by Griff Hosker
If the sergeant was surprised when I spoke Italian he did not show it but he became less aggressive. I showed him my credentials and he sent for the officer of the day. While my escort was sheltered beneath a marble portico I was whisked into the presence of the King and Queen of Naples along with their military commander General Count Roger de Damas.
The king was a serious looking man but, perhaps because of my cousin’s warnings, he looked to me to have shifty eyes. His wife, Queen Maria Carolina, was everything one might expect from a queen. She was beautiful and she looked thoughtful. I was surprised at the youth of the general. He looked to be of an age with me. I later discovered that he was seven years younger and he was French. He too was the son of an aristocrat but, unlike me, he had not fought for Napoleon, only against him.
The Queen did the speaking. “We understand that you speak Italian.”
I nodded and added, impetuously, “And also German.”
She smiled and said in German, “Ah so you know where I was born.”
I bowed, “Yes, your majesty.”
She reverted to Italian, “You are unusual for an Englishman.”
I smiled, I was enjoying our conversation, “That is because I am Scots, your majesty.”
King Ferdinand said irritably, “Get on with it. The French are almost at the border already!”
The Queen patted his hand, “You will have to excuse his majesty he was less than happy when General Craig and the Russians left last week. Now what can General Stuart do to help us?” She smiled at General de Damas, “Although I am sure that our dashing General de Damas will be more than capable of defending our borders.”
The young general almost simpered.
I was not convinced about his credentials. I looked at the king as I spoke. “If you were to request his presence then I am sure he would be able to bring his three guns, four thousand infantry and the rest of my cavalry.”
General de Damas spoke for the first time and his Italian was accented as I expect was mine. “How many cavalry do you possess?”
“A troop.”
He snorted in a derisory fashion. “We have sixteen squadrons. Your troop will not make any difference.”
I stared at him and saw him properly. He reminded me of many of my father’s friends. They were arrogant with a total belief in themselves. “And have they fought the French before?” I kept my voice as calm as possible.
“No, but I have!” He snapped petulantly.
“Where?”
“In the Vendee when we tried to restore the king.”
That told me all that I needed to know. Even against the early Republican armies the émigré forces had been useless. “Well my troop has fought the French before now and more importantly we have defeated superior forces of French cavalry so do not underestimate us because of mere numbers.”
He looked a little less confident. The queen smiled at me, “Well then Captain, when can we expect Major General Stuart and his men?”
I was not sure that he would come but I had to be the diplomat. “I will send one of my men back to Sicily with a message and I think they could be here by February.” I was making that up but it seemed a reasonable time scale.
The king’s shoulders sagged, “By then it may be too late.” He stood and wandered off. The general followed him leaving myself alone with the queen and her guards.
She stood, “Come and walk with me in my lemon groves.” Leaning on my am she took me through a small side door into an enclosed lemon grove. Even though it was winter there were still lemons to be seen. “It is sheltered here and even in January we enjoy the rays of the sun.” She sat and patted the seat next to her. “You must understand that my husband, the king, fears the French Emperor. He has defeated the Russians and the Austrians and we are under no illusions. Despite what General de Damas says our army is no match for the French war machine. Your army could have made the difference.” She stopped and looked at me, “Would you stay here until we have a better idea of what may happen?”
I bowed, “It would be my pleasure. General Stuart made it clear I was to do all that I could to aid you.”
She clapped her hands. Although middle aged she was still a beautiful woman and at that moment she looked like a young girl, “Splendid. I will arrange for you to stay with my guards.”
“And if you will excuse me I must send a message to my general.”
However we had no sooner entered the reception room than King Ferdinand appeared. “You there, captain. I want you to take me to Sicily to meet your general.”
“But your majesty I have no ship and I have promised to protect the Queen.”
He glared at me and then the Queen. “You will stay here when we might be invaded at any time?”
“It is our duty to stay and share the hardships of our people.”
“Pah! Stuff and nonsense. It is our duty to ensure that our line continues.” He looked back at me. “Then give me your messenger to guide me to this Major General.”
“Yes your majesty.”
I went to my men. They looked up expectantly. “It looks like the French are about to invade.” They nodded but showed no concern. “Sergeant Sharp, you have a few words of Italian, I want you to take the King to Major General Stuart. Tell him that the Queen has requested that my patrol protects her.”
Alan was not happy, “But sir, my place is with you.”
“No Sergeant Sharp, your place is where I decide and you have more linguistic skills than the rest. You know that. You can leave your horse here. Impress upon the general that the French are on the doorstep. It is his decision.”
Sharp’s shoulders sagged, “Sir.”
“Follow me.”
By the time we returned the King and his retinue were ready to go. “This is Sergeant Sharp. He speaks one or two words in Italian.”
“Good. Tell him to pick up that valise and follow me.”
I told Sharp who picked up the bag and joined the king who wasted no time in getting to his carriage. Sharp put the valise in the back and then King Ferdinand pointed to the seat next to the driver. “I think you are an extra guard.” I held his carbine while he climbed up.
