‘Your title means nothing now. Your army is crushed, and the people of France will not forgive you for leading them to defeat again.’

‘I have other armies. Grouchy is still in the field. I can retreat on Paris, gather my soldiers to me and make a stand.’

‘There is no hope of resisting the coalition,’ Arthur said wearily. ‘It is over.’

‘There is always hope,’ Napoleon replied vehemently. ‘When I was exiled to Elba you all thought I was finished, admit it! And yet I came back. It took me less than a month to have France back in my grip. What is to stop me doing it again?’

‘There will be no Elba this time. You have been declared an outlaw. If the Prussians take you prisoner then you will be shot. I doubt if the Austrians or the Russians will be inclined to be any more merciful.’

‘And what of England? Would my oldest enemy do the same?’

‘I cannot speak for my government, but I would prefer not to see another ruler torn from his throne and executed like a common criminal. It disturbs the natural order of things. So, perhaps I should state my terms first.’ Arthur lowered his head for a moment to order his thoughts. ‘Tell your soldiers to surrender. Every man in your service. Then declare your unconditional abdication. In exchange, I will take you into custody. I offer you no guarantees for your protection. I will abide by whatever decision my government makes concerning your fate.’ Arthur looked up. ‘Those are my terms.’

Napoleon was silent for a moment before he responded. ‘Those terms would not dignify a dog. What can I do but refuse and fight on?’

‘With what? You have nothing to fight with, except a dwindling number of followers who only want a glorious end. I have seen enough of war to know that it has little glory. It is an ugly, cruel thing, and it would be better to put it behind us as soon as we can.’

‘Yet you have known no other life but that of a soldier at war,’ Napoleon said shrewdly. ‘Do you really think you can be comfortable with peace?’