The Game of Hope

by Sandra Gulland

  —The week was changed from seven to ten days, called a décade.

  —The days of the week were named primidi, for first day, duodi, for second day, tridi for third day, and so on. Décadi meant tenth day. It was the last day of their ten-day week, and was a holiday, similar to our Sunday.

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  (Ages and ranks are as of September 12, 1798, when the novel opens.)

  At L’Institut National des Jeunes Filles (referred to here as “the Institute”), a boarding school for girls an hour west of Paris in what was then called Montagne-du-Bon-Air (now Saint-Germain-en-Laye):

  Hortense de Beauharnais, 15: daughter of Josephine Bonaparte, stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte (“the General”).

  Émilie de Beauharnais (“Ém”), 17: Hortense’s cousin.

  Adèle Auguié (“Mouse”), 14: Hortense’s best friend.

  Caroline Bonaparte, 16: Napoleon’s youngest sister.

  Maîtresse Jeanne-Louise-Henriette Campan, 45: headmistress of the Institute and Mouse’s aunt.

  Fighting in Egypt:

  Napoleon Bonaparte, 29: commanding general of France’s Army of the Orient.

  General Bonaparte’s aides-de-camp:

  Eugène de Beauharnais, second lieutenant, 17: Hortense’s older brother.

  Christophe Duroc, major, 25.

  Louis Bonaparte, captain, 20: one of Napolean’s younger brothers.

  Antoine Lavalette, captain, 28: Émilie’s husband.

  Joachim (pronounced “Wah-keem”) Murat, general, 31.

  Other:

  Josephine Bonaparte (formerly Rose de la Tascher de Beauharnais, and Yeyette, a nickname), 35: mother of Hortense and Eugène. A widow, she’d married Napoleon Bonaparte two years before.

  Euphémie (“Mimi”), full name and age unknown: Josephine’s housekeeper and companion, a former slave.

  Marie-Euphémie-Désirée Tascher de la Pagerie (“Nana”), 59: Hortense and Émilie’s grandmother, married to the Marquis de François de Beauharnais (“Grandpapa”).

  François de Beauharnais, marquis (“Grandpapa”), 84: Hortense and Émilie’s grandfather, father of Hortense’s father, Alexandre de Beauharnais, and Émilie’s father, François de Beauharnais.

  Paul Barras, director, 44: a politician during the Revolution and main leader of the Directory regime that followed, he was influential in helping Hortense’s mother.

  Hippolyte Charles, 25: a friend of the family and Josephine’s business partner.

  The Bonaparte Family (by age):

  Signora Letizia (born Maria Letizia Buonaparte and later known as Madame Mère), 48: mother and widow.

  Joseph (born Giuseppe), 30: the eldest child, a politician and, after the death of his father in 1785, the head of the Clan.

  Napoleon (born Napoleone), general, 29: Hortense’s stepfather.

  Lucien (born Luciano), 23: a politician.

  Elisa (born Maria Anna), 21: married.

  Louis (born Luigi), captain, 20: an aide-de-camp.

  Pauline (born Maria Paolo), 17: married.

  Caroline (born Annunziata), 16: a student at the Institute.

  Jérôme (born Girolamo), 13: a student.

  Deceased or Disappeared:

  Alexandre de Beauharnais, general, 34 at the time of his death: Hortense’s father, executed by guillotine.

  François de Beauharnais, about 33 when he fled France around 1789: Alexandre’s brother and Émilie’s father.

  Adélaïde Genet Auguié, 35 at the time of her death: Mouse’s mother and Maîtresse Campan’s sister.

  GLOSSARY

  WORDS AND NOTES ON MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS, PEOPLE AND PLACES

  Aide-de-camp—An officer assigned to assist a general.

  Amourette—A love affair.

  Apoplectic fit—A heart attack.

  Apothecary—A person who prepares and sells medicines and drugs.

  Bonnet rouge—A soft red cap with its peak pulled forward, modeled after hats worn in antiquity. It was worn by the more radical supporters of the French Revolution.

  Bourrée—A popular seventeenth-century French dance consisting of fast steps on tiptoe. A number of pop and rock bands of our day have incorporated the bourrée in their pieces.

