Chapter 12 – An emissary from France
During the course of the previous day the duke had ordered a number of the king’s royal guards to make discrete enquiries about a certain Frenchman and his son who had arrived in the kingdom in the summer of 1792. It was not long before their enquiries led two of the king’s guards to a cottage on one of the wine farms close to the Montugan Alps. Although he had started out on the farm as a labourer, the Marquis’s prior experience of the operations of a wine farm were soon detected by the landowner. The Marquis was appointed as the senior foreman shortly after their arrival. Philippe’s high spirited nature enabled him to make friends with the children of other workers on the farm. To their mutual surprise, both found their new simpler lifestyle to be comfortable and enjoyable enough to delay their original plans.
The only occasion on which the Marquis’ true identity had almost been exposed had been when a Montugan Duke came to the farm to visit the landowner for lunch. A table for the duke and his host had been set up outside, near the wine cellar. The duke happened to spot the Marquis and called him over to the table.
‘I never forget a face,’ the slightly intoxicated duke pointed out. ‘Where do I know you from?’
The Marquis immediately recognised the Duke. The two of them had once been invited to dinner at the king’s palace. Fortunately, that had been their only meeting. Even more fortuitously, the duke had consumed so much wine at that dinner that he had committed the cardinal sin of passing out in the king’s presence. The duke’s memory was not assisted by the absence of the Marquis’ customary wig or by his humbler style of dress. The polite denial that they had ever previously encountered each other was eventually accepted by the duke, albeit with a measure of guarded reluctance.
The arrival of the king’s guards proved to be a rude awakening. The Marquis and his son initially denied their actual identity. However, when it became clear that both would be presented to the king regardless of their protestations, the Marquis relented. They were taken to the palace by carriage that same morning. Their dog remained on the farm.
Prior to being presented to the king, they were given the opportunity to bath and their commoners’ outfits were exchanged for garments befitting their former station. The Marquis and his son were escorted to the royal lounge where they were received by the king who welcomed them warmly.
‘I am shocked!’ the king exclaimed after the Marquis recounted their ordeal at the hands of the revolutionaries in France. ‘But why did you not come to me as you originally intended when you first arrived in Montuga?’
‘Your majesty I feared that if France was to discover that you were offering sanctuary to people branded as enemies of France, the consequences for Montuga and your crown might have been severe. I thought it would be in your interests and mine if we simply retained our false identities so as to keep a low profile in Montuga. We decided that if it became unsafe to remain in Montuga – heaven forbid that it should happen – we would simply board a vessel for America or somewhere else.’ The Marquis hesitated. ‘Your majesty, with respect, I can see on your face that you are not telling me something.’
‘Old friend,’ the king sighed. ‘I have grave news. Commander Du Pont presented himself at the Montugan border post two days ago. We are expecting him to be here at the palace accompanied by French troops later this afternoon. I am informed that he is likely to demand your extradition.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘No. I am not. At the moment I do not know what he wants.’
‘Your majesty, I thank you for warning us. We will head for the harbour straight after our audience with you and we will take the first ship on which we can book a passage.’
‘This will not be possible. Montuga is a small country. It took my guards no time at all to find you. If Du Pont is here for you and we do not hand you over to him, he will make enquiries. He will easily learn that you were in Montuga until today. He will conclude that Montuga warned an enemy of France of ahead of his arrival and assisted that enemy to escape.’ As the full implication of king’s words began to dawn on the Marquis, he became ashen faced and began to tremble. Philippe’s face was also overcome by shock and fear and tears welled up in his eyes.
‘Your majesty, we have been friends for a long time. Surely you cannot intend to hand us over to the French revolutionaries. My son and I will surely face the guillotine as soon as we land in France.’
‘Believe me when I tell you that I have no choice in the matter. If I were to countenance your escape, Montuga would be in breach of the treaty. France would have the excuse it requires to cancel the treaty and to invade Montuga. As much as it pains me, I cannot put my duty to you, my friend, above my duty as king of Montuga.’
‘I understand, that your majesty. But surely you cannot believe that the French republicans intend to honour a treaty which provides for a king to rule on territory France regards as being part of France.’
‘The French commander has requested an audience with me. He has requested permission to enter Montuga. He is apparently coming as an envoy of France. From these factors, I have to conclude that the republic realises that it must honour the treaty.’ The king paused. ‘Of course, I could be wrong. They may perhaps intend only to do a formal announcement of the termination by France of the treaty of Montuga. In that case, it goes without saying that I would then decline any request for any Frenchman to be handed over. However, if France claims to recognise the treaty then I am duty bound to ensure that France is provided with no cause to cancel it.’
‘What now? Am I to be your prisoner until we discover what it is that Du Pont wants?’
‘You are my guest until we know what Du Pont wants. If Du Pont is authorised by the French government to ask for you to be handed to the French soldiers, then I will expect you to present yourself to them.’
‘What if I try to escape before he arrives?’
‘You cannot escape from Montuga. My troops are already in the harbour. Some French troops are on the French side of the Devil’s Orifice as we speak. If you hide in Montuga itself, you will soon be found.’ It pained the king to be an accomplice in the causing of such suffering to his friend. It was equally distressing for the king to witness the Marquis gradual realisation that his fate was sealed and that his destiny was now in French hands.’
‘What of Philippe?’ the Marquis enquired dejectedly.
‘He will stay at the palace with me. I doubt they will ask for him.’
‘And if they do?’
‘I do not know what I will do then. I will have to make a decision about him if and when the time comes.’
‘I don’t want to stay here Papa,’ Philippe wailed and he placed his arms around his father. ‘I will go wherever you go.’
‘No Philippe. You have your whole life ahead of you. If I have to die, then so be it. I have had a good life. You have been brave. And I will always respect you for wanting to come with me. But you have to know that what I want most of all is for you to survive and to have a life of your own. If I know you are safe I will die a happy man. I want you to be brave enough to stay behind and to live your life. Will you do that if I tell you that this is my greatest wish and the one thing you can do to make me happy?’
Philippe stopped sobbing and nodded wordlessly.
‘Then it is settled,’ the king declared. ‘You will stay here as my guests until we find out what lies in store for all of us.’ As the Marquis and Philippe were led away to the guest quarters of the palace, the king called the usher closer. ‘See to it that the palace remains closed and under guard at all times. See to it that the Marquis and Philippe continue to enjoy my uninterrupted hospitality until I command otherwise.’ The extra emphasis placed on the word ‘uninterrupted’ was not lost on the usher.