‘Nevertheless, send them away,’ Napoleon replied firmly; then, as he saw her hurt expression, he softened his voice.‘My love, I have not seen you for some months. I would like to be alone with you this first night of my return, at least.’ He pulled her close to him and kissed her on the lips, letting his arm slide down the back of her dress to the curve of her buttocks as he did so. For a moment Josephine was unresponsive, then she pressed her mouth against his and Napoleon felt the flicker of her tongue.At length she drew back and stared intensely into his eyes.‘I will send them away.’
Later, when it was pitch black outside, they lay in each other’s arms in front of the fireplace in Napoleon’s study. The flames had shrunk to a warm wavering glow and cast a dull orange light around the room. Josephine lay against a couch, her legs flat on the thick carpet. Napoleon lay beside her, head resting on her breast as the fingers of one hand idly stroked through her pubic hair. It surprised him that even now, after so many years of marriage, and so many other lovers on both sides, their lovemaking had been as passionate and pleasurable as it had ever been. Yet it wounded him that there was still no issue from their intercourse. There was no shred of doubt now that Josephine would never provide him with an heir.
‘Tell me about Spain,’ she said softly as she stroked his dark hair, noticing that it had started to thin around the temples.
‘A hard country,’ Napoleon replied. ‘The people are poor and superstitious.You would find it hard to believe that a country on the very borders of France could be so mired in the past. I have done my best to set them on course towards a more enlightened future, but I fear it will take some time before they accept the benefits I hold out to them.’
‘But they will in the end, I trust.’
‘They will. As long as Joseph and my generals stand firm.’
‘Good. Then there is no need for you to return there, is there?’
Napoleon turned to smile at her. ‘Not for the present, at least.’ Then his head rolled back on to the smooth flesh of her breast and he nuzzled her nipple as he gazed into the flames. ‘Besides, I am needed here. It seems that the Austrian Emperor has taken advantage of my absence to push his forces right up to the borders of our territories on the Danube. He must be persuaded to draw back, before he provokes a war.’
‘More war?’ Josephine stopped stroking his hair.‘Are we never to see an end to war, my love, so that we can grow old together?’
Napoleon took her hand and gently kissed the palm. ‘There will be peace.’
‘I hope so. With all my heart. As do so many others. I do not know how a nation can endure war as long as France has. There must be an end to it soon.’
Napoleon was silent for a moment. At length, in a gentle tone, he said, ‘Now that sounds like Talleyrand speaking.’
‘I suppose it does.’ Josephine smiled. ‘Well, he has certainly been making no secret of his desire for peace recently.You know, for one of your most respected advisers, he certainly seems to share very few of your views. I don’t know how you can tolerate it.’
‘No. I sometimes wonder why I do,’ Napoleon mused.‘Perhaps when he resigned as foreign minister I should have stripped him of all his offices. I doubt it will surprise you to hear that Talleyrand has been plotting to overthrow me. Plotting with Fouché and Murat.’
He sensed her stiffen, and quickly eased himself up and turned so that he was facing her. Josephine’s eyes met his for a moment and then wavered before fixing on the flames over his shoulder. ‘I had no idea it was as serious as that,’ she said.
‘But you had some idea of what he was plotting?’
‘No. Not really. He talks a lot, but that’s just the way it is.You never know how much to take seriously with Talleyrand. But plotting to overthrow you? Are you certain?’
‘I have enough evidence to send him to the guillotine.’
Josephine was silent for a moment before she spoke again. ‘And will you?’
‘I don’t know. He may yet be of some use to me, and I doubt the royal courts of Europe would thank me for extinguishing one of their brightest lights. But that is no reason to spare him, especially if there is any more to his treachery than I have already discovered.The difficulty is that Talleyrand and Fouché are my creatures. I raised them up. If I tear them down, that is to publicly admit that my initial judgement of their loyalty was flawed. That would be embarrassing. I will have to think about the matter before I decide their fate.’
The meeting of the Emperor’s council of advisers took place, as scheduled, on the following Sunday in the Tuileries. Napoleon had ordered Talleyrand to give up the office of Grand Chamberlain two days earlier, and the ministers who gathered in the Emperor’s private audience chamber sensed that there was something in the wind. Napoleon stood at the window with his back to the room, hands clasped behind him. For a minute or so there was complete silence and stillness as the ministers and advisers glanced warily at each other. Only Talleyrand seemed imperturbable, sitting close to the fireplace and gazing serenely into the hearth.
It was gloomy outside and Napoleon had a clear view of his guests reflected in the window. He had prepared for this meeting, to ensure that it had the appropriate impact on his subordinates. Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, he turned round and strode back across the chamber to address them.
‘Gentlemen, I had summoned you to discuss the growing threat from Austria, but first there is another matter that needs to be settled. A grave matter concerning the loyalty of two of my most important ministers.’ He paused, deliberately avoiding the eyes of Fouché and Talleyrand. ‘Two men who owe everything to me yet now seem determined to stir up public opinion against their Emperor. Well, they should be careful before they play with the sentiments of the people. Those who dabble in revolution are holding a wolf by the ears, and they are fools if they think that they would not be swept away in the first days of any popular uprising.’
