‘We will talk now.’
There was a light tap at the door and a moment later it was opened and two servants entered carrying a platter of meat, cheese and bread, and a bottle of wine and two glasses. They set them down and retired in silence, closing the door behind them. Napoleon gestured to the food. ‘Eat, if you are hungry.’Then he poured them each a glass of wine and eased himself back in his chair. He held the glass in both hands and fixed his stare on the foreign minister. Talleyrand hurriedly picked at some of the food before he took a sip from his glass and cleared his throat.
‘Well then, sire, what advantage do you intend to wrest from this situation?’
Napoleon drank from his own glass before he replied. ‘The real threat to us is Russia. So, we must make Russia the partner of our labours. At the moment I have the Tsar eating out of my hand. He believes us to have everything in common, and I have indulged him in that thought. I have let him believe that it is my intention to divide Europe into two spheres of influence.While France is to be given power over the western half of the continent, Russia will have a free hand in the east. I have also said that I will not oppose any action the Tsar decides to take against the Turkish possessions in the Balkans.’
Talleyrand sighed. ‘Sire, I have only recently concluded an agreement with the Sultan to improve relations between France and Turkey.’
‘That does not matter now,’ Napoleon cut in dismissively.‘I only ever intended to befriend the Turks in order to open a second front against Russia. Now that Russia is about to become an ally, we can offer them Turkish lands to sweeten an agreement with the Tsar.’
Talleyrand drew a breath and continued patiently. ‘Diplomacy is a long game, sire. It takes time to build trust, to persuade others that we share common interests and ambitions. It is not an ad hoc process. It has taken years to win the Sultan round. If we abandon him now, I doubt we will be able to repair the damage to our relations for a generation at least. As for Russia, a month ago they were our mortal enemy. Now you would have them as our dearest friend. It is my experience that any friendship of value takes time to build. A friendship forged on the expediency of the moment is of little value, and can be broken just as swiftly as it was cobbled together. I urge caution, sire.We are not dealing simply with playing pieces that we can arrange on a board as the whim takes us.We are dealing with people, their instincts, their prejudices and their traditions. It is a sophisticated process, sire.’
‘I thank you for the lesson,’ Napoleon replied tersely. ‘But like all teachers, you are prone to see complications where a more direct approach works just as well, if not better. It is my judgement that Russia will serve as a powerful and useful ally.Therefore it is my command, and your duty, to see that Russia is befriended.’
Talleyrand stared at the Emperor for a moment, as if considering further protest. Then he took a sip of wine and laced his fingers together. ‘Very well, sire. What else do you intend to ask of our new friends?’
Napoleon set his glass down on the table and folded his arms. ‘First, in exchange for giving the Russians a free hand against the Turks we will be permitted to occupy some of the islands and coasts around the Adriatic. That will help consolidate our hold on Italy. Second, Russia is to join our embargo on trade with Britain, and put pressure on the other Baltic nations to follow suit.Third, the kingdoms of Portugal and Spain are trading openly with Britain.That must cease forthwith, and if it doesn’t it is my intention to remove their royal dynasties and replace them with monarchs selected from amongst my brothers. In these matters we will clearly need the consent of the Tsar.’
‘Clearly,’ Talleyrand agreed and pursed his lips doubtfully. ‘In your estimation, do you think Alexander can be persuaded to support such sweeping demands?’
‘Yes. I am sure of it. And with your silver tongue, my friend, our demands will be irresistible.’
‘Let us hope so.’ Talleyrand helped himself to another slice of cold sausage. ‘And what of Prussia? What terms do we offer King Frederick William?’
Napoleon laughed coldly. ‘For our dear cousin, the King of Prussia, I have little but contempt. Only when all seemed to go against me before Austerlitz was that coward prepared to throw in his lot with our enemies. The present war was caused by his folly and his ambition to humble France.’ Napoleon paused. ‘There can only be one fate for Frederick William and his nation: abject humiliation. We will strip Prussia of her present borders and offer to share the spoils with Russia. We will demand reparations, the scale of which will cripple her for years to come, during which time French troops will be garrisoned on Prussian soil. Furthermore, Prussia will be obliged to uphold the trade embargo against Britain, and declare war on Britain if I deem it necessary. Finally, I will require Frederick William to recognise the existing and any future kingdoms that I confer upon members of my family and other monarchs nominated by me.’
Napoleon smiled with satisfaction as he concluded his list of demands.Talleyrand was quiet for a moment before he responded. ‘Are you quite serious, sire? You propose nothing less than the dismantling of Prussia as it now stands.’
‘That’s right. Let it serve as a warning to any nation who even considers dealing dishonestly with France, and her Emperor.’
‘Is it wise to go that far, sire?’
‘Wise?’ Napoleon frowned.
Talleyrand shifted uneasily. ‘It appears to me that you are pinning your hopes on winning the Tsar over as a permanent ally, sire.’
‘Yes. So?’
‘Is that prudent? I think not. To my mind Russia poses the greatest of dangers to European nations. Her influence spreads from the Baltic in the north to Turkey and India to the south. Given time, I dare say the Tsar would consider swallowing up Poland, the Baltic states, and possibly Scandinavia. Unless those nations that lie in her path have the wherewithal to defend themselves, what is to prevent the Tsar from expanding his borders right up to the lands we claim for ourselves? Rather than allying ourselves with Russia we would be better off building an alliance with Austria, and providing Prussia with generous enough terms to swing their loyalty over to us, sire. Magnanimous terms for Frederick William could change Prussian opinion. Besides that, we would need to make sure that the Prussians retained sufficient military potential to discourage any further Russian expansion into Europe.’
