Two stories originally published in the Daily Mail. Both take place at Christmas but one in 1813 and the other at the end of the war.

In the title story Richard Sharpe, commanding the Prince of Wales's Own Volunteers, finds himself caught between two groups of French soldiers.

The second story, 'Sharpe's Ransom', is set in France, after Waterloo, when Lucille and their child are taken hostage by unemployed French soldiers who have turned to crime.

Short Story: In the summer of 1812, Richard Sharpe is sent to a remote Spanish fort on a minor mission to pick up captured French muskets. He is surprsed by the French who are on a raid across the River Tormes.