The third chapter.
Fearturing Anne de Bourgh; not quite the mouse she seems to be...
Chapter three: Mouse or sparrow?
Rosings, Kent, Wednesday the fifth August 1801
He finally decided to stay.
He had somebody else to see.
He went back and was immediately surrounded by two footmen and one butler.
He looked them down.
The footmen withered away under his gaze.
The butler, probably better trained, resisted.
– I'm to see Lady Anne.
– I don't think so, sir…
Their will clashed five second until d'Arcy's pistol found his way against the butler's nose.
– You sure?
The butler looked a little shaken but still would not yield.
– It would be better, said d'Arcy, for everybody if we could find a way to settle this little problem peacefully. I'd hate to spray your brain all over this hall. It's messy and I'm sure my shaken relations with Lady Catherine would not survive your demise. And if our relations become even a little worse, I'm quite sure she will abuse me in ways that will lead to my taking very harsh measures against her. Perhaps even lethal!
The butler gulped a last time.
– A possibility might exist, sir.
– Alleluia, smiled d'Arcy. Could it be possible that this possibility of yours could come soon into fruition?
– I think so, but I need to ask Lady Anne if she is willing to see you…
– Do as you like, said d'Arcy putting his pistol back into his holster. I'll wait…
A few minutes later, the butler was back.
– Lady Anne is willing to see you.
– What a surprise! I feared she would not be willing to see me.
The butler smiled a very thin smile.
– I was not sure such an answer would please you, sir, so I insisted.
– And you did well, you did well.
D'Arcy showed the way.
– Would you guide me, please? I'm not sure I'm able to find my way after so many years.
– Of course, sir, if you'd please follow me.
– Monsieur d'Arcy, quel plaisir de vous rencontrer. (what a pleasure to meet you).
D'Arcy bowed toward the young girl who curtsied when he entered the little parlor.
An older woman greeted him but stayed in the background.
– It is my pleasure, Miss de Bourgh. I longed to meet the daughter of a very dear friend who helped me when I was in need.
– I never knew my father. He died when I was very young.
– Your loss, Miss. He was a very kind and thoughtful person. I knew him only for a few days but he gave me the image of a fine and educated gentleman. He would have been a perfect father. Had he lived…!
– He didn't and be sure I'm the one who regretted it most.
– I'm sorry, Miss, if my remark brought you sorrow.
– It didn't and I'm quite satisfied that you spoke to me about my father. Nobody never does! It seems my mother doesn't want him to be discussed in my presence.
She looked at him and at his "uniform".
– Strange clothing, what would it represent?
– It's a sort of uniform. Only four people in the world have the privilege to wear it. Sadly, I'm only the fourth in the picking order.
That drew out a smile.
– And who are the fortunate first three?
– Napoleon, Cambacéres and Lebrun, the three Consuls of the French Republic.
– Nice picking order indeed, said she.
– Difficult to find better, I concur. But at the end of the game, I'm still fourth.
– But first in Great Britain?
He could only nod.
– That's a truth, Miss de Bourgh. First in Great Britain!
She looked at him.
– A few minutes ago I didn't even know that you existed, sir. Only then discovered I your existence. And, at the same time, were I informed that you and your troops were just invading my country! Successfully invading my country!
– I must confess that it is the truth. But I must remind you that our countries are enemies and at war with each other since quite a few years. A few centuries, I should say! For a change, it's us who are invading you. A little revenge for the last time your soldiers came rampaging in the French countryside.
– It was a long time ago, if I remember well.
– Only if you consider the sole physical presence of your soldiers. Soldiers paid by the British Crown should count too and those where in France not so long ago. We tend to believe that it's quite the same, that it's not fair and rather cowardly to have other people –mercenaries– hired to fight your wars. As a result, since we French are quite impulsive and since we tend to be braggers, we chose to react by coming ourselves.
He looked at her and observed her. She was lighter built than her mother with finer features and bright blue eyes. Intelligent bright blue eyes!
She showed him a seat.
– Please seat yourself.
