Abigail Cruttenden

After returning from the war Sharpe is accused of stealing Napoleon's treasure, after being set up by his long-time enemy Ducos. He's abandoned by his wife, convicted of the crime, and sent to jail. He escapes to seek justice.

Sharpe returns to England and is ordered to the North where he is to command the local militia in a troubled town. It is here that Sharpe faces an agonizing decision - whether to side with the town's corrupt gentry or to support his own kind, the rough and tough of the world who are abused by their superiors.