‘Yes, sire. How many guns shall we send forward to support them?’

‘Guns?’ Napoleon pursed his lips for an instant and then shook his head. ‘It will be a quick affair, Berthier. Ruffin’s men will not need artillery support.’

Berthier looked surprised, and seemed to be about to query the instruction, but nodded instead. ‘As you wish, sire.’

Napoleon’s head ached terribly this morning, something he put down to a lack of sleep since the advance from Burgos three days before. ‘Give the orders, Berthier. I’m going forward with Ruffin as far as that hillock beside the road there, to view the attack.’

‘Yes, sire.’

‘Carry on,’ Napoleon dismissed him, and thrust the telescope into the long pocket of his coat before descending from the tower. As he left the small church he was aware of some shouting a short way down the street and saw two soldiers approaching, with a third man held firmly between them. Behind them marched a young infantry officer.

‘Let go of me!’ the man shouted. ‘Let me go, you fuckers!’

One of the men holding him suddenly lashed out and smashed a fist into the soldier’s jaw. ‘Shut your mouth!’

Napoleon paused in the street as the little party drew close to the church. As soon as they recognised him the soldiers halted and stared at him awkwardly.

‘Well?’ Napoleon glared at them. ‘Don’t you salute your emperor?’

The officer recovered first. ‘Attention!’

The three men ahead of him snapped their arms to their sides and stood straight-backed, chins up.The man in the middle stood still as the blood oozed from his cut lip and dripped on to his white cross-straps. Napoleon strode up to them.

‘What is the meaning of this? Lieutenant, what has this man done?’

‘We caught him looting a shrine on the edge of the village, sir.’

‘Looting, eh?’ Napoleon turned to the middle man. ‘What is your name?’

‘Geunet, sire.’The man’s gaze did not flicker as he continued to stare straight ahead. ‘Jean Geunet, private, third company, first battalion, forty-second regiment of the line, sire.’

‘One of General Ruffin’s regiments then.’ Napoleon nodded. ‘And what did you manage to loot from the shrine, Geunet?’

‘Sire, it was only an offering of food. Half a loaf of bread and a joint of lamb.’

‘I see. And you are of course aware of my orders concerning pillaging?’

‘Yes, sire.’The man straightened up.‘But it was not pillaging. I did not steal it from anyone.’

‘But you did steal it from the shrine, did you not?’

The soldier nodded. ‘I was hungry, sir. All the lads are. Almost starving.’

‘But these men with you have not stolen anything, have they?’

The soldier’s eyes met those of his Emperor.‘I don’t know.Why don’t you ask them, sire?’