‘No, none,’ Villetard replied. ‘It could not possibly succeed, and they know that. They will do nothing until after the Peace, and then not for several months; anyway, until the greater part of the Army of Italy has returned to France and the garrison here been reduced to a token force.’
‘If the City’s independence were restored no garrison would be left here.’
Villetard shrugged. ‘If it were, the conspiracy would no longer have an object, and Malderini have lost his chance of achieving his ambitions through having made use of it. But surely that is most unlikely? All the information that has reached me points to the Directory’s insisting that the city should be incorporated into the Cisalpine Republic; and that it will be so is the opinion generally accepted by the people of Venice.’
‘Then they put no trust in General Boneparte’s promises that Venice shall survive as a City State?’
‘No. Why should they? He has played ducks and drakes with all the other States of Northern Italy and altered the arrangements for their future from month to month, according to his whim. From the beginning he spoke fair words to the Serene Republic, yet acted towards it as a whip of scorpions. Why should he suddenly change his tune? What has he to gain by preserving a remnant of it? Those are the questions that the Venetians are asking themselves. Go into the cafés and a dozen times a day you will hear the question asked, “Will he make us citizens of his new Cisalpine Republic or, far worse, give us to the Austrians?”’
‘Should he do the latter the prospects of the conspirators would be no better after the peace than before it; for ‘tis certain that, as the French troops moved out, the Austrians would move in, and they would never reduce their garrison to so slow a state that it would be overcome by a popular revolt.’
‘True. The Venetians’ only real hope of regaining their independence is that, having been made Cisalpines, they will succeed in breaking away after the French have gone.’
‘They will be given one other.’ Roger suddenly held Vilietard’s eyes with an intent glance. ‘The General-in-Chief is coming here on a brief visit. If they captured him they might extort their own terms as a ransom.’
Villetard sat forward with a jerk. ‘What! Surely you are not suggesting…’
‘This is no suggestion. It is a plan already agreed on. General Boneparte is anxious to exterminate this nest of vipers before the peace terms are declared, so that they will no longer be able to rouse the population in a revolt against them.’ Having calmly told this thumping lie, Roger produced his note of authority and went on.
‘Here is my warrant for requiring your assistance. There can be no risk of their attempting to assassinate him, because even a child would know that, did they succeed, we should burn the whole city about their ears. But, if they are secretly informed of his coming, and it is made apparently easy for them to kidnap him while he is here, it seems to me that they would hardly be likely to forgo such a temptation.’
‘The hotheads would jump at such a chance,’ Villetard agreed, ‘but I rather doubt if the more level-headed would risk taking part in a gamble of that kind. After all, whatever they might force General Boneparte to sign as the price of his liberty would not be worth the paper it was printed on. The moment he was free he would not hesitate to repudiate it and, like as not, in one of his fine rages, turn his troops loose to sack the city.’
With a smile, Roger shook his head. ‘No, Malderini and his friends could do better than that. They could first demand from him a declaration restoring to the City of Venice her independence. Once that had been published, as though emanating from him at some headquarters on the mainland, it would be natural that the withdrawal of the French garrison should follow. They would make him sign another order to that effect and wait until there was not a single French soldier left in Venice before releasing him. If things had gone to that length, he could not repudiate his declaration and order the reoccupation of the city without suffering great loss of face; because his kidnappers would have warned him that, should he attempt to do so, they would disclose the fact that he had been abducted and coerced. For it to become known that a General-in-Chief had allowed himself to be captured by a handful of civilians would make him the laughing-stock of Europe. Can you see our little Boneparte putting himself in such a position?’
‘I certainly cannot.’
‘Then I wish you to see Malderini as soon as possible and instruct him to prepare his fellow conspirators to take part in a plot on those lines.’
‘I take it you have no intention of allowing General Boneparte to be captured; but intend to ambush his would-be kidnappers when they make their attempt.’
‘Exactly.’
‘But how does Malderini come into this? He might be killed, or anyway would be among the captured. If General Boneparte decided to reward him afterwards for enabling us to bag these malcontents, by making him First Magistrate, all Venice would realise the truth—that it was he who had betrayed his companions. In such a case his life would not be worth a month’s purchase. It’s certain that some relative of one of the men he had betrayed would assassinate him.’
‘He will be killed, because I intend to kill him. But it will be for you to still his fears and flatter his ambitions. Tell him that there will be no shooting unless his friends shoot first, and that the strictest orders will be given that none of his party are to be fired upon unless they use a weapon. Tell him that he must make some excuse not to act as leader and spokesman, but keep in the background, where he should be safe even from a stray bullet. Tell him that all the others will be executed to ensure their silence about his having been one of them, and that he will be allowed to escape. No Venetian need ever know that he took part in the attempt. Finally, promise him on General Bonepart’s behalf that, if all goes well, a clause shall be inserted in the peace treaty reviving the ancient office of Doge, and that he shall be installed in it.’
Villetard nodded. ‘Yes. Given an assurance of such measures for his own protection both during and after the coup, I doubt if he could resist walking into so well-baited a trap. I see one possibility, though, which might, temporarily at least, deprive you of your personal revenge.’
