Fire and Sword (17 page)
Authors: Simon Scarrow
Arthur had not forgotten Lord Buckingham’s mention of an expeditionary force to be sent in support of the coalition armies marching against Bonaparte, and he was determined that he should be part of it. He made his request for a posting immediately on his return to London and anxiously awaited a response.
Meanwhile, his thoughts turned to Kitty, and Olivia Sparrow’s insistence that she had not cooled towards him. It hardly seemed credible after so long a time apart. And yet he felt a warm ache in his heart at the thought of her as she was, and as she might be now. He murmured her name idly to himself as he entered a coffee house.The atmosphere inside was thick with the aromas of tobacco smoke and coffee, and a fire glowed in the centre of the shop.There were no spare tables and Arthur asked if he might share one that sat in the bay window overlooking the street. The other customer at the table, a bewigged man who looked to be younger than Arthur, barely glanced over the top of his newspaper as he nodded his assent, and then carried on reading.
Arthur ordered tea, and sat and stared out through the recently cleaned glass. Outside the passers-by, wrapped up and hunched into their collars, strolled quickly along, oblivious of his gaze. Life continued as normal, then. Despite the war on the continent, the triumph at Trafalgar and the death of Nelson. What would Kitty think of it all, he wondered.Would the constant procession of officers in gaudy uniforms in Dublin’s streets impress her, or would the whittling down of her old acquaintances have depressed her spirits? And would she be old enough now to have outgrown the careless pursuits of youth? Would she have changed that much?
His tea was served, and Arthur raised the cup and gently inhaled the steam curling up from the clear brown liquid that brought back faint memories of India. For a moment he stared down into the cup, frowning faintly.Then he set it down with a sharp rap and sat back. Fumbling for some coins to pay for the drink, he rose and left the shop. Outside he turned deliberately in the direction of the address that Olivia Sparrow had sent to him on her return to London.
‘Sir Arthur! What a delightful surprise!’ Mrs Sparrow smiled widely as she flowed into the parlour and held out her hand. Arthur took it and kissed it lightly before waiting for her to be seated, and then following suit.
‘Well, it’s not such a great surprise really,’ Mrs Sparrow continued with a mischievous sparkle in her eye. ‘I assume there is more to this than a passing visit.’
‘Indeed. There is something that is perhaps dear to my heart and I would know more.’
‘Something? Surely you mean someone?’
‘Yes. Kitty.’ Now it was out, he would not indulge in coyness. ‘You said that she had written to you about me. I should be grateful to know what she has said.’
Mrs Sparrow smiled. ‘Of course. But first, Arthur, there are a few things I should tell you about what has occurred since you left for India.’
‘Oh?’ Arthur felt a sick feeling stir in the pit of his stomach. ‘Go on, please.’
‘You do know that she loved you before you left?’
‘She intimated as much,’ Arthur replied carefully.‘And I returned the sentiment. But that was not sufficient for her older brother. He was kind enough to point out that no man with any integrity would let his sister wed a lowly army officer with few prospects.’
‘And now you have wealth and title.’ Mrs Sparrow nodded. ‘And every prospect of further fame and fortune. So there can be no further objection on that front.You must admit that her brother acted correctly in defending her best interest.’
‘Perhaps.’
‘You were not the first, nor the last, to be rebuffed on those grounds.’
‘Not the last?’ Arthur felt his heart quicken with anxiety. ‘What do you mean?’
Mrs Sparrow folded her hands in her lap. ‘Arthur, you must understand that ten years is a long time.’
‘I think I know that,’ Arthur responded with bitter feeling.
‘Of course. But while you were busily occupied with your duties in India, Kitty was sitting at home. Losing you broke her heart, I think. She did not go to the soirées at Dublin Castle. In fact she rarely ventured out to any social event for some years. At length, however, she felt that you might not return from India, and even if you did you were sure to have transferred your feelings to someone else. So she re-joined the world.’ Mrs Sparrow noticed his pained expression and leaned forward to pat his hand reassuringly. ‘Please, Arthur, don’t think that she had forgotten you. After all, the odd letter did pass between you from time to time. Kitty just felt that she had to continue with her life.That’s when she met young Galbraith Lowry Cole.’
She paused to let the implication of her words sink in. Arthur swallowed and nodded. ‘Please continue.’
‘Galbraith was a handsome young man. And very earnest, much like you in many respects. He fell for Kitty and courted her as only a young man desperately in love can, bombarding her with notes and letters and gifts until he wore Kitty down and she began to form an attachment to him. I could see that he was not suitable for her, but she just said that you would never be coming back for her and she must make do. By and by I think her affections did begin to turn towards him, once she had convinced herself that she could not have you.’
Arthur closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in steadily. Even though he had known that there was every chance that Kitty would meet another lover, somewhere deep in his heart he had hoped, fervently, that she would believe theirs to be as real and enduring a love as two people could ever know. Now he cursed himself for a fool. He should have written to her more often. He should have told her of the depth of his feelings for her, of his dreams for their future together.The sense of loss cut him to the soul and waves of bitter self-reproach coursed through his heart.With great difficulty, he repressed his despair. Opening his eyes, he stared bleakly at Mrs Sparrow.
‘What happened?’
‘Galbraith proposed to her.’
‘Proposed?’ Arthur repeated softly through clenched teeth. ‘When was this?’
‘Nearly three years ago. It came as no surprise to anyone observing the two of them. Just as the consequence came as no surprise.’
‘Why? What do you mean?’
