she said, confidently.
‘That’s why he met you, Amalia.’
With a light laugh at the compliment, she kissed him on the cheek in gratitude. Though her father embraced her warmly, his face was lined with apprehension.
Major General William Cadogan was a big, genial man in his early thirties with a reputation as an inveterate gambler. He was also a brilliant cavalry officer and a resourceful Quartermaster General of the Confederate army. But it was his work as head of intelligence that brought him into contactwith Daniel Rawson. It fell to Cadogan to collate all the information gathered from prisoners and deserters, or from those who’d been captured by the French then exchanged. He also maintained his own cadre of spies. In this way, he built up a clear picture of the activities of the enemy.
‘By what strange and mysterious witchcraft did you learn all this?’ he asked in wonderment.
‘I happened to be in the right place at the right time, sir.’
‘That’s arrant nonsense, Daniel, so don’t try to fool me. It’s almost as if you rode into the heart of the enemy camp.’
‘I went to an inn nearby,’ explained Daniel, ‘and waited until some of the officers came there for a drinking bout. When I bought Major Crevel some wine, he was kind enough to reward me with details of the French plans.’
‘There’s more to it than that,’ said Cadogan, ‘and I want to hear the full story. No more of your modesty either. You’ve earned the right to boast a little.’
‘I was lucky, sir.’
‘You were both lucky and infernally clever, if I know you.’
Daniel gave him an abbreviated account of events at the inn near Valenciennes and Cadogan was soon laughing heartily. Even the details about the killing of the French officer didn’t stop his guffaws. He loved the notion that a tavern bill had been passed off as a cry for help from a non-existent sister in distress. Cadogan saved his real mirth for the news that Crevel had been stripped of his uniform and left in a ditch. He positively rocked with laughter.
The two men were in Cadogan’s tent, sharing a drink while they talked with easy familiarity. They had much in common. Both had fought in Ireland and taken part in the attacks on Cork and Kinsale under the command of the future Duke of Marlborough. Cadogan had been a cornet in the Enniskillen Dragoons while Daniel had been a humble corporal in a Dutch regiment. Both had shown conspicuous gallantry throughout their careers. When Cadogan married a Dutch heiress, he learnt her native language and was able to converse fluently in it with Daniel. It brought them closer together.
‘It must have been a terrible shock for Major Crevel,’ said Cadogan. ‘To wake up half-naked in a ditch, I mean.’
‘I think our picquets had an even greater shock,’ noted Daniel. ‘They thought they’d captured a French officer and they carried me off as if I was a wondrous prize. Imagine their disappointment when they discovered that I was a captain in a British regiment.’
‘They should have applauded your audacity, Daniel.’
‘They cursed me for not telling them the truth at the start.’
‘Your mission was a success, that’s the main thing.’
‘Yes, I expected to be there for days before I gleaned anything that I could report back to you. It was pure happenstance that information fell into my hands on that first night.’
‘There’s that modesty creeping in again,’ observedCadogan. ‘Nothing in your life occurs by accident, Daniel. You’re the most deliberate human being I’ve ever met. You went there in search of intelligence and, by Jove, you found it straight away. Your secret was to pick the right man.’
‘It was a case of in vino veritas .’
‘None of us is immune to the seductive power of the grape.’
‘As a wine merchant,’ said Daniel, taking a sip before holding up his glass, ‘I’m inclined to agree.’
Cadogan laughed again. In spite of his weight and girth, he was really
‘That’s why he met you, Amalia.’
With a light laugh at the compliment, she kissed him on the cheek in gratitude. Though her father embraced her warmly, his face was lined with apprehension.
Major General William Cadogan was a big, genial man in his early thirties with a reputation as an inveterate gambler. He was also a brilliant cavalry officer and a resourceful Quartermaster General of the Confederate army. But it was his work as head of intelligence that brought him into contactwith Daniel Rawson. It fell to Cadogan to collate all the information gathered from prisoners and deserters, or from those who’d been captured by the French then exchanged. He also maintained his own cadre of spies. In this way, he built up a clear picture of the activities of the enemy.
‘By what strange and mysterious witchcraft did you learn all this?’ he asked in wonderment.
‘I happened to be in the right place at the right time, sir.’
‘That’s arrant nonsense, Daniel, so don’t try to fool me. It’s almost as if you rode into the heart of the enemy camp.’
‘I went to an inn nearby,’ explained Daniel, ‘and waited until some of the officers came there for a drinking bout. When I bought Major Crevel some wine, he was kind enough to reward me with details of the French plans.’
‘There’s more to it than that,’ said Cadogan, ‘and I want to hear the full story. No more of your modesty either. You’ve earned the right to boast a little.’
‘I was lucky, sir.’
‘You were both lucky and infernally clever, if I know you.’
Daniel gave him an abbreviated account of events at the inn near Valenciennes and Cadogan was soon laughing heartily. Even the details about the killing of the French officer didn’t stop his guffaws. He loved the notion that a tavern bill had been passed off as a cry for help from a non-existent sister in distress. Cadogan saved his real mirth for the news that Crevel had been stripped of his uniform and left in a ditch. He positively rocked with laughter.
The two men were in Cadogan’s tent, sharing a drink while they talked with easy familiarity. They had much in common. Both had fought in Ireland and taken part in the attacks on Cork and Kinsale under the command of the future Duke of Marlborough. Cadogan had been a cornet in the Enniskillen Dragoons while Daniel had been a humble corporal in a Dutch regiment. Both had shown conspicuous gallantry throughout their careers. When Cadogan married a Dutch heiress, he learnt her native language and was able to converse fluently in it with Daniel. It brought them closer together.
‘It must have been a terrible shock for Major Crevel,’ said Cadogan. ‘To wake up half-naked in a ditch, I mean.’
‘I think our picquets had an even greater shock,’ noted Daniel. ‘They thought they’d captured a French officer and they carried me off as if I was a wondrous prize. Imagine their disappointment when they discovered that I was a captain in a British regiment.’
‘They should have applauded your audacity, Daniel.’
‘They cursed me for not telling them the truth at the start.’
‘Your mission was a success, that’s the main thing.’
‘Yes, I expected to be there for days before I gleaned anything that I could report back to you. It was pure happenstance that information fell into my hands on that first night.’
‘There’s that modesty creeping in again,’ observedCadogan. ‘Nothing in your life occurs by accident, Daniel. You’re the most deliberate human being I’ve ever met. You went there in search of intelligence and, by Jove, you found it straight away. Your secret was to pick the right man.’
‘It was a case of in vino veritas .’
‘None of us is immune to the seductive power of the grape.’
‘As a wine merchant,’ said Daniel, taking a sip before holding up his glass, ‘I’m inclined to agree.’
Cadogan laughed again. In spite of his weight and girth, he was really
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