He extended his hand. She took it reluctantly, put one foot on his foot in the stirrup, and with his tug, managed to scramble up behind him. Her seat wasn’t very comfortable, but at least the sergeant was warm to hold on to.
The men rode for a couple of miles, chatting idly as they studied their surroundings. They all seemed to be experienced soldiers, loyal to the emperor and ready to fight. They also complained about the weather and the food and the usual things soldiers complained about. They weren’t monsters like the guards she and Simon had met on their way out of Paris.
The group halted in front of a handsome stone tavern with a sign proclaiming it as La Belle Alliance. French soldiers milled around, and there were several artillery pieces in front. Gerard told Suzanne, “Off with you. You’re about to become a very lucky woman.”
She scowled at him, unable to think of any good interpretation of his comment other than getting out of the rain. He just grinned at her.
The lieutenant dismounted and escorted her inside. The tavern was warm and blessedly dry, and good food smells scented the air. Her captor explained to a captain sitting at a desk how they had found her and thought she might be worth interrogating.
The captain nodded and got to his feet. “I’ll see if he wants to do it himself. If not, I’ll question her.”
While she waited, Suzanne took off her cloak, which had given up any attempt at water resistance, and wrung it out, creating a small stream of water. One of the officers in the room snapped for her to stop making a mess. She bowed her head meekly and donned her wet cloak again.
The captain returned. “He wants to talk to you himself.”
Suzanne wondered who “he” was. An intelligence officer? Perhaps a general?
She was led into a dining room. Sitting at the table was Napoleon Bonaparte, the emperor of France.
Chapter 41
Suzanne gasped and sank to one knee. “Sire! Your Majesty!” A simple country girl wouldn’t know the proper way to address an emperor, but as long as she looked overcome with awe, she should be safe. That wasn’t difficult to do, either.
Though the vigorous young general who had led France to victory after victory was gone and he’d become a fat, pasty-faced man who didn’t look very healthy, Napoleon was still a compelling figure. He radiated power and confidence. No wonder people followed him, even when he led them to their deaths.
Not displeased by her reaction, the emperor waved a hand. “Get up now,” he said good-naturedly. “Look at me, girl.”
Suzanne stood, trying to look modest and dazzled. Again, it wasn’t difficult. “She has a look of my Josephine about her, doesn’t she?” the emperor mused.
Though he’d set his empress aside because Josephine gave him no heirs, it was said that the emperor had never stopped loving her. As several aides murmured agreement about her appearance, Suzanne said, “If so, I am honored, Your Majesty.”
The emperor asked her the same questions the lieutenant had. Her name. Her reason for being on the road. Her husband’s name and outfit. Then he asked, “You are French?”
“Yes, sire, I was born not far from here. My husband also is French.”
“Then why is he in the Dutch-Belgian army?” Bonaparte asked with a frown.
“He wasn’t given a choice, sire.” She thought of Simon and tears began welling up in her eyes. “All he wants to do is survive and come home to me, and it may already be too late. I fear he was taken captive by the enemy. I may never see him again!” Thinking of Simon made it too easy to cry.
“Someone give her a handkerchief,” the emperor ordered, as uncomfortable with a woman’s tears as most men were. “You were following the Anglo-Dutch army, hoping to find your husband,oui?”
“Yes, sire.”
“What are they doing now?” he asked, his gaze suddenly sharp.
What to say? With sudden ferocity, she thought,Confusion to the enemy!“After the defeat of the Prussians at Ligny and the sad showing of the Allies at Quatre Bras, the Anglo-Dutch are retreating north. Fleeing, really. It’s a mad scramble. Many of the camp followers weren’t able to keep up. It’s said that the Prussians are fleeing to the east, perhaps to the River Meuse. I do not speak of my own knowledge,” she added conscientiously. “But I heard it said by reliable men.”
“Good, good,” the emperor praised, looking vastly pleased. “Now we divide the British and Prussians and destroy them both!”
Suzanne kept her face blank, as if ignorant of military strategy. Well, she was fairly ignorant, but the false information she’d given the emperor should benefit the Allies.
The emperor barked, “Bring me maps!”
The captain who had escorted Suzanne into the imperial presence asked, “What should I do with the girl?”
Bonaparte waved an impatient hand. “Take her to the kitchen to be fed, then lock her up until this is all over.”
He’d already forgotten her before she even left the room. The captain took a firm grip on her arm and marched her to the kitchen, where half a dozen cooks were toiling to feed all the important people who had taken over the tavern. “Feed her some soup or something,” the captain ordered. “Then call a guard and have her locked up in the cellar.”
