Chapter thirty six: Journey's launch

Dame de Coeur, Monday the 15th October

"The ship will be a little crowded but we'll be much sooner in Rouen than with any other ship," said d'Arcy while showing his ship to Fitzwilliam.

"She is a nice ship" admitted Fitzwilliam, "that must be said…"

"She's the fastest ship ever built" added d'Arcy with a proud smile. "With the right travel conditions we could be in France in two days and land around Wednesday in Rouen!"

"Why such a hurry?" asked Fitzwilliam. "I would have thought that a day more wouldn't change anything."

"Probably not" agreed d'Arcy. "But I'm impatient as always when the decision isn't mine to make. When I'm at the helm I have those inner signals which give me hints about the way everything is enfolding. When it is somebody else I crave to have it done as soon as possible."

Fitzwilliam nodded and looked at the pier where his cousin the general was studying the 'Dame de Coeur' with great attention.

"Richard is not very happy to have to stay in Cardiff" said finally Darcy. "Why is he to remain here?"

"I wouldn't want him ending his career in a French prison camp" answered d'Arcy. "Since he hasn't joined the Welsh army he's still an enemy general and once on French soil he would have fallen into the clutches of a dear fiend of mine who would be so happy to get leverage on me… So, no, he stays here and he fumes in frustration. It is much better so!"

"We spoke and he is now decided to remain in the service of the British Crown. He just awaits his new marching orders…"

"Which shouldn't come very soon… I'm quite sure that those generals who aren't in custody of my armies are running toward America. Nobody will stop before a long time to put some order in an army that, in my opinion, no longer exists. So he's on vacation and he's much safer here in Cardiff than anywhere else…"

"I don't ag…" began Darcy when he saw the carriage of the rest of the party arriving on the pier.

"They are coming…" said he with a smile.

D'Arcy turned around and soon was smiling too.

"Indeed here they are, we will be able to respect our departure time."

He turned once more and made a sign.

Immediately his men lined up to help the coming ladies.

"Let's go greet them, Fitzwilliam. I'm always happy to welcome guests aboard."

"We all speak a lot of France but what do we really know about that country" said Lydia while sitting on an unfolded bed chair d'Arcy's men had opened on the forward bridge of the ship.

All the ladies –and Emilie who did make great efforts to be inconspicuous- sat in the morning sun and talked about their goal, the French Republic.

As often it was either Anne or Mary who answered.

From time to time it was Jane when she had some insight to share about a ruler of a people she had spoken of with her husband.

"With their Eastern départements" said Mary, "they cover the largest part of real estate of whole Europe, Russia not included. But European France is a very developed and populous country while Russia is sparsely populated and rather backward. Most Russians are serfs and there are very few factories. If you look outside of Saint Petersburg there are no factories at all."

"Sparsely populated is still very populated if one looks only at the numbers," précised Anne. "France alone has more people than the whole of Russia and if you add Egypt and Syria the French Republic counts more than 45 million people. The whole of the British islands has a population of under 20 million and that's if you include Scotland, Wales and Ireland. So if you include England's population into the fray, France weights more than 55 million people… To compare to the thirty million people the Czar boasts with."

"Which should, for France, be the third of Europe's population" added Mary. "Napoleon has the manpower to convince even Russia… In my opinion no power is able to resist France's armies at this time…"

"China?" asked Emilie who had been able to speak at two occasions with d'Arcy about where he spent his youth and she had been very impressed with what he told her.

"You're right he would probably have problems against China" nodded Anne. "Geoffrey says that the last Imperial census counted more than 300 million subjects for the Son of Heaven. And he has very numerous armies."

"But European armies are probably more modern and better organized" said Emilie.

"Indeed but numbers have their own weight in a battle" said Anne accepting Emilie with an appreciative smile. "At four to one, odds against even a more modern army are not very good."

"How can Napoleon be stopped?" asked Mrs. Bennet who was quite astonished by the topics of conversation that little congregation of females was choosing.

"His own ambition could do the trick" answered Jane. "Geoffrey says that Napoleon's only weakness is that he is unable to see his limits. When on a winning streak he won't stop to ponder what's happening. He'd just go on taking more and more." She frowned. "And by taking he means land, riches and advantages."

"But using your advantage and the surprise it brings should be a good idea in a running military campaign, should it not?" asked Lydia.

