As he slowly recovered and gradually resumed his duties, Arthur waited for a response to his request. But none came, and it was not until he had sent a second letter that a reply came, late in May, summoning him to Calcutta. Before he quit his army, Arthur made sure that it was amply provisioned and carefully deployed to counter any attacks by Holkar, and then set off in a palanquin with a small cavalry escort. He reached Fort William in August and immediately made his way to the office of the Governor General.

Richard was in a meeting with senior officials from the East India Company and Arthur was kept waiting in the anteroom for almost an hour. At times there were heated exchanges from the Governor General’s office but Arthur sat and stared out of the window heedlessly. Below the ramparts the sprawl of Calcutta teemed with life and industry. It was over five years since Arthur had last seen this view and much had already changed. The increasing control that Britain had over India had brought further commercial expansion in its wake and scores of new houses had been built for Company employees, merchants and native traders, clear proof of the success of the enterprise of Richard and his brothers.Yet as Arthur gazed out over the thriving city he recalled the men he had known and fought alongside, who had died to make this possible.

At length the door to the Governor General’s office swung open and a half dozen civilians trooped out, barely acknowledging his presence. Then Richard was standing at the door. Five years had marked his face with more lines, yet Arthur noted the look of anxiety that flitted across his brother’s expression when he saw him. It came as no surprise. He had seen his gaunt expression every day in his shaving mirror, and knew all too well how exhausted and ill he appeared.

‘Arthur . . . God, you’re thin. I had no idea . . .’

‘It’s good to see you too, Richard.’ Arthur smiled.‘I take it you did not read my letter. Letters I should say.’

‘Of course I read them,’ Richard replied quickly, but betrayed himself when he failed to meet his brother’s eye. ‘But it’s hard to retain every detail of all the correspondence I have to deal with. Anyway, come in and have a seat.’

Arthur followed him into the office and eased himself into one of the chairs that had just been vacated by the Company officials.

‘God, you have no idea how those penny-counting pedants vex me,’ Richard grumbled as he pushed aside a sheaf of papers. ‘After all that we have done for the Company you would think they would be more grateful. But no. It seems that they are plotting to have me recalled to England . . . I’m sorry, Arthur. I shouldn’t regale you with all this. You have your own concerns.’