Duval and the Empress's Crown

by Michele McGrath

  “No doubt the Emperor will find a way,” I replied. “After all, he is a great general and used to making plans to overcome his difficulties.”

  “Indeed he is and his orders are binding on you. Now, I have fulfilled my duty by speaking with you. I did not see the crown when I was in the workshop. I did not take it and I believe that neither my sisters nor their equerries would do such a terrible thing.”

  I took my courage in both my hands and said, “Highness, you and both the equerries were standing next to the bench on which the crown was lying...” It was the wrong thing to say.

  She is not particularly tall, but she drew herself up as far as she could whilst still lying on her chaise longue and glared at me.

  “Enough! I repeat I did not see it, wherever it was. I did not take it. Don’t dare to suggest otherwise if you know what is good for you. I’m a sick woman and I will not be badgered like this. Fouché will hear about your conduct to an Imperial Princess. Leave me now.”

  “Highness, you will not speak of this to anybody? It is vital that no one discovers the theft.”

  “I understand my duty even better than you!” she said. Pauline muttered something that may have been an agreement, although I did not like her smile.

  I quickly found myself outside the door where the guardsmen were waiting beside the carriage. After a few minutes, Lefebvre came hurrying up.

  “What have you been doing?” he asked as soon as he saw me. “They say she’s as mad as fire and screaming like a fishwife in there.”

  “Is she indeed?” I told him what had happened.

  “Unlike you to be tactless. You getting rattled, Soldier?”

  “A case like this would rattle anyone. Tell me you’ve had better luck.”

  “Well I have. There’s a little maid who works here, Margot is her name. She was out beating carpets in the yard. No one else was around because of all the dust. She seemed to be glad of the interruption. She told me a thing or two.”

  “What did she tell you?”

  “Princess Élisa’s been sick all morning and only came down to the salon when Princess Caroline arrived. Pauline was already here by then. The sisters talked and then they all went to Élisa’s boudoir together. When you arrived, Élisa sent for her dresser to help Caroline lie down on her bed. She said she would go to you while Caroline rested because she was still unwell and should not really have come. She needed to rest before she returned home. Élisa and Pauline went to meet ‘the man from the Police’ which is what Élisa called you, apparently not in very flattering terms. The servants are saying that now that two of the sisters appear to have the same malady, they are fearful of catching it themselves.”

  “Odd. Caroline’s pregnant, Élisa’s not.”

  “It’s some sort of infection apparently, not related to the pregnancy.”

  “Well nobody else will catch it even if it’s real and not faked. Unless of course, they are also plotting to steal imperial crowns.” I said dryly. “So you think that the crown is here then?”

  “If Caroline brought it with her, it is somewhere in Élisa’s boudoir. One of them had to talk to you while another one stayed on guard. Élisa decided she could deal with you best and you’d already spoken to Pauline, so she came as well. No need for Caroline to be there.”

  “When did Pauline arrive?”

  “Before Caroline did which is most unusual for her. Apparently she’s not an early riser and rarely makes calls before lunch. The servants were surprised when she turned up, especially since she was completely unescorted.”

  “Well, well. That is interesting. All three sisters must be in the plot or at the least, they know about what is happening. The difficulty will be to prove it.”

  “Do we want to prove it or do we want to find the crown?”

  “Find the crown of course. The rest can wait.”

  “Then I can suggest a way, although it’s dangerous and does away with any evidence.”

  “How?”

  “I’ll tell you but not here. Let’s go back to the Ministry, get rid of the carriage and these men, then meet Fournier at the Rose. The scheme I’ve got in mind will need all three of us.”

  When we arrived at the tavern, the innkeeper called out to me and handed me a somewhat crumpled note.

  “A lady brought this for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “If it’s a love letter, then you’re a lucky dog. She’s une belle poule!”

  I laughed but I had already recognised my wife’s neat handwriting. I opened the letter as soon as I sat down in our favourite alcove.

