Evil in a Mask (64 page)

The Emperor stared at him, stony-eyed, then burst out, ‘I do not believe a word of it. You are a thief! You are a coward! All your life you have deceived and betrayed everyone.' For over twenty minutes Napoleon continued to rave at the Prince, finally winding up:

‘You would sell your own father. You deserve to be broken like a glass. I have the power to do it, but I despise you too much. You are shit in a silk stocking.'

Talleyrand's face was white, his eyes half-closed, and his lips compressed. He displayed no dejection, but an icy disdain.

Angered beyond endurance by his attitude of apparent indifference, Napoleon sought to shatter his aristocratic calm by shouting at him:

‘Why did you not tell me that the Duke of San Carlos was your wife's lover?'

Still imperturbable, Talleyrand replied, ‘Indeed, Sire, I did not think that this news was to the increase of Your Majesty's glory, nor mine.'

Defeated, Napoleon strode towards the door. Casting a menacing look over his shoulder, which included Fouché, he snarled, ‘Know that if a revolution does suddenly come about, both of you will be the first to be crushed by it.' Then he slammed the door.

The eyes of all the others remained fixed on Talleyrand. Leaving the mantelpiece, he limped towards the door. Pausing there, he turned and said:

‘What a pity, Messieurs, that such a great man should have been so badly brought up.'

Those who had witnessed this amazing scene did not long keep it to themselves. Within a quarter of an hour Roger had
an account of it; and, while it appeared that Talleyrand had exonerated himself, he waited anxiously to see what the next move would be.

The following morning, the Emperor, yet again half cowed, half fascinated by the unbreakable spirit of the great aristocrat, did no more than deprive him of the office of Grand Chamberlain. That evening, to everyone's amazement, Talleyrand ignored the fact that he was in disgrace and appeared, as imperturbable as ever, at a Court reception.

On the 30th, Roger received a note from Talleyrand, asking him as a matter of urgency to meet him out at his house at Passey a little before midnight. The summons brought Roger many recollections. The charming
petite maison
on the outskirts of Paris had been Talleyrand's home before the Revolution. There he had entertained the foremost Liberals of the French nobility who were striving to bring in long-overdue reforms. It was there that Roger had first met men who afterwards made history. Later, during the Terror, when Talleyrand had had to escape from France, Roger, as a member of the dread Paris Commune, had commandeered the house and so saved it and its contents for its owner. During those terrible days he had at times lived there, once with his wife Amanda, and at another time with the beautiful Athenais de Rochambeau.

Dressed in civilian clothes, he drove out there in a hired coach. It was a bitter winter night and raining. Muffled in his cloak, he walked up the garden path, and hammered with the knocker on the front door. It was opened almost immediately by Antoine Velot. He and his wife, Marie, as butler and cook-housekeeper, had been the only permanent staff there for many years. During the long period of Talleyrand's exile, Roger had paid their wages and, in return, when he made brief visits to the house, they had given him most faithful service.

Antoine was now well advanced in years; but, having received Roger with delight, he declared that
le bon Dieu
had blessed himself and his wife by keeping them both hale and hearty. He then showed Roger into the small library. Talleyrand was there, lounging on a sofa, with Fouché seated opposite
him; while old Marie was putting the finishing touches to a cold collation on a side table. After greeting the two men, Roger put his hands on Marie's shoulders as she curtsied to him, raised her up and kissed her withered cheek. It was one of those gestures that made him loved by humble folk. The others looked at him in surprise, but he smiled and said:

‘In the days when Paris ran with blood, this was my refuge. Marie was like a mother to me, and Antoine could not have showed more devotion to a son.'

When Marie had left the room, Talleyrand said, ‘Doubtless you have heard about the scene that took place at the Tuileries the day before yesterday?'

Roger nodded. ‘The little man has become impossible. I wonder that you did not strike him with your cane, and so be done with him once and for all.'

Talleyrand shrugged. ‘That evening I dined with the Countess de Laval and I told her of it. She said I should have used the poker. I replied that I was too lazy. But that is not quite the truth. I submitted to his insults because I am determined not to break with him until I have broken him.'