  Calèche—A light, low-wheeled carriage with a hood.

  Childbed—When a woman gives birth.

  Consumption—A deadly wasting disease of the lungs, now known as pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Even today, over eight million people die of TB every year.

  Council of Ancients and Council of Five Hundred—The French Constitution of Year III, adopted in 1795, provided for two legislative chambers: the Council of Ancients and the Council of Five Hundred. The Ancients were similar in structure to the U.S. Senate, the Canadian Senate and the British House of Lords. The Five Hundred corresponded to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Canadian and British House of Commons.

  Creole—In the late-eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, Creole referred to someone of European descent who lived in the Caribbean. The Creole culture includes language, music and cuisine.

  Décadi—The official day of rest in the Revolutionary calendar that replaced the traditional Sunday.

  Domino (costume)—A robe-like costume worn at a masquerade ball. Large, with a big cape, a hood and wide sleeves, it could easily slip on over a dress.

  Dowry—The money and property given by a girl’s parents when she was formally engaged and then wed. In most cases, the understanding was that the daughter could then not claim part of the family inheritance. A dowry signified a girl’s value in the marriage market. If sizable, it ensured that she would “marry well,” for few men would consider marrying a girl with no dowry. An exception was Antoine Lavalette, who married Émilie, who had no dowry.

  Eau de Vie—Literally translating as “distilled spirits,” in 1800 it signified brandy of poor quality.

  Émigré—Anyone who had fled France during the French Revolution. Most were aristocrats, and because they favored a return of the monarchy, they were suspected of supporting the overthrow of the Revolutionary government. Considered traitors, their property was confiscated and their names were put on a list of those forbidden ever to return to France.

  Fantasmagorie—A form of theater using a “magic lantern” to project images of skeletons, demons and ghosts onto walls, smoke or semi-transparent screens. For more on this early form of the modern horror movie, go to bit.ly/EarlyHorrorShow.

  Falling disease—Epilepsy.

  Forcemeat quenelles—Poached meatballs made of a mixture of ground meat, seasonings and fat.

  Gigue—A lively dance, rather like a jig.

  Green sickness—Also called the Virgin’s Disease, it was a type of anemia found primarily in young women. Symptoms included a greenish tint to the skin, lack of energy, shortness of breath, headaches, a loss of appetite and the absence of a menstrual period. The most common cause of this kind of anemia was an iron and protein deficiency, but at the time it was blamed on laziness, lovesickness, the swamping of “humors” before menstruating or excessive masturbation.

  Haberdasher—Someone who sells small articles such as caps, purses and sewing notions.

  Hussar—A soldier who was part of a light cavalry squadron.

  Institute, the—A boarding school for girls founded and administered by Maîtresse Campan. For details about life at the school, go to bit.ly/institute4girls.

  Interesting condition—To say that a girl was in an “interesting condition” meant that she was pregnant.

  La Fontaine—Jean de La Fontaine’s poems are stories about animals used to illustrate human foibles. Hortense reads “The Dove and the Ant” (bit.ly/DoveandAnt).

  Laudanum—One of the most common remedies for what was then called “female comp
laints,” laudanum was a mixture of opium, alcohol and water. Sometimes saffron, cinnamon or cloves were added for taste or color.

  Madeleine—A delicious traditional French cookie which is not hard to make. Google “how to make madeleines” for instructions.

  Man-of-all-work—A handyman.

  Masquerade ball—A ball where almost everyone wears a disguise. During the Revolution and for a period after, such balls were not allowed because crimes might be committed under cover of a mask.

  Montagne-du-Bon-Air—The name of the city Saint-Germain-en-Laye during the Revolution. In proclaiming independence from the Catholic Church, anything having to do with saints—even a name—was changed.

  Necessary, the—An outhouse.

  Palais Égalité—Formerly the Palais Royal; during the Revolution, names with royal connotations were changed to reflect the new ideals.

  Partlet—A decorative covering for the neck and shoulders worn by women.

  Pianoforte—An earlier version of what we think of as the piano. The pianoforte had sixty-six keys, compared to the piano’s eighty-eight. Piano means soft in Italian, and forte means loud, so pianoforte indicates an instrument that plays both soft and loud. See the YouTube videos bit.ly/pianohistory1 and bit.ly/pianohistory2 for an excellent history.

