‘I’ll wager that Prince Eugene wanted to do what I want to do and that’s to attack the French army where they are and kick the French shit out of them.’
‘Prince Eugene believes that we should invest Tournai.’
Welbeck goggled. ‘After what happened at Lille?’ he asked. ‘He damn near got his head blown off and had to retire from the fray altogether. Hasn’t he learnt any lesson at all from the siege?’
They were in Daniel’s quarters where he confided the decisions taken at the council of war to his friend. Knowing that the sergeant was completely trustworthy, he talked openly. Welbeck might express his objections but he would never vouchsafe a single word of their discussion to anyone else. It was the first time they’d met since Daniel had returned from his reconnaissance. While he told his friend what he’d discovered about the enemy, he said nothing about his encounter with a French soldier or about his rescue by Rachel Rees. The woman’s name was enough to make Welbeck froth with displeasure and he was already agitated enough. Daniel turned to more practical matters.
‘Are the men in good heart, Henry?’
‘No, Dan, they hate this rain that keeps pissing down on them.’
‘The promise of action will revive them.’
‘Not when they learn we’re heading for yet another siege. Tournai could hold out for another two or three bleeding months. That might mean an end to all hostilities for this year. And what will we have achieved?’ he added, scornfully. ‘Bugger all. Villars can go back to Paris with his whole army intact.’
‘Oh, no,’ said Daniel, seriously. ‘That will never happen. Marshal Villars won’t walk away without an encounter of some sort. He’s a man spoiling for a fight. Sooner or later, we’ll give him one and you, Henry Welbeck, will be forced to eat your own words.’
Welbeck’s nose wrinkled. ‘It will be like eating week-old turds.’
‘Or even worse – eating army food.’
Their laughter took all the tension out of the air. Putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder, Daniel led him out of the tent. He was now clean-shaven, well groomed and back in uniform. All traces of peasantry had gone. He chatted with Welbeck for a few minutes and was about to go back into his quarters when he saw someone riding towards them on a bay mare. Daniel gave her a smile of welcome. Welbeck, however, gurgled in horror.
‘It’s Rachel bleeding Rees!’ he yelled. ‘What the hell is she doing here?’
‘She’s probably come to see how I am after my narrow escape,’ said Daniel. ‘What I didn’t tell you earlier is that she saved my life.’
‘She may have saved your life but she’s the bane of mine.’
‘Play the gentleman for once. It won’t cost you anything.’
‘I loathe the woman.’
‘Henry!’ called Rachel, waving to him. ‘This is a double treat. I’m here to see Captain Rawson and I find my favourite sergeant here as well.’
Welbeck eyed her malevolently. ‘What’s this about you saving Dan?’
‘Oh, that was pure luck.’
‘It’s true, then?’
‘As true as I stand here,’ affirmed Daniel.
He gave Welbeck a short account of what had happened and how Rachel’s arrival had been timely. Untroubled by modesty, she supplied additional details that showed her in a good light. Welbeck was reluctantly impressed.
‘Why on earth did you come back to haunt us?’ he demanded.
She cackled. ‘You always did like to tease me.’
‘Wales is the only fit place for a mad Welsh hag like you.’
‘Well, you wouldn’t have said that if you’d come to Brecon with me. There was no life to the place. All my family had died off and my friends had had the sense to leave. I stuck it through the winter then boredom got into my bones. I wanted to be with soldiers once more and I longed to see your lovely old face.’
‘You’ve seen enough of it for one day,’ said Welbeck, gruffly. ‘Keep her away from me, Dan. Shackle her, if need be. She unnerves me.’
Spinning on his heel, he walked quickly away. She wasn’t dismayed.
‘He’s delighted to see me, really,’ she said, beaming. ‘I can always tell.’
‘Have you met any of the other sutlers yet?’
‘Yes – they were glad to have me back again.’ She patted the bags and pouches. ‘I’ve lost my waggon but I can carry a lot of provender on my horse.’
‘Don’t sell it all at once,’ advised Daniel, ‘or you’ll have a difficult job finding fresh supplies.’