Lucien rose to his feet, on cue. ‘Sire, who are these traitors?’
‘My chief of police, Fouché, and the former Grand Chamberlain, Talleyrand.’
There was an excited murmur amongst those assembled, while Fouché squirmed in his seat and glanced round desperately to gauge the balance of sympathy amongst the other ministers. Talleyrand simply stirred in his chair and turned to face Napoleon directly, his features devoid of surprise, fear or indeed any emotion.
Napoleon raised a hand to command silence from the council.When their tongues had stilled he continued, ‘I have been handed clear evidence of their plot against me. Reports of their movements, whom they have met, letters they have exchanged with other plotters, most notably Marshal Murat, whom they have invited to take my throne once I have been removed.’
Napoleon at last turned to Talleyrand, his face twisting slightly into a cold sneer of contempt. His finger stabbed out as he raised his voice. ‘You, Talleyrand, are a traitor and a coward.You believe in nothing but yourself. For that you have deceived us all and betrayed your country. You have taken the coin of our enemies and sold your soul to them. Is there nothing you would not sell for your own personal gain? You have failed me, failed your people and failed yourself.You are contemptible. Even as you have enjoyed all the honours I have lavished on you, you have been attacking my achievements in Spain, lying to the people of Paris about what has been happening there.’ He glared at Talleyrand. ‘Well? What have you to say for yourself, you miserable cur?’
Talleyrand returned his gaze steadily and did not utter a word. Napoleon felt a genuine rage well up inside him at the man’s insouciance. ‘You heinous little cripple! You faithless husband! For all your pretensions you are nothing more than a pile of shit in silk stockings! You hear me? You turd! I ought to have you shot like that scum the Duke of Enghien. Shot, or hanged, or guillotined, and then have your body thrown to the crows.That is the least punishment you deserve. You and any other man who commits treason against his Emperor.’
As Napoleon shouted at his former foreign min
ister, the other members of the council were cringing in their seats, none more so than Fouché, who had slumped down and swallowed nervously throughout the tirade. Napoleon drew some comfort from that. As he had hoped, by turning the main weight of his rage against Talleyrand he had scared the others, and left Fouché in no doubt over the fate that might await him if he was ever again suspected of plotting against his Emperor.
With a last glare of contempt at Talleyrand, Napoleon abruptly turned and marched out of the audience chamber, slamming the door behind him so that the jarring crash made his advisers jump in their chairs.
‘Do you think it has worked?’ Napoleon asked Lucien two weeks later as they sat in the same room, on either side of the fire. Outside, rain lashed down on Paris so that the tiled roofs gleamed like fish scales.
‘As well as it could,’ Lucien conceded. ‘Talleyrand has not made any more comments about your policy in Spain, or any form of criticism. The same goes for Fouché, who has even refused to be seen in the same room as Talleyrand for fear of being associated with him. People are being very careful about what they say in public at the moment. I think you can rest easy.’
‘Good.’
‘The thing is, I still don’t see why you don’t at least have them quietly sent into exile. They are dangerous men and should not go unpunished.’
Napoleon pressed his lips together briefly. ‘It is enough for them to know that I am aware of their treachery, and that I can have them shot or thrown in prison at the click of my fingers. Besides, they serve as an example to the wider public that nothing escapes the Emperor’s eye.’
Lucien was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. ‘I still think you should have disposed of them. In time they are sure to be amongst your bitterest enemies.’
‘Perhaps. In time.When that happens I will deal with it. At present I cannot bring myself to destroy them.’ Napoleon looked up at his brother with a wistful smile. ‘Call it a sentimental streak, but Talleyrand, Fouché and I have shared much over the years. Our fates are bound together, for better or worse.’
‘Forgive me, brother, but that is madness. You cannot afford to indulge yourself in such obligations.You are the Emperor of France. If you fall then France will be crushed by her enemies.You are not free to place some misguided sense of mercy above the nation’s interests.’
‘Nevertheless, I will,’ Napoleon replied firmly, and then frowned.‘No more of this, Lucien. There are other matters to attend to. Far more important matters. There is no longer any doubt that Austria means to make war against us. Our ambassador reports that the court of Emperor Francis is openly hostile. Our agents suggest that the Austrian army numbers well over three hundred thousand men. It seems that they have not forgotten, or forgiven, the shame they incurred at Austerlitz. They mean to have their revenge and crush me utterly.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘The thing is, they have never been in a better position to do it. I have one hundred and twenty thousand men on the Rhine. If we scour the garrisons in the German states and in France we might raise another eighty thousand. We are also short of officers, although we might make the numbers up by recalling those who have retired, or promoting sergeants.’ He sighed wearily. ‘The truth is that time is against us.’
‘Time is always against us,’ said Lucien. ‘All that a man can do is acquit himself as well as he may, and not waste the smallest span of his life bemoaning the fact.’