  Place du Trône-Renversé—A square in Paris where Hortense’s father was executed. The guillotine was moved there for about one month, during which time 1,306 people were beheaded, including sixteen nuns who were beheaded in one day. Before the Revolution, it was called Place de Trône, and now it is Place de la Nation.

  Plombières-les-Bains—A village in the mountains of southeastern Paris. It has always been famous for its hot mineral springs, which are believed to cure certain ailments. Josephine was there to seek a cure for her infertility, but tragically had a fall when a balcony gave way—a fall that very nearly killed her.

  Pockets—Old-style “pockets” were like tie-on cloth purses, worn under a hoop and skirt. This was one reason hoops were so big, to hide the bags of stuff women carried under them. Women could reach into their pockets through slits in their skirt. This system worked well for hundreds of years, until the “nearly naked” look came into fashion. The new style was slim; nothing could be tucked underneath. Instead, women began to carry a cloth sac, called a “reticule”—the first version of what we think of as a purse.

  Pork crepeinettes—Small, flat sausages.

  Post house—A house or inn where horses were kept or changed for travelers, often offering refreshments and rooms.

  Prisoner’s Base—A rambunctious running game often played at Malmaison. Enjoyed for centuries, it is still played today. Go to bit.ly/PrisonersBase for the rules.

  Reds—An old expression signifying a girl’s menstrual period. It was also referred to as the flowers.

  Sal prunella elixir—Most medications were made in the home. The “elixir” (an old-fashioned word for drink) prescribed for Ém was made of sal prunella, which is saltpeter, a type of salt in cake form. Saltpeter had a number of uses, from curing meats to soothing sore throats.

  Sarabande—A dance that possibly originated in Mexico, the sarabande was taken up in Spain, then Italy and then France, where it became a slow, balletic court dance. Initially it was controversial and was banned a number of times, in part because of its suggestive hip movements.

  Scimitar—Originally from Middle Eastern countries, a scimitar is a short sword with a curved blade that broadens toward the point.

  Shoe roses—Ribbon and other fabrics formed into the shape of a flower, used to decorate the point of a shoe.

  Smelling salts—Used to “wake” someone out of a faint, something that seemed to happen rather often in times past, especially during dental and surgical procedures, which had to be done without any pain medication. The salts smelled strongly of ammonia, which irritated the nose and lungs, triggering inhalation.

  Sweetmeats—Dessert delicacies made of sugar, including preserved fruit, gingerbread, sugared almonds and jelly.

  Supreme Being—The name given for “God” by the Revolutionary government.

  The Rights of Man—The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was written during the French Revolution in 1789. It was directly influenced by Thomas Jefferson, of the United States, and inspired by the American Revolution. The U.S. Constitution declared its citizens free and equal. The French Rights of Man took it further, declaring all men free and equal. “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.” It had a major impact on freedom and democracy worldwide.

  Upsick—To vomit.

  Urgency—An emergency.

  Wax tablet—The eighteenth-century version of an electronic tablet. Made of a smooth, notebook-sized wooden board covered with a thin film of wax, the tablet was written on with a sharp-pointed stylus or pen. Later, the wax could be heated and smoothed, ready for new notes.

  Wet-nurse—Babies were often sent to be breastfed by another woman, called the wet-nurse. This woman would continue to have a motherly relationship with her charge. Napoleon, for example, was very fond of his “milk-mother,” as Hortense was of hers. Eugène was nursed by his mother Josephine, a practice inspired by a pre-Revolutionary “back to nature” movement. Hortense, however, had to be sent out to a wet-nurse when Josephine was ordered into a convent by her first husband. The French word nounou means nanny, or nurse. Ém’s nounou was her nanny, and also, likely, her wet-nurse.

  Wheat cakes—Small wheat cakes (something like cupcakes) were the original wedding cake. Breaking the cakes over the bride’s head ensured that she would get pregnant. Each guest ate a bit of the cake to bring good luck. If an unmarried woman put a piece of the cake under her pillow, she would dream of her future husband.