She was confident. ‘Oh, there are always places where you can buy what you want if you know where to look. I’ve been at this game for years, remember.’ She gazed after Welbeck. ‘He’s mellowed since we last met.’
Daniel shook his head. ‘I wouldn’t put it quite like that, Rachel.’
‘In his heart, he’s been pining for me. That’s understandable, I suppose. It must have been a long, cold, miserable, lonely winter for the poor devil. Henry needs cheering up.’
‘You do that best by giving him some breathing space.’
‘Oh I will,’ she said, happily. ‘I’ll let him pine for me a little more. It’s wrong to let a man think he has you at his beck and call. When he reaches the point of desperation, mind you, I’ll pop up in front of him like a fairy queen.’
‘I see,’ said Daniel, amused by the image that formed in his mind. ‘Allow a long passage of time before you do so, Rachel,’ he cautioned. ‘Somehow I don’t think that Henry is quite ready to meet royalty.’
Put into effect, the plan worked perfectly. When the Allied siege train headed towards Menin, the French were fooled into thinking that Ypres was in danger. More soldiers were swiftly withdrawn from the garrison at Tournai to reinforce the area under threat. Marlborough promptly changed direction. Covered by a Dutch force under Count Tilly, the captain-general and Prince Eugene executed a rapid march through the night, squelching along muddy roads in darkness. The operation was a complete success. Tournai was surrounded and the French were left with red faces. The very town from which they’d taken soldiers was now under siege. It was isolated and undermanned.
Yet its capture posed severe problems. Designed by the famous engineer, M. de Maigrini, it had a five-bastioned citadel that was held to be invincible. Tournai’s governor, the Marquis de Surville-Hautfois, was an experienced officer and still commanded a garrison of seven thousand seven hundred soldiers. What he lacked were enough troops to defend the town itself but he nevertheless put up stern resistance at first. When the Allies opened the trenches against three sectors of the defences, the garrison fought back with unexpected ferocity. They were confident enough to mount frequent sorties against the encircling army. Casualties among the Allies began to rise ominously. It was starting to feel uncomfortably like the siege of Lille.
‘Is there any news of Captain Rawson?’ asked Geel, solicitously.
‘Yes,’ replied Amalia. ‘His last letter was sent from Tournai. It seems that they’ve invested the town and will wait until it falls before moving on to the next stage in the campaign.’
‘Did he say when it would succumb?’
‘That’s impossible to predict. Daniel hopes that it will not be too long but he says that the town is well defended.’
‘So there’ll be losses on our side.’
Amalia sighed. ‘There are always losses, Nick.’
Geel had waited for days for an opportunity to intercept her on her own. His chance finally came when she entered the workshop in search of her father and found only the youngest of his assistants there.
‘So we’ll not be seeing the captain for some time,’ he concluded.
‘I fear not.’
‘That’s a shame,’ he said, screening his envy behind a sad smile. ‘He always brings such life into the house. Not that it’s dull or listless,’ he added, quickly. ‘No house containing you could be anything but a delight.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, taking the compliment in her stride.
>
‘I’m so glad that Captain Rawson was here when the tapestry was stolen.’
‘So am I – without help from Daniel and Sergeant Welbeck, we might never have recovered it. Aelbert did his share, of course, but he could hardly tackle the thieves and overpower them. That was a job for trained soldiers.’
‘If I’d been called upon,’ said Geel, trying to engage her interest, ‘I’d have been very willing to lend my assistance. I’m young, strong and very able. I’m sorry that Aelbert was chosen ahead of me.’
‘You’d have done the task equally well, Nick,’ she assured him.
He grinned. ‘Do you think so?’
‘Nobody doubts your courage.’
‘My only regret is that we let the tapestry get stolen in the first place. Had I realised that it was under threat, I’d have slept here all night to protect it.’
‘That’s very noble of you.’
‘I’d have guarded the tapestry with my life.’
