JК
Sharpes Havoc :: Корнуэлл Бернард
Страница: 198 из 242There were rumors, happily ill-founded, that alarge number of folk, especially in the north, were more than a little sympathetic to the French, and Christopher was merely supposed to be determining the extent of that sympathy.”
„Couldn’t the embassy do that?” Hogan demanded.
„Not without being noticed,” Pumphrey said, „and not without occasioning some offense to a nation which is, after all, our most ancient ally. And I rather suspect that if you despatch someone from the embassy to ask questions then you will merely fetch the answers people think you want to hear. No, Christopher was supposed to be an English gentleman traveling in north Portugal, but, as you observe, the opportunity went to his head. Cradock was then halfwitted enough to give him brevet rank and so Christopher began hatching his plots.” Lord Pumphrey gazed up at the ceiling which was painted with reveling deities and dancing nymphs. „My own suspicion is that Mister Christopher has been laying bets on every horse in the race. We know he was encouraging a mutiny, but I strongly suspect he betrayed the mutineers. The encouragement was to reassure us that he worked for our interests and the betrayal endeared him to the French. He is determined, is he not, to be on the winning side? But the main intrigue, of course, was to enrich himself at the expense of the Savage ladies.” Pumphrey paused, then offered a seraphic smile. „I’ve always rather admired bigamists. One wife would be altogether too much for me, but for a man to take two!”
„Did I hear you say he wants to come back?” Sharpe asked.
„I surmise as much. James Christopher is not a man to burn his bridges unless he has no alternative. Oh yes, I’m sure he’ll be designing some way to return to London if he finds a lack of opportunity with the French.”
„Now I’m supposed to shoot the shit-faced bastard,” Sharpe said.
„Not precisely how we in the Foreign Office would express the matter,” Lord Pumphrey said severely, „but you are, I see, seized of the essence. Go and shoot him, Richard, and God bless your little rifle.”
„And what are you doing here?” Sharpe thought to ask.
„Other than being exquisitely uncomfortable?” Pumphrey asked. „I was sent to supervise Christopher. He approached General Cradock with news of a proposed mutiny. Cradock, quite properly, reported the affair to London and London became excited at the thought of suborning Bonaparte’s army in Portugal and Spain, but felt that someone of wisdom and good judgment was needed to propel the scheme and so, quite naturally, they asked me to come.
„Couldn’t the embassy do that?” Hogan demanded.
„Not without being noticed,” Pumphrey said, „and not without occasioning some offense to a nation which is, after all, our most ancient ally. And I rather suspect that if you despatch someone from the embassy to ask questions then you will merely fetch the answers people think you want to hear. No, Christopher was supposed to be an English gentleman traveling in north Portugal, but, as you observe, the opportunity went to his head. Cradock was then halfwitted enough to give him brevet rank and so Christopher began hatching his plots.” Lord Pumphrey gazed up at the ceiling which was painted with reveling deities and dancing nymphs. „My own suspicion is that Mister Christopher has been laying bets on every horse in the race. We know he was encouraging a mutiny, but I strongly suspect he betrayed the mutineers. The encouragement was to reassure us that he worked for our interests and the betrayal endeared him to the French. He is determined, is he not, to be on the winning side? But the main intrigue, of course, was to enrich himself at the expense of the Savage ladies.” Pumphrey paused, then offered a seraphic smile. „I’ve always rather admired bigamists. One wife would be altogether too much for me, but for a man to take two!”
„Did I hear you say he wants to come back?” Sharpe asked.
„I surmise as much. James Christopher is not a man to burn his bridges unless he has no alternative. Oh yes, I’m sure he’ll be designing some way to return to London if he finds a lack of opportunity with the French.”
„Now I’m supposed to shoot the shit-faced bastard,” Sharpe said.
„Not precisely how we in the Foreign Office would express the matter,” Lord Pumphrey said severely, „but you are, I see, seized of the essence. Go and shoot him, Richard, and God bless your little rifle.”
„And what are you doing here?” Sharpe thought to ask.
„Other than being exquisitely uncomfortable?” Pumphrey asked. „I was sent to supervise Christopher. He approached General Cradock with news of a proposed mutiny. Cradock, quite properly, reported the affair to London and London became excited at the thought of suborning Bonaparte’s army in Portugal and Spain, but felt that someone of wisdom and good judgment was needed to propel the scheme and so, quite naturally, they asked me to come.