‘Enough!’ Napoleon slapped his hand down. ‘The situation in the Peninsula is moving in our favour. Victory there is inevitable. In the spring I shall send more men to Spain, together with Masséna, and the English will be routed once and for all. So let us not waste another moment thinking on it. We are here to choose a bride. As I pointed out, a marriage would do much to strengthen our ties with Russia. The risk lies with the ability of the Tsar’s sister to present us with an heir.’ He paused. ‘On the other hand, Princess Marie-Louise is nineteen, a ripe enough age to produce children. The pity of it is that she is no beauty.’ He recalled the long Hapsburg face she had inherited from Emperor Francis, together with a narrow nose and bulging eyes. ‘I admit that the thought of bedding her appeals more to my sense of duty than to my desire as a man.’

‘Sometimes great men are called on to make great sacrifices,’ Talleyrand shrugged. ‘Do not forget, sire, that it is your duty to provide France with an heir.’

‘True, but in this case I wish there was an easier way to achieve that end.’

Louis, who had not yet spoken, or even seemed terribly interested, stirred and caught his brother’s eye.‘If you’ll pardon me, I seem to recall hearing that one of her forebears, a great-aunt I think, gave birth to twenty-six children. That answers to her suitability for marriage on one ground.’

Napoleon stared at Louis. ‘Twenty-six children? Astonishing. That is just the kind of womb I want to marry.’ He turned to Champagny, Talleyrand’s successor as minister for foreign affairs. ‘Do we know how the Austrians will react to the offer?’

‘Indeed, sire. When I discussed the matter with their ambassador, he said that Prince Metternich had suggested a similar form of alliance between France and Austria. Apparently he had even mentioned Marie-Louise by name.’

‘That’s good,’ Napoleon mused. If Metternich could smooth the path for the marriage proposal then it stood every chance of success. However, he reflected, if Metternich was for such a marriage, then he was sure to be playing some kind of long game. Be that as it may, marriage to Princess Marie-Louise served France’s immediate interests, and if she proved fruitful, France’s long-term interests as well. He looked round the table and nodded.

‘All right, then, Princess Marie-Louise it is. Champagny, you must place our offer before the Austrians as soon as possible. If they agree, then we will need to move swiftly. I want to give the Russians as little time as possible to register any kind of protest about closer ties between France and Austria.’

‘Yes, sire.’