Considering those eight years of Paul's reign, during which his heir had been under constant apprehension that he might be thrown into a dungeon from which he would never emerge, it was remarkable that Alexander should not at length have mounted the throne a suspicious and vengeful tyrant. On the contrary, he had remained a man with high ideals and while, for some time, he had retained his father's Ministers, he had gathered about him a group of friends: Victor Kochubey, Nicolai Novasiltsov, Paul Strogonov and Adam Czartoryski, who were eager to introduce sweeping reforms for the betterment of the lot of the Russian people. Yet, despite his leanings towards democracy, Alexander continued to think of himself as an autocrat whose opinion was final and not to be contested.
With a brief nod, he acknowledged the deep bows made by Chernicheff and Roger, then dismissed the A.D.C. Sitting down behind a beautiful Louis Quinze desk, he studied Roger for a full minute before speaking.
Roger stood at attention. He thought it probable that anyone being so regarded by an autocratic sovereign would be expected to have his eyes cast down. But he had always found that boldness paid; so he kept his eyes fixed on those of the Czar, while assuming an expression which he hoped would be taken for fascinated admiration.
At length, Alexander said stonily, 'I have had particulars regarding you looked into. It appears that you are a Colonel, a Commander of the Legion d'Honneur, and a member of the Emperor Napoleon's personal staff. Now that you have shaved off your beard, I recognise you without doubt as an Englishman who was in St. Petersburg in the spring of 1801, and involved in my father's death. Such a contrast in personalities is beyond all reason. Explain it if you can.'
Roger knew that Alexander had had no hand in his father's assassination, had wept when he had been told of it and, only reluctantly, been dissuaded from having the assassins executed; so the first fence he had to clear was having been one of them.
'Sire,' he said earnestly. 'You will recall that Your Imperial Majesty's father had, out of hatred for your illustrious grandmother, reversed all her policies. Whereas she had been about to join the Powers of the First Coalition to assist in destroying the murderous gang of terrorists who were then all-powerful in France, the Czar Paul had entered into a pact with them. This was so serious a menace to British interests that I was sent by Prime Minister Pitt to encourage the Czar's Ministers, and others who feared to be deprived of their positions and fortunes, to take action against him. Not, I swear, to assassinate him, but to force him to abdicate or, at least, make you Regent—as we, in England, had made our Prince of Wales, when our own King, George III, became afflicted with madness. It is true that I was among the half hundred other conspirators who met at Count Pahlen's mansion on that fateful night; that I later entered the Palace with General Bennigsen and the Zuboff brothers; but neither the General nor I had any hand in your father's murder. It took place in complete darkness, unknown to us, after Your Imperial Majesty's father had refused to sign the deed of abdication.'
Alexander nodded. 'That I accept, as I did in the case of General Bennigsen. But it does not explain why you, accredited only a few years ago as the secret emissary of Britain's Prime Minister, should now emerge as a member of the Emperor Napoleon's staff.'
With a shrug, Roger spread out his hands and replied, 'May it please Your Imperial Majesty, I have been the plaything of unusual circumstances. I am, in fact, an Englishman, the son of Admiral Sir Christopher Brook, but my mother's sister had married a gentleman of Strasbourg and they had a son of about my age. In my teens I became bewitched by the new ideals of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity", which had at that time brought about the first, liberal, revolution in France. I ran away from home to my aunt in Strasbourg and, with her family, learned to speak fluent French. I longed to be in Paris and do what little I could to help bring about the original objects of the revolution. It so happened that my cousin was killed in an accident, and by then Britain was at war with France; so I went to the capital as a Frenchman, changed my name to Breuc and assumed his identity.'
As Roger paused, the Czar nodded. 'This is most interesting. Continue.'
Roger bowed. 'I lived there through the Terror, and realised that the revolution had become a murderous anarchy. Disillusioned and disgusted by what I had seen, I returned to England. My father sent me to the Prime Minister, so that I could give him an eyewitness account of what was happening in Paris. Mr. Pitt then proposed to me that I should return as his agent and keep him informed about events in France.'
The Czar's brows knitted. Sitting back, he asked with severe disapproval, 'Do you mean that you, a gentleman, agreed to become a spy?'
'Sire,' Roger shrugged. 'I admit it. I was persuaded that it was the most valuable service I could render my country. And I am not ashamed of the part I have played during these past sixteen years. I had the good fortune to become acquainted with General Bonaparte when he was an unknown Artillery officer at the siege of Toulon. I have since executed many missions either in my real identity as Roger Brook, or as the ci-devant Chevalier de Breuc, which have enabled Britain to thwart Napoleon's designs. Not least the part I played in helping to bring about your succession, which resulted in Russia breaking with France and becoming the ally of England. That from time to time I must betray the Emperor, who counts me his friend and has through the years bestowed rank and honour upon me, is often against my inclination, since in many ways I have a great admiration for him. But my duty to my country comes first, and I can only ask your Imperial Majesty's understanding of the strange fate that brings me before you as a French prisoner who has in fact served Britain for many years as a secret agent.'
Alexander's stern features relaxed into a slow smile, as he said, 'Mr. Brook, while your ethics remain highly questionable, I cannot withhold my admiration from a man who must on many occasions have risked his life to provide his country with valuable information. Are you, or rather were you in communication with the British Government before you became a prisoner?'
Roger shook his head. 'No, Sire, Mr. Pitt being dead I had no inclination to serve his inept successors. I returned to the Continent only because I became bored with leading an idle life in England and, having for so long been a man of some note in the French Army with more friends in it than I had in my own country, I decided to rejoin the Emperor's staff. Trafalgar made Britain safe from invasion, so she now stands on the side line of this great conflict. I have never had any love for the Prussians, so had no objection to serving against them, simply for the enjoyment I derive from being actively employed. But, should Britain again be menaced, I would, of course, do anything I could to aid her cause.'
After a moment the Czar said, 'Mr. Brook, it seems to me that you have failed to face up to realities. I am England's ally. Should my armies be defeated, which St. Nicholas forfend, Bonaparte will enjoy a clear field to inflict grievous harm upon your country. Although he may no longer be in a position to invade England, he has always had ambitions to become another Alexander the Great in the East. He might well direct his legions against Turkey and Persia, then throw the British out of India and so deprive your country of one of her great sources of wealth. Are you, as you implied the day before yesterday when you broke ranks and cast yourself at my feet, willing to serve me as you served Mr. Pitt, by giving me your help to defeat the French?'
Again Roger bowed. 'I take your Imperial Majesty's point, and, if you will arrange to have me exchanged for a Russian officer of equivalent rank, I will do my utmost to be of service to you.'