‘You are right, of course. If Austria wants war, then she shall have it.’ Napoleon closed his eyes and after a moment he continued quietly,‘The greatest challenge I will ever face lies before me, Lucien. I had hoped that we might have subdued Europe by now, but that is not the case. The Tsar is building his strength, and each report from Moscow reveals that he is slipping further away from me. I have little doubt that Russia will seek again to humble us before too long. If there is a war with Austria we can be sure that Russia will join with our enemy.’ Napoleon paused to contemplate the prospect. ‘That will be war on a new scale. War such as no man has ever seen. And when it comes, I will lead the Grand Army to Moscow itself, if I have to, and burn the city to the ground.’
He turned to Lucien and smiled. ‘The best is yet to come, my brother. The battle of the hosts, from which France will emerge triumphant, and the name Napoleon will be carved into the very bedrock of history.’
Chapter 55
Arthur
Lisbon, April 1809
‘It appears that all of Lisbon has turned out to greet you, sir.’The captain of the frigate grinned as he gestured towards the crowd crammed along the quay. The waiting Portuguese were waving brightly coloured streamers and the national flag and their cheers carried clearly across the waters of the river Tagus.
‘So it seems.’ Arthur could not help smiling. Evidently the Portuguese had put the bitter experience of the Cintra armistice behind them. That was good. He had feared wasting valuable time rebuilding trust between Britain and her ally, but if this greeting was representative of the people’s allegiance then Arthur would be able to put his plans into effect as swiftly as possible. Throughout the short voyage from Southampton he had been busy in the stern cabin the frigate’s captain had let him use. It had been a hurried departure from Britain. His staff officers had been carefully selected; the latest books on conditions in the Peninsula had been purchased. His private stores for the campaign had been ordered and packed in trunks and sent down to the embarkation port. Then there had been a final round of social visits to make, as well as settling his family and political affairs.
Arthur had resigned as Chief Secretary of Ireland with some small measure of regret over unfulfilled ambitions to improve the lot of the common people. He had also given up his seat in Parliament. Henceforth, he would dedicate himself to his duties as a soldier, with a private resolve not to quit his new command until the French generals and marshals in the Peninsula had been humbled, or he himself had been killed in the process. He did not speak of this resolve to Kitty when he had informed her that he was off to war again.
Their parting had been emotional. This time it was likely that Arthur’s duties would keep him away from home for years rather than months. Kitty had not been able to hold back her tears at the prospect and clung to him on the morning of his departure from their home in Phoenix Park. Once Kitty had overseen the packing of their possessions she would move to the house in London to await his return.
As he gazed at the sprawling tiled roofs of the Portuguese capital Arthur could not help wondering at the scale of the task he had set himself. If all went well, it would be a long time before there could be any prospect of returning to Kitty and he felt pricked by guilt at the satisfaction the reflection afforded. But he brushed the thought aside as the frigate dropped anchor and the crew lowered the launch over the side to convey the new commander of the British army ashore.
Escorted by a company of men from one of the regiments that had newly arrived from Britain, Arthur made his way through the crowd towards the reception committee of local dignitaries waiting on a small stage in a large public square decorated with ribbons and flags. He was relieved to see Major-General Beresford amongst them. Beresford had served under him at Vimeiro, and had, thanks to his command of Portuguese, remained in Portugal to train soldiers recruited from the local populace. The two officers exchanged a salute before Arthur grasped the other man’s hand.
‘Good to see you again, Beresford.’
‘And you, sir.’
‘I understand that you have been promoted in my absence.A marshal of Portugal, no less.’
‘The rank serves its purpose,’ Beresford replied self-consciously. ‘At least the locals respect it. Makes my job of training them that much easier. Besides, I shan’t be the only Englishman with such a fine rank bestowed on him.’ Beresford turned to the local dignitaries and exchanged a few brief words with a small dapper man in a fine dress coat with a bright red sash across his shoulder.
‘This is the High Chamberlain of the Royal Court, sir. The
senior official left behind after the government fled to Brazil.’
Arthur bowed to the chamberlain and at once the man burst into speech, talking so rapidly that Beresford could not keep up and struggled to follow the man’s address. At the end the chamberlain turned and clicked his fingers at one of his officials and the man stepped forward with an ornate case.The chamberlain took the case and opened it carefully to reveal a jewelled star on a purple ribbon, together with a gilded baton. He offered the case to Arthur with a deep bow.
‘What’s this?’ Arthur asked Beresford.
‘The acting head of the Portuguese government confers upon you the rank of marshal-general of the allied forces in Portugal.’
‘And the rest of the speech?’
‘Usual flummery, sir. And a nice bit about how you are going to crush the French armies in Portugal and Spain before you finally defeat the French Emperor himself.’
‘Ah, well, yes,’ Arthur responded awkwardly. ‘Please convey my humble appreciation for the honour the chamberlain does me.Tell him that I give my word that the French aggressors will rue the day that they ever dared to wage war on the people of Portugal.’
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