Pauline’s eyes widened as soon as she saw me. It was Élisa who asked, in a voice that betrayed none of the weakness of a sick person,
“What is the meaning of this intrusion?”
I bowed to them and said, “I am acting on the Emperor’s orders, Your Highness. Here is my authorisation.” I stepped forward and gave her the document. She read it through far more carefully than her sister and gave it back to me. Before she could say anything more, Pauline blurted out,
“It’s really too bad, Sister. This man is positively hounding us. He was with me yesterday and left most abruptly. Fouché should employ people with better manners.”
I wanted to retort that it was not my manners that were at fault, but my sense of self preservation. Pauline had a valid point, in fact. I had bolted out of her house like a scared rabbit.
“Well, what do you want?” Élisa demanded. “You have been told that I am unwell. Can’t it wait?”
“I’m afraid not, Highness, the matter is very urgent or I would not dream of disturbing you at this time.”
“Then state your business and leave us.” She did not ask me to sit down, so I stood before her like a miscreant.
“I am here to ask you what you observed at Monsieur Margueritte’s workshop when you visited it.”
“What should I have observed?”
“With your permission, Highness, I would prefer you to tell me in your own words. I don’t want to influence you in any way. Please try to remember everything you saw and heard from the time you entered the premises until the time you left.”
“Oh this is so boring,” Pauline interjected, with a flounce. “You asked me that same question only yesterday and I told you all about it. Do we have to do it all again?”
“No indeed.” I deliberately smiled at her, remembering that Eugénie always says that my smile is very attractive to women. I’m not sure about that but I make use of it on occasions and it seems to work. Certainly Pauline smiled back at me and seemed a little less discontented. “I accept that you have told me all you could, but people in the same circumstances often watch different things. You were standing in one place, Princess Baciocchi in another. You were possibly looking in different directions and speaking to other people. In order to obtain the best possible description of events, it is important for me to ask everyone who was there.” I turned from her to look again at Élisa. “Princess, can you tell me what you saw and heard?”
Élisa closed her eyes for a moment then she opened them and stared at me. I met her gaze and nodded to encourage her to speak.
“It was after we had lunch. My sister was worried about the earrings she is to wear for the Emperor’s coronation. She wanted to visit the workshop again to make sure the length was right because there was so little time left to correct any mistakes…”
“Just as well we did go. That oaf had made them too long, as I thought he would!” Pauline interrupted.
“Princess?” I turned back to Élisa, deliberately ignoring Pauline.
“Princess Murat and I decided to go too and inspect our own jewellery. We drove to the workshop. Dupré knocked and a boy opened the door to us. We all went inside.”
“Your pardon, but who exactly entered the building?”
Pauline sighed but Élisa answered calmly, “Myself, my two sisters and our equerries.”
“Monsieur Dupré and Monsieur de Saint Victor?”
“Colonel Dupré, if you please,” Élisa said sharply.
“Excuse me. I did not know he was in the army.” Pauline stifled a giggle and Élisa looked at her with a frown. Pauline smiled then turned away.
“Can you remember who was in the workshop when you entered the room?” I asked to regain her attention.
“Margueritte’s foreman, Robart. He greeted us. There was the boy who opened the door and…”
“The oaf with the muscles and no brain who deliberately made my earrings too long,” Pauline hissed. “He mustn’t like me; he’s so disobliging.”
I bit back the wish to agree with her and asked, “No one else?”
“I don’t think so, do you?” Élisa asked Pauline, who shook her head making her curls bounce and fluttering her long eyelashes as she looked at me.
“What happened next?”
“We told Robart that we wanted to look at our jewellery. He unlocked the safe, took it out and gave it to us. I examined mine and it seemed to be correct. I put the pieces back into their boxes and returned it to Robart.”
“Where did you stand when you were examining your jewellery?”
“Beside one of the benches.”
“Alone?”
“No. Princess Murat, Monsieur de Saint Victor and Colonel Dupré were with me.”
“The boy, Jacques, said that he saw something flashing where you were standing.”
“I tried on my diamond necklace and it certainly sparkled in the light of the fire. The men looked at it too. Dupré even put it on for a jest and asked me how it suited him. Do you remember?” She asked Pauline who shook her head.
“You’ll have to ask Caroline. I wasn’t looking at you. I was too busy quarrelling with that oaf.”
“Is Princess Murat here, Highness?” I asked.
“Why should she be?”
“I visited her hôtel before we came here. They told me she had come to visit you.”
“She is here but she is indisposed. She has not been well. It was rash or her to leave her sick bed. Certainly she cannot be disturbed to answer questions at this moment.”
“A pity. I will have to call back later in the hope that she will be well enough to speak to me then.”
“What is this about? Why are you asking us all these questions?” I hesitated and she snapped, “Don’t trifle with me. I want to know what this is about and I want to know now!”
I chose my words carefully, watching her like a bird of prey as she answered, hoping to observe some reaction.
“During the time of your visit, something was stolen from the workshop. It is of great value and I have been set the task of finding it.”
Élisa has excellent understanding. “Are you accusing me of taking some trinket?” she asked and there was menace in her voice.
“Indeed no, Highness, I am merely asking you to tell me what you saw, as a witness to what occurred.”
“You had better not try to blame any of us. Not even for my brother will I be treated like a common criminal. What is it that has been stolen?”
I again described it as a bauble and Pauline glanced at me, but Élisa is definitely a person to be handled carefully.
“Be precise! It is obviously of some importance or my brother would not have given you that scribble. Margueritte is making the regalia for the Empress as well as my sisters and myself. He may have other customers, but no one who would take precedence before us. Our jewellery was locked away in the safe before we left, I saw to that. So whatever has been stolen is unlikely to belong to us. Something of the Empress’s perhaps?”
Her words gave me a shock. Feeling sure she was guilty, I had expected her to be more hesitant. She was either too shrewd to show emotion or merely abiding by one of her brother’s principles — the best form of defence is to attack. Her words left me breathless and I obviously did not dissemble quickly enough. She clapped her hands as a delighted little smile lit up her face. She gave a crow of laughter.
“I’m right! I’m right. Whatever has gone belongs to Joséphine. Something vital; it must be. If it was only a bangle that would not matter, she has many of them already. I wonder...” She looked at me sharply and under her penetrating stare, my eyes soon fell away from hers. “What is more important at a coronation than a crown?”
Pauline’s eyes went wide as she stared at her sister. “You mean…”
“Someone has stolen Joséphine’s crown! Look at his face.” She pointed to me and I found it hard to meet her gaze. “Oh how truly delightful!”
“Madame, I beg you...”
“You mi
ght as well tell me. If you do not, I shall ask the Emperor in public whether it is true that Joséphine’s crown has been lost. He will not be pleased with you if that happens.”
“He won’t be pleased with you either,” I replied tartly.
She smiled. “I am not afraid of my brother and by then the damage would be done. What a charming thought. So our dear sister-in-law might not be crowned after all. Such a great pity. I am so sorry for her.”
“Highness, the Emperor has ordered the crown to be found and his orders are binding on both of us. He intends the coronation to go ahead exactly as planned.”
“But where would he obtain another crown if you cannot find it?” Pauline asked plaintively. Her face looked completely innocent and I wondered just how good an actress she was.
“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.
&n
bsp; “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?”
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