The Wanton Princess

'That is a brave declaration. Many men in your present position would have sought to save themselves by offering to use their contacts in England to work in future for France.'

'Monsieur le Ministre, if you mean that as a suggestion I can take it only as an insult.'

Talleyrand raised an eyebrow, 'Spies form a class apart. As their profession largely consists of betraying confidences they are regarded as persons without honour, so cannot be insulted. But let that pass. We have worked together so often and for so long that I would have liked to find a means by which you could escape the fate you have brought upon yourself. Can you suggest one?'

'No, I fear not,' Roger shook his head. 'What alternative is there? Only an appeal to you that you should allow me to go free and return to England. But, being so well informed as I am of French affairs, that would be too much to expect. Our countries are at war. You know me now to be a danger to yours; so you could not with a clear conscience allow me to continue to give assistance to France's enemies. My only regret is that it should be you who has found me out, and so be inflicted with what must be the unpleasant duty of sending me to face a firing squad.'

Regarding him curiously, Talleyrand said, 'I admire your scruples in refraining from appealing to my personal feelings for you; although in your circumstances I would not have them. However, there remain the services you have rendered France, and they are considerable. I can at least ensure that they are given full prominence at your trial with a strong recommendation to mercy.'

Roger gave a pale smile, 'I thank Your Excellency for your good intentions; but I'd as lief you allowed matters to take their course. Mercy in this case could mean retaining my life only at the price of spending many years imprisoned in a fortress. I have had a wonderful life and a long run for my money. But I've always anticipated that, sooner or later, I would be called on to pay for that and I'd much prefer to settle the bill in one lump sum.'

'Are you not then afraid to die?'

'I am of being executed. Contrary to popular belief I am, physically, the veriest coward. But I've no fear of death itself, nor any great regret at being deprived of a continuance of my present existence. Pauline Borghese is the most lovely creature; but she has gone to Rome and, to be honest, drawn though I was to her like an iron filing to a magnet, at rock bottom 1 had no deep feeling for her—nor she for me, else she would not have married Borghese while I was in Bruges. So that is finished. From my teens onwards until some fifteen months ago I had an abiding passion for an English lady who returned my love. But that, too, alas, is over, and for good. So I have nothing much now to live for.'

'Yet you would surely rather live than die?'

'Naturally. Even with no special inducement to survive, life still holds many pleasures and interests. Not least to learn how the war between our countries will end.'

Opening a drawer in his desk, Talleyrand took from it a dog-cared piece of thin pasteboard on which the writing was almost illegible. Pushing it across to Roger he asked, 'Do you recognize this?'

Picking it up, Roger looked at it for a moment then exclaimed, 'Why, yes! It is the passport that I fooled Danton into giving me for you, so that you could escape from France to England at the height of the Terror.'

Talleyrand nodded, 'It saved me from the guillotine. And, although people rate me guilty of many things, no one has ever accused me of not having a good memory.'

From the drawer he then produced a clean, new oblong of pasteboard and added, 'Here is another. It will take you via the Netherlands into Germany, and from a port there you should have no difficulty in finding a ship that will carry you to England.'

Roger had needed all his fortitude both to remain calm and resist the temptation to plead for his life. What he had said of Pauline and Georgina was true but, in spite of that, he was far from ready to die. He had made a pretence of resignation only because he felt that by doing so he would stand a better chance of taking Talleyrand by surprise, snatching up a heavy candle-stick from the desk, rendering him unconscious by a blow over the head and walking calmly out of the Palace before he could be arrested.

Now tears started to his eyes, and he stammered, 'You ... you really mean that... that despite all I know of French affairs you did not mean even to put me in prison, but... but allow me to leave the country? That is indeed generous and I thank you from my heart.'

Talleyrand was now smiling, 'Can you suppose that if I had ever had any other intention I would have been quite so big a fool as to remain here alone with such a resourceful and desperate fellow as Mr. Roger Brook?'

For the first time in years Roger found himself blushing, 'Well,' he laughed. 'I do confess that I had it in mind to hit you over the head, then make with all speed for the coast.'

'A very natural reaction, cher ami. But 1 could not resist this temptation to enjoy your discomfiture at my having found you out. I have, of course, given that very serious consideration and it is my opinion that, even if I allowed you to remain here as a free citizen, the ill you could do to France would, except in some quite exceptional circumstance which is unlikely to arise, be outweighed by your usefulness to me here. You and I have always been at one in believing that no permanent peace and prosperity can be maintained in Europe unless our two great countries sink their differences. You have considerable influence with many important people here, and a quick and subtle mind; so for my secret endeavours to bring about a lasting settlement I could have no better lieutenant than yourself.'

After taking snuff again, the Minister added, 'But now it is my intention to use you as my secret emissary to England.'

Roger stiffened slightly, 'I thought I had made it clear that...'

Talleyrand made an impatient gesture, 'You did. And when giving you that passport I made no conditions. Do you wish it you may proceed freely to England and never return. But I have hopes that you will agree to give me your help in a matter that will in no way conflict with your conscience. A while back you said that you would never become a party to an assassination. May I take it that implies that you would prevent any attempt at assassination if you could?'

'Certainly. However much one may hate an enemy, to kill him in fair fight is one thing, but to take him off his guard and stab him in the back is quite another.'

‘I agree, yet across the Channel there is a plot to assassinate Napoleon.'

'You imply that the English are engaged in such a plot. Greatly as they loathe him, I do not believe it.'

'No. I dc not believe that the King's Ministers would lend themselves to such despicable measures, but I have evidence that several of their subordinates are encouraging the designs of the embittered Royalist refugees. For one, a Mr. Hammond who is the Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign Office. And there are others of whom I will tell you. One, Hyde de Neuville is the Royalist leader and it has come to my knowledge that he and his right-hand man, Mehee dc la Touche, have been several times recently in Paris spying out the land. These extremists believe that if only they could put Napoleon out of the way, rather than be plunged again into civil strife, the French people would prefer to receive back the Comtc de Provence as King Louis XVIII. But these out-at-elbows plotters art. a cowardly lot and, instead of risking their own skins, they plan to use Georges Cadoudal, the Breton peasant leader.'

'You surprise me.' Roger put in, 'Cadoudal is a brave fellow, and by his skilful resistance has won the admiration even of his enemies I would not have thought him the type of man to agree to become an assassin '

'Nor I But one must remember that he is a fanatic. In August last he landed secretly at Biville, near Dieppe, and proceeded to Munich, where he conferred with Mehee de la Touche and Mr. Drake, the British agent. Do you perchance know Drake?