"Yes" agreed Anne, "you're right but at a certain point you must make a choice. Stop and ponder the situation to carefully choose your next move or just go on using the momentum of victory. If you just go on and if your enemy has a clear mind and is able to resist panic you can be pulled into a situation where you have no longer the initiative. That's what happened to Alexander in India. He was victorious and used his advantage till the end but he oversaw that his men had lost their motivation… They did no longer know why they were fighting. He was still the best strategist and he had still the best organized armies but those armies had lost the will to fight for him. And so he lost their support and, probably, his life. Because without the support of his soldiers he could be overthrown by his ambitious lieutenants which, in my opinion, they did by poisoning him."

"But Napoleon seems to know himself enough to be able to stop and ponder," said Lizzie intervening for the first time. "He did it in Anatolia. He was victorious and the Ottomans were in a rout. He could have chosen to force his luck and go on till Istanbul… He didn't."

"Not of his own choice" outlined Jane. "He had to stop because the Directory, hearing of his successes, called him back out of sheer jealousy. He had no choice since his government threatened to cut his supply lines if he didn't come back to Paris. He was so angered by their threat that he immediately went home letting d'Arcy there to consolidate their new possessions. And that was the best thing that could have happened…"

"You're not unbiased in that matter…" smiled Lizzie.

"No I'm not" agreed Jane. "But you can't deny that Geoffrey has a knack to gain people over! He did it in London but in Damascus and Cairo he worked for over a year and now those two Muslim countries are eager followers of the French. Napoleon would have bled them to death before being ousted by an uprising…"

"And if I remember well the Directory did make a huge mistake by calling Napoleon back" said Emilie.

"Indeed" snickered Anne. "Two months after his comeback he overthrew their regime and jailed most of them…"

"They tried to have him arrested," précised Jane. She had spoken quite a lot about Napoleon with her husband and her knowledge was quite exhaustive. "They were afraid of his popularity and tried to have him 'disappeared'. But Fouché, who's the most traitorous snake you'll ever encounter, betrayed them and Napoleon was able to take the initiative in time to act first." She nodded thoughtfully. "If we can believe Geoffrey it was a question of mere minutes. Napoleon departed from his mistress' home a few minutes before the police arrived. And he didn't waver a second. He knew he had only one chance and he grasped it immediately. He went to the nearest barracks and convinced the officer in charge to back him. "

She shook her head and looked at Emilie.

"That should have been Papa" said she. "He told me that he was so outraged by the Directory's move that he never hesitated a second. To treat the hero of Egypt like that was so unacceptable for him that he forswore his oath. He still regrets that they forced him to do that…"

"At noon" added Jane, "Napoleon was the master of France and the members of the directory were arrested by their own guards…"

"But he didn't 'disappear' them" précised Anne. "Most of them are still alive and now stout supporters of their former nemesis."

"Papa had perhaps forsworn his oath" protested Emilie, "never would he have lowered himself to become a murderer. The members of the Directory were his prisoners and he was responsible for their safety… They risked nothing at all…"

That remark provoked amused glances all around the little group.

Emilie was a kind child and cute as a button but there was only one god in her private pantheon.

Mary smiled at the young girl and couldn't help but feeling proud of her.

Her look made her sisters laugh and she looked at them with surprise in the eyes.

"Don't mind," said Jane. "We're just smiling at the pride you're showing." She smiled at Emilie. "And I must admit that your pupil is quite worth your pride. She's already an asset to all the girls and with your schooling it will only be better…"

"But don't forget" said their mother, "that a smart mind is not enough for a girl. You'll have to teach her what you yourself skipped so easily. I'm sure your sisters will be able to help you to give your ward better chances that you allowed yourself."

"I don't need chance" protested Emilie. "I'll take my future into my own hands."

Mrs. Bennet could only smile at the young girl's naiveté. She would perhaps have it easier than her daughters' generation but it would surely not be that easy.

"Hopefully you're right" said Jane, "but it is much more probable that you'll have to bow, like we did, to a man's rule. Just be careful to choose the man you'll bow to with cleverness and cunning. Don't forget that the society is not yet ready to give to females the same rights that men have. We will work to lessen your burden but even I don't believe that females will be males' equals before a few more generations…" She smiled at Lizzie. "We will do our best to get more freedom and more rights but it won't be easy and you'll have enough work left for your whole life!"

Emilie just nodded with determination.

"You can count on me…"

And that brought out a general and amiable laugh.