He bowed and took the proposed seat. As usual his sword did not find an easy place to rest.
She seated herself and looked at him.
– You are invading us, cousin. Some of the servants even say that you are arresting the members of the Gentry. Would it be that I'm on your list?
D'Arcy was quite satisfied to see that Anne had quite appealing habits. Having servants spying for you was a very smart way to collect interesting tidbits of information. He didn't do it naturally while he was at home, but in China he learned the hard way that not knowing what is happening in the surrounding area is a deadly failure.
He never forgot the lesson.
That Anne had the wisdom to discover it all by herself was quite amazing.
But even if he loathed her mother he could not deny that Catherine de Bourgh seemed to be an intelligent woman. A nasty, jealous, malicious and hateful –but intelligent– woman! If Anne got her mother's intelligence and had the wit to use it without turning into a shrew herself she could become quite an asset.
– The family is safe, cousin. I already lost too many of them to risk even one more. Even your mother should be safe if she restrains herself only a bit. I hope the other members of the family will be clever enough not to turn into my enemies. I want their neutrality, that's all. If they have the brains just to do that, they'll keep what is theirs.
She made a face.
– Some will not accept, cousin, I hope you realize that! Richard, for instance, is a colonel in the horse guards and he will never bend to your conditions. Fitzwilliam, too, who is way too honorable to join forces with an invader even if that invader is a member of the larger family, will never yield to you.
D'Arcy just smiled. He knew exactly what he could await from his cousin. He had a few aces in his game which could bring his cousin over to him.
– For the colonel, I am aware of the problem. He was the first member of the family I met here in England. He was in Brighton with quite a bunch of other officers, dancing and frolicking while I intruded in the little party. He was not very welcoming with me; we had a few unfriendly words in front of his fellow officers. Didn't like me coming and spoil their entertainment.
Anne could not hide her feelings. She had heard rumors brought in by refugees. They said that the French surprised the army's officers while drinking and... dancing. It was perhaps exaggerated but once more the system had shown its limits. Most of the officers, having bought their charges, had very little, if any, military experience or training!
With the result shown at Brighton!
She tried sarcasm.
– Whatever happened we probably did not lose the elite of our military power.
He smiled at her attempt. He was quite satisfied to see that his young cousin had developed such skills even under the heavy smothering influence of her mother. She would be quite an interesting asset for his information gathering network.
– We knew they would not be here, Miss de Bourgh. Your best are abroad conquering foreign countries. It's a pity that while they steal someone else's homeland, I'm doing the same with theirs.
He smiled at her, trying to reassure her.
– Be not too afraid, there is also good news. Some of your generals managed to escape. With the help of our cousin Fitzwilliam, Anneley, Wolcott and Bryan were able to slip through my lines, steal a few horses and fled toward the North. I'm quite satisfied that the whole attempt was staged and completed under the supervision of our beloved cousin Fitzwilliam. I hope the General Head Quarter will welcome his involvement.
Anne looked at him and her eyes were suspicious.
– You seem rather satisfied with this escape. Would it be that you staged it yourself?
– No, it was really our cousin's work. It's however true that I could have stopped them just before they got to the horses. In fact, I gave them the horses. Had I not done so, I would have deprived his majesty George the Third of three very foolish and worthless generals. I couldn't do such an awful thing, now could I? The King would have been forced to appoint some new ones. And one is never sure that such a young officer will be as worthless as those he is replacing. Now, thanks God, England has some of his best generals back at the side of the King. I'm sure they will stage an efficient and thorough defense of the Isles. As proven in the past...
Anne's eyes looked at her cousin. She had to change her mind about him.
When she first saw him, she believed him a worthless and ambitious politician.
That was clearly not the case.
He was clever and devious. And he knew what he wanted.
They appraised each other for a very long time.
– You are a very dangerous man, cousin. I'm afraid our leaders have no idea what's coming against them. I fear they will lose a lot of time underestimating you.
