The Queen's Scarlet, by George Manville Fenn.
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The 17-year old Sir Richard Frayne, Baronet, and his cousin Mark, are
both at a coach for the Army exam, after which, if successful, they
would join the Army as officers. But Mark is seen to be a cad and liar,
and there is a fight between them, Mark being apparently dead. Dick,
who is a good musician, goes off with his flute in its case, intending
to make his way to a city where there is an Army barracks and a Naval
port, presumably Chatham, since we are in Kent. He had intended to
cross a river by a certain bridge, but the river was in flood, and the
bridge had been washed away. As he is looking at this, a drowning
shepherd boy is washed by, and Dick dives in to try and rescue him,
unsuccessfully. But Dick's servant had followed him, and seen him dive
in, assuming that Dick had committed suicide. Furthermore the
shepherd's body is later recovered, and presumed to be Dick's, so that
it is buried at Dick's home church-yard. Mark recovers, his sickly
father inherits Dick's estate and baronetcy, but dies, and Mark in turn
inherits.
Meanwhile Dick had joined up as a bandsman. Another regiment marches
into the garrison town, and Dick's former servant turns up, and to his
astonishment recognises Dick. Mark is also an officer of this second
regiment. After various events in which Dick and Mark are both
involved, though Mark pretends not to recognise Dick, there is a
confrontation, in which Mark shoots his cousin in a hop-field, leaving
him for dead. But some workers who are spraying the hops for aphid,
come across the body, and realise it is not quite dead. Eventually
Dick is nursed back to health in the barracks hospital, and Mark
leaves, never to be seen again. Dick easily recovers his estates and
the title, finding that Mark had greatly lost the value of the estate,
but with care he manages to recoup most of the loss. He also passes the
Army exam, and joins a regiment as an officer, having a distinguished
career in the Army, as his father had done before him.
It's a fairly short book, less than nine hours to read aloud, but an
interesting one, and you will enjoy it.
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THE QUEEN'S SCARLET, BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN.