Napoleon waved the chamberlain aside and bowed his head. ‘Ferdinand, Prince of the Asturias, I bid you welcome to Bayonne.’
Ferdinand’s lips compressed into a tight grimace for a moment before he relaxed and spoke in accented French.‘I am Prince no longer, but King, proclaimed by my people, following the abdication of my father, and the consent of the Madrid junta.’
‘Of course, your highness,’ Napoleon conceded. ‘Under normal circumstances that would be sufficient authority for the title you lay claim to. But the circumstances are far from normal, which is why we are meeting here today. I am sure that the details will be resolved satisfactorily in the days to come. Meanwhile, it will be more agreeable to all if you restrict yourself to the rank of prince.’
Ferdinand did not reply immediately and glared stupidly at his host, as if waiting for him to retract the comment. At length he cleared his throat and shrugged. ‘As you please, your majesty. For now I will revert to my previous title. But I am King, and I will be until almighty God deigns otherwise. Only out of respect for you do I make this temporary concession.’
‘I thank you.’ Napoleon nodded graciously. ‘Now then, we are told that there is some dispute between you and your father over who is the legitimate King of Spain.’
‘There is no dispute,’ Ferdinand interrupted. ‘My father abdicated in my favour. In front of these witnesses.’ He waved a hand at the Spanish noblemen behind him on the dais.‘Every one of them will attest to that. Therefore, I am King, regardless of how you, or anyone else, might choose to address me.’
‘Alas, there are those in Spain, and elsewhere, who deny that you have any right to the title. Your father claims that he was forced to abdicate under duress. If that is proved then the abdication is not legal.’
‘He lies,’ Ferdinand replied bitterly. ‘As I said, there were witnesses.’
‘Who are hardly impartial,’ Napoleon countered. ‘We shall investigate the matter thoroughly, my dear Prince. I am deeply concerned to resolve the divisions that beset our Spanish neighbours.’
‘No doubt that is why so many French soldiers have descended on Spanish soil.To help us.’ Ferdinand could not help sneering a little as he continued. ‘I trust they will be removed the moment the crisis is over and I am duly crowned King of Spain.’
‘I give you my word that my soldiers will be withdrawn at the earliest opportunity.’
‘And when will that be?’
‘When my military operations in Portugal, and against Gibraltar, are concluded.’
‘And what if I ordered you to withdraw your men at once?’
There was a sharp intake of breath from some of the officials behind the Emperor. Napoleon paused and then spoke very deliberately. ‘I would find that difficult to accomplish, your highness. If it were not for Marshal Murat there would be chaos in Madrid and the streets would run with blood. Our soldiers are there out of concern for the well-being of your people. I could not begin to contemplate the horrors that would ensue if I gave the order for my men to withdraw from Spain during the present crisis. So there they must stay, for the present.’
‘Some might call them an army of occupation,’ Ferdinand countered. ‘That is what the British newspapers are saying.’
Napoleon felt his stomach clench in anger and he had to take a deep breath to steady his temper before he continued.‘The British lie in this, as in all things.You should pay no heed to their twisted words.They are as much your enemies as my own. My soldiers entered Spain with the full permission of your father. You have nothing to fear from their presence. After all, have not the French and Spanish shed their blood side by side in fighting Britain for many years now?’
‘That is true, but only because that vile worm Godoy was bought with French gold and used his silver tongue to mislead my mother and father into obeying his every whim. I have always doubted the wisdom of the alliances Godoy made with France. They have invariably been one-sided, and very costly to Spanish interests. I shudder to think how many warships have been lost, how many men have been lost, thanks to the treaties Godoy made with France. But now Godoy is gone, your majesty. He can no longer betray his country and serve your interests. Those days are over. I will lead Spain into a glorious new age, without your assistance.’
‘I see.’ Napoleon nodded slowly. ‘It seems we understand one another’s positions well enough. I will need to confer with my ministers before we speak on these matters again. Meanwhile, your highness, you and your companions are free to enjoy the pleasures that Bayonne has to offer. We will meet again, soon, and discuss your claim to the throne in more detail.’
Napoleon rose from his chair and bowed briefly before he descended from the dais and left the room, his staff bowing their heads until he was out of sight, and then filing out as well, leaving the chamber to the Spaniards. Ferdinand turned round to face his retinue with a broad smile. ‘There! I told you the Emperor would not dare to defy me!’
The members of his retinue nodded their agreement with little conviction and darted nervous glances after the French.
Outside, Napoleon gestured to Fouché to follow him and marched to his private study, head down and hands clasped behind his back to hide his thunderous mood from those he passed by. Once the door was closed behind them Napoleon gave vent to his temper.
‘Just who does that fat bastard think he is?’
Fouché coolly raised his eyebrows. ‘I rather assumed he thinks himself to be the King of Spain, sire.’
‘That arrogant fool? You heard him, Fouché. He means to throw his lot in with the British the moment the last of our soldiers quits Spain.’
‘He did not say that precisely, sire.’
‘It was clear enough to me.We cannot afford to let him stay on the throne. There is no question of it. Ferdinand must be persuaded, or forced, to renounce the crown.’
‘Even if he is, sire, I do not see how Charles can remain in power without our protection, and then we will share the hatred of his people in full measure.’
‘No. Neither of them is fit to be King,’ Napoleon reflected. ‘And I dare say neither of them will be willing to abandon their claim to the crown.This is going to require some deft handling.’
Charles and Marie-Louise arrived two days later. Their carriage and retinue had been escorted from the border by a regiment of Napoleon’s finest cavalry. Entire villages and towns turned out to watch the cavalcade pass and wave to Charles and his wife as though they were still the King and Queen of Spain. Their arrival at Bayonne was greeted with a deep boom at regular intervals as the artillery of the Imperial Guard welcomed them with a sixty-gun salute. The carriage rumbled down streets lined with guardsmen standing at attention, before finally turning into the courtyard where Napoleon and his two regal brothers were waiting.
The carriage ground to a halt and steps were hastily set in place as a footman opened the door. Charles heaved himself awkwardly out on to the steps, with the support of the footman. He was a large man, and Napoleon could instantly see where the son had got his appetite from. Charles smiled at his host with a kindly expression and then turned as his wife descended from the carriage. She was every bit as ugly as Napoleon had feared and combined severely masculine features with a furrowed brow that betrayed a fiery temper.