Young Bloods

by Simon Scarrow

  ‘Yes, Madame.’

  Madame de Pignerolle turned back to the artillery officers. ‘Now, I regret I must attend to my wardrobe, gentlemen. Mr Fitzroy will look after you.’

  Napoleon bowed again. ‘Very well, Madame.’

  As she glided away along the gallery, Fitzroy stood to one side to let his guests enter the room. Napoleon’s boots fell softly on a thick blue carpet with an ornate fleur-de-lis pattern in white. A hatstand stood to one side and he slipped his cocked hat on to one of the smoothly worn pegs.The room was large, with a high ceiling, and long windows that overlooked yet another vast courtyard. Around the sides of the room were arranged small clusters of upholstered chairs and ornate drinks tables. Beyond the hatstand was a long table covered with a buffet. Behind the table two footmen stood stiffly, waiting to serve the guests.

  ‘Gentlemen,’ Fitzroy waved a hand towards the buffet, ‘please help yourselves while I fetch the cadets who will make up the rest of our party.’ He bowed, and left the room.

  As the cadet’s footsteps tapped back along the gallery, Napoleon and the other officers feasted their eyes on the buffet. The food at the Military School was by far the best cuisine the young Corsican had ever tasted, but the display spread across the table here put it to shame. There were large platters of finely cut meats; chilled slices of salmon; plates of cheese, and of cured sausage sliced as finely as sheets of paper; small, shaped loaves of bread, and cold pies with representations of sabres, muskets and cannon on the glazed pastry crusts. At the far end of the table stood several decanters of various wines and spirits.

  ‘No desserts?’ Napoleon commented drily, as he shot a quick wink at Des Mazis. He moved round and stood in front of the nearest footman. ‘Well?’

  ‘Sir, Madame de Pignerolle has arranged for a formal dinner to be served later on.’ The tone was correct enough, but there was just a hint of disdain for an officer who had the bad grace to consider complaining about the service provided by his host.

  ‘I see.’ Napoleon raised his chin and looked down his nose at the footman. ‘Well, in that case we’ll have to wait for a proper meal. Meanwhile you may serve me a selection of meats for now.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ The footman deftly picked up a pair of silver tongs and, taking up a heavily patterned plate, he began to cover it with a selection of the meats. Napoleon took the plate, picked up a fork and walked slowly towards the long windows on the far side of the room. Behind him the other artillery officers waited for their helpings. Through the glass Napoleon looked down on the second courtyard where scores of young cadets were being taken through fencing drills. They wore padded white tunics and were armed with slender rapiers. In long lines they stood poised before their instructors and then mirrored his movements; advancing, withdrawing, lunging forward, advancing and then dashing to make a flèche attack. Napoleon watched it all with a degree of bemusement as he worked his way through some delicious slices of smoked sausage. He had never excelled with the sword, a deficiency that had been noted in his reports at the Military School. Napoleon felt no need to try to master the art. Not in this day and age. He sensed a presence at his shoulder and Alexander joined him by the window.

  Napoleon nodded down at the courtyard. ‘Who do they think they’re fooling?’

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘Fencing lessons . . . What use is a rapier on the battlefield? All that expensive training will stand for nothing when they come up against a musket.’

  ‘Napoleon, mastering the sword is nothing to do with the battlefield. It is simply a requirement of being an officer and a gentleman,’ Alexander said wearily. ‘We’ve talked about this.’

  ‘I still believe that if a man is trained for war, then he should be trained for war. This . . . this armed ballet is simply an affectation. It is out of date and serves no purpose.’

  ‘Serves no purpose?’ Alexander raised his eyebrows. ‘Why, of course it does. It is one of the arts that marks us out from the common rabble.’

  ‘Us?’ Napoleon’s dark eyes fixed on his. ‘Does that include me?’

  ‘Of course,’ Alexander replied quickly, but not convincingly. ‘You’re an officer.’

  ‘But not quite one of the gentry. Not the son of a count, like you and the others.’

