The Iberian Flame

Sir Thomas Kydd is back home from the Baltic.  While in Tavistock he encounters Captain Marceau, a French prisoner of war, held on parole.  By posting a bond, Kydd is able to invite the man to dine with him and Persephone.

Later while in Ivybridge, Kydd speaks to four Swedes on the Exeter stage.  It is Persephone who realises that they are not Swedish, and when he speaks to them in French, they realise that they are French officers trying to escape captivity.  With the help of Persephone he is able to alert the authorities.  There is more to this escape plan than meets the eye.

Not long after this, Kydd’s ship, Tyger, is ordered to join Admiral Collingwood’s fleet in the Mediterranean.  However on the way there another admiral orders Kydd to follow a French fleet, which has broken out of its port.  Upon discovering the French fleet, Kydd shadows it.  Before long, it appears that the French are headed to the Mediterranean where it could join with the Toulon fleet and be unbeatable by anything the British could throw at them.  Fortunately nothing comes of it

Meanwhile, Napoleon’s army has marched into Spain on its way to take over Portugal.  Tyger is back outside Cadiz as part of the blockade fleet.  Kydd’s friend, Nicholas Renzi, now known as Lord Farndon, has been asked to go to Spain in the hopes that the Spanish will informally begin talks with Britain to break away from Napoleon.

Napoleon has removed the king of Spain from power and replaced him with his brother, Joseph, who he had appointed King of Naples earlier.  Will the people rise up in revolt, and can Renzi be the one to help them?  How long will Napoleon’s Marshall Murat, stand for a revolution before he uses force to put it down brutally?  The next question is, can Renzi get out of Spain and back to England?

The end result is peace!  Britain and Spain are now allies against the French!  To Kydd’s surprise an invasion is in the works under the leadership of Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley.  Fortunately, Kydd knows of a secure place on the Portugal coast where the army can be set down.

The French quickly capitulate, and are given terms, which allow them to be shipped back to France.  Would Napoleon stand for this humiliation?  Of course not!

What follows, author Julian Stockwin details very well.  The British army saved by the navy to fight again another day.  For fans of historical fiction, this is a very good read.