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Another two very interesting updates. I can't wait for the next (coming soon I hope?).
For a smile of Elise...
You know you're having problems when you fail to post updates that have long since been written...
o
Paris, Armenoville's Salon and Restaurant; March 20th, 1818
Gaspard Gourgaud had spent nearly two months searching for the toy which attracted the attention of half the clientèle at the classy Armenoville's Salon and Restaurant on a chilly evening. The little mechanical device had fallen out of fashion since 1815, and had only been crafted in Great Britain in the first place; it had proven quite hard to find one still in working condition.
The toy was a working model of a miniature Napoleon, fat bellied and grotesque, standing at the bottom of a ladder. This little 'Boney' jerkily mounted the ladder's steps, each of them sporting the name of a country Napoléon had conquered. At the top step, marked St Helena, its legs crumpled and it fell off the ladder, helplessly suspended. There were a few shouts of laughter and many amused smiles when the toy Napoleon stood helpless in his grotesque position in mid-air. And there were surprise and wonder on a young woman's face.
'It is...' she began with a feeble voice, not knowing what to say.
'It's a toy the English fashioned to give their children a few scares' the ex-general replied with a grin. 'Just to show a man can have been one of Napoléon's confidants and make as much fun of him as anybody else.'
There was more laughter and a few cheers, and an older man clapped his hands, followed by much of the audience in a round of applause to which Gourgaud answered with a deep bow - which had the advantage of hiding just how wide his grin was. The toy 'Boney' had been meant for a rather limited audience; Napoléon's ex-companion hadn't imagined that most of the night's customers and even old Armenoville himself would come over to watch the little grotesque figure climb its ladder, stumble and fall.
The cheers and applause weren't what Gourgaud had been used to in the past few months, especially not coming from the regular customers at Armenoville's. Gourgaud had been introduced at the place by officers who had neither served with him nor under him, but who had decided the young General had been treated unfairly by their King. At a time when the French Army was being consistently rebuilt around a cadre of officers whose majority had served the Empereur, Gourgaud had been summoned by Louis XVIII himself, so that he would be notified of His Majesty's "gracious" decision not to strip him of his rank of Brigadier-General nor of his title of Baron - and of the decision to permanently retire him from active service, which had left Gourgaud without an occupation and without the knowledge to pursue any other trade than war at the still young age of 35.
Which did not mean Gourgaud was a man without a cause. In the wake of the Second Restoration followed many mediocre, and even a few brilliant writers dedicated to writing books slandering the former Emperor and criticizing in detail his defeats - often distorting some facts, obscuring others and lying when it was convenient. The retired General was quite keen to ridicule some of the better known writers - chiefly to embarrass those valiant defenders of the Monarchy, but also with an eye towards restoring his fortunes and, maybe, eventually returning to the Army. Gourgaud's own stipend didn't allow him to fund any kind of publication on a large scale, consequently he had two possibilities left open to him to get the money he needed: he could attract the attention of a rich sponsor, or he could marry the unwed daughter of a wealthy family. Both could be found among the regular crowd at Armenoville's, which was the reason Gourgaud had been trying so hard to get accepted by the regulars of the salon - something he could never have done by convincing them to adhere to his views.
General Gourgaud
The General had one major asset to make friends: himself. Gaspard Gourgaud was a tall man, lean and muscular, with a handsome face which didn't betray the fact he was already in his mid-thirties with a single line. He had intense black eyes and jet black hair, and sported carefully trimmed sideburns, a mustache and a short goatee; his tan had faded during the winter since his return from St Helena, but his complexion remained that of a man used to spending time outdoors. This agreeable physique had to be complemented by an attractive personality, and here Gourgaud's cheerful nature and confident demeanour also served him. Bringing the toy 'Boney' had given a masterful final touch to his image: now the influential people who frequented Armenoville's knew he was a cheerful and good-natured man.
Only one person had not looked amused by the little Napoléon. The young woman had caught the General's eye some nights before. And Gourgaud wasn't disappointed of the effect his toy "Boney" had had on the girl: she did not look amused because she was amazed by the tiny mechanical device.
