Fire and Sword

Chapter 11

The following morning Lord Buckingham’s guests returned to London. They were desperate to discover the full details of the victory at Trafalgar. The politicians were also aware that it would be useful to be seen in Parliament paying tribute to the fallen hero. A few choice words of sorrowful rhetoric would be sure to be quoted somewhere in one of the country’s newspapers.

As Arthur rose from his breakfast at one of the tables that had been set in the salon, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the Prime Minister.

‘Sir Arthur, I take it you are returning to London today.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Are you leaving soon?’

‘As soon as my bags are packed and my carriage is ready.’

‘Ah, that is good. I wonder if you would do me the honour of sharing my carriage on the road to London?’

Arthur was taken aback. It would indeed be an honour, but for Arthur rather than William Pitt. Instinctively he wondered if the offer was being made in order to derive some kind of political benefit for the Prime Minister. Perhaps he was trying to drive a wedge between Arthur and his host, Lord Buckingham.Arthur glanced across the room and saw Buckingham engrossed in conversation with a fat, pasty-faced man whom Arthur recognised as one of the Whig members of Parliament who had made a reputation for himself in constantly advocating peace with France. Pitt saw the direction of his gaze and smiled thinly.

‘Put your fears at rest, Sir Arthur; I will make sure that your presence in my carriage is not detected. I suggest you take your own carriage as far as the nearest village and send it on from there while you wait for me.’

It seemed a strangely covert arrangement and Arthur was tempted to turn the offer down politely, for fear that he would be seen as something of a conspirator if the ruse was discovered.

Pitt lowered his voice and leaned closer. ‘Sir Arthur, I do not make this suggestion lightly. I was impressed by your directness last night. In government one finds oneself surrounded by placemen, and those who would be placemen. They cut the cloth of their advice to suit their audience, and I would be glad to hear a more honest opinion on two pressing matters. Now then, will you drive with me?’

Arthur stared at the Prime Minister for a moment and came to a decision. He nodded.

‘Very good, then I shall see you later.’ Pitt leaned back and raised his voice. ‘A pleasure to meet you in person, Sir Arthur. I wish you a safe trip back to London.’

They exchanged a brisk shake of hands before Pitt moved off, heading for his host to take his leave. Arthur waited a moment before he followed. Buckingham clasped Arthur’s hand and composed his features into an expression of regret.

‘It is a shame that we did not have time to talk properly, but events have overtaken us. We will speak again soon, you have my word.’

‘Thank you, my lord. I will look forward to the occasion.’

‘As will I.’ Buckingham looked meaningfully at his guest. ‘In the testing times that lie ahead of us a man should be careful that he picks the winning side. Eh?’

Arthur smiled. ‘It is always my intention to win the struggle against the French, sir.’

Buckingham frowned. ‘I was referring to conflicts somewhat nearer to home.’

‘Of course, my lord. I misunderstood,’ Arthur replied smoothly, and then bowed his head. ‘I thank you for the invitation to your house.’

Lord Buckingham smiled graciously and acknowledged the bow before turning to the next of his departing guests. Arthur made his way out of the salon and into the entrance hall. A small crowd of guests stood in clusters with their baggage while they waited for their carriages. Footmen hurried in and out of the door, laden down with bags, chests of toiletries and hat boxes. To one side, Arthur spotted the Sparrows, but before he could avoid their gaze and move off Olivia caught sight of him and raised her laced glove to wave excitedly.

‘Sir Arthur! Good morning to you!’ Pulling on her husband’s arm, she hurried across the hall towards Arthur, who stood torn between a desire to hurry off for his meeting with Pitt and the obligation to be well mannered. Stifling a weary sense of resignation, he smiled a greeting.

‘Good morning to you, madam. Good morning, sir.’

‘Joining the stampede back to London, Wellesley?’ asked General Sparrow. ‘It’s going to be busy on the turnpike this morning, eh?’

‘Indeed.’Arthur, still musing over their mention of Kitty the previous evening, was tempted to ask for more news of her. Before he could speak Olivia took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

‘Sir Arthur, do please look us up in London. And there’s one other thing: the moment you get back to London, make sure you write to our mutual friend. A letter from you would warm her heart.’

‘I, er, will give it some thought, madam.’

