Soledad Bazaine
specially invited to Tlemcen on the recommendation of the French consul at Cartegena, as being likely to enliven the moribund local social scene, as well as providing much needed hotel accomodation. Mind you, there was no sugestion of impropriety - on the contrary, Soledad was accompanied by a 'duenna' chaperone whenever she left the inn - but there were signs that she was restless and ambitious - when attending the local theatre she was renowned for ogling equally bold officers who succeeded in catching her roving eye. She recognised in Bazaine his need to settle down and start a family now that he had a peaceful break after so many years of campaigning, and she was determined that this rich plum was not going to fall into any lap but hers.
Both recognised that there was a serious problem to be addressed. Soledad had received little education, and the French she had learnt in the taproom was unlikely to be thought suitable when aired in the fashionable salons of Paris. So Achille financed her to go to boarding school in Oran. It was only 60 miles away and his duties gave him plenty of excuses to make the journey; in long solitary rides together the pair were able to get to know each other and when he finally popped the question it is likely that Soledad was genuinely delighted - her mother certainly was.
But there was still one obstacle to surmount - all officers had to obtain the permission of the War Ministry before marrying. Normally this would be rubber-stamped providing the application had the approval of the local commander. In this case it was General Macmahon's signature that was needed.
It proved a stormy interview. Macmahon was not at all sure that Bazaine's career would be furthered by marriage to such a well-loved feature of Tlemcen nightlife. In fact quite the reverse. To rub salt into the wound, he even implied that there might be a parallel with the case of the infatuated colonel who had married a lady who had previously been so liberal with the distribution of her favours that she had earned an obscene nickname among the officer fraternity.
Bazaine was outraged. With strictly honourable intentions, he had almost certainly not laid a finger on Soledad, and he flounced out simmering with bad feeling towards Macmahon which possibly he never forgot. But Macmahon who valued Bazaine immensely, must have felt
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