‘Her brother refused to give his permission. One thing you can say for Tom Pakenham, he is consistent. Galbraith, like you, was a junior officer with no fortune of his own. Once again, Kitty’s heart was broken. Honestly, Arthur, you should have seen the poor, dear thing. She has been wasting away ever since.Thin as a stick.’ Mrs Sparrow shook her head sadly before continuing. ‘But all is not lost, as far as you two are concerned.’
‘Oh?’
‘I said that Tom Pakenham was consistent, did I not?’ Mrs Sparrow smiled faintly. ‘I seem to recall Kitty once telling me of a letter you wrote. Not long before you left for India. In it you said that if you came back, having won your spurs and some wealth, your offer of marriage to her would still stand. Is that true?’
‘It is.’
‘Well, now it seems that you are Major-General Sir Arthur Wellesley, returned from India with a handsome fortune. In which case, what reason could Tom Pakenham possibly have for refusing you a second time? If your offer still stands, that is.’
Arthur stared at her, for the first time feeling his pulse quicken with hope, and excitement. ‘Do you really think I would be accepted?’
‘I am sure of it. I know Kitty’s mind well enough. I know that you have but to write to her and tell her of your enduring feeling for her and she is yours.’
Arthur was silent for a moment before he rose to his feet.‘I must go. I am meeting my brother William at the House.’
‘Of course.’ Mrs Sparrow nodded sadly. ‘You must be a very busy man. But do not let that delay you in contacting Kitty. She has waited long enough.’
‘I will find the time to write to her soon.’ Arthur paused. ‘If she will have me, then I am hers. I always was.’
In the week that followed the party at Stowe, Arthur received an invitation to attend the Lord Mayor’s Guildhall banquet. He was still waiting to hear if he had been appointed to the army destined for service in Hanover, and hoped that he might have the chance to further his ambitions at the dinner.
Crowds drew William Pitt’s carriage through the streets to the Guildhall, where they cheered him to the heavens as he descended. He acknowledged their acclaim with a bow and a smile. Then he entered the building, between ranks of applauding merchants, politicians and noblemen who fully realised the part he had played in making the victory at Trafalgar possible.
The banquet was held in a grand chamber, filled with long tables heavily laden with fine silverware, crystal and ornate dinner services. The worthy gentlemen of the capital and their guests were decked in their finery and Arthur, in his dress uniform, found himself seated opposite Lord Castlereagh. The Prime Minister, according to tradition, was seated at the head table next to the Lord Mayor, and Arthur was shocked to see that Pitt appeared to be in even poorer health than a few days earlier. Unnaturally pale, with sunken eyes, he hardly touched his food and spoke few words to those either side of him.
‘You seem preoccupied,Wellesley.’
Arthur glanced away from the Prime Minister and saw that Castlereagh was looking at him as he dabbed a spot of sauce away from the corner of his mouth. Arthur pursed his lips. ‘I was just considering the latest news of the war, my lord.’
‘Ah, yes. Grim tidings indeed.’
The details of Bonaparte’s victory at Ulm had reached London a day earlier. It seemed that nearly half of Austria’s army had been destroyed or taken prisoner. French forces were striking towards the very capital of the Austrian empire and there was little chance that Vienna could be saved before Russia and the other coalition powers could intervene.
Castlereagh cleared his throat and continued. ‘It would appear that the best chance of defeating Bonaparte now seems to hinge on the massing of the coalition forces for one decisive battle.’
‘I agree, my lord. That is why it is vital that a British army is landed on the continent as soon as possible.’
‘Of course.’ Castlereagh nodded. ‘The government understands that well enough, and the task is in hand. Despite the setback at Ulm, the Prime Minister is confident that we have the beating of France. It won’t be long before our soldiers are chasing the Corsican tyrant all the way back to his bolt-hole in Paris.’
‘I hope so, my lord.’
Castlereagh took a sip of wine and looked shrewdly at Arthur. ‘I imagine you are wondering if you will be assigned to the expeditionary force.’
Arthur kept his face expressionless as he stared back, and composed his reply.‘Naturally. It is every officer’s desire to serve his country at any opportunity.’
‘Opportunity?’ Castlereagh chuckled drily. ‘I sometimes wonder at you fellows in uniform and your desire to go to war. It’s almost as if you derive some strange pleasure from proximity to death.’
‘No, my lord. I have already seen enough of war to know that it is an evil. A necessary evil on occasions, but an evil for all that. I shall be glad when Bonaparte is finally defeated. Until then I will not rest, nor avoid any chance to bring about his downfall.’ He paused.‘I believe that I have served my country well enough to merit a position in the army being sent to the continent.’
Castlereagh was silent for a moment and then smiled.‘You Wellesleys seem to have a very high opinion of yourselves. Fortunately, it seems that Pitt shares that opinion. He has recommended you for a command in the army.’
‘Has he, by God?’
‘Indeed, he insisted on it.You have won yourself a powerful patron there, Sir Arthur. My advice to you is to ensure that you avail yourself of as much advantage of Pitt’s high regard as you can.’ Castlereagh nodded in the direction of the Prime Minister. ‘I fear that Britain will not be enjoying his leadership for very much longer.’ He lowered his voice. ‘He is a very sick man. And the news about Ulm weighs heavily upon his heart. I doubt that he will be able to bear the burden of high office for much longer. And once he is gone, your family will lose a powerful ally. Perhaps it is time you considered your political position, Wellesley. Find a new patron, while there is still time. I could always use an able subordinate myself.’
‘That is generous of you, my lord,’ Arthur replied in an even tone. ‘However, I feel that I could best serve my country in uniform.’
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