The Rape Of Venice

Here is my warrant for requiring your assistance. There can be no risk of their attempting to assassinate him, because even a child would know that, did they succeed, we should burn the whole city about their ears. But, if they are secretly informed of his coming, and it is made apparently easy for them to kidnap him while he is here, it seems to me that they would hardly be likely to forgo such a temptation.'

The hotheads would jump at such a chance,' Villetard agreed, 'but I rather doubt if the more level-headed would risk taking part in a gamble of that kind. After all, whatever they might force General Boneparte to sign as the price of his liberty would not be worth the paper it was printed on. The moment he was free he would not hesitate to repudiate it and, like as not, in one of his fine rages, turn his troops loose to sack the city.'

With a smile. Roger shook his head. "No. Malderini and his friends could do better than that. They could first demand from him a declaration restoring to the City of Venice her independence. Once that had been published, as though emanating from him at some headquarters on the mainland, it would be natural that the withdrawal of the French garrison should follow. They would make him sign another order to that effect and wait until there was not a single French soldier left in Venice before releasing him. If things had gone to that length, he could not repudiate his declaration and order the reoccupation of the city without suffering great loss of face; because his kidnappers would have warned him that, should he attempt to do so they would disclose the fact that he had been abducted and coerced. For it to become known that a General-in-Chief had allowed himself to be captured by a handful of civilians would make him the laughing-stock of Europe. Can you see our little Boneparte putting himself in such a position?'

T certainly cannot."

'Then I wish you to see Malderini as soon as possible and instruct him to prepare his fellow conspirators to take part in a plot on those lines.'

'I take it you have no intention of allowing General Boneparte to be captured; but intend to ambush his would-be kidnappers when they make their attempt."

'Exactly.'

'But how does Malderini come into this? He might be killed, or anyway would be among the captured. If General Boneparte decided to reward him afterwards for enabling us to bag these malcontents, by making him First Magistrate, all Venice would realise the truth that it was he who had betrayed his companions. In such a case his life would not be worth a month's purchase. It's certain that some relative of one of the men he had betrayed would assassinate him.'

'He will be killed, because I intend to kill him. But it will be for you to still his fears and flatter his ambitions. Tell him that there will be no shooting unless his friends shoot first, and that the strictest orders will be given that none of his party are to be fired upon unless they use a weapon. Tell him that he must make some excuse not to act as leader and spokesman, but keep in the background, where he should be safe even from a stray bullet. Tell him that all the others will be executed to ensure their silence about his having been one of them, and that he will be allowed to escape. No Venetian need ever know that he took part in the attempt. Finally, promise him on General Bonepart's behalf that, if all goes well, a clause shall be inserted in the peace treaty reviving the ancient office of Doge, and that he shall be installed in it.'

Villetard nodded. 'Yes. Given an assurance of such measures for his own protection both during and after the coup, I doubt if he could resist walking into so well-baited a trap. I see one possibility, though, which might, temporarily at least, deprive you of your personal revenge.'

'What is it?'

'If he is not to act as leader, why should he go at all? Providing he gets his friends to make the attempt and furnishes us with full particulars of their arrangements, he will have played his part. To avoid all risk to himself he could pretend illness at the last moment as an excuse not to accompany them.'

'I had thought of that,' Roger smiled, 'so I intend to provide him with a special reason for being of the party; a reason which no normal illness would excuse in the eyes of his companions. Have you ever met his wife?'

'No. Few people have. He keeps her, as they term it in the East, in purdah. But I know her well by sight. Everybody does, because she makes such a distinctive figure. She is often to be seen accompanied by Malderini's lanky manservant walking in the city in the morning, and whenever the weather is clement she sits on the balcony of the Palace watching the traffic in the Grand Canal for an hour or two in the afternoon. Why do you ask?'

'Only because it is my intention to kidnap her.'

'How will that assist your plan?'

'Anything to do with the East holds a particular attraction for the General-in-Chief. His reason for coming to Venice is that I have told him about her and the idea of a tete-a-tete supper with an Indian Princess greatly appeals to him.'

Without the quiver of an eyelid, Roger went on to tell another thumping lie. 'It was that which led me to suggest to him that this secret visit of his would provide us with an excellent opportunity to ensnare the potential trouble-makers of Venice. He approved my idea and has sent me to arrange matters.'

Villetard ran his finger down his long nose. 'You certainly have a fertile mind for such schemes, Citizen Breuc, and I am fortunate to have your co-operation in clearing out these vipers. Have you worked out your plan in detail?'

Roger bowed. 'Thank you. Citizen Minister. Yes I take it you have plenty of people at your disposal who can put rumours into circulation?'

'Plenty. I often have to use such methods.'

'Then first I would like you to have it put about as soon as possible that General Boneparte is already in the city and has been living here for several days incognito, and that having on several occasions seen the Princess Sirisha he has expressed great interest in her, so that it gets to Malderini's ears and those of his fellow conspirators.'

'Yes. I will do that. What then?'

'I want you to find for me by tonight a suitable house for this tete-a-tete supper; so that I can make all arrangements there tomorrow. It will, of course, be during the supper that the kidnapping attempt will take place; so it must be one in which I can conceal a score of troops, yet have them handy. The difficulty is that it should be somewhere fairly isolated, in case shooting does occur; because in no circumstances can we have a night-patrol arriving on the scene and discovering the General-in-Chief in such a situation.'

'I appreciate that,' Villetard nodded, 'and I think I know the very place to suit you. It is an island about three miles distant, called Portillo. On it there is a little casino, a charming place. Beautifully furnished. It was the property of the last French Ambassador here before the Revolution, so was taken over by us at the same time as the Embassy. Many of the Venetian nobles own such casinos and, as was the Ambassador's custom, use them for entertaining the ladies of the Opera.'

'Nothing could be better. Then today you will see Malderini and put to him this project for kidnapping General Boneparte. You will also get the rumours going about his being in the city and the interest he has expressed in the Princess. Tomorrow I shall require a few of the Embassy servants who can be relied on to keep their mouths shut to come out with me to Portillo and prepare the casino there for the General's reception. The following day I propose to kidnap the Princess and take her there. I shall do it publicly and in such a manner that everyone will know that she has been abducted by the French. If the rumours do their work, Malderini and his friends will believe that she had been carried off by Boneparte's orders. In consequence, he will not have the face to back out from accompanying them in a bid to kidnap the General and rescue her. Is that all clear?'