  Alexander stared at him for a moment, fighting back his irritation. ‘When do you propose to desist with that line of thought, Napoleon? You cannot bear a grudge against the world you live in for ever. You have to change. Don’t be so . . . sensitive.’

  ‘Why should I change? Why can’t the world change and let men of talent flourish? Regardless of their origins. I tell you, Alexander, the old order is strangling those with ability, while it hands out all the rewards to the witless sons of inbred aristocrats.’ Napoleon stopped himself and forced a smile. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—’

  ‘Inbred aristocrats like me?’ Alexander stood back a pace and lowered his plate on to a drinks table. ‘Is that it?’

  ‘Of course not, Alexander,’ Napoleon laughed. ‘Do you really think I would befriend an idiot?’

  ‘No,’ Alexander replied quietly. ‘That would be beneath you.’

  The two men stared at each other in strained silence, before Napoleon’s lips curled into a faint smile. ‘Now who’s being sensitive?’

  ‘Gentlemen!’

  They turned and saw Fitzroy striding soundlessly across the carpet towards them. Behind him followed a dozen more cadets, including the languid youth with the newspaper that Napoleon had seen earlier. Fitzroy sensed the tension between the two artillery officers and a look of concern flickered on to his face.

  ‘Gentlemen, I trust there’s no problem. The food . . . ?’

  ‘The food is excellent,’ Des Mazis smiled.

  ‘Then?’

  ‘We were watching your colleagues fencing and merely had a difference of opinion, that’s all. Now, if we may be acquainted with your companions?’

  ‘But of course.’

  The artillery officers and the cadets faced each other and bowed as Fitzroy introduced each man. Napoleon’s lips tightened as his surname was mispronounced. If he was to live the rest of his life amongst Frenchmen then he might have to change that; perhaps alter the spelling to render it easier for others to get their tongues round. The moment of preoccupation meant that he did not catch the names of his hosts and he cursed himself for the lapse of attention.

  Once the introductions were over the cadets hurried over to the buffet and began to have their plates filled by the two footmen. Only the cadet with the newspaper remained, and he looked at Napoleon with a curious expression, then extended his spare hand.

  ‘Lieutenant Buona Parte, wasn’t it?’

  Napoleon nodded and shook hands.

  ‘Buona Parte,’ the English cadet repeated the name accurately, then continued, ‘An unusual name, sir. It’s not French?’

  ‘Corsican,’ Napoleon smiled. ‘But since I was born after the island was purchased by France, then I find I am French after all.’

  ‘Quite. Though I dare say some narrow-minded people are inclined to use that as an excuse to look down on you,’ the cadet responded with feeling.

  Napoleon was surprised that there was only the faintest trace of an accent in the cadet’s French. That, and the last comment sparked his curiosity. ‘I’m sorry, sir. I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name.’

  ‘It’s Wesley, sir. Arthur Wesley. Of Dangan Castle in Meath.’

  Chapter 32

  ‘Meath?’ Napoleon frowned.

  ‘It’s in Ireland, sir.’

  ‘Ah, I think I understand your sensitivity to my origins now.’ Napoleon smiled warmly.‘You have to suffer the same assumption of superiority from mainlanders.’

  The cadet stiffened and tilted his head slightly to one side. ‘That’s their mistake. One day they’ll see.’

  Napoleon laughed and, reaching forward, he clapped the other on the shoulder.‘You’re a man after my own spirit. Good for you.’

  Th
e cadet glanced down at Napoleon’s hand with a brief expression of distaste at the unwonted familiarity of the artillery officer and then recomposed his expression and nodded. ‘Thank you, sir.’

  Standing next to them, Alexander could not help but be amused by the contrast between them. His friend Napoleon was short and skinny, with long dark hair tied back to reveal a wide brow. His eyes were clear and sensual and his lips had a faint pout. This cadet, on the other hand, was tall and fair-complexioned with light brown hair, piercing blue eyes, a long nose and thin, expressionless lips. His skin had an unhealthy pallor. And yet there was a sense of bearing in both men that indicated a fierce pride.

  The Englishman indicated some seats arranged either side of the nearest window. ‘Shall we?’

