Throughout the hot months of June and July, Arthur made preparations for the capture of Manila. The Indiamen assigned to the assault force were anchored opposite the fort and their boats made available for training the 33rd in landing procedures. The redcoats sweated in the searing sunlight as they were rowed from the ships to the river bank where they disembarked as quickly as possible and formed up in their companies on the shore, ready for action. Then they were drilled for an orderly withdrawal to the boats in the event that their attack on Manila might fail. After that, the boats were rowed back to the Indiamen and the soldiers clambered up the sides of the ships, only for the entire performance to be gone through again.

As the men went about their drills, Arthur and his small staff drew up lists of all the supplies and equipment that would be required for the voyage to Manila, the assault, and then a subsequent two months’ rations in case the Spanish launched a counter-attack.Training and hygiene schedules had to be worked out for each vessel, since Arthur was adamant that his soldiers were not going to suffer the same debilitating conditions that had dulled their edge of the voyage from England.

When the first packet of letters from Kitty arrived, Arthur read through them again and again, briefly taking in her notes on the social life in Dublin before concentrating on the sections where she spoke of her feelings for him. Every nuance of every word was carefully weighed before he allowed himself to believe she still loved him as strongly as ever. He held the letters in his hand tenderly, as if they were an extension of her body, and then carefully put them away in his writing box before turning his mind back to his duties.

Then, at the start of August, when the preparations were complete, Arthur was summoned to Sir John’s office early one morning. As he strode from his house up the track that led to the fort he glanced out across the river to where the flotilla lay serenely at anchor. Even at this distance the red coats of his men were visible on the ships they had finished boarding the day before. The expedition would be able to sail this very day, if Sir John gave the order.