"Sharpe's Ransom" is a short story written by historical fiction author

Bernard Cornwell Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written ''The Saxon ...

. It features Cornwell's fictional hero Richard Sharpe. It was originally written for the British newspaper the '' Daily Mail'', which serialised it during the 1995 Christmas season. In 2003 the Sharpe Appreciation Society combined it with another short story, "

Sharpe's Christmas "Sharpe's Christmas" is a short story by historical fiction author Bernard Cornwell. It features Cornwell's fictional hero Richard Sharpe. It was originally written for the British newspaper ''The Daily Mail'', which serialised it during the 19 ...

", in the collection ''

''.

Plot summary

"Sharpe's Ransom", which takes place after ''

Sharpe's Waterloo ''Sharpe's Waterloo'' is a historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. Originally published in 1990 under the title ''Waterloo'', it is the eleventh novel of the Sharpe series and the twentieth novel in chronological or ...

'', is set in peacetime, providing a glimpse of Sharpe's life in Normandy with Lucille. Old comrades of Sharpe's enemy, Major Ducos, invade the chateau, believing he possesses some of the emperor's gold he helped General Calvet retrieve (''

Sharpe's Revenge ''Sharpe's Revenge'' is the nineteenth historical novel in the Richard Sharpe series written by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1989. The peace of 1814 formally ends the Peninsular War, but it does not end all hostilities among individua ...

''). Knowing he cannot convince them otherwise, he agrees to take them to where the gold is supposedly hidden. After overpowering his escort with the help of subterfuge, he rallies support from his neighbours, despite their dislike of him, and has them sing a choir in front of his chateau to distract the thieves, enabling him to sneak in through a secret entrance and capture them.

References

External links

Section from Bernard Cornwell's website on ''Sharpe's Christmas''
1995 short stories

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

Historical short stories War short stories Short stories by Bernard Cornwell Christmas short stories Works originally published in the Daily Mail {{1990s-story-stub