Elise Descartes was not the most beautiful of women, at least according to the standards of that time, but she certainly wasn't one which could be forgotten easily. At first glance, she looked extremely fragile: petite and slender, she had a thinly chiseled, pearly white face, adorned by alluring blue eyes evoking ice-faceted jewels, and her face was surrounded by a wealth of light blond hair. This frail appearance had led many a man to believe Elise would be a meek and submissive woman; they were invariably taken aback by a razor-sharp mind, the ability to read characters with near-perfect accuracy, and Elise's nonchalant way of displaying her knowledge of the hearts of those men who annoyed her. Inevitably, Elise had acquired quite a reputation among the bourgeois and noblemen of Paris for a twenty-year old woman, and quite a few of these men held grudges against a girl which was too clever for her own good.
Twice a week the Descartes, wealthy Parisian merchants, came over to Armenoville's for supper, and they usually brought their daughter with them; Elise herself would sometimes come with her grandfather, a veteran of many wars who had once proven he still had enough in him to teach unceremonious young men a trick or two. In the wake of that incident he and Gaspard Gourgaud had become good friends. And it was this friendship which had first offered Gourgaud an opportunity to spend some time with young Elise - on those evenings when she wasn't stuck between her parents, who at first did not want to let their daughter in the company of one who claimed to be one of the "usurper" Napoléon's most ardent supporters.
Neither was Elise impressed by Gourgaud's ties with Napoléon. She talked like a girl who had been raised in a monarchist household, and did not hide the fact her grandfather's tales of battle and of soldierly camaraderie all sounded quite ridiculous to her, especially when she placed them in the perspective of the peaceful reign of a King whose power came from God, and not from the weakness of men.
The toy Napoléon had made Elise ask herself a lot of questions; later that evening, when the salon had become much quieter and its customers were quietly enjoying the distraction provided by a string quartet, she discreetly made it to the seat next to Gourgaud - so discreetly, in fact, that the young man jumped when he heard her whisper:
'Your earlier performance puzzled me, general' she said - and she suppressed a giggle when she saw him half-jump in his seat. 'I hope I didn't scare you' she made with a mischievous little grin.
'I'll have to admit I didn't expect to see you here' Gourgaud breathed back. He quickly managed to recover from the surprise and asked in his most courteous voice: 'Can I get you anything, milady?'
'Answers' Elise replied, all traces of her grin vanished to be replaced with a most serious expression. 'And a little audience as well' she added, 'and maybe a bit of forgiveness. I think I may have judged you too quickly.'
Gourgaud didn't know what to do with Elise's words - to tell the truth, he absolutely didn't know why she had sneaked away from her parents and come to sit with him. All he knew was that he might not be getting another chance at having a quiet conversation with the young woman in a while; he decided to let her ask whatever she needed to know to be comfortable with him, and to wait. The girl had a reputation of knowing exactly what she wanted.
'It's no trouble if you judged me a little quickly' he said with his kindest smile. 'It's pretty easy to make assumptions about someone who's spent two whole years in exile on the same island as Napoléon.'
'Actually that's pretty much what I have been having doubts on' Elise replied. 'I don't understand how a man who would have been so close to the Emperor hasn't been sent into an exile of his own by His Majesty.'
'You're right' Gourgaud made, his own smile fading from his traits. 'I should have been exiled, but Louis' - Elise winced at the casual use of the monarch's name, and Gourgaud caught himself: 'the King has apparently been told by the British that I represent no danger to his crown.'
The young woman raised an eyebrow. 'It sounds hardly plausible. If it had been me, I would have made sure there was absolutely nobody in France who might support Napoléon or anybody in his family should they make another bid for power. He does have a son, and many ambitious brothers.'
'You'd need to exile half the country if you were to get rid of all those who would support a Bonaparte' Gourgaud replied, suppressing a smile. 'In my case, though, the British are right. It isn't the Empire, the country, the Nation or the Bonapartists who made me follow the Emperor, it was Napoléon and the way he blended all of our ideals. The other Bonapartes may belong to the same dynasty; none of them are the young artillery lieutenant who served the Revolution and grew to be the ruler who inherited it and built upon it.'
'And then destroyed everything' Elise made derisively.
