Sons of Liberty (4 page)

“
I see,” Lord Mycroft said. “And you had no idea of the side effects?”

Gwen shook her head. She hadn't noticed any when Master Thomas had controlled her, although she’d been too busy trying to fight to survive. And the Russian soldier ... she felt a sudden stab of guilt. Had he been in trouble because of her? He’d only been doing his duty, not getting in her way ...

“
No, My Lord,” she said. “I didn't expect him to do more than obey me.”

She clenched her fists in helpless range. Major Shaw would have thought, right up until the moment Gwen returned from Russia, that he’d be working with Sir James. He would never have dared to disobey Sir James, let alone take matters into his own hands. Maybe he did have reason to question the competence of a woman on the battlefield, but she’d fought during the Swing and in Russia ...

“
He disobeyed orders,” she added. “And he got a number of men killed.”

“
So you said,” Lord Mycroft said. “And you would be right. The Duke of India is not happy with him.”

Gwen felt a flicker of vindictive glee. The Duke of India was not known for tolerating incompetents, no matter their connections. Shaw would probably have been summarily removed from his post, perhaps even shot for incompetence in the face of the enemy. And no one would have dared quibble with his opinion. Britain’s most famous professional soldier brooked no interference with his command.

“
But your actions have caused this government a political problem,” Lord Mycroft added, grimly. “Quite apart from the fact you kept this new ... talent ... a secret” - Gwen winced at his tone - “you also broke the mind of a well-connected young man. Even if he recovers, Lady Gwen, it is going to cause a great many problems.”

Gwen sighed, looking back at the school. She’d wanted to go there, once upon a time, despite the horror stories she’d heard from her elder brother. There were even women at the school, the daughters of Indian or African rulers mingling with the British aristocrats who would one day rule their countries. She could have gone ...

... But her mother had refused to even consider the possibility.

“
I was the commanding officer,” she said, tiredly. She looked back at Lord Mycroft, willing him to understand. “He shouldn't have disobeyed.”

“
That is not in dispute,” Lord Mycroft said. His tone softened, slightly. “I understand precisely how you feel, Lady Gwen, but his family will be furious. And it will tie in to the concerns about having a woman - a young woman - in command of the Royal Sorcerers Corps. There was a strong feeling that you shouldn't serve as the tactical commanding officer, whatever post you held.”

“Master Thomas didn't have such problems,” Gwen snarled.

“
Master Thomas was nearly ninety years old, with experience that stretched all the way back to the Seven Years War,” Lord Mycroft pointed out. “He fought in the American Revolution, the War of 1800 and various conflicts in India. There was never any doubt about his ability to do the job.”

Gwen nodded, conceding the point. Even in his last year of life, when he’d taken her on as an apprentice, Master Thomas had been a very dangerous man. He’d been in his position for so long that he’d known where all the bodies were buried. It was unlikely that anyone could have dislodged him, if anyone had dared to try. Even the King had known better than to push the old man.

“
You are nineteen years old, more or less,” Lord Mycroft added. “You have been in your post for less than a year and your experience of military command in the field is non-existent. And you had almost no experience of anything before you were pushed into the role of Royal Sorceress. Sir James says good things about your skills as a lone warrior, but questions your ability to fight as part of a team.”

I was kept at home, Gwen thought, bitterly. Mother hated the thought of letting me go into the great outdoors.

“
There are plenty of good reasons for people to question you, Lady Gwen,” Lord Mycroft added. “And while some of them have to do with your sex, which is beyond your control, there are plenty that don’t.”

Gwen took a breath. “How exactly am I supposed to gain experience,” she asked, “when I am denied the only way to gain experience?”

“
I believe Major Shaw might have asked himself the same question,” Lord Mycroft said, sardonically. “And you know how that turned out.”

He cleared his throat. “It has been decided, by myself and the Prime Minister, that your talents would serve us better elsewhere,” he added. “And it so happens we have a task that may well allow you to gain the experience you need.”

Gwen scowled. “You’re sending me into exile.”

“
In a manner of speaking,” Lord Mycroft said. “But the task is quite genuine.”

He paused. “Do you recall Sir Simon Muybridge?”

“
Yes,” Gwen said, surprised. She forced herself to recall the middle-aged sorcerer. He’d missed the Swing - he’d been in Ireland at the time - and she hadn't really had time to form an impression of him. But Master Thomas wouldn't have promoted him if he hadn't felt the Blazer could handle the job. “We met briefly, two weeks after the Swing. He was on his way to America to take over as Sorcerer Commanding.”

“
He’s dead,” Lord Mycroft said, shortly. “And so is all, but one of the trained sorcerers assigned to America.”

Gwen stared at him. “Dead?”

“
Poisoned,” Lord Mycroft said. “Sir Simon made the mistake of hosting a dinner for the sorcerers under his command, before they were deployed to Amherst to meet the expected French invasion. A cook poisoned the soup, according to the reports; Sir Simon and the other sorcerers died in quite considerable pain. The lone Healer assigned to New York was apparently at the Viceregal Palace, unable to make it back in time. Only one sorcerer survived the poisoning.”

“
Oh,” Gwen said. She bit down the urge to say a very unladylike word. “We have no sorcerers in the Americas at all, save for him?”

“
There are a handful of untrained sorcerers,” Lord Mycroft said. “Thomas Rochester, His Majesty’s Viceroy, has used emergency powers to conscript them. However, they are untrained. They need a training officer, now.”

He scowled, his jowls wobbling angrily. “I warned the Viceroy of the dangers!”

Gwen blinked. “Dangers?”

“
The cook was a black slave,” Lord Mycroft said. “A fine cook, by all accounts; he belonged to Sir Simon personally. And one fine day, with every combat sorcerer in America sitting down to dine, he dumps poison in the soup and runs for his life. He might even make it to French territory before he gets caught!”

