“Mother of God…” the helmsman said, standing and shading his eyes. They all looked on in horrified silence at the smoking ruins of the shattered fortress. Walls and battlements had been destroyed, dismounted gun barrels pointed to the sky. Nothing moved. Thomas automatically turned closer to shore at the sight of the four hulking black ships that were anchored across the river. The stars and stripes of the American flag flew from a flagstaff at the stern of the nearest warship. Beyond them, in midstream, the masts and funnel, some of the upperworks of a sunken ship projected a few feet above the water.
“Is she… one of ours?” Thomas asked in a hushed, hoarse voice.
“Perhaps,” Somerville said. “It does not matter. Proceed downstream.”
“Not with them ships there!”
“They are not here to harm a vessel like this one.”
“You can say that, your honor, but who’s to tell.”
Somerville was tempted to reason with the man; reached into his pocket instead. “Five guineas right now — and then ten more when we get downriver.”
In the end avarice won. The lighter crept along the riverbank, slowly past the ruined fort. The warships anchored in the river ignored it. Then they moved faster once they were past the invaders, swept around the bend under full sail.
Ahead of them, anchored by the channel, was another ironclad, bristling with guns.
“Drop the sail!”
“Don’t do that, you fool,” the brigadier shouted. “Look at that flag!”
The British white ensign hung from the staff at her stern.
A MONARCH’S PLIGHT
General Sherman allowed thirty minutes to make absolutely sure that the battle for London was truly won. He went carefully through the reports, checking the references on a map of the city spread across the ornate desk. Through the open window behind him he could hear that the sounds of battle were dying away. A rumble of cannon in the distance, one of the ironclads from the sound of it. They were proving invaluable in reducing the riverside defenses. Then the crackling fire of a Gatling gun.
“I think we have done it, Andy,” he said, sitting back in the chair. His chief of staff nodded agreement.
“We are still finding pockets of resistance, but the main bodies of enemy troops have all been defeated. I am sure that we’ll mop up the rest before dark.”
“Good. Make sure that sentries are posted before the men bed down. We don’t want any surprise night attacks.”
With the city secured, Sherman’s thoughts returned to the next and most important matter at hand.
“You made inquiries. Did you find out where the Queen went?”
“No secret of it — everyone in London seems to know, the ones near the palace saw her pass by. Windsor Castle, they all agree on that.”
“Show me on the map.”
Colonel Summers unfolded the large-scale map and laid it over the one of London.
“Quite close,” Sherman said. “As I remember, there are two train lines going there from London.” He smiled when he saw his aide’s expression. “Not black magic, Andy. It is just that I have been a keen student of my Bradshaw — the volume that contains timetables for every rail line in Britain. Get a troop of cavalry to Paddington Station. Seize the station and the trains.”
Reports and requests for support were coming in and for some time Sherman was kept busy guiding the attacks. Then, when he looked up, he saw that Summers had returned.
“We’re not going anywhere by train for some time, General. Engines and rails were sabotaged at Paddington.”
Sherman nodded grim agreement. “At the other stations as well, I’ll wager. They’re beginning to learn that we make good use of their rolling stock. But there are other ways to get to Windsor.” He looked back at the map. “Here is the castle, upriver on the Thames. Plenty of twists and turns to the river before it gets there. But it’s pretty straight there by road. Through Richmond and Staines, then into Windsor Great Park.”
Sherman looked at the scale on the map. “Must be twenty-five, thirty miles.”
“At least.”
“These soldiers have had a long day fighting; I’m not going to have them endure a forced march after that. Can we spare the cavalry?”
“We certainly can — now that the city has been taken. And they are still fresh.”