'Look around yourself. This major, on your right' - he turned his head in the direction of a young nobleman of proud bearing, 'learned what he knows about his trade at the Polytechnics school Napoléon founded. Now look towards the counter. A merchant is paying his bill - in Germinal Francs, a money that was stable enough to survive two falls of France and retain the same value. That Franc was created by Napoléon.'
'Mere symbols, and they don't really belong to Bonaparte' Elise countered.
'What about the laws allowing sir Armenoville to operate this place, then?' Gourgaud said. 'They're written in Napoléon's Code Civil. What about the army and the Garde Nationale protecting these laws? Inherited from the Revolution and reorganized by Napoléon into an army Europe's still afraid of, even when France is supposed to be quite tamed.' Gourgaud made a sweeping gesture, embracing the salon around them - and the world beyond its walls. 'The Empire lives on, milady. The government changed, but France stayed the same.'
Elise frowned, but she couldn't find an argument to oppose Gourgaud; she returned to her first inquiry: 'This still doesn't tell me why you haven't been exiled.'
'All I can tell you, once again, is that some influential British must have made our King realize I'm not a threat to his rule.'
'But there must have been somebody very well placed who protected you' Elise continued, focusing an oddly intense gaze on the ex-general.
'I don't know who it might be' the young man replied.
'Would you care to chance a guess?'
Gourgaud hesitated. He didn't understand why the young woman was so insistent on his proving that he was the man he said he was - and then more. They were talking as much about politics as they were about him. But then the ex-general reminded himself that Elise was precisely the kind of woman who'd be interested in the intellectual challenge presented by proving - or disproving - that he could be at the same time a Bonapartist and a man she could trust. And maybe she wanted to know whether he was a man who had more to offer her than good looks.
He had no way of knowing for sure, but he was right on both accounts.
'If I were to give a name' he finally made, 'it would be one connected with Admiral George Cockburn.'
'Admiral Cockburn? The governor of Cape Town?'
'The man himself. He was in charge of the Emperor's wardens at St Helena before he took his position there.'
'Oh.' Elise looked a little confounded. 'And... does the toy Napoléon come from Cockburn?'
'No, I didn't bring it back from St Helena' Gourgaud replied, stifling a laugh which would have been most unwelcome. 'But I discovered such toys existed there.'
'Do tell me that story, please' Elise asked with genuine interest.
'Well, the plans had been to lodge the Emperor at the Longwood manor, in the centre of the island, but when we arrived at St Helena the place wasn't ready for him - in fact governor Wilks' orders to take Napoléon into his custody came on the same ship as the Emperor. And of course there wasn't a suitable place to host all of our party in the mean time. Las Cases and I looked for houses for everybody, and the ones who accepted to lodge us and the Emperor were a family of merchants, the Balcombes.'
'And they spoke French?' Elise inquired.
'Just the eldest daughter, Betsy' Gourgaud replied.
'Weren't they afraid?'
'Most of the people on the island were, but not young Betsy. In fact' and Gourgaud smiled, 'she ended up being quite fond of him. When they were together Napoléon wasn't the Emperor, but rather an older brother. Their games together used to make Las Cases mad - he just couldn't stand seeing Betsy's complete ignorance of etiquette when she was with the Emperor.'
'What about you? Weren’t you surprised?' Elise inquired.
'To be honest, I couldn't stand it either.' Gourgaud smiled. 'It wasn't until recently that I understood why Napoléon didn't mind Betsy's manners. She was the only one on that island who thought of him as a man, and not as a legend. And you might want to leave as discreetly as you came' Gourgaud added, careful not to move his gaze, 'your parents seem to have noticed your absence.'
'Alright, but promise me you'll finish the story of this toy someday' Elise replied with a smile of her own, also careful not to make herself noticed.
'They're in the courtside corner' Gourgaud made, giving Elise a hint of her parents' position. 'And I promise.'
'Thank you, Gaspard.'
Elise leaned and kissed Gourgaud's cheek. Her lips were surprisingly fresh, as though she was cold, but Gourgaud didn't mind at that moment - he was just anxious to see her leave for a less questionable part of the salon. He was fascinated at the ease with which the girl blended with the crowd to conceal her movements; he only managed to follow her with his gaze because he had not shifted his eyes from her.
