by Griff Hosker
Bessières led us from the room and took us to an ante chamber. “He has great confidence in you, you know that?”
I shook my head, “Well he has more confidence that I think I have.”
He patted me on the back and opened a chest. “Here are your clothes and your papers.” He handed a leather pouch to Jean. “Here is the money you will need.” To me he gave a letter. “Give this letter to your colonel. It tells him that you and anyone else you need are to be detached for an undisclosed period. Do not tell him what you are about. Return here tomorrow with your two men. The Regent will be here and you will leave immediately he arrives. You can leave the chest here and the papers it will be safer. You will use this room tomorrow to change. There is a wardrobe there for you to leave your uniforms.”
I was still stunned as we rode into the camp. “You had better ask Tiny and Michael if they will come with us and I will go and see the colonel. I think he will not be pleased. He has troopers to train and we will not be here.”
“No, but he has Claude and Pierre, and they are both better than me.”
“Do not underestimate yourself.”
When I reached the mess I waved Tiny and Michael over. Pierre said, “I have a good bottle of wine. Care to join us?”
“Sorry Pierre, I need to see these two urgently.” He looked a little put out but he smiled graciously and bowed. Once outside, they both looked at me with a worried expression. “Listen, I do not have much time. General Bonaparte has asked Jean and me to do another job for him and we would like you to come with us.” They both smiled, “But I cannot tell you what it is until we are on the road. Sorry.”
Michael nodded, “We trust both of you sir and besides it will be more exciting than training a bunch of clodhoppers how to ride and fire a musket.”
“Good then meet us at the horse lines with your gear but tell no one what we are about.”
“Not even Pierre?”
“No even Pierre.”
As we rode away from the camp I saw the puzzled look on a slightly drunk Pierre. He and I were good friends and I had deliberately shut him out. It made me feel uncomfortable and I brooded about. When we were clear of our lines Jean said, “Stop feeling sorry for yourself and we can tell our two comrades what this adventure is all about.”
It was probably the best thing he could have said to me as I had to concentrate and remember all that we had been told. They were both excited and happy to travelling into the heart of the enemy’s lair. As Tiny said, “So far there is nothing about the Austrians that worries me. Besides we won’t be Frenchmen we will be Italians.”
Michael laughed, “Then we had better work non stop on your accent. Robbie is fine and Jean can get by but you Sergeant Major are dreadful.”
We spent the journey back to Mantua speaking Italian to get into the language. I had not had time to check on our papers and our identities but we would have to learn just who we were supposed to be.
We stayed at an inn just outside Mantua so that we arrived bright and early. Bessières was impressed. “The Regent has not risen yet so this will allow us to make sure we have all the details correct.”
Since he had left our regiment I had learned that Bessières was a master of detail. We first changed into the civilian clothes. Tiny and Michael were given good clothes but the clothes of servants. Jean and I were given the clothes of young Italian nobles. My name was to be Roberto; Jean’s was left as Jean. Michael was left as Michael and Tiny given the name of Cesar, a name he thoroughly enjoyed. I wondered about leaving my money belt at the castle but thought better of it. Who knew when I might need it? Bessières had provided us with much better pistols than our own as well as powder and ammunition. Jean insisted on sharing the money as we might end up separated. While we waited for the Regent Tiny and Michael went down to check on the horses. As cavalrymen we needed the best.
Bonaparte himself brought Antonio down to us. The Regent was gracious as ever, “Good to see you.” Then he stopped. “They will have to go.”
I wondered what he was staring at and then Bonaparte said, “Of course. Bessières fetch my barber.” He walked up to me and tugged at my pigtails and queue. “These mark you as a cavalryman and a French one at that. My barber will deal with this. You had better have the others done too.”
I was in shock. It had taken me so long to acquire them and I felt more like a cavalryman with them. Our hair was trimmed and styled. It may have pleased Napoleon but it annoyed me. Tiny and Michael were less bothered by it and Jean not at all. “It is hair, Robbie. It will grow again.”
He also trimmed our beards and moustache to make them look Italian. That I did not mind so much as the style was quite dashing. Once we were ready Bonaparte was eager for us to leave. “It should take you between ten days and two weeks to reach there. By then our negotiations with the Austrian Army should be at stalemate. He smiled, “In two weeks I will become more amenable to their offers eh Regent?”
Antonio did like Bonaparte and he laughed, “Yes general.”
We left quietly through a small postern gate on the eastern side of the city. Tiny and Michael led two horses with the spare clothes for the journey. I felt almost naked wearing civilian clothes. They were well made clothes and they were comfortable but they did not give me the reassurance of my uniform. I found my hat hard to wear and I was sure it would fall off my head. We had been trotting along for a mile when Antonio turned to me. “Your hat will stay on, believe me. I know it is hard not to wear a uniform but you will become accustomed to it. And now that we are out of sight of prying eyes; you two,” he pointed to me and Jean, “as my companions and bodyguards should be in front so that I am protected. When we are in public you will need to call me sir. The people we will be meeting know who I am and you should be invisible to both them and to me. That way you can use your eyes to watch for danger.”
