Plot Summary

Wellington is handed the Spanish King's Royal bodyguard, the Royal Irish Company, to bolster his forces but it's not a welcome gift. They are inexperienced, untrained and ill-equipped, making them a liability in battle. Wellington posts them as close to the French as possible. He also attaches an officer to train them...Sharpe. Both of these are intended to convince them to leave his army. Once At the outpost Sharpe runs into a newly-made French foe, the ruthless, murderous Brigadier Loup, "The Wolf".