But then he forced himself to look elsewhere; it would do him no good to let Elise get away from him unseen only to betray her whereabouts with his eyes. Instead he replayed the short conversation in his head. It hadn't gone halfway as badly as it might have, considering the touchy subjects they had discussed.
When Gourgaud finally left Armenoville, late that evening, the Descartes were already gone, but Elise was still in the young man's thoughts. He knew that at some point the young woman would offer him apologies for having doubted who he was - she certainly had sounded like a person who didn't like misjudging other people, especially when her bad opinion of them was unjustified.
He was busy imagining how she might repay for the offence made to him. And how repayment might involve a pair of fresh pink lips.
You know you're having problems when you fail to post updates that have long since been written...
o**
Armenoville's Restaurant today.
**
Armenoville's Restaurant today.
**
Paris, Armenoville's Salon and Restaurant; March 20th, 1818
Gaspard Gourgaud had spent nearly two months searching for the toy which attracted the attention of half the clientèle at the classy Armenoville's Salon and Restaurant on a chilly evening. The little mechanical device had fallen out of fashion since 1815, and had only been crafted in Great Britain in the first place; it had proven quite hard to find one still in working condition.
The toy was a working model of a miniature Napoleon, fat bellied and grotesque, standing at the bottom of a ladder. This little 'Boney' jerkily mounted the ladder's steps, each of them sporting the name of a country Napoléon had conquered. At the top step, marked St Helena, its legs crumpled and it fell off the ladder, helplessly suspended. There were a few shouts of laughter and many amused smiles when the toy Napoleon stood helpless in his grotesque position in mid-air. And there were surprise and wonder on a young woman's face.
'It is...' she began with a feeble voice, not knowing what to say.
'It's a toy the English fashioned to give their children a few scares' the ex-general replied with a grin. 'Just to show a man can have been one of Napoléon's confidants and make as much fun of him as anybody else.'
There was more laughter and a few cheers, and an older man clapped his hands, followed by much of the audience in a round of applause to which Gourgaud answered with a deep bow - which had the advantage of hiding just how wide his grin was. The toy 'Boney' had been meant for a rather limited audience; Napoléon's ex-companion hadn't imagined that most of the night's customers and even old Armenoville himself would come over to watch the little grotesque figure climb its ladder, stumble and fall.
The cheers and applause weren't what Gourgaud had been used to in the past few months, especially not coming from the regular customers at Armenoville's. Gourgaud had been introduced at the place by officers who had neither served with him nor under him, but who had decided the young General had been treated unfairly by their King. At a time when the French Army was being consistently rebuilt around a cadre of officers whose majority had served the Empereur, Gourgaud had been summoned by Louis XVIII himself, so that he would be notified of His Majesty's "gracious" decision not to strip him of his rank of Brigadier-General nor of his title of Baron - and of the decision to permanently retire him from active service, which had left Gourgaud without an occupation and without the knowledge to pursue any other trade than war at the still young age of 35.
Which did not mean Gourgaud was a man without a cause. In the wake of the Second Restoration followed many mediocre, and even a few brilliant writers dedicated to writing books slandering the former Emperor and criticizing in detail his defeats - often distorting some facts, obscuring others and lying when it was convenient. The retired General was quite keen to ridicule some of the better known writers - chiefly to embarrass those valiant defenders of the Monarchy, but also with an eye towards restoring his fortunes and, maybe, eventually returning to the Army. Gourgaud's own stipend didn't allow him to fund any kind of publication on a large scale, consequently he had two possibilities left open to him to get the money he needed: he could attract the attention of a rich sponsor, or he could marry the unwed daughter of a wealthy family. Both could be found among the regular crowd at Armenoville's, which was the reason Gourgaud had been trying so hard to get accepted by the regulars of the salon - something he could never have done by convincing them to adhere to his views.
General Gourgaud
The General had one major asset to make friends: himself. Gaspard Gourgaud was a tall man, lean and muscular, with a handsome face which didn't betray the fact he was already in his mid-thirties with a single line. He had intense black eyes and jet black hair, and sported carefully trimmed sideburns, a mustache and a short goatee; his tan had faded during the winter since his return from St Helena, but his complexion remained that of a man used to spending time outdoors. This agreeable physique had to be complemented by an attractive personality, and here Gourgaud's cheerful nature and confident demeanour also served him. Bringing the toy 'Boney' had given a masterful final touch to his image: now the influential people who frequented Armenoville's knew he was a cheerful and good-natured man.
