 The novel marks the last time Patrick Harper fights as an actual member of the British Army, as he receives his discharge, signed personally by the Duke of Wellington, at the book's end.He will be at Sharpe's side during the Hundred Days campaign, and later in South America during the events depicted in "Sharpe's Devil".The book also features the departure of one key character from the series, with a falling-out between Sharpe and Captain William Fredrickson, and also the introduction of a new principal character, Sharpe's third romantic partner, Lucille de Castineau.