‘Then I’m glad that you didn’t stand sentry over it,’ she said in alarm. ‘I hate the thought that you might have been injured – even killed – defending the tapestry. You’d be a terrible loss to us.’
He grinned again. ‘Do you mean that, Miss Amalia?’
‘Of course – Father was praising you to me only yesterday.’
‘It’s a joy to work under this roof.’
‘I think that it must be,’ she said, smiling, ‘for you always stay much longer than the others. Aelbert left half an hour ago and, as I was coming downstairs, I saw Kees going up to his room. Yet you’re still here at your loom.’
‘It’s the place where I feel happiest.’
Gazing deep into her eyes, Geel tried to convey his feelings but his smile froze when Janssen suddenly bustled into the workshop.
‘Goodness!’ he said. ‘Are you still here, Nick? You should have gone ages ago. Why are you hanging about in the workshop?’
The reason was standing beside Geel but he wasn’t about to admit that. He’d lingered on the off chance of seeing Amalia and he’d been lucky. She’d found him alone and he’d basked in their conversation. It was something on which to build.
‘I was just about to leave, master,’ he said, moving towards the door, ‘but I’ll be back first thing tomorrow. I bid you farewell.’
He gave them both a cheerful wave but his eyes were solely on Amalia.
By the middle of July, the Allies had one hundred guns and sixty mortars booming away at the walls of Tournai, concentrating their firepower against the Porte de Valenciennes. Allied siege works were strong and their assault seemed to be bearing fruit. After three days of bombardment, they were battering a breach in the main enceinte and were pleased with their progress. It came to an abrupt halt when the French exploded a large mine that damaged one of the four main Allied batteries and claimed many lives. Encouraged by this success, the garrison launched another sortie and wrecked sections of the foremost siege works. It was daunting. During a fortnight or more of intense fighting, the Allies had sustained over three thousand casualties and seen six hundred men desert their ranks. Nothing seemed to have been gained in return.
Observers from the main French force watched from a distance and sent regular reports back to Villars. The commander read them with satisfaction.
‘Tournai is holding out,’ he said, chuckling. ‘Marlborough’s army is being given a bloody nose. He’s made a gross error of judgement. Had he applied the principles of war, he should have invested Tournai before turning to Lille. Instead of outwitting us, he’s mired in the mud trying to do something that he could have achieved last autumn.’
‘It’s a mistake that bodes well for us, Your Grace.’
‘The great captain-general will make many more before we’re done.’
Villars was in his quarters with Lieutenant-Colonel Morellon, one of the most trusted members of his entourage. The French commander was a striking figure, immaculately attired to the point of vanity and resolutely straight-backed. He strutted up and down with an air of self-importance. Now in his mid-fifties, he showed none of the signs of fatigue that Marlborough was exhibiting. Villars was pulsing with energy and driven by an inner conviction of superiority.
‘The Governor of Tournai will not thank us for draining his garrison,’ he said, ‘but our need is the greater. Even with reduced numbers, he’s fighting valiantly.’
‘Is there no chance of going to his aid?’ asked Morellon.
‘Not in the present circumstances. The enemy has completed its lines of circumvallation and is being covered by an army led by Prince Eugene. The place to attack them is not in the environs of Tournai.’
‘Then it must inevitably fall.’
‘Why, yes – but only after it’s taken its toll of the enemy.’
‘Reports speak of heavy Allied casualties.’
‘The longer the siege goes on, the lower their morale will sink.’
‘And the more deserters they’ll have,’ said Morellon, complacently.
He was a tall, square-shouldered man in his forties with sharp features. A great admirer of his commander, he’d retained his favour by agreeing with him at all times. Senior officers who attempted to argue with Villars found themselves at the mercy of his vile temper. Morellon had learnt never to provoke it.
‘If only we had more men, more food and more money,’ said Villars.
‘You’ve done wonders with meagre resources, Your Grace. You’ve turned a rabble into a semblance of an army.’
‘There’s still a long way to go, Charles. That’s why I delayed assembling the men until the last moment. They were simply not ready. At least they now have bread in their stomachs and – in most cases – uniforms on their backs. They’re now starting to look like an army.’
