Duval and the Empress's Crown Read online

  “You have been fighting.”

  “A hazard of my trade, Sire,” I said and he grinned.

  “At least, in this case, your hazard has not been in vain.”

  He opened a cupboard in his desk, took out the crown and placed it before him.

  “So that is what it looks like,” I said softly. Indeed it was a beautiful object, made of polished gold which glittered in the candlelight. From the circular base, loops of diamonds rose, supporting a small globe with a cross on the top. Emeralds flashed green fire and the front was set with amethysts. “I must thank you for returning it to me.”

  “I was not alone. I had help. Without the others, we would not have been able to find it and bring it to you.”

  “Lefebvre, of course, and who else?” Napoléon has a memory for the tiniest facts, which makes him dangerous.

  “Two more, Sire. Another agent, Claude Fournier and a porter from Leroy’s named François.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “Lefebvre and François are waiting in the anteroom. I’m not sure where Fournier is.”

  “Tell the others to come in.”

  I went to the door and beckoned my companions.

  As he walked into the room and bowed to the Emperor, I noticed that Lefebvre did not seem to be able to take his eyes off the crown. François simply gasped.

  “So small but so heavy,” Lefebvre murmured, as if to himself.

  “A crown is meant to be heavy,” said the Emperor. “I would like thank all of you. Duval tells me that without you, the crown would not have been returned. I have already given my thanks to your wife, Duval, but she was not able to enlighten me as to where it was found. Sit down and tell me what happened but make it brief. As you are aware, I am very busy.”

  We sat where he told us and told him the story, first one speaking and then the other. Now the crown was back and no real harm done, I had a great reluctance to be the one to lay the blame where it should lie. If I spoke about Saint Victor, the link to Élisa was unmistakable. So I said very little and of course, the Emperor pounced on my omission.

  “Which of my sisters took the crown?” he demanded when we had finished.

  I glanced at Lefebvre and he gave me a small nod.

  “Sire, do you really want me to tell you?” I asked. “The thief is terrified just now. She cannot return it to you even if she wants to do so. Surely uncertainty and fear of the consequences are a subtle form of punishment. I can guarantee that she will not sleep easily tonight.”

  He looked hard at me for so long that my eyes could no longer meet his and they dropped. Then he nodded.

  “What you say is true,” he agreed. “Whichever one of them took it or aided in its theft, all of them would know. Since none of them came to tell me, they are all equally guilty. Let them continue to writhe until they see the crown in the Pope’s hand tomorrow as he places it on my wife’s head. It is as good a penalty as any for now. If I decide to take further action after the coronation, I will send for you. Do not speak of this to anyone.”

  “Of course not, Sire!” We chorused.

  “You have done well, and I am grateful. I’ll inform Fouché that the matter is settled and you will all be rewarded suitably.”

  “Thank you, Sire.” We bowed and turned to go. Then I hesitated. An idea had popped into my head. Eugénie would never forgive me if I missed such an opportunity. It would not occur again.

  “Well?”

  “If Your Majesty pleases, we would be amply rewarded if we might see the ceremony tomorrow and watch the Empress being crowned.”

  At that he laughed, a charming boyish laugh. “You are sure that you prefer this sight to money?”

  I glanced at the others who nodded.

  “We’re certain, Sire.”

  “I suppose it is only just, since without you, part of the service would be cancelled.” He pulled a piece of paper towards him and scribbled on it.

  “Entrance for how many people?” he asked.

  I thought hurriedly. “Six, Sire.” Lefebvre gave a little start of surprise but I ignored him.

  Napoléon signed the paper and gave it to me. “This will admit six people to the cathedral. Go early and the attendants will squeeze you in somewhere.”

  “Thank you, Sire.”

  After we left him, Lefebvre asked, “Six?”

  “You, me, François and Fournier are four. If you think we can leave Eugénie and Berthe Fournier behind, let me tell you that you’re wrong! They’d never forgive us.”

  I parted from Lefebvre and made my way home to Eugénie. I found her walking around the apartment looking terrified. As soon as I opened the door she was in my arms, hugging me as if she would never let me go. She had to at last when she accidentally pressed on my ribs and I squealed.