  They sat down and Wesley turned his attention back to the two artillery officers. ‘I’m curious about the nature of your disagreement about our fencing classes.’

  Alexander flashed a quick look of warning at his friend, but Napoleon ignored him, his concentration wholly focused on the cadet sitting opposite. He leaned forward a little. ‘Tell me, what is the value of fencing lessons? In your opinion.’

  The young Englishman looked down into the courtyard and pursed his lips thoughtfully before he replied, ‘It teaches swift reflexes, poise and concentration. And in affairs of honour it might just save your life.’

  ‘And there’s no more to it than that?’

  ‘Of course there is, sir!’ Wesley answered at once. ‘It’s an essential part of the training to become a gentleman and an officer.’

  Napoleon smiled. ‘In that order?’

  ‘Sir?’

  ‘You said, “a gentleman and an officer”.’

  ‘Yes,’ Wesley admitted. ‘I meant, of course, an officer and a gentleman. In that order.’

  Napoleon raised a hand. ‘No. You were right the first time. That’s the problem. Officers should spend their time learning the science of war and how to apply it in the field. There’s no place on the battlefield for duellists.’

  ‘Or gentlemen?’ Wesley replied.

  Napoleon shrugged. ‘War is not a gentlemanly business.’

  Wesley shook his head. ‘On the contrary, sir, war is necessarily a gentlemanly business, or else it is mere barbarism. Without the leadership and example of gentlemen, the common soldiery is little more than an armed mob. As such it would constitute a threat to civilised order. Depend upon it, the aristocracy is the only guarantee of order on the battlefield, and off it.’

  ‘Oh, really? Tell me, Cadet, why do you think they possess this exclusivity of talent?’

  ‘Because they are born and bred to be leaders, sir. That’s obvious. It’s in our blood. It’s been in our blood for centuries.You can train a monkey to be a soldier, sir, but only an aristocrat is born with the qualities needed to lead the common herd.’

  Alexander breathed in sharply and waited for his friend to explode, but Napoleon was still for a moment, before an icy smile twisted his lips. ‘An interesting thesis, sir. But I think you will find that there is a wealth of talent and ability amongst those who live beyond the walls of this academy. None of whom have one drop of aristocratic blood in their veins. They demand recognition. They demand change. You sense it in the streets of every city. I suspect they will have their day, and that day will come soon enough.’

  Wesley stared back fixedly as he responded, ‘When it comes, then that will be the beginning of the end of the civilised world, sir. Such men will be the leaders of the mob. They have little appreciation of order and the value of tradition. All they do have is naked ambition.’

  ‘And ability. Let’s not forget that. I’d sooner live in a world ruled by men who have won their leadership on merit, than a world where assumption of leadership rests upon which bed you were born in.’

  His words were greeted with a frigid silence and Alexander feared that the confrontation might well spoil the atmosphere for the rest of the day unless he acted quickly. People were already looking in their direction. It would be quite intolerable if these two fools soured relations between the artillery officers and the cadets. A thought struck him.

  ‘Surely you are arguing the same thing.’

  Napoleon and Wesley turned to look at him with surprised expressions and Alexander’s mind raced ahead as he framed an argument that might yet placate them both.

  ‘It seems to me that you both accept the need for some form of leadership over the common people. Whether it’s determined by birth and breeding, or by some measure of innate ability, it’s an aristocracy either way. The lot of the common people will never change in the long run, Napoleon, even if your meritocrats replace the aristocrats. If they feel their time has come, they will only wrest control through violence, and the masses will die in the service of both sides before the matter is settled.Then all is as before . . .’

  Napoleon frowned. ‘So?’

  ‘So the only course between the two positions is to accommodate each other. For the sake of the people.’

  ‘I see. So those who nature has endowed with superior qualities are to feed off the scraps from the table of men that blind fate has placed in power?’ Napoleon shook his head in contempt, while Wesley nodded his agreement.

  ‘By all means reward them,’ said the Englishman, ‘as long as they know their place, and don’t attempt to change things. My God! Can you imagine a nation run by a crowd of intellectuals?’

