… and this time Ashley asked Leslie for permission to personally assist Brown but was met with a flat refusal. He was still arguing when Lambert engaged Brown at Inverkeithing and wiped the floor with him. And that was when Francis saw the paragon hurl a number of accurate but unforgivable accusations at General Leslie’s head and lose his temper so thoroughly that he had to be physically removed.
Shown unceremoniously back to his quarters, with orders to stay there, Colonel Peverell flung his hat across the room and himself into a chair. Then, fixing his Major with a wild, green stare he said, ‘Bloody buggering hell! Has he any sodding idea what he’s doing? He’s supposed to be a General, for Christ’s sake! Is he going to sit on his arse through the entire campaign, leaving his men to be needlessly butchered? Does the stupid bastard intend to fight at all – or is he just along for the ride? Because if he is …. if he is , I for one would sooner be court-martialled than follow his fucking orders!’
Francis waited until the tirade ground to a halt and then said reflectively, ‘How fortunate we’re not in England. By my calculations, that speech would have cost you more than you have in your pockets.’ Then, when all he got was another smouldering glance, ‘All right. By all means, let’s wallow. Then you can take a deep breath and consider the fact that General Leslie is unlikely to forgive you.’
Shrugging, Ashley described tersely and in the vernacular, what General Leslie might do with himself.
‘An interesting idea – but scarcely conducive to Anglo-Scottish harmony.’
‘Tell that to the poor devils who died today – most of them needlessly, I might add.’
‘Point taken. But will creating ill-feeling throughout the army bring them back? And are all our efforts and His Majesty’s prospects to be buried with them?’
There was a long silence while the latent fury gradually faded from Ashley’s face. Then, shutting his eyes and letting his head drop back against his chair, he said tonelessly, ‘Hell. You’d better find me a sheet of paper.’
It was unexpected.
‘Paper? Why?’
‘Why do you think?’ His eyes opened again, their expression bitterly ironic. ‘I’ll have to swallow my bile and apologise. And since Leslie won’t receive me, I’m going to have to write him a damned love-letter.’
~ * * ~ * * ~
FOUR
Thanks to some tactful intervention by the King, General Leslie was eventually persuaded to accept Colonel Peverell’s apology and allow him to return to duty. This was just as well for, during the week that followed, Cromwell started moving slowly and circuitously northwards, taking Inchgarvie and Burntisland. And that, as everyone in the Royalist camp was well-aware, gave them a choice between turning back to defend Perth or letting it fall while they marched south.
As far as Charles was concerned, there was only one answer to this question and, on July 30 th , he finally forced General Leslie to accept it. Argyll (who couldn’t accept it at all) promptly went off in a huff again – causing Hamilton to remark that all the rogues had now left them. And Charles swept into the billet shared by Ashley, Francis and Nicholas saying, ‘I’ve done it. We march for Carlisle tomorrow.’
Nicholas’s grin threatened to split his face.
‘Oh well done, Sir – well done indeed! Now we’ll show them! Just wait till I tell the men.’ He paused on his way to the door. ‘I can tell them, can’t I?’
‘By all means.’ Smiling a little, the King stepped aside to let him pass. Then, looking at Colonel Peverell, ‘Well, Ash? Will we show them?’
‘I hope so, Sir. We’ll certainly do our best.’
‘I know,’ returned Charles. ‘If I didn’t, we’d be heading for Perth instead. Or then again – perhaps not. This opportunity may not come
Shown unceremoniously back to his quarters, with orders to stay there, Colonel Peverell flung his hat across the room and himself into a chair. Then, fixing his Major with a wild, green stare he said, ‘Bloody buggering hell! Has he any sodding idea what he’s doing? He’s supposed to be a General, for Christ’s sake! Is he going to sit on his arse through the entire campaign, leaving his men to be needlessly butchered? Does the stupid bastard intend to fight at all – or is he just along for the ride? Because if he is …. if he is , I for one would sooner be court-martialled than follow his fucking orders!’
Francis waited until the tirade ground to a halt and then said reflectively, ‘How fortunate we’re not in England. By my calculations, that speech would have cost you more than you have in your pockets.’ Then, when all he got was another smouldering glance, ‘All right. By all means, let’s wallow. Then you can take a deep breath and consider the fact that General Leslie is unlikely to forgive you.’
Shrugging, Ashley described tersely and in the vernacular, what General Leslie might do with himself.
‘An interesting idea – but scarcely conducive to Anglo-Scottish harmony.’
‘Tell that to the poor devils who died today – most of them needlessly, I might add.’
‘Point taken. But will creating ill-feeling throughout the army bring them back? And are all our efforts and His Majesty’s prospects to be buried with them?’
There was a long silence while the latent fury gradually faded from Ashley’s face. Then, shutting his eyes and letting his head drop back against his chair, he said tonelessly, ‘Hell. You’d better find me a sheet of paper.’
It was unexpected.
‘Paper? Why?’
‘Why do you think?’ His eyes opened again, their expression bitterly ironic. ‘I’ll have to swallow my bile and apologise. And since Leslie won’t receive me, I’m going to have to write him a damned love-letter.’
~ * * ~ * * ~
FOUR
Thanks to some tactful intervention by the King, General Leslie was eventually persuaded to accept Colonel Peverell’s apology and allow him to return to duty. This was just as well for, during the week that followed, Cromwell started moving slowly and circuitously northwards, taking Inchgarvie and Burntisland. And that, as everyone in the Royalist camp was well-aware, gave them a choice between turning back to defend Perth or letting it fall while they marched south.
As far as Charles was concerned, there was only one answer to this question and, on July 30 th , he finally forced General Leslie to accept it. Argyll (who couldn’t accept it at all) promptly went off in a huff again – causing Hamilton to remark that all the rogues had now left them. And Charles swept into the billet shared by Ashley, Francis and Nicholas saying, ‘I’ve done it. We march for Carlisle tomorrow.’
Nicholas’s grin threatened to split his face.
‘Oh well done, Sir – well done indeed! Now we’ll show them! Just wait till I tell the men.’ He paused on his way to the door. ‘I can tell them, can’t I?’
‘By all means.’ Smiling a little, the King stepped aside to let him pass. Then, looking at Colonel Peverell, ‘Well, Ash? Will we show them?’
‘I hope so, Sir. We’ll certainly do our best.’
‘I know,’ returned Charles. ‘If I didn’t, we’d be heading for Perth instead. Or then again – perhaps not. This opportunity may not come
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