  In order by mention in the novel:

  The Institute in Montagne-du-Bon-Air (Saint-Germain-en-Laye today).

  La Chantereine, Josephine and Napoleon’s house in Paris.

  Place du Trône-Renversé, where Hortense’s father was guillotined. Formerly Place du Trône, today it is called Place de la Nation.

  The Carmes, where Hortense’s mother and father were imprisoned.

  Malmaison.

  The Petit Luxembourg.

  The Palace of Kings, named Palace of the Government by Napoleon. Also known as the Tuileries, it was burned to the ground in 1871. Today only its formal gardens remain.

  The fortune-teller Lenormand’s house.

  To see current-day locations, go to bit.ly/GameofHopeMAP.

  THE GAME OF HOPE

  The Game of Hope deck of cards shown here is the earliest Lenormand set known, dating from 1800. It is now in the British Museum. There are many books and websites, and at least one app, that explain how to use the cards, should you be interested.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  This novel would not exist were it not for the irresistible spark of an idea—wrapped in ribbons and presented deliciously with chocolates—from Nicole Winstanley and her team at Penguin Canada. Big thanks, as always, to my agent Jackie Kaiser for her enthusiasm, sage wisdom and support.

  In editing, I am deeply grateful to my essential early-stage editors Alison McCabe and Fiona Foster, and especially to Lynne Missen of Penguin Random House Canada and Regina Hayes of Penguin Random House U.S. for their insightful feedback on what must have seemed an endless succession of drafts. As well, special thanks to Catherine Marjoribanks; her thoughtful, precise copy edit was a pleasure to read.

  It takes a team to create a book, and if I knew, going forward, all the names of the dedicated book-loving professionals—the proofreaders, designers, printers and publicists—who will help bring this book into the world, it would be my pleasure to credit them here.

  Thanks to Peter Hicks, Chantal Prévot and staff for the warm welcome at the Fondation Napoléon headqu
arters in Paris. I spent fruitful hours in their Bibliothèque M. Lapeyre Library. Grace Gately, Sarah Lawrence and Corinne Gressang all provided invaluable research assistance. A number of academics came to my aid through the H-France list server and The Napoleon Series forum, including Jennifer Germann, for her article on the painter François Gerard, a teacher at Madame Campan’s school, and Lucia Carminati, who recommended that I look into the work of Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti for glimpses into the Egyptian perspective during Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. Special thanks go to Drs. Maureen MacLeod, Rebecca Rogers and Susan Howard for generously providing invaluable information about the Institute, as well as to genealogist Philippe Chapelin who dove into the Archives Nationales in Paris to find letters written by a student there.

  Very early on, Marcello Simonetta, author of Napoleon and the Rebel: A Story of Brotherhood, Passion, and Power, provided fascinating unpublished notes on Hortense from Lucien Bonaparte’s journals. Grateful thanks, as always, to Dr. John McErlean, who kept me informed of any and all Napoleonic news pertinent to Hortense; Monique Boulanger and Anne Challamel, for help with translations; Jana Anna, for guidance in spiritual realms; Bruce Backer, for working out a chess sequence for me (or, rather, for Napoleon and Hortense); Ann Coombs, for photos sent from a museum show at Malmaison; Ryan Naylor, for kindly taking me on a tour of the property in Saint-Germain-en-Laye that had formerly been the Institute; and Simon Kiskovski and his wife Jocelyne for generously showing me around Mortefontaine. Special thanks, as well, to Dominik Gügel and Christina Egli at the Napoleon Museum Thurgau, a charming museum devoted (largely) to Hortense in her Arenenberg Castle on Lake Constance in Switzerland.

  My Napoleonic history consultant, Dr. Margaret Scott Chrisawn, saved my hide a number of times by pointing out errors. In deference to her reputation, I must make clear that she is in no way responsible for those errors that no doubt remain, both accidentally and willfully. Thanks, as well, to my other special consultants: P. A. Staes on historical medical details; Marcus Katz and (especially) Tali Goodwin on Lenormand’s Game of Hope; composer Jon Brantingham on eighteenth-century music composition; and Merilyn Simonds on what flowers might have been blooming in late October in a Paris garden in 1799.