Aimee suddenly threw back her golden head and laughed. 'On the contrary, both she and I have much to thank you for. She came on a visit to me here eighteen months ago, and confided to me all that had passed between you. Some man had to be the first to lie with her, and that it happened to be le brave Breuc rather than her old husband, the Pasha, who cared only for boys, was her good fortune. Think, too, of the ghastly fate that would have befallen her had you not rescued her from that gang of ruffians who waylaid her.'
Happily now, Roger smiled and was about to reply; but, at that moment the eunuch, Yussif, brought in an ice bucket in which reposed a bottle of champagne, and poured the wine; salaaming many times he retreated backwards and closed the door behind him.
'I hope you like champagne,' Aimee remarked. 'I have a passion for it. It was I who introduced the wine to the Sultan's Court, and both the Sultan, Selim, and my son, Mahmoud, who is now twenty-two, delight in it.'
‘I, too,' Roger declared, raising his glass to her before he drank, 'but in England . . .' He paused suddenly, covered his faux pas and, with a smile went on. 'My mother was an Englishwoman who married a French citizen of Strasbourg, so I am bi-lingual. Several times I have carried out secret missions in England for the Emperor. As I was about to say, in England the real thing is expensive and difficult to come by. They have a law that no wine may be taken into the country in any vessel containing less than a gallon. It is aimed at preventing people smuggling in single bottles. But in cask— even a small one - champagne is no more than a very mildly effervescent wine. The English can obtain champagne as we know it only when smuggled in; so it is extremely costly.'
She nodded. 'Poor people. But they have all sorts of silly customs that deprive them of half the joy of life.' Glancing at the casket at her feet, she added, 'Show me now, please, the present that my dear cousin has sent me.'
Kneeling down, Roger produced the gold candlesticks* and, with little cries of pleasure, Aimee examined their delicate filigree work. Then she asked after Josephine and her two children by her first husband, the Vicomte de Beauharnais.
Roger was able to report that Eugene continued to be devoted to his stepfather, the Emperor, and, although still very young for such responsibility, was proving an excellent Viceroy for Napoleon as King of Italy. About Eugene's sister, Hortense, he could not give such good tidings. Against her
*The two candlesticks may be seen today by visitors to the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul.
will and that of her husband, Louis, one of Napoleon's younger brothers, they had been forced to marry and become King and Queen of Holland. Hortense was a sensible young woman and, despite her loveless marriage, putting a good face on matters, so had become very popular with her subjects. Louis, on the other hand, had turned out to be a vain and stupid neurotic. He was wasting Holland's resources by fabulous extravagance, opposed his great brother's wishes with childish petulance and, as a King, could hardly have been a greater failure.
Of Josephine, Roger spoke guardedly. 'She is greatly beloved. As a born aristocrat with traditions, tact and charm, she has made an invaluable contribution to the establishment in Paris of a new royal Court, of a splendour far surpassing that of Versailles in Louis XVI's day. Kings, Princes, Grand Dukes and nobles of aristocratic lineage come reluctantly, driven by their countries' necessity, to seek the goodwill of the middle-class Corsican usurper who now dominates Europe. They have arrived expecting among themselves cynically to mock the pretensions of this parvenu Emperor. They have gone away impressed with his swift, clear-seeing mentality and delighted by the gracious reception of them by his Empress.
'Yet,' Roger went on, 'one trouble remains. Napoleon desperately desires an heir. He has now been married to Josephine for eleven years. Despite the fact that she had two children by her first marriage, she has failed to give him one.'
Aimee’s blue eyes held Roger's intently as she asked, 'Do they still sleep together?'
He nodded. 'At times, yes. For years past the Emperor has had a succession of mistresses; but he retains a strong affection for his wife. There are occasions when his campaigns necessitate his leaving her for many months, as is the case at present; but when they are living at the Tuileries, or St. Cloud, on most nights he goes to her room.'
'Then, unless he is impotent, it is a scurvy trick of fate that my poor cousin should fail to become enceinte. But tell me of this present campaign and the object of General Gardane's mission to the Sultan.'
Roger related the salient facts of the defeat of Prussia, the battles of Jena and Auerstadt, then he said, 'The Muscovites are proving more stubborn enemies than any that the Emperor has so far encountered. His object in sending General Gardane on this mission is to persuade Turkey and Persia to attack the Czar vigorously in the south, and so draw off Russian forces that would otherwise be employed against him in the north.'
With an unhappy look, Aimee replied, 'Turkey is already honouring her alliance with France by waging war against the Russians in Moldavia, and naturally we should like to assist Napoleon further. But it would be difficult to strengthen our army there with sufficient reinforcements to carry out a successful offensive.'
'Why so, Madame?' Roger enquired; although, from what Talleyrand had told him, he already guessed what her answer would probably be.
It came swiftly and with pent-up bitterness. 'Because our worst enemies are within our own gates. Unlike his predecessors for many generations, the Sultan Selim was not kept in a gilded cage and denied all knowledge of the world until he succeeded his uncle. On the contrary, he received a liberal education. For that, I am proud to say, I was mainly responsible. We are much of an age and, for many years, have been to each other as brother and sister. My son, the Prince Mahmoud, too, instead of being regarded by him as a possible conspirator who might plan his assassination in order to seize his throne, enjoys complete liberty and is beloved by him. Both have imbibed from me the vision of a new and happier Turkey. In this age Turkey can no longer afford to remain isolated. Her only hope of survival lies in gaining the friendship and respect of the great nations in the West. To achieve that, she must accept the civilisation of the West, and abolish the barbarous customs that for centuries have disgraced her in the eyes of Christian Europe. Believing me right in this, the Sultan Selim has introduced many reforms. But reforms always arouse opposition in reactionaries; and we are cursed with many such.'
Roger nodded gravely. 'Indeed, Madame, it is common knowledge that certain powerful Pashas in the Balkan lands have repudiated His Imperial Majesty's authority and that the rebel leader Kara George has provoked a rebellion in Serbia that is proving difficult to suppress.'
'Since you are aware of that, you will appreciate that it could prove disastrous for us to denude our provinces further of troops that remain loyal to us, in order to despatch them against the Russians.' For a moment Aimee paused, then went on: 'Fortunately, the Pasha of Rustchuk, a Bulgarian named Baraiktar, and our greatest General, is entirely to be relied upon. I feel confident that, given a little time, he will restore our situation up on the Danube. I have, too, the full backing of Son Altesse Noire and of the Grand Mufti, Vely-Zade. But for you fully to understand our position I must confide in you that the Sultan, although a man of enlightened mind and charming disposition, has not the strength of character needed to dominate the situation here. And it is here in Constantinople that our real danger lies.'
'You fear a conspiracy in the Seraglio to assassinate him?' Roger asked with swift concern.