‘Damn fine work.’ Cathcart nodded happily as he leaned forward and squinted down the length of one of the rockets, which was lined up with a church tower the best part of a mile away. In the far distance lay the delicate-looking masts of the fleet that would be the prize of a successful siege. Outside the entrance to the harbour lay the fleet of Admiral Gambier, bottling the Danish vessels up and ready to bombard the city from the sea if necessary.

Cathcart clapped his hands together. ‘Those bloody Danes will have to come to terms now. If not, then we’ll pound their city to dust, and good riddance.’

Arthur cleared his throat and Cathcart turned towards the sound with a frown. ‘D’you have something to say,Wellesley? Speak up.’

Arthur glanced towards the distant roofs of Copenhagen gleaming dully in the sunshine. A faint haze hung over the landscape, adding to the peaceful appearance of the setting. He turned his attention away from the city and looked steadily at his commanding officer. ‘We have been sent here to secure the Danish fleet, my lord.’

‘I know that well enough, thank you. What is your point?’

‘Well, it seems to me that the most prudent course of action would be to do all in our power to take those warships with the least loss of life and damage to property.’

‘Damn it, man.’ Cathcart thrust his hand out towards the Danish warships. ‘There is the fleet, Wellesley. In case you had not noticed, the city lies between us and those ships.We must overwhelm the one to win through to the other.’

‘I agree, my lord.We must have those ships. But we do not want this affair to damage Britain’s reputation unnecessarily. Surely it would be better to try to persuade the Danes to surrender before any more blood is shed? If we can demonstrate that violence is our last recourse then we may yet emerge from this with more credit than we brought into it.’

Lord Cathcart shook his head.‘Do not if and but me,Wellesley.That is no way for a soldier to think. We have our orders and we will obey them to the best of our ability. Now then.’ Cathcart forced a smile. ‘Since you insist on using those terms, then if the enemy can be persuaded to surrender as soon as possible, then so much the better, eh? But if he is resolved to fight, then we must make sure that we crush him without mercy. Then all Europe will know the dreadful price that comes with defying the interests of Britain.’