Your faithful friend, Louise, Queen of Prussia.
‘Well, well,’ Napoleon smiled. ‘So it has come to this.’
He stood and strode across the room to the open door and clicked his fingers at his chief clerk. ‘Méneval, send for the Master of the Imperial Household.’
‘Yes, sire.’
‘Tell him we are entertaining tonight. The best dinner service and the finest wines and food will be required.’
There was no polite preamble to the dinner. Queen Louise was shown into a private dining room at imperial headquarters. A small table occupied the centre of the carpeted room, covered with a lace cloth and set with fine china, glasses and cutlery from the imperial household.The room was lit by a single chandelier hanging above the table, which bathed the room in a soft orange glow. The Queen was shown to her seat by a footman and then left alone to await the Emperor, who, she was told, was completing his orders for yet another military review to be held the following morning. He would not be long, she was assured.
And so she sat, quite still and expressionless, as the clock ticked on the mantelpiece. The windows of the dining room were open and the faintest of breezes wafted in, just enough to cause the candles to flicker fractionally from time to time. At length Louise rose from her seat and went to the window. Below lay a small courtyard and the scent of herbs drifted up to her. Beyond the wall of the courtyard lay open fields, now covered with tents and the crude bivouacs erected by the French soldiers. Their campfires spread across the landscape like a vast constellation of twinkling red stars.
‘An impressive sight, is it not?’
She gasped with surprise and whirled round, hand clutched to her throat. Napoleon had entered and trodden quietly across to the table, where he now stood behind her chair, hands resting on the seat back. He stared back at her, frankly appraising her looks. The Queen of Prussia was a slender woman with black hair and strong, almost masculine features. For all that there was a cold, ethereal beauty about her, Napoleon conceded. He smiled. ‘I am sorry. I did not mean to startle you.’
‘Really?’ She arched an eyebrow. ‘I rather think that was precisely what you meant to do.’
‘Oh? And why would I do that?’
‘You employ the same strategy off the battlefield as you do on it.You move quickly, achieve surprise and disconcert your enemy.’
‘But you are not my enemy. I do not make war on women, your majesty.’ Napoleon laughed. ‘But I admit that you have a good grasp of my method of waging war.’
‘It has been a hard lesson,’ she replied coldly.‘One which has cost the lives of many of our subjects.’
‘Well, the war is over, and our meal is about to begin. Please?’ Napoleon nodded to the chair she had been sitting on. After a slight pause, the Prussian Queen glided back across the room and sat down, allowing Napoleon to edge her chair a little closer to the table.Then he took his place opposite, flicked his napkin loose and laid it across his thighs. ‘I took the liberty of sending my chef to your quarters to discover what food appeals to your palate. How is your accommodation, by the way?’
‘It is as good as most we have had to endure for several months.’
Napoleon shrugged. ‘If your husband had come to terms after Jena you would still have the comforts of your palace in Berlin. But then, I imagine that you would not let your husband come to terms. My ambassador to Berlin told me how much Frederick William depends upon your advice. Other men have even said that you are the true ruler of Prussia.’
‘Other men are fools,’ she replied flatly. ‘My husband is a good man and a sound ruler. But he is inclined to caution in dealing with a crisis. I merely acted as a spur to that course of action he knew he must take.’
‘You are too modest, madam.’ Napoleon stared at her. ‘I sense that you are a far more formidable woman than you choose to appear.’
‘Perhaps.’ She smiled, showing a fine set of strong white teeth. ‘For my part I sense that you are a far more sensitive man than your reputation as an all-conquering general would imply. Sensual even.’
‘Sensual?’ Napoleon tipped his head slightly to one side. ‘It’s not a word I have often heard used to describe me.’
‘You surround yourself with soldiers, so that is hardly surprising.’
They were interrupted by the arrival of the first course, a thin soup of duck and herbs, and sat in silence while the steward carefully poured a ladleful into each of their bowls and then retired. Napoleon watched as his guest delicately filled her spoon and raised it to her lips, sipping the hot liquid with caution. ‘Do you like it?’
Louise looked at him. ‘A touch too much garlic, perhaps, but palatable.’
‘I am so pleased.’ Napoleon took a mouthful, and winced at the scalding sensation in his mouth. He glanced up to see her smiling at him, and mumbled an apology. ‘I am sorry, it was hot. Painful.’ He took a sip of wine to cool his tongue.
‘Yes.The trick is not to let anyone know that it hurts.’
Napoleon lowered his spoon for a while, to let the soup cool. ‘Tell me, your majesty.Why are you here? Why did you request to see me in this intimate manner? Did your husband send you to try to charm me?’
‘He does not approve of the meeting,’ she replied. ‘I insisted. I hope to discuss the question of the terms you demand for peace with Prussia.’
‘The terms are already being discussed, by our diplomats.’
‘Diplomats . . .’ She uttered the word with contempt. ‘They talk and talk and resolve little in the longest possible time.’
‘You have Talleyrand precisely.’ Napoleon laughed.
