Inferno

Chapter 101

British Headquarters, Hellerup

‘Well, now, and they’ve finally come to their senses,’ breathed Cathcart. ‘An armistice to discuss terms. Thank God that carnage is over. It sickened me to think of those poor wretches … We’d better get to work and settle what we want of the beggars. I shall give ’em a cease-fire until four, in which they are to state to me what they’ll consider acceptable as terms. If by then they’re still footling about, we will resume our bombardment.’

‘The fleet.’ Admiral Gambier had no doubt about the first item.

‘You think they’ll give it to you without an argument? Or worse?’

‘They must. We’ll not be moved until we have it – they must know that.’

‘Umm.’

‘And surplus stores, sailing gear, that sort of thing.’

‘Very well. We get the fleet. What else?’

‘To take Sj?lland itself ?’ Brigadier Stewart came in brightly. ‘With our Swedish friends across the Sound, ’twould make a capital base to control the Baltic trade for ever!’

‘I rather fear our men-o’-war will soon be iced out to the Skaggerak in the north,’ Gambier said gloomily, ‘as will leave your military unprotected.’

‘And I’d think in any case that thirty thousand not too many for the garrison, a number I fear would not be countenanced by the government at this time.’

‘A pity. Well, we’ll settle for the fleet and no conquests. It’s what we came for, was it not?’

Unexpectedly it was Wellesley who spoke for the Danes. ‘I rather think it would be contrary of us not to accept that the Danish fought nobly with what little they had against our superior forces. Can we not show it by a leniency in our terms?’

‘That’s nobly said, Sir Arthur,’ rumbled General Bloomfield.

‘Besides which,’ Wellesley continued smoothly, ‘should the conceit be that, having secured the fleet, we are satisfied with no territorial gains, then it is no longer terms of surrender under discussion, for we will have left immediately and with no conquests.’

‘Quite!’ said Cathcart, with satisfaction. ‘By that we are spared the expense of an occupation.’

‘So no need for military parades, hauling down of flags, so wounding to the feelings. They cannot object to that.’