Doctor Who_ World Game - Doctor Who_ World Game Part 38
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Doctor Who_ World Game Part 38

Suppose that force is commanded by one of Napoleon's marshals? Someone who's fought beside him for twenty years?'

'It won't be,' said the Doctor, sounding more confident than he felt. 'All his marshals are needed at Waterloo. That force will be commanded by someone relatively junior. Someone who saw Napoleon twice at reviews, and met him once at a reception.'

'You'd better be right, Doctor,' said Grant. 'General Blucher, if the French force moves in to the attack, may I suggest that you send a rearguard of your best men to hold them back and do your damnedest to get the rest to Waterloo. If on the other hand they start to retreat...'

'Then you'll know a miracle has happened,' said the Doctor. 'Shall we go, Colonel?'

General Didier, commander of the special French expeditionary force, was standing, surrounded by his officers, on a hill overlooking the Prussian position. The General was in an irritable and nervous state. Newly promoted, this was his first major command. Its importance had been impressed upon him and he was desperately anxious to do the right thing.

Moreover he was suffering from confusing and contradictory orders. After a long period of inactivity, he had received orders to set off for Waterloo and support the Grand Army. Almost immediately these orders had been countermanded, by a dispatch borne by one of the Emperor's aides. He was to proceed to this crossroads and engage with a waiting force of Prussians. He was to prevent their reaching Waterloo at any cost.

At the sight of the Prussians, Didier had halted his brigade and summoned his staff officers to a conference. Unlike the Duke of Wellington, he was fond of conferences. Should they launch a full-frontal attack? Should they try to outflank the enemy with part of their forces and launch an attack on two fronts? Should they circle the Prussians completely and block the road to Waterloo?

Each of these propositions had supporters on his staff, and a fierce debate was raging. Suddenly there was a burst of cheering from the soldiers around the hill.

A cry went up. 'The Emperor! The Emperor comes! Long live the Emperor.'

They turned and saw a shockingly familiar figure white charger, long black cloak, bicorn hat worn sideways galloping up the hill towards them, attended by a single cuirassier lieutenant.

The Emperor rode his horse into their midst and dismounted, tossing his reins to the nearest officer. His aide did the same.

The Emperor glared around the terrified little circle. 'What do you think you are doing here?' he said harshly.

General Didier stepped forward. 'Obeying your orders, my Emperor.'

'Fool!' screamed the Emperor. 'My orders were that you should hold your position in reserve until I sent for you.'

'But those orders were countermanded by your special aide, Lieutenant Valmont. Here he comes now!'

An elegant young officer was striding towards their little group. He had classically handsome features, marred by a hint of petulance and romantically curling black hair.

It was indeed Valmont the Countess's companion and aide. The one who had killed Serena. It was bound to be him, thought the Doctor. The Countess would be with Napoleon at this crucial moment, and she had delegated this part of her plan to Valmont.

Attack, he decided, was his best and probably his only form of defence.

'That man is not my aide,' he announced. 'He is an impostor and the dispatch he brought you was forged.'

Valmont's counterattack was immediate. 'This man is not the Emperor! He is the impostor! He is an English spy known as the Doctor.' There was a gasp of horror from his audience.

He turned to General Didier. 'Surely there are soldiers here who know the Emperor well, who served with him in Egypt or in Russia? Send for them! When they denounce this impostor as they will you can shoot him as a spy!'

It was Grant who saved the day. He stepped forward and slapped Valmont backhanded across the mouth. 'You insult my Emperor!' Valmont staggered back, mouth bleeding. 'You demand satisfaction, no doubt?'

Valmont looked badly shaken, but at least he knew the form.

'Very well, sir. My seconds will call upon you in due course.'

'No sir,' said Grant instantly. 'That would not be fair.'

'Not fair? What do you mean, sir?'

'We are at war, about to go into battle. I might not survive, then you would never get the satisfaction you deserve.'

'I am prepared to accept the risk.'

'But I am not. I have insulted you, indeed I have struck you. You shall have your satisfaction, here and now.'

Grant went to his horse and took a brace of pistols from their saddle holsters.

'These weapons are evenly matched, both primed and loaded.' He held out the weapons to Valmont. 'Choose!'

Grant was reversing the proper etiquette for a duel, thought the Doctor. It was for the injured party to demand satisfaction. He was forcing the pace, determined to kill Valmont. The Doctor wondered for a moment if he ought to intervene. In his role as Emperor, he could forbid the duel.

