A tall, grey-haired French officer stood to face him. "The man who killed your officer is dead, monsieur, " the Frenchman said. "I shot him."

Sharpe stopped and stared. His hand fell from the sword and his mouth dropped open. For a second he seemed unable to speak, but then he found his voice.

"Colonel Gudin?" he asked in amazement.

Gudin smiled. "Oui, Caporal Sharpe."

"I'm a major now, sir, " Sharpe said, and he stepped forward with his hand outstretched, but Gudin ignored the hand and instead clasped Sharpe in both arms and kissed him on both cheeks. D'Alembord watched, smiling.

"I knew it was you, " Gudin said, his hands still on Sharpe's shoulders. "I'm proud of you, Sharpe. So very proud." There were tears in the colonel's eyes.

"And for your officer who died, I am sorry. There was nothing I could do."

The door from the kitchens opened and Daniel Hagman poked his head through.

"Need more towels, Captain, " he said to d'Alembord.

"What the hell are you doing, Dan?" Sharpe asked.

"Delivering a baby, sir, " Hagman said, as if that was the most natural thing in the world for a Rifleman to be doing on Christmas Eve. "Isn't the first baby I've done, sir. The Frog doctor was going to cut her open, and that would have killed her, but I'll see her right. It's no different from slipping a lamb into the world. Thank you, sir." He took the proffered rags from d'Alembord and ducked back into the candlelit kitchen.

Sharpe sat. D'Alembord and Gudin had started on the wine, so he poured himself a mug and took a long drink. "So what am I going to do with you?" he asked his old colonel.

Gudin spread his hands. "I could choose to fight you, I suppose, but if I do, I lose. So I fear I am your prisoner again." The colonel looked at d'Alembord.

"He took me prisoner in India, and he was only a corporal then."