Jean asked, “So you may be in danger sir?”
He nodded and added almost casually, “Oh most certainly. There is a faction which wishes the war pursued at all costs. They want the revolution crushed it is a dangerous idea. It is why Britain will never stop until France is defeated.”
“But what difference can it make to them sir?” I was confused. “It is an island.”
“It is the idea they fear. Britain is as France was before the Revolution. The rich landowners exploit the workers. If the workers realised that and rose up then their way of life would be ended. Well, you should know Robbie. Your people, the Scots are subjugated. They would join in any revolution to overthrow the English and the Irish are always rebelling. Remember the American colonies recently rebelled and overthrew the shackles of British rule. That wound is still raw. No, the British, and some of the Austrians believe that the French need defeating to destroy the ideal of freedom.”
Jean and I went to the fore and we rode on. Over my shoulder I asked, “If you do not mind me asking sir? What is in this for you? If it is necessary to have an escort then why risk it?”
“Robbie!”
“No, he asks a good question. Your General Bonaparte is a great general. I have no doubt that he will conquer the whole of Italy when he chooses.”
It was Jean’s turn to be incredulous. “Really?”
“He has yet to be defeated. At the battle you call Rivoli, he defeated three armies and he was outnumbered. When he decides he wants it he can take the whole of the country. You have travelled through all four parts. My own is the smallest but none of them could stand up to France. Your general knows this. If I aid you then San Marino will still be free. He is a ruthless man and he drives a hard bargain. I like that. It is a small price to pay; a month’s journey to secure my country’s freedom.”
Putting it like that made it easier to understand. Once I knew the reasons I travelled easier. It was a pleasant enough journey. The land was free from war and summer was almost upon us. We could see the mountains to the north west of us but we travelled over undulating country which did not tax the horses too much.
For the first part we had no problems with the language as we travelled through Italian lands. It helped Tiny to develop an accent. By the time we reached those parts where they did not speak Italian he could pass for someone who had lived on the Italian border.
We crossed into Austria from Venetian territory. I was not aware of the actual point, there was no border crossing as I had imagined it was just that the Regent said, “And now we are in the Austrian Empire.”
“What language do they speak here sir?”
“There are many, German and Austrian of course. There are some Slavs here and they speak their own language. When we get closer to Vienna some will speak Magyar which is incomprehensible to all but the Hungarians. Those who are educated will speak French or German. It will not seem strange if we speak French but remember we only speak Italian to each other. We only speak French if I do. Is that clear?”
That was the first sign that we might be in danger; Antonio was always calm and unruffled but there was an edge to his voice. I did not find a problem with Italian. Having grown up with two languages it was easy enough to drift into a third. When we reached Graz we were approaching the last third of our journey. This was a huge place. Not quite as big as Paris but certainly the second biggest place I had ever seen. This would be the first time we would not be staying in an inn. The Regent was expected and the Governor greeted us. He spoke in Italian, “We have quarters for you and your companions on the first floor. Your servants have rooms close to the stables.”
The Regent smiled, “Cesar take the horses to the stables. Roberto and Jean when we have found our rooms you can collect our luggage.”
We had all been practising our bows so that it would look like second nature. Antonio gave a smile. The residence was the old Imperial Palace. Jean and I shared a small room connected by a door to that of the Regent. The Regent’s room was superior to anything the count had had. While Antonio was entertained Jean and I were taken to the stables to get the luggage. As we took the two chests we needed Jean said to the other two, “Keep your ears open and speak Italian all the time.”
We were not invited to eat with the Regent and the Governor, instead we were stationed close to the door with the Governor’s two guards. The two men were ruddy faced men with hands like hams. These were not gentlemen, they were thugs. None of us spoke we just watched the two men eat. The conversation appeared to be banal rather than diplomatic but they did venture on to the subject of Napoleon Bonaparte. I got the impression that the Governor knew nothing of the specifics of our mission and had no inkling that the Regent was negotiating for France.
“What do you think of this Bonaparte?”
The Regent dabbed his mouth with his napkin. “He seems competent enough.”
“He certainly destroyed our armies.” The Governor leaned in, “Between you and me I don’t think the generals we sent were that good anyway.”
“I wouldn’t know. We do not have a large army in San Marino.”
“Ah well we need one, we are the largest Empire you know.”
“I thought the Russian Empire was quite big too.”
The Governor reddened and they changed to less prickly subjects. “Well Governor, I have an early start tomorrow. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“You are more than welcome. We get few refined visitors these days.” He seemed to notice us for the first time. “There is a table with food for your men in their room. We wouldn’t want them starving eh?”
We were ravenous but we made sure that the Regent was settled before we ate. When we had stayed in taverns and inns we had each taken a spell as sentry during the night. As we left the Regent’s room he said, “I think we should be safe enough tonight. You can both get a good night’s rest; after you have eaten, of course!”