‘I will not permit Prussia to retain any such potential while that scheming witch Queen Louise is able to influence her husband and the Prussian court against me. I have not defeated an enemy only to present them with the chance to do me further harm at a future date. No. Prussia will be made to suffer so that she learns the cost of defying me. As for the Tsar, you will do what is necessary to secure the best terms for France while offering Alexander anything that might cement the peace between our nations. Within reason, of course.’
‘Of course.’ Talleyrand nodded. ‘Though I would still ask your majesty to consider what I have said. Russia is not our natural ally, and it would serve France better to end the war with Britain than take Russia as an ally against her.’
‘Thank you, Talleyrand. I have noted your opinion. You have your instructions, and I require you to carry them out. Is that clear?’
‘Yes, your majesty.’ Talleyrand bowed his head.
‘Then you may go.’
The foreign minister eased himself up and walked stiffly to the door, where he bowed again before leaving the room. Napoleon stared at the door for a moment, his lips compressing into a thin line. He felt a cold rage in his heart at Talleyrand’s questioning of his judgement. The foreign minister seemed to think that diplomacy must be conducted at the speed of a glacier. The truth was that people had short memories. Yesterday’s villain was interchangeable with today’s hero. Napoleon sniffed with derision. He knew that the very same mob in Paris that had cried out for the blood of the Tsar would be cheering him the moment peace was announced. Talleyrand was wrong. Diplomacy was like war. It was largely a question of arranging the pieces correctly, with a certain amount of bluff and luck. Rising from his chair, Napoleon yawned. As he made his way back to his sleeping quarters he decided that he must write to Fouché and order him to have his agents watch Talleyrand closely. It would be an easy step from disagreeing with the Emperor to plotting against him.
July had arrived and the days were long and hot. Even though the tall windows of the chamber were left open, the atmosphere inside was uncomfortable and heavy. There were no concessions to the summer temperature, however, and all those in attendance wore their finest uniforms and coats. Sweat pricked out on every man’s brow and the hours dragged on as the terms of the treaty were put forward and debated. Some sessions were attended by representatives of all three nations, but most concerned only the Russians and the French, and the hapless Prussians were excluded.
As Talleyrand set out the harsh terms demanded by his Emperor as the price of peace with Prussia, Frederick William’s envoys were shocked by the scale of the humiliation being heaped upon their nation. Their protests were met with cold disdain by the French diplomats, and on the sixth day of July the Prussians decided to try a more personal appeal for mercy.
Napoleon was seated at his desk, reading through the latest correspondence to reach imperial headquarters, when a clerk entered and proffered a sealed letter.
‘What’s this?’ Napoleon looked up irritably. ‘Why has it not been opened?’
Then he saw the royal seal of Prussia neatly applied to the folded paper. He took it and waved the clerk away. It had been addressed to ‘his imperial majesty, Napoleon, for his personal attention’, in a neat, fine hand. He broke the seal and opened the letter.
Your imperial majesty, it is a tragedy that our two nations should have been locked in so bitter a struggle for so many months. Now that peace is at hand Prussia looks forward to a new era of friendship with France. In token of this, I wonder if I might meet with you in person to convince you of the lasting benefits of an equitable peace between our nations. I look forward to your response.
Your faithful friend, Louise, Queen of Prussia.
‘Well, well,’ Napoleon smiled. ‘So it has come to this.’
He stood and strode across the room to the open door and clicked his fingers at his chief clerk. ‘Méneval, send for the Master of the Imperial Household.’
‘Yes, sire.’
‘Tell him we are entertaining tonight. The best dinner service and the finest wines and food will be required.’
There was no polite preamble to the dinner. Queen Louise was shown into a private dining room at imperial headquarters. A small table occupied the centre of the carpeted room, covered with a lace cloth and set with fine china, glasses and cutlery from the imperial household.The room was lit by a single chandelier hanging above the table, which bathed the room in a soft orange glow. The Queen was shown to her seat by a footman and then left alone to await the Emperor, who, she was told, was completing his orders for yet another military review to be held the following morning. He would not be long, she was assured.
And so she sat, quite still and expressionless, as the clock ticked on the mantelpiece. The windows of the dining room were open and the faintest of breezes wafted in, just enough to cause the candles to flicker fractionally from time to time. At length Louise rose from her seat and went to the window. Below lay a small courtyard and the scent of herbs drifted up to her. Beyond the wall of the courtyard lay open fields, now covered with tents and the crude bivouacs erected by the French soldiers. Their campfires spread across the landscape like a vast constellation of twinkling red stars.
‘An impressive sight, is it not?’
She gasped with surprise and whirled round, hand clutched to her throat. Napoleon had entered and trodden quietly across to the table, where he now stood behind her chair, hands resting on the seat back. He stared back at her, frankly appraising her looks. The Queen of Prussia was a slender woman with black hair and strong, almost masculine features. For all that there was a cold, ethereal beauty about her, Napoleon conceded. He smiled. ‘I am sorry. I did not mean to startle you.’
‘Really?’ She arched an eyebrow. ‘I rather think that was precisely what you meant to do.’
‘Oh? And why would I do that?’
‘You employ the same strategy off the battlefield as you do on it.You move quickly, achieve surprise and disconcert your enemy.’