Withecombe - Into Spain with the 30th!

INTO SPAIN WITH THE 30 TH !

INTO SPAIN WITH THE 30 TH!

(a James Trevelyan adventure)

By

Brian Withecombe

Copyright Brian Withecombe 2022

As always, to my long-suffering wife Maureen for having the patience to put up with

my writing and correcting my numerous errors!

Acknowledgement

As with the first book in this series, I am indebted to Peter Snows informative book To War with Wellington for the historical detail, but of course the part played by James Trevelyan and the men of the 30 th , together with his friends and colleagues is purely fictional.

Other books by the same author and available through Amazon. * denotes those available as paperbacks.

The Courtenay adventures

The Claymore*

Courtenay and the Seagull*

The Seagull and LeCorsair*

Aphrodites Quest*

Amazon at the Nile*

The Winged Avenger*

HMS Pegasus*

The Greek Warrior*

Return of the Warrior*

The Scotsman*

Argylls Flag*

The Bulldog Breed*

Tempest*

Tempest in the East Indies*

Tempest and the Guerrillas*

Courtenays Pendant*

An Admiral of the Blue*

Courtenays Mission*

Courtenay and the Mercenaries*

Flag Officer Jamaica!*

East India Squadron*

Navarino*

Courtenays Reward*

The Fortress at Tikardo

The Young Lions Opium and Greed

The Russian Campaign

Chris Metcalfe stories

CID Algarve Metcalfes Challenge*

CID Algarve Caf Culture

CID Algarve A Lawyers End

CID Algarve The Lord Protector

The Dead Neighbour Who Dun it?

James Trevelyan adventures

Hussar!

War Stories

Fabric, Dope.and Revenge!*

At the Eleventh Hour*

Humour

Sergeants Law

ONE

So tell me, James, when do you have to return to Portugal, or has it been decided that you are too important to the family to return to your Regiment? Captain the Hon. James Trevelyan was dancing with Miss Mary-Louise Smith-Cholmendely at his parents London House on the occasion of the New Year. It was snowing outside, and bitterly cold, but in the house, there was a myriad of candles lighting the rooms and the usual huge mound of food and drink. Many of the guests were either, or well on their way to becoming drunk, and it still wanted half an hour to the start of the new year. 1811. One in which many people were hoping that Lord Wellington would be able to make inroads into the French hold on Spain.

James looked down at his dancing partner and smiled. I can assure you the latter option is not viable Mary-Louise. I am due to return to the Regiment in two days, subject of course to the damned weather. He shivered despite the warmth of the room at the thought of what laid beyond the stout walls and windows of the house.

Are you not at all angry that you lost the rank you had been given last year? She looked up at him quizzically.

Not at all. It was only an acting rank after all, and was never confirmed by Horse Guards. The Regiment could confer the rank on me, but it would have no formal effect unless confirmed. I will still have a Squadron to command, and I am content with that. With such a command, I only have a limited number of men to think about. I could not begin to imagine what it would be like to command a whole Regiment!

Mary-Louise Smith-Cholmendely was the daughter of some friends of Jamess parents, the Earl and Countess of Graysford, and she was now the ex-wife of a banker who had killed, or rather, murdered, one of his friends in a duel a few years ago. That had been the catalyst to make James change his then lifestyle which he had done by asking his father to buy him a commission in a cavalry regiment. He had duly joined the 30 th Hussars, and now would have no other unit. He had served with distinction in Portugal being wounded twice, attaining promotions to First-lieutenant and then Captain, and had commanded the Regiments B Squadron before returning home late the previous year when Lord Wellington, as he now was, had taken his Army into winter quarters. His old friend, now Lieutenant-colonel Johnny Driscoll, had sent him home with orders to assist in ensuring more of the 30 th was ready for combat when Wellington struck into Spain, and that was what he had been doing since his return.

The music ended and James escorted Mary-Louise to where her parents, Lord and Lady Smith-Cholmendely, were seated. He received a smile and a nod from both, kissed Mary-Louises hand and went in search of a drink. In doing so, he had to pass one of the servants, who gave a little curtsy and a huge smile. Would you be wanting a drink sir? she asked. Suzzana Alfreston had been in his parents service for many years and was one of the more senior maids. She was extremely pretty, and Mary-Louise had once said to James that she was of the opinion Suzzana had a thing about him, which he had laughed off, but he always remembered the night when he had awoken in his bed at the house after returning from Portugal to recover from wounds he had sustained and when he had been in some discomfort. There had been soft soothing words and a gentle hand on his wound. When he had awoken there was nothing to suggest anyone else had been with him, but the voice that had uttered the words had belonged to Suzzana.

Thank you Suzzana, if you can find me a brandy? Not keen on too much Champagne.

I will get you one sir. Not long now.

To what? he said but she had gone. She was back two minutes later with a large balloon glass and a measure of brandy in it. He smiled his thanks, she gave a small curtsy and disappeared into the throng of people. He shook his head, then gravitated to some friends he had invited and joined in with their conversation, which was about the latest scandal to hit Society.

The New Year came with much cheering and jollity, but James was thinking more about what was happening in Portugal. The 30 th , or what was left of it, was in quarters not far from Oporto, on the banks of the Douro and not far from the open sea. His horses were also there, under the care of his orderly, Trooper Jones, and he hoped they were being well looked after. Not long after he had returned to England and to the Regiments Depot in Sussex, another member of the unit had arrived in the shape of Sergeant-major Elias West, now Regimental Sergeant-major. Driscoll had sent him home as well to enable him to assist James in training the new recruits flooding into the Depot. At least, that was what Driscoll had been hoping was happening. However, the flood was more of a trickle, despite the efforts of the recruiting sergeants who would be scouring the countryside again as soon as the weather allowed to try to get more men to take the Kings shilling and enlist. With thoughts of Oporto came thoughts about a certain Cassandra da Sousa and her father Tomas. He pursed his lips as he thought of the young lady. There was some thought in the minds of James and Wellingtons main intelligence officer, Major Thornley Kavanagh, that daSilva was not all he seemed as he had appeared on friendly terms with the French when they occupied Portugal, and just before James had returned home, he had seen a man come out of the da Silva house, kissing Cassandra passionately as he had so, that Kavanagh was even more interested in because the man was a French spy, Harry Mossly, a former British officer.

James had been with his elder brother Cedric at the time and he had entrusted to him a note to Kavanagh. That he had received it had been confirmed when West reported back to the Depot with a message from the intelligence man. West had smiled briefly and said, Major says, watch out for that one! and added, I dont think he was talking about the man sir. with a huge wink.

The guests were taking their leave, about to face the somewhat inclement weather outside the house. Mary-Louise was one of the last to go, and in truth she had been hoping that James would ask her to stay a little longer, but he had not. He did promise, if duty allowed, to call on her shortly, but he knew she was not the woman for him, even if he ever decided that he would like to take a wife. He felt it was not fair on a man about to return to somewhere he might well not return from, leaving a wife lonely at home. He was well aware that there were a good number of men who were perfectly happy to prey on lonely wives to give them the comfort and the company that they had lost when their men went to war. He had seen himself the anguish that the wives of enlisted men went through when they waved their husbands goodbye as they had not been lucky enough to be chosen to go with them. He wondered if he could ever put someone he loved through that without feeling a great amount of guilt and worry, and there was also the thought that would it mean one would become less of a fighter if he thought he had to be careful so as to hopefully return home. Mary-Louise gave him a short wave as she pulled the cowl of her cloak over her head and walked carefully down the steps to the waiting carriage.