Rossendale is struck from behind by a lance to the spine, blinded by a sword slash to the face, and knocked off his horse. Sharpe, outraged to learn that the Prince has repeated his mistake and caused yet more needless deaths, gives the Prince the V sign and rides away. He briefly considers riding back to Brussels and collecting Lucille, but changes his mind when Marshal Ney, mistaking movement behind the British ridge as a sign of wavering, unleashes the French cavalry at the ridge, where they encounter British infantry in square. The French stubbornly make fruitless attacks on the squares, though this makes the infantry prime targets for the French artillery, which exact a dreadful toll. The Prince, for the third time, causes his men (this time from the King's German Legion) to be slaughtered by ordering them forward in line in the proximity of cavalry. Lieutenant Doggett calls the Prince "a silk stocking full of shit," (quoting Harper) and rides off to find Sharpe. Fearing more men will die if the Prince remains in command, Sharpe attempts to kill him under cover of the fighting, but only hits him in the shoulder, though this forces the Prince to retire from the field. As La Haye Sainte falls and with the French skirmishers and cannon slowly grinding down the British, Colonel Ford, the Prince of Wales' Own Volunteers inexperienced commander, is frightened, confused and indecisive when Napoleon, mistakenly believing the British are wavering, sends forward four massive columns of the his best, most renowned troops, the Imperial Guard, to strike the decisive blow. Two columns are stalled by stiff resistance, Wellington personally orders the volleys that rout the third column, and Sharpe rallies his old regiment and plays a major role in repulsing the last one. Witnessing this, Wellington gives Sharpe official command of the regiment. The sight of the Imperial Guard in retreat shatters French morale, and the rest of the army flees. The Prussians finally arrive on the field, and Wellington orders a general advance. As night falls, a delirious Rossendale is killed by a peasant woman looter. His friend and fellow officer informs Sharpe that Rossendale is dead and therefore his promissory note has no value, then leaves to break the news to Jane, who is pregnant with Rossendale's child. Characters Fictional Richard Sharpe – now a staff officer in the Dutch army Patrick Harper –