Whitworth stared at him in silence for a moment before replying. ‘The common people are not in possession of the knowledge or the will to act in their own interest. Until they are, their social superiors will determine their best interests, and those of England as a whole.’
Napoleon shook his head. These aristos were all alike, from one side of Europe to the other. Arrogant, greedy and desperate to hang on to the power handed to them by their ancestors.They would fight to the last breath rather than permit a man like Napoleon, with all his natural advantages of intellect and ambition, to remake their archaic nations into more efficient and fair societies.
Talleyrand looked from one to the other with a growing sense of despair. There was no shred of reconciliation between them, and his heart felt heavy at the inevitable fate awaiting the peoples of France and England. There was nothing more he could do to try to bridge the gap this day. He would have to wait until the immediate tension had bled out, and then try again.
He stood up. ‘Gentlemen, we have spoken enough.The other guests will fear there is something amiss unless we return to the party. For their sakes, I beg you, we must behave with cordial affection, while peace still has a chance.’
He gestured towards the distant gathering of guests, clustered around Josephine on the lawn. Napoleon bowed his head curtly towards the ambassador and left the arbour, striding back across the neatly cut grass. Whitworth stared after him, and muttered, ‘I rather fear that man may prove to be as much your problem as he is ours.’
Then he set off at a far more leisurely pace, as if he was idly admiring the features of the garden as he ambled back towards the other guests. Talleyrand was still for a moment, his eyes fixed on Napoleon as he contemplated the last words of the ambassador.
The year ended with no sign that the English were willing to quit Malta. In January Napoleon decided to increase pressure on them and gave orders for the preparation of an expedition to the last remaining French territory in India at Pondicherry. There might still be a slender chance of winning back some ground from the Earl of Mornington and his brother, Arthur Wellesley.
The public delight over the previous year’s peace treaty was daily turning into fear of the outbreak of a new war and Napoleon felt compelled to address the senate and the assemblies of the tribunes and deputies on the matter of the relations between France and England.
Standing before them on the podium, as the dull grey light of a winter’s day filtered through the windows, Napoleon sensed their anxiety and need for reassurance. He set out the grievances of France and stressed the danger of England’s continued support for those who sought to destabilise the consulate and undermine all the benefits that Napoleon and his government had brought to the people. At the end, as grey clouds thickened over Paris and ushers began to light the candles inside the hall, Napoleon concluded his address.
‘You all know me best as a soldier, and yet I tell you there is no greater ambition in my heart than that France may enjoy everlasting peace and prosperity.There could be no greater gift to this nation of ours than a generation that has never known the ravages of war in its lifetime. But what value is such peace if the honour of our nation is debased by the pernicious propaganda and provocations of England?’ He paused and turned his gaze on Lord Whitworth sitting in the visitors’ gallery, so that no member of the audience could be in any doubt where his final remarks were aimed. ‘It is the tragedy of England that her houses of Parliament are riven by two factions. On the one side there is a peace party, dedicated to the benefits and rewards of a universal peace. On the other side is the war party, comprising mean and bellicose spirits in whose hearts there resides an implacable hatred of France. If the war party seizes control in the coming months then the blood of countless innocents will be on their hands. If there is war, then history will judge that the cause of it will be England, not France. And if there is war, then I give my word that France will prevail and our armies will utterly humble those who have forced us to take up arms.’
The applause was muted and solemn, as Napoleon had anticipated. This was no rallying call for an attack, but a grim warning that France must be ready to fight an enemy who seemed utterly relentless. As he acknowledged the clapping that echoed round the chamber Napoleon saw Whitworth rise from his seat. Their eyes met and Whitworth shook his head with regret before he turned and climbed the steps towards the exit.
It did not take long for reports of Napoleon’s address to reach London and the King quickly made his own appearance before Parliament. King George tersely rejected Napoleon’s warning, and authorised the calling up of the militia and the expansion of the Royal Navy to place it on a war footing. Napoleon responded by issuing orders for the massing of an army of over a hundred thousand men on the Channel coast. In April Talleyrand concluded negotiations with representatives of the American government for the sale of the vast swath of land in North America that formed the Louisiana territory.The price was sixty million francs. Never had land been sold so cheaply, but then again, Napoleon reasoned, never had France needed money so badly.
At the end of the month Lord Whitworth formally requested an audience with the First Consul.They met in the Luxembourg Palace. There was little attempt to exchange more than perfunctory courtesies before the English ambassador proffered a document to Napoleon. Talleyrand stood to one side, hiding his despair behind his customary mask of detachment.
‘What is this?’ Napoleon demanded.
‘A message from Prime Minister Addington, on behalf of His Majesty. He considers that the presence of so large an army on the coast directly opposite Britain constitutes a direct threat.The Prime Minister therefore requires that the army is to disband. Failure to accede to this request will be considered a hostile act.’
Napoleon took the sealed letter and laid it on his desk before he replied. ‘Might I ask how France is to interpret His Majesty’s rapid enlargement of the Royal Navy? It seems that a new ship of the line appears off our coasts almost every day. If I disband my army, will he disband his ships?’
Lord Whitworth ignored the question and gestured towards the letter. ‘I am instructed to wait until the eighth of May for your response. If you refuse to comply, then I am to leave Paris and return to London.’
Napoleon felt his heart quicken. ‘Then you will declare war on France.’
‘I did not say that, sir.’Whitworth drew himself up so that he looked down on Napoleon as imperiously as possible.‘As all men know, England desires nothing more than peace.’
Napoleon felt some last measure of restraint snap inside him as he stared back at the haughty English aristocrat. He slammed his fist down, making the letter jump. ‘Respect the treaty then! Leave Malta at once!’
For a moment, they glared at each other.Then the ambassador bowed his head and backed a few steps away.‘I shall return to the embassy. I will await your reply. Until the eighth.’
Once he had gone,Talleyrand turned to Napoleon and asked, ‘Will you disband the army?’
‘No.’>
‘Then it’s war.’
‘So it seems,’ Napoleon replied evenly. ‘Though we shall give England the ignominy of declaring it.’
‘Do you think they will?’
‘I am certain of it.’
‘Then God help us all.’
Lord Whitworth waited in Paris until the appointed day and then, having received no response from Napoleon, left Paris with his meagre household in a small convoy of carriages. Four days later he boarded a ship at Calais and set sail for England. In Parliament the Tories, urged on by the revitalised fanaticism of William Pitt, proposed a motion to declare war on France.
One morning, late in May, Napoleon was at breakfast with Josephine when a footman entered the room and approached the table carrying a sealed message. Napoleon broke the wafer, unfolded the single sheet and read the hurriedly scribbled message. He set it down with a frown and stared fixedly at the window for a moment before Josephine gave a light cough.