"It seems they are quite satisfied with themselves" said Mr. Bennet while looking over at the little female cluster.

"Why shouldn't them" asked Fitzwilliam. "We are going to Paris which is the best place in the world to satisfy a female's whims…"

Mr. Bennet made a face.

"I'm quite sure they aren't speaking shopping and ribbons. They were way too serious a few minutes ago."

"They were probably speaking about our goal" said d'Arcy. "Jane asked me quite a lot of questions about France and Napoleon. Not one about shops and trinkets…"

Duroc snickered.

"Would you have known the answers?"

D'Arcy made an apologetic gesture.

"I know a few shops in Paris…" protested he.

"Workshops I'm sure you know but I'm quite sure you never entered the types of shops females take for granted…" The general pointed at the little group. "Maureen can probably be a better mentor in those matters than you'll ever will. She spent a few months there and if I remember well her wardrobe was rather embellished after her sojourn."

D'Arcy smiled.

"She did cost me quite a sum if I remember well" agreed he before sighing. "And I suppose it will cost me even more with Jane and her… I'm quite sure they'll use their free time to roam the best boutiques of the French Capitol city."

He winked at Fitzwilliam.

"Ready to see your Royal cassette plundered, your Majesty?"

"My wife is a reasonable female, she won't spend more than necessary and if all is said everything she'll spend will come out of my estates' revenues and not the State's cassette."

D'Arcy laughed out aloud.

"You're too honest and rightful for your own good Fitzwilliam! Be careful not to be eaten alive by your little Welsh Kingdom."

"Speaking of Welsh Kingdom" said Fitzwilliam, "when will my Cabinet arrive in Paris?"

"They sailed at the same time as us, but their ship is not so fast than the Dame… They'll probably need a day more to get to Paris. It will give us the possibility to prepare their quarters in your new Welsh embassy…"

"My new Embassy?"

"Indeed brother of mine, your new Embassy. I took the liberty to purchase a few buildings in Paris and I believe I have a little 'Hôtel Particulier' near the Louvre where you could host your Cabinet and your –soon to be named- Ambassador. You'll see the building is sound and should perfectly suit your needs…"

D'Arcy's smile took enormous proportions.

"And since my own –not so little- 'Hôtel Particulier' is situated only a few yards away –we share a garden- it shouldn't be too difficult to organize meetings with your Cabinet without disturbing our wives get-togethers."

"When will you stop meddling in other people's affaires?"

"When I'm dead" came d'Arcy's immediate answer. "But I don't meddle, I take into my hands the things other –not so smart or organized- people should have done and had missed to do."

Mr. Bennet who could feel that his sons' rivalry was soon to take unhealthy proportions stepped in.

"Boys, stop immediately! We all know that you are both smart and stubborn men who thrive to show their wives that they are the other's best. But I must recall you that said wives just want you to be smart and supportive brothers who have the good education to forget when together that they could –in other times- be rivals!"

Duroc couldn't help laughing at the way Mr. Bennet was able to deflate what could have become, without his doing, a major inconvenience.

"Sorry, father" said d'Arcy who quite knew that he had unsheathed first. "I just fell into old habits…"

"I pushed you a little" admitted Fitzwilliam with a smile. "But you must recognize that you are quite easy to push back into old habits…"

"Twenty years of bad habits don't disappear because of two months of marital life…" said d'Arcy. "I fear they will stay because with others I won't stop using them…"

Fitzwilliam looked at Duroc.

"Does he really speak thus with Napoleon?"

Duroc nodded.

"They continuously fight when together" said he. "It's as if two roosters were meeting on neutral ground. They know they shouldn't but they can't help it. They bicker and squabble all day long… The only reason they don't trade punches is Napoleon's very accurate grasp of his physical weakness compared to d'Arcy's." Duroc smiled. "He knows he wouldn't stand a second."

"But everybody believe you are Napoleon's man" said Mr. Bennet. "From what I could judge you could be considered as d'Arcy's man."

Duroc nodded and his smile became a little mysterious.

"That's because I'm France's man and being that I work for both with equal enthusiasm." He made a gesture to stop Mr. Bennet's next question. "If I had to choose I'll choose Napoleon because he was my first and best support when I was in need with Emilie. He even risked his life to give me the possibility to get her back. I owe him and I'm nothing if not loyal…"

"And since it isn't my plan to go against Napoleon it doesn't trouble me in the least," said d'Arcy. "Géraud is a loyal friend and trusted lieutenant and he had been very clear from the beginning of our association that had he to choose he would side with Napoleon…" He smiled. "I never tried to get more than what he was offering me."

