The Maharajah's General

Copyright © 2013 Paul Fraser Collard

The right of Paul Fraser Collard to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

First published as an Ebook by Headline Publishing Group in 2013

All characters – other than the obvious historical figures – in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Epub conversion by Avon DataSet Ltd, Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire

Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library

Jacket Illustration © CollaborationJS

eISBN: 978 1 4722 0028 0

HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

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www.hachette.co.uk

India, 1855. Jack Lark barely survived the Battle of the Alma. As the brutal fight raged, he learned the true duty that came with the officer’s commission he’d taken. With this stolen life left lying on the Crimean battlefield, he grasps a chance to prove himself a leader once more. Pore Captain Danbury is dead, but Jack will travel to his new regiment in India, under his name.

Jack soon makes more enemies, but this time they’re on his own side. Exposed as a fraud, he’s rescued by the chaplain’s beautiful daughter, who has her own reasons to escape. They seek desperate refuge with the Maharajah of Sawadh, the charismatic leader whom the British Army must subdue. He sees Jack as a curiosity, but recognises a fellow military mind. In return for his safety, Jack must train the very army the British may soon have to fight . . .

Paul’s love of military history started at an early age. A childhood spent watching films like
Waterloo
and
Zulu
whilst reading Sharpe, Flashman and the occasional Commando comic, gave him a desir eto know more of the men who fought in the great wars of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. At school, Paul was determined to become an officer in the British Army and he succeeded in winning an Army Scholarship. However, Paul chose to give up his boyhood ambition and instead went into the finance industry. Paul still works in the City, and lives with his wife and three children in Kent.

By Paul Fraser Collard

The Scarlet Thief

The Maharajah’s General

To Mum and Dad

Second novels are supposed to be torrid affairs, written with great angst and with much gnashing of teeth. I am happy to say that was not the case for me, and the second instalment in Jack’s adventures was written with great relish and barely a moment of hesitation or anxiety.

Without doubt, the fact that there is a second book at all is down to the tireless efforts of my wonder-agent, David Headley, who never fails to greet my endless barrage of questions and fanciful ideas with anything other than a patient smile and perceptive advice. He is the one who made all this happen and I owe him a great deal indeed.

My editor at Headline, Flora Rees, has worked incredibly hard to make this story so much better than I could on my own. I am exceptionally fortunate to have been granted the help and the insight of such a professional and understanding editor for my work. Headline is a great organisation to write for and I am deeply indebted to the efforts of Flora, Ben, Emma, Tom and the rest of the team who have worked so very hard to make this book what it is today.

My family are what makes everything worthwhile. My three fabulous children, Lily, William and Emily, keep my feet firmly on the ground, no matter how grand my plans or ambitions and they have my love and my thanks for always. My mum and dad never fail to offer every support and my friends and family are a constant source of encouragement. To Dan, Mandy, Harry and Kayla all I can say is thank you for everything and roll on the next trip to Florida or France. It cannot come soon enough for me.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my father-in-law, Alan, for his support and friendship over the last twenty something years. I often bore him with rambling plot summaries and half-baked ideas but no matter how much I witter on he is always encouraging and supportive.

My work colleagues continue to keep me sane and I am forever grateful for their companionship. The camaraderie at work is the best thing about coming into the office every day and I would like to publically thank them for their backing. I must also thank my counterparts in the repo market for their supportive reaction to my attempts to become a writer. I am proud to know them all and to call so many friends.

As a debut novelist I was amazed at the warm welcome I received from fellow authors as well as from the many bloggers and reviewers who give up their time to read, and more importantly to review, new books coming to the market. They are a wonderful collection of individuals and I look forward to getting to know them better. Without doubt I owe them a large thank you.

Finally, to Debbie, thank you. Enough said.

bandook
slang for a rifle or musket

caravanserai
travellers’ resting place

Chillianwala
Battle of Chillianwala, 13 January 1849

chummery
officers living together sharing living expenses

dacoit
bandit/thief

dak gharry
post cart/small carriage pulled by horses

doli
covered litter, sedan chair

durbar
royal court, public audience held by a native ruler

fakeer
(fakir) monk, holy man

firangi
derogatory term for a European

havildar
native sergeant

howdah
a covered seat usually with a canopy and railings positioned on the back of an elephant

huzoor
sir, lord

ikrarnama
written bond of allegiance to the British Crown

jezzail
(jezail) type of native flintlock rifle

khansama
housekeeper/steward

khoob! khoob!
fine! fine!

khus-khus tatties
grass screens used to cover windows

kurta
long shirt or tunic

langoti
loincloth

maidan
open space in or near a town

nabob
corruption of ‘nawab’ (Muslim term for senior official or governor), used by the British to describe wealthy European merchants or retired officials who had made their fortune in India

nautch girl
dancing girl

palki (palanquin)
box-litter for travelling in, carried by servants

pandit (pundit)
Hindu scholar, teacher

pagdi
turban, cloth or scarf wrapped around a hat

pankha-wala
servant operating a large cooling fan

prantara-durga
a fortress built on the summit of a hill or mountain

rajkumar
Son of the Maharajah

rajkumari
Daughter of the Maharajah

rissaldar
native cavalry officer equivalent to a captain

sahib
master, lord, sir

sarkar (sirkar)
Persian term for government – used to mean the British

sepoy
native soldier serving in the East India Company’s army

shikari
lead hunter

Stoczek
Battle of Stoczek, 14 February 1830

syce
groom

subedar
native infantry officer equivalent to a captain

talwar
curved native sword, similar to 1796 light cavalry sabre

thug
follower of a religious sect, renowned for carrying out ritualistic murders (thuggee)

tiffin
light meal or snack served at lunchtime