  Napoleon gave him an arch look. ‘I take it you were never an outstanding scholar?’

  ‘Well, sir,’ Wesley flushed, ‘no. But there are far more important measures of a man.’

  ‘Indeed,’ Napoleon replied. ‘And nothing quite so irrelevant as the matter of his origins.’

  Wesley sat forward in his chair, drawing his feet back in preparation to stand. At that moment Fitzroy’s voice boomed out from the far side of the room.

  ‘Gentlemen! Please be upstanding for the director and his wife.’

  Chapter 33

  The artillery officers and the cadets leaped up and stood to attention as the director of the academy entered the room, with his wife on one arm. Madame de Pignerolle was now wearing a crimson silk dress embroidered with silver and had powdered her face and put on a wig. From a distance Napoleon saw that she appeared half the age she was when she had shown them into the room. Her husband wore full dress uniform of a colonel, his last rank in the army before taking up the directorship of the academy. They strode to the centre of the room like royalty and then the director waved a hand at the young men he had invited.

  ‘Please be at ease, gentlemen.’

  His guests relaxed their posture but kept their silence as they waited for the director to continue speaking. Napoleon saw that he was an old man, with a wrinkled face and glasses below his neat powdered wig. Nevertheless, under his uniform he was powerfully built and moved with a lithe self-confidence that was born of good health, fitness and breeding. He drew a breath and began.

  ‘I trust our guests from the Artillery Regiment have been well looked after?’

  Napoleon and the others nodded politely.

  ‘Good! It is always a pleasure for my wife and me to invite professionals to the small gatherings we hold here from time to time. I’m sure, despite your age and junior rank, you will already have some useful experience to pass on to our young gentlemen. In return I trust that you will welcome the chance to be acquainted with men who will soon be returning to their own countries to take up military careers. You all share a noble profession, and while its ultimate goal is proficiency in battle, today we meet as friends, an international fellowship of gentlemen. I trust that the amity that is established here will in some small way guarantee peace between all our nations in the future. Now,’ the director smiled,‘I am sure that you have no wish to hear an old man prattle on interminably for the rest of the day . . .’

  Laughter rippled through the cadets’ ranks, and the artillery officers, unsure of the permissible degree of levity, smiled politely, bef
ore Monsieur de Pignerolle continued, ‘If you would be so kind as to follow me through to the dining room . . .’

  The director led them towards a pair of double doors at one end of the room. They were frameless and might have been mistaken for part of the wall but for a set of discreet handles, and the two footmen who had quietly moved over to the doors and now stood to attention on either side. At the director’s approach they gently pulled the doors open. Beyond, Napoleon could see another room, smaller and with a wooden floor inlaid with ornate marquetry. A long table, laid for a banquet, stretched the length of the room and a dozen waiters lined one wall.The director handed his wife to a seat at one of the tables before striding its length to be seated at the far end. To one side of the room stood a pianoforte.

  Napoleon and the other young men searched for their name places and then stood behind their chairs. The director waited until everyone was in position.

  ‘Please be seated.’

  There was a ragged cacophony of chairs scraping across the floor as his guests sat down. Immediately the waiters moved forward, plucked the napkins off the table and arranged them on the laps of the young men. Glancing at the place-names to each side of him Napoleon saw that he was seated between a Prussian and one of the English cadets. Directly opposite him was another Englishman and the other artillery officers had been distributed round the table in such a way as to make conversation with them impossible. The isolation from his comrades made Napoleon feel anxious and as the meal began he found that he had completely lost his appetite, and pushed much of his food to one side of his plate. The Prussian’s French was almost incomprehensible and all that Napoleon could make out was that he was a firm advocate of the sabre as a duelling weapon. The rest was an unintelligible torrent of garbled vowels and consonants. The Englishmen paid Napoleon almost no attention and chattered away in their own tongue. So he was able to watch his fellow diners surreptitiously, and found his gaze wandering back to Wesley. The Englishman was seated at the right hand of Madame de Pignerolle and was evidently one of her favourites. She laughed gaily at his jokes and looked deeply attentive when Wesley launched into deeper discussion.