters to write.”
The shopkeeper nodded vigorously and then equally vigorously brushed the already spotless surface with a cloth. Bentinck looked at Rogerson.
“Enough for three letters.”
Very efficiently Rogerson found paper, pens and a travelling inkpot, which was arranged on the wide surface. Bentinck looked back at his two trailing Captains.
“You two up here. You’re the third, Rogerson.”
The three placed themselves as ordered, Rogerson, businesslike, Tavender and Templemere plainly reluctantly. It needed a fierce look from Bentinck to persuade them to pick up the pens. He pointed to each scribe as he allocated their recipients to them and waited whilst each wrote the required name.
“Now, write as I say.”
The pens were poised.
“Captain Carr’s Brevetcy is to be confirmed. It has my full support, justified by events which I witnessed myself and reports from other Officers who took part in the recent Spanish campaign, Officers who enjoy my complete confidence.”
He paused.
“Captain Carr, of the ……”
He looked at Carr, the question obvious and the answer came.
“The 105th Foot. The Prince of Wales Own Wessex Regiment.”
“Just so, get that down all of you, …… has shown himself to be both a courageous and resourceful Officer, well deserving of his Majority.”
There was something about the hunched shoulders of Tavender and Templemere that caused Carr to smile and it was still there when the two filed past, murder in the eyes of Templemere, but perhaps a hint of embarrassment in those of Tavender. Meanwhile, Bentinck was signing the three and Rogerson preparing their covers. Within a minute, all three were in Carr’s hand. Bentinck was the last to leave.
“Well. Good luck to you Carr. Perhaps we’ll see you once again down amongst the Dons!”
“Thank you, Sir, and good luck to you also, if I may.”
A brief nod and Bentinck was out and in the street, to hurry on to the quayside. Junot was stood obedient, his reins trailing on the damp cobbles. Carr gathered them up.
“Right, boy. We’ve a wedding to get to, but first I fancy one of what that fellow in there is selling.”
He tied up Junot and re-entered the shop.
***
The church was bathed in early spring sunshine, the stained glass windows adding their own colour to the early daffodils and snowdrops. The doors were then flung open, by two red-coated Officers, which added again to the colour, and then the sunshine was also augmented by the glowing happiness of those emerging, Bride and Groom first, both in a state of unrestrained rapture. Soon, they were joined by the rest of the congregation and their tumbling laughter drowned out the chirruping of the Spring birds, but not the ringing of the single joyful bell. Soon there was but the Vicar left standing in his doorway, hands folded across his stomach, a gesture that matched the look of satisfied contentment spread across his face.
Soon, the happy couple were progressing down the path to the Lichgate and rice was flying through the air, the grains held momentarily in the bright sunlight. All were in a state of sincere happiness and it showed on all smiling faces. All bar one. For Lieutenant Richard Shake shaft what was coming next was going to be particularly dire. It was one thing to stand beside the Groom and hand him a ring, it was quite another to make a speech at a Wedding Breakfast! His face registered the passage of several phrases, which may, or most likely may not; meet the requirements of his role to come. Thus, he hung back towards the end of the procession, hurriedly scribbling notes and then, exasperated and frustrated, crossing many of them out. He had the greatest of respect for his Company Commander, but at that moment he could have wished him in Jericho, or preferably not, preferably right there!
The procession wended its short way into the largest hotel that the town could offer. In its echoing main hall, the formalities were observed; the Bride, Groom, Parents and Shake shaft greeting their guests, the last of those who were dispensing the greetings coping with a pulse rate approaching danger level. Then, into the dining room to take their places and Shake shaft took himself to the top table, his nerves now affecting his ability to walk. Gratefully he sat down beside the Chief Bridesmaid, Jane Perry. The courses came and went. Shake shaft could not taste, nor barely swallow, because between unknown mouthfuls he continued to scribble, head down. Then he heard a voice that he would have supposed came from Heaven, had he not known it so well.
“That’s fine, Richard. I can take over from here.”
Anyone observing his face would think that he had just been beatified as Shakeshaft stood to allow Carr to take his place. Carr sat and his first act was to place his elbows on the table, the better to support his chin as he looked knowingly at Jane Perry, a half smile on his face. She looked back, her face a combination of delight and disapproval.
“Take your elbows off the table!”
General Perry was sat far back, too far back to speak to his daughter, yet well placed to see her. He had noticed Carr’s arrival and now, this Officer and his daughter were evidently conspiring in some way, but he could hear nothing. Then, Carr placed his hand on the table in the space between himself and Jane, then he took it away. Jane looked down; obviously something had been left there. She picked it up and studied it in the palm of her hand for half a minute, often changing the angle, as though there was something special to see or even read, but, to Perry’s relief, it was passed immediately up to Cecily, now Mrs. Drake. It was definitely small, for she also examined it, again as though there was something to be read, but he had no idea what it was. Perry felt relief, it must be some wedding gift, then, to his horror, it was passed back and Jane took it below the table. At that moment, a spoon was tapped against a glass to begin the speeches. Carr stood up, with a sheaf of papers in his hand. Jane looked up at him, smiling, with a warmth in her eyes that even Perry could recognise. She raised her left hand before her, absorbed with her fingers, but Perry could not see. She then sat forward, the hand still before her face and in plain view. Perry felt his breath catch, for on the centre finger was a posy ring. Jane sat back and looked at it, but it must have felt tight, for she then moved it to her third finger, where it fitted perfectly.
***
Footnotes
During the retreat, the 28th were, indeed, ordered to throw the treasure of Moore’s army over a cliff. Many camp followers froze to death trying to find some of the coin. One woman drowned when she fell into the harbour during the evacuation with her pockets full of coins.
Sergeant Ellis’ role at Betanzos portrays the achievement of Sergeant William Newman of the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot. On finding a large group of stragglers defending themselves against cavalry, he organised the group into two sections and they retreated alternately down the slope and into the town, beating off several cavalry attacks. He was rewarded with an Ensign’s Commission in the 1st West India Regiment. How he felt about this is not known, for serving in the West Indies was almost a death sentence, mostly from disease.
I have taken somewhat of a liberty with events at Corunna. The 50th “The Dirty Half Hundredth”, defended the slope immediately above Elvina and defeated the first French attack to appear up from it, which had come from Mermet’s Division. The 50th then took Elvina to be immediately ejected by another French column following on. In disorder, they fell back, for their place to be taken by The Guards, who held this second attack. Then events become more of a mystery. Two more French assaults were made on the village of Elvina and the hill behind it. One came from a column of Merle’s Division (to the French right of Mermet) that was engaged by The Guards, amongst other Battalions, and defeated. However, the other came
from Mermet throwing his last divisional reserves into Elvina to reinforce his men still holding the village and perhaps breakout from it to severely menace the British line. The question is - how was this fresh attack by Mermet prevented from advancing further into what was a gap in the British line to the right of The Guards? They were only partially covering Elvina and to their right, the position is weak, only a gentle slope that the 50th had previously retreated from. There are no accounts that I can find, not even in Napier, to answer this, and so I can only assume that they were held by the 50th returning on The Guards’ right flank and holding there until Merle’s column was defeated.
Close to the Colours (105th Foot. The Prince of Wales Own Wessex Regimen Book 2) Page 65