Sharpe's Escape (51 page)

Authors: Bernard Cornwell

Tags: #Historical Fiction, #Suspense

BOOK: Sharpe's Escape

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Masséna stayed in Portugal much longer than Wellington had hoped. The attempt to strip central Portugal of food never really worked, and the French discovered enough supplies to keep them well fed through October. They repaired the windmills and rebuilt the ovens, but by November they were on half rations, and then they were besieged by a winter that was unusually cold and wet. They left Torres Vedras in mid-November and retreated to where they hoped more food would be available, and somehow they lasted in Portugal until March when, hungry, dispirited and unsuccessful, they went back to their depots in Spain. It had been a bitter defeat for Masséna.

John Grehan's book,
The Lines of Torres Vedras
, published by Spellmount in 2000, was invaluable in writing
Sharpe's Escape
. It contains by far the best description of the lines themselves, but much more besides, including a gripping account of the battle of Bussaco, and I am indebted to it, though any mistakes are, of course, mine. Sharpe and Harper will march again.

About the Author

Bernard Cornwell
is the author of the acclaimed Richard Sharpe series (available from PerfectBound), the Grail Quest series (featuring
The Archer's Tale
and
Vagabond
), and many other novels. Mr. Cornwell lives with his wife on Cape Cod. Please visit www.bernardcornwell.net.

Books by Bernard Cornwell

The Sharpe Novels (in chronological order)

SHARPE'S TIGER*

Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Seringapatam, 1799

SHARPE'S TRIUMPH*

Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803

SHARPE'S FORTRESS*

Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Gawilghur, December 1803

SHARPE'S TRAFALGAR*

Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Trafalgar, October 21, 1805

SHARPE'S PREY*

Richard Sharpe and the Expedition to Copenhagen, 1807

SHARPE'S RIFLES

Richard Sharpe and the French Invasion of Galicia, January 1809

SHARPE'S EAGLE

Richard Sharpe and Talavera Campaign, July 1809

SHARPE'S HAVOC*

Richard Sharpe and the Campaign in Northern Portugal, Spring 1809

SHARPE'S GOLD

Richard Sharpe and the Destruction of Almeida, August 1810

SHARPE'S BATTLE*

Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, May 1811

SHARPE'S COMPANY

Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Badajoz, January to April 1812

SHARPE'S SWORD

Richard Sharpe and the Salamanca Campaign, June and July 1812

SHARPE'S ENEMY

Richard Sharpe and the Defense of Portugal, Christmas 1812

SHARPE'S HONOUR

Richard Sharpe and the Vitoria Campaign, February to June 1813

SHARPE'S REGIMENT

Richard Sharpe and the Invasion of France, June to November 1813

SHARPE'S SIEGE

Richard Sharpe and the Winter Campaign, 1814

SHARPE'S REVENGE

Richard Sharpe and the Peace of 1814

SHARPE'S WATERLOO

Richard Sharpe and the Waterloo Campaign, June 15 to June 18, 1815

SHARPE'S DEVIL*

Richard Sharpe and the Emperor, 1820–21

THE NATHANIEL STARBUCK CHRONICLES

Rebel*

Copperhead*

Battle Flag*

The Bloody Ground*

THE GRAIL QUEST SERIES

The Archer's Tale*

Vagabond*

Heretic*

THE WARLORD CHRONICLES

The Winter King

The Enemy of God

Excalibur

OTHER NOVELS

Gallows Thief*

Stonehenge, 2000 B.C.: A Novel*

Redcoat*

*Published by HarperCollins
Publishers

Credits

Map by Ken Lewis

Jacket illustration by Danilo Ducak

SHARPE'S ESCAPE. Copyright © 2004 by Bernard Cornwell. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of PerfectBound™.

PerfectBound™ and the PerfectBound™ logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Palm Reader March 2004 eISBN 0-06-058878-0

Originally published in 2003 in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers.

FIRST AMERICAN EDITION

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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