The Napoleon Affair

by Ernest Dempsey

  When Berger was safely inside the government sedan and the door was closed, Sean turned to Tommy, who was staring at him with bewildered eyes.

  "What?" Sean asked.

  Tommy pursed his lips and shook his head. "Oh, nothing. It's just that…well, usually, these things don't end this way."

  "What do you mean?" Sean chuckled.

  "Typically, there's a big gunfight, a fistfight, some kind of dramatic battle to the death. You know."

  Sean frowned, his brow furrowing. "I was tied up in the top of Notre-Dame and almost burned alive. And did you see what I did to Bodmer?"

  "Oh, right. I guess there were those things."

  "Honestly, how much drama do you need, Schultzie? We got the bad guys." He slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Now let's go get that ring."

  The four stepped into the shadows of the church and out of the morning sun.

  43

  MALTA

  Sean, Tommy, and Adriana stood at the center of the sanctuary on a red carpet that stretched from the back of the church to the front.

  The Co-Cathedral of John the Baptist was overflowing with parishioners. The crowd had come from all around Valletta and from across the Mediterranean to see the priceless relic restored to its former resting place.

  The pope presided over the service and stood solemnly at the center of the room, at the base of the altar. Wagner stood curiously close to the pope, several feet to the left. He almost looked like a guard, which would make sense based on what the man had told Sean and the others about his order.

  Sean and Tommy both felt uncomfortable with the proceedings, but they did their best to be reverent. They, along with Adriana, were receiving the highest honor the pope could bestow on a layperson.

  As the older man in white vestments continued to speak the Latin words of the rites, he gave subtle nods to each of the three heroes, crossing his hands before them as he did so. The three took the cue and bent down to one knee for the last part of the ceremony.

  They weren't Catholic, which was one of the primary sources of inner turmoil for the two men. Adriana, however, seemed more than comfortable with it.

  When the pope finished the rites, he changed to English in case there were those in attendance who couldn't understand Latin.

  "I knight thee, Sean Wyatt, Thomas Schultz, and Adriana…Wyatt, into the Order of Saint Gregory the Great." He paused when he said Adriana's last name. She had made the request to keep her last name a secret during the ceremony.

  "The Holy Church of Rome owes you a great debt. You have returned one of our holiest relics to its home, and we will always honor you for that. Rise, Knights of Saint Gregory the Great, and be recognized."

  The three stood and turned to face the crowd. Everyone bowed their heads in unison.

  Adriana and Tommy looked comfortable with the attention, while Sean couldn't get out of the room fast enough. There was something disconcerting about hundreds of eyes focused on them. Maybe it was his training. With so many in the sanctuary, all looking at him, it was more difficult to detect a threat.

  Security was tight, though, and he knew that the pope's unit, along with local security forces, would make sure everything had been locked down.

  Sean let out a long breath and forced a smile onto his face.

  When the proceedings were over, the pope personally thanked them and then made his way out of the building, touching people on the head and blessing them as he passed.

  A familiar face emerged from the crowd as most of the people began heading toward the exits.

  Cardinal Klopp approached them with a humble smile on his face. His fingers were laced together in front of his waist. The red cassock draped over him flapped in the wind, but it didn't seem to bother the cardinal.

  "Cardinal Klopp," Sean said with a nod. "Glad you could make it."

  "I wouldn't miss it," he said, squinting against the bright rays of the sun. "You three are my heroes. I will always be indebted to you."

  "No debts," Tommy said. "We're not a credit agency."

  The cardinal looked at him as if Tommy had a bus growing out of his head. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."

  Sean arched one eyebrow. "Neither do we, sir." He turned to Tommy. "Was that even a joke?"

  Tommy's laughter at himself ceased, and he bit his bottom lip in embarrassment.

  "Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for all you've done." Klopp shook Sean's hand, then Adriana's, then he stopped at Tommy. He held Tommy's hand for a long couple of seconds. "I have been granted authority to give you unlimited access to our archives, whenever you need them. This is a great honor and one that I'm certain you can appreciate."

  Tommy's eyes widened. "What? Are you serious?"

  Sean chuckled over the priest's shoulder. "He's a priest, Tommy. I doubt he's messing with you."

  "The thought did cross my mind," Klopp said with a wink. "But no. I am being serious."

  Tommy lost his composure in his excitement and let go of the cardinal's hand and wrapped his arms around the man, hugging him tightly. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

  He suddenly realized he was hugging a high-ranking cardinal and immediately let go, making sure he flattened out the man's robes before taking a step back.

  Klopp simply laughed. "You're welcome, my son."

  "History nerd," Sean said, barely masking it with a cough.

  "You are, too," Tommy defended.

  Sean snorted a laugh. "That I am, my friend. That I am. Speaking of, did you see that article the other day about the thing in the…oh, sorry, sir." He nodded at Klopp.

  The cardinal smiled kindly at him and then waved a hand. "I will see you again. God bless you."

  "And you," the three said together.