  “What have you got there?” Fournier asked.

  “A letter from Eugénie.”

  “Are you going to share it with us?”

  “Of course. She says that she has spoken to Jeanette, Cécile de Herlay’s maid. Jeanette knew about the letter to the jeweller because, Simon asked her where he had to take it. He could not read the address on the wafer and he did not want to ask the major-domo who already thinks he is a fool. Jeanette read it for him and asked who gave it to him. He told her it was Saint Vincent.”

  “So that is confirmation from another source,” Fournier said musingly.

  “I told you Eugénie is clever.”

  “I know she is but that is no reason to embroil her in our cases.”

  “She has done all she could. I won’t ask her to do anything else.”

  “Better not.”

  “Tell me your plan,” I turned to Lefebvre, hoping to change the subject before I got into another argument with Fournier.

  “Élisa already knows that the crown is missing. How discreet will she be now?”

  “Very if she is involved in the theft. Far less so if she or her sisters are innocent. She is supposed to be the most close mouthed of the trio anyway. There would be no chance of discretion with Pauline and Caroline is impetuous at times. That is another sign if you think about it.”

  My wits must have been moving slowly that evening. “Why?” I asked.

  “Look at it this way,” Lefebvre continued, “if rumours start circulating, then we should rule out Élisa. She would know that, once the secret was out, Napoléon would take immediate action to obtain the crown’s return. He’d turn their houses upside down and force the information out of them himself. Who would you wager on winning in that scenario, the Emperor or his sisters?”

  “Napoléon every time.”

  “So their safety lies is in the fact that he wants to avoid a scandal while there is still time for the crown to be found. Élisa won’t do anything to make him act.”

  “Therefore if rumours do circulate, it is more likely that they are innocent...” I mused.

  “And if they don’t?” Fournier asked.

  “Then you and I, Alain, are going to have to discover a way to get into the boudoir of one of these women. We’ll burgle it while they are asleep,” Lefebvre told me.

  “Easy then!” I said sarcastically, looking at him in disbelief. I had the uneasy feeling, though, that he was not joking.

  “Glad you think so.”

  “Our first job is to find out what is going on in each of the three houses before you do anything rash,” Fournier said.

  “That’s less of a problem. There are three of them and three of us. One each.”

  “No need for that,” Lefebvre said. “I’ve already taken steps to make it worth the while for some of the servants at Élisa’s and Caroline’s to tell me simple things about their households. They wouldn’t tell me dark secrets, of course, without far more money. Whether their mistress is ill and who is visiting her are facts that can be obtained cheaply enough.” Lefebvre smiled. “A few francs will make sure before we act. You know I’m always cautious.”

  “News to me,” I murmured.

  “You are able to do this for all three?” Fournier asked.

  “Certainly with two. I haven’t been to Pauline’s yet. I’ll go there first and see what is happening.”

  “Time is
running short and all we have is suppositions. I am afraid we will fail.” I shuddered at the thought.

  “We can only follow the leads we have. Most of the others have been eliminated or are to flimsy to follow up. Think — is there is anything we have missed?”

  “Dozens probably but the problem is, I can’t think of any of them.”

  “I want you to check my reasoning before we commit ourselves,” I said. “First let’s look at where the crown is not. The workshop, Margueritte’s rooms and the workmen’s homes have all been searched more than once. The two workmen questioned told us nothing new in spite of Garnier’s methods.”

  “And they are not pretty,” Lefebvre murmured, “I have seen him in action.”

  “So have I. Neither of the equerries concealed the crown in their own apartments. Those are the negatives. It could be in the rooms of the two equerries in the Princess’s hôtels. Saint Victor has accommodation at Caroline’s and Dupré is still spending a lot of his time with Pauline. He rarely goes back to his own apartment. I doubt, though, that the crown is with them when there are far more secure places. I can’t believe that, if either man took the crown, the Princesses would not know. If so the fact that did not denounce them would mean that they are accomplices even if not the actual thieves.”

