Of course, he admitted to himself, the remnants of the enemy army still had to be brought to battle and annihilated. But after losing their capital and melting away into the desert it was surely only a matter of time before the fellahin levies returned to their homes, and then Murad Bey would have only a few thousand Mamelukes and Bedouin allies to continue the fight. What chance had they to frustrate French ambitions? Napoleon had already decided to hunt them down and destroy them utterly. Then there would be peace and France could begin to milk her latest conquest, wringing wealth out of Egypt to finance the sinews of war back in Europe. The Directory would be in his debt more than ever. Parisian society would worship him alongside the greatest heroes of France, and - his heart warmed at the thought - Josephine would glow with pride in her husband. One day he would return to her embrace as the great conqueror and they would be the most dazzling couple in Paris.

At that moment he felt a yearning for her more deep and profound than any he had experienced before and his mind dwelt on her every feature and facet of character in adoring detail. He could recall the scent of her hair, and the sweetness of her favourite perfume, and the soft, yielding flesh of her body. The thought sparked a hot surge of lust and Napoleon hurriedly forced her from his mind as he stiffened his spine and bowed his head to a group of merchants raising their arms in greeting.

Napoleon cleared his throat and spoke as clearly as he could. ‘Salaam aleikum.’

There was an instant of surprise in their expressions and Napoleon feared he had got the greeting wrong, then they smiled in delight and bowed their heads as they replied.

Junot edged his horse forward and grinned. ‘Seems to have gone down well, sir.’

‘Yes. But we’ll need to do far more than exchange a few pleasantries with them.’

‘Sir? What do you mean?’

‘Not now, Junot. We’ll talk later. Just enjoy the moment.’ Napoleon patted Junot’s shoulder. ‘Just think. In years to come, when you are old and grey, you will tell your grandchildren that you rode at General Bonaparte’s side as he captured Cairo for France.’

Junot suddenly looked serious. ‘I will treasure this moment, sir. Always.’

‘As will I, Junot.’ Napoleon nodded.‘I just wish Josephine was here to see it.’

Junot’s expression became more strained for an instant, and he looked away, quickly waving his hand in response to a fresh chorus of cheers from the crowd.