Chapter 48 March 21, 1815: Napoleon Has Come Back!

Three weeks ago, I was sitting in the drawing room with Julie. She has been allowed to stay here, as my guest, although Joseph has gone to Switzerland. Count Rosen came in and said:

"Monsieur Fouche is here, you Highness."

I hate that man. But he always knows the latest news, so I told Rosen to bring him in.

"I hope I dont disturb Your Highness," said Fouche.

"Not at all," I replied. "I was writing a letter to His Majesty, and I dont like writing letters."

"Which Majesty?" Fouche asked.

"Which?" said Julie sharply. "King Louis XVIII, of course. Hes the only Majesty in France now, isnt he?"

"Last week he was. Today he isnt," Fouche answered with a mysterious smile.

I felt suddenly ill. My hand shook, and I had to put my teacup down. "What are you talking about, monsieur?" I asked.

"His Majesty, the Emperor Napoleon landed at Cannes on March the first. Hes already on the way to Paris."

"Napoleon is coming to Paris? Hes mad!" said Julie, "The army will drive him away. Theyll put him in prison."

"The army are marching with him, madame," said Fouche. "They havent been properly paid since he left France. He knew that when he decided to come."

I got up. "Please excuse me," I said. "I have a headache."

A hammer seemed to be knocking inside my head. I lay down on my bed, but the pain didnt stop. It got worse.

"Draw the curtains, Marie, " I said. "I shall try to sleep. I dont want to see anyone again today." Then I added: "You know what will happen now? My husband will have to fight Napoleon again!"

At eight oclock Marie woke me. "Hortense is here," she said. "She has brought her sons with her. I told her that you were ill; but she refuses to go away."

"First bring me some coffee, please, Marie," I said. "then she can come up here for a moment."

While I drank my coffee, I thought my last visit to Malmaison. It was in May last year, and the Empress Josephine had just died. Hortense had been living there with her mother. Her brother Eugene had arrived that day, with his daughter, little Josephine.

The girl is fair-haired, and shes going to be very beautiful. When I saw her, I had a sudden idea. If Im starting a new royal family in Sweden, I shall want some good-looking grandchildren!

But Eugene took his daughter back to Bavaria. So only Hortense and her two ugly sons were waiting to see me today.

"Please take care of my children, Desiree," she said as she pushed them into the room. "Their lives are in danger, but King Louis wont dare to arrest them inside your house. I beg you---"

"Of course the boys can stay," I interrupted her. "But now you must leave me. Im not feeling very well."

For the next two weeks we had no certain news. We only knew that Napoleons army was coming. But last night King Louis left the Tuileries through a back door and drove secretly away.

This morning Napoleons flag is flying on the palace roof. One of his officers arrived with a message for Julie.

"The Emperor will reach the Tuileries at nine oclock this evening," he said. "He wishes Their Majesties, Queen Julie of Spain and Queen Hortense of Holland, to welcome him there."

"Isnt it wonderful!" Julie cried. "People say the army went down on its knees in front of him."

"Perhaps the army did," I said. "But the people of France have other memories. And the armies of the allies wont go down on their knees."

Marie and I gave Hortenses boys a bath. Then we combed their hair and dressed them in their best clothes. They had to go to the palace with Julie.

"Will our cousin the King of Rome be there?" asked little Louis Napoleon.

"I dont know," I lied. I knew very well that he wouldnt. He is with his mother, the Empress Marie Louis. Im not sure where they are. In Switzerland perhaps, or in Italy. But one thing is certain: they wont come back to Paris.

At eight oclock an imperial coach arrived at our house. It took Julie and the children away. The house seemed strangely quiet after they had gone.

Count Rosen said: "Id have liked to see Napoleon arrive."

So I told him to take his uniform off and put on some ordinary clothes. I myself put on an old coat and hat. Together joined the crowd in the streets.

The Tuileries palace was brightly lit. soldiers formed a line on each side of the street, as they did at Napoleons coronation. A distant noise, like a storm wind over a forest, reached our ears. Slowly it grew nearer and louder. Then at last it was all around us. Thousands of voices were shouting: "Vive IEmpereur! Vive IEmpereur!"

His carriage drove wildly past, and hundreds of officers rode wildly after it. When it reached the Tuileries, the emperor got out.

The crowd broke through the line of soldiers. They picked him up and they carried him on their shoulders into the palace.

Then another carriage appeared, but it was only Fouche. A few weeks ago he was begging King Louis to give him a job. Now hes going to beg Napoleon. Who can trust a man like him?

"Thats enough," I said to Rosen.

We left the crowd outside the palace and walked home through empty streets.