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The Rakehell Regency(270)





"'None of us hold with unleashing our anger and resentment upon civilians either. It is the nature of war, and we're looking forward to catching up with the ever-retreating French and showing them what a professional army can do when it is not quivering at the very name of Bonaparte.'"



"Amen to that," Jonathan said heartily.



Clifford shot him a grin and pointed at the letter. "'I hope you will put in a good word for me with the Lord, Jonathan, for the news regarding the Spanish government's willingness to ratify the treaty of Valencay is most alarming, to say the least. To think we have come this far, only to have our base of operations in Spain cut out from under us, is a most terrifying prospect.'"



"Oh no!" exclaimed Henry.



Everyone looked at each other in dismay.



Clifford held up his hand for silence. "'Yes, it is true. King Ferdinand of Spain and the West Indies has been treating with Napoleon to be restored to his throne. In exchange, he will withdraw all support from our army. If this happens, we will have no fallback position whatsoever.



"'Having seen what happened at Corunna in January 1809, I would never wish any evacuation like that upon us again. But there are few ports which would be able to cope with the embarkation of our combined Anglo-Portuguese and Spanish forces, which I guess to be about eighty-five thousand men.'"



"Oh Lord, that would be a disaster," Sarah sighed. "I remember only too well what everyone suffered the last time."



"'I know Wellington is taking steps to get the wounded home as quickly as possible should the treaty come to pass. In the meantime, he relies on us to press forward as quickly as possible, and prays for good news from the Allied Forces' Eastern Front.'"



"How can the Spanish do such a thing, after all we've done for them?" Pamela asked in dismay. "A treaty with Bonaparte is the worst betrayal imaginable!"



"The world of politics is all about expediency, my dear," Jonathan said with a shake of his head. "But I wouldn't panic too soon. Ferdinand is nothing if not slippery. He will most likely say anything to be set free from prison at this stage. And from what I've been reading in the papers, I think this could actually work to our advantage."



"Really? How so, Jonathan?" Sarah asked.



He rubbed his hands together thoughtfully, warming them by the fire. "If Napoleon is desperate enough to trust one of his oldest enemies, a man he deposed, humiliated and disgraced for so many years, it must mean the Emperor knows that the end is nigh if he doesn't do something to prevent it."



Pamela looked at him hopefully. "Do you really believe that?"



Jonathan nodded. "Yes. Napoleon once compared Spain with a running ulcer. He's lost many men, and many of his top marshals and generals have been broken by the Iberian Peninsula. If he needs the men to fight in the east, he'll do whatever he can to reach accommodation with Spain. And the Spanish, if they have any sense at all, will support Britain regardless of any paper they sign."



"Let's hope so, Jonathan," Henry said fervently.



Clifford had been scanning the letter during their discussion. "Michael's opinions would seem to confirm Jonathan's suppositions. He says here, 'In fact, ever since the Battle of Leipzig in mid-October, the Allied Forces in the east have been harassing Napoleon unmercifully. He has a very long frontier to defend with only about one hundred thousand men so far as we can guess. He is conscripting every elderly man and young boy he can.



"'But we also hear that there has been widespread rebellion and refusal to serve. Certainly the local population here acts glad to see us. They profess no loyalty to the Little Corporal, and cheer as we continue our offensive and harry the French out of the villages, and take over their billets. They ply us with food and some even with their wives and daughters, I'm sorry to report.



"'Needless to say, my men are kept in strict order at all times. A curfew is enforced with no exceptions. I'm told the wine is most excellent, but have taken steps to ensure my men do not get carried away by making them pay for everything. But of course I often don't have the key to the pay coffers with me.'"



"Oh, very clever," Jonathan said approvingly.



Clifford nodded and continued. "'They haven't discovered the stratagem quite yet, but they will. It also keeps them away from the paid wenches, so we are on the whole fit to fight at a moment's notice, were it not for the lack of food and the cold.'"



"If the weather is anything like it has been here recently, they must be truly suffering," Henry said with a sigh.



Clifford nodded. "'The cold is exacerbated by the poor state of our uniforms, which are really a sight to behold. You would be hard pressed to find a single man, myself included, who isn't showing six to eight inches of bare flesh on each of their arms or legs, and even their entire seat. As for boots and shoes, they're becoming a real luxury, though fortunately not dinner, as they have in the past. And whatever we suffer can never compare with the horror stories recounted to us by the French prisoners who managed to survive the Russian campaign.