  It was quite a while before I was able to tell her the news. She was delighted when she heard we were to attend the coronation but like all women, her first thought was what to wear to the ceremony. She possessed nothing of course, nor had I enough money to buy her anything suitable. She made me something to eat but her thoughts were not on what her hands were doing. I think she would have given me the baby’s gruel if I had not calmed her down. We had a glass of wine to celebrate our success and were sitting talking together when it seemed as if an idea suddenly struck her.

  “Do you mind if I go out for a moment, Alain?” she asked me, getting up and reaching for her cloak. “I won’t be long and Aimée is fast asleep.”

  “You know we must leave very early in the morning to get to the cathedral?”

  “I do but I will be really quick.”

  So she left me and despite her promise, it was over two hours before she returned. I was beginning to be concerned when she came through the door breathlessly, carrying a large bundle.

  “Where have you been?” I asked, taking her into my arms and kissing her. Snowflakes lay on her shoulders and bonnet. “I was getting worried.”

  “I’m sorry I took so long but I couldn’t get away any sooner. Don’t hug me any harder, you’ll crush it.”

  “What’s this?”

  “Let me show you,” she said, putting the bundle down on the table and pulling at the string. Once the fastening was untied, a mass of cloth slithered out and would have fallen to the floor if Eugénie had not caught it in time.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Look what I’ve got.”

  Eugénie held up the grey velvet gown in front of herself.

  “I’m going to wear this tomorrow. There is a matching cloak as well. Isn’t it lovely?”

  “It’s beautiful. You’ll look just like a princess, prettier than a real one in fact,” I said, running the list of Imperial Princesses through my mind while Eugénie giggled. “Where did you get it?”

  “Tomas found it for me. I went to his house to ask him.”

  “At this time of night?”

  “He was still awake. I think he was worried in case anything went wrong with all the gowns we had made for the coronation. I told him what had happened and he thought of this outfit. We went back to the workroom to find it. It was made for a woman who never collected it. When they went to deliver the dress, they found she had unexpectedly left Paris, leaving a lot of unpaid bills behind her. Leroy doesn’t have many bad debts but this is one.”

  “Does Leroy know you’ve borrowed it?”

  Eugénie giggled again. “No. Provided I do not damage it, he’ll never know. Tomas won’t tell him and neither will I. Look, it almost fits me without any alteration! A stitch or two around the waist and it will be perfect.”

  Eugénie stayed up for a few moments making the alterations and then we went to bed. We tried to sleep but both of us found it difficult. We were too exhausted, too excited and in my case, the relief from tension was enormous. I felt as if I could conquer the world. The shadow of disgrace and danger had fled. In the end I slept without nightmares.

  15

  11 Frimaire, Year XIII

&nbs
p; (Sunday 2 December, 1804)

  We rose before dawn, broke our fast and put on our best clothes. I went to call a hack while Eugénie dressed Aimeé, bundling her up well against the searing cold.

  “I hope your mother won’t be annoyed with us, bringing the baby to her so early,” I said. “You’ve been working such long hours lately.”

  “Maman knows that everything will be much quieter after today. She will be so excited when we tell her where we are going,” Eugénie said. Her mother was thrilled. We promised to come back as soon as the ceremony finished. Then we would describe everything that had happened. She stood in the entrance with the baby in her arms, waving us goodbye.

  We took a hack and picked up Lefebvre, François and the Fourniers as we had arranged. François was looking nervous. Then we headed for Notre Dame. A light snow fell and the air was icy. So early in the morning, for once the ground was white and not dirty. It reminded me of the first snowfall in my home town of Grenoble. Snow always delights me; we used to have such fun when we were little. This time I felt even more excited. My heart thumped and I found it difficult to sit still. I took Eugénie’s cold hands in mine to rub some heat into them. All of us huddled together in the carriage for warmth and the journey through the frosty streets seemed to take a long time. People were already lining the sides of the road, determined to get a good view of the processions.

