‘Word has just arrived from His Majesty.’
‘Go on,’ pressed Vendome. ‘What does he say?’
‘He concedes that there’s some degree of merit in your plan,’ said Burgundy, pursing his lips in distaste. ‘Grandfather can see the value of laying siege to Huy.’
‘I knew he would! He thinks like a soldier.’
‘I, however, remain opposed to the notion.’
‘That’s immaterial. The King’s word is final.’
‘I haven’t finished yet.’
‘Even though you were against it, I gave orders for preparations to be made for a siege. I felt certain that common sense would prevail in the end. You’ve been overruled by your grandfather.’
‘Not exactly,’ rejoined Burgundy. ‘I questioned the order and it’s been placed in abeyance.’
Vendome exploded. ‘Placed in abeyance?’
‘News has arrived of Prince Eugene. He’s gathering his forces at Coblenz. Until his purposes are definitely revealed, you must suspend preparations against Huy.’
‘But the plan has royal approval.’
‘It’s been withdrawn,’ said Burgundy, enjoying Vendome’s discomfiture. ‘In time, His Majesty will come to accept the wisdom of my strategy.’
‘We should move against Huy now,’ maintained Vendome.
‘Stand your men down.’
‘Will you consign us to another month of inactivity?’
‘We’re not inactive,’ replied Burgundy. ‘We gather intelligence, we anticipate the enemy’s movements, we respond accordingly. In the end, our superior tactics will be vindicated.’
‘What tactics? We have none worthy of the name!’
‘There’s no need for insults, my lord Duke.’
‘Huy is at our mercy,’ said Vendome with passion. ‘Seize that and we have control of that stretch of the River Meuse.’
‘And what if Eugene is coming north? We’d be squeezed between his army and that of Marlborough’s like a piece of cheese between two slices of bread.’ Burgundy was adamant. ‘Forget all thought of Huy.’
‘Marlborough may be a threat but what kind of army can Eugene raise? Not a very large one, in my estimation. Besides, we’ve no indication that he’s heading this way. All the signs are that he’ll stay in the Moselle Valley. It’s the kind of ruse Marlborough always employs in an attempt to divert us.’
Burgundy was unmoved. ‘We obey orders and stay here.’
‘The King has given us latitude to act.’
‘You heard me, my lord Duke.’
‘What I hear is a recipe for stagnation.’
‘We are merely keeping our powder dry.’
‘That amounts to the same thing,’ said Vendome, mordantly. ‘We should move swiftly while we still outnumber the Confederate forces and while Prince Eugene is still trying to muster an army. It’s the perfect way to catch them off guard.’
‘Your advice is — as always — welcome,’ said Burgundy, loftily. ‘On this occasion, however, I choose to ignore it.’
‘You always choose to ignore it!’
‘There’s no need to shout, my lord Duke.’
‘I apologise,’ said Vendome, struggling to regain his composure. ‘All I ask of you is that you give this matter serious thought and take my opinion into account.’
‘You’ve heard the decision — I take my leave of you.’
After a polite nod, Burgundy swept out of the tent with an imperious stride. Vendome stamped his foot hard on the ground and rid himself of a few imprecations. During the previous year, he’d been in supreme command and able to trust his own judgement. It was galling to be at the beck and call of someone he considered to be a novice in the field. He paced up and down like a caged lion in search of someone to maul. When the flap of his tent opened, he rounded on the man who put his head through.
‘Get out of here!’ he bellowed.
‘Yes, Your Grace,’ said Valeran, retreating immediately.
‘Is that you, Raoul?’ Vendome opened the tent flap to call him back. ‘Step inside. I didn’t realise it was you.’
‘I don’t wish to interrupt you.’
‘You’re not doing so. After what I’ve just been through, the sight of a friendly face is a godsend.’ When they were both inside, Vendome wrapped him in a warm embrace. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m very glad to be back at last.’
‘Have you brought good news with you?’
‘No, Your Grace,’ said the lieutenant. ‘The search continues but the raiders have yet to be found.’
‘Then the patrols must be doubled — trebled, if need be. These fiends must be caught. We came to liberate these people, not to murder them in cold blood.’ He sat down heavily. ‘Tell me what you discovered.’
Captain Valeran described the scene of devastation and told how he’d spoken to the four men who’d worked at the farm. Once the alarm had been raised on the night, they were among the first to get there. They were appalled by what they saw. One of the men had been due to marry the farmer’s daughter in the autumn. He arrived to find that his bride-tobe had been burnt beyond recognition.
Vendome listened to the recital with gathering fury.
‘Is there no evidence as to whom these devils were?’ he asked.
‘We know for certain that they were French soldiers.’
‘How?’
‘They were seen earlier in the day,’ said Valeran, ‘riding past a village about five miles to the west. An old man was repairing the scarecrow in his field. He noticed them because they took the trouble to come right around the village instead of riding straight through it.’
‘That sounds as if they didn’t want to be seen.’
‘They were spotted by the old man.’
‘How many of them were there, Raoul?’
‘Eight or nine, it seems.’
‘Were there no other witnesses?’
‘The patrols have not found any as yet, Your Grace.’
‘An old man with a scarecrow,’ said Vendome, dubiously. ‘I’d want more reliable testimony than he could provide. At his age, he’s probably half-blind.’
‘You do him an injustice,’ said Valeran.
‘Do I?’
‘In one way, we couldn’t have had a better witness. He may have lapsed into old age now but he wasn’t always a farmer. In his younger days, he saw service in the French army. That’s why it puzzled him.’
‘What did?’
‘Well,’ continued Valeran, ‘they passed so close to him that he was able to take a good look at them and he noticed something very strange. The uniforms they wore didn’t all come from the same regiment. Indeed, he had a strong feeling that one of the uniforms didn’t even belong in the cavalry.’
Matthew Searle tossed his coat onto the fire and used a sword to stir up the blaze. It was the last of the French uniforms to be consumed by the flames. The other men looked on. Hugh Davey had doubts.
‘Are you sure it’s a good idea to destroy them?’ he asked.
Searle was curt. ‘Yes, it is.’
‘But they might have come in useful, Matt.’
‘They brought us bad luck. Also, as long as we keep them, we put ourselves in danger. If a French patrol finds them here, we’ll have some awkward questions to face.’
‘This part of Flanders is held by the Allies,’ said Edwin Lock. ‘I should know. We helped to capture it.’
‘It’s ours at the moment, perhaps — that could soon change.’
‘What a pity!’ said Davey, staring into the flames. ‘I preferred that uniform. It was the only one that fitted me.’
There were six of them in all. Searle had allowed the other two members of the band to ride off to the town in search of carnal pleasure. When the first pair returned, it would be the turn of Lock and Davey. They were throbbing with anticipation. Searle saw the look of desperation in their eyes.
‘Remember what I said to the others,’ he warned. ‘You take your pleasure and come straight back here. If I have to come looking for you, I’ll cut your balls off and make you swallow them.’
‘We’ll come back, Matt,’ said Lock, slipping a protective hand to his groin. ‘I promise.’
‘But only when we’ve had our money’s worth,’ added Davey.
‘Tell them nothing,’ ordered Searle. ‘They don’t need to know your name or where you came from. A careless word from either of you and we’re done for. There’ll be patrols out looking for us by now.’