Inferno

Chapter 100

Danish Headquarters, the Citadel

Every eye in the room was on Peymann as the recitation went on. Then it was the turn of the Danish land forces commander, General Bielefeldt.

‘Sir, it’s with the greatest reluctance I have to tell you that many of the burgher militia have abandoned their posts on the defences in the face of the bombardment. They’re on the front line. It leaves the ramparts undefended. Should the British choose to storm us, there can be no hope.’

‘I see.’ Peymann rubbed his bloodshot eyes. ‘It had to happen, I suppose, poor fellows.’

Significant glances were exchanged around the table. Did this mean …?

‘Sir, I really think that-’

‘Gentlemen,’ Peymann said, and sighed, placing his hands on the table in a gesture of finality. ‘This you may take to be a council-of-war, with the object of establishing the most advantageous terms of capitulation. Note that down, will you, Knud?’

‘No!’ blurted Bille. ‘There’s still the-’

‘Kommandor,’ Peymann said, in tones of the utmost weariness, ‘we have resisted valiantly and can do no more. I shall ask for a cease-fire as of this hour and will expect to be discussing terms with the English commander shortly. Shall we begin?’

It had to be faced. They were defeated. Even the Crown Prince’s exhortations couldn’t change that.

‘We ask for the honours of war, of course. Due ceremony, the exchange of prisoners, that sort of thing, yes. But one question stands above all. This war was brought to us by the British, who wanted one thing – our fleet. This question therefore is, do we yield it up lightly or do we destroy it before they can lay their hands on it?’

‘No question! I shall set a torch to it in person,’ Bille ground out. ‘The honour of Denmark is not to be preserved by tamely surrendering our glorious fleet, undefeated and unbowed.’

Peymann winced. ‘I really cannot support you in that, Kommandor. The dockyard is in the centre of Copenhagen and will lay ablaze any of our city still left to us.’

‘And it will antagonise the British beyond their enduring. Our terms will be so much the sterner, and I fear-’

‘Antagonise? Damn it, if they-’

‘There’s one outcome of denying them the fleet that disturbs me greatly.’

‘General?’

‘That they may decide instead to remain in Sj?lland, take Elsinore and turn it into a second Gibraltar to safeguard their Baltic trade. They’d then be very hard to cast out.’

‘True enough. Gentlemen, we can do no other than comply with the demand.’

Murmurs of agreement came reluctantly but Bille sat red-faced and tight-lipped.

‘In consequence of which I desire you will accordingly sign your agreement to our resolve.’

‘I will not!’ Bille spluttered. ‘On my soul, I will not do it. Arm every true Dane, I say, to follow me as, with gunboats and all that floats, in a last glorious charge we throw ourselves at the English invaders of our motherland.’