  It was still dark when we got out of the hack but torches had been lit along the route, so we could see where we were walking. We picked our way carefully, avoiding patches of slush which had not yet been swept away. We hurried to the door of the church. None of us bothered to stop and examine the wonderful carving or the glistening draperies that billowed as the cold air followed us. We were too chilled.

  One of the imperial lackeys came forward. He wore a green jacket, the colour of Corsica, embroidered all over with golden bees, Napoléon’s new symbol. I look more closely at embroidery now since Eugénie does so much of it. Those insects would take a long time to complete even for someone skilled. The seamstress must have put hours of work into one of his sleeves alone. The lackey was holding a sheaf of papers.

  “Your names, please?” he asked us, obviously ready to search for our places.

  “I doubt we will be your list,” I said and the man seemed to draw himself up, as he prepared to deny us entry.

  “Then I am sorry, you cannot come in.” He made waving motions with his hands as if he would sweep us out of the building.

  “Indeed we can,” I replied, in my most authoritative tone. “Your list has been superseded by the Emperor himself.” I thrust the paper which was our ticket into his hand. “Read that!”

  He took a step backwards and did not even look at our authorisation. His face reddened and he opened his mouth to shout at me. Before he said another word, Lefebvre stepped close to him, thrusting his nose to within an inch of the man’s face.

  “Read it, if you know what’s good for you,” Lefebvre hissed menacingly and his hand moved. The lackey gasped and shrank away from him. Obediently his eyes dropped to the paper and I thought that they almost bulged as he read it.

  “I will have to ask my superior about this,” he said and started to turn into the cathedral.

  “Not with our ticket you don’t,” Lefebvre said, twitching it from his fingers.

  The man hurried off and we were left inside the door in the fragrant darkness. The scent of flowers and incense wafted in the candlelit air. So few people had yet arrived that the perfume had not yet been sullied by the smell of tightly packed humanity.

  “What did you do to him?” I asked Lefebvre. “He jumped as if he had been poked in the stomach.”

  “He had,” Lefebvre replied with a grin. “Be grateful I only used my fingers and not my dagger.”

  “Well, he’ll do nothing for us now, you idiot,” Fournier murmured. “Can you imagine what would have happened to us if you’d stabbed him? We wouldn’t be in the cathedral, we’d be in gaol!”

  In the end the lackey fetched his superior to us and hurried away as if the devil himself was after him. The superior, a toplofty man covered in gold braid, examined our paper closely, in particular the signature.

  “Where did you get this?” he asked suspiciously.

  “From the hand of the Emperor himself.”

  “It is dated last night.”

  “We received it last night. We completed a task for him and this is his way of thanking us.”

  “I must go and ask.”

  “No you must not,” I said. “There isn’t time before the other guests arrive. Three of us are Police agents. Are you really going to challenge the Emperor’s word? What is your name? Fournier make a note so we can report him. Monsieur Fouché will be most interested to learn how the Emperor’s instructions are ignored.”

  Fournier pretended to draw his notebook and pencil from his pocket but it was not necessary. The man’s face had paled at the mention of Fouché. He only raised one more objection.

  “No need for any unpleasantness. I will do my best for you but I can’t think where to put you,” he wailed. “All the seats are allocated and people will even have to stand in the aisles. The cathedral is full.”

  “Surely there are some persons you dislike that you would be glad to displace,” Lefebvre suggested slyly. “Mistakes happen and this is a good time to pay off old scores. If anyone questions you, you have the Emperor’s authorisation in your hand.”

  The man’s frown lightened for a moment as he pondered Lefebvre’s words. Then he seemed to make up his mind. “Come with me,” he said. “I will do what I can, but you will be squeezed in tight when everybody arrives.”

  “That does not matter as long as we can see the Emperor and Empress crowned.”

  He led us towards a side chapel, where scaffolding had been erected with tiers of seats, reaching almost to the roof.