The food was good and certainly better than the indifferent fare we had experienced thus far on the road. Before we turned in we cleaned and loaded our pistols, as was our practice and sharpened our blades and my stiletto. I had yet to use it but I still sharpened it every day. There was something soothing and therapeutic about sharpening such a fine blade. After we had checked the corridor and the door we both retired for the night. We did not sleep beneath the covers but merely took off our jackets and lay on top of the bed. We were both acutely aware that we were Antonio’s only guards that night.
I think it was the fact that the bed was too comfortable which made me restless. I had never had a soft bed and my time in the army had made me more used to the ground. Whatever the reason, I rose in the middle of the night. I could hear Jean snuffling and Antonio snoring. We had left a candle burning as the room was completely dark; we wanted to be able to see the strange room clearly if we woke. I wandered over to the table and thought about eating another leg of pheasant. I found one and was nibbling it. I was not hungry but I thought eating might make me sleepy.
Suddenly I heard a noise. It was not a loud noise but it was an unnatural noise. It was not the creak of a bed or the rustle of a curtain. It was the sound of a handle turning. I grabbed my sword and shook Jean.
“I heard a noise!”
He needed no more and he was on his feet and so armed in a trice. Snuffing the candle out as we passed, we opened the door. Two men had entered the Regent’s room and they looked to be armed. A third and the fourth were entering.
Jean yelled, “Assassins!” as he thrust forwards with his sword. As his victim staggered when the blade enter him I slashed down at the man who held the sword poised over the Regent. It slashed through the wrist and the sword fell. The other two drew their weapons to face us. They were fencers, that much was obvious, from their stances. As we circled each other on either side of the Regent’s bed I saw that my opponent was young but he had a very flexible wrist. He would be dangerous. His blade was far thinner than mine with a rapier point. Mine was a blunt instrument by comparison.
He suddenly flicked his wrist in an attempt to disarm me. I had been taught that when I was eight. I countered with a thrust at his thigh. He had to beat my sword away. We danced around each other. This had to end. I feinted with my sword and reached down for my stiletto. I kept it hidden. He came in with his blade and I pushed mine so that they were both vertical and were close together. I smiled at him and slid the knife between his ribs. I turned to see howJean had fared and his opponent lay dead.
“Are you hurt Regent?”
“No!”
“I wounded one. He must have…”
Just then there was the crack of first one musket and then another. When we reached the corridor we saw the man I had wounded lying dead. The two guards from dinner held the smoking guns. The Regent stood behind us. “It is a pity we could not question him. We might have found out who hired him.”
The Governor, guarded by another two guards entered the corridor. “My apologies Regent. I don’t know how this happened.”
The Regent shook his head, “Murderers will always find a way. Why did your men kill this one? We could have questioned him.”
The Governor asked them a question and one answered. “They said he reached for a weapon.”
“Ah!”
“I will have the bodies removed and you can continue your rest.”
“Thank you although I fear sleep is over for me but thank you anyway.”
After the bodies had been removed I said. “That man could not have gone for a weapon I almost severed his wrist. They were lying.”
“Of course they were, Roberto, the Governor was in on it. Why else would he have had two of his own bodyguards guarding the corridor? They were to finish us off in case the murderers failed.” He shook his head, “But for your vigilance… thank you. I owe you my life.”
Jean said, “It was not me. It was Robbie heard the noise. Thank God for young ears.”
We dressed and packed. Jean and I took the opportunity of clearing and finishing the food. Soldiers eat when they can for they never know when there will be no rations to eat. The Governor could not apologise enough. He sent his
servants to take the chests to the stables. “We have discovered that the four men were Italians.” He looked sympathetically at the Regent. “You have enemies at home, obviously. I don’t know how they got into the residence. I will hold an enquiry when you have departed and believe me, heads will roll!”
We said nothing to Tiny and Charles until we were well clear of the city. When we told them what had occurred, Charles nodded, “We were virtually held prisoner. They had a guard at the door of the stables. He said that it was to prevent the Regent’s horses being stolen but it was to keep us in. Every time it looked as though we might move they provided whatever we needed. We were prisoners even though the cage was a velvet one.”
The Regent nodded, “We now know what we merely suspected before. There are enemies all around us and we will have to be on our guard.”
Jean looked ahead, “And I would say, starting now.” He pointed at the forests which spread out before us. The road cut a lonely track through the middle. “That is perfect ambush country and they will not be sneaking around any more. Make sure your swords are at the ready. How are your sword skills Regent?”
He smiled, “I am Italian. They will suffice.”
“Make sure your pistols are primed too. They may use firearms.”
Now that we had been in danger our senses were on the alert for threats of any kind. All four of us scanned the forest for signs of an enemy. The bird which suddenly flew up a hundred yards ahead was a palpable warning.
“Ready your pistols and when I say go we ride like the wind.”
Having seen the bird we knew that the danger would be from our right. That was their first mistake; our swords were on our right. It would have been far better to attack from our left. Their second was in scaring the bird. They should have been in position for hours. They had just arrived; no doubt the failure of the first attempt involved some improvisation. Improvised plans are more likely to fail.