Chaumert thought for a moment. ‘Even tyrants have the seeds of true greatness in them. A good man sees that, and he serves in the hope that one day the greatness will out.’
‘And if it doesn’t? What do you do then?’
‘Then I am wrong, in which case I deserve oblivion, for all those who suffered at the hands of the tyrant I served so faithfully.’
‘Then why stay at his side?’
‘Because there is still time for some measure of redemption.’
Arthur held out his hand. ‘I fear you will be disappointed.’
‘And I fear you may be right.’ Chaumert smiled as he clasped Arthur’s hand. ‘Sir, in another life, I would rather have found a man like you to serve. But then what man ever truly has the chance to choose his own fate?’
Arthur stared at him and then nodded sadly. ‘Goodbye, Colonel.’
‘Farewell, sir. I hope you, of all men, live to enjoy the fruits of peace.’
‘The fruits of peace?’ Arthur paused as he considered the future. Home. Kitty and his unknown sons. A return to the flummery of social life, and the poison of politics. The war had made him, furnished him with the closest friends he had ever known. It had shown him the heights of human endeavour, as well as the depths of depravity. He smiled. ‘For men like us the fruit of peace is the absence of war. Little else. It’s over. All over.’
Then he turned his horse in the direction of Waterloo and galloped away as the first rays of a new dawn seeped across the worn, torn continent.
Chapter 65
As Napoleon emerged from the companionway the lieutenant of the watch gave a quick nod to the midshipman standing by the blackboard easel. The youngster snatched up a rag and hurriedly erased
Napoleon straightened up as he emerged on deck and nodded a greeting to the lieutenant. Behind him came his small coterie of staff officers, and the party climbed the short flight of stairs on to the quarterdeck of the seventy-four-gun warship. At first Captain Maitland had tried to insist that the French officers stick to the port side of the quarterdeck, leaving the starboard side free for the ship’s captain and his officers. However, Napoleon had ignored the instruction and wandered where he willed, asking endless questions about the operation of the warship of those officers who spoke French. Maitland was not on board today. He had gone ashore and taken a room in an inn favoured by naval officers to await fresh instructions concerning his prisoner. Ever since Napoleon had arrived on the deck of the ship, surrendering himself to the protection of his most inveterate enemy, the British had not known what to do with him. Maitland had reported Napoleon’s presence to the senior admiral on station, who had ordered him back to England to refer the matter up the chain of command. Now Napoleon’s fate was being decided by the government in London.
Crossing to the side of the warship he gazed down over the thousands of spectators who had come to see him. He smiled and raised his hat in greeting and there was a ragged chorus of cheers from his audience.
De Las Cases, Napoleon’s secretary, shook his head. ‘The English make strange enemies, sire. You seem to be as popular with them as their own monarch.’
‘Well, I must ensure their continued good will,’ Napoleon replied quietly as he raised his hat again and waved it at a party of young women aboard a small yacht that had somehow slipped through the screen of guard boats which were rowing swiftly to cut the yacht off. ‘I have no desire to be handed into the custody of my enemies on the continent.’
Few doubted that he would be put to death if he were returned to France, which left his English captors with a dilemma. Of all his enemies, Napoleon had calculated that England would treat him the most leniently. That was why he had given himself up to Captain Maitland. In truth, he had little choice in the matter.
After the defeat at Waterloo, he had raced back to Paris to take charge of the situation and prepare to gather all available forces to stem the advance of Wellington and Blьcher. Such was his exhaustion that he allowed himself several hours’ rest once he reached the Tuileries. By the time he awoke his enemies had made their move. Led by Fouchй, the Chamber of Peers and the Chamber of Deputies had passed motions declaring that they could not be dissolved without their agreement, and called on the National Guard to defend them. Fouchй had then called on Napoleon to abdicate for a second time. Weighed down by fatigue and despair Napoleon had given way. As a last favour to his former master Fouchй had placed a French frigate of the Rochefort squadron at his disposal and requested that he leave France once and for all. Napoleon had delayed in Paris for a few days, offering to serve his country as a mere general to help stem the allied invasion. His offer was curtly rebuffed. As the first exchange of cannon fire echoed across the city Napoleon and a small band of close followeres had fled to Rochefort, only to discover that it was closely blockaded by the Royal Navy. Napoleon had hoped to escape to the United States, and waited in the port for the chance to slip out to sea under cover of a moonless night.
As he waited, a report came from Paris that the capital had surrendered to Wellington and Blьcher. The Bourbons were to be restored once more, and had already issued orders for Napoleon’s arrest. To wait any longer was foolhardy, and so, on 15 July, Napoleon had commandeered a lugger to carry him and and his party out to the nearest British warship.
‘What becomes of us now then, sire?’ de Las Cases wondered. ‘I mean, if the English decide not to return us to France.’
‘They will treat us as honoured guests,’ Napoleon replied confidently. ‘That is their nature. They baulk at extreme acts and would not have my blood on their hands. I expect that Lord Liverpool and his government are even now deciding on a small estate, somewhere in the heart of the country, where we may be kept under close supervision.’
‘And in the longer term, sire?’
‘Once it is felt that I no longer pose a threat to peace, I shall be free to leave.’ Napoleon turned to his secretary with a glint in his eyes. ‘I am finished in France, but I am sure that my talents can be put to good use in another sphere. You’ll see. Perhaps I will even be permitted to resume my rule over Elba.’
‘I hope so, sire.’
‘In the meantime, we must create a good impression on our hosts. Wave, man. Show them they have nothing to fear from us.’
The pair returned the waves from a number of the nearest boats. Even as he put on an act for his captors, Napoleon’s heart seethed with bitterness. At the end, he had been betrayed by Fouchй and his marshals, who had refused to rally to his side.
‘The next time I have the chance to exercise any power, I will be certain to be more careful about those I trust,’ he muttered. ‘I tell you, if I had hanged just two men,Talleyrand and Fouchй, I would still be on the throne today.’
‘Deck there!’ a voice cried out from above and Napoleon turned and leaned his head back to see one of the sailors pointing towards the shore. ‘Captain’s returning!’
The lieutenant of the watch nodded his acknowledgement and hurriedly gave orders for one of the mates to assemble a sideguard to greet Maitland. Looking out across the water Napoleon could make out the
Napoleon nodded approvingly. ‘They are well drilled. Like clockwork, as with everything else on the
