In 1841, the majority of British troops returned to India, leaving only 8,000 soldiers in Afghanistan. However, it soon became evident that Shah Shuja's rule could only be sustained with a stronger British presence. The Afghans were resentful of the British occupation and the rule of Shah Shuja. As time dragged on, the East India Company's first political officer, William Hay Macnaghten, permitted his soldiers to bring their families to Afghanistan to boost morale. This decision further enraged the Afghans as they felt that the British were establishing a permanent occupation. Macnaghten purchased a mansion in Kabul, where he installed his wife, complete with a crystal chandelier, an extensive selection of French wines, and hundreds of servants from India. He behaved like he owned the place, earning him the nickname "the Envoy" from both the Afghans and the British. Lady Florentia Sale, the wife of a British officer, created an English-style garden at her Kabul residence, which was widely admired. Her daughter, Alexadrina, married Lieutenant John Sturt of the Royal Engineers at her home in Kabul in August 1841. In addition, British officers participated in horse racing, cricket, and ice skating over the frozen ponds during winter, which was a novel experience for the Afghans, who had never witnessed it before.