he had kept all the men cheerful when they were pinned down by a bunch of savages, howling like demons." He was staring into the distance as if he saw not the sideboard with the elaborate Coalport china on it, but some baking plain under an Indian sun. "Almost out of ammunition, they were, and waiting to die. Said Thaddeus gave them heart, made them proud to be British and give their lives for the Queen." He sighed again.
Peverell smiled sadly. Edith pulled a face, partly sorrow, partly embarrassment.
"That must be a great comfort to you," Hester said, then found it sounded hollow the moment her words were out. "I mean to know that he was so admired."
"We knew it anyway," Felicia said without looking at her. "Everyone admired Thaddeus. He was a leader among men. His officers thought he was a hero, his troops would follow him anywhere. Had the gift of command, you see?" She looked at Hester, eyes wide. "He knew how to inspire loyalty because he was always fair. He punished cowardice and dishonesty; he praised courage and honor, and duty. He never denied a man his right, and never charged a man unless he was sure that man was guilty. He kept total discipline, but the men loved him for it."
"Have to in the army," Randolph added, glaring at Hester. "Do you know what happens when there is no discipline, girl? Army falls to pieces under fire. Every man for himself. Un-British! Frightful! A soldier must obey his superior at all times - instantly."
"Yes I do know," Hester said without thinking, but from the depth of her own feeling. "Sometimes it's glorious, and sometimes it's unmitigated disaster."
Randolph's face darkened. "What the devil do you mean, girl? What on earth do you know about it? Damned impertinence! I'll have you know I fought in the Peninsular War, and at Waterloo against the emperor of the French, and beat him too."
"Yes, Colonel Carlyon." She met his eyes without flinching. She felt a pity for him as a man; he was old, bereaved, muddle-headed and becoming more than a little maudlin. But soldierlike she stood her ground. "And magnificent campaigns they were, none more brilliant in all our history. But times have changed. And some of our commanders have not changed with them. They fought the Crimea with the same tactics, and they were not good enough. A soldier's blind obedience is only as good as his commander's knowledge of the situation and skill in combat."
"Thaddeus was brilliant," Felicia said icily. "He never lost a major campaign and no soldier forfeited his life because of any incompetence of his."
"Certainly not," Randolph added, and slid a fraction farther down in his seat, hiccuping.
"We all know he was a very good soldier, Papa," Edith said quietly. "And I am glad that men who served with him have written to say how grieved they are he is gone. It is a wonderful thing to have been so admired."
"He was more than admired," Felicia said quickly. "He was also loved."
"The obituaries have been excellent," Peverell put in. "Few men have had their passing marked by such respect."
"It is appalling that this whole disaster was ever allowed to progress this far," Felicia said with a tight expression in her face, blinking as if to avoid tears.
"I don't know what you mean." Damaris looked at her perplexedly. "Progress to what?"
"To trial, of course." Felicia's face puckered with anger and distress. "It should have been dealt with long before it ever got so far." She turned to Peverell. "I blame you for that. I expected you to cope with it and see that Thaddeus's memory was not subjected to vulgar speculation; and that Alexandra's madness, and it must be said, wickedness, was not made a public sensation for the worst elements of humanity to revel in. As a lawyer, you should have been able to do it, and as a member of this family, I would have thought your loyalty to us would have seen that you did."
"That's unfair," Damaris said immediately, her face hot and her eyes bright. "Just because one is a lawyer does not mean one can do anything one likes with the law. In fact just the opposite. Peverell has a trust towards the law, an obligation, which none of the rest of us have. I don't know what you think he could have done!"
"I think he could have certified Alexandra as insane and unfit to stand trial," Felicia snapped. "Instead