  “I hope you don’t mind heights,” he said as he showed us to the top row of all. Berthe Fournier needed to be helped up by François and her husband. She had closed her eyes, so she should not see the drop below. The two men between them shuffled her up to her place. Fortunately neither Eugénie, Lefebvre nor I suffer in that way. In fact I was rather pleased with our position. Once seated, we would be able to look over the heads of all the people below to the altar itself. We thanked the lackey who had followed us. He looked relieved as he left us there.

  Cold air was blowing round the church but more and more people were trickling in. A buzz of noise announced the arrival of the musicians and singers. There seemed to be thousands of them, all milling around, taking out their instruments and tuning them. Indeed we found out later there was over five hundred present.

  We were still alone in our section and there was, as yet, nothing to see. Lefebvre had started to fidget. He is never content to sit still unless there is a good reason for it. To pass the time, I said to Eugénie,

  “You did not tell me what happened after Lefebvre left you last night. Will you tell us the story now?”

  “Very well,” she said with a smile, “I was surprised when Jean arrived at the door at Leroy’s. Dénis, our porter was trying to prevent him coming into the workroom.”

  “Poor man. I hope you did not hurt him?” I asked Lefebvre.

  “Of course not. Eugénie has to work there. What do you take me for?”

  Diplomatically I did not answer him and Eugénie continued.

  “Anyway, Jean stopped pushing forward as soon as he saw me. He called out to me instead. As it happened, his timing could not have been better, because I had just finished the last piece I was working on. I was putting my coat on, ready to go home. I thought he looked worried and you must have sent him to me for a reason. I went over to Jean. If I hadn’t, he would have pushed poor Dénis aside to speak to me wouldn’t you, Jean?” Lefebvre shook his head but grinned. “Tomas had come over by then, wanting to know who Jean was and why he had barged into the workroom like that.”

  “I shoved the Empe
ror’s authorisation under his nose and I thought he was going to faint,” Lefebvre said, still grinning.

  “Tomas asked what he could do to help and Jean said he wanted me to take a package to the Emperor at the Tuileries. He did not want to take it himself because you were in trouble and he had to go back to find you. At that point I started to panic and told him to go at once.”

  “I gave Eugénie the parcel. I told her that it was vital she give it to no one except the Emperor. The authorisation should be enough to ensure that she reached him. The old man Tomas said that it must be important, to interrupt the Emperor on the night before his coronation. He would go with Eugénie himself to make sure that she got there safely.”

  “Good man!” I said.

  “Tomas has always been my friend,” Eugénie agreed. “Jean thanked him and hurried off. I was a bit dazed, knowing you were in trouble but not what sort of danger. I could hardly think what I was doing. Tomas was wonderful. He told Dénis to fetch a hack and to come with us as well. Bless the two of them. Tomas picked up a stout pole and gave one to Dénis, in case someone tried to stop us. Jean was right, though. I lost count of the number of people we spoke to at the palace, but the authorisation worked as if it was magic. The Emperor’s aide was fetched out of his office to talk to us. ‘The Emperor cannot see anyone,’ he told us. ‘He is still working and has given orders that he is not to be disturbed.’

  ‘Believe me; the Emperor will want to be disturbed by this,’ I told him. ‘I have brought something he greatly desires. I must give to him now; it cannot wait until morning. Tell him that Alain Duval, my husband, works at the Ministry of Police. He cannot come himself so he has entrusted me with an item that is needed for the coronation ceremony tomorrow.’

  ‘Give it to me, I will take it to His Majesty,’ he said.

  ‘Certainly not. I must only give it to the Emperor himself. You have his authorisation in your hand. Take me to him. You will be extremely sorry if you do not,’ I warned him.

  ‘On your head be it then’, he muttered as he left us in an anteroom. I had indeed spoken enchanted words and we were admitted to the Emperor’s study. It is such a big room and so long a walk, for he did not come forward to greet us. He had obviously been still pouring over the books piled up beside him as his aide said. It is rumoured that he rarely sleeps and I can believe that now. Who else would choose to work on the night before his coronation when he might have had his choice of all the celebrations in Paris? I was terrified. Tomas took hold of my arm and led me up to his desk. Napoléon was looking straight at me as if he could see inside my mind. Then he stood up. I curtseyed and Tomas bowed.