‘Nevertheless, send them away,’ Napoleon replied firmly; then, as he saw her hurt expression, he softened his voice.‘My love, I have not seen you for some months. I would like to be alone with you this first night of my return, at least.’ He pulled her close to him and kissed her on the lips, letting his arm slide down the back of her dress to the curve of her buttocks as he did so. For a moment Josephine was unresponsive, then she pressed her mouth against his and Napoleon felt the flicker of her tongue.At length she drew back and stared intensely into his eyes.‘I will send them away.’
Later, when it was pitch black outside, they lay in each other’s arms in front of the fireplace in Napoleon’s study. The flames had shrunk to a warm wavering glow and cast a dull orange light around the room. Josephine lay against a couch, her legs flat on the thick carpet. Napoleon lay beside her, head resting on her breast as the fingers of one hand idly stroked through her pubic hair. It surprised him that even now, after so many years of marriage, and so many other lovers on both sides, their lovemaking had been as passionate and pleasurable as it had ever been. Yet it wounded him that there was still no issue from their intercourse. There was no shred of doubt now that Josephine would never provide him with an heir.
‘Tell me about Spain,’ she said softly as she stroked his dark hair, noticing that it had started to thin around the temples.
‘A hard country,’ Napoleon replied. ‘The people are poor and superstitious.You would find it hard to believe that a country on the very borders of France could be so mired in the past. I have done my best to set them on course towards a more enlightened future, but I fear it will take some time before they accept the benefits I hold out to them.’
‘But they will in the end, I trust.’
‘They will. As long as Joseph and my generals stand firm.’
‘Good. Then there is no need for you to return there, is there?’
Napoleon turned to smile at her. ‘Not for the present, at least.’ Then his head rolled back on to the smooth flesh of her breast and he nuzzled her nipple as he gazed into the flames. ‘Besides, I am needed here. It seems that the Austrian Emperor has taken advantage of my absence to push his forces right up to the borders of our territories on the Danube. He must be persuaded to draw back, before he provokes a war.’
‘More war?’ Josephine stopped stroking his hair.‘Are we never to see an end to war, my love, so that we can grow old together?’
Napoleon took her hand and gently kissed the palm. ‘There will be peace.’
‘I hope so. With all my heart. As do so many others. I do not know how a nation can endure war as long as France has. There must be an end to it soon.’
Napoleon was silent for a moment. At length, in a gentle tone, he said, ‘Now that sounds like Talleyrand speaking.’
‘I suppose it does.’ Josephine smiled. ‘Well, he has certainly been making no secret of his desire for peace recently.You know, for one of your most respected advisers, he certainly seems to share very few of your views. I don’t know how you can tolerate it.’
‘No. I sometimes wonder why I do,’ Napoleon mused.‘Perhaps when he resigned as foreign minister I should have stripped him of all his offices. I doubt it will surprise you to hear that Talleyrand has been plotting to overthrow me. Plotting with Fouche and Murat.’
He sensed her stiffen, and quickly eased himself up and turned so that he was facing her. Josephine’s eyes met his for a moment and then wavered before fixing on the flames over his shoulder. ‘I had no idea it was as serious as that,’ she said.
‘But you had some idea of what he was plotting?’
‘No. Not really. He talks a lot, but that’s just the way it is.You never know how much to take seriously with Talleyrand. But plotting to overthrow you? Are you certain?’
‘I have enough evidence to send him to the guillotine.’
Josephine was silent for a moment before she spoke again. ‘And will you?’
‘I don’t know. He may yet be of some use to me, and I doubt the royal courts of Europe would thank me for extinguishing one of their brightest lights. But that is no reason to spare him, especially if there is any more to his treachery than I have already discovered.The difficulty is that Talleyrand and Fouche are my creatures. I raised them up. If I tear them down, that is to publicly admit that my initial judgement of their loyalty was flawed. That would be embarrassing. I will have to think about the matter before I decide their fate.’
The meeting of the Emperor’s council of advisers took place, as scheduled, on the following Sunday in the Tuileries. Napoleon had ordered Talleyrand to give up the office of Grand Chamberlain two days earlier, and the ministers who gathered in the Emperor’s private audience chamber sensed that there was something in the wind. Napoleon stood at the window with his back to the room, hands clasped behind him. For a minute or so there was complete silence and stillness as the ministers and advisers glanced warily at each other. Only Talleyrand seemed imperturbable, sitting close to the fireplace and gazing serenely into the hearth.
It was gloomy outside and Napoleon had a clear view of his guests reflected in the window. He had prepared for this meeting, to ensure that it had the appropriate impact on his subordinates. Taking a deep breath and clearing his throat, he turned round and strode back across the chamber to address them.
‘Gentlemen, I had summoned you to discuss the growing threat from Austria, but first there is another matter that needs to be settled. A grave matter concerning the loyalty of two of my most important ministers.’ He paused, deliberately avoiding the eyes of Fouche and Talleyrand. ‘Two men who owe everything to me yet now seem determined to stir up public opinion against their Emperor. Well, they should be careful before they play with the sentiments of the people. Those who dabble in revolution are holding a wolf by the ears, and they are fools if they think that they would not be swept away in the first days of any popular uprising.’
Lucien rose to his feet, on cue. ‘Sire, who are these traitors?’
‘My chief of police, Fouche, and the former Grand Chamberlain, Talleyrand.’
There was an excited murmur amongst those assembled, while Fouche squirmed in his seat and glanced round desperately to gauge the balance of sympathy amongst the other ministers. Talleyrand simply stirred in his chair and turned to face Napoleon directly, his features devoid of surprise, fear or indeed any emotion.