Louise’s expression remained serious. ‘I wished to negotiate more directly with you.’
‘Negotiate? What is there to negotiate? You already know my terms. I will not change them. Not even for you, your majesty.’
‘But you must realise that your demands go too far. You seek to reduce Prussia to the status of a minor power. You would shame us before the rest of the world.’
‘No more than you have shamed yourselves already.’
She was silent for a moment, and then continued in a calm tone, ‘I accept that my husband vacillated before Austerlitz. If I had been king then Prussia would have fought alongside your enemies from the outset.’
‘And very likely you would have defeated me. I must make certain that Prussia is incapable of challenging France for many years to come. That is why I do not wish to have your husband removed from the throne. His presence there is as good a guarantee of peace as I could wish for. If he was weak before you decided to wage war against France, then he will be even more afraid now. I doubt that you, even with your undeniable charms and force of personality, will be able to persuade him to make war again.’
‘I see.’ Louise nodded, and sipped again from her spoon. ‘You must know that the terms you have demanded of Prussia are sure to win you nothing but the hatred of our people.’
‘What do I care?’ Napoleon shrugged. ‘Vae victis.’
They ate in silence for a few minutes before Louise looked up again. ‘Has it occurred to you that you might well need the friendship of Prussia one day?’
‘Yes. There may be a time when I need all the friends I can get. But as long as you sit by the side of your husband and drip your poison into his ear, then I suspect that I need not look to Prussia for any hope of salvation. So what have I to lose by making the terms as harsh as possible?’
Queen Louise lowered her spoon, got up from her chair and walked slowly round the table until she was at his side. Napoleon instinctively lowered his spoon, as he felt his body tense at her closeness. She kneeled beside his chair and took his hand. She spoke softly. ‘Your imperial majesty. If I need to I will beg you not to destroy Prussia. On my hands and knees if you say so.’
She grazed her lips over the back of his hand and Napoleon felt a bolt of fire streak up his arm. For an instant he closed his eyes, relishing the feeling, and the Prussian Queen continued to play her lip
s over the back of his hand before she turned it over slowly and kissed his palm with infinite tenderness.
‘There is nothing I would not do for my country,’ she whispered. ‘Just ask me, your majesty, and I will do anything for you.’
‘Anything?’
‘Yes. Anything.’ She moved her head so that her lips closed softly round the end of his middle finger and he felt her teeth press gently into his skin. He felt his sex stirring and shifted in his chair as he indulged the sensation.Then cold reason reasserted itself and he firmly pulled his hand away from her and opened his eyes. She was looking up at him with fierce intensity blazing in her brown eyes. Napoleon chuckled.
‘Good God, but you are beautiful. Now I understand why Frederick William is your slave. However, I will not sacrifice the needs of France for the sake of a good fuck, your majesty.’
She stood up and backed away, her eyes narrowing.‘You bastard,’ she muttered. ‘You cold, cruel, contemptible bastard.’
Napoleon smiled faintly and raised an eyebrow. ‘As you say.’
‘Truly, you are a tyrant. I pray that I live to see the day when you are brought down and destroyed.’
‘Of course you do.You are my enemy. I am your conqueror. It is only natural for you to hate me. Just as long as you and your people fear me, I shall be content. Now then, may we continue our meal?’
The Queen glanced at her soup and her lip curled. ‘I would rather eat the scraps refused by swine.’
‘Then I suggest you return to your husband and share his repast, before you share his bed. I have no need for you. No desire. Now you may leave me.’
She glared at him, and then with a swirl of her skirts she turned and strode for the door. Wrenching it open, she rushed through and slammed it behind her. Napoleon stared after her for a moment, then picked up his spoon and finished his soup.
The following day, Napoleon and Alexander signed the peace treaty in the negotiation chamber before an audience of dignitaries. Then Talleyrand read out the public version of the treaty, which expressed the great pleasure of both leaders that their countries were no longer at war. Both the Emperor and the Tsar looked forward to sharing the bounties of peace and prosperity. Napoleon seemed to listen indulgently and nodded his head at the applause that filled the chamber, but his mind was dwelling on the details of the secret articles that had been agreed and signed. Now, at last, he could turn all his attention towards crushing Britain. With Russia as his ally and all Europe under his sway, he could deny Britain access to her markets, and slowly but surely she would be starved into defeat.
Two more days passed before Napoleon deigned to sign the peace agreement with Prussia, shortly before he departed for France.This time the Prussian witnesses to the signature stood in mute despair as their King picked up his pen, dipped it in the ink pot and then held it poised above the treaty as he chewed his lip. Talleyrand leaned forward and indicated the blank space at the foot of the document.
‘If your majesty would be kind enough to sign there?’
Frederick William nodded, then lowered the pen to the paper and wrote his name slowly, as if each letter was agony to write. At the end he lowered the pen and sat back abruptly, staring straight ahead, refusing to look at the French Emperor sitting at his side. Talleyrand slid the treaty across the table towards Napoleon. Behind a mask of regal calm Napoleon felt consumed by the pleasure of his triumph. He took up his pen, dipped it in the ink and signed the treaty, ending with a flamboyant flourish.The French officers and diplomats at once burst into applause, with Ney stamping his foot as he roared out ‘Bravo! Bravo!’ at the top of his voice.
