Sharpes Gold   ::   Корнуэлл Бернард

Knowles shrugged. 'Perhaps he won't come, sir. He's getting the gold, isn't he?

Sharpe grinned. 'He thinks so. He glanced at Teresa. 'No, he'll come. He grinned at the girl. 'Major Kearsey thinks you should go back.

She raised her eyebrows, said nothing. Before Sharpe had left Cox's headquarters Kearsey had taken him aside, pleaded that Teresa should be returned to her father. Sharpe had nodded. 'Send her father at ten o'clock tomorrow, sir. Now he watched her. 'What do you want to do?

She looked at him, almost with a challenge. 'What will you do?

Sharpe's men, and some of the Germans, were listening to the conversation. Sharpe jerked his head at the door. 'Come into the small room. We'll talk.

Harper took a jug of wine, Lossow and Knowles their curiosity. The girl followed them. She paused outside the small sitting-room door and put cool fingers on his hand. 'Are you going to win, Richard?

He smiled. 'Yes. If he did not, then she was dead. El Catolico would want revenge on her.

Inside the small room they pulled off dust-covers and sat in comfortable chairs. Sharpe was tired, bone-tired, and his shoulder was aching with a deep, throbbing pain. He trimmed a candle wick, waited for the flame to grow, and talked softly.

'You all know what's happening. We're ordered to surrender the gold tomorrow. Captain Lossow is ordered to leave; we are ordered to stay.

He had already told them as they searched the houses, but he wanted to go over it, to look for the flaws, because he still hoped that the decision would prove unnecessary.

Lossow stirred in his chair. 'So it's all over? He frowned, not believing his own question.

'No. Whether Cox likes it or not, we go.

'And the gold? Teresa's voice was steady.

'Goes with us.

By some strange instinct they all relaxed, as if the statement were enough. 'The question is, Sharpe went on, 'how?

There was silence in the room. Harper looked asleep, his eyes closed, but Sharpe guessed that the Irishman was way ahead of the others. Knowles pummelled his chair-arm in frustration. 'If only we could get a message to the General!"

'We're too late. Time's run out.

Sharpe did not expect them to provide an answer, but he wanted them to think through the steps, to know the argument, so that when he provided the solution, they would agree.

Lossow leaned forward into the candlelight. 'Cox won't let you go. He thinks we're stealing the gold.

'He's right. Teresa shrugged.

Knowles was frowning.