  “Secure places as in the Princesses’ own rooms?”

  “Exactly. Who would dare to search the boudoirs of Napoléon’s sisters?”

  “We searched Caroline’s.”

  “Only when the place was empty. Would you have done so if she had been present, barring the door?”

  I grimaced. “Probably not. I can’t imagine her letting me without a fight and that would be hair-raising.” I had the authorisation to investigate fully, but I doubted I would have put it to the test, unless I had more proof. All we really had still was suspicion.

  “So the sisters’ best defence is to stay in their own rooms, which should prevent or postpone any search until it is too late to matter. We have both Pauline and Caroline away from their own hôtels, so it is unlikely to be there. Élisa is in her salon but her sister stayed in her boudoir. Doesn’t that seem a little odd to you?”

  I nodded. “If I were sick enough to need to lie down, I would have remained at my own home, not gone visiting, even to my sister’s house.”

  “So would I. The fact is that the only place that has not been left empty and unguarded is Élisa’s bedroom.”

  “Perhaps your little maid can give us more information about what is happening here, Jean.”

  “I’ve arranged to meet her again later on, so we will see.”

  “Well done.”

  “Necessary if my plan is to succeed. There are more festivities this evening, which the Princesses are expected to attend. If one of them remains at home on guard duty, it will probably confirm the location of the crown at that moment, especially if it is Élisa not Caroline who stays. Then we shall break in and take it.”

  11

  9 Frimaire, Year XIII

  (Friday, November 30, 1804)

  “As simple as that? I hoped you were joking earlier. Who did you say is to do the breaking in?” I gasped.

  “You and me, Soldier, who else? It’s not as if we haven’t done this type of thing before, since I became respectable and started working for the Police.”

  “Speak for yourself. I have never broken into a princess’s bedroom!”

  “Not a princess’s maybe, but you do remember Madame Duclos?” We had met the lady when we went looking for evidence of the missing Englishman several months ago.

  “Far too well. I’m still bearing the scars.”

  Lefebvre laughed. “It has to be us. Fournier doesn’t run fast enough if we have to get out in a hurry.”

  “What about my lame leg?”

  “What about it? You ran at such a high speed when Monsieur Duclos was firing his pistols after you, I couldn’t catch you up, lame leg and all.”

  “Just as well he was such a bad shot. It’s not an experience I’m eager to repeat!”

  “Before you do such a rash thing, you should inform the minister or even the Emperor.” Fournier is always cautious, but his caution has saved us before.

  I wondered about going to the bureau and reporting our progress before Lefebvre made his suggestion. Then I decided that Fouché would not condone our actions in advance although he would no doubt support them later, if they were successful. If not, we would almost certainly end up in gaol or worse. Lefebvre, though, was not to be diverted.

  “If we do that, what are the odds that they might be alerted and the crown moved somewhere else?”

  “Don’t you trust Fouché to keep his mouth shut?”

  “Not if he thinks his reputation is at stake. The Ministry leaks like a sieve as you know. One little slip is all it takes and the whole plan would be ruined. Anyway, reporting our intentions would take time. Far better to take a chance, so surprise is on our side.”

  “Do you want someone to put a bullet or a sword through your guts?” Fournier asked him. “Any man finding an intruder in his wife’s bedroom would be justified in acting first and asking questions later. No one would believe you came there in the Emperor’s name.”

  “Have faith, Fournier, have faith. We’ll find a way to get in and escape unscathed, I promise you.” Lefebvre was grinning.

  Fournier made a noise that sounded like “Pshaw!”

  “If we are going to do this, then we will need to have weapons in case it comes to a fight,” I said.

  “For God’s sake don’t kill anyone,” Fournier pleaded, “I don’t want to watch you both go to the guillotine. Burglary is bad enough; murder wouldn’t be condoned, especially if you murder someone important such as the Emperor’s brother-in-law.”

