Elusive Liberty by Glen Davies

Author:Glen Davies [Davies, Glen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Bored by the routine of mounting guard behind the lines on positions that were never attacked, being fallen in only to be fallen out again, deprived even of the hope of Emilie’s company with her departure for England, Alexander decided to expand his activities. Flushed with the success of the portrait of Mathilde and her children, he began to circulate among the better off tradesmen, offering family portraits.

‘I’ve just finished painting the wife of the local wineshop proprietor,’ he wrote to Frederic by balloon post. ‘She’s as broad as she’s tall, so I had to use a square canvas! It will help pay off my debts, for I bought a valise and a ring for Jeanne-Emilie. The aunt being in need of medical care, the British Charitable Fund has paid for them to go through the lines. You can’t imagine how much I miss her, but with smallpox in the city, I’m relieved she isn’t at the hospital any more. There are still some in Paris who agitate to accept the Prussians terms for an armistice without the revictualment of Paris, but most want to fight on ‘to the death’. Fight at all would be something! We hear you’re seeing a little more action out there. When can we expect to see your relieving forces at the gates?’

*

The news, brought in by pigeon, that the French had retaken Orléans, fell on the depressed and hungry city like manna from Heaven. Complete strangers hugged each other on the street and every amateur soldier in the city, in and out of uniform, began to agitate for a Sortie to the south-east, to tie up with the Orléans forces.

‘Absolute nonsense, of course,’ blustered Ducrot. Louis, who’d spent the first two weeks of November in the saddle, gathering up scattered groups of soldiers, marines and National Guards and shepherding them across to the north-west of the City, ready for the Great Sortie across the Gennevilliers peninsula, was inclined to agree.

He’d been away from Headquarters for all that time, so it was only when the staff officers were summoned to the Hotel de Ville that he’d found the note from Emilie. To learn that his sister was not, after all, safely in England was a terrible blow, but at such a critical moment he could hardly ask for leave.

It was the first time the Government had met under one roof since the disastrous attempt at Revolution, and the passage of time had not healed the rifts. Some very angry ministers wanted to know why Gambetta hadn’t been told of the plans for the Paris breakout.

‘I had not anticipated any assistance from the provincial forces,’ replied Trochu. ‘An attack on Orléans was not part of my Plan.’

‘So they’re heading towards us from the south. No matter. We’ll go to meet them.’

Ducrot strode up to the table and flung his General’s baton down. ‘Gentlemen! The entire army in Paris has been shifted to the north-west! We’ve built pontoons to cross the Seine, made immense preparations to take the enemy at his weakest point.

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