‘Make sure you do. A lady can only be kept waiting for so long.’

‘Do get in.’ Pitt smiled as he held the carriage door open, and Arthur bent his head to climb inside. Although the interior was large by the standards of most carriages, it was upholstered in plain leather, which was heavily worn. Pitt noticed Arthur’s searching glance and could not help laughing.

‘A bit spartan, is it not? Not quite what you expected the Prime Minister to be travelling in. Well, this is not France and I am not the Emperor, so there is no need for an ornate toy with which to impress the common herd.’ Pitt laid his hand down on the cracked leather and stroked it with a fond expression. ‘I have been using this carriage for over ten years, on and off, and it has served me well enough. Though I think I shall not be able to use it for much longer.’

Arthur looked across into Pitt’s face and noted the ashen pallor of his flesh, and a strained expression he had tried to keep in check while at Lord Buckingham’s country house.Arthur cleared his throat.‘You are to retire soon then, sir?’

Pitt smiled thinly.‘No. It is my duty to remain in my post for as long as I am able to work towards the defeat of our enemy. But I fear I shall not live to see the victory.’

‘How can you know that, sir?’

Pitt raised a hand to silence Arthur. ‘Before you say another word, and spoil my growing regard for you, spare me any of the polite platitudes men lavish on those they know will die. I am a sick man, Sir Arthur. My doctor’s opinion, for what it’s worth, is that I will endure for a few months, a year at the most, before my life gives out.Therefore I must not waste a moment of what time is left to me. If Britain is to win this war of wars I must do all that is in my power to ensure that I leave my country in the hands of the best men, and give them the means to defeat Bonaparte.That is why I wish to speak to you now.There are two matters I want to discuss. Firstly there is the question of what happens to your brother, Richard, when he returns to Britain.’ The Prime Minister stared at Arthur for a moment before continuing. ‘I know that the Wellesleys are a close-knit family. I know that you served your brother loyally, and with great credit, while you were in India. However, I am generally a good judge of character, Sir Arthur, and I believe you will be straight with me.’

‘I will do my best to be as honest as I may, sir,’ Arthur replied carefully.

‘I could expect no more,’ Pitt conceded. ‘So, then, I have read the reports sent to me by the board of directors of the East India Company, as well as your own representations and those of your brother William. The Company’s main allegation is that your brother misappropriated vast sums of Company funds and equipment. Is that true?’

‘Establishing peace and order across India did not come without cost, sir. It is true that Richard authorised the use of several million pounds of funds and equipment belonging to the company. But there was no dishonesty. He did not misappropriate anything. You have my word on it.’

‘Your word?’ Pitt was silent for a moment as he gazed shrewdly at Arthur.Then he nodded slowly.‘Very well. I think I am satisfied that the, er, Wellesley system of government in India was sound. I will do my best to see that your brother, and you, are protected from political persecution. But I offer no guarantees, do you understand?’

‘I would ask for none, sir. Only a fair hearing and a just outcome.’

Pitt smiled wryly.‘If you think you’ll get that in Parliament then you are a madman, Sir Arthur.’

‘Then maybe I had better stay as far from Parliament as I can.’

‘Yes, that would be wise. I sense that you do not yet have the venal temperament that a career in politics requires. Such a gross deficiency dictates service to your country in some other sphere.’

‘A sacrifice I am willing to make, for Britain,’ Arthur replied, and they both laughed, Pitt so much so that he suddenly began to cough violently, and he clutched a hand to his mouth as his lined features clenched into a grimace. Arthur, fearful for the man’s health, leaned closer and reached out hesitantly.

‘Sir? Are you all right?’

Pitt waved a hand dismissively, and closed his eyes as he fought off the coughing fit. When at last it was over he took a deep breath and puffed out his cheeks.

‘God, I needed that. It has been a while since I laughed so heartily, Sir Arthur.’

‘It is perhaps as well, given the effect on your constitution, sir.’

‘I am fine, really I am. Laughter is the best medicine, so they say, though there has been precious little to laugh about in the last few years. And now this business at Trafalgar . . .’ Pitt’s expression hardened. ‘It is a bad blow for Britain that Nelson has been taken from us. The people need heroes. They need men who can win victories and prove that Bonaparte can be defeated.’