“Don’t do anything daft, eh sir?”
“You know me Sergeant Sharp.”
“That is what worries me.”
The carriage and the King’s escort had no sooner left than General de Damas and another troop of cavalry rode up. “I have told the Queen that I need to rejoin the army.” He leaned down from his horse. “She has only her personal guards and your men. You will need to protect her.”
He did not wait for an answer but led his men out of the gate and, as they closed again, it suddenly felt deserted. There were just the two guards on the gate that I could see. I had to take charge and take charge quickly.
Sergeant Seymour had my four troopers all ready. “We will be billeted in the barracks. Bring the horses and I will find out where they are.”
I returned to the two guards at the gate. “The Queen has asked us to stay and protect her with the rest of her guards. We are to share your barracks.”
“I am Sergeant Benito Marciano. There are just ten of us left.”
I felt my heart sink down to my boots. Fifteen of us left to protect the Queen; it was not enough. “Where are the barracks?” He pointed to them. They were just behind the main building. “Good, I am Captain Matthews and I have fought the French before.”
He nodded, “You look like a man of action. My men will not let the Queen down.”
“I never doubted it for a moment.”
While my men went to the barracks I returned to the queen. She was speaking with a small man who looked remarkably like a priest or a clerk. He had inky fingers.
“Captain Matthews, this is Alberto; he runs the palace and he is the most important man in the whole building.” He smiled and nodded. He was like a puppy eager to please. “He will show your men where the barracks are.”
“I know where they are I spoke to
Sergeant Marciano. He is the senior officer now.”
“You are resourceful; that is good. Now is there anything else that you need?”
“It would be handy to know when the French are close. I assumed that the General would let me know that but he has left too.”
Her smile showed that she was not surprised. “Do not worry Captain Matthews; they will fight.” She turned to Alberto, “Where are the French?”
“They are still in Rome I believe.” I looked at him in surprise and he shrugged, “I deal with the deliveries and the drivers and deliverymen are such gossips. They keep me informed. It is better than having a network of spies.”
Even as I nodded I realised that I ought to send word of this to Colonel Selkirk. “Good. Now I must see to my men and then deliver a message to the port.”
A look of fear appeared on her face, “You are leaving too?”
“No, your majesty. I gave you my word that I would stay and I am a man of honour. I just need to deliver a message that is all.”
The sergeant had not unsaddled Badger and I quickly mounted him and galloped towards the port. The King’s departure had acted like a catalyst and the port was thronged with people attempting to flee the city. Had I been on foot then I would not have been able to force my way through. I saw Captain Dinsdale’s ship. It had not left although he had four of his biggest sailors stopping people from boarding.
I handed Badger’s reins to one of them. “Keep him facing the ship. If anyone approaches him he will give them a kick!”
The sailor grinned, “Good!”
I ran up the gangplank and Matthew came to meet me. “Do you want to embark too?”
“No, we are to protect the Queen. You saw the King leave?”
He pointed to the large frigate bearing the colours of Naples about to leave the outer harbour. “They came down like a bat out of hell. Did I see one of your lads with him?”
“Aye. Listen I need a message getting to Colonel Selkirk in London. “
“Give it to me and I will make sure it gets to him.”
“I haven’t written it yet. Let’s go to your cabin.” As I wrote I told him all that I knew. “The French are coming and I think that Naples will fall. The soldiers they have are not good enough. I am afraid that you will be restricted to Sicily. Thank God that we are there.”
I’ll tell Don Cesar and the rest of the captains. We can profit from this news. Thank you Robbie. But how will you get out?”
“When the time is right we will leave and head down the coast. We could try to get a boat in Sorrento or failing that head down to the straits.”
“I’ll pass the word for ships to watch out for you.” I handed him the letter. “You had better watch out Robbie. I think you are in danger of losing one of your nine lives!”
When I reached the gangplank there was no crowd. The sailor handed me Badger’s reins. “You have a good horse here sir. Two good kicks and he cleared the quay in no time.”
Captain Dinsdale hauled in the gangplank and cast off even as I was mounting Badger. By the time I reached the palace I could see him heading south west to Sicily. At least the colonel would know what was going on. But I now had to protect a Queen and ensure that she did not fall into Masséna’s hands. It would not be easy.
Chapter 10
I had no idea what intelligence we would have and so I held a meeting with Sergeant Marciano and my men. It was tiresome having to translate everything but it needed to be done. We all had to have the same information.
“We must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. I am not sure if we will be able to get a ship and so we will assume we have to go to either Sorrento or another port. If we have to we will ride to Reggio.”
Sergeant Marciano looked appalled. “But that is a long way!”
“About three hundred miles by my calculation. The alternative is to hand the Queen over to the French.”
I saw his jaw stiffen. “Then we will have to do this.”
“I want our bags packed and ready at the stables. Benito, how many extra horses do we have?”
“Probably ten.”
“Does that allow for some of the Queens’s servants coming with us? She will probably need them.”
He shook his head, “Probably only three or four.”
