His silence was answer enough and she laughed mirthlessly.‘I knew it.’
Napoleon swallowed nervously. ‘I am a man, Josephine, with a man’s appetites. If you cannot satisfy them, then I must look elsewhere. Besides—’
He shut his mouth abruptly and looked away.
‘Besides?’ She narrowed her eyes and continued sharply. ‘Besides what?’
When he did not reply, she raised her voice, fists clenched by her sides. ‘Besides what? Speak up.’
‘Very well, then.’ Napoleon raised his chin. ‘Since you insist.You are right. Marie excites me more than you do. Besides which, you have never given me any children. At least Marie could. She was carrying my child before it was lost.That proves my seed is fertile. And it is clear to me that your womb is barren. If we cannot have a child together, then what is the point of lying with you? But that does not mean that I don’t still love you, in a way.’
‘In a way,’ she mimicked mercilessly. ‘What way? Like a young man’s affection for an aged aunt, or an old pet? Is that it?’
Napoleon looked away wearily.‘Leave me. Go to bed. I will not have this discussion with you. Not now.’
‘Well, what if I want to discuss it now?’
‘Go, Josephine. I will not argue with you. Not tonight. Now go.’
‘Bastard,’ she muttered through clenched teeth.‘You faithless bastard.’
Napoleon jumped to his feet and thrust his arm towards the door. ‘Get out! Go! Now!’
Josephine was startled by the instant transformation and backed away nervously. She started to speak but he took two paces towards her, eyes blazing, and she feared that he might strike her. Turning, she hurried out of his study and quickly closed the door behind her.
For a minute or so, Napoleon stared at the door, then slumped down in a chair by the fire and stared into the glowing embers. At first he was inclined to angrily refute everything she had said, everything that she had accused him of. As his temper began to calm, and his heartbeat slowed to a more regular rhythm, he realised that she was right, and had only put into words those thoughts and feelings that he had refused to acknowledge within himself. Now that he had been forced to confront them the sense of failure was deadening. Worse, he knew more certainly than ever that the order he had brought to France could not endure while there was no heir to the imperial crown. The time must come when Napoleon would be forced to find a woman who could provide him with a son. There must be a divorce, he accepted. But not until he had found himself a princess, of Austrian or Russian stock, in order to cement his ties with another powerful dynasty. Once he had chosen, only then would he break the news to Josephine.
Two days later Napoleon was back at his office in the Tuileries. No more snow had fallen and that which still lay across the roofs was stained by soot and ash so that Paris had taken on the appearance of a grimy, mottled wasteland.The cheerful mood that had filled the city had soon faded as its citizens huddled round their fires, or hurried through the cold, damp streets, hunched down in their coats. Napoleon turned away from the window towards the two men sitting at the table waiting for him. Berthier sat ready with a notebook opened in front of him, pen in hand and poised close to a small pot of ink. Beside him, Fouché glanced at the chief of staff with a faintly amused expression of contempt. Napoleon found himself earnestly wishing that Talleyrand still served as foreign minister. His advice and wisdom was sorely needed at present and his replacement, Champagny, had proved to be of little worth. The Emperor sighed with frustration as he took his seat.
‘Gentlemen, I have decided that the time is ripe for us to bring Spain within our sphere of control. Since our enemies have removed the fleets of Portugal and Denmark from our grasp, the last navy of any significant size that we might gain possession of lies in Spanish ports. I mean to have those ships.We can no longer count on Spain as a loyal ally. Godoy is a man whose only loyalty is to himself and he will sell his influence to whoever pays him enough gold. Charles is an indolent fool, a trait he seems to have passed on to his heir. I cannot afford to permit the Bourbons to remain on the throne in Madrid any longer.’
Berthier looked up from his notebook.‘Do you propose an invasion of Spain, sire? If so, we will need to shift the balance of the Grand Army to the Pyrenees as swiftly as possible.That’s no small task.’
Napoleon shook his head.‘That won’t be necessary.There will be no need for an invasion, as such.’ He smiled. ‘What I had in mind was an armed intervention to assist our Spanish allies in restoring order. To which end we must set them at each other’s throats.That is where you come in, Fouché.’
‘Sire?’
‘I want our newspapers to play up the business about Ferdinand’s proposed marriage to my niece. I want the papers to express outrage over the bad faith the Spanish court has shown us. I want them to fix the blame on Godoy. At the same time I want your agents to feed Godoy information that Ferdinand is planning to oust his father.’
‘Very well, sire.’ Fouché bowed his head. ‘I will see to it. And might I suggest a refinement?’
‘Well?’
‘You might instruct our ambassador in Madrid to let Godoy believe that the Prince has asked for our support in his attempt on the crown, and having failed to tempt us has gone to the British to request their backing. With luck that should set the cat amongst the pigeons, sire.’
‘Indeed.’ Napoleon nodded approvingly. ‘It is a good thing you are my creature, Fouché. I would hate to have you as an enemy.’
‘There is no question of my ever being an enemy of your majesty.’
‘Of course not,’ Napoleon responded. ‘Besides, if you ever did contemplate any disloyalty to me I would ensure that you suffered as a consequence.’
Fouché smiled nervously, and Napoleon turned back to Berthier. ‘Once we have undermined the Bourbons in Madrid, our forces already in Spain must be prepared to take control of the largest towns and cities the instant the order is given. I want the main routes across the frontier in our hands as swiftly as possible. My generals are to achieve that with the minimum loss of blood. It is imperative that we are seen as liberators and not invaders. To that end our men must not be permitted to loot any property or supplies. Discipline must be maintained at all costs. Make sure that every soldier who crosses the border into Spain has money in his pockets.’
‘Yes, sire. Of course.’
‘Give immediate orders that our men already in Spain are to start gathering intelligence on every road and town in the north of the country. I want to know where every Spanish soldier is positioned. I want to know their state of readiness, their morale, and most important how loyal they are to either Charles or Ferdinand.When the time comes to act, we must have a column ready to march on Madrid and take control of the city as soon as possible.’ Napoleon paused and thought for a moment before he came to a decision and nodded. ‘Murat is to command the column. He can be trusted to drive his men on and do what is necessary to achieve our ends.Yes, Murat is the man for the job.’
Berthier nodded, and added to his notes. ‘Anything else, sire?’
‘Just the timing. Our preparations must be complete by early February. I plan to begin our operations in the middle of the month and have Spain in our hands by the summer. No later.’