(4) Lieutenant E.P. King Carr for the Defence: ‘I beg the court to bear in mind that though clearly these two men are guilty of absconding, their motivations were never treasonous. Private Noble was escaping extreme abuse at the hands of one Lieutenant Schneppen of the King’s German Legion, who at this moment is conveniently on leave and could not appear before this court, and who has, I wish to state for the record, other charges pending against him. And Private Meyer, a Prussian ally who’d previously been forced into servitude with the French, who escaped and heroically served our king at Walcheren, was merely trying to get back home in order to help overthrow the French occupation of his own country.’

(5) Judge Advocate the Honourable E.H. Ampleforth: ‘Based upon the evidence presented this day, I am inclined to agree with the Defence that the defendants were not intending to desert for the purposes of joining or fraternising with the enemy. However, there is no question of their intent to desert from the ranks of the King’s German Legion, 2nd Light Battalion, or of their wanton theft of the lugger Swiftwing during the attempt to do so. Therefore, I sentence Private James Francis Noble to transportation and fourteen years’ penal servitude in His Majesty’s colony of New South Wales, and Private Johannes Meyer to transportation and penal servitude for the term of his natural life in His Majesty’s colony of New South Wales.’

Book VI

BOOK VI

DIVORCE

The conqueror of Europe couldn’t bring himself to do it (though he wanted it done and knew that it was inevitable), so he asked Hortense to speak to her mother, and then he asked Eugène, but Josephine’s children said they’d not be party to it. He asked the archchancellor, who’d wrung his hands and pleaded to be spared the terrible task, and then he asked others too, but each had declined in turn, no matter the threats or promises.

Fontainebleau became miserable and oppressive, the whole situation exceedingly unpleasant, and the Emperor became volatile and raged unpredictably, more so than usual.

To everyone’s great relief, the Duc d’Otrante accepted the burden.

On the designated day, in Bonaparte’s study (where he’d been left alone to prepare), the ageing duke had a glass of the Emperor’s brandy and fixed his clothes in the mirror. Then he had another brandy and two more after that, and then, finally, strode across to Josephine’s chambers.

Graceful as ever, she answered the door and let him inside. The Duc d’Otrante cleared his throat and told the Empress that divorce was unavoidable and of utmost necessity in order for the Emperor to secure a dynasty with legitimate heirs.

‘It is for France that he sacrifices himself, my Empress,’ he said, exactly as he’d been instructed. ‘For France.’