“I see,” Gwen said.

She gritted her teeth in understanding. The French had abolished slavery in their territory years ago, after the War of 1800. They’d even started treating coloured men and women as equals, realising the dangers of trying to build an empire in lands where the white man was outnumbered fifty to one. And they’d been using their treatment of coloured people as a recruiting tool for years. How could she blame a slave for snatching at the golden ring of freedom, despite the risks ...

Her blood ran cold. “There are thousands of slaves in the Americas.”

“
More like hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million,” Lord Mycroft said, curtly. “And a large number of them will be men of military age. The plantations are watched closely, but it would be very hard to stop a slave rebellion in the south before it spread out of control - or the French arrived to arm the slaves and add them to their forces. A rebellion that erupted under our nose would make it much harder to hold on to the south, let alone push the French back into Mexico.”

He sighed. “That isn't the only problem,” he added. “The American Tories have been making enemies, while the American Whigs are largely powerless. Poor Americans are wondering if the slaves will take their work, such as it is, while wealthier Americans chafe against the industrial restrictions. Oh, it was a mistake to concede slavery, even if it did win us the support of powerful men. I fear we will wind up paying for that sin in due course.

“
The Viceroy has inherited a snake pit, Lady Gwen, and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. Any proposals for reform get shot down by the Tories before they can reach London, which adds strength to more radical groups who want to make another bid for independence, using the war as a distraction. And any plans to cut the import of slaves or bring the slave-owners to heel run into other problems. The last thing the government needs, right now, is a power struggle in New York.”

Gwen frowned. “The slave-owners aren’t going to join the French, are they?”

“
I do not know,” Lord Mycroft said. “On the face of it, they would have to be insane to join the French, knowing that the French would probably free the slaves. But on the other hand, they might believe that the French would betray the slaves, just like Lord Dunmore did after the war came to an end. They may feel they can hang on to their power despite abandoning the crown.

“
But the radical groups are likely to cause trouble too,” he added. “They are no friends to slavery, Lady Gwen, but they will have interests in common.”

“
I see,” Gwen said. “What do they actually want?”

Lord Mycroft smiled. “Depends who you ask,” he said. “There are a number of different demands, ranging from universal suffrage and a united American Parliament to outright independence from the British Crown. General Howe may have intended to keep the Americans divided, when he arranged the post-war government, but it has caused a number of unintended problems. In particular, the Tories are organised at a level the Whigs simply cannot hope to match.”

“Which causes frustration,” Gwen said.

“
And frustration leads to violence,” Lord Mycroft agreed. “His Majesty has agreed, secretly, to back a bill granting the Americans a Parliament of their own. Certain powers will still be reserved to the Crown, naturally, but the Americans will be in a much better position to sort themselves out.”

“That will not please the Tories,” Gwen predicted.

“
No, it won’t,” Lord Mycroft said. “The timing will be particularly poor. These concessions will be made as a last resort, which will make us look weak. I’m having to leave the exact moment this bill is announced to the Viceroy too. He’s surrounded by Tories, so his timing may be very poor indeed.”

He shook his head. “But the prospect of a French invasion may get a few heads focused on important matters,” he added. “And now we come to your task.”

“Training sorcerers,” Gwen said.

“
As far as anyone else knows, that’s precisely what you will be doing,” Lord Mycroft said, simply. “You’d hardly be the first officer sent to the Americas while matters cooled down here. Major Shaw’s family can be soothed, if necessary. Unofficially, I want you and Irene to monitor the situation in America and advise the Viceroy. You’ll have several sets of orders when you depart, Lady Gwen. Use whichever one seems best for you and burn the others.”

“
I understand,” Gwen said. A thought struck her and she paused. “Irene ... has taken on an apprentice.”

“Then that apprentice will have to go to America too,” Lord Mycroft said.

He sighed. “You know it won’t be long before the French footholds in Britain are crushed, if they’re fool enough to fight to the last,” he said. “But overall, losing America could cause us a great many problems. The French embarrassed us when they managed to land on our soil, Lady Gwen; they made us look weak. Their raiding squadrons are already hammering our shipping too. We cannot afford many more such embarrassments.”

“
I won’t let you down,” Gwen assured him. “When do you want me to leave?”

“
We’re organising a convoy of ships to depart in seven days, depending on how the naval war goes,” Lord Mycroft said. “That should include a number of troopships, providing reinforcements to General Paget. Yes, that Paget.”

Gwen hid her amusement. General Henry Paget had run off his second wife while married to his first. The whole affair had been a major scandal at the time, she recalled; her mother had chatted about it constantly.. General Paget’s first wife’s family had not only demanded a divorce, they'd clawed back the dowry and a major payment from General Paget’s family in exchange for not chasing him through the courts. If the General hadn’t been competent, he would probably have been dismissed from the army. As it was, with polite society unwilling to tolerate his presence, he and the second wife had been dispatched to America.

“
You should have enough time to organise matters so the RSC can cope with your absence,” Lord Mycroft added. “I suggest you leave Sir James in command, again.”

“
Understood,” Gwen said. “Can I take other sorcerers with me?”

“
I advise against it,” Lord Mycroft said. “We may well need them here, to cope with future French raids - and raiding the French ourselves. I understand you need more experienced sorcerers in America” - he held up a hand before she could say a word - “but we don’t have many to spare. Losing Britain would be the end of the world.”

Gwen nodded. The Royal Navy could retreat to America or India, but what would it find when it arrived? A colony willing to fight to recover the motherland or a rebellious society intent on shaping a future for itself, free of any obligation to a distant government? And the French would not be gentle, either. The terms they imposed to end the war would cripple Britain, once and for all.