Napoleon's Rosebud by Humphry Knipe

Author:Humphry Knipe [Knipe, Humphry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sulby Hall Publishers
Published: 2016-04-25T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10: Virgin Hall

“The fool swallowed it?” said Napoleon.

“He loved every word,” said Charlotte. “I haven’t seen the governor smile before.”

The emperor, who rose at six, was already halfway through his petite levée when Charlotte arrived. Everything being done in the same order as before, as if he were at the Tuileries, Malmaison, Fontainebleau, Rambouillet, or Saint-Cloud instead of this ruined shack on a barren plain on a flyspeck of an island in the middle of nowhere.

He was standing at the window, shaving. His valet Marchand was holding the mirror, and a second valet held a tray with soap and water. The dogs barked. She was with the household servants, head hidden in a dirty scarf. The sleepy soldiers, who had heard nothing more sinister during the long, gusty night than the scream of a feral cat, hardly glanced at her. She entered the house through the back door, keeping her scarf on until she was shown into the imperial presence.

“That boy of yours, Daniel, is doing some excellent work for us, as are you. You both deserve to be rewarded.”

“There is no need. We do it for freedom.”

Napoleon glanced at her with such a quick movement that he nearly nicked himself with the razor. Cupid’s bow arched on his lips and then was gone when its arrow was discharged at her. “You mentioned that when you marry you are going to rent a farm called Virgin Hall in Sandy Bay?” he said, handing the cutthroat to Marchand.

“Yes. On his deathbed Daniel’s father sold it to my uncle Samuel.”

“For how much?”

“Two thousand pounds.”

“Do you recommend the place?”

“Oh, yes! It has spectacular views and anything will grow there.”

“Take a message to Balcombe.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.