Only one person had not looked amused by the little Napoléon. The young woman had caught the General's eye some nights before. And Gourgaud wasn't disappointed of the effect his toy "Boney" had had on the girl: she did not look amused because she was amazed by the tiny mechanical device.
Elise Descartes was not the most beautiful of women, at least according to the standards of that time, but she certainly wasn't one which could be forgotten easily. At first glance, she looked extremely fragile: petite and slender, she had a thinly chiseled, pearly white face, adorned by alluring blue eyes evoking ice-faceted jewels, and her face was surrounded by a wealth of light blond hair. This frail appearance had led many a man to believe Elise would be a meek and submissive woman; they were invariably taken aback by a razor-sharp mind, the ability to read characters with near-perfect accuracy, and Elise's nonchalant way of displaying her knowledge of the hearts of those men who annoyed her. Inevitably, Elise had acquired quite a reputation among the bourgeois and noblemen of Paris for a twenty-year old woman, and quite a few of these men held grudges against a girl which was too clever for her own good.
Twice a week the Descartes, wealthy Parisian merchants, came over to Armenoville's for supper, and they usually brought their daughter with them; Elise herself would sometimes come with her grandfather, a veteran of many wars who had once proven he still had enough in him to teach unceremonious young men a trick or two. In the wake of that incident he and Gaspard Gourgaud had become good friends. And it was this friendship which had first offered Gourgaud an opportunity to spend some time with young Elise - on those evenings when she wasn't stuck between her parents, who at first did not want to let their daughter in the company of one who claimed to be one of the "usurper" Napoléon's most ardent supporters.
Neither was Elise impressed by Gourgaud's ties with Napoléon. She talked like a girl who had been raised in a monarchist household, and did not hide the fact her grandfather's tales of battle and of soldierly camaraderie all sounded quite ridiculous to her, especially when she placed them in the perspective of the peaceful reign of a King whose power came from God, and not from the weakness of men.
The toy Napoléon had made Elise ask herself a lot of questions; later that evening, when the salon had become much quieter and its customers were quietly enjoying the distraction provided by a string quartet, she discreetly made it to the seat next to Gourgaud - so discreetly, in fact, that the young man jumped when he heard her whisper:
'Your earlier performance puzzled me, general' she said - and she suppressed a giggle when she saw him half-jump in his seat. 'I hope I didn't scare you' she made with a mischievous little grin.
'I'll have to admit I didn't expect to see you here' Gourgaud breathed back. He quickly managed to recover from the surprise and asked in his most courteous voice: 'Can I get you anything, milady?'
'Answers' Elise replied, all traces of her grin vanished to be replaced with a most serious expression. 'And a little audience as well' she added, 'and maybe a bit of forgiveness. I think I may have judged you too quickly.'
Gourgaud didn't know what to do with Elise's words - to tell the truth, he absolutely didn't know why she had sneaked away from her parents and come to sit with him. All he knew was that he might not be getting another chance at having a quiet conversation with the young woman in a while; he decided to let her ask whatever she needed to know to be comfortable with him, and to wait. The girl had a reputation of knowing exactly what she wanted.
'It's no trouble if you judged me a little quickly' he said with his kindest smile. 'It's pretty easy to make assumptions about someone who's spent two whole years in exile on the same island as Napoléon.'
'Actually that's pretty much what I have been having doubts on' Elise replied. 'I don't understand how a man who would have been so close to the Emperor hasn't been sent into an exile of his own by His Majesty.'
'You're right' Gourgaud made, his own smile fading from his traits. 'I should have been exiled, but Louis' - Elise winced at the casual use of the monarch's name, and Gourgaud caught himself: 'the King has apparently been told by the British that I represent no danger to his crown.'
The young woman raised an eyebrow. 'It sounds hardly plausible. If it had been me, I would have made sure there was absolutely nobody in France who might support Napoléon or anybody in his family should they make another bid for power. He does have a son, and many ambitious brothers.'