Arthur nodded.

‘The difficulty for us,’ Pitt continued thoughtfully, ‘is that our military power rests on the shoulders of the Navy.The army will never be strong enough to take on the hosts that Bonaparte can summon.To be sure, we can pour money into the coffers of our allies on the continent, but it is no secret that such subsidies demean them as much as they impoverish us. So what are we to do, Sir Arthur? That is the question. How can we defeat France?’

Arthur considered the question for a moment, bringing into focus the ideas and plans he had been pondering ever since his return from India. He cleared his throat and Pitt looked at him expectantly.

‘You are right, sir. We cannot defeat Bonaparte if we continue our current strategies. France’s colonies are a mere detail to him, and even if we capture them or disrupt their trade, he will still be master of the continent. If he is to be laid low, then we must defeat him on land, and ultimately on French soil.This is a war we shall have to carry to the very heart of Paris. At some point Britain must assemble an army powerful enough to confront Bonaparte himself. That will not be possible for some years. The men who defeat France will have to be trained well, and fully equipped and provisioned.They must gain plenty of campaign experience and be convinced that they are more than a match for any man in the French army.’ Arthur paused a moment.‘And they will need to be led by the best officers that can be found. They will need a commander who stands beside them whatever the danger, one who is flexible in his methods, and resolutely fixed on his goal.’

‘And would you be such a man?’ Pitt asked with an amused expression.

‘I would. But there are others who would serve as well.’

‘And many who would not.’

Arthur did not respond to the comment, and continued with his train of thought. ‘Then there is the question of where such an army might gain the experience it requires to defeat Bonaparte. Too often Britain has hurled her forces piecemeal on to the continent to support our allies, with little tangible benefit to our war aims. Sir, we need to concentrate our forces in an area on the periphery of Europe where the men can be forged into a fine weapon.’

‘Where do you have in mind, Sir Arthur?’

‘The Iberian Peninsula.’

‘Spain?’

‘Portugal, to begin with.That would serve as a fine base of operations for taking the war to Spain, and ultimately France.’

‘A most indirect route to Paris, I should say.’

‘That is the beauty of it, sir. It would stretch Bonaparte’s resources to the limit. Given France’s position on the continent, he enjoys interior lines of communications for all his forays into northern Italy,Austria and the German states. But Spain and Portugal are out on a limb.Any troops he sends to support Spain will be drawn from the armies opposed to Russia, Austria and Prussia. Even Bonaparte cannot endure if he is fully committed to fighting on two fronts. He will have to divide his attention, and his men, between the two. And there is a third front to consider, sir.The home front, as it were.While Bonaparte races from one end of his empire to the other there will be ample scope to encourage discontent amongst his own people.’

Arthur paused to give the Prime Minister time to take in the details and then continued in a more deliberate tone. ‘Of course, there will be risks. If our army is defeated on the Peninsula I have little doubt that public support for the war will fail. That means that whoever is commanding the army must look to its safety as his first priority. Furthermore, the government will need to accept that this is no mere incursion to discomfort our enemies. They will need to commit men and resources to the Peninsular army on a scale that has never been seen before. They will also need to be prepared to maintain it in the field for some years. I do not see this as a question of striking one mortal blow at the enemy, rather a methodical and incremental destruction of his will to continue the fight. Our army will be compelled to fight on the defensive at first, but as it gains experience and confidence it can be deployed to attack, the moment circumstances are propitious. I have seen our men fight in India and I have little doubt that our infantry, in line, can cut down the French columns as they advance to attack.’

‘Then why the need for time to harden our army, if the men are ready?’

Arthur smiled slightly.‘I said the infantry, sir. Our cavalry, alas, is fairly lamentable in terms of quality and discipline.They need toughening up. There should be more of them and they must understand their role both on campaign and on the battlefield. We have the raw ingredients of a fine army, sir.We just need the time to mould the different elements together.’

‘I see.’ Pitt mused for a moment and then leaned back into his seat, his body jolting lightly as the carriage trundled along the turnpike.Then he nodded. ‘Your arguments make fine sense, Sir Arthur. I will have the matter looked into thoroughly. Spain, then, will be where Bonaparte’s empire begins to unravel . . .’