France 1813
Col.
Cresson and Gen. Calvet plan to capture Wellington's
intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Ross.
Gypsies are camping with the British, their women are causing
a stir among the soldiers and Sharpe has settled into married
life. Jane, however, is bored and looking to the future. She
wonders how Sharpe will take to the social life back in England.
Col.
Brand also arrives in the camp, he operates behind enemy
lines and plans to destroy Calvet's powder supply. Sharpe
is to act as his back up. They also need the services of
explosives expert, Maj. Septimus Pyecroft. A war correspondant
and poet, called Shelligton, has also arrived and becomes
enamoured with Jane.
When Ross and Sharpe meet Pyecroft, he has a gypsy girl with
him who was the only survivor from an attack on her family. In
the camp, she recognises her family's horses among those belonging
to Maj. Brand's men. Another gypsy girl, sets herself
at Harris, but when he goes to her tent in the evening, he
discovers her and her family dead. When he reports the
murder, he finds himself chief suspect and is confined to camp. Sharpe
asks him to watch over Jane while he is away.
Shellington
accompanies Sharpe, but tires of war and is escorted back
to camp. The
murderers are uncovered and rounded up, and Sharpe also discovers
there is a French spy in the camp. |
Wellington: I'd be obliged if you'd show that fellow Shellington around
the camp. I can't spare another officer.
Sharpe: Yes sir.
Wellington: Oh, and Sharpe, you better brace yourself. He's a poet.
Sharpe: Poet, sir? My wife will be delighted.
Wellington: Really? Personally I'd rather call for the surgeon and
have him cut off my goddamn foot with a saw.
|
[Shellington has passed out from seeing
the dead bodies]
Ross: What are we going to do with him, Sharpe?
Sharpe: Send him home, sir.
Ross: Home? He'll need an escort.
Sharpe: Send two of Brand's men back with him. They know the
terrain. This is a perfect excuse for bringing Brand
back.
Ross: What if he doesn't want to go back to Wellington's
camp?
Sharpe: Oh, he'll want to, sir.
Shellington: [coming around] Where am I?
Sharpe (to Ross): He'll want to try to seduce my wife. |
Jane: Why would you follow him to the death?
Harris: Loyalty!
We're loyal to him and he's loyal to us. In life and in death.
We trust him with our lives and he trusts us with his life.
Jane: And
with his wife. He trusts you with his wife. |
[Harris is confined to camp pending
a murder inquiry]
Sharpe: Harris,
until this matter is resolved, you're my responsibility. Now
while I'm on this mission, you will act as manservant to my
wife.
Harris: You're
letting a suspected murderer look after your wife, sir?
Sharpe: Harris,
I'm posting you to my household as I would post you to a position
on a battlefield.
Harris: [saluting
and smiling] Yes, sir! |
[Brand is found guilty of six murders.
After being goaded by Brand, Sharpe hits him in the chest
and he falls back into a deep well to his death]
Ross: Did
you see that, Harper?
Harper: Who
me, sir? No, I saw nothing, sir.
Ross: Did
you see what happened to Col. Brand?
Harper: Oh,
he's a funny fish, sir. I just saw him jump head-long into
the wishing well. Why do you think he'd want to do something
like that, sir?
Ross: Thank
you, Harper. |
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