Beaux, Ballrooms and Battles
An Anthology of Romance Stories Celebrating the Battle
of Waterloo
Nine authors, of whom I am proud to be one, have joined forces to produce a collection of wonderful stories to celebrate the bicentenary of England’s most evocative military success.
From the battlefields of the Peninsular Wars, our National
hero, the Duke of Wellington, took his depleted force of British veterans,
their ranks swelled by a motley assortment of raw recruits, ‘unbloodied’
officers and allies of varying accomplishment, and defeated the over-confidence
of the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte.
The scene is familiar to anyone interested in the Napoleonic
Wars. Wellington deployed his forces on the now-famous ridge, with a stalwart
battalion of the King’s German Legion commanded by Major Baring at the
influential farm of La Haye Sainte. He garrisoned the Hougoumont estate of
chateau, barns, gardens, orchards, woods and parkland with four light companies
of his best troops, the Guards, bolstered by seven hundred Hanoverians and
Nassauers seconded in the woods. This meant Napoleon would have to divide his army in
front of the Duke’s most accomplished forces in order to move up the winding hollow
which passed beneath the walls of the house or to envelop Wellington’s right
flank.
Below the ridge, fields of corn stretched across the valley
of the River Ohain to the opposing hill surmounted by the red-tiled inn of La
Belle Alliance, to which it owed its name. For the Allied Force, the sight of
Napoleon’s mighty army, with helmets, cuirasses and weapons glittering in the
June sunshine, must have been awe-inspiring. It is little wonder that the
fresh-faced sons of the soil shook in their ill-fitting boots.
Yet, in spite of his military might and his parading on his
white horse to cheers of ‘Vive l’Empereur!’, Napoleon made grave tactical
errors, made the mistake of underestimating his opponent and, ultimately, paid
the price.
The valiant Guards held Hougoumont against all the odds and
in spite of some of the British cavalry losing discipline, resulting in the
decimation of the Scots Greys among others (although it could be argued that
without the devastating effects of Uxbridge’s charge, the French strength on
Wellington’s left flank would not have been thus negated), the infantry were
supreme. A daring and inspired manoeuvre by the first battalion of the 52nd,
commanded by John Colborne (later Lord Seaton), so surprised the French
Imperial Guard, Adam’s brigade was able to follow up the attack. Casualties
were so heavy, the French ranks broke and fled.
In the face of overwhelming odds, the loss of life, both
human and equine, was prodigious; the squadrons of foreign Horse proved to be
of little use, refusing to charge against the heavy French cuirassiers, and
even the British cavalry were reluctant at times, although there were several
regiments, not least the 13th Light Dragoons and the 15th
Hussars, who covered themselves with glory. If not for the courage and
gallantry of all these men and horses, life for us today might be very
different.
As dusk began to fall, the smoke lifted and rays of the setting
sun glinted and gleamed, not only on the accoutrements of both exhausted
armies, but also on the massed numbers of the Prussian forces as they swarmed
on to the battlefield from the east. Despite the miscommunication and delay
caused by the erroneous assumption that Napoleon was elsewhere, and the hours
thus gained which allowed the Emperor to drive a wedge between Wellington’s and
Blucher’s armies, the Prussians had arrived to reinforce a famous victory. The
little Corsican may have ‘hum bugged me, by God!’, to paraphrase Wellington’s
oft-quoted remark, and derided the Duke as ‘a bad General’ with ‘bad troops’,
but it is doubtful that the Allies would have succeeded without him. If
his recorded remark to Creevey appears arrogant, it could be said he was
entitled to be.
‘By God! I don’t think it would have been done if I had not
been there.’
Meeting shortly after nine o’clock at La Belle Alliance, from
the back of his horse Blucher embraced his English Commander-in-Chief. “Quelle affaire!” he exclaimed.
Quelle affaire, indeed. Please join with us in saluting this
glorious event in British history.
The stories in Beaux, Ballrooms and Battles are all
set around Waterloo, its history and aftermath. All are sweet romances, written
by international and best-selling authors.
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March 18th ~ Come and join us!
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April 1st ~ Guest authors and giveaways!