‘Under your command, anything is possible.’
‘Anything but defeat, that is,’ said Villars with a harsh laugh. ‘But I don’t mean to fight from behind barricades. What I yearn for is la grande guerre, a war in which a solution takes place on a battlefield strewn with enemy corpses.’
‘Yet your hands are tied. Versailles has forbidden an outright assault.’
‘They should have more faith in me.’
‘The men have faith in you, Your Grace,’ said Morellon. ‘You’ve rallied them in a way that seemed impossible after the surrender of Lille. They’ve started to hold their heads up high again.’
‘They just needed to be reminded of France’s destiny.’
‘They’ve fought with honour.’
‘Yes,’ said Villars. ‘The raiding parties I’ve sent out have so far been very successful. They’ve kept the enemy on their toes. What we’ve not done, of course, is to test the entire army. That will only happen when the King gives me free rein.’
‘When do you suppose that will be, Your Grace?’
Hands on hips, Villars struck a pose. His voice had a rasping impatience.
‘The sooner, the better – I was born to confront Marlborough in the field. I mean to teach him that he has too good an opinion of his own abilities.’ He bared his teeth. ‘It will be a lesson that he’ll never forget.’
Daniel hated to see men hanging from the gallows. It reminded him of his father’s execution. Yet he accepted that desertion had to be punished in a sufficiently public way to deter others from following their example. Three men swung in the wind from the rudimentary gibbet. He was upset to learn that one of them had been from his own regiment. A large crowd had been assembled to watch the execution. It had now dispersed, leaving only a handful of people still standing there. Daniel recognised two of them as Henry Welbeck and Ben Plummer. He crossed over to the pair and spoke above the thunder of distant artillery.
‘Was he one of your men, by any chance, Sergeant?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ replied Welbeck. ‘His name was Jake Abbot and I’d have strangled him with my bare hands if I’d had the chance.’
‘So would I,’ piped up Plummer. ‘Jake owed me money.’
; ‘Be warned, Plummer.’ Welbeck pointed at the trio on the gibbet. ‘That’s what happens to deserters.’
Plummer glanced towards the rows of crosses on nearby mass graves. ‘And that’s what happens to those of us who stay here,’ he said, forlornly.
‘The town will surrender eventually,’ said Daniel.
‘I’m sure that it will, Captain Rawson, but will I be here to see it?’
‘If you’re not,’ warned Welbeck, ‘you’ll answer to me.’
‘I won’t be able to speak when I’m six foot underground, Sergeant.’
Shoulders hunched, Plummer moved away disconsolately. His characteristic insolence had vanished. In winter quarters, he’d been spry and impudent. Now that he was bearing arms in action again, he was a very frightened soldier.
‘He’s like so many of them, Dan,’ said Welbeck, lapsing into a more familiar tone. ‘They watch their comrades falling like flies and they ask what, in the name of God, we’re actually doing here.’
‘We’re obeying orders, Henry.’
‘We’re obeying bad orders, you mean.’
‘The plan is sound. When we capture Tournai, we have yet another feather in our cap. The French will be shaken by the fact that it fell into our hands.’
‘There’s no sign of that fall as yet.’
‘They can’t hold out much longer. His Grace is conducting the siege well. After a series of assaults, we’ve secured a ravelin on the bank of the Scheldt hard by the Porte de Valenciennes. It’s only a matter of days before the governor seeks an armistice. My guess is that he’ll surrender the town and retreat into the citadel.’
‘So the fight simply shifts to a different bleeding target.’
‘Sieges take time, Henry. You should know that by now.’
‘What I know is that my men are unhappy. I’ve lost a dozen of them in a failed assault and seen two of the buggers turn tail. Soldiers are leaving us every day, Dan.’
‘Tournai has its casualties as well,’ noted Daniel, ‘and the desertions are not confined to our army. It might interest you to know that an entire Irish regiment has deserted the French and thrown in its lot with us.’
5 A Very Murdering Battle Page 18