As the British army waited on the outskirts of Lucknow, the rain had eased off for the first time in days, allowing a window of sunshine and a chance to view the city. With his men secure and already fed, Jack checked the chambers of his revolver, felt for a cheroot and again cursed when he remembered he had none left.
"It"s a city of palaces." Jack stood behind the wall of the Alambagh and traced Lucknow through binoculars he had found abandoned beside the rebel artillery. "It must have been wonderful before this i***t war started."
"It was the capital of the state." Mary was at his side, holding her hat to prevent the slight breeze from tipping it onto the garden below. "And it is full of palaces, mosques, temples and other public buildings."
"I"ve never seen anywhere quite like it,"