But this was Serena's killer. With surprising and worrying ease, the Doctor crushed his conscience.

Instead it was General Didier who intervened. 'But this cannot be,' he said fussily. 'There must be seconds, they must strive to affect a reconciliation. A meeting ground must be mutually agreed...'

'With respect, General, there is no time. This is war.'

A lively debate broke out amongst Didier's staff officers.

The consensus seemed to be that the duel should go ahead.

'Let them fight! This is war!'

Once again Grant held out the pistols to Valmont.

'Choose!'

There was no way Valmont could refuse to fight, not and maintain his role as an officer and a gentleman. He took one of the pistols.

'Twenty paces suit you?' said Grant. He turned to Didier. 'I know you believe this is all very irregular, sir, but this is war and great issues are at stake. Will you do the honours, sir?'

General Didier cleared his throat. 'You will take your positions, gentlemen.' The two men took ten paces each and then turned to face each other as spectators hurriedly moved out of the line of fire. 'You may cock your weapons, gentlemen.'

Two loud clicks resounded through the sudden silence.

Didier produced a handkerchief from his sleeve and held it high. 'When the handkerchief falls, gentlemen, you may fire.

Take aim!'

Both men levelled their weapons. There was another moment of tense silence.

'One... two... three!'

Valmont fired in panic the second the handkerchief fell, and the cuirassier casquette flew from Grant's head.

Grant stood like a statue, pistol levelled.

Valmont saw Grant's cold blue eyes focused on him over the pistol barrel and knew that Grant would kill him. Faced with certain death his nerve cracked and he went elsewhere.

The spectators gasped and gaped in amazement as one of the duellists faded away into nothingness before their eyes.

Chapter Thirty-six.

Victory

The Doctor was quick to turn the astonishing event to his advantage.

'I don't know what we've just seen gentlemen but that certainly wasn't one of my aides. They are talented young men, but their talents do not include magic!'

'But who was he?' stammered Didier. 'What was he?'

'An apparition, a phantom, an evil spirit who knows?'

said the Doctor dismissively. 'I have long been aware that my enemies were using black magic against me. I have wasted enough time here my horse!'

An officer led up his white charger and the Doctor climbed on board. Grant collected his casquette and Valmont's abandoned pistol and remounted as well.

From his superior position on horseback, the Doctor looked down on the thoroughly demoralised Didier. 'You have allowed yourself to be deceived by false information and by disobeying my orders, you have put my victory in this battle at risk.'

General Didier wrung his hands in anguish. 'I am sorry,Your Majesty, I apologise most humbly. But how was I to know? I will resign my commission.'

'No, no,' said the Doctor hurriedly. He needed Didier exactly where he was. In kinder tones he said, 'You were misled by black magic. No blame attaches to you.'

'Your Majesty is most generous.'

'But mark my orders well. You will return to your original position, and await my commands. You will not engage the Prussian troops, they are of no significance. Do you understand?'

'I understand, Your Majesty.'

'Any contrary instructions you may receive, no matter who from, will be false and must be ignored. Do you understand me?'

'I hear and obey, my Emperor.'

That was the best he could do, decided the Doctor. Even Didier ought to be able to obey an order to do nothing.

'Good.' The Doctor rode away down the hill, Grant behind him. Cheers and cries of 'Long live the Emperor!'

accompanied their departure.

When they were clear of the French troops Grant called, 'You did it again Doctor! What the devil happened back there? I've had duelling opponents run before now, but that's the first one who's vanished!'

'Don't ask,' said the Doctor. 'All that matters is that the Prussians will soon be on the move again. Let's get back and give the Duke the good news.'

Surrounded by a little group of his staff officers, General Blucher stood at the inn door with his telescope and watched the French troops fade away into the distance.

'It seems that the miracle has occurred after all,' he said.

'Forwards! Forwards to Waterloo! Let us pray that we are not too late.'

The Duke was moving up and down the line all too aware of the mounting crisis. Napoleon's artillery were still bombarding the ridge and the defensive squares of infantrymen were smaller and fewer. But they still held.

'My lord, we have been dreadfully cut up,' reported one of his commanders. 'Can you not relieve us for a little while?'

'Impossible. You must hold your ground till the last man.'

His centre was crumbling and his second-line reserves were raw troops who could not be relied upon.

'Night or the Prussians must come,' he said and heard Grant's voice behind him.

'My lord, they are here. Their advance guard is already engaging the enemy.'

The Duke turned and saw Grant, back in his own uniform, with the Doctor beside him.