There was a dull scrape as the Prussian King slid his chair back and abruptly rose from his seat and strode towards the door. As soon as he had left the room, his staff and courtiers filed out behind him, their ears deafened by the thunderous celebration of the French.
Talleyrand leaned close to his ear and said, ‘Congratulations, sire.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I pray that you have won us a lasting peace.’
Napoleon turned to look up at his foreign minister. ‘What is there to pray for? Prussia is humiliated, and I have the Tsar wrapped round my little finger. Trust me, my dear Talleyrand. Russia has been tamed, completely.’
Chapter 33
The streets of Paris echoed with the sound of the salute being fired from the heights of Montmartre.Tens of thousands of people lined the route of the procession and waved coloured ribbons and tricolour flags the instant they caught sight of the head of the imperial convoy. A cuirassier regiment led the way, breastplates sparkling in the bright sunshine as their glossy mounts clattered over the cobbles. Behind them came a battery of the Guard artillery, caissons and gun carriages freshly painted and every brass fitting polished to perfection.The crews sat erect in their best uniforms as the wheels rumbled beneath them. Then came a battalion of the Old Guard, their bearskins making every man look like a formidable giant. Two companies of light infantry followed, bearing captured enemy standards. A short distance behind came the imperial carriage bearing the Emperor and Empress, and immediately behind them rode the marshals who had fought in the long campaign to subdue Prussia and Russia.
At the sight of Napoleon the cheering of the crowd increased in a deafening crescendo that drowned out even the sound of the salute being fired by the guns on Montmartre. Napoleon was sitting on a large cushion to elevate him above his wife and every now and again he waved to each side of the route, smiling as he acknowledged his people. At his side, Josephine sat still, as she knew that it was not her place to respond to acclaim that she had not won. As the procession turned down the rue St-Honoré and made for the Tuileries, she touched her husband’s leg.
‘Seems that you are the saviour of the nation, my love.’
Napoleon leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, prompting a fresh roar of approval from the crowds. They both laughed and Napoleon lifted his hat and raised it high.
‘I promised them victory and now they have it.’
‘Yes.’ Josephine nodded. ‘But the taste of victory will fade soon enough.The people tire of war.’
‘Nonsense!’ Napoleon flashed a frown at her.‘As long as war provides them with glory and spoils then I can lead the people anywhere.To the ends of the earth, if I should wish it.’
Josephine noted his tone and thought better of continuing that line of conversation. Instead she turned to the side and bowed her head serenely towards a group of veterans sitting on a wagon on the corner of a street leading off the procession route. Some had patches over their eyes. Others had lost limbs or were horribly disfigured, and yet they cheered as lustily as the people around them.
The procession passed across the Carrousel and through the wrought-iron gates that surrounded the entrance to the Tuileries palace. The Emperor’s carriage drew up in front of the steps that led up to the palace doors and footmen rushed to put in place a set of steps before opening the carriage door and bowing low. The emperor stepped out, and turned to offer his hand to his wife as she descended to join him. Then they steadily made their way up the steps, between the grenadiers forming a guard of honour on either side, and paused at the doors for one last wave to the crowds packing the Carrousel square before disappearing inside.
The following morning, with Paris unusually quiet as its people slept off the celebrations that had lasted long into the night, Napoleon held a meeting in his private office in the Tuileries. He sat at the head of a small table and tapped his fingers impatiently. Talleyrand sat to his left and Fouché to his right, and the chair opposite Napoleon was empty.
‘How dare Lucien be late,’ he muttered.
Talleyrand smiled. ‘Your brother is a man of the people, sire. I imagine he celebrated your achievements with the same spirit as the rest of Paris.’
‘Be that as it may, he should know better than to keep his Emperor waiting.’
‘Indeed, sire,’ said Fouché with a faint smile. ‘It is disrespectful.’<
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The door to the office opened and a footman bowed his head as Lucien entered, looking flushed but happy. ‘My apologies, brother! My coachman is nowhere to be found and I had to come on foot.’
‘Never mind,’ Napoleon responded tersely. ‘Sit down.’
Once Lucien was settled, Napoleon leaned back in his gilded chair and folded his hands together under his chin. ‘Gentlemen, you are my closest advisers. The reason I have summoned you here is to discuss what happens next. Despite our successes, we have work to do.’
‘Work?’ Lucien raised his eyebrows. ‘You have only just returned to the capital. The war is as good as over. Now that you have Russia as an ally, and Britain is denied access to any port on the continent, she cannot endure much longer. She must come to terms soon. Why, I have read reports of riots in the towns in the north of the country. The blockade is a success.Work is drying up in the mills and the people grow hungry and rebellious. Soon their King will be begging us for peace. Let us enjoy this moment. Surely you of all people need a rest after your exertions?’
Fire and Sword Page 39