  The priest turned and walked away, heading down the stone path toward a cluster of people. Two security team members were standing on pillars with rifles slung over their shoulders. Their eyes darted left and right behind dark aviator sunglasses.

  "Well, I guess we're knights now," Sean said.

  "I was expecting to get a sword or something," Tommy said dejectedly.

  Adriana chuckled. "Maybe they'll send it to you in the mail." She nudged his shoulder with a balled fist.

  "Anyway, we should probably get moving," Sean said as he turned and looked back into the sanctuary where the ring of John the Baptist was on display. It was a simple piece of jewelry made of solid gold. The surface was flat, not rounded like a groom's wedding band, with a thin white line that cut through the middle of it going all the way around.

  Tommy had offered his lab to analyze the ring, but the church had declined, though they did say perhaps at some point he could bring some equipment to their laboratories.

  The three turned to walk back toward their ride and looked out over the city of Valletta.

  "Napoléon must have felt like the king of the world when he was standing here," Tommy said.

  "You know what, buddy? So do I."

  "Me, too," Tommy agreed. "Now, tell me about that article you were talking about a minute ago."

  Sean's eyes gleamed, matching his broad grin. "You're not going to believe what these scientists found in South America."

  THANK YOU

  Thank you for taking the time to read this story. We can always make more money, but time is a finite resource for all of us, so the fact you took the time to read my work means the world to me and I truly appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed sharing it, and I look forward to bringing you more fun adventures in the future.

  Ernest

  OTHER BOOKS BY ERNEST DEMPSEY

  Sean Wyatt Adventures:

  The Secret of the Stones

  The Cleric's Vault

  The Last Chamber

  The Grecian Manifesto

  The Norse Directive

  Game of Shadows

  The Jerusalem Creed

  The Samurai Cipher

  The Cairo Vendetta

  The Uluru Code

 
; The Excalibur Key

  The Denali Deception

  The Sahara Legacy

  The Fourth Prophecy

  The Templar Curse

  The Forbidden Temple

  The Omega Project

  Adriana Villa Adventures:

  War of Thieves Box Set

  When Shadows Call

  Shadows Rising

  FACT VS. FICTION

  Hello again. You probably have some questions regarding this story as to what I made up and what is real. You obviously know all the characters and events are fictional (mostly), but what were some of the things I utilized or conceived to make the story go? Well, you’ve come to the right place. So, let’s get started.

  The Teutonic Knights- Everything I portrayed about the Teutonic Order was as accurate as I could make it. I took few liberties, if any, in regards to their history. The island of Malta is more well-known for its occupation by the Knights Hospitaller, a brethren group of the Teutonic Order, but a number of Teutonic Knights did live on Malta during the invasion by Napoleon.

  The invasion of Malta was a real event in history. Napoleon took 30,000 soldiers and 10,000 sailors from the south of France and landed shortly after on the coast of Malta en route to their ultimate destination in Alexandria.

  The story about Napoleon’s visit to St. John’s Co-Cathedral is accurate and actually happened. One of my primary sources for this portion of the story comes from a fan, David Nixon, who relayed the legend from a visit he made there in 1998. It took an incredible amount of digging and more hours than I can recall to find evidence to corroborate this story, but I found multiple sources and was delighted to be able to include this key moment in history.

  Malbork Castle - This castle is quite the sight to behold and was the final headquarters of the Teutonic Order as it existed during its glory days. Does it still house some of the Order to this day in some secret chamber or perhaps a hidden headquarters beneath the surface? Who knows?

  Rosemary Beach - This little beach town in West Florida has become one of my favorite places to visit. You can find me there on my birthday every year. If you do, feel free to say hi or visit the local book store in the town square. You’ll also find the most beautiful beaches and water in the continental United States.

  The Vatican - Everything I relayed about the layout of the Vatican and the apartments was as accurate as I could make it. I also did a great deal of research concerning the Swiss Guard and their procedures for various circumstances. Commander Bodmer might have seemed aloof during the first two thirds of the story, but that was by design. A man of his standing would be clever and alert. Making him appear to be less than aware in some cases was merely a hint to his true intentions behind the plot.

  Paris- Napoleon’s Chateau, the Tomb of Josephine, and the Library are all popular tourists spots in Paris. While the secret compartment may be fictional (or possibly real), everything about the layout and the history of the library is real, as is the content regarding the other locations.

  I do find it extremely interesting that the library has remained almost untouched since Napoleon’s last visit there. And the images of the deities combined with the room’s architecture are certainly fascinating and worth the raise of an eyebrow.

  St. Helena- This place is one of the more interesting spots in the historical landscape of our world. One of the world’s greatest military leaders was exiled there and eventually died there, was buried there, and then exhumed and moved to Paris. I have so many questions about this place, about what happened there, who was involved, and what ultimately killed Napoleon—the common theory notwithstanding.

  All of the details I included about this location are as accurate as could be. The only fictional item I added was the letter itself and the names on the sheet of paper in the museum section of the property. That sheet was a device of my own imagining.

