Part Two, Chapters 10 & 11 Summary

By day Sharpe helps with the preparations for the next assault on the forts, and by night he stays with Helena. The British have been bombarding the forts non-stop for four days and nights. Helena is very knowledgeable, and Sharpe spends much time listening to her. From the stories about her parents who were killed by the French and stories of her life after that event, Sharpe is able to calculate her age at twenty-eight. Helena often speaks of her fear of Leroux, and Sharpe reassures her.

Early one morning, Sharpe encounters Spears. Spears wants to know where Sharpe has been the last few days, and he even in good nature accuses Sharpe of having an affair with Helena. Sharpe denies this, and after more pressure from Spears to tell where he has been, Sharpe claims he has befriended...