‘I was on diplomatic service,’Talleyrand replied evenly.‘I could not help that. But my sympathies were, and are, the same as yours. The difference is that I did not proclaim them from the rooftops and get myself arrested. That is why I am foreign minister today, and not a mere deputy, my dear Foudrier.’
Foudrier glared at him for a moment before continuing bitterly,‘When I am old, and people ask me what I did during the great crisis of the revolution, I will say I held fast to my beliefs and defended them in public, even when others were being dragged off to the guillotine. What will you be able to say, I wonder?’
‘Me?’ Talleyrand smiled faintly. ‘I shall say that I survived.’
‘Gentlemen!’ Napoleon interrupted. ‘This is not helpful. Foudrier, the past is the past. Leave it be.What matters now is the future, and what we can do to make sure that the revolution retains its hold on France.’ He paused to make sure that he had their attention.
‘Peace,’ Joseph said quietly.‘Peace is the best way to ensure the success of the revolution. It’s what the people want.We give them peace and they’ll give us their gratitude and their loyalty. The principles of the revolution will live on.’
‘Precisely, brother.’ Napoleon nodded.‘Which is why England will never give us peace. How can they, while the revolution serves as an example of what common people can achieve against the tyrants who oppress them? Every day that the French republic lives on makes the rulers of England weaker. So they cannot rest until the republic is defeated. England or France must win the war, and the other must be utterly defeated. There is no third way. That is the vision that we must hold to, and must do our best to persuade other patriots to embrace. That is the purpose of this meeting.’
‘And if we can’t persuade them?’ asked Lucien.
‘Then we must be ready to take control of France . . . if ever the time comes.’
Poucelle stirred uncomfortably. ‘Some would say that is treason.’
‘No,’ Napoleon replied sharply. ‘Treason is a betrayal of your country and your people. We are protecting France.’
Talleyrand smiled at the use of the present tense. ‘Not yet, we’re not. Let us hope that we never have to assume dictatorial powers.’ He turned towards Napoleon. ‘That is what you are suggesting?’
‘I’m suggesting that true patriots do what they must in the circumstances.’
‘Good God!’ Talleyrand laughed. ‘For a soldier, you have an unnervingly sound grasp of the political tongue.’
Napoleon glowered. ‘I meant what I said.’
‘Oh, I’m sure you did. That’s what worries me.’ Talleyrand raised his hand to forestall any outburst from Napoleon or Lucien. ‘But, as you pointed out, extreme situations demand extreme responses. The trick is making sure that power is surrendered when the crisis has passed.’
‘It will be,’ Napoleon replied. ‘I give you my word.’
‘Your word? Then that will have to do. What are your plans for us, General?’
Napoleon collected his thoughts. ‘First, we must do all in our power to convince others of the need to defeat England.That can be achieved by one of two means. First, by the invasion of Britain. I drafted an outline on the journey from Milan. Of course it will require a large army, a huge number of transport vessels, supply depots, and not least of all the defeat, or diversion, of the Royal Navy.’
‘Impossible,’ General Poucelle cut in. ‘Our ships are no match for theirs.’
‘Not at present,’ Napoleon conceded. ‘But given time we might match their battle fleet.’
‘What was the other means of defeating England?’ asked Talleyrand.
‘England’s lines of trade are her lifeblood. If we can’t invade England then we must stop her trading with other nations, and seize her colonies. Then we can bleed her to death. To that end we must take the war to the West Indies, to the Mediterranean and India. Not one of her overseas possessions must be spared. If we take control of Egypt then we can block overland communication with India, and one day open a route for the invasion of India by a French army.’
‘And I thought the invasion of England was ambitious,’ said Talleyrand. ‘What you are suggesting is a war such as no man has ever seen. Armies and fleets locked in a fight right round the world . . . almost a world at war.’ Talleyrand appeared momentarily awed by the vision and looked at the slight figure of the young general standing in his salon. ‘Very well then. What must we do?’
‘At the moment I can count on the loyalty of the Army of Italy, and the goodwill of the people of France will last a few months yet, if I do not let them become too used to the sight of me. But there are other generals that they look to. Men like Augereau who has been so assiduously building his reputation at the expense of my own. I gather that he has been taking much of the credit for our victories in Italy.We’ll have to bide our time until I am pre-eminent amongst generals, and then our soldiers and our people will be ready to accept a leader who can bring them to victory, and peace. But for that to happen, I must be given new commands, new opportunities to win glory for France. Will you help me do that, Talleyrand?’
‘Yes, I will.’ The foreign minister’s eyes gleamed. ‘For France.’
‘For France,’ Napoleon agreed, and the others solemnly joined in the pledge.
‘Good,’ he concluded with a smile.‘Then I suggest we end the meeting. Lucien will act as our go-between from now on. We cannot afford to have any written proof of our ambitions. Write nothing down, and say nothing to anyone else, no matter how close. If we fail in what we aim to achieve, then France will fall with us. Never forget that.’
They left Talleyrand’s house by a side entrance, two by two, with Lucien and Napoleon the last to depart. The streets were dark as they strode quickly back to the Rue Chantereine. Lucien frequently glanced over his shoulder to see if they were being followed, but the few people they saw seemed to pay them no attention. Once they had reached the house and the door was closed on the street Lucien relaxed his shoulders with a sigh of relief.
‘Is it really that dangerous?’ Napoleon asked.
‘Believe me, brother, I’ve been in Paris long enough to know that the police regard everyone with suspicion. And they’d be more than a little interested in a meeting of some prominent officers and politicians at the house of the foreign minister. Make no mistake. From this time our lives will be in danger, constantly.’
Chapter 28
Napoleon’s desire to hide himself from public view lasted until the ceremony held at the Luxembourg palace where he formally presented the treaty to the Directory. He stood in front of the dais where the five Directors sat on high-backed chairs, lavishly upholstered in red and gold. Barras and the others wore fine dress coats and the broad tricolour sash of their office. By contrast, Napoleon and Junot wore plain uniforms, without decorations. His brother Lucien, who had already made a name for himself in the Assembly as a fiery radical, had advised him to dress up for the occasion, to let all of Paris know that he was the equal of the Directors. But Napoleon had refused. It was far too early to try to upstage Barras and his companions.At the moment he enjoyed the popularity that the common people were inclined to lavish on their military heroes. However, that kind of popular acclaim was double- edged.The more the people expressed their approval of him, the more suspicion and jealousy was aroused amongst their political leaders. It was already clear to Napoleon that he was going to need the support of both elements if he was to win the prime army commands in the coming years. For the present he must ensure that he did not offend his political masters. Better to play the loyal servant of the state with a display of humility that was sure to create a favourable impression on the public, even as the Directors were reassured that the young general was content to live in their shadow.
Barras rose from his seat and approached the lectern in front of the Directors and raised a hand to quiet the deputies and the other guests.When all was still he drew a deep breath and began the address.
‘Citizens! It is an honour to welcome General Bonaparte here today. Few words can begin to describe the debt that France owes to the young commander of our forces in Italy. Outnumbered and outgunned by the Austrians, nevertheless General Bonaparte defeated them in a string of victories that would have graced the record of Alexander the Great himself . . .’
Napoleon almost winced at the hyperbole, but had the presence of mind to stand stiffly and stare past Barras and the other Directors to the tapestry on the wall behind. It depicted a Roman triumph and Napoleon fixed his attention on it to avoid paying too much attention to the flowery phrases and craven appeals for support that
