On the 25th, the Emperor called Roger into his Cabinet and said, 'Breuc, I am much disturbed about what is happening in France. I have received intelligence that, in my absence, Fouche has assumed the powers of a dictator. Proceed to Paris at once, return as soon as possible, and report to me what is going on there.'
Taking to horse with a minimum of delay, Roger set out and reached Paris in nine days. After refreshing himself at La Belle Etoile, he went straight to the Ministry of the Interior, where the Minister received him within ten minutes of his having sent in his name.
When Roger had explained the object of his mission, Fouche, sniffling as usual, began, 'Mon cher Baron, let me . . .'
'So you know that I have been elevated to the nobility?' Roger cut in with a smile.
Fouche's corpse-like face twisted into what for him was the semblance of a grin. ‘I knew weeks ago. Very little that goes on in Europe escapes my agents. I even have a flotilla of boats patrolling the sea from the Pyrenees to the Baltic; so that I am informed of most of the smuggling operations permitted by our administrators in order to line their own pockets. But my congratulations. And, now, as I was about to say:
'On July 29th, forty British ships of the line, thirty frigates, eighty sloops and four to five hundred transports appeared off the mouth of the Scheldt. They landed forty thousand men and one hundred and fifty cannon on the island of Walcheron. It was evident that their intention was to incite a rebellion in brother Louis' Kingdom of Holland. About that I was little worried, as my people had long since dealt with all subversive elements there. The English succeeded in swiftly subduing Middleburg and, by August 15th, the defences of Flushing. One could then deduce that their next step would be to attack our important base of Antwerp, as the English have always regarded it as a pistol pointed against their heads.
'That did concern us somewhat here in Paris, because many of the people in those parts still feel a loyalty to Austria, to which, up till recent times, the Belgian Netherlands belonged. Moreover, the majority of them are Catholics. A revolution in those parts, similar to that which has taken place in Spain, could have proved most embarrassing, particularly as our regular forces there were almost non-existent.
'A Grand Council was called to debate the situation. Cambaceres, as the nominal head of the Government during the Emperor's absence, took the chair. No-one had any suggestions to offer except Decres, who proposed that we should call up the citizen militia, as we did in the old days of the Revolution.
'The others quailed at the idea of taking such an unorthodox step without the Emperor's sanction. But I felt that a certain use might be made of it. Next day, my Ministerial colleagues learned to their horror that I had overridden their authority and called up the National Guard in fifteen. Departments. I went further. I circulated a letter to the Prefects and Mayors, which ran:
' "Show Europe that even if Napoleon's genius may lend splendour to France, yet his presence is not indispensable to repulse her enemies."'
Roger gave a sigh of admiration. 'The devil you did! That was a bold stroke indeed. But the Emperor may well call you to account for it.'
'He may.' Fouche gave a little snigger. 'But I doubt it. He has always been a trifle frightened of me; yet has found me too valuable to dispense with. In any case, I have sent out my message to the people of France. Should their Emperor fall by the wayside, they can rely upon me to take the reins of Government firmly into my hands.'
'Monsieur le Ministre, you have my utmost admiration,' Roger declared with a smile. 'I will return and report to His Imperial Majesty that, when others feared to act, you took steps to defend France which you believe he would have taken himself had he been in Paris.'
They parted most cordially, and late on the evening of September 13th, Roger arrived back at Schonbrunn. Two hours later, the Emperor received him, and he made his report.
When he had done, Napoleon grunted, then remarked, 'I know that you have always disliked Fouche; so are not attempting to excuse his faults. But he has acted in a most arbitrary fashion.'
"Tis true, Sire, that I have a "personal antipathy to the man,' Roger replied promptly, 'but that does not detract from my admiration of the manner in which he has served Your Majesty. He has uncovered several conspiracies that might have cost you your life; succeeded in subduing those troublesome Breton Chouans, who for yean all the Generals you sent failed to quell; and now, by taking it on himself to contain the English in their bridgehead, he has spared Your Majesty the necessity of sending considerable bodies of your regular troops to Flanders.'
'True; true! He is a slippery devil, but no-one can question his efficiency. And, in many matters he has served me admirably. Now I know how matters stand, I'll let them rest. Here we make no progress; the Emperor Francis is proving as stubborn as a mule.'
'Since things are at a standstill, Sir,' Roger hazarded, 'may I crave a few days' rest? I rode monstrous hard to Paris and back, and I am desperately fatigued.'
The Emperor stopped his pacing up and down, smiled at Roger and twisted his ear. 'You may, Breuc Few of my couriers can match the speed with which you travel, and there is now little to do. Take a week or two if you wish.'
Roger had already handed over his mount at the Palace stable to be at once rubbed down, watered and fed; so he walked the short distance across the Park to his little house. When he reached it, he saw with some surprise chinks of light coming from between the curtains of the window of the largest bedroom. Evidently Lisala had returned on another visit.
Tired as he was, the last thing he wanted was another acrimonious discussion with her. That could well occur if he roused the house and, as it was close on midnight, he knew that the front door would be bolted.
It then occurred to him that as he had dudes which often kept him late at the Palace, he had given his man instructions that, as he hated stuffiness, the window of his bedroom was always to be left a link open. Going round to the back of the house, he quietly climbed up the iron trellis work to the balcony, tiptoed along it and got through the window into his room.
Lighting the candles, he wearily undressed. Then he noticed that, since he had not been expected, his man had not laid out a nightshirt for him. His underclothes were kept on shelves in the clothes closet. Still anxious to get to bed without Lisala's coming in to talk to him, he opened the door very quietly. A streak of light two inches wide at the far side of the closet showed that Lisala had left her door to it ajar. As he stretched out his hand to pick up a nightshirt, he caught the sound of voices. Lisala evidently had someone in bed with her.
Death on the Rhine
Roger was more thankful than ever now that he had not made his return known. Had he done so, and Lisala's lover failed to dress and get away by the verandah in time, he would have been under the unpleasant necessity of calling him out; and it would have annoyed him greatly to have to fight a duel over a woman whom he now detested.
However, curiosity to know if he could identify his wife's latest lover by his voice led him to take a step nearer the door of her room. Breathing very lightly, he listened to their conversation.
It was at once obvious that they were not making love. On the contrary, they were quarrelling. The first words of Lisala's which he caught were:
'How can you expect wealthy men to frequent such a place? As I told you after I first saw it, I was greatly disappointed. You must at least do up the salon where visitors are received and take their refreshments.'