"Are you spying on Geoffrey for Napoleon?"

Mr. Bennet's question made both his son in law and his trusted lieutenant laugh.

"Of course I do" answered Duroc. "Napoleon wants to know daily what his best strategist is doing with his troops." He looked Mr. Bennet in the eyes. "Wouldn't you wonder if a very capable man had seventy thousand men under his order?"

"And I prefer to know who's reporting on me" said d'Arcy. "Not because I want to hide part of the truth but because so I know what will be reported and how it will reported. Géraud knows me and my experience shows that the person who reports is as important as what is reported. No man sees the same…"

"And what about trust?" grumbled Fitzwilliam.

"Trust is a wealth important Statesmen can't afford" replied d'Arcy. "Not to each other. I have my spies in Napoleon's house, in his office and within his consular guards. I trust Géraud here with my life but I can't trust him to believe what I say. So it is better to let him report what he saw and heard and let Napoleon make his decisions."

"How can you live such a life?" wondered Fitzwilliam. "I'll end up constantly looking over my shoulder and doubting everybody."

D'Arcy made a face.

"I was at a very tough school in China. What we live here in Europe is more like a Kindergarten then a political arena. Here most rulers never use assassination to get rid of a concurrent. In China it's probably the most common tool in the political game…" His mile went shark like. "I should know: I was a hired killer for ten years. And I never was without work even if I had only one sponsor."

Fitzwilliam shook his head.

"But how is it possible to rule if you're constantly under the threat of being killed?"

"It's not so difficult because everybody knows the rules and the heads are seldom directly killed. Killing a trusted underling is the most common feat. It sends a message without pushing everybody into a killing frenzy. Most of the time it is enough to get a change in your opponent's politics."

"And I believed I had enough reasons to dislike politics" snorted Mr. Bennet. "Perhaps living in England has been a boon after all."

"Compared to Eastern policy making it is probable but I must reassure you the Chinese method cannot be imported in Europe."

"Why not?" asked Fitzwilliam.

"Because in China human life is worthless and because it is an accepted way to convey a message. If one of your underlings is killed it is a nuisance but it will never be taken personally. The only thing taken as personal is if you attack one of the direct heirs. Or, from time to time, to kill a loved concubine."

"And a wife," asked Fitzwilliam.

"Not necessarily" said d'Arcy. "Rich men have often more than one wives and marriages are more commercial contracts than love affairs. It has happened that a wife has been killed because of another wife's decision… As I said human life is worthless there, here it would soon become uncontrollable because people take so much more personally. The killing and counter killing would soon develop into a general bloodbath." He shook his head. "No, in Europe killing is only used to get somebody out of one's way. So it is a very rare feat. Not improbable but rarer that it is in those eastern countries."

He searched for an easier way to explain.

"Let's say it in other words. Imagine we are in China and Napoleon is my direct employer. He wants to let me know that he is displeased but he wants to stay on a very benign level. So he will choose to hit an underling to get me my message."

He looked at Duroc.

"He knows that I value Duroc and that we are more than just people who work together. But being important to me it will enforce the weight of the message if it comes through him. So he won't kill him because it could anger me! But he still wants to show me that he is worried about what I'm doing and that implies that he must hit a target that is neat but doesn't really matter."

He looked at Fitzwilliam.

"Do you guess who he would have killed?"

Darcy nodded.

"Emilie…"

"Indeed, Emilie" agreed d'Arcy. "Because being the only child of Duroc it will hurt him but being a girl her death is of no real importance since he is an underling and his daughter would only had cost him a dowry… She would be dead but I would lessen my underling's hurt by providing him one or two new concubines."

"Did you use that tool since you came to Europe?" asked Mr. Bennet.

"Yes" concurred d'Arcy. "As I said: old habits do die slowly. It's not as easy as it was in China but if I feel myself threatened I won't hesitate to kill to eliminate the threat. I've done it in Egypt and I almost did it to Napoleon. He saved his life with his golden tongue. Since then he is rather wary when around me…"

"Let's hear that story, Geoffrey" insisted Mr. Bennet. "I'm quite curious to know why you were intended to kill that man…"