‘What is it?’
‘If he is not to act as leader, why should he go at all? Providing he gets his friends to make the attempt and furnishes us with full particulars of their arrangements, he will have played his part. To avoid all risk to himself he could pretend illness at the last moment as an excuse not to accompany them.’
‘I had thought of that,’ Roger smiled, ‘so I intend to provide him with a special reason for being of the party; a reason which no normal illness would excuse in the eyes of his companions. Have you ever met his wife?’
‘No. Few people have. He keeps her, as they term it in the East, in purdah. But I know her well by sight. Everybody does, because she makes such a distinctive figure. She is often to be seen accompanied by Malderini’s lanky manservant walking in the city in the morning, and whenever the weather is clement she sits on the balcony of the Palace watching the traffic in the Grand Canal for an hour or two in the afternoon. Why do you ask?’
‘Only because it is my intention to kidnap her.’
‘How will that assist your plan?’
‘Anything to do with the East holds a particular attraction for the General-in-Chief. His reason for coming to Venice is that I have told him about her and the idea of a tête-à-tête supper with an Indian Princess greatly appeals to him.’
Without the quiver of an eyelid, Roger went on to tell another thumping lie. ‘It was that which led me to suggest to him that this secret visit of his would provide us with an excellent opportunity to ensnare the potential trouble-makers of Venice. He approved my idea and has sent me to arrange matters.’
Villetard ran his finger down his long nose. ‘You certainly have a fertile mind for such schemes, Citizen Breuc, and I am fortunate to have your co-operation in clearing out these vipers. Have you worked out your plan in detail?’
Roger bowed. Thank you, Citizen Minister. Yes I take it you have plenty of people at your disposal who can put rumours into circulation?’
‘Plenty. I often have to use such methods.’
‘Then first I would like you to have it put about as soon as possible that General Boneparte is already in the city and has been living here for several days incognito, and that having on several occasions seen the Princess Sirisha he has expressed great interest in her, so that it gets to Malderini’s ears and those of his fellow conspirators.’
‘Yes. I will do that. What then?’
‘I want you to find for me by tonight a suitable house for this tête-à-tête supper; so that I can make all arrangements there tomorrow. It will, of course, be during the supper that the kidnapping attempt will take place; so it must be one in which I can conceal a score of troops, yet have them handy. The difficulty is that it should be somewhere fairly isolated, in case shooting does occur; because in no circumstances can we have a night-patrol arriving on the scene and discovering the General-in-Chief in such a situation.’
‘I appreciate that,’ Villetard nodded, ‘and I think I know the very place to suit you. It is an island about three miles distant, called Portillo. On it there is a little casino, a charming place. Beautifully furnished. It was the property of the last French Ambassador here before the Revolution, so was taken over by us at the same time as the Embassy. Many of the Venetian nobles own such casinos and, as was the Ambassador’s custom, use them for entertaining the ladies of the Opera.’
‘Nothing could be better. Then today you will see Malderini and put to him this project for kidnapping General Boneparte. You will also get the rumours going about his being in the city and the interest he has expressed in the Princess. Tomorrow I shall require a few of the Embassy servants who can be relied on to keep their mouths shut to come out with me to Portillo and prepare the casino there for the General’s reception. The following day I propose to kidnap the Princess and take her there. I shall do it publicly and in such a manner that everyone will know that she has been abducted by the French. If the rumours do their work, Malderini and his friends will believe that she had been carried off by Boneparte’s orders. In consequence, he will not have the face to back out from accompanying them in a bid to kidnap the General and rescue her. Is that all clear?’
‘Perfectly; but this business of kidnapping the Princess does raise one other point. Has it occurred to you that at times love can prove stronger than ambition? If Malderini believes that General Boneparte has seduced her, he might be filled with jealous rage to such a degree that he may attempt to kill him.’
Roger smiled. ‘Seductions usually take place after supper, not before; so he would expect to arrive on the scene in time to save her from the General—or herself. But you have no need for anxiety on that score. I shall be there, and it is Malderini who is going to be killed.’
‘Very well then. Everything shall be done as you wish it.’
‘I thank you, Citizen Minister. You will not, of course, disclose to Malderini until the last moment the place at which the General-in-Chief is to be on the night of the 14th. It is important too, that he should not learn that I am back in Venice; otherwise, knowing my enmity to him, and that having been rescued by Madame Boneparte I must also be a friend of her husband’s, he might suspect a trap. I must, therefore, go about my business here in some disguise. Have you anything to suggest?’
‘Nothing could be simpler. The Venetians follow the strange custom of holding carnival for six months every year. They do not, of course, have their processions and actual fiesta until the last few weeks; but in this most licentious of cities a degree of licence has long been permitted from October 1st. From then on anyone who wishes may go about masked without question, which makes it easier to conduct clandestine love affairs. You have only to change that smart uniform for civilian clothes, wear a long cloak and a mask, and even if you came face to face with Malderini he would have no idea who you were.’