‘I admire Your Highness' tenacity,' Fouché remarked, ‘and between us we will yet save France from being totally destroyed by him.' Then he gave a loud sniff. He suffered from a perpetual cold, and his face was as cadaverous as ever. His long, grey coat was ill fitting and his waistcoat stained with snuff.

Continuing to address Roger, Talleyrand went on, ‘We asked you to join us,
cher ami
, because much depends on our being informed of the true state of affairs in Spain and, having but recently returned, you should be able to tell us if there is more or less percentage of the usual lies in the bulletins issued by the Emperor. But first let us refresh ourselves.'

Fouché helped himself to a meagre portion of boned chicken stuffed with sausage meat and truffles. Roger went for the Duck Montmorency, one breast of which had been removed and replaced with foie gras, and the whole decorated with red cherries. Their host chose the lobster patties crowned with oysters. There were Château Latour, Corton Clos du Roi,
Montrachet and Anjou to hand to wash these good things down. It was only an alfresco supper, but typical of the table kept by the Prince de Benevento.

While they ate, they talked of minor matters; then, putting his plate aside, Roger said, ‘The Emperor would have the people believe that he has quelled the rebellion; and that, with Joseph re-established in Madrid, the whole trouble is over. But that is far from being the case. The insurgents still hold four-fifths of the country and the whole of Portugal. With British troops to stiffen them …'

‘No, no,' Fouché interrupted. ‘The English have been driven out. Reports from my people have been coming in for some days. To begin with, they were vague, but today quite definite. General Sir Moore was too precipitate in his retreat. ‘Tis said that he force-marched his men seventeen miles a day to escape the trap set for him. As a result he lost several thousand from exhaustion, on the way to the coast. The English fought more determined rearguard actions. In one, their Hussars cut the Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard to pieces. That enabled General Sir Moore to get his main body to Corunna without it being defeated. But there he was forced to turn at bay. Again the English and Scottish fought with great bravery and the majority of them succeeded in getting away in their ships; but Sir Moore was killed during the battle.'

This was sad news for Roger, as Sir John was considered to be Britain's finest General; but he could comfort himself with the thought that his timely warning had probably saved the army from complete annihilation. After a moment he said:

‘As soon as the Emperor learned of Moore's whereabouts and launched his greatly superior force against the British, it was clear that they would either suffer a disastrous defeat, or have to take to their ships. What I meant was that, with the Peninsular in its present state, you can count it certain that they will return. They would be mad to neglect such a God given opportunity to establish themselves at last on the Continent. And they still hold Lisbon.'

‘Yes, with some nine thousand troops. But for how long
will such a comparatively small body of men succeed in maintaining themselves there?'

‘With luck, until they are reinforced by much greater numbers.'

‘But that cannot happen for a month or more at least,' Talleyrand put in. ‘Meanwhile, Ney's corps, and others, will be on their way to the Portuguese capital and should easily overwhelm so small a garrison.'

‘I disagree,' Roger replied. ‘Sir John Moore's Number Two, General Baird, could sail down the coast in a matter of days, with the men taken off from Corunna and throw them into Lisbon. That is the obvious strategy. At a fair estimate it could raise the garrison to some twenty thousand men. And, should they hold the lines of Torres Vedras, Ney will find it no easy business to dislodge them.'

‘What of Spain?' Fouché asked, sniffling again. ‘We have some two hundred thousand men there: Soult, Bessières, Victor and other well-tried Marshals. Surely within a few months they will prove capable of overcoming all resistance?'

Roger shook his head. ‘I do not think so. The Spaniards are gone mad, and their priests, regarding the French as atheists, are leading them into battle. Every peasant and townsman in the country has armed himself with some weapon. At least a million of them are out to spill French blood. Two-thirds of the cities are still in their hands, many French garrisons are now locked up in fortresses, half-starving; and there is hardly a road along which a convoy of supplies to relieve them can be sent without its being ambushed.'

