Richard Sharpe at the Battle of Salamanca, 1812
***
Another book, another woman, and another French bastard that our man in the Iberian Peninsula needs to deal with. This time Richard Sharpe must help out his good friend Major Hogan deal with a French intelligence-minded cavalry officer named Leroux. This bastard is torturing to death all the good British spies in the region. And is looking to uncover a whole host of informants, networked all across Spain, Portugal, and France itself. Yikes!
The lady is high above Sharpe's lowly station; one Marquesa de Casares el Grande y Melida Sadaba. A real looker, this one. Sharpe is gravely wounded in this book, and has a long road to recovery. Harper is instrumental in nursing him back to the land of the living, so he is.
Wellesley tricks the French Marshal into believing that the British army is fleeing for Portugal, leaving not but a rear guard force to slow French pursuit. The bloody frogs take the bait, and the trap is sprung. A decisive British victory made slightly less overwhelming due to the poor performance (again!) of the Spanish troops Wellington is here to help. They abandoned their posts, guarding the lone bridge across the river, allowing some of the French survivors to escape.
Another excellent read.