“Then one horse has spare weapons. One has spare food and the last one blankets. It will be cold at night.”
Once again Benito showed his shock. “The Queen must have a roof over her head.”
“And we will try to get one but if we cannot then we sleep where we can. Make no mistake, Sergeant, we will have to be as fast as an eagle and as cunning as a fox if we are to out run the French. If I had my way we would leave now but the Queen seems to think that she owes the people her presence.”
“She is a good Queen and a fine lady.”
“That I do not doubt but it will do us no good if she is captured. Sergeant Seymour, you and the Sergeant here gather what we need at the stables. I will go and see the Queen.”
“But sir, I don’t speak Italian.”
“Then start to learn and use sign language.” I knew I was being blunt but we had no choice in the matter. I found the Queen.
“Ah Captain, you need to learn to rest you have not stopped since you arrived.”
“We have much to do your Majesty.” I steeled myself. “We will need to think about leaving Naples should the French come.”
She set her lip, “We will leave when they are at the gates.”
That was what I had feared. It would prevent us leaving by ship. I knew that when the French came there would be a mad rush for whatever ships were left in the harbour and the Queen’s status would avail her nought. I could see that there was no point in arguing and so I made the best of a bad job. I sighed and launched into my prepared speech, “Very well then if I am to protect you I need some information. Firstly, your majesty, can you ride?”
She smiled, “Of course, I am Austrian. Have you never heard of the Spanish horses of Vienna?”
“Good. Can you ride as a man?”
“Yes.”
“How many of your people would you wish to take?”
“All of them.”
I shook my head. “You can take seven and they must all be riders. If we are to wait until the French are knocking on the gates then we will have to move faster than French horses and that is not easy.”
She touched my hand. “I can see that you are doing this for the best. I will choose seven and they will be able to ride.”
“You will have to take as little as possible.”
“The Crown Jewels?”
I smiled, “You may take them in lieu of dresses.”
She laughed and it was a lovely tinkling laugh, “I shall wear clothes such as you, Captain Matthews. If I am to ride I will be comfortable.”
I was relieved. “Good then tell your people and I will see my men. The moment the French arrive, we leave!”
She smiled a young girl’s smile, “Of course, Captain Matthews.”
Exasperated I returned to my men. “Sergeant Marciano, I want you to take me to the northern border. I want to see how long it will take the French to get here.” He hesitated. “I am just doing what your Queen wishes. The more information I have the more chance we have of getting the Queen to safety.”
He nodded and strode off to pass his instructions on to his corporal. “Sergeant Seymour, let the men rest. They have worked hard today.”
“No more’n you sir. Sergeant Sharp will have my bollocks if owt was to happen to you.”
“Don’t worry. The French are still in Rome and Masséna will be enjoying the city. We have a few days yet. Feed the horses up and make sure they are looked after.”
“What about a ship sir? Won’t that be the quickest way out?”
“It will but I doubt that there will be many ships in a week’s time. They are like rats leaving a sinking ship.”
The Neapolitan Sergeant returned, “Let us ride, my frien
d.”
By the time we returned I was much happier. The narrow coastal road would slow down the French advance and we would have time to escape. Of course all it took was one fast regiment of Chasseurs to be sent ahead of the rest and we would be caught; we would be riding with the Queen and her courtiers. They would not ride as fast as French cavalry.
Every day we expected the news from the frontier that the French had arrived. The fearsome Sergeant Marciano had impressed upon all the guards along the border that failure to inform us of the arrival of the French would result in his displeasure. It seemed to have the desired effect. We just had to wait. The good news was that the horses recovered well from their short sea voyage and they ate well from both grain and grass. If the Queen had any riding skills at all then we stood a chance. I had already planned for our escape with my men. Although there were only five of them I knew that I could rely on them. They had discovered an arsenal of weapons and we were all now equipped with four pistols in addition to our carbine. That gave us twenty shots at the enemy. I was convinced that we could slow them up. Sergeant Marciano and his troopers could guard the Queen. We would stop the French or at the very least slow them down.
In the event it was the end of the first week in February when the news came that a French column had been sighted. God alone knew what the Neapolitan army was doing. The passes to the north of Naples were perfect for slowing down an enemy advance whilst the two Neapolitan armies were waiting south of Naples. It made no sense to me. As I had predicted news of the French arrival preceded the guards from the border and the road to the port was soon thronged.
“Your majesty, the French are less than a day away and your people are fleeing by sea. We must leave now or we will be caught.”
There was urgency in my voice and I saw resignation on her face. Alberto was the only man to accompany us with just four women. It gave us a couple of spare horses. When they reached the stables the Queen went to a beautiful white mount. I shook my head, “No, your majesty. You ride Sergeant Sharp’s horse.”
“But mine is the fastest horse in the land.”
“But has he had guns fired at him? Has he had to ride all day and all night across rough ground? This horse is not afraid of guns and he can carry your tiny weight to the ends of the earth and back. I will be happier if you are riding him. One of your ladies can ride your horse. Mount… please.”
