Arthur had been honest enough with himself to admit that he craved the appointment, but since there were several officers senior to him in the army, he had thought that his aspiration was futile. Now he was genuinely surprised and started in his seat.
‘Me, sir?’
General Harris smiled. ‘Yes, Colonel. Of course, I am aware that there are officers here with more experience, and seniority, than you, but in my view such men will be most needed in the main column, under my command. Since they are in charge of more than one regiment, to detach any one of these officers would disrupt the order of battle, whereas you are a regimental commander, and therefore both you and the 33rd can be detached without undue restructuring of the chain of command.’
It was a carefully worked response and Arthur quicky realised that the explanation was designed to appease those officers who held higher rank than he did.
‘Begging your pardon, sir,’ a deep voice boomed from the side of the tent, and everyone turned towards the massive figure of Major General David Baird. Baird was well known to those who had served in India for any length of time. He had a reputation as a fine soldier: brave, strong and with an endurance that had seen him through three years of captivity in the dungeons of Seringapatam.
‘You have something to say about the appointment?’ asked General Harris.
Baird’s neck stiffened as he folded his arms and responded. ‘Indeed, sir. The scope of responsibility offered by the post is far from insignificant. Why, the man chosen would be in effective command of a force of over twenty thousand men! That is no command for a mere colonel, sir.’ Baird paused and glanced towards Arthur. ‘No offence meant there, Wellesley.You’re as fine a young fellow as any man who might make general one day. But this ain’t the time.’ He turned back to Harris.‘It’s a job for a more senior officer, sir. That’s as clear as day.’
‘Someone like yourself, perhaps?’
Baird shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘Me, or an officer of my rank. But since I have had some experience of Mysore I’m confident that I am the best man for the job.’
‘Your experience was largely confined to Seringapatam, if you’ll pardon the pun.’
Baird frowned for a moment.‘I’ve seen more than just Tipoo’s capital, sir . . . Ah, I see now.’ Now that he had the quip, Baird bristled indignantly. ‘Prisoner I may have been, but that stain on my memory is one that I am more than keen to wash away with the blood of my enemies.You could hardly ask for a soldier more dedicated to crushing Tipoo, sir.That’s recommendation enough.’
‘Desire for revenge might be an admirable quality in certain situations, my dear Baird, but not now. I have made my decision and you must accept it.’
‘I’m damned if I will, sir!’ Baird thrust his head forward. ‘I’ll not be passed over for the younger brother of—’
‘That is enough, Baird!’ General Harris slammed his hand down on the table. ‘You will still your tongue, sir!’
Baird seemed on the verge of losing his temper, but through sheer force of will managed to clamp his mouth shut as he sat back heavily in his chair. Harris took a deep breath. ‘Gentlemen, the briefing is over for today. Be so good as to take your leave. Major General Baird, please remain. And you, Colonel Wellesley.’
The other officers rose and left the tent quietly, and when the last of them had disappeared through the tent flaps Harris beckoned the two remaining men to move closer.
‘Now then, Baird.’ He spoke with forced civility. ‘I do not want to witness such a display in front of the other officers ever again. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Good. If ever you think you have reason to disagree with me, then you may make your protest in a private interview. Nowhere else. I will not have my authority questioned in front of other officers. If you disappoint me in this way again, Baird, then I will have you sent back to Madras to fill in requisition forms for the rest of the war. That would be a shame, of course, as the army could well use your fighting qualities.’
‘Then give me command of the Nizam’s column, sir.’
‘Damn you, Baird. Have you not listened to what I’ve said? I have made my decision,’ he added, with deliberate stress on each word.
‘Aye, and I don’t suppose that decision has anything to do with this laddie’s being the brother of the Governor General?’
Arthur blushed and turned towards Baird with a frigid expression of disdain.‘If I thought for a moment that I was being preferred for reasons of nepotism, then I would have no hesitation in turning down the position, sir.’
‘And what other reasons might there be, I wonder?’ Baird sneered.
‘Very well then!’ Harris snapped. ‘I’ll tell you the reasons. Wellesley has taken the time to learn one of the languages of the natives. He has befriended some of them, and many others respect him and hold him in high regard. He has moulded his regiment into the finest body of men on this continent, and I trust he will be a fine commander of the Nizam’s army.’
‘So what if the lad speaks the darkies’ tongue, sir,’ Baird protested. ‘So what if he’s chumming up to them? We’re here to fight the bastards, not fraternise with them!’
Harris stared at his fiery subordinate with icy contempt. ‘It’s that attitude which disqualifies you, above all men, for the job. I need a man with tact, with a diplomatic touch, every bit as much as I need an officer who can lead men into battle. And I’m lucky that all those qualities abound within Colonel Wellesley. If you want the truth, Baird, I chose him because he is simply the best man for the job, and I will not let another man supersede Wellesley after all he has achieved simply because he is outranked. Now, there is no more to discuss. I have made my decision and you will accept it. You are dismissed, Baird. Please leave my tent.’
Baird stood up abruptly, knocking his chair back on to the ground. He nodded curtly to his superior, ignored Arthur pointedly, and strode outside fuming with indignation and hurt pride.
Once he had gone General Harris’s shoulders slumped and he took a deep breath before he spoke to Arthur. ‘It is a shame to have to address him in such a fashion. Baird’s a fine soldier, and the men look up to him like a father. But in a sensitive situation he has all the social skills of a fighting dog. Worse still, he makes no attempt to hide his dislike of India and every native that lives here. If he was placed in charge of the Nizam’s army I fear we would be at war with the Nizam before the first day’s march was out.’ Harris leaned forward and looked closely at Arthur. ‘You, on the other hand, have precisely the qualities needed for the job: patience, diligence and integrity. I’ve been a soldier long enough to know that you are rather more than a cut above most officers, Colonel Wellesley. That this is so evident to others may well be more of a curse than a boon to you. I am well aware that many officers in this army are inclined to believe the worst of you, simply because you are Mornington’s brother and a better man than the rest of them. Another general might have used that as an excuse to hold you back.’ Harris’s smile returned. ‘But I am not another general. I’m a general with a war to fight and win, and everything is subordinate to the bloody defeat and destruction of my enemy, no matter whose feelings I have to hurt.’
Arthur grinned. ‘Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.’
‘You had better not,’ Harris said seriously.‘This is your chance to do great things,Wellesley.You richly deserve it. But if you fail, there will never again be an opportunity like this.You will ruin yourself utterly, and in doing so you will fail your brother, and fatally damage his chances for greatness along with yours.’
‘Why, sir? Any mistakes I make are surely my own.’
‘No,’ Harris said sadly.‘That is not how it works. By taking this command you lay yourself open to charges of nepotism. If you succeed, men will only think that if you could have done it, then so could any man. If you fail, then men will say you were unfit for the task, and that your brother put family above country, and for that there is no forgiveness or pity.’