– That's the way the game is played, dear cousin. I did nothing but prepare this campaign for the last two years. I could have won a few battles for the Directory but that was not our real goal. What we wanted was England and now that I'm here, I'm staying till the bitter end.
– One day they'll have a correct assessment of you.
– Sure, but each day they wonder is a day my armies occupy more land. And, at a certain point, there will no more be a turning point.
– You seem certain that the Victory will be yours.
– I'm certain! My last doubt disappeared when I got my fifty thousand veterans on British soil. The difficult part was to arrive and disembark. The easy part I'm doing now. Mopping up!
– You're quite a soldier, cousin. I hope you're wrong but I fear you're right.
He bowed to the compliment.
– Thanks, cousin, but please stop it there. I do not react well to flattery. I do not have common place motivations. Power and riches do no interest me. I have a vision. A vision of a united Europe under the rule of an unique Leader.
He stood up.
– My goal is clear and, if you have the opportunity, you're authorize to send this information as high as possible toward your Crown. But I'm quite certain that even if you give them everything, they won't believe a mere girl. They'll never even consider that you could be useful.
He shook his head.
-- We had no choice, cousin. The British Empire was launching wave after wave of new mercenaries against France. If we had not react by coming into the fiend's den, we would have been destroyed in the end. It was a matter of survival. We, that is Napoleon and I, we chose to stop defending ourselves and go into the offense. That's why I'm here, to smother a snake that kept trying to bite us in the...
He did hesitate.
– ...Back, said he finally. Let's be very clear: I'm not interested in ruining this country. I'll never accept that my troops burn, destroy or pillage the land. I'm not here to destroy what took you --us-- a thousand years to build.
He fumbled with his sword.
A very unusual sword. More like those Japanese two handed swords than the European sabers British officers fancied.
-- I've spend one whole year to form the soldiers of my armies. They all know enough of English to understand what common people have to say. They all know that I'll personally emasculate every rapist who used the force I gave to him to act against my orders.
He looked at the window before looking back to her.
-- A country is much more than buildings and infrastructure. A country is made of people and I need to get this people at my side. There will be no massacres and there will be no plundering. My men will respect private property and the rights of the people. I really do believe that Human Rights are our legacy to the world. I have brought them as a gift to the people of the British Isles. And I'll respect these laws. And with the people at my side, England will prosper and join a new Era.
– Quite a speech, cousin.
– Quite a goal, cousin. I do believe in the strength of the people, cousin. It's the people which make a Land and not the reverse. If the people join me, the Land will be mine. Hopefully without bloodshed!
Anne agreed.
He was, again, fumbling with his sword. As if he was preparing himself to rise.
She knew this first meeting was coming to an end.
He came to appraise her.
Doing so, he gave her the opportunity to do the same.
Her first conclusion was nefarious. This man, her cousin, was bad news for her country. If the Corsican Tyrant had a reputation for strategy and organization, he was clearly not the only asset France has to present in this field.
And this one was as good as unknown.
He stood up.
She smiled at him and he responded with a charming bow.
He was manipulating her.
Normally, she would be the one manipulating. She had had plenty of training with her mother and the rest of the staff. This time, for a change, she was encountering a master in her field.
He was subtly pushing her in a certain direction.
He was trying to get something from her. And, she had really no idea what it could be.
Was he pushing her to work against him or to chose his side?
She was at a loss.
She would have to wait the dinner party in the East Wing to get a better idea of what was happening here.
He flashed a smile in her direction.
– I really am glad to have had the opportunity to make your acquaintance. I hope you'll be so free as to accept my invitation for dinner. Meanwhile, I'll have to look after a few military matters.
He bowed once more and opened the door.
– Au plaisir, ma chère cousine. Eight o'clock. East Wing! I'll send some men to get you.
He went out and his smile did not, as usual after a business encounter, disappear at once.
Finally he would be able to pay his debt to his uncle...
Next chapter: Guardian Angels
Featuring d'Arcy, Mary and Jane Bennet, Charlotte Collins and Maria Lucas
It's a tough one and it will take some time... Next week sure...