To do justice to this remarkable lady, let us catch our first glimpse in the moonlit courtyard of Madame Tormo's inn in Tlemcen, far western Algeria. It is late evening in mid summer 1848, and the oppressive heat of the day has given way to comfortably warm scent-laden airs. Tables lining the walls are well filled by after dinner drinkers, many in the varied colourful uniforms of French army officers, relaxed, with unbuttoned tunics. But there is no chatter. All eyes are fixed on the sinuous movements of the flamenco dancer, a beautiful young girl whose long raven hair ripples the length of her back, her voluptuous curves accentuated by her upthrust arms, fingers extended and vibrating as castanets echo the patterns beaten out by her stamping heels, in time with the rolling rhythms from the guitarist crouched on his stool under the single lantern.
The dancer, 17 year old Soledad, the youngest daughter of the house, is very well aware of the excitement she is arousing in the minds of her male audience. Her flashing eyes meet the frank stares of the young officers, mocking their vulnerability.
One admirer, older than most, sits alone and drinks in her beauty in greater measure than the brandy set before him. His smile probably bears a hint of complacency, as his bid for Senorita Tormo's charms has solid advantages over the competition. His rank is Lieutenant Colonel, and he lives at the inn. He speaks fluent Spanish, and most important of all, he has caught the interest of Soledad. His name is Francois Achille Bazaine.
Achille's military career to this time has been impressive by any standards. Although of birth far from humble - his father had been Chief Engineer of the Parisian home county Seine et Oise before leaving his family to serve the Tsar - he had enlisted into the 37th Ligne as a simple soldier, after failing entrance exams to the Ecole Polytechnique. A year later, aged 21, he was promoted Sergeant, and immediately transferred into the newly formed Foreign Legion to escape from home garrison duty. The next few years in the Oran region of Algeria saw sporadic actions and Achille's continued rapid promotions to officer rank as Sous Lieutenant. By now the local folk hero Abd-el-Kader was posing a powerful threat to continued French presence in Algeria, and an 1835 expedition against him ended in disaster when it was ambushed at the Macta Marshes and roundly defeated. Achille escaped with life and honour intact; even better followed with a commendation for bravery, the Legion of Honour, and promotion to Lieutenant.