Talleyrand refilled their glasses, and said, ‘Then you are convinced that this rebellion is no flash in the pan, and cannot soon be crushed, as Napoleon maintains it will be?'

‘I am. Had he remained in Spain to direct operations himself, his genius is such that he might have succeeded in coping with this hydra-headed monster. But few of his Marshals have the ability to do so. Soult is a good General but not, I think, good enough. Davoust has the brains to deal with the situation, and Masséna probably; but they are both in Germany. Even were either of them given the task, in my opinion it would
take at least a year to reduce these fanatical Spaniards to even partial submission.'

Glancing at Fouché Talleyrand asked, ‘
Monsieur le Ministre
, are you of the opinion that we should now proceed?'

Fouché never looked anyone directly in the face. His eyes were downcast, but his voice firm, as he replied, ‘Yes, Your Highness. There can hardly occur a better opportunity to bring him down.'

Talleyrand turned his heavily-lidded eyes on Roger, and said, ‘For some time past I have been in secret communication with Prince Metternich. Although still comparatively young, he has the makings of a diplomat of the highest order. As you must know, for many months past Austria has been re-arming with a view to taking revenge on the Emperor for the humiliations he has put upon her. The Archduke Charles is urging restraint and is averse to his country again challenging Napoleon until the early summer. But the Prime Minister, Count Stadion, and Prince Metternich favour prompt action, to take advantage of the Emperor's involvement in Spain. Should that be only temporary, Austria would be better advised to wait until her new levies are fully trained. If, on the other hand, the Emperor is compelled to retain a great army in the Peninsula for many months to come, Austria has no need to fear the reappearance of those legions on her frontier; so the sooner she acts, the better.'

‘There is also the situation in Prussia,' Fouché put in. ‘The impassioned discourses of Fichte and others have led to the formation of a patriotic association, known as the
Tugenbund
, pledged to throw off French domination. Then there is the matter of Stein. Early in December, while in Madrid, the Emperor sent King Frederick William what amounted to an order. It read, “The man Stein is a troublemaker. I require you to dismiss him from your service and confiscate his lands.” The craven King did as he was bade. This persecution of a leading patriot has inflamed the nation to fever-pitch. My agents report from all quarters there that the people are declaring that Prussia should follow the example of Spain, rise in its wrath and destroy the French garrisons. If Austria acts promptly,
there is a good chance that this present wave of hatred may cause the Prussians to take up arms. But if Austria delays for several months, it will die down.'

Finishing his wine, Talleyrand set down his glass. ‘With the prospect that the Spanish will continue to occupy a great French army in the Peninsula, and the possibility that the Prussians will rise, thereby detaining further large French forces in the north, the army that the Emperor could bring against Austria would be outnumbered. Given a victorious campaign by the Austrians, Napoleon's power will be shattered. I feel that there could be no better time to strike. What is your view.
Messieurs
?'

Both Fouché and Roger nodded their agreement.

Smiling, Talleyrand said, ‘The die is cast then. I will communicate with Metternich tomorrow, and tell him to urge upon the Emperor Francis that the time has come to liberate Europe from the thraldom it has suffered all too long.'

Later, Roger learned from various sources of the decisions taken in Vienna as a result of Talleyrand's communication to Metternich, coupled with the Austrian's own assessment of the anti-French feeling now greatly on the increase throughout Europe.

On February 8th war was decided upon, although no open declaration of war was to be made. Obviously, Austria's chances of victory would be greatly strengthened if she could form a Fourth Coalition.

Strenuous efforts were made to induce Prussia to avenge herself on Napoleon. Her Ambassador in Vienna, von der Goltz, put forward the proposal that his country should contribute eighty thousand men to an Allied army. Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and other members of the war party persuaded Frederick William to agree; but later, from fear of Russia, the spineless King went back on his promise.

Count Starhemberg was despatched to London, but found the British about to commit their best troops to the Peninsula. Canning could do no more than send a subsidy of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds in silver bars to Trieste and promise that, as soon as more troops became available, he would use them to create a diversion in the Low Countries.