Everything having been satisfactorily settled, as Roger had been riding for a good part of the night he said that he would like a few hours’ sleep; so Villetard took him to the room he had previously occupied while at the Embassy, and promised to provide him later with a suitable costume in which to go out.
At three o’clock he was called by a valet who had brought up a variety of clothes for him to choose from. Instead of his military boots he donned buckled shoes and white stockings, with a pair of nankeen breeches to go above them, then selected a wine-coloured tail-coat that was a little large for him, but would serve well enough. The cloaks were light in weight but enormous garments that would wrap twice round a man, had to be kept from trailing on the ground and had deep double collars. The masks were grotesque, covering the whole face, and having long hideous noses. As the Venetian nobility had not yet taken to the fashions brought in by the Revolution, they still wore high-sided, richly decorated tricorne hats, and the one that fitted Roger best was edged with ostrich feathers round its rim.
When he had finished dressing, carrying the cloak, mask and hat, he went down to dine with Villetard, who told him that as the season of masks now enabled anyone to come to the Embassy in daylight with no more risk of being recognised than at night, he was expecting Malderini at five o’clock. That suited Roger, as he had work to do and it gave him an excuse to make himself scarce immediately after the meal.
Having collected everything necessary from Villetard’s secretary, he went up to his room, locked himself in and sat down to write a report for Mr. Pitt. He could send no piece of information that was of startling value but during the past six weeks he had acquired a great quantity of miscellaneous data about Boneparte, his political trickery, and the people round him, which would be read with much interest in Whitehall. His final page was on the present situation, and he said that, although he had been given to understand that Mr. Pitt favoured an independent Venice, his own conviction was that the future prospects of England could be better served if the city was handed over to the Austrians; and that, while he had no great hope of influencing events, even at the risk of his master’s displeasure he intended to work for that end.
In it he had given no indication that he was on Boneparte’s staff, or had been living at his headquarters, and he did not sign it; so if it was captured, even the similarity between the English and French versions of his name would not give a clue to the identity of the writer. Only his handwriting could give him away, and the odds against both the report falling into French hands and his writing being recognised were sufficiently long to be an acceptable risk; or at least one which he had to take in the service of his country.
When he had addressed and sealed the document, he wrapped a second parchment cover round it and, having sealed that too, wrote ‘John Watson Esquire, Personal’ on it. Then, putting the bulky package in an inner pocket, he buttoned his coat over it, put on his cloak and mask, and went downstairs.
The report had taken three hours to write, so it was now a quarter-past eight o’clock. He was told that Villetard had gone out about an hour before and was not expected back until his usual hour for supper, which was half-past ten. Roger told the doorkeeper that he had a mind to spend an hour in the Piazza San Marco, so one of the Embassy gondolas was whistled up to take him there. The weather, as is customary in Venice in October, was still mild; so a band was playing in the Piazza and the usual crowd sauntering, flirting, and exchanging greetings or gossip.
For half an hour he sat at a table outside Florian’s, immune from recognition behind his hideous mask, sipping strong black coffee and a golden liqueur. Then he had a gondola take him to the first bridge over the Trovaso Canal. From there, on foot, he twisted his way back, temporarily losing his way twice, through a score of narrow turnings, until he reached the British Consulate. After he had pulled the bell it clanged hollowly, but before the clanging ceased the door was opened by the same footman who had answered it to him before. This time he di
d not tip the man. His richly feathered three-cornered hat made that unnecessary. In Italian he brusquely demanded speech with the Consul.
The man bowed him into the low pillared hall, and asked him to be seated. Two minutes later Mr. Watson came out to him. For the servant’s benefit, as he bowed he announced himself as the Marchese di Piomboli. Mr. Watson returned his bow and asked what he could do for him. As soon as the servant had gone, Roger removed his mask for a moment and said in a whisper, ‘I am the Arab perfume seller. Can you get a despatch to London for me?’
The lanky, red-haired Mr. Watson nodded and whispered back, ‘I trust so. Our people are still getting through. If all goes well, it should be there in under three weeks.’
Roger quickly passed him the despatch, pressed his hand and turned towards the door. With no further word said, Mr. Watson let him out. In a nearby canal he picked up a gondola and had it take him again to the San Marco. After strolling there for ten minutes he got another which took him back to the French Embassy. He had timed things excellently and arrived just as Villetard was sitting down to supper.
Over the meal, Roger learned to his delight that Malderini had swallowed the bait. He had gone home to summon the conspirators to a conference for that night, and had expressed no doubt about their being prepared to risk everything on this chance to secure Boneparte’s person.
For them, the prospect of coercing him into signing documents upon which he would not be able to go back without looking a fool was far better than anything they could ever have hoped for. Malderini’s knowledge that the General-in-Chief was already in the city, and the promise of information about a place at which he could easily be captured a few nights hence, they would believe to have been obtained by heavy bribery from an official at the French Embassy; so the principal matters for discussion at the conference would be, who should act as spokesman to General Boneparte in order to obtain his signature to the required documents, and where should they hold him prisoner while the orders extorted from him were being carried out.
The Rape of Venice Page 49