  “I’ve no intentions of killing anyone. It’s useful to have something to defend yourself with if someone attacks you. We may have to fight to escape or to keep hold of the crown if we find it,” I pointed out.

  “And Duval here is such a fine swordsman,” Lefebvre reminded Fournier with a grin, “he would never kill the wrong person.” Lefebvre prefers to knock his man out rather than use a sword. Too dandified a procedure for his taste. He can fence if he has to, but he is a hacker without finesse or any love for the art.

  “I must find a weapon. My swordstick is still at Caroline’s or in the alley where we were attacked. If it does come to fighting I want more than a dagger on me.”

  “If Fournier will keep watch on Élisa’s for a while, I will see if I can find out what’s happening at Pauline’s and Caroline’s. Then I also have some things to fetch to enable us to get into Élisa’s later on.”

  Fournier agreed to stay, although he did not look happy. He said he’d warn us if trouble brewed or attempt to divert it if he could.

  As we walked away together, I asked Lebebvre,

  “Can we can do such a thing?”

  “This won’t be the first time I’ve robbed a woman’s room while she lay in bed snoring. What do you say, Soldier? Are you game to give it a try?”

  I nodded. “We’re running out of time and I can’t think of anything better. Tonight?”

  “As soon as I’ve found out from Margot that the Princess is keeping to her room and preferably is sound asleep. I also want to make sure that no one else is staying at home feigning illness. I would hate to rob the wrong Princess!” He laughed. I had the strong feeling that Lefebvre relished the excuse to return to his old ways.

  “Me too! Where are you off to first?” I asked him.

  “To pick up the tools of my old trade and find out if they are in working order.” Lefebvre grinned. “I never leave anything to chance. I haven’t used my equipment for some time so I must make sure that everything is as I left it. I’ll be as quick as I can, visit the other hôtels and then come back and relieve Fournier.”

  “Always the thief!” I snorted.

  “Always the soldier!” Lefebvre grinned. “Meet me back at Élisa’s. Your job is the w
eapons. Bring something for me that you think I can use. Nothing fancy, I don’t want one of these sissy foils you like so much.”

  “Will a cavalry sabre do you?”

  “I thought you didn’t want anybody murdered? No, fetch me a cosh or a stick, but no pistols for either of us. They make loud noises. I always jump, to say nothing of rousing the household. I want to be in and out quietly.”

  “Like a ghost in the night.” I laughed although I did not feel merry. “I’ll do my utmost to meet your needs, oh master!”

  I went back home and recovered my sword. I own several because fencing is one way of exercising my injured leg. It has always been something I enjoy. I dreaded the thought of meeting Eugénie, for she would be sure to question me about needing another weapon. She would wonder where my sword stick had got to and why I was wearing different clothes. I have never lied to her and I did not want to start now. She would be so frightened if she found out what we intended to do tonight. As it was, our apartment was empty when I arrived. Undoubtedly Eugénie was at Leroy’s with all the other embroiderers, or shopping. Aimée would be with her grandmother, who lived nearby and often looked after her. I had no intention of disturbing them but in case anyone had seen me going into the house, I scribbled a note for Eugénie. I said I had been here but I had to go out again straight away.

  I changed my clothes for darker and rougher ones, more suitable to our enterprise. A white shirt is too easily seen on a dark night if there is the faintest glimmer of light around. I made a careful choice among my weapons. For this night’s work, I chose a small-sword. If I had to use it at all, I thought I would need a thrusting blade rather than a cutting one. I always excelled with small-swords, the first weapon I ever fought with in earnest after I joined the army. Practice fighting is a very different thing from a battle where your life is at stake. I found a stout stick for Lefebvre and took that as well. A couple of knives completed my preparations since I did not possess a cosh. I looked at my apartment, with a fervent prayer that I would be home again soon and went out hurriedly before anyone came to stop me.