  Villers-Cotterêts - This quaint village was one of my favorite scenes to write in the story. The statue I describe and all the other details are as accurate as possible, right down to the shops, cafes, and their positions near the town square. It’s a quiet place, and one I highly recommend you visit if you get the chance as it can be a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of big Paris.

  Arc de Triumph - The names mentioned in the fiction list from before actually do appear on the famed arch in Paris. And the order I included is also accurate. You can visit the arch and scan through them, just be sure you take my book along so you know which column to search for (wink wink). One little side note is that, as a huge fan of Alexandre Dumas, I found it extraordinarily fascinating that his father’s name is on this monument, and that he was one of the most brilliant commanders in Napoleon’s military. It’s sad that Alexandre’s father died destitute, but my admiration of him being one of the earliest civil rights pioneers cannot be overstated.

  Père Lachaise - Perhaps the most famous cemetery in the world, this location is home to millions of visitors every year who come to Paris. It’s a place shrouded in mystery, history, and the bizarre. You can find many of the headstones and monuments I mentioned in the story, though for the sake of flow, I did alter a couple of locations, so don’t use my book as a guide for this area (I’m laughing as I write this). However, most of the facts I included about the cemetery are real and I highly encourage you to visit if you get the chance.

  Notre Dame Cathedral - In 2019, a catastrophic tragedy to one of the most recognizable historical sites in the world took much of this beautiful cathedral from the world. While the rebuild effort is under way at the time of writing this, it is a terrible shame that so much destruction happened to the old structure. I fear the walls and ceilings won’t feel the same as they did before, oozing with history as it did before. While my characters were obviously not responsible for the fire that consumed the cathedral, there are certainly more than a few conspiracy theories as to what happened that fateful day. Perhaps that is for another time.

  Tegernsee, Bavaria - This is one of the most picturesque locations I’ve ever written. Just get online and search for it. The pictures are worth the effort. I did my best to convey the history of the town and its famous buildings, and took very few liberties here—none of which are worth even mentioning. This part of the world is one of my favorites. If circumstances fell in line, I would be completely happy living here.

  One last fun fact. Alexandre Berthier fought alongside the American Colonists in the American Revolution, which for me is a huge deal. I’ve always loved the history of the American Revolution. It’s one of my favorite subjects, and the fact that this man served to help give me the freedom I enjoy means a great deal. I’m truly honored to have been able to share a little piece about his life, and to bring him to the forefront of history if only for a few moments. I believe Berthier to have been an honorable man and a great warrior who fought for liberty for all, both in America and later in France.

  I hope you enjoyed this little hike down the true or false trail. Be sure to come by next time for more fun facts. Or fiction….

  Bonus Materials

  I love immersing readers into a story, and what could be more immersive than food?

  Food is something that brings people, cultures, and worlds together. Cooking it is a journey. Eating it is a journey. The destination is connecting. Connecting with others, and with yourself. The journey begins anew every time we get together for a meal. To me, food is the greatest peacemaker of all.

  I love cooking and I truly enjoy trying new things. No, I didn’t eat escargot while writing this book because of my dietary restrictions, but I did try more recipes than I have for any other story.

  I started including recipes and bonus materials like this with book 17 in the Sean Wyatt Series, The Forbidden Temple. Those were some terrific Indian dishes that I had a blast creating and still make every month in my home.

  You can find that book here:

  And if you want to see one of the cooking videos, go here:

  Now, it’s time for w
hat you’ve been waiting for.

  I try to eat vegan about 70 percent of my meals because it’s good for the body and the environment, but I’m not fully vegan or vegetarian. So, for all my veggie friends, I’m doing some vegan style recipes along with some of the more traditional stuff. And most of the recipes I include have a vegan and even some gluten free ways of being prepared, though I don’t necessarily get into that with all of them in the videos where I cook them.

  You can start watching my Cooks With Books series on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIRCas0DCUHoFJqF1bKfVdmFH62xW5jnK

  And here are the links to the recipes I highlight in the videos, plus a few more I included that I may cook later on down the road:

  This site has a few dozen recipes for you to try and I used a couple of them for the story and for videos. Definitely worth a look — https://www.purewow.com/food/easy-French-recipes

  Want to whip up some delicious Beignets like I did in the video series? Here’s an easy recipe to throw together — https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/french-quarter-beignets-recipe-2014039

  Crepes. I love these things and I immediately regretted learning how to make them, because I’m going to gain a ton of weight. Perhaps literally. Anyway, here’s a good recipe to try for your own crepes — https://www.iheartnaptime.net/perfect-crepe-recipe/

  Cheesy French Onion Bread—or something like it— was featured in this story, and I would be remiss if I didn’t give you a recipe for it — https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58499/cheesy-french-onion-bread-recipe/

  Chicken Marengo is the poultry version of one of Napoleon’s favorite dishes. Check out this simple recipe here — https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/4-step-chicken-marengo-recipe-1949194

  French Onion Soup has to be in here, right? Here’s an easy recipe for it— https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/french_onion_soup/