'You'd need to exile half the country if you were to get rid of all those who would support a Bonaparte' Gourgaud replied, suppressing a smile. 'In my case, though, the British are right. It isn't the Empire, the country, the Nation or the Bonapartists who made me follow the Emperor, it was Napoléon and the way he blended all of our ideals. The other Bonapartes may belong to the same dynasty; none of them are the young artillery lieutenant who served the Revolution and grew to be the ruler who inherited it and built upon it.'
'And then destroyed everything' Elise made derisively.
'Look around yourself. This major, on your right' - he turned his head in the direction of a young nobleman of proud bearing, 'learned what he knows about his trade at the Polytechnics school Napoléon founded. Now look towards the counter. A merchant is paying his bill - in Germinal Francs, a money that was stable enough to survive two falls of France and retain the same value. That Franc was created by Napoléon.'
'Mere symbols, and they don't really belong to Bonaparte' Elise countered.
'What about the laws allowing sir Armenoville to operate this place, then?' Gourgaud said. 'They're written in Napoléon's Code Civil. What about the army and the Garde Nationale protecting these laws? Inherited from the Revolution and reorganized by Napoléon into an army Europe's still afraid of, even when France is supposed to be quite tamed.' Gourgaud made a sweeping gesture, embracing the salon around them - and the world beyond its walls. 'The Empire lives on, milady. The government changed, but France stayed the same.'
Elise frowned, but she couldn't find an argument to oppose Gourgaud; she returned to her first inquiry: 'This still doesn't tell me why you haven't been exiled.'
'All I can tell you, once again, is that some influential British must have made our King realize I'm not a threat to his rule.'
'But there must have been somebody very well placed who protected you' Elise continued, focusing an oddly intense gaze on the ex-general.
'I don't know who it might be' the young man replied.
'Would you care to chance a guess?'
Gourgaud hesitated. He didn't understand why the young woman was so insistent on his proving that he was the man he said he was - and then more. They were talking as much about politics as they were about him. But then the ex-general reminded himself that Elise was precisely the kind of woman who'd be interested in the intellectual challenge presented by proving - or disproving - that he could be at the same time a Bonapartist and a man she could trust. And maybe she wanted to know whether he was a man who had more to offer her than good looks.
He had no way of knowing for sure, but he was right on both accounts.
'If I were to give a name' he finally made, 'it would be one connected with Admiral George Cockburn.'
'Admiral Cockburn? The governor of Cape Town?'
'The man himself. He was in charge of the Emperor's wardens at St Helena before he took his position there.'
'Oh.' Elise looked a little confounded. 'And... does the toy Napoléon come from Cockburn?'
'No, I didn't bring it back from St Helena' Gourgaud replied, stifling a laugh which would have been most unwelcome. 'But I discovered such toys existed there.'
'Do tell me that story, please' Elise asked with genuine interest.
'Well, the plans had been to lodge the Emperor at the Longwood manor, in the centre of the island, but when we arrived at St Helena the place wasn't ready for him - in fact governor Wilks' orders to take Napoléon into his custody came on the same ship as the Emperor. And of course there wasn't a suitable place to host all of our party in the mean time. Las Cases and I looked for houses for everybody, and the ones who accepted to lodge us and the Emperor were a family of merchants, the Balcombes.'
'And they spoke French?' Elise inquired.
'Just the eldest daughter, Betsy' Gourgaud replied.
'Weren't they afraid?'
'Most of the people on the island were, but not young Betsy. In fact' and Gourgaud smiled, 'she ended up being quite fond of him. When they were together Napoléon wasn't the Emperor, but rather an older brother. Their games together used to make Las Cases mad - he just couldn't stand seeing Betsy's complete ignorance of etiquette when she was with the Emperor.'
'What about you? Weren’t you surprised?' Elise inquired.
'To be honest, I couldn't stand it either.' Gourgaud smiled. 'It wasn't until recently that I understood why Napoléon didn't mind Betsy's manners. She was the only one on that island who thought of him as a man, and not as a legend. And you might want to leave as discreetly as you came' Gourgaud added, careful not to move his gaze, 'your parents seem to have noticed your absence.'
'Alright, but promise me you'll finish the story of this toy someday' Elise replied with a smile of her own, also careful not to make herself noticed.
'They're in the courtside corner' Gourgaud made, giving Elise a hint of her parents' position. 'And I promise.'
'Thank you, Gaspard.'
Elise leaned and kissed Gourgaud's cheek. Her lips were surprisingly fresh, as though she was cold, but Gourgaud didn't mind at that moment - he was just anxious to see her leave for a less questionable part of the salon. He was fascinated at the ease with which the girl blended with the crowd to conceal her movements; he only managed to follow her with his gaze because he had not shifted his eyes from her.
But then he forced himself to look elsewhere; it would do him no good to let Elise get away from him unseen only to betray her whereabouts with his eyes. Instead he replayed the short conversation in his head. It hadn't gone halfway as badly as it might have, considering the touchy subjects they had discussed.
When Gourgaud finally left Armenoville, late that evening, the Descartes were already gone, but Elise was still in the young man's thoughts. He knew that at some point the young woman would offer him apologies for having doubted who he was - she certainly had sounded like a person who didn't like misjudging other people, especially when her bad opinion of them was unjustified.
He was busy imagining how she might repay for the offence made to him. And how repayment might involve a pair of fresh pink lips.
Elise Descartes, a committed monarchist, hmm? I'm sure she could make quite a bit of trouble together with Gourgaud...
Eww...
Descartes?
So much talk of Napoleon.
Maybe he might come back?
I had to keep the names simple for a couple of players at my RPG table when I created Elise
Maybe
Excellent update.
I only need now to remember where it all began
Thanks!
There isn't all that much to read, is there? Elise Descartes, a committed monarchist, hmm? I'm sure she could make quite a bit of trouble together with Gourgaud...
So am I
Thanks for reading!
You're updating again. Brilliant. I wonder i Gourgaud's relationship with Elise will be become draining...
You're updating again. Brilliant. I wonder i Gourgaud's relationship with Elise will be become draining...
Who knows!
Thanks for reading
To fight Ennui.
March 21st, 1818.
Caine be thrice damned! Three months wasted refusing to believe Gourgaud was not anybody else's pawn, when I could have approached him as early as in January! Even worse, it was his own moves which prove him not to be an agent of any court! Who knows how much longer I could have spent studying him before finally deciding to see him for what he was. Age is making me paranoid...
And now with the days growing longer here it will be much harder to spend time in Gourgaud's company. I might manage another two or three but not more. I need all the details he can give me about this Betsy Balcombe, but I am not sure I can get them without losing precious time to act on that information. I could of course employ much more direct means than straight conversation with the good ex-general, but the odds of this allowing the Prince to discover I am up to something are too great - especially now that travel to St Helena will be a hard proposition.
Maybe I should simply leave for the Island and check on the Balcombe girl myself. All my efforts with Gourgaud are going to be quite pointless if the girl I intend to impersonate no longer lives on the island - and at any rate I will not be finding a replacement for her elsewhere. There are other women in Napoléon's entourage, after all. Who knows, one of them might even be the reason why the delicious young general had to leave his Emperor...
I need to make arrangements to have my decoy moved to Potsdam - Lidvina will keep her safe. She is no longer needed here, and now I have had close contact with Gourgaud he is bound to notice the decoy does not remember what happened tonight. Then I can fall back on a grave illness as an explanation for my disappearance.
And if worse comes to worst, I can always burn Armenoville's place. It was paid for with my money, after all.
It is ironic how I have difficulty keeping interest in the whole affair. I took three hours just to write this entry. I had forgotten how stupid the kine were, even the ones who call themselves intellectuals. It had been so long since I last mingled with them. Has it really been thirty years since Frederik's death?
Maybe I should frequent kine a bit more to avoid slip-ups like this evening - but what a bore it would be! Still I am lucky none of the people at Armenoville's could understand my surprise when Gourgaud showed off his ridiculous toy; none of them could conceive that I was actually amazed at how precise modern mechanical constructs are. Today's human world is too different from the one I knew, and the pace at which they make progress seems to become faster with every passing decade. I will have to keep that in mind when I finally meet with my quarry.
I actually owe Gourgaud thanks for bringing his toy to my domain. It has made me understand why the younger of my kin have cause to scorn their elders; we are hopelessly behind the times, and there is almost no chance we will ever catch up. It is incredibly frustrating to see no other option than to rely upon much younger people to handle the day-to-day business. It is even worse to have the impression your existence will not serve any real purpose for much longer. With no interest in playing the games Kindred of my age enjoy, it looks like one of the most dangerous foes I shall have to face in the next centuries will be boredom. And bored Kindred make mistakes, and at my age mistakes have fatal consequences.
Maybe St Helena's prisoner will protect me from the perils of Ennui. Breaking Napoléon Bonaparte and remaking him into a servant of my will would be a rather... unique... experience.
Excerpt from the diary of Elsie von Carstein
**
**
March 21st, 1818.
Caine be thrice damned! Three months wasted refusing to believe Gourgaud was not anybody else's pawn, when I could have approached him as early as in January! Even worse, it was his own moves which prove him not to be an agent of any court! Who knows how much longer I could have spent studying him before finally deciding to see him for what he was. Age is making me paranoid...
And now with the days growing longer here it will be much harder to spend time in Gourgaud's company. I might manage another two or three but not more. I need all the details he can give me about this Betsy Balcombe, but I am not sure I can get them without losing precious time to act on that information. I could of course employ much more direct means than straight conversation with the good ex-general, but the odds of this allowing the Prince to discover I am up to something are too great - especially now that travel to St Helena will be a hard proposition.
Maybe I should simply leave for the Island and check on the Balcombe girl myself. All my efforts with Gourgaud are going to be quite pointless if the girl I intend to impersonate no longer lives on the island - and at any rate I will not be finding a replacement for her elsewhere. There are other women in Napoléon's entourage, after all. Who knows, one of them might even be the reason why the delicious young general had to leave his Emperor...
I need to make arrangements to have my decoy moved to Potsdam - Lidvina will keep her safe. She is no longer needed here, and now I have had close contact with Gourgaud he is bound to notice the decoy does not remember what happened tonight. Then I can fall back on a grave illness as an explanation for my disappearance.
And if worse comes to worst, I can always burn Armenoville's place. It was paid for with my money, after all.
It is ironic how I have difficulty keeping interest in the whole affair. I took three hours just to write this entry. I had forgotten how stupid the kine were, even the ones who call themselves intellectuals. It had been so long since I last mingled with them. Has it really been thirty years since Frederik's death?
Maybe I should frequent kine a bit more to avoid slip-ups like this evening - but what a bore it would be! Still I am lucky none of the people at Armenoville's could understand my surprise when Gourgaud showed off his ridiculous toy; none of them could conceive that I was actually amazed at how precise modern mechanical constructs are. Today's human world is too different from the one I knew, and the pace at which they make progress seems to become faster with every passing decade. I will have to keep that in mind when I finally meet with my quarry.
I actually owe Gourgaud thanks for bringing his toy to my domain. It has made me understand why the younger of my kin have cause to scorn their elders; we are hopelessly behind the times, and there is almost no chance we will ever catch up. It is incredibly frustrating to see no other option than to rely upon much younger people to handle the day-to-day business. It is even worse to have the impression your existence will not serve any real purpose for much longer. With no interest in playing the games Kindred of my age enjoy, it looks like one of the most dangerous foes I shall have to face in the next centuries will be boredom. And bored Kindred make mistakes, and at my age mistakes have fatal consequences.
Maybe St Helena's prisoner will protect me from the perils of Ennui. Breaking Napoléon Bonaparte and remaking him into a servant of my will would be a rather... unique... experience.
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That's the problem with inmortals. You remain the same, while the world changes and dies...
Ahh I had the feeling Elise was one of them. She was too good.
She's slipping ^^
How true. I like the challenge trying to picture their thoughts presents
And thus the Napoléon of Vampires was born.
Eh, not too fast!
And the age being what?
How dare you ask a lady's age!
... if you must know, she was born in the late XVth century.
I'm very appreciative of this story being brought back to the land of the.. undead
Awaiting the continuation
Awaiting the continuation
I'm very appreciative of this story being brought back to the land of the.. undead
Awaiting the continuation
Thank you!
With so many hints and admissions, it might be time to call this by its name