morale of his troops, though he had yet to do so in the current campaign. The best judge of his condition was his secretary and, from Cardonnel’s face and manner, Daniel could see that he was less concerned about Marlborough. It was reassuring.
While he had his commander’s ear, Daniel returned to the topic that preoccupied him. The memory of Jules, the boy whose whole family had been butchered, was never far from his mind.
‘Are patrols still searching for those renegades?’ he asked.
‘They are, Daniel,’ answered Marlborough. ‘In spite of everything else that needs to be done, I’m resolved to hunt them down.’
‘I think we’ve identified their leader.’
‘Who is he?’ asked Cardonnel.
‘Matthew Searle of the 5^th Regiment of horse,’ said Daniel. ‘When he deserted, he took a few other malcontents with him as well as some spare horses. He must have gathered the rest of his band after he left camp. One of them was Private Edwin Lock of the 24^th.’
‘How can you be so certain of that?’
‘It turns out that Lock was Searle’s cousin. The two of them deserted on the same day — I checked up from that list you compiled. It has to be more than coincidence.’
‘I agree,’ said Cardonnel.
‘It’s a small mercy, I know,’ Marlborough put in, ‘but at least we’ve had no reports of further outrages.’
‘None that have reached us,’ said Daniel, ‘but then, we’ve moved well away from that area. Searle and his men could still be on the rampage. Given what we know of these renegades, I fancy that they’ll continue their raids until they’re stopped.’
‘They will be, Daniel, I promise you.’
‘I’d like to be there when that happens.’
‘We can’t waste your talents on a routine patrol.’
‘My talents would be put to good use, Your Grace,’ said Daniel. ‘I’d be helping to catch some very dangerous men. Every time they strike, they sew even more hatred of us in the minds of the local people. That irks me.’
‘It irks me as well,’ said Marlborough. ‘I want the French army to fear the sight of redcoats, but not the ordinary folk of Flanders. We need them to accept us.’
‘They won’t do that if these men are allowed to run amok.’
‘This means a lot to you, Daniel, doesn’t it?’ said Cardonnel. ‘You have a personal interest in this.’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘Why is that?’
‘I heard what that lad had been through,’ said Daniel, ‘and it was harrowing. He may have survived but he’ll have nightmares about the raid for the rest of his life. When he heard that I was a British soldier, he flung himself at me like a terrier.’
‘Boys of that age act impulsively,’ noted Marlborough with a half-smile. ‘I once met a young lad named Daniel Rawson with the same kind of raw courage. Whatever happened to him, I wonder?’
‘I heard a rumour that he’d joined the army,’ said Cardonnel.
‘He showed great pluck. We should harness that.’
‘My situation was slightly different,’ said Daniel. ‘Though I lived on a farm, I’d always wanted to be a soldier like my father. I don’t think that Jules will ever end up wearing a uniform he despises. He just wants to be a farmer and live in peace.’
‘We’re striving to achieve that peace,’ Marlborough pointed out, ‘though it obviously doesn’t seem so to this unfortunate lad. Much as I sympathise with your motives, Daniel, I can’t let you ride off with one of the patrols. You must stay with us. We’re striking camp again.’
‘Already, Your Grace?’
‘In response to our move here, the French have shifted their base eastwards over the River Senne. Reports put them at Braine-l’Alleud.’
Daniel knew his geography. ‘That would mean Louvain was under threat,’ he said.
‘Precisely — that’s why we must block their approach. We’ll march through Brussels and set up camp at Terbanck, immediately south of Louvain.’
‘That’s more or less what we did last year, Your Grace.’
‘Yes,’ said Marlborough, sadly, ‘and we may very well find ourselves repeating the manoeuvre again next year. We’re playing a form of chess, Daniel. When they move a piece on the board, we have to counter it at once — until, that is, we can seize the initiative.’
‘And when will that be?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine. What I do know is that King Louis didn’t send such a huge army to the Spanish Netherlands in order for them to sit on their hands indefinitely. Sooner or later, they mean to strike. That’s why you’re of more use to us here than chasing a band of deserters. Who knows?’ he added. ‘They may not even be here any more. They could have returned to England.’
‘Oh, no,’ said Daniel with feeling. ‘They’re still here — I know it.’
Vendome was in the middle of a meal when the report was handed to him. He read it while chewing a mouthful of chicken. Captain Valeran, celebrating his recent promotion, was dining alone with him in the privacy of the tent. Vendome passed the report across to his favourite then turned to the messenger.
‘When did this happen?’ he asked.
‘A few days ago, Your Grace,’ replied the man.
‘How can they be sure that French soldiers were involved?’
‘One of them was killed and left behind. When the fire had died down, they found that his uniform had been burnt to a cinder but the buttons had survived and so had his musket. The buttons and the weapon were both ours. They confirmed that the raid was carried out by French soldiers.’
‘That’s dreadful!’ exclaimed Valeran.
‘It’s more than that, Raoul,’ said Vendome, angrily. ‘It’s utterly barbaric. I want the culprits identified and brought to me. If they’re so fond of flames, I’ll have them cooked over a slow fire.’
‘The raid was a long way away from here.’
‘That makes no difference. It occurred on territory we hold and which we should therefore safeguard.’
He dismissed the messenger with a flick of the hand and the man left the tent. Taking another bite out of the chicken, Vendome brooded, ignoring the gravy that dripped onto his lapel. Valeran passed the report back to him.
‘What are you going to do, Your Grace?’
‘I’ll make every effort to find them as quickly as possible. And I’ll need someone to return to that village.’
‘Why?’
‘They have to be pacified and recompensed,’ said Vendome. ‘No soldiers under my command should ever behave this way. When foraging is required, it’s sometimes necessary to use a little force but there’s never any call for a massacre like this.’
‘The whole farm was razed to the ground.’
‘Speak to the four men who used to work there.’
Valeran was taken aback. ‘You want me to go there?’
‘It’s a sign of how much trust I put in you,’ said Vendome, swilling down his food with some wine. ‘Find out more details of what went on and assure those four men that we’ll make some kind of restitution. We can’t afford to rebuild the whole farm, of course, but a gesture on our part will show them how seriously we take this whole business. Leave with a patrol first thing tomorrow morning.’
‘Yes, Your Grace,’ said Valeran without enthusiasm.
‘But be sure to hurry back — I’ll miss you.’
The captain rallied immediately.
‘What’s his name